Hello 2012!

Happy, Happy New Year!!!  Wishing you a kick butt 2012!!!

Happy Holidays!

Wishing all of you a very merry holiday.....peace in your heart....contentment in your soul.....a glimmer of light during dark times.....comfort and warmth.  May this season be one filled with cozy quilts, crackling fires, footie pajamas and smiles on your loved ones faces. 

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, for another wonderful year at The Dreaming Bear.  Thanks to our customers who support us, to our staff who work so hard, to our family who cheers us on, and our friends and neighbors, who make everything fun.  We are blessed and lucky indeed.  Happy Holidays!!

Halfway Through December Already!

Oh me....oh my.....it's the 15th of December already?  How can this be?  Mom was right about time flying faster as you get older.  Sigh.  How have you been?  We have been enjoying mild temps so far here in Iowa.....40's and rainy.  It's kind of nice....but the kids want snow.  Kids always want snow...it's fun for them.  They don't have to worry about driving through it to get to work, etc. 

We have been blessed with a very busy holiday season so far!!!  There seems to really be a shift in the way people are thinking about doing their shopping this year.  Folks are really making an effort to buy local, and support small businesses!  This makes us SO happy, of course!!!  And we are working hard to keep up with the demand.  Feeling so grateful for my helpful staff, and supportive family who help to make it all happen!

Soon I'll post some pics of the store, before all of our holiday finery gets packed up for another year! 

Christmas in the Park and The Peppermint Walk

The Peppermint Walk!

When:  Friday, December 2nd 4-8pm

Where:  downtown Marion....where else?



Hi again!  Things are moving and shaking in downtown Marion, folks!!!  Join us Friday, December 2nd for Christmas in the Park, and The Peppermint Walk!!!  Santa is coming to town. Meet him in City Square park! All of the downtown merchants are going to be open late, showing off their holiday finery, and serving yummy peppermint treats!  Our very own Emily is making some tasty sugar cookies...you've gotta come by and try one!   Click HERE for event details!  Can't wait to see you!!

Dreaming Bear is open late on Thursday evenings!

Howdy friends!  Just a friendly reminder that The Dreaming Bear store is open 10-7 on Thursdays in December!!!  We are also having open art studio every Thursday evening, 4-7!!  Stop in, say hi to Emily, and she'll help you get going on a super cool handmade gift for the holidays!!  Ornaments, glassware, picture frames, and a fresh crop of canvases are ready for your creative touch!  See you soon!

Small Business Saturday coming up!!

Hey everyone!  Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. On November 26, please join your friends and neighbors in shopping small at your favorite local stores and help fuel the economy. As the owner of a small business, you gotta know that I really, really love this idea!  When we all shop small, it will be huge.

Click HERE for additional info.

Home again, home again, jiggity jog.

Thank you, Des Moines customers, for your support during the Junior League Gift Mart!  A big thank you goes out to The Dreaming Bear girls for keeping the store running smoothly:  Angie, Dawny, and Emily!  Also thanks to my Little Man for being such a great helper at my show....so helpful and patient.

I am back home now, resting in my jammies today.  Waiting for Lovin' Man to come home from conferences in Chicago.  Looks like a good day for staying in, and relaxing...but is that what we will do?  We shall see!

Happenings in the Home Studio

Hello there!  If you've visited The Dreaming Bear lately, you've likely seen one or all of us working away behind the counter, painting and sanding, and doing all we can to get ready for our upcoming visit to Des Moines, and getting the store ready for the busy holiday season!  I've been working away during my evenings at home as well...here's a little peek at my work table currently.

I've been trying to "shake up" my normal painting routine, by trying some new paints (currently loving Liquitex fluid acrylics) and lots more layering than I usually do.  I'm obsessed with simple leaf and bubble shapes, and find that I can easily lose myself for an entire evening, just playing and swishing these lovely colors around!

  

I did the canvases first...but then thought to myself, "Self, I wonder if you could achieve the same effect with your glass paints, on glass items."  The answer is yes I can, however it requires more patience, as these paints remain sticky far longer...so I have to wait a bit before layering more colors on.

And below, you see some more patchwork hearts I've been sewing up, and flower pins that are in progress.    Wishing you all a colorful, spunky holiday season!  More news to come soon!  Cheers!

Des Moines Junior League Gift Mart coming up!!!

Dreaming Bear will be selling at the Des Moines Junior League Gift Mart next weekend! 

 C'mon out and get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping!  It's gonna be a FUN time!!!

Thursday, November 17th 6-9pm

Friday, November 18th  9am-9pm

Saturday, November 19th  9am-3pm

Here's a link to their website for more details!  See you there!!!

More Goodies in the Etsy Shop, Yo.

Click HERE to see what's new in the Etsy shop! 

Time to start thinking about the holidays!  Woo hoo!

We were Queens for the Evening last Thursday!

Last Thursday evening, I hosted "Queen for the Evening" in the studio, where I was joined by 4 lovely ladies, Jane, Braden, Megan and Mary Ella.  We had a great time embellishing our crowns and crafting the perfect magic wand for all of our upcoming decrees that must be brought forth.  Sorry to say, I didn't get any pics of the ladies actually wearing the crowns...we ended up sizing them at the last minute, and then scarfed down some cupcakes!  Eeeep!  Thank you all for joining me....it was great!  Schedule your own Queen for the Evening party by calling us at the store!

Kansas City booth pics!

Last weekend, we sold Dreaming Bear goodies at the Kansas City Junior League's Holiday Gift Mart!  It was a great event!  Lots of fun to meet so many new friends!  Here are some pics of what our booth looked like before we sold lots of stuff!  And I was worried about having enough!  Ha!  We could barely fit it all in!  Top sellers this show were bookmarks, moustaches on a stick, and lazy susans!  Time to get back to work making more!

Pics from our Zombie Party!!

Hello humans!  I am finally getting around to sharing the pics from our Zombie Party during this year's CHOCOLATE WALK!!!  We had so much fun!!!  And thanks to all of our customers who gave so generously to the Marion food bank!  We collected 18 bags of groceries, and approximately $250 in cash!
Woo hoo!!!  And a big THANK YOU to Melody Smith with Image Nouveau Photography for taking all of these wonderful pics for us!  Visit her website HERE, and her blog HERE!