Playing with clay...

We tried out paper clay molding today... it was loads of fun and pretty easy ~ even for a complete newbie like myself...

Here's one of mine.

And here are some of the molds we're going to be using during cookie (and clay) class on Saturday...

Can't wait!

Ready to play bears!

It's going to be a FANTASTIC week of bear making at Mostly Bears!

Our class kits arrived in the mail today...

...and it looks as if it's going to be a very COLORFUL week as well.

Stay tuned for the Adventure!

Let the Adventure Begin... Almost!

"Steve Schutt Adventure 2012" is coming soon! Next week to be exact ~ and we invite all of our on-line friends to follow along on our blog!
To celebrate, we will be giving away some awesome prizes in our very first e-door prize giveaway!
To enter, just leave a comment here on the blog... (or if you are having trouble leaving comments, send us an email mostlybears@gmail.com and we will enter your name in the drawing.)

Here's our first e-Door Prize!

Charlie Bears "George"

A 20" scruffly, shaggy, loveable bear! Retail value $87!! 

The drawing will be held Wednesday 2/1/12 ~ Good luck! Be sure to watch this space for photos, giveaways & for sharing some good old fashioned teddy bear camaraderie during Steve Schutt Adventure 2012.

Steve Schutt Adventure 2012 ~ February 1-5, 2012

Hello fellow teddy bear lovers! We are very pleased to be hosting teddy bear artist Steve Schutt for a brand new "Adventure" from February 1-5, 2012.

We have an exciting week planned and we do hope you'll be able to join us for any... or all... of the festivities.

Steve will start the adventure off with a visit to the store on Wednesday February 1st from 11-4. He'll be available that day for bear making assistance & questions, as well as general all-around-teddy-bear-camaraderie.

On Thursday and Friday (the 2nd and 3rd of February), we will get down to bear-making "business". The class this year will be a 17" German-style bear, which is available in a variety of colors. The class is priced at $130 a bargain for this sized bear... and your kit will include everything you will need, including the stuffing.

Saturday the 4th brings us a NEW adventure with Steve... molded cookie making! Steve is well known all around Clarion, Iowa for his lovely and delicious Christmas Springerle cookies. In this brand new class, Steve will be sharing his many secrets of Springerle making and even if you aren't a "baker", don't worry, you'll also learn some other creative and crafty ways of using Springerle molds. The class is priced at $30 and includes your very own mold, valued at $23.

Registration for both classes is now available on the website or if you prefer, you can call us at the store.

Our adventurous week will conclude on Sunday the 5th of February as we get together from 12-4 PM for Chocolate, er, I mean, for our annual "Steve and Friends" ARTIST SIGNING event. (Where there WILL be Chocolate ~ THAT's what I meant to say...) We hope you'll join us for a lovely afternoon of BEARS, refreshments and fun!

Our Adventure Concludes...

Adventures in bear making, continued...

Bear Instructor Extraordinaire

Steve Schutt

Steve's infinite patience was in full force today,

Our bears & our Santa's came together to stay...

We sewed and we stitched, we stuffed and we prodded,

Our eyes stayed on straight and our heads didn't nodd-ed!

Steve helped us along, his fingers were flying, 

When all was said and done,

Absolutely no one was crying!

:)

Thanks Steve!

Stitching...

Chatting...

Stuffing...

 Finishing touches...

Cute Santa...

Smiling...

A line-up of Santas...

Happy camper!

Lots of happy campers!

The end.

 Steve Schutt Adventure 2011 anyone?

Steve Schutt Adventure... continues

Join us for today's adventure:

Santa Bear with Steve Schutt

A bear takes form...

It's coming along:

Just keep stuffing...

Steve lends a hand...

Check out the prototype:

Santa!

With luck our bears will resemble you (somewhat)...

We will see tomorrow! Stay tuned...

Persistence Pays Off :)

Day two of Bobbie Ripperger's Needle Felted Roly Poly Panda Class...

We needled...

And needled...

And, um, added our own unique touches...

We learned from the master...

And look what happened!

Roly Poly Pandas!

An open mouth design.

Almost finished.

Voila!!

Thanks Bobbie... it was an awesome class. And we can't wait to see your creations at Mostly Bears' Artist Signing on Sunday.

Tomorrow... Let the MAGIC begin~ Steve Schutt Santa Bear Class. Tune in for pics & details.

Welcome to the Adventure!

A pictoral essay from Day One, Needle Felting with Bobbie Ripperger.

And yes, I am aware that our roly poly pandas kinda look like cream-colored roly poly ducks right now... but I'm hoping for big things tomorrow. :)

Welcome!

Our foam pieces were professionally cut by Bobbie's husband, using my old electric knife...

Before...

Bobbie's a wonderful teacher!

A roly-poly panda in progress...

Two prototypes. (No, these aren't our student pieces... we could only wish... haha!)

Bobbie makes this sound easy...

Yep, looks like a duck.

Ok, I mean an angel duck... :)

Take home message, day one...

Needle felting is a fun and mysterious art form requiring only a needle, some poofs of wispy wool, a dollop of perserverance, a healthy portion of faith and a generous teacher like Bobbie. (and maybe a little bit of pixie dust, we'll see tomorrow...)

Day 3: Choose Your Own Adventure

The bears are nearly finished, looking dapper and grand,
Tails, ears, eyes and all the details in hand,
Bear making class is winding down,
Pretty soon, Steve will be blasting out of this town!
(We'll miss you Steve! Have fun!) :)

#4 of 5 and 5 of 5!

There have been reports of Steve Schutt sightings around town over the weekend, which can mean only one thing: The Adventure is about to begin!

Here's Prize # 4 for the drawing: I love this one! One yard of teddy bear & friends fabric. Light to medium weight 100% cotton. There's some cute little animals hiding in there with the teddy bears.

And last but not least, here's the final offering for our "Prelude to Steve Schutt Adventure" drawing:

A 12" elephant named Bo Bo, from Charlie Bears. Bo Bo comes with his very own Charlie Bears muslin bag. And he's ever so cute! If you haven't already entered to win, leave a number between 1-100 in the comment section. We'll draw the winner on Wednesday November 11th. Good luck!

Prelude Contest Part 3

Here's prize 3 of 5, a Steiff cub on wheels ornament. Details on how to enter in Tuesday's post.

Enjoy!

Prelude To "Steve Schutt Adventure 2009" Contest, part 2!

Here's our second contest prize!

A pretty metal lunchbox, or maybe a sewing box, or a little box for teddy bear accessories perhaps? Enter for the contest by guessing a number between 1 and 100; leave your guess in the comments section. (See previous posts for details.) Enjoy!

First of Five

Here's prize #1 (of 5) for our Prelude to Steve Schutt Adventure 2009 contest! Enter by guessing a number between 1 and 100! (See details below.) We'll pick the winning numbers on November 11th on the first day of Steve Schutt Adventure! Stay tuned for Prize 2 tomorrow! Enjoy!