Calamity Kim

Louis Auguste...is fini

I have told you about the pictures in my head- If I were a cartoonist I could draw a picture of all the ideas fighting to get free from my mind. I am not as good with words as I would like to be, but I can sometimes see it and express it in fabric or reed or wire and so for me- this is art.

Many people don't collect or even like bears, but I do. I think we can all be an animal form- remember the X-Files episode where Peterman from Seinfeld was a scientist guy and all the people in that little town looked like animals or birds? That's the Mask/Cher episode....ok, I'll get back on track- so anyway, I would be a bear if I were an animal or a bluebird.

I have been working on Louis for many weeks and have finally finished him. I am putting a link to my slide show of his set at Flickr- please increase the speed in the upper right corner or slow it down if you like. Enjoy! I will be listing him on Etsy on Friday!

Last night we rented The Holiday and it was delightful- more serious and less gooey than I thought and I liked it. Jack Black cleaned up real well and Jude, ah Jude....you could use him for Novocain at the dentist he is so painless to look at!

Inspired by Marie and Louis

I must admit that I have a hard time inserting pictures into this blog- I can load them easily enough but sometimes they don't go where I would like them. My placement isn't accurate and like anything else that I am afraid to fuss with I just dump the pictures in and hope for the best! However I would like to put some pictures in and then describe them so lets give it the old college try, shall we? Ok, so the picture is loaded and now all my words go over here and we still have our fingers crossed, don't we? Recently I decided to pick back up where I left off almost ten years ago on the bear making scene. I used to sell them at a shop run by Martha and Tommy Thompson in Asheville, NC. The shop was called Sassy Cats, Bears and Friends and for many years was located in Biltmore Village in a set of train cars. Martha is one of the kindest, most charming women I have ever known and the sassy part of the stores' name could be attributed to her spirit as well as the name of her dear cat.

I made my very first bear while living in Beverly, Mass. I wanted to make something for a woman where I worked who was a very sweet and compassionate nurse. So I found a bear pattern, probably Simplicity or something and made her a small bear and put a cape on it- a super bear if you will. Nurses used to wear capes and even though we later learned in Incredibles that capes may not always be a wise accessory, they do cut a dashing silhouette on any super hero! So there were several years between Beverly and Asheville and when I needed a way to make extra money I remembered bears. I had been collecting Boyd's Bears ever since I first laid eyes on one and knew I would never be as famous or as profitable but I could try.

So I made a few and took them to Sassy Cats,Bears & Friends and Martha took them on consignment. I am sure she saw some spark of something in my work that was different or maybe she just felt sorry for me, with her tender heart. I am not sure, but when she sold them and then called me to ask if I had made anymore I was elated! That was such a defining moment for me- approval and validation- my bears were loved! In some deep place inside me I knew that if they loved my bears then they were loving me because so much of my humor and self went in to each one. My bears were to become Brave Bears and I made up stories or poems (godawful I'm sure) and would write them in small books that I bound with leather. I spent every waking moment on making bears and creating their stories. Why they were dressed the way they were or embroidered a certain way.  The more time I spent on each one, the more elaborate they became. The embroidery couldn't be contained on just the paws, it spread with abandon on the entire surface of some bears and I used all sorts of embellishments: lace, buttons, bells, feathers, painted canvas, wire, beads. After a while I quit my job at Grove Park Inn and Martha started buying my bears outright and then selling them at the shop- I had people collecting my bears.

Which was wonderful because then I could pay the rent! I worked hard, though and some of the joy was taken away because I had to produce a certain amount of items each week and birthing 4-5 completely unique bears per week wrung my imagination dry. I would go downtown to the Galleries and Library and renew and then be back at it...all hours of the day and night. Martha had bear signings at the shop and I got to meet several well known, famous bear Artists- Deb Canham and my biggest inspiration: Gary Lowenthal the creator of Boyd's Bears to name a few. She even had a signing and included me. Big shot!! Haha! My personal life was not a Fairy Tale however and I will spare you the sordid drama of d-i-v-o-r-c-e from the chef (remember I keep marrying the Village People). So one day I left and had to get a job that was consistent- why I never believe  my work (like weaving baskets) can support me I will never know- I keep starting careers and then ending them...but that's a story for another day.

