The School Year is Almost Over - WHAT?

Here in the mid-west, the school year is almost over. I don't know how this happened already! It seems like we just started. Maybe I'm feeling a bit sentimental, since next year I will have my first senior in high school. I will be sending my first child off to college about a year from now. That's sort of exciting and definitely scary!

In any case, if you are also nearing the end of the school year and need a special gift for a teacher - guess what, we've got some teacher teddy bears that would make a great gift.

The picture above is designed for a female teacher, probably of elementary age students. The bear sits about 9" high, she comes dressed in school motif fabric, pillow that reads "Time spent teaching is time well spent", and a pencil holder with a painted apple attached to the front. She is simply called Teacher Bear.

This is Mr. Teacher Bear. We didn't want to leave out the male teachers, so we created a bear with the male teacher in mind. Comes in a vest make from school motif fabric and bowtie. Glasses are optional. Bear is approx. 9" high in sitting position.

We can also do teddy bear gifts for specific areas of teaching, like this Music Teacher Bear. This bear is shown in standing position (though it would need a stand to remain in standing position without falling), and stands about 12" tall. The shirt the bear is wearing is a music motif and we've added black pants to coordinate. We can also make a black skirt. The heart shaped pillow reads "Music Teachers are Noteworthy".

So, stop by and see if we have a teacher's gift that will work for you. We offer several different styles and sizes. You can see them all on my Teacher's Gifts page. Last date to order your teacher's gift is May 20th.

Featured Teddy Bear of the Week - Anyone a Basketball Fan??

If you are a college basketball fan, you've probably been enjoying the NCAA post season tournament these past two weekends. We watch it very closely in our house, at least some of us do. It is my favorite sporting event of all time. This year, I am fortunate to have the team that I cheer for in the Final Four. My Kansas Jayhawks made it by the skin of their teeth, but they made it!! That is a BIG deal in the world of college basektball.

So, with basketball on my mind, I thought I would feature our Basketball Bear this week. This is our latest uniform, fashioned after the actual uniform of the recipient. We have a small space to work with, but can still get quite a few details in. In this case, the stripes at the bottom of the shorts, as well as along the sides of the shirt and shorts, which doesn't show in this picture. We do the lettering on the front and back by hand and attach to the shirt. The front shows the name of the school, with the player's last name and uniform number on the back. We do what we can to make a miniature version of the actual uniform. This makes a fun gift.

Our customer who ordered this product said, "You had her (customer's daughter) email you pictures of the sport uniform, took a detailed description of the colors and design, and from that created a masterful, beautifully handcrafted bear* in the St. Brendan b-ball uniform, complete with the boy's name!!!"

If you are looking for a special, personalized gift for a basketball player, I think that person would enjoy this keepsake from their days on the basketball court.

*Please note that only the uniform is handcrafted by us, not the actual bear.

How about an online craft fair?

Do you like to go to craft fairs in your local area? You get to walk down the aisles and see all these great looking handmade craft items. But, what if you could stay home and "walk down the aisles" from your computer? Does that sound like fun? No gas expense, no tired feet from all that walking, you can do a load of laundry while you're shopping.... There are lots of advantages to shopping online. So, all that being said, take a look at the Spring Fling Craft Fair put on by the Unique Crafters Club. It will be well worth the time to look at the merchants who offer a variety of handcrafted items. For example, you will find poetry angels, woven baskets, painted items, wood items, teddy bears, stuffed dolls and animals, and more. The merchants are offering discounts when you shop from the main craft fair page. The fair runs from March 1 through May 31st, just in time for your spring occasion shopping - Mother's Day, Graduation, birthdays, sprucing up the house.