Unique Art Dolls and More by Megan Baehr
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The Best Bears Are Back!

May 21, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

The Best Bears!

A million years ago (in 2008), I made a short run of colorful plush bears known as the Best Bears. They were fun to make and oh so cute, but I was experimenting a lot at that time and moved away from them almost immediately.

A couple of weeks ago, I was sorting out my scrap bin by color and started thinking about what I should do with my scraps. They weren’t big enough or plentiful enough to make any of my classic Nonesuch Dolls. After some thought, I decided that a patchwork teddy bear made up of different colors would be super cute. I made one, and then another, and another! I couldn’t help myself! They are just so cute and fun to make.

And thus the Best Bears were reborn with an Eco-friendly twist. Each bear is one of a kind and helps reduce waste in my studio. I plan on making batches of them whenever my scrap bin fills up to a certain point. I hope you will enjoy them!

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GIVEAWAY TIME!

April 22, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

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Only one entry per person. You may send more than one magnet, but everyone gets only ONE entry in the drawing for Iggy. I want everyone who sends me a magnet to have an equal chance at winning. Your magnet(s) will not be judged! The winner will be randomly chosen.

International participants are welcome!

Please include a 3 x 5 inch index card (or similarly sized paper) with the following information:
On front of card: Your Name (required)
On back of card: Your E-Mail Address (required) & Website (optional)
Failure to include this information will disqualify you from the drawing for Iggy.

Magnets must be HANDMADE. Store bought magnets will be disqualified. If you are not very crafty, find a small object that you like and glue a magnet to it. I find two-part epoxy works really well for this.

Your magnet doesn’t have to fall into any particular theme or color scheme. Just make something that makes you happy! However, if you need some ideas… The color scheme of my studio is white, teal, leaf green, and bright pink. My favorite animals include octopuses, sharks, hyenas, and frogs. Dragons are awesome. I love Boston Terriers. I like tulips and succulent plants. Nonesuch Doll or Sproutling fan art would be cool, too.

Your package must have a postmark of June 1st or earlier. Packages postmarked after June 1st will be disqualified. That being said…

The drawing for Iggy will be held on June 15th! Please make sure your magnet will arrive in time! If I do not have your magnet in time for the drawing, I will not be able to include you. International participants should especially keep this in mind!

By submitting a magnet to this giveaway, you are giving me permission to post photos of your magnet and your first name online. Please include your website on your index card if you would like proper credit. If you do not want your magnet to appear online, please write “anonymous” under your name on your index card.

Have fun! I can’t wait to see what you make!

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(Iggy the Fire Lion is a OOAK Nonesuch Doll from my personal collection. He was made in 2009 for a monster themed gallery show. The winner will receive Iggy along with the new letterpressed COA packaged in the new Nonesuch Garden box. No purchase necessary. Shipping of the prize will be free to anywhere in the world.)

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Sproutling No. 8 – Foxglove

April 5, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

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a.k.a. “Foxy”
Size: 17.5 inches tall
Materials: Mixed Media
Birthday: April 4th, 2013
$1200

Foxglove will be on exhibit at the Clutter Gallery during Stitched, a plush and soft sculpture exhibition. The show opens on April 13th and closes on May 4th, 2013. The gallery is at 163 Main Street in Beacon, New York. The opening is on April 13th from 6pm to 9pm. I plan to be in attendance and would love to meet you if you can make it!

The making of Foxglove:

Buggy-eyed Sproutling! Finally made some mitts for this buggy-eyed cutie! So glamorous! Chubby Sproutling body! Gotta say that sculpting wool is possibly one of the coolest skills I've learned to do. This Sproutling's eyes are the most amazing color. Not much to look at yet, but making progress! Size comparison! Baby Sproutling is about 6 inches tall. Big Sproutling is about 17 inches tall. Now we're getting somewhere! Finally finished felting the core. Now the fun part can begin! The color palette I'll be using! Wheee! :-D I love it when something works out how I imagine it! Lots of progress today! Can you guess which flower inspired her colors? Finished felting! Next up, ears! Then I'll be making a fancy stand for her. Her name is Foxglove (Foxy for short!) and will be appearing in the Stitched show next month at the Clutter Gallery! Rough ears for Foxglove! I'll sand them smooth tomorrow when they're dry. Magic!!! How the stand works.

Foxglove will come with a handmade stand, a copy of the Sproutling Care Guide, and a Certificate of Authenticity.

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The Nonesuch Garden Club Sign Ups are OPEN!

April 1, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

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Your subscription will help Nonesuch Garden move into a dedicated studio space! It’s a win-win for everyone involved. Thank you so much for your support!

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My Wonderful Life

March 29, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (6 Comments)

I wanted to be a cartoonist since I was 10 years old. I went to college and got a BFA in cartooning. I always imagined that cartooning would one day become my career. I would draw comics for a living and make art dolls on the side. Wonderful!

