It’s time for an Olympic Push for Fans! As we approach 100 fans on Facebook, we are inviting you to suggest to your friends that they too become a fan of EbearZ.
On March 1st at 6:00 PM EST we’ll make a random draw from all our fans for a 2010 Olympic Teddy Bear. Whoever REFERRED that fan will also win a bear AND a free online workshop. In the event that two people referred a fan, a random draw will be made to select the winner. In the event that no one referred the fan, only one prize will be awarded.
So get fanning! Log into Facebook, become a fan of EbearZ and tell all your friends! Not a fan yet? You can become a fan right from our home page at www.ebearz.com Just click on the Facebook link!
What is The EbearZ U? It’s a place where students from all over the world can gather to take online crafting workshops from expert instructors at affordable prices. We have classes in bear making, doll making, fiber arts, artist essentials and other trendy artforms. EbearZ brings creativity virtually everywhere!
With only a few days left before Christmas, I have one bear who’s particularly sad as she does not yet have a mom or dad to give her a home. Her name is Faith and she really needs to be adopted! I’ve listed her on eBay and her auction closes on Sunday, December 27th. So, if you don’t get what you wanted under the tree … please keep Faith in mind as a gift for yourself. She’s 17 inches tall and made of beautiful ivory mohair. She has wired arms and wears and antique dress and antique skeleton key. She’s much prettier in person … especially her eyes. The photos just don’t do her justice. To go to the auction, you can click on my eBay link on the right.
To get email announcments about new bears, please visit my web site www.kranbearys.com and sign up for the email list on the home page.
I’m back with more bears! Whoo hoo! There’s actually a lot of news that I’m eager to share, but that will be another post.
Up for auction on eBay is Zoey.
Zoey is a One-of-A-Kind mink and fox bear.
She’s got an intricately sculpted face with a big open mouth smile. Wired arms, firm stuffing and great toes make this bear very special. And did I mention the fur? Can we say GORGEOUS? Jet black mink and Norwegian Blue Fox… all reclaimed of course from an old fur coat in immaculate condition.
This auction ends on Sunday, December 6th. The reserve for Zoey is 325.00 with free shipping anywhere in the Continental US or Canada.
I’ve also listed some new bears on Artfire, and Etsy. You’ll see the links on the right side of this Blog page. I’ll be listing 3 more bears on Bear Pile this weekend as well.
It’s been a while since I posted in this blog. Suffice it to say that’s it’s been a very busy year. Early in the year, we celebrated my mom’s 90th birthday. The whole immediate family was able to travel to Thunder Bay for the event. Mom laughed and hugged her favourite Elvis impersonator, Daylin James, who I must say has a magnificent voice and sounds amazing singing non-Elvis songs as well. But I digress.
Shortly after her birthday, mom’s health deteriorated quickly and sadly, she passed away on June 30th, 2009. I should be so lucky as to live to the ripe old age of 90! Mom had 5 children and I think 48 grand & great grand children. It’s a little hard to count and keep track of them all sometimes!
In the apartment building where she lived, they had an elevator that was installed in 1909. A true antique; everyday it would take mom up to her apartment on the 4th floor. I remember the days when such an elevator was used in the Eaton’s department store, manned by a beautiful woman in a marvelous uniform. “Going Up?” she would say.
Now the elevator is manned by a glorious angel, veiled in magnificent angel’s attire. She’s escorting mom to the top floor. Going up? I’m certain of it!
Thank you to everyone who viewed and bid on my auction last week. Your support is very much appreciated!
This week, I’ve listed ‘Hope’ on eBay. This auctions will close on Sunday May 31st.
Hope is made from a nice long, dense ivory mohair with a pale lemon backing. She’s 17 inches tall, and has very pretty eyes.
She’s finished with my signature floral bow, and has a music box tucked into her rump. You’d never know it was there until you turn her tiny tail and she begins to sing “Pachabel’s Canon in D” on an 18 note music box. She is bear number 1 of a series of 5 ‘Positve Life’ Bears. Each bear is musical, and each bear has completely different mohair and finishing touches. Hope once belonged to a collector, but returned to me in mint condition when the collector downsized her hug.
