Brenda Pollock . Smith
La De Da' Artisan Bears . Owner/Artist

I began designing mohair bears in 1994 when my daughter was a little girl for her own collection. As the years passed my life took off in other artistic directions as well as my reentry into college to study holistic health. In November 2007, my passion bloomed again to design bears and there the La De Da' Artisan Bear business was born.

I work from my art studio located in Southern California, U.S.A. I work only with the finest materials, mohair, glass eyes, clay, textile pigments, dye and various quality fabrics. I sculpt eye lids, wet eye accents and noses out of clay and various materials. All of my bears start with pure white mohair. I custom blend my colors with high quality textile dye before dyeing. No two turn out alike due to heat elements, length of dye time, measurement variations, etc. Another signature element to the La De Da' line is in addition to being stuffed with polyfill and copper shot, I add the highest quality lavender buds, imported from Provence, France to enhance the "hug" experience with a gentle, therapeutic natural scent. Squeezing the buds helps release the scent, so you get a little bit of relaxation with every hug. My hands and heart are in all aspects of the creation process of each bear from pattern design, sewing to painting and shading to sculpting.

La De Da' Bears have old world charm with neoteric elements and attitude. It is my goal to provide an heirloom to pass down through the generations. I am always looking in new artistic directions. In the Fall of 2008, I introduced a line of Japanese style bears called Chibi Cutie© Bears. These are Japanese style bears with a soupçon of old prim style adding a new dimension to the La De Da' collection. In 2010, I began a book using my bears as the characters, it is a continued work in progress, to be released in the future.

The bears have found homes all over the world from Scotland to Singapore. I adore my collectors and each one of them has been a blessing to me, allowing me to do what I love most....create.

My hope is that the La De Da' Bears serve as a tangible reminder of all the finer things in life, as well as childhood, sweet memories, innocence and celebrating love. Most of all, I hope they make you smile.