Wonder & Kind

Hey insta friends- I’m still here! 😀 This summer is just flying by! It’s so hard to believe it’s almost time for school to start back up. I had just a little time in my studio this week to finish up these two little Ellie’s that have been hanging out on my desk for quite some time now. Keep your eyes peeled for them if you’d like to give one of these little sweet floofy pachyderms a happy home- I’ll be adding them to the shop shortly! 💜🩵🐘🐘🐘

I’m still here! I swear! 😂 I’ve been working on 2 little Ellies for what seems like forever as we navigate the last few weeks of school. I also recently acquired this sweet little fellow. He’s a 1930’s Knickerbocker who is in fairly decent shape- aside from the fact that someone glued plastic eyes in his head (they should be amber glass ones) and he smells a bit like moth balls, litter box, and basement. Poor guy. I’m spending some time today giving him a light bubble bath a few times over to see if that helps him or order a charcoal odor eliminator and store him with that. Worst case scenario- he’ll need to be taken apart and soaked- which is not ideal. With old bears the goal is to keep them as original as possible as you really don’t want them to look brand new again. Keeping my fingers crossed that multiple sponge baths work! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 As of right now, I’ve done one light bubble bath and can’t even get the funk off my hands …🤢 lol.

Up for ADOPTION: Little Andy is all finished! Ill be adding him to the shop shortly- so if you’d like to see more pics of him- hop over there in about 20 minutes and say hi! Andy is made from a medium density white steiff-schulte mohair with red tips. He is stuffed with cleaned and carded wool, has embroidered features, safety eyes and joints. He comes with a removeable wool felt messenger bag to store his tiny treasures, a cotton jumper and wool bandana hand knit from chunky hand dyed yarn.

This cheeky little guy will hopefully be all finished by sometime Sunday 🤞🏻❤️🐻 His name is Andy—- in honor of The Smith’s bassist Andy Rourke. So sad to hear of his passing today as the Smith’s were such a huge part of my teenage years and getting me through the tough times of adolescence. Ugh. Cancer sucks. But- I’m so grateful to have grown up in such an amazing time for music and thankful for all the wonderful musicians that have helped shaped my whole generation.

Bigger eared little bear in the works! He looks like he’s up to mischief here..lol. This mohair is a steiff schulte mohair- white tipped with red! It’s so fun! Can’t wait to see him all finished up 😀🐻❤️

Little blue bun-bun is almost ready to get his wool stuffing! I love them when they’re squishy and floppy like this 🐰💙

Remember the little mystery guy I spoke about in my last post? Well- here he is- in the process of getting his stuffing! I have been dreaming of working on a denim bear! I love the idea of upcycling denim as it’s such a sturdy fabric and I love the variations of the blues and worn out areas. I did some sashiko type stitching on him on his stomach, legs and back. I’m debating on adding some poly pellets to give him a little more heft- although the denim does make him heavier. I’m super excited for how he’s turning out and have plans to eventually make some more so I can experiment with sashiko and maybe dying parts of the denim for interesting effects. #

I swear I’m still here! Lol! Believe it or not- we came down with yet another illness this year. I seriously can’t even believe it. I feel like I’ve got the immune system of a newborn catching everything under the sun..lol. Craziness! I’m now back in my little studio - (currently sending little Edmund to his new home💜) and working on a few other animals. One for someone potentially and one is just something I had in my head for some time that probably won’t be kiddo friendly, but more of a collectible. I’ll post pics of the one I had in my head as soon as I have him all assembled. So far he’s been fun to work on and am looking forward to making others like him!

Another late night in my little studio! I actually started out working on printing some new stickers to include in my boxes (bears, kittens, and dragons!) and somehow wound up finally working on the outfit for the little purple/green bear and never finishing the stickers! 🤷‍♀️ ugh…my brain! It loves to flit from thing to thing. Here’s hoping tomorrow I can complete this little guy (finally!) and some stickers! 😀💜🧸

Finally got some time in my studio to finish this little fluffy guy! 🐰💙

Almost finished this sweet little blue bun 🐰💙 The art of making mohair animals is incredibly slow. Each animal takes many hours of work. I sneak it in, here and there, and on days when I’m lucky- full days. I get so laser focused on creating- that when I have the time, I will not budge from my little desk for hours on end. It’s a slow, but rewarding process. Everything from carefully cutting out the pattern, to double stitching, hand sewing, stuffing, and knitting the outfits or accessories is slow and meditative. It’s definitely my happy place and there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for it. 🐰💙

Little blue bun bun in progress! 😄🐰

Someone is headed to his new home! I’m going to miss his sweet little face so I had to take one more pic! 🥰🥰🥰🧸🧸🧸

Why do the weekends always fly by?? 😩😭 This weekend went by so quick- and I had so much on my to do list, but shirked it all to spend time sewing in my little studio…🧸🧸🧸 This guy came out a bit bigger than I wanted- he’s still smaller than my usual bears and a good travel size, but I think I’m going to aim for smaller - maybe half this size and rework my old pattern for tiny bears. 🤔 What do you guys think? This size? - which is roughly 9 inches from top of ear to top of toes…..or 6-7??