Hope was made entirely by me in 1994. Funny, however, I never completed the series back then. Although bears 2 and 3 have been sold to new homes, Bears 4 (Faith) and 5 (Joy) are still waiting to be born. I’ll be listing them in June.
Hope’s arms are wired for posing, and she’s firmly stuffed and double stitched to endure years of cuddles.
Check out the eBay widget on the right to see the current price, and time remaining, or double click on it to visit my auction.
Well is it about time I listed a bear on eBay or what?
I’m pleased to announce that Charity was listed on ebay, and will close on Sunday May23rd.
Charity is made from three pretty varieties of mohair. She’s 17 inches tall, and has fabulous eyes.
She’s finished with my signature floral bow, and has a music box tucked into her rump. You’d never know it was there until you turn her tiny tail and she begins to play “My Heart Will Go On” on an 18 note music box.
Her arms are wired for posing, and she’s firmly stuffed and double stitched to endure years of cuddles.
Check out the eBay widget on the right to see the current price, and time remaining, or double click on it to visit my auction. Alternatively, you can click on her photo in this post to be taken directly to the listing.
Charity is bear number 3 from my Positve Life Series. I’ll have bear number 1 (Hope) here on my site soon, with bears 4 (Faith) and 5 (Joy) to follow. Bear number 2 (Courage) has already been sold.
More bears waiting to be born, so back to work. Next up… a silver fox cutie.
I’ve been asked a number of times how I got the nick name She-Bear. Contrary to what you might think, it has nothing to do with making teddy bears, and pre-dates my ursine creations.
When I initially began working shifts, some 20 years ago, I had a very difficult time sleeping during the day, as was required when on the midnight shift. Phone calls, dogs barking or neighbours talking would all wake me up and make it almost impossible to get through the next shift due to lack of sleep. The more sleep I missed, the crankier I would become. I ended up hanging a Do Not Disturb sign on my door, that said, “She-Bear Hibernating. Awaken At Your Own Risk” The name just stuck after that.
The She-Bear by definition is an adult female bear who averages two cubs per litter. My own two cubs are my greatest joys.
I later discovered that there was also an Italian Fairy tale about the She Bear that goes something like this: “A dying queen required her husband to promise to remarry only if the new bride was as beautiful as she was. Because he had only a daughter, soon after her death, he decided to remarry. After long inspection of many women, he realized that his daughter Preziosa was in fact as beautiful as her mother, and no other woman was. Preziosa took to her chambers in despair. An old woman gave her a chip of wood, which, when she put in her mouth, would change her into a bear. When her father summoned her to ask his councilors whether he could marry her, she used it.
When in the woods, she met with a prince and came up to him. Her gentleness astounded him, and he took her home. One day, wishing to comb her hair, she pulled out the wood. The prince saw her and fell sick from love. In his raving, he spoke of the bear, and his mother thought she had hurt him, so she ordered her killed. The servants, taken with her gentleness, brought her to the woods instead.
Discovering this, the prince got up long enough to catch the bear again, but when his pleas to her did not make her become human again, he took ill again. His mother asked what he needed, and he had the bear brought to his room to act as his servant. She did all that was needed, which only made the prince more in love with her and sicker. He begged for a kiss, and she kissed him; at this, the wood came out of her mouth, and he caught her. She begged him not to hurt her honor. He married her with his mother giving them her blessing.”
Mostly I like to think of the black bears that I’ve seen in the wild when it comes to She-Bears. Last week, I saw a momma and her cub run across a country road, and several years ago I was struck by the beauty of a mom and two cubs in a tree, minding their own business. So beautful, and so gentle to watch… from a safe distance of course.
Happy mother’s day to all the other she-bears out there!
This week the creative bug struck hard. I don’t think there is a better form of stress relief than diving into a creative project or two. The time flies as the hands create and the mind relaxes.
