McBride House

It's a hard life being a bear when all you want to do is eat honey but the bumble bees disagree. https://www.bellamcbride.ca/product/honey-bear-and-bees/132

Raven claws drying in the studio.....I can’t help myself but repeat on a loop in my head Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble.

I found him sitting alone under a rhubarb leaf, his big brown eyes staring up at me and in his little hands he held a delicate flower. He reached up and offered it with me with such tenderness and love. My heart melted and my troubles disappeared. I think we all need our own gentle gardener to help us through these days, don't you? https://www.bellamcbride.ca//the-gentle-gardener-racc/138

I love this view into the studio. If you are over 5’6 then you have to duck to get into it so as to not hit your head. When I was little I used to lay awake and dream of finding a secret room in my house. I think maybe I finally found it.

Remember all of those leaves and petals I had hanging from the chandelier on the weekend? Well I spent the entire day in the weeds adding them to my little raccoon. I forgot how much I love gardening. https://www.bellamcbride.ca//the-gentle-gardener-racc/138

***SOLD*** Uh oh....I did something....my resolve to take some time off didn't exactly work. I lasted about a day and then the pull of the wool was too over powering. ;) One new Barred Owl tree topper sitting pretty on my tree but ready to go to a new home if someone falls in love with him. :) https://www.bellamcbride.ca/pro/barred-owl-tree-topper/105

An early morning view from the studio this morning. Remember those moose on our front yard? Well they multiplied and I now have one of my very own when I look out my window. :)

She was always a lonely little soul running around the forest, always stopping and admiring the mosses and fungi while her brothers and sisters went scurrying off in all directions looking for grand adventure. She was content just to sit and admire all that went on around her. Unfortunately rabbits are social animals and she longed for a companion that would feel the same way as she. That is when I introduced her to the littlest of ravens. He had been visiting me in my ga...rden lamenting at his size and his inability to soar high in the sky with his clan. I knew immediately that these two were meant to meet. Now they spend their days wandering in the big woods and stop in occasionally to see me while they pass through to the interval lands. Neither one are lonely anymore and I hear rumours that they are compiling a nature journal of all the things they discover. See more

It's dark when I wake up this morning...very dark. I snuggle down further under the covers and enjoy the warmth. Today is the first day of winter....the shortest daylight hours of the year. It's always a worry as to what old man winter will bring us each winter. Today it sounds like he's not quite up to his usual mischief as I can hear the drips of rain on the roof. I peer out from underneath the covers and there is still a thin layer of snow on the balcony...I guess he's still here....just being lazy...like me. :)

I wake up this morning feeling a little bit lost. Last night I finished my last custom order before Christmas....with the exception of making a tree topper for myself. I kind of don't know what to do with myself now! Every morning for months now my path has been clear but this morning....I'm not sure what to do. I have presents to wrap, a house to clean but no looming deadlines...and I'm not sure if I like that or not! I feel two ways about this time of year. The first ...is that I love not having to figure out what to do next. I have a meticulous custom order list that I study several times a day working out when to do what, who needs what when, etc. But then I really look forward to when Christmas is over and I can dream and imagine what piece will be next and work on things just because "I felt like it". I already have a 2021 custom order list started and more than likely will start working on those pieces very soon...once I get my own tree topper made that is. Next year (which really means the day after Christmas) I have plans for some new tree topper designs and I want to keep working on some Christmas items while I'm still in the mood. I didn't get half....maybe even a quarter of everything I wanted to do this year but that's alright....there is still next year. :) See more

***SOLD! So some bad news and some good news....my last snowy owl tree topper order fell through but this means a) I will have a tree topper for my tree this year, or b) someone else can have a snowy owl tree topper on their tree this year! She’s about 11 inches tall from her base to the top of her head or about 16 inches when you measure diagonally from the top of her head to the tip of her tail feathers. Her feathers are made entirely out of merino wool and she comes with a wood stand so that she can stay out all year if you wish. She is $290 and can be picked up in the Belleisle area or, if you don’t mind her being late for Christmas, can be mailed (between $14-$25 depending on where you live). Thanks!

Any late shoppers out there...I still have some pieces left! Check out my website (www.bellamcbride.ca) and contact me if there is anything you see. Local pickup available. :)

Look what I made! I warn you not to pick it up as it weighs way more than it should and I take no credit for the glazes that were already mixed but I did throw it myself....is that the right word? Thank you Linda for letting me play in your studio!

He sneaks out of the studio every morning and finds his way under my Christmas tree. He's on a mission and nothing will stop him until he finds his little Christmas wreath. Twice I found him sitting under the brightly lite branches clutching the wreath, softly petting the red bow begging me with his eyes to keep his treasure. I've assured him he can have the wreath but he's still wary and still sneaks around with it afraid I'm going to take it away. I think perhaps it's a present for his new owner whom he will soon be going to or perhaps he's saving it for his love that he hopes to soon meet. Either way I'm happy for him to have it but if you are missing any little wreathes from your Christmas decorations you might have a love struck raccoon in your house too.

I don't always just work with wool! Sometimes the perfect accessory for a piece needs something else and if I don't have it in my stash of treasures, I'm more than happy to make it. :) I've been working really long hours on custom orders lately but today I think I'll spend the day doing a "because I felt like it" project. I'm not sure what it will be yet but I'm sure going to have fun discovering it. Wish me luck!