Up for ADOPTION: Sweet little Gladys! Gladys will be added to the shop shortly so keep your eyes peeled for her in the next 15 mins! You can see more pics of her if you scroll through👉👉👉. She is made from the last little bit of this awesome medium density maroon and black mohair that I’ve been holding on to for ages! It’s a discontinued mohair so she will be one of a kind! Stop by and say hi to Gladys! 😺❤️🖤

Late night working on this tiny guy! It is way, way past my bedtime, but I unfortunately/fortunately (man, it sucks getting old 😂) had a matcha latte late and am subsequently up toying with the idea of making tiny bears again. I have a good bit of this mohair in various color combos left as I’ve been keeping it my stash for some time….I’m fairly certain it’s not made anymore and once I realize that, it makes it hard for me to part with..lol! This one is purple mohair with a dark green backing (in this pic the mohair almost looks blue), but I also have blue and yellow, red and blue, orange and blue, and red and yellow- sooo a ton of fun, crazy color combos! This style is modeled after one of my vintage bears - so he’ll be a bit old fashioned as opposed to my more kawaii styled animals.

Almost finished this little kitten! I have to wash and block her little dress and make her satchel and then she’ll be all set! I hope to have her listed by either Saturday or Sunday! If you’d like a DM heads up for 15 mins before I list her, just let me know 😺❤️🖤

Up for ADOPTION: Sweet little Birch Bear! Birch Bear is made from a medium density pinky/red/coral colored mohair that is striking in color - especially against the dark brown cotton backing which can be seen through his fur! I was able to get my hands on just enough of this wonderful mohair to make Birch and I only have enough for maybe a teeny weeny animal or a scrappy animal made of different mohairs. So he’s definitely going to be one of a kind! I’ll have him listed in the shop shortly and will be sending out DM’s to anyone that requested! Scroll through his pics (I tried to show various angles) to see him or stop by the shop and say hi! 👉👉👉

This sweet little guy will be up in the shop tomorrow! He’s going to be hard to part with….I absolutely love the color of this mohair! I wish I could find more of it! 😫 If anyone wants a DM 15 minutes before I list him- just let me know.

Late night in my little studio! Currently in the process of stuffing this little guy. I usually have to work on things like stuffing, or cutting and pinning at night because as I’ve gotten older, my eyes just aren’t what they used to be. 😫 I save all my hand sewing for daytime…and any sunny days..lol. Anyone else in this boat? It seemed to happen almost overnight for me as well as all the other wonderful trappings of mid-life 😫! Lol!

Remember my last post when I talked about hanging on to mohair that I couldn’t bear to use? I forced myself to part with this mohair- which I am sooooo over the moon for…I’m actually quite proud of myself for using it! 😂 This color is amazing- and the chocolate brown backing peeking through just adds to the contrast. This was a small piece that I managed to get my hands on (because I couldn’t resist the color!) and is sold out so this is the one and only! This mohair was a bit pricey- so this little guy will be priced accordingly and a bit more than my usual bears this size.

I’m currently working on finishing up this little kitten! He’s made from a piece of mohair that I’ve been hanging on to for ages because I’m a weirdo and have a hard time cutting up pieces I love…lol! But I finally did it! 😂 Its a beautiful dark burgundy with black tips in a medium density. It’s no longer made unfortunately 😭 so he’ll definitely be one of a kind 😺.

Up for ADOPTION: Sweet little Joey! Joey is made from a caramel colored, medium density Shulte-Steiff mohair that has a wavy finish! He is 5 way safety jointed, has safety eyes, and is stuffed with cleaned and carded wool from a family owned mill in PA, has embroidered features, and comes with a removable cotton jumper, hand knit wool bandana, and wool felt backpack! I try to use almost all natural materials and source yarns and wool from small businesses and artists when I can. 😃 He’ll be up in the shop shortly- so stop by and say hi to this dear little guy! 🧸❤️

Just finished this little guy! I absolutely love this mohair and the fabric his little jumper is made out of! I’ll have him up and listed in the shop tomorrow (Sunday) morning. I’ll put his full pics up here shortly before he’s listed. 🙌🏻🧸🙌🏻🧸

Late night teddy bear making! 🧸🧸🧸This is such a beautiful mohair! It’s Steiff-Schulte and it has a lovely little wavy and warm caramel color. I hope to have this little guy finished and added to the shop soon! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

I’m working on another little growling panda 🐼💙I hope to have this little guy up in the shop in a few days! 😀

Up for ADOPTION: Sweet little Mei! Mei is made from a matted/curly grey mohair that is medium density with a grey cotton backing. She is 5-way safety jointed, has safety eyes, is stuffed with cleaned and carded wool from a woolen mill in Pennsylvania, has an embroidered nose, mouth, and claws, and comes with a removable cotton jumper, wool felt backpack. And hand knitted wool bandana (the yarn is hand dyed from Knitwits in Maine!) My pics this time we’re a little dark- as it’s a super grey day- so the coloring may appear a bit different when she arrives, but it’s fairly close! I should have her in the shop in the next 15 minutes- and will send out a quick DM to whoever requested a heads up! 😺

