Big Wins at the County Fair!

This doll was just one of the handful of ribbons I won at the Burnet County, Texas Fair last week.   My teddy bears (Mr. & Mrs. Ted E. Honeypot) made from an upcycled, vintage, faux fur coat and sitting on a hand made, refurbished doll bench - got another blue ribbon.

A drawing I did and a mixed media painting each took a third place ribbon and my famous peanut butter blonde brownies got second place in the baked goods division!  It was a fun time and I'm so glad our Master Gardener group has taken over running the fair every year.

Doll and Bear show

I'll be an exhibitor at the Hill Country Doll Show & Sale, Saturday February 12th at the Civic Center in Downtown New Braunfels. This is the only show I'll be doing until the holidays. Come on out, it always draws a weird (but harmless) crowd! www.dolldr.com

Happy New Year!

I am so thankful that the holidays are over, we had a wonderful holiday season, even if it was hectic and I seemed to be at the grocery store too much and cooked too much and lots of washing dishes. We are truly blessed! My off-handed goals for this year are to finish up my last tub of bear fur, then onto cloth doll making. I also want to spend more time playing electric guitar, read more music, and writing songs. I have a quilt to finish - the top is done, I have to modify the backing because I bought it years ago & didn't buy enough so that's where I am now. And, continue to paint. We're planning a trip to Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico in the spring, and the Highland Art Guild Friday morning paint crew is planning a trip to Ruidoso in September. No more doctors this year if we can at all help it! Happy New Year everybody may your year be blessed.

Christmas Bears

Here are my Christmas bears for this year. They are all listed online: http://www.joyceweaver.etsy.com/ and www.artfire.com/users/joyceweaver. My next show is here in Burnet December 4th: http://www.burnethillcountrychristmas.com/.

After Doll Show Report

Oh boy was it a sign of the times at the doll show yesterday. The only thing selling was old, beat up, & dirty dolls that went for $.50 or $1. Those of us with handmade clothes, dolls, bears, or furniture were not selling anything. We had a good time though, met some nice people, had a relaxing evening in a nice hotel and a good trip. I don't think I'll be doing that show again, though, I may not do any show again because I can't afford to go in the hole.

New Bear

This bear was made from a commercial pattern and I used some faded shaggy felt for the bear's body. I've been wanting to make this bear for awhile, but somehow never found the time. It was a quick, fun project and an attempt to make something in the "primitive" or "country" styles that are popular decorating trends. In order to even out the bear's color, I sprayed an antiquing ink all over the body.

Artfire Certified Handmade Artisan

My Artfire.com studio has been awarded the Certified Handmade Artisan Badge - that means everything in my studio was handmade by ME! I already know that, looking at broken fingernails, sore muscles, unfinished projects (aka UFOs) but now the world can see (haha). Thanks to everybody for their support! Check it out - www.artfire.com/users/joyceweaver

Returning to Normal!

My cancer radiation treatments are over and even though I'm still suffering with burned skin, swelling and fatigue, every day gets better and I hope my energy level gets back real soon. This has been a real test for me, I did not do well through these treatments except for weight loss. But since it didn't kill me I'm figuring it will make me stronger. Thanks to everybody for their thoughts, prayers, cards, and emails, it meant a lot to me. Now I'm looking forward to the next Hill Country Doll show, August 7th, Live Oak Civic Center, 8101 Pat Booker Road, San Antonio, Texas.

I have a New Store on Artfire

I have a few listings on www.artfire.com/users/joyceweaver. Check it out! Also my Etsy store - www.joyceweaver.etsy.com. I'll be adding stuff all the time and if you are looking for a special artist bear, art doll, tote bag, watercolor cards or the newest fine art trend - Artist Trading Cards (ATC), also called Artist Card Edition Original (ACEO). These tiny paintings are 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" and are great for trading, inexpensive to purchase and easy to frame. Plug in ATC or ACEO on any ebay, etsy, or artfire search & see what comes up.