I must have made close to 400 bears in about 3 years and after I got divorced I packed all my sewing supplies in big plastic bins and didn't open them for nearly 5 years. It wasn't until I moved down here again 4 years ago that I opened them up and set up my sewing room. I started making pillow shams and I even sewed a clown costume for one of the shriners. I didn't make a bear again until I had a grandson to give it to and he was made from polar fleece and a bit wonky. I never could afford mohair very often before and only made a few with the traditional wooden joints and cotter pins and mohair. If you know anything about bears then you know that this defines the collectable artist bears from commercial made (in some foriegn country) bear. I still prefer plastic joints but I do have a small supply of mohair now. I have the inspiration too. It came back. After giving up my creativity for a soul-less corporate position as a store manager, it took me years to get back to the "idea place "in my head. Now I am safe. I am secure. I have confidence. I have plans and dreams. I can hope. I can birth bears again. ***

I was so inspired by Sophia's Marie Antoinette that I knew I had to make at least one bear with the same sense of style and color palette. I found the teal velvet at Joann's in the home decor section- it is by some designer like Liz Claiborne or something. It was perfect and it had some coordinating silks in mist and cream. I also got the brocade and some iron gray silk. I knew I wanted to make a ship hat and ran the movie back several times to the scene where they are watching mini ships battle in the fountain. I paused it and took a picture. I love the whole descent into decadence that she journeys- champagne and shoes and cakes and pastries and silks and hairdressers...what a world...I know I have Italian and Cherokee ancestors, and even some Scottish blood, but I have an affinity for the French style that makes me wonder if there was a petite chateau in my family tree. Merde'. Maybe. *teehee* anyway, the cream colored silk made a nice fabric for the bow and I bought silk flowers at the crafts store and tea dyed them in the Florida sunshine for a day and then spread them on a cookie sheet and dried them on low in my oven. Fred never knows what's cooking- fake cakes, inedible fairy cake ornaments, pincushion pies, dog bone cookies...it's fun to keep him guessing!***

The velvet is cotton and sewed and stuffed like a dream. I used one of my old patterns that I drew  and perfected years ago with a slight hump on the back and a round tummy and nice shaped arms and legs. I put wire in the arms to help him pose and I chose swavorski crystal beads for the eyes. I took the head with me to Joann's and no one said a word as I auditioned different buttons and beads. The eyes say alot and I didn't want to just use my usual black jet glass beads. The tea dyed flowers are all sewn on to the bow and have either a pearl, frosted glass bead or sterling silver bead in the center. I also used blue glass flowers and some aqua colored glass beads for the centers. I have spent about 43 hours on this bear so far. Material costs and time are whats used to arrive at a price to charge and if I paid myself 5 dollars an hour this bear would already be about 240.00 (of course I can't expect to get that much but some of my bears were 200 dollars at the shop). I am going to make him a coat and add some lace at the cuffs and maybe a vest and some bows on his ankles. He needs a few keys in his hands, since Louis was fascinated with locks. He will be unique and totally one of a kind. That is the delight for bear collectors- they know they have a one-of-a-kind-in-the-whole-world-bear. I will post about the ship another day- I have some pictures in Flickr if you care to browse, feel free- you can see the progression of the ship- I still need to glitter it up some more with the german glass glitter and change the ribbon to tie it with...the lavender isn't working...and sew the coat and vest...I will put up some more pictures when it is complete and it will go in the Etsy site...In the meantime I wanted to show you what I found at Chez Target yesterday when I went for soap....I found these...***

which I hope I can bear (teehee) to give to the grandsons....they have a sort of a vintage look to them and their theme is very old- fashioned (only 4.99 each!!!)- they have party plates and table decor that are just so sweet! I think I need to get a job at Chez Target just to see what's new all the time! Of course I would spend my paycheck before I got it! I saw framed prints of Marilyn, Jimmy and Audrey and a blue pleather foot rest that would be groovy in the living room- since we got rid of the coffee table due to Miss Sadies largess.***

These sweet little salt an peppas had to come home with me. There were napkin rings in white porcelain also but I didn't get them. I am going to decoupage some music paper napkin rings I think from some paper tubes I've been saving. They also had a bunch of linens on sale and I got some putty colored curtains with tie ups for the office doors that will protect the books from the sun for only 4.98 a pair! I also got some Rachel Ashwell eyelet curtains in green and one with the blue roses pattern for the same low price of 4.98.

