...from Russia...with love & bear hugs

...when we were in Tallinn, Estonia this summer, 

I found a bear shop. 

Pretty unexpected.

I was stunned. Here we are on a walking tour in this incredible Medieval walled city...cobblestone streets, amazing old buildings...

and there is this little, tiny toy store... 

It was like finding a bit of magic.

I could not recall another time that I stumbled across something so wonderful...the bears...and yes dolls too, that were for sale were incredible. 

So well made, so very fresh and different...

I wish I could tell you the name of the shop but there was no sign...and the owner spoke no English and me, no Estonian...

But we certainly shared love of beautiful things.

 I left the shop that day with two incredible teddies and a plan to hunt up some of the incredible teds that were coming out of Estonia, Latvia and Russia... 

Please join me in saying welcome to talented 

Olga Fomenko

the newest of our Earth Angels artists...

After months of research, translation, 

major battles with customs in Germany and Russia and more exotic tales...(truly...I was not sure these cuties would make it at several points...)

Olga's incredible teds arrived...well most of them!

...there are three lost somewhere between Russia and the US and we hope that they might make it at some point!

That said, those that did arrive 

(and thanks to my German friend for the help!) are utterly amazing and well worth the wait...

I love her style and we are thrilled to celebrate it... her craftsmanship is amazing, she even makes the shoes for her bears and their faces are a combination of painting and needle sculpting that make such a dear impression...

You can see them all HERE..

Thanks Olga... it is an honor to work with you!

xoxox

Jen