I decided there was too much pink and yellow on this fellow so I am giving him red rubber boots. I had two rows of yellow done before I changed my mind, but it looks like a cuff and will be helpful in separating the the colors. Here it looks almost golden on the boot but it is the same yellow as on the face. I enjoy seeing colors shift as they are paired up with other colors.
I am pleased with his face even though his smile is more human than bear-like. I do love those tiny glass stars for eyes. I think I ordered more. Today Vicki is busy with the Festival of Trees but surely some time this month I will get my order. This guy will take several more days. Am thinking of using 8s on the scarf so it looks like those knobby knitted ones.

After doing the long rows across the back of the Garcia bear, the arm went so fast that I was as done  as I could be (I need to see the guitar to see how to finish the elbow) and I had not yet thought of what to do next. I have no idea why I picked this one. He is called Birdie Bear and on the chest was an ugly cartoon bird on a bit of plastic that was sewed down. On the clown bear I worked around it but here it seemed just too ugly to remain. So into the bag it went with the tush and ear tag. I am thinking of either beading in a bird on the spot or attaching a small bird made of glass or stone. I do not understand the significance of the muffler but it is sewn in securely so I will keep it. I doubt my pink beads will repeat the hotness of this pink. We will see.
On a whim, I weighed an unbeaded bear and the Garcia bear. Unbeaded a bear weighed 5 ounces. Beads add exactly another five ounces.

After I shut down most of the computer stuff I realized that the photo I posted yesterday did not really tell the story. It looked so much like an earlier photo. So I took another one. Here you can see the backside. Late in the afternoon I got tired of doing butt work and started on the arm. It is not done so it is not worth a new photo today. Am 'after a holiday' tired and I have already spent so much time today on the anthology. Need to bead to get myself back into rows of color.

Just a bit on the butt and the right arm to do on the Garcia bear. I have found that on the regular sized beanie babies, the plush is too thick and has a tendency to fluff out between the rows. On each row I have to run the needle down the channel to push it down under the beads. Bummer. That means I will not being another of these 10-inch beasts that take forever. I am pleased with the hint of mouth in a smile that I got here. Those bears have way too much chin which makes one miss the mouth even more.
Ah, yes! it is Thanksgiving and time for me to get off the computer to celebrate. One of the things I am thankful for is the discovery of beading the teenie beanie babies. They have given me so many hours of pleasure. Thanks to you, too, for following the journey. May all who read this be blessed!

For waiting for photos you get two today. That sounds like an equation in algebra.  I wanted to record how close the colors on the backside are to the beads. I am using Preciosa's copper-lined clear and the slight pinkish, brownish hue is exactly right. Also that right arm has almost no color changes in it at all. Hm. . . I may have to invent a tye-dye pattern. Because the left arm was in such a dark green, I decided to ignore reality and go with this lovely olive green that I love. On the top of each bead is deep gold glow spot. I have been mixing Preciosa 11s with other size 11 from Dynamite and the smaller Preciosa bead is much better in the way the beads nestle together. The bigger beads crowd and pop up no matter how carefully I place the rows.

Having done the back of the head, it now holds up properly and the bear looks a lot more intelligent. You can barely see the Jerry Garcia hair-do. That happened by accident. When I got to the top of the head, I had started beading at the neck, there was a gap where the rows did not meet. It was so hard to get the needle in and out between the ears I was at my wit's end. Then I turned to my old technique of the three-bead picot and while searching for a color, I remembered the photos of Garcia in his later years when his hair had gone white.

This photo is already several days behind how the bear actually looks but it is the best I have. I'm pressing hard to get the book on the life of AHA Forum done and off my desk. It seems that when I finish chasing its errors at the computer there is no time for photos. However I do have time to bead! The legs are done on the front side, that other ear is now pink and orange and I am delighted with the bead colors I have found for the backside.

Yep, I made the editorial page of Bead & Button! My project is the magazine's Christmas present to its readers. This is quite an honor so I am boasting today! You can go to it on the web.http://bnb.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/Projects/Free%20Projects/2012/10/A%20star%20is%20born.aspx  I see they say it has been up since October 22. I guess Bead & Button does its Christmas shopping early!

This news eclipses the progress on the Garcia bear which is going forward - slowly as this is a full-sized animal. The good news about that is  that it is easier to work under the chin and ears on this size rather than the smaller Happy Meals creatures.