Teddy's New Home

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I thought I would share the ending to the "Sentimental Christmas" post. The Mink Teddy bear that I made from Marian Earle's Mink Stole was finished and mailed just in time for arrival on Christmas Eve. It was a special Christmas present for her daughter Dianne, since this would be the first Christmas without her mom.

Here is teddy on Dianne's lap on Christmas day.

I had mentioned in a previous post that a last minute repair was made to Teddy's right wrist. The vintage leather lining had split when I turned the arm right-side-out. I was running low on time so I decided to repair teddy's wrist and cover the "surgery" with pearls.

Well . . . it turns out that the pearls were even more of a personal touch. The women in Marian's family each wore jewelry (received from Marian on previous holidays) on Christmas Day. This pearl bracelet was one of the last Christmas gifts received and was a very close match to the bracelet on Ms. teddy bear.

As you can see, Teddy's arrival was a very emotional moment.

Teddy now sits above Marian's Memory Box. The purple flower near teddy's ear matches the mauve box nicely. What luck!

Thank you for fowarding me the pictures of Christmas day. Teddy certainly looks happy in her new home.

Christmas in Picton ~ 2008

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We had our extended family Christmas in Picton, Ontario on the 26th ~ hosted by my Dad and his wife Rosanna. What a lovely evening it was! I thought I would share some of their wonderful Christmas decorations.

I love the display of mini Christmas trees above the fire place and the reflection of the larger Christmas tree in the mirror.

The Dinner table was decorated with tiny gold snow flakes, an organdy runner and gold and green flowers.

The candles also had a green and gold theme.

This Christmas project is really neat . . . a glass block with lights and ribbon to make a glowing display. Such a pretty decoration.

~ Almost too pretty to use ~

Each guest was given a table favor ~ a hand quilted guest towel. Rosanna made 17 of these, each one custom designed. So much work !!!

This is the one I received ~ a Log Cabin Quilt pattern for my love of antique quilts.

Thank you Dad and Rosanna for hosting this year and for such a wonderful evening with family. Best wishes for 2009.

Merry Christmas !

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Wishing my friends in Blogland a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2009!

We had a great weekend in Toronto with family and managed to miss the snow storms that dropped 10 inches on Friday and another 6 inches on Sunday. We drove on Saturday and Monday, LOL.

Here is a picture of the local park near our relatives in Brampton, Ontario (just north of Toronto). The Gazebo is so pretty with all the Christmas lights and sparkle. There is actually a circular skating rink around the park, but we didn't make it out there this year (just too cold). Sure looks pretty though!

I heard that my teddy bear parcel arrived at 2:30pm today (just under the wire!)

~ Christmas Eve ~ Whew!

Thank you for all the kind comments on the Mink Teddy Bear.

Happy Holidays !!! xoxoxo

Off to FedEx asap . . . .

She's Done ~ Yeah !!!!

A very quick post . . . I should be wrapping right now and packing for our trip to Toronto . . .

Little Ms. Bear has lovely glass eyes and a purple Pansy in her hair

A bracelet to hide her plastic surgery . . . . (another story)

A silk blow from the lining of the coat

A pretty hang tag (purchased on Etsy) . . . with an original coat tag sewn inside, dated 1958

Original ID/maker from the coat sewn to her ribbon

and my best Irish Crochet to keep her warm this winter : )

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~ I hope "Mrs. W.H. Harris" makes it in time for Christmas ~

A New Appreciation . . . .

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To all you gals out there that sew with "real" fur . . . I certainly have a new respect for you all. Real fur is not easy . . . and vintage fur is an absolute challenge! This little Mink bear is certainly making me work.

The fur is soft and full, but the leather backing splits soooo easily. I have to sew all the seams by hand and make sure the spacing is wide enough to keep each pinhole separate from the next (so it doesn't rip like perforated paper). I also learned quickly that the entire bear needs to be lined on the inside. Rather like making two bears in one.

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Anyways . . . the cuteness factor is coming along. I think she will look sweet with a bouquet of vintage flowers.

Those look real . . . . are they?

No . . . but I had you fooled for a minute : )

Well, I had better get back to work ~ Lots to do before she is finished.

How Cool is that !!!

Yesterday after school . . . .

Mom: Hey kids . . . hurry up and put on your Sens Jersey.

Kids: Are we going to a hockey game?

Mom: No . . . you are going to meet Dany Heatley.

Son: Yah . . . . right.

Mom: Really !

Son: Really??? followed by lots of screaming!

