Back from 11 years of clutter!

Hi everyone,I thought I should pop in to let everyone know I am okay and kicking(all though a bit stiff and sore hehe)The reason I have been absent is due to a major de-clutter,rummage sale and organization project topped off with a horrific storm.I had no idea it would take this many weeks to try to clear out and organize but I am determained to get the job done once and for all!Little did I know what I was in for during this major process.As I had wrote in previous posts,I had been a die hard crafter for many years and this meant several craft shows during the year along with a rented booth in a major craft mall,so this included a large amount of supplies.Over the years I devoted my time to bear making so I quit the shows and last year closed my booth.What I was stuck with was plastic tote containers piled to the ceiling in all the closets in my house leaving no room for clothes and the normal things that should be in a closet.From muslin doll bodies to dried florals,material,potpourri,soy wax and hundreds of craft bears for wax dipping,I had it!My sister's neighborhood was having their yearly rummage sale so I thought it would be a great way to unload some of this clutter.the sale was to be June 19-20-21 so there was only one week to prepare. It was constant work lugging boxes and containers for the sale including tables,crates making signs and so on it was quite the job.The forecast for the weekend wasn't looking so great with a chance of severe weather for the first day of our sale being Friday the 19th.We thought no problem,everything is set up in the garage and we can close the door if it got too bad.Well,it did get bad!It rained so hard we could hardly see out the windows.The rain did die down in the afternoon,but by the looks of the sky we knew more storms were on the way so we closed the sale for the day and I headed home.No sooner than I get in the door and turn on the tv,there were severe warnings in our area with funnel clouds spotted.And just like that the thunder wind and lightning came with the sirens blowing and the only way to describe it was like a monsoon.Then poof,no lights,phone tv nothing,and no basement to go to and no cell phone!I grabbed my weatherband radio and the only flashlight I had in the house and sat scared to death wondering if my relatives were okay and would we survive this storm.I watched in horror as my yard filled with flood water within 20 minutes.I live in a flood zone so this made it even worse.All of the city and county were flooding as were the roads so there was no where to go.It was a relief when the storm settled(which felt like an eternity) but all the flowers I planted and my new solar lights I purchased were under water.Once the lighning stopped,I went in the yard up to my knees,got the solar lights , washed them,then put them in the house for lighting.The power finally came on near midnight and it was like a treat to have it back!Believe it or not we continued the sale Sat&Sun with unbearable heat and humidity and a few damaged items that were soaked from the rain but at least we survived the horrible storm and were able to enjoy a few laughs about everything that happened during this rummage sale that we will never forgot in our lifetime.I am still busy re -organizing things and have been making trips to the goodwill to donate the items that didn't sell but things are coming along smoothly now and getting rid of all the clutter is a great feeling.I couldn't help but wonder why in the world did I think I had to keep all of that stuff but boy I am glad it's gone!My eldest son moved out so I now have that cute country bedroom filled with childrens antique furniture I have wanted to display for years along with a new loveseat and coffe table set for the frontroom so I guess it was totally worth all the work and storms it took to get it that way.I will be focusing on making new bears and friends very soon and I will update on their progress as soon as they are in the making.~~~~~~Hugs.....Sharie

***Meet the crew***New teddy bears now completed***

Hi everyone!I am so delighted to share the new pics of my newest bears,getting ready for their debut on ebay shortly.It took alot of work to get these fellas completed,but I was determained that I could do it!(and keep my word on listing earlier than the last auctions)All the teddies will have the buy in now option to purchase without a long 5to7day auction.So lets meet the bears~~~first on the left is a sweet 12 inch baby faced bear named Jaimie~~~in the middle pic is a 10 inch old style teddy named Chuckles as he seems to be smiling~~~next on the top right is another sweet 12 inch baby faced bear named Shortcake~~~bottom row left is a mini pink ted named Holly~~~~in the middle a blue mini named Bing and last but not least, far right bottom is a cutie pie mini panda named Andy.All are made from mohair and have been aged for that old vintage look.I will start listing them soon and I hope you enjoyed meeting the crew! Thanks for visiting~~~~sharie ****update: all of the mini panda bears Holly,Bing&Andy have now been adopted along with Shortcake the pink teddy and Jaimie the first bear pictured on the top left****little Chuckles(middle top is still available)thank you....sharie

~~~Even more new creations in the making~~~

Before I give my update on the new bears in progress,I want to give a big thank you to everyone who gave such nice compliments on my previous bears I listed last week~~~I appreciate it very much!Also ,I was dissapointed that I couldn't get all the bears listed until such a late hour but sometimes listing on ebay can be quite time consuming!(I will try for earlier listings next time)Now,for the bears in progress I am working on 6 more(either I will break my own bearmaking record or drive myself insane trying hehe!) In progress is a so pretty pink baby faced 12" mohair bear,another baby faced 12" tan/beige mohair bear(both in the Barry style pictured below in my last post)a 10 soft fluffy mohair teddy in a beautiful champaine/beige mohair and 3 mini mohair teddies,like the styles shown below in my last post.I am hoping to get these guys finished and ready for listing Friday and as always I will post them all once they are completed~~~~~Sharie

***Meet the gang!***New teddy bears now completed***

I am so happy to announce the latest teddies are finally completed and They are all here posing nicely for their photos!I am really happy with the way they turned out and you will be able to visit all their auctions on ebay shortly.I am going to offer a buy it now on all these fellows instead of a long 5 or 7 day auction.The teddy's are as follows~~~Topper is the large 15inch blue mohair clown on the right,in the middle is shasta a very sweet little 7 inch panda type teddy,on the left is a Barry a sweet 12 inch baby face bear and the two little panda style bears are the minis,measuring in at 5.5 inches tall.I've included more pics of them below.I should have them all listed on ebay soon.thank you for meeting the gang,hope you like them~~~hugs~~~sharie****Quick update!***All the teddy's have been adopted and will be heading to their new homes on Monday*****Thank you!.....sharie

New Creations in the making

I thought I would pop in for a quick update of my newest bears in progress.I am curently working on two brand new designs that I am hoping to have ready for ebay by this Thursday(if not Thursday,Friday for sure!).One is a large 15 inch beautiful blue mohair clown teddy bear and the other is a sweet baby faced cutie,also in a larger size of 12 inches.I am just so pleased with these new designs and can't wait to share their photos once they are completed!I will also be listing two of my minis along with the new designs and will be sure to include their pics also.I also have another special kitty that will hopefully be making his debut next week so I will be sure to post an update on his progress also.~~~~hugsxxxxSharie