I love it when they clearance things! I haven't been to Target since Nov and missed the usual after Christmas sale. They had some concrete stone little mushrooms for 4.98 apiece and some stone frogs that I thought a lot about...I should have gotten those mushrooms...when I go back they will be gone....But I didn't hesitate to get the 30% reduced copy of Amy Sedaris' book: I Like You! Hospitality Under The Influence.

This book is a riot! I love her style and love the way it's serious and funny- and I hope she hasn't been snorting the baking soda or getting high off the glue gun fumes..because I would hate to see her stop with just this book- she can tackle every aspect of life as far as I'm concerned! Very funny and yet it has wonderful recipes and takes "the cocktail party" serious. I recommend this book highly- I almost couldn't put it down to watch The Dresden Files or Battlestar Galactica (and don't worry cause Starbuck is probably a Cylon and will be reborn).

These trays take me back to the school lunchroom and I snagged two for only 2.98 each! I can make fred laugh when I serve up his Sloppy Joes, carrots , peas and tots on this baby- or I could use it for bead and button sorting while sewing embellishments on a bear or doll or purse project. Hundreds of uses while keeping it nostalgic and fun!That's what I love about Target- they totally get us and what we want! The toy section is filled with imported stuff thatlooks like Danish designs; I saw groovy kits and stuffed animals- the knitted mole guy was too cool. I am not sure how they keep the prices so low and the designs so nifty but I hope they never stop. I used to love The Martha Line over at Kmart but our stores here are just worse than awful. Dirty, disheveled and not stocked- how you might imagine the apartment of a grown Stewie, Bart and Pigpen would look.

Last but not least I found some robot boxers for super Fred- He worked until midnight on Friday and then on Sunday had to go to work twice- he is on call for Sarasota County water dept. He does the controls and instrumentation- it's complicated but we wouldn't always have running water if it weren't for him and his crew! So who better to wear the bot shorts than him?!!!! (that's another *teehee* or LOL). So there you have it- I learned how to control my picture placement by calmly switching back and forth between the compose post and edit HTML sections. I shared with you my bear story and showed off some fabulous treasure from Chez Targez. What more could a girl ask for? Oh perhaps to sit and share a cup of tea with Amy Sedaris (she probably spikes hers) and Jude, Barb, Amanda, Jenny, Carol, Cara, Phyllis, Jayne, Tami, Cindy, Stacey, Lisa, and get out the glue gun or oil the sewing machine and get to making and doing!!! Sorry if I left anyone out- please include yourself in Calamity Kim's Craft Club and have a seat! I am considering writing to Amy to ask for a signed glam shot to put in my sewing room. I think that would be funnee!!!!

Sewing on Silent Sundays or Gone in an Instant?

Do you ever get that itch?
That little voice in your head that whispers..."go"?
When you know you'd rather be shopping at the craft store or wandering around the thrift shops?

Now, you know that you need to do laundry, dishes, wash the dog and return the videos, BUT, you want to go.
The sun is shining after a few days of dreary, cloudy, foggy crap.
The beach calls to me...I want to go!
Fred got a service call and is at work, poor guy.
Sadie is sleeping her morning nap.
I want to go!
The different places I haunt suggest themselves eagerly. The Bookstore? The fabric store? Goodwill is open until 5...
I should work on something. I should be good and stay here and finish my Marie Antoinette inspired bear. (pictured in this post) He needs a coat- I have the silks in cream and teal mist....
I don't need to go...well, we are out of safeguard, only have the lavender and some vanilla/oatmeal soap (Fred-"is there any other soap that doesn't smell like flowers or food?)

There is dinner to think about..what shall it be?
The sun calls...
maybe I need some vitamin D ?
Maybe I want to enjoy one last breath of cool air across my face before the hot, sticky, sweaty heat of our usual weather begins....
Maybe just an hour or two....
gone!

I'm in Love!

I have had an idea about creating a bear make do for a while now. This morning was the time for it to be born!
I have fallen in love with her and I am not sure I can give this one away!
It was intended for a Valentines Swap and I am just going to walk right back in to my sewing room and make another one!
Sorry swap partner!
She has stolen my heart and although she hasn't told me her name yet, I am sure she would love for you to fall in love with her too!!!

Please place pillows all around in case of sudden swooning.

Ready for pictures?