Thursday, April 10, 2008

Newish thrift bear goes vintage & well-loved!

To start, I get my little scissors and begin slightly clipping away at the fur where she would be rubbed and loved. The edges of the ears, the pads of the paws, top of the head, etc. Her belly and back will be under her dress.











I had to clean this little mess up before moving on to the next step!






I had a tattered old doll's dress that needed a mend so I purposely stitched the hole closed with a darker thread and a little messy.






I put her little dress on and it fit really well!




I found a piece of lace to wrap around her head. If it's soft lace or fabric you could tie in a knot but I chose to sew it together and added a sweet old button.





I added a vintage button to the front of her dress.








Now I didn't picture this but at this point I took her to the kitchen and put her in my sink and sprayed my solution of instant coffee on her and her dress, flipping and turning until everything was covered. I took her to the dryer and let her tumble for a few minutes and it did dry her really well, but I did notice that it also curled her hair just a bit! You could lay it outside in the sun to dry and the fur wouldn't be affected that way.

I used a piece of an old necklace for a braclet for her ~





Tied lace on the other arm and used an old watch face, a small black seed bead and sewed it all together to resemble a little bear watch!






Lastly I added a little handmade tag of a vintage little girl to her button. This little bear loves her owner!




And that's about it! You can create you own version using what you have on hand, no need to go out and buy a ton of supplies. Just gathered items makes her sweet!


*******************************************

This is one of our crazy cats, Thelma! She thinks that she can go most anywhere and she does! I was sitting in the chair below her and happened to have my camera ~ she was on the move though and soon jumped down! She's a Devon Rex breed, kinda strange but really cool!

xxoo, Dawn




44 comments:

Leisa said...

Your bear is way too cute!! Just love her.

Kim Langston said...

The teddy bear watch idea is brilliant! Love the end result of the bear!

Lori said...

Miss Dawn, your little bear turned out soooo cute!!! i love her darling dress and all of the cute little finishing touches you added to make her extra sweet!!!

Sheila Rumney said...

Love the idea... I think I need to go hunting for a bear... wonder if I can get my 13 year old daughter to relinquish one of her bears! Thanks for the wonderful inspiration.

Maebelle Park said...

Such a little sweetie!!!Her personality came to life with all of the wonderful treasures you added....great job! By the way, Thelma is pretty cute too!

Abbie said...

Hi Dawn!
Oh, I just love the teddy bear! what a wonderful way to 'distress' her! :) Your kitty looks very elegant and mysterious!
xoxo~
Abbie

A Wild Thing said...

Hi Dawn,
She is soooo a Thelma, thanks for giving me my first smiles of this dreary morning, love your blog and your music soothes my soul.

As an animal lover, my teddies were cherished treasures as a child, some lucky little girl will cherish this teddy too.

Thanks sweet soul,
Sharon

Jessi Nagy said...

wow, tak about a make over. she is awesome!!!
i love all the details. fabulous.
oxooxox,
jessi

Colleen - the AmAzINg Mrs. B said...

The haircut is perfect - I would never have thought of that myself!

And the dress! How fabulous is that?! I love bears and I, too, will now have to go "rescue" one and give her a make-over . But then I'll have to keep her for me!
Good work and very nice directions - thanks again!
Colleen

Vee said...

My dear Dawn, you are brilliant! This makes me want to get my son's old beloved bear out of storage and go to town. Surely I can find a pair of old trousers someplace for the little guy. The last time I laundered him, his stuffing came out all over the dryer. My son, just eight or so at the time said, "You killed him, Mom." Sigh. Perhaps it would make a good nostalgic gift for his 30th birthday. On the other hand, perhaps he wouldn't care one little wit.

Have a fabulously creative day!

Heidi said...

The bear turned out darling, Dawn! I have one of my daughter's favorite teddy bears that looks just like the one you ended with, all the fur loved in just the right spots. I think I'll gather up some supplies and give her a new(old) dress...to get ready for Jessica's return from college in 3 weeks!
*Heidi*
Everyday Cookies

Lisa & Alfie said...

You never cease to amaze me Dawn. Have a wonderful day kiddo!
Love Lisa & Alfie

vikki said...

what a bright spot in my day, sweetie! i have collected bears, and love them. you did a wonderful job with creativeness!! she is adorable. while making this comment, the pic of thelma looks like she is trying to peek around the corner to see what i am doing... mine just checked on me to see what i was up to... such curious critters... =) so love 'em. thanx for the sunshine on a rainy day in iowa. blessings with love, xoxxoo, vikki =)

Julie H said...

What a darling bear!! Thanks for the lesson :O)

Your cat is a cutie too.

Cecilia - Titi said...