A little warning this morning....when you go for a walk in the woods, be very mindful of where you step for not all Ent's (tree men) are tall and mighty, some are small but mighty and do not appreciate your big shoes coming so close to them and their little friends. This has been your public service announcement for today. ;)

Before my studio was built I kept all of my creations in totes packed away waiting to come out for shows. Now I can't quite describe the joy of walking into the studio and be greeted by everyone...especially this guy. I mean seriously, who doesn't want to be greeted by a Viking every morning. ;) https://www.bellamcbride.ca/product/viking-angus/10

I'm still working on custom order but just a heads up to anyone that wants an owl tree topper for this year....I have the feathers made and the bodies blocked out on 4 more owls (two snowy and two barred) and will have them done late this week (fingers crossed) so please let me know if you are interested and I can save you one! Prices will be determined once the owls tell me what size they want to be. :)

They are at it again! Every time I turn my head my little creations are into something new. This morning I founds these two sliding down the stairs without a care in the world! I'm going to have to watch MY shoes carefully because a mouse in a baby shoe is cute but a rat in my shoes not so much. ;) https://www.bellamcbride.ca/product/shoe-sledding-mice/102

This is Molar. Molar the Polar Bear. Molar had three brothers, Fabian the Fox, Roland the Raccoon and Jeremiah the Badger. The three brothers have all gone off to live in new homes but Molar is still living where he was born. He doesn't mind being here, and I do tell him all the time that he is my favourite, but he's looking for a new adventure. He is not a downhill skier like his brethren, but instead he's a cross country skier...although I have heard some squeals of de...light (or maybe it's terror) as he flew down my stairs once...and only once. He likes the slow life and loves to just sit and watch me go about my daily chores...occasionally giving me tips on how to do something. Do you know of anyone who is in need or their own skiing polar bear? If so, let me know! He is about 10 inches tall and was $195 but I'm having so much fun finding these forgotten pieces new homes that he is now $120 (plus shipping which is between $14 and $25 depending on where you live). Thanks for looking and fingers crossed poor Molar finds a new home soon! See more

I finally pressed that "order now" button for my McBride House 2021 calendar and they should be here within the next few weeks! Because of the unpredictability of this year I've ordered a limited quantity so if you would like any please feel free to email me ([email protected]) or message me to put one (or more!) aside for you. Cost and size are the same as last year $18 for a 6.5 inches by 8.5 inches professionally printed calendar. Shipping for one is $3.75 and I will do my research when they arrive for shipping more than one. Thanks!

Have I ever told you how much I love my "job"? Probably a couple of hundred times, eh? But what job allows you to make a snowy owl tree topper at the beginning of the week, a laughing Budda mid week and let's you spend the weekend creating a Paul McCartney Beatles mouse playing a Hofner bass guitar? I can't imagine very many. And before you ask, this fella is heading off to his new home today and after Christmas he will be joined by a Mouse Spock....phaser included. :)

I have some very heartfelt posts coming up but I just can't seem to find the right words to thank all of you for your support, generosity and kind words lately. I've started these posts a dozen times but I just can't seem to words to express how....see...I can't find the right word. Happy just doesn't cut it....it's more than that. It's that warm feeling that bubbles up inside that wants to explode into a million butterflies! So...see what I mean? I'm simply at a loss for words. So for now, until I can gather my thoughts and translate them into words, another picture of Puckle. See how content he looks? Happy in his own little world? That's exactly how I'm feeling. <3

The building of my studio this year had one major consequence that we regret....my pair of cardinals that feed here every day for two years have up and left us. :( I'm hoping once winter comes they will be back but if not I'm happy they felt safe to stay with us for so long and hopefully they are making someone else feel very special right now. :)

Feathers! So many feathers! This is just one of five of these drying racks with feathers for some more Snowy Owl tree toppers. I spent the entire day yesterday working on these and I have a feeling I don't have enough long tail feathers so I might be making more in the next few days. Now I just have to wait for them to dry and I can start my new parliament of owls! :)

I promise not to inundate you all with Christmas photos until at least after Halloween but I'm finding that everyone is shopping really early this year so I just wanted to let you know that I do have some Christmas items up and listed! More to come soon...hopefully. :) https://www.bellamcbride.ca/shop/christmas-collection/8

Do you remember a while back that I said that I do layaway's? Well because of that post Puckle and one other piece have since found new homes! Sir Goat has made his way across Canada to a new home and Puckle gets to stay with me until his new owner picks him up. A win, win for everyone! So the moral of this post is that if there is something that speaks to you, feel free to contact me and we can work out a payment plan. :)

I do love my job, I really do but sometimes I feel terrible guilt for the things I have to do! This, sadly, is how I add eyes to Santa's.....it's a cruel, cruel art.

Making a teeny tiny magnifying glass this morning for a special custom order. I love my job. :)

It's dark and dreary this morning but the leaves are breathtaking through the windows. Yellows, oranges, and the occasional reds are in their full splendour right now and shock me as I walk from window to window with their brilliance. It's always fun to go for a drive to see the leaves but I always come back home thinking the best view is from my own home.