Boy, was I wrong.

As hard as it is for me to admit, I just don’t have the drive for comics. I’m not sure if I ever did. I love comics. I love reading them. I love writing them. I love drawing them. I love teaching them! But this is a case where love is not enough. If I’m truly honest with myself, I know I would grow to resent comics if I had to rely on them for my income. It wouldn’t be fun anymore. I would hate it.

It took me a really long time to accept that I might not be cut out for full time cartooning. I felt like a failure and devalued the success of Nonesuch Garden because of it. Since going full time, I have slowly come to realize that Nonesuch Garden is my creative career and that’s perfectly fine with me. I wake up everyday with a bounce in my step and a smile on my face. This is the happiest I’ve been since graduating college in 2007. I feel like I’ve found my true calling. I love being my own boss. I love making art dolls. And I love selling them, too. Love is enough this time because I also have the drive to make it work.

Taking the pressure off of myself to make cartooning my career has me breathing a huge sigh of relief. Comics will always be a part of my life. I will never stop loving them and I have every intention of finishing my graphic novel someday. The thought of comics being my hobby used to break my heart. Now I see it as an opportunity to explore and experiment without worrying what people will think of it. It’s very liberating and I think all of my future comics will be better for it.

Making art dolls for a living and drawing comics on the side? That sounds like a wonderful life to me!

The Boxes Are Here!

March 25, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (2 Comments)

Here comes the truck!!

I’ve never gotten anything delivered by truck before! The delivery guy was bemused by my desire to take a photo.

And then, of course, I had to make a goofy video!!

Wait for it……….. TADA!

The first Nonesuch Doll to venture out into the world in the new box!

They are even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. They are absolutely perfect! And coupled with my new letterpressed COA… Well, I think you’ll agree that they complete each other.

Words cannot express the joy and gratitude I’m feeling right now. Thank you so much to everyone who made this possible. I couldn’t have done this without you. You will always have a special place in my heart!

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The Nonesuch Garden Club!

March 15, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

Nonesuch Garden has outgrown the tiny one bedroom apartment I share with my sweetie. I was urged by my business adviser to come up with an idea to build up my income a bit so I can afford to rent a studio. I have a studio space already lined up that’s mine if I can come up with the money.

Then it hit me… A club! I’ve always wanted to host a club! So I set to work hashing out the details of…

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GENIUS!

Subscription sign ups will begin on April 1st and will be limited to 25 members. I’ll have more information about the launch very soon!

I hope you’re as excited as I am!!!

Nonesuch Garden & Circus Posterus Present… Nonesuch Skelve!

March 6, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

Sorry for the loooong radio silence! On top of preparing the rewards for my Kickstarter, I was also quietly working on a collaboration project with Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas of Circus Posterus!

Circus Posterus’ crowning character is Skelve, a skeleton elf wearing pajamas. This spooky fellow appears as resin sculptures and in 2D artwork. He’s often seen sporting a dapper hat! The challenge was to translate Skelve into a Nonesuch Doll while maintaining both mine and CP’s aesthetic. It was tough, but we did it!

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And the final touch… Top hats!

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These dapper little gentleskulls sold out in a matter of minutes. I didn’t have much time to prepare or get the word out. So I’m sorry if you missed out! I’m hoping this initial run will be the first of many Nonesuch Garden/Circus Posterus collabs, but only time will tell.

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THANK YOU!

January 30, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

My Kickstarter reached its funding goal last night! I’m so incredibly grateful and humbled by your generosity. You have made one little fish very happy.

These three little lions are pretty happy, too.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I have big dreams for my small business and you have just made one of those come true. I don’t think I could ever thank you all enough for your pledges, for spreading the word, and most of all for believing in me.

My Kickstarter ends on Friday at 6:00pm EST. So there’s still time to get in on the fun and nab some cute rewards!

Repackage the Nonesuch Dolls, Update

January 28, 2013 Posted by Megan in Blog - (0 Comments)

My Kickstarter campaign to repackage the Nonesuch Dolls ends this Friday at 6:00pm EST! I have just a little over $1,000 to raise before the deadline. Kickstarter is all-or-nothing so if my goal is not met, the new Nonesuch Garden box will remain on the drawing board.

That would be such a shame because the new box is GORGEOUS! Here are some photos of the sample I received last week:
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And a cute video I made when I opened the package:

As you can see, I’m super excited about this project!

There are lots of really cool rewards you can get for backing my project! You can get something cute for as little as $5.00 and every dollar truly makes a difference. If you don’t even have a dollar to spare, you can still help by getting the word out to your social networks!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has helped out so far! It seriously means so much to me and I can’t thank you enough. I hope I will see my dream come true and be able to make some adorable rewards for you!

Check out my Kickstarter campaign here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/meganbaehr/repackage-the-nonesuch-dolls