Izzy's puppies

Please note: I updated the adoption status of all of the puppies on Jan. 8, 2015. They have all been adopted into wonderful loving new homes. Just scroll down to the bottom of this post to see all of the  updates ... 

and check back occasionally because I will be adding updated photos of the puppies as their new owner share them (at the bottom of this page). Its fun to watch puppies grow! 

This is an update on Izzy's puppies.

They were born November 1

which would make them about 6 1/2 weeks old now!

Look how they've grown

(I swiped these photos from my sister's facebook page)

 You can see that their coats are changing from white to blue

Update added Dec 30, 2014 ...
The puppies are ready to go to their new homes,
they have had all of their tests and my sister has
matched the puppies to the homes that are best
suited for them:

Squirt is the smallest puppy. She was rated pet quality and she is deaf in one ear.
She is sooooo sweet!
She will be flying across the country to her new home in Massachusetts
where she will be living with 2 Chihuahuas ... which means that she will no longer be the smallest dog!
Her new name is "Mabel".

Even though she was rated show quality she will not be trained as a show dog ... she will be trained to be a Therapy Dog.
Sierra has a wonderful temperament and is well suited for this important job as a Therapy Dog.
She will be living Northern California.
Her new name is Kiah.

Shatsa is my sister's choice and will continue to be a part of our family.
My sister will train her for show, agility, and herding ... just like her mom, Izzy.

Robin is a show quality dog (based on his structure) but, like his mom Izzy and his sister Squirt, he is also deaf in one ear.
He is "on hold" for a home in Guatemala where he would be a Show Dog ... but it has not been finalized.
Update: Robin was adopted into a loving new home locally and will be raised as a pet. His new name is Caoimhe.

Sprite is a Show Quality girl that will be going to my sister's friend who shows and breeds Cattle Dogs.
She is the co-owner of Izzy.
She will be living in Southern California.
I believe that her new name is "Lefty"

Pepper is a pet quality girl who has found a loving home in Nevada.
They will probably continue to call her Pepper because the name suits her personality.

(see Batman's update near bottom of page ...)

Joker is the biggest Show Quality boy. He will also be going to live with my sister's friend
in Southern California ... along with his sister, Sprite. They will continue to call him "Joker".

This is Robin ... the last puppy to be adopted. Originally he was "on hold" to be sent to
Guatemala as a show dog but when his hearing test discovered that he was deaf in one ear he became
the last puppy available.

Robin quickly found a loving home locally and will be raised as a pet. Lucky Robin.

Time to go to their new homes (8 weeks old):

These beautiful photographs were taken by a professional photographer

and they are so wonderful that I just had to share them

This is Batman (now adopted as Levi) at 8 weeks old.
UPDATE Jan 29, 2015
At 10 weeks old Levi was returned by his new owners because he was a little too much "puppy" for the wife to handle. Cattle-dogs are active working dogs and need owners who understand this. The good news is that Batman-Levi will be going to live with his sister Pepper. Pepper's owners love her so much that they are thrilled to be able to also adopt her brother, whose new name is "Lambeau" (yes, after the football player). I think his new name fits his personality because he is a rough and tumble little guy who will be more than ready for his new life which will include hiking, traveling, and even flying in his own private plane. Yes, after a tough start Lambeau is ready for a forever loving home with is sister. Lucky puppies!

This is Batman as a brand new baby.

This is "Batman" playing with his sister Shasta. His forever home will be with his other sister, Pepper. His new name will be Lambeau.

This is Caoimhe (aka Robin) with his larger friend.

This is Kiah (aka Sierra) with an even larger friend

This is Kiah ... resting from a busy day.

This is Pepper. As you can see there is lots of space around her new home ... more than enough room for her to romp with her brother Lambeau (aka Batman/Levi), who will be joining her sometime in Feb. Lucky pups  to have a wonderful forever home with amazing human parents!

My sister, Celeste, and the puppy that she is keeping, Shasta.

Shasta ... thinking ...

Shasta's "stink eye" look

Shasta ... smiling !!!

I found this photo on FaceBook... I think this is Tuffy ... Izzy's first puppy who would be about a year old now.
Tuffy is an amazing dog who has won top ribbons at all of the Shows that she has done so far...
she is well on her way to being a Champion, just like her mom.

My sister posted this on her FaceBook page ... obviously because she could relate to it ...

Custom Twin Bunnies

This is my "Sweet Little Bunny" pattern

 This is one bunny:

 This is the other bunny:

These are truly Twin Bunnies because in person it is difficult to tell one from the other.

From nose to tail they measure 6 inches long

From front feet to top of head they measure 4 inches high

Ears measure 3 inches

I used the garment lining for the paw pads and ear lining

Glass eyes

Gently hand painted details

Wire lining in ears

Double jointed neck

Unique jointed ears that allow for many different ear positions

I am "retiring" my Sweet Little Bunny pattern ... these are my last two bunnies from this pattern for a long while, if not forever. I will be designing a new bunny pattern in 2015. 

Update May 20, 2015: I guess I lied about "retiring" my bunny pattern because it was requested  for another custom order ... so here it is again...

I think the pattern will just be on a brief hiatus (to be used whenever requested), this pattern is just to good (and popular) to put away

Striped Pajamas

Custom-made Teddy Bear

This is a custom made pattern specifically created for the two mink garments
that were sent to me to create Heirloom Teddy Bears

6 joints including a double jointed neck

The paw pads were created from the velvet lining from the mink coat
Wire armature in arms and legs

Glass eyes

Embroidered, waxed and sealed nose
Gentle hand painted detailing

This teddy was created from a very unusual mink coat
which makes the teddy look like it is "wearing striped pajamas"

The teddy was created from a mink stole and a mink coat in different colors

This is one of my rare "large" teddies ... standing 13 1/2 inches tall

This teddy was created from a very unusual mink coat so I recorded a visual journey of its transformation to a teddy bear ... CLICK HERE to see its creation

Updated teddy:

As requested I have painted the light area in the front of the teddy.

As I explained, I did not plan that pattern ... as you can see if you look at my photo diary of the making of this teddy. In answer to your question about the paint, my best answer is that I have been painting details on my teddies and other animals for the past twenty years with no complaints about the paint rubbing off. Since my teddies are Adult Collectibles and not intended to be used as toys, these teddies should be displayed and not handled excessively.

You will also see when you finally receive the teddy that in the area in question, it just happens that that is an area where the leather happened to meet ... also not planned ... but the hairs are long enough that it covers the leather.

Please note that transforming a two dimensional geometric pattern onto a three dimensional teddy bear is mainly a matter of trial, error, and trying to match unusually placed seams from the original garment ... which is exactly why I made a photo diary of the making of this teddy.