Dawn, your little bear turned out soooo cute!!!
I love all the details, congratulation! kisses from Chile!!!!!
Titi

Bumpkin Hill said...

awww bless that bear, she looks so pretty in her dress after you 'worked' on her :) Thelma looks fabulous. Beary Hugs, Catherine

Victorian Lady said...

I lover her! :)

Deb said...

What a precious little bear. I have a bear I found at a garage sale years ago that I keep on my bed - I think he needs a "re-do" :-}. Loved all your ideas Dawn.

reagan said...

You've won an award:-) Go and check out my blog to see what it is...
xoxo
Pam

Karen said...

I just love what you did with your bear. She is adorable in her dress and jewels.
Thanks so much for sharing your talents with us.

Teri said...

I really love your bear. I collected a few bears way back in the early 80's when they were popular at that time. I couldn't "bear" to get rid of them so I put them in plastic containers up in the attic. Now I really want to go get them down and recreate them. Thanks for the tips.

Charmingdesigns said...

Oh My Goodness. You did a very fine job!! I love that around her arm!! Amazing what a little snip snip on the fur will do!. Love it. Laurie

Julie said...

I know my next project. She's adorable. Does she have a name?

Your kitty is sweet.

Jamie said...

I love the bear! You have inspired me to make one for my daughter. Her blessing dress is a vintage little dress that looks very similar to the one on your bear. My daughter will be thrilled! I hope I can make it as cute as yours.

Lori @ Katies Rose Cottage Designs said...

Oh my goodness ~~~ Your little bear came out just as precious as can be !
I need to make one soon !
xoxo
Lori

LivingTheLife said...

Dawn...
YOU are AMAZING...what you come up with is so awesome...but it is your attention to the details that makes you stand above the rest...I love this bear. You made her so adorable...and bears are pretty darn adorable to begin with...but you made her look as though she has been loved for a very, very long time...I give you a "10+"...on the same scale they use to judge "Dancing with the Stars"...your are the queen of this dance floor!!

Blessings...
Teresa

Sandy said...

Do you have a Louise to go with Thelma on her adventures?

The bear is just precious! Thanks for another great tutorial.

molly said...

Love the sweet bear I have always had a place in my heart for teddys! I will have to make one. Thanks for sharing.

PocketsOfInspiration said...

Thelma is beautiful! So is teddy.

Free Art Printables said...

I LOVE what you did with the bear! So cute!!!You are so creative! Jen R

Tina Leavy said...

absolutely love the bear! thanks so much for the little tutorial! I am gonna have to definitely try this.

~Red Tin Heart~ said...

Dawn, I love what you did to that bear! Wow, you are so very creative.
xoxo Nita

Kathi said...

Your little bear is precious. I love all your special touches, especially her bracelet. Kathi

Lady Em said...

I am in love with your bear!! Simply amazing!! I love her watch and tag, and everything about her!! You take the ordinary and make it magical.
And Thelma is such a nut!! It looks as though she was posing for you. I think she wants her own post one of these days, and old man Chester with man boobs should be in it to!!

Sarah said...

What a sweet bear she turned out to be. Who would've known! She is so pretty and is sure to put a smile on someone's face!
Sarah
Vintage Lily

Henny Penny Mercantile said...

Dawn, that little bear is adorable. I LOVE her watch. You are so talented. Love all your stuff!! Kathy (Henny Penny Mercantile)

Anonymous said...

I love your site and what you did to the bear. Awesome... I can't wait to see more of your work... Keep up the great work!!!
Nellie

joyh82 said...

Love how you re-did the bear to make her look victorian. Very sweet!

Marva Plummer-Bruno said...

Oh your teddy bear is wonderful!!! How fun! It's so sweet I may have to make one for myself! Marva

Scottfamily said...

What a delightful new old bear! I just loved scrolling down and watching her come together. I especially love her watch and headband. Great idea to coffee stain her dress! Now I have a fun way to display my daughters' stuffed bears that they are too old to play with but are still can't "bear" to let go of. Thanks for the fun post and great idea.

vintage tickled pink said...

too cute! loved it/ will do one myself! thanks dawn from diane at vintage-tickled-pink

Raspberries and Rose Petals said...

Hi Dawn!

I found your tutorial quite some time ago and tucked it away to use someday...and someday came! I would like you to meet Penny, if you have a moment!

http://scrapinjust4fun.blogspot.com/2010/12/meet-penny.html

She was a gift to my mom for Christmas this year. I made a pendant with a picture of my mom as a young girl to hang around Penny's neck, but didn't get any pictures of it, I'm afraid. But I am happy with how she turned out, and my mom LOVES her!

Thank you for your endless inspiration! I may not write much, but I so enjoy your blog!

Have a blessed day!
Lori

Ethereal PLUS what I Love said...

The bear turned out so cute!

Diane said...

This is adorable! I am a huge (past) collector of Boyd's Bears (among others), and I want this one for my bear collection, LOL. <3 You are amazing.


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