I joined a doll challenge this past week. It’s the Bra Dolls Challenge from Barb & Doug Keeling’s site. The challenge is simple.
You purchase the pattern from Barb’s site at www.keelingskrafts.com It’s available as an immediate download for $10.00 Part of the proceeds from the sale of each pattern goes to Breast Cancer Research.
The pattern has five different doll styles in it. Then you make the doll from one of the pattern styles, incorporating a bra into some part of the doll. The resulting dolls are photographed and the photos are sent back to Barb, who is using them in a magazine article.
Now how fun is that? Here’s a photo of the bra I purchased for the challenge, which I’m participating in via the Doll Street Dreamers club.
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” – Rabindranath Tagore
“Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle.” – Elizabeth David
“The woods would be silent if no bird sang but the best.” – Annonymous
“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” – Matthew 10:29-31
“When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows, and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“To live is so startling, that it leaves little time for anything else.” – Emily Dickinson
“I will love the light, for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars” – Og Mandino
May this Easter bring you the joy of new life, the promise of the future and the glory that shines with the Son.
As you may know, I’ve been undertaking steps to revise and upgrade the EbearZ University for the past number of months. Unfortunately, some health and family matters interfered with my carefully laid plans and schedule, but things seem to be back on track again, and the revamp is well under way.
What is it that they say about the ‘best laid plans of mice and men?’ Yes, well; what fun would life be if every plan was carved in stone. If flexible we must be, than flexible we shall be.
Having babbled on about that, I would like to say that the new EbearZ U is looking pretty snazzy. In addition to adding video, upgraded forums, photo upload capabilities and all kinds of other goodies in the Agora, we’ll also have a completely new look and feel. What’s an Agora? It’s Greek for meeting place … and it’s the part of EbearZ where students gather to ask questions and share photos of their work. I’m really pleased with the ease of use for the Agora, so uploading photos and sharing your thoughts will be a breeze.
The new look has more of a classroom feel too. As well, the database has been completely re-written and upgraded. Students will now each have their own home page where they can see what classes they have taken, and which upcoming ones they are registered for, as well as the start dates of these. For those students with a gazzilion 1’s behind thier name…well, that will be a thing of the past also. Your username will not change, and you can choose your own password.
Finally, the new ‘U’ will have multiple faculties, where other arts and crafts are taught. Hopefully this will open up new possiblities in the arts for all the students as the various techniques cross over from one theme to another.
I’m also looking for teachers, so if you’re interested, pop me an email or give me a call.
If you would like to be notified about the Grand Opening, and new classes, please feel free to join my mailing list on the right side of the page.
It’s time for an Olympic Push for Fans! As we approach 100 fans on Facebook, we are inviting you to suggest to your friends that they too become a fan of EbearZ.
With only a few days left before Christmas, I have one bear who’s particularly sad as she does not yet have a mom or dad to give her a home. Her name is Faith and she really needs to be adopted! I’ve listed her on eBay and her auction closes on Sunday, December 27th. So, if you don’t get what you wanted under the tree … please keep Faith in mind as a gift for yourself. She’s 17 inches tall and made of beautiful ivory mohair. She has wired arms and wears and antique dress and antique skeleton key. She’s much prettier in person … especially her eyes. The photos just don’t do her justice. To go to the auction, you can click on my eBay link on the right.
I’m back with more bears! Whoo hoo! There’s actually a lot of news that I’m eager to share, but that will be another post.
It’s been a while since I posted in this blog. Suffice it to say that’s it’s been a very busy year. Early in the year, we celebrated my mom’s 90th birthday. The whole immediate family was able to travel to Thunder Bay for the event. Mom laughed and hugged her favourite Elvis impersonator, 
I’ve been asked a number of times how I got the nick name She-Bear. Contrary to what you might think, it has nothing to do with making teddy bears, and pre-dates my ursine creations. 
This week the creative bug struck hard. I don’t think there is a better form of stress relief than diving into a creative project or two. The time flies as the hands create and the mind relaxes.