Well, guess who we met yesterday? The Assistant Captain of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Team. Dany Heatley released his new book "Dominant" and he had a book signing at the local Chapters store. My husband got there early enough to save a great place in line. We were #65 in the line, but it moved very quickly.

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The parents were even allowed to take pictures.

Big Smiles : )

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Thank you Dany Heatley for thrilling so many Fans ~ big and small.

Welcome to a Pretty Little Christmas Party!

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Welcome to the "Pretty Little Christmas" Blog Party hosted by Heather at Pretty Petals . Thank you to our hostess!
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I love a white Canadian Christmas with tall Pines and Spruce trees dusted in snow. It has a very calming effect I think . . . against all the hustle and bustle of Christmas. This is the view from our family room.

Please come in . . . and make yourself at home . . .

I attended a wonderful Cookie Exchange Party recently. I am already for our family Christmas in Toronto this weekend. I have put a tray of goodies in the freezer to make sure they make it until Saturday, LOL. Too many cookies monsters in our house.

Our Christmas Tree is red and white (Very Canadian I suppose) with Angels, Doves and Old World Santas.

I like the transparent ornaments that twinkle at night.

I think my favorite ornaments are my Glass Ballerinas. I took Ballet for many years when I was young. These Sugar Plum dancers like to spin around and around. They look like they are dancing on the tree.

This little gal is just adorable . . . love her glitter and tiny birds nest.

This Santa makes all the little children smile. He is a wreath that hangs low on the door so the small ones can say hello to him.


I like this short little Santa too . . . he makes me smile : )

This is why we don't do our own family portrait with a timer any more. This was way back in Christmas 2000. I think we had over 100 images and not one where we all smiled and behaved at the same time, LOL. This was our dog's first Christmas . . .and my son wasn't helping with the "sit" command very much at all (note the grip on my dog's tail). Well at least the girls are smiling nicely. Thanks to my Aunt Brenda for making such a wonderful tree ornament : )

p.s. we used this picture as our Christmas card that year.

Wishing you all a Safe and Merry Christmas with Family and Friends !

A Sentimental Chistmas Gift

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My mom's husband Dan lost his mom, Marian, last summer. The above picture is Marian many years ago when she was a young mom. Wasn't she pretty!

Dan celebrated his 75th birthday in 2007, so his dear Mom was close to 100 years old. I have been asked to make Marian's Mink Coat into a Teddy Bear ~ Christmas Gift. It will be given to Dan's Sister Diane.

The coat has a lovely silky-satin type lining in a pretty shade of caramel (lined with wool batting). I know it will be slippery, but hopefully the wool batting will help. A very pretty girl bear with silk paw pads and a silky bow is what I hope to make. I may add some pretty taupe and cream Millinery too.

I managed to cut out all the pieces last night. There was Fluff everywhere !

She will be a rather big 15 inch bear. I was told by a few Teddy Bear Artists that I will need to use a large pattern to make the mink fur manageable. So far so good. Today I will start putting her together.

Here is another "Before picture" of the Coat

I think I see a little smile already . . .

I know I have not given myself much time at all . . . only started last night . . .but I work well under pressure, or so I hope, LOL !

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XpressPost mail is definitely in my future!

FYI a Blog Party ~ Monday Dec. 15th

Hey Girlfriends . . . Ms. Heather at Pretty Petals is having a "Pretty Little Christmas" Blog Party on December 15th. You can sign up on Heather's Blog to join in on the fun.

Hope to see you there!

Pink Millinery and Roses

I am not thinking Christmas red just yet. I have put a nice dent in my stash of Children's vintage clothing by selling several lots on ebay, so I think it is time to tackle the Vintage Millinery. I must have at least six boxes of silk and velvet florals to move along. Here is a sneak preview of the items that will be listed on ebay tomorrow.

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These Roses are so beautiful they look real!

One box was marked ~ The Queen's Garden Party ~ 1938

Many shades of Pink, Mauve and Raspberry



Darker shades of Plum and Mauve,

and Purple Pansies too.

A few Rhinestones find their way into the mix.

Organdy and Velvet make a wonderful flower.

Subtle shades of Ivory and Taupe are pretty too.

All shapes and sizes (a small dime is shown for scale).

A little Pinky-Peach to cover all the shades

Even a few hats and head bands.

My pictures always take me so long to do . . . I guess I take far too many!

Hopefully I can actually get to the listing part tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting! I will post the link when I get my work done : )

And a few whispy feathers too!

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Link update: These items can now be viewed in My eBay