Happy New Year!

Happy New  Year!  Does everybody have big plans for New Year's Eve?  
When we were kids, my parents used to go out for New Year's Eve.  My mother didn't want us kids to feel left out, so she would prepare us a "buffet" so that we could party, too.  Specifically, I remember an hors d'oeuvre she called cornucopias.  These consisted of slices of bologna rolled into a cone, secured with a toothpick and stuffed with potato salad.  This was the highlight of our feast, the remainder being pretzels, potato chips, etc.  Ginger ale was our substitute for champagne.
Today, of course, when I am at home for the festivities, I serve more grown up fare (real champagne) but I still always have cornucopias.
This year, however, my sister was invited to a New Year's celebration hosted by a coworker. She was asked to bring me along, so, I guess there will be no cornucopias this year.

If anyone has checked out my shop, you might have noticed little Daffodil.  She is now on her way to her new home in Maryland.  But, she has a little sister about to be born, so be on the lookout for her.

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year and may all your fondest wishes come true.

Everyone Should Have a Date for Christmas

My sister makes these delicious peanut butter stuffed dates.  I convinced her to make us some because everybody needs a date for Christmas.  Ha, ha.  Don't they look delicious?  Well, I can assure you they are. 

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

Just a thought:  Why can't the Christmas spirit last all year long?  Every day you see stories in the news about Man's inhumanity to Man;  children being abused, houses being burgled, folks being robbed. The list goes on.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just get along?

It Takes All Kinds

My sister and I went out today to do some last minute shopping.  We expected the malls to be crowded and parking spaces to be at a premium.  But, since I use a walker and we have a handicap decal, we were hoping to find a handicap spot.  We finally located one, but discovered we could not park properly as there was a pick-up truck in the opposite space (also marked handicap) whose rear was a good foot over the line.  It was also on the space designated as a pathway for a wheelchair.  I noticed that the driver of the pick-up was sitting behind the wheel.  
After my sister unloaded my walker, I proceeded to the store entrance and, as I passed the pick-up, I said to the driver, "Depriving a handicapped person of a parking space, are we?" 
"Oh, no," he replied.  I'm in a No Parking space." 
Go figure.  It takes all kinds...

Meet Clarice

Did you just hear a bell ring?  Clarice just got her wings!  
My sister and I went to Garden Ridge Pottery as they always have a wonderful array of Christmas ornaments that make wonderful bear accessories.  When I saw these wings, I just knew Clarice was waiting to be born.
Clarice is made from the softest sheared beaver with shoe button eyes and an embroidered nose and mouth.  Her paw pads are made from the lining of the coat from which the fur was taken.  Her wings are real feathers and are attached to Clarice with a harness of organdy ribbon. 

Our Chanukah Menorah

Our Chanukah Menorah

This is the last night of Chanukah.  At least this year I was able to light the candles.  Last year at this time I was suffering from double vision and the eye doctor had me put frosted tape over one lens of my glasses.  Needless to say, I had no depth of field.  This year I can laugh about it, but last year it wasn't so funny as my sister had to give me verbal instructions to find the candle wicks with the flame.  (I would have taken a picture of a plate of latkes, but we scarfed them down before I could even get my camera!)

Angel Bunny Ornament

Boy, have I been busy making Chanukah and Christmas gifts!  One of my most popular items is this little angel bunny ornament.  My son was always amazed that one tiny little newborn sock could be transformed into this darling angel bunny ornament. 

Supplies for Angel Bunny ornament

The little Angel Bunny is fashioned from a newborn sock, pony beads for eyes, a lace dress, a pom pom tail and a halo fashioned from miniature tree garland.  Here are two of the finished product.

Two Views of Angel Bunny Ornament

A Black Friday Bargain

My sister decided she wanted to purchase a laptop advertised for sale in WalMart at 5:00 a.m. Friday morning.  She was going to head out at 3:00 a.m., but, since the news report showed folks camping out at stores for Black Friday specials, she headed out at 10:30 and arrived at the store about 11:00.  I stayed home as I do not have the stamina to wait in line for six hours, even with my walker (which has a seat) or in one of those go carts.  When she came home with the laptop, she recounted a story which included a police incident.  Although she interacted with a lot of nice people, she swears she will never do that again, no matter how good the bargain.

This is my Thanksgiving turkey.  I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I have started cooking today, not only to save time tomorrow, but to give my sister some space to make her contributions to the Thanksgiving table.  Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Only Five More Days till Thanksgiving

Are you feeling the crunch?  It seems like no matter how hard you try, there's always something you forgot and need to run out to the market at the last minute.  You spend hours and hours in the kitchen and it's all gone in ten minutes!

Little Giuseppi already knows what he's going to do with the leftover turkey -- make a turkey pizza, of course!  You can find Giuseppi  in my Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/thebearbehind) or my Artfire studio (www.artfire.com/users/thebearbehind). 

Geez, It's Almost Thanksgiving Already!

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, but you'd think they moved it up a month.  I've seen Christmas themed items in stores since before Halloween!  I can understand craft stores who have stuff in July.  If you're making Christmas items to sell, you need time to accumulate enough stock to sell at Christmastime.  But, well . . .
My sister and I are making two turkeys for Thanksgiving (one for each of us; ha, ha).  And, of course, all the trimmings.  Ya gotta have leftovers.

Here is Dusty.  My sister said that I needed to have a cowboy bear (cow-bear?) since I live in Texas.  And, of course, Dusty needs a horse.  Voila!  Dusty and his trusty steed, Herringbone.  You can find a listing for Dusty in my Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/thebearbehind).

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

Well, hello everyone.  Welcome to my blog.  Since this is my first post, let me introduce myself and my bears to you.  I  live in a quaint little house in Spring, Texas, which is right outside of Houston.  I share my house with my sister (who likens us to the little old ladies in Arsenic and Old Lace-- except that we are not little and we do not poison young men) and the bears.
I, for one, always wonder how businesses got their name, so, in case you do, too, here's how I came my mine.  When we were little, my grandfather always made up little songs and poems (oh, yeah, my whole family is creative) and one of them went like this:
A girl and a boy went out to play
When a big, brown bear came along their way.
The boy climbed up the nearest tree he could find,
But, the girl ran on with The Bear Behind. 

Here are Mina and MiKKi.  They were made for my sisters from my late mother's mink stole.  They are an example of my Keepsake Bears.  You can find more information on my Keepsake Bears at my Etsy shop or my Artfire studio.