A Perfect Fall Day

You couldn't ask for a better day than today.  Temps in the mid 70s and no wind.  I worked outside for a bit cleaning up flower beds but mostly enjoying the beauty of fall.

 Spent some time in the sewing room.  Stuffed a bear which I will share once he's complete.  Bears look better with noses and ears.  Also put together a couple of tea towels.  This is just an example of a few.

I'll have a couple of dozen ready for the upcoming craft expo on Nov. 6.   This will be my first sale as a vendor for several years.  I'm joining two friends for a booth so there will be a big variety of wonderful homemade items. 

I'm still struggling with the mechanics of this blog.  I would like to add some unique gadgets but I'm not sure how I should do that.  I ordered a couple of how-to books from the library so maybe they will help.  Stay tuned. 

Today was a glorious day in Minnesota.  Sunny and crisp and the colors in the countryside are beginning to turn orange, red, yellow.  Perfect fall day.  I went to the Minnesota Zoo for the first time in many years.  My daughter-like friend Lori had free passes and asked me to go.  I was excited because I just don't drive in the metro area anymore and going to the zoo was on my list of things to do this summer.  We left at 9:00 and arrived around 10:00.  Our first stop was at the African penguin exhibit.  You don't think of Africa as having penguins but these little guys hang out there.

It was feeding time and they were eager to get their fish mush.  The gal on the left was keeping track of how many were eating probably.  Pretty cute.

We then took the entire tour.  I had to stop and take pictures of the pink flamingos.

I didn't know they got their pink color from the algae they ate.  They're not as bright as the lawn ornaments but by far more beautiful.  As we walked the Northern Trek we came upon the beautiful tigers sunning themselves so I whipped out my camera for another shot and my batteries were dead.  Arggg.  Sorry, no more pictures but we had a wonderful time.  We were shocked to see that we did the entire zoo tour in about 2 1/2 hours and we took our time.  No crowds.  We stopped on our way home for dinner at the World Buffet and it was wonderful.  Chinese food, mostly, and fresh and tasty.  Thanks, Lori, for a wonderful day.

Welcome to my blog.  This is new to me but I hope you'll "bear" with me as I learn the ins and outs of blogging. 

I first started making teddy bears in 1995 after my husband Joe passed away.  I took a store-bought bear and dressed him up with Joe's cap, glasses, a scaled-down version of his jeans and t-shirt and a mustache.

Joe lived in Texas for awhile and always had a special place in his heart for the state.  One day a lady came into the library with her mink coat and asked me if I would like it to make bears out of.  Never having worked with real fur I was a little apprehensive but I viewed it as a challenge and took her coat.  I "butchered" that poor thing and came up with two bears, one of which I gave to her.  She was delighted and soon I was getting more fur coats and jackets than I knew what to do with.  To make a long story short, I make teddy bears from vintage furs and garments from a loved one who has passed away. 
 

 This guy was made from a young man's army uniform.  He served in Afghanistan.

I also love to quilt as you can see by just some of the quilts I put out on my clothes line to air out.

I'll be sharing more in the weeks and months to come.  Please stop back from time to time and watch my blogging skills improve.  LOL