This sweet little kitten named Mei will be up in the shop tomorrow around 10 am est! If you’d like a DM for a heads up so you can keep your eyes peeled for her just let me know 😺❤️

Working on this little doodle in Procreate. Goodness, I love that app- it’s so much fun! I’ll be out of my studio for a bit (yet again- but hopefully not too long🤞🏻) - because I fell last week (playing with dogs in worn out Crocs- which was totally a dumb thing to do on my part) and tore my hamstring 😫 I swear the universe has it out for me this winter! 😭🤪😂 I am hopeful that soon I’ll at least be able to sit properly to sew, but until then I’m making all sorts of drawings like this one to turn in to stickers to include in with my little animals 😀

Loving this little kitten’s sweet expression and this scruffy mohair! 😍 I love the process of seeing their personalities forming as I am creating them. You just never know which little personality they’ll have until they’re finished! 😀🧸❤️

Studio time today and I finally got this little guy almost completed. Feels good to be back at it! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🧸🧸🧸

I swear I’m still here! 😂 After my last post, we caught the flu and two other colds! So I have just been focusing on getting and trying to stay healthy-ish….with not much time in the studio. It’s just so mind-boggling. We’ve caught everything under the sun since we caught covid back in the beginning of the school year. My only guess is it totally obliterated our T cells because I’ve never caught this many viruses in one winter ever! Is anyone else going through that this year? Whew! Well- for now (knocks on wood) we’re good- how long that will last is anyone’s guess…lol- but I did manage to finish the little kitten and pink bear from ages ago! And I am re-listing little Zander who was originally shipped to Spain, but never made it to his forever home and was lost for 3 months and finally arrived back to me in November! I debated just letting him hang with us, but he’s restless and wants to travel to another family! So I’ll have these 3 up and listed to the shop today!

I’m still here! I hope all my Insta friends have been happy & healthy! I’ve had a bit of a break from my studio for the past few months due to Covid, back to back strep infections, miscellaneous colds, and kiddos new school schedule. 😫 Whew! Hoping to sneak some time in over the next few months to work on some animals. Currently, I’m working on this little kitten in this amazing mulberry tipped mohair (I changed my pattern up a tiny bit) and hope to have him finished up this week 😀. I’ll try to keep everyone posted when I’m listing him and a few others I think I’ll have finished over the next few weeks! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Up for ADOPTION: Sweet little Zander! Zander is made from a medium density light blue Steiff-Schulte mohair with dark blue tips! This mohair is so fun and unique- and gives Zander a well work look! He is approx.12 inches tall from the bottoms of his little feet to the tops of his ears, is 5 way safety jointed, has safety eyes, wool felt paw pads, and is stuffed with cleaned and carded wool from a family owned mill in PA! 😀 He comes wearing a removable cotton jumper, hand knit bandana from wool hand dyed artist yarn, and a wool felt backpack! I’ll have Zander up in the shop by 11:00 am est and you can scroll through the rest of his pics to see more of him! 💙🐻👉👉👉

Ahhhh I love this adorable cloud fabric! 💙 🤓 🌧🌧🌧 I should have this little guy all ready to go for tomorrow, but the little pink bear probably won’t be ready until next week. Like usual, I’ll post on Instagram before listing in the shop 😀 🙌🏻

This summer is flying by and I haven’t been in my studio as much, but I am on my way to finishing these two happy little bears! I am hoping (🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻) to have them all finished and ready to go by Saturday morning- and if anyone wants a heads up DM, just let me know 😀.

Ahhhhh I just love this mohair! Love the tips and am also working on a very subtle pink one with black tips. I would’ve been much further along but jinxed myself and wound up in headache mode yesterday 😩 so I am hoping to get some time today to sew up his seams and plan his outfit. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

It’s been a busy summer so far and I’m *finally* in my little studio today- and should be for the rest of the week and possibly weekend! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I’m working on a small batch of bears using this amazing steiff-schulte mohair in a few different colors. I am making these bears with bigger eyes and it gives them such a sweet innocent look. 🥹🥹🥹 💙💙💙

Up for ADOPTION: At 9 pm this silly little Axolotl will be added to the shop! His name is Shemp 😀💗 and he’s made from a sparse matte light pink mohair, is 5 way safety jointed, and has little wool felt hands, feet, and gills. He measures in at approximately 10.5 inches tall (not including his hat) and about 6.5 inches across the arms. He comes with a hand knit wool Pom-Pom cap, removable cotton bow tie, bloomers and suspenders made from that amazing cotton fabric I showed in my other post, and a wool felt backpack for storing all his little treasures! His tail is a little low so it does bend a bit when he is in a seated position (I left it lightly stuffed for that purpose). Scroll through his pics to see him at various angles! 👉👉👉💗💗💗

This little axolotl should be all finished up soon! I’m planning on having him listed in the shop tomorrow (Friday) night at 9:00 pm-ish (est) and if anyone else would like a DM as a heads up just let me know! 😀💖🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