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Who is the Gollymaker? I was lucky enough to be adopted into an artistically oriented family. My father was an artist, worked in the movies for 30 years and then did dioramas for museums, as well as several other institutions. One of the biggest dioramas he did was for the Smithsonian; he did the Capital. They tell me they use it for all sorts of dioramas when they have need. I get a kick out of a certain insurance commercial that shows a duck going through the LA County museum; the Elephant Habitat was my dad's art work. He also has his paintings in several museums. My Uncle was a pianist and composer, and worked for many, many years as an accompanist for soloists as well as a studio artist. My mother could create anything she wanted in fabric. She taught me to love sewing from my earliest years, and by the time I was in Jr. Hi. I was making my own basic clothing. I leaned towards music, and studied piano seriously most of my life… although mom had me start out on the accordion, which wasn't my first choice. But I did it anyway. My Dad had said if I did well, he would see to it we got a piano. At Christmas time my friends and I would go Caroling with me playing the accordion. One year we met Jimmy Durante while we were caroling. Caroling was fun so I kept up the accordion but was delighted to finally be able to add the piano. I added oboe to the piano in high school, and it earned me the scholarships I needed for college the first time around. One of my favorite pieces, and I still play it today, was The Golliwog's Cakewalk, by Claude Debussy. Of course no one could or would tell me what a golliwog was, but the picture on the front of the music gave me an idea. Many years later -- OK, 40 years later -- a friend loaned me a magazine of hers called "Teddy Bear and Friends." I fell in love with the magazine and the Teddies. But what was really great was what I found inside. I found a small picture of someone's idea of... ta da! … a golly. Someone had made a GOLLY. Wow!! Now, I love Teddy Bears. They are full of kindness and love. And I especially love collecting them from my friends who are artists. They make the most beautiful bears. And while I enjoy making a bear now and then, especially as a pal for a golly, my heart just wasn't into bears full time. I would rather collect Teddies than make them. My heart really wants to make Gollies. And once I started I can't seem to stop. Ever since I saw that first golly in the magazine I have been head over heels in love with Gollies. I can't seem to make the same golly twice, which is good, especially if you are trying to do OOAK gollies. But mostly I love them because I never know how they will turn out. And almost always they are fun and cute and whimsical and if they make me smile when I finish then I am happy. My hubby gave me some commercial gollies, a Steiff and a Hermann. But as nice as those are they don't compare to what I see gollymakers doing. An OOAK gollymaker can add so much more personality. And that is what these guys are all about. Personality. I give away as many as I sell, which is hard on the pocketbook but great on the heart. So in order to keep in supplies to continue making these little wollikins I need to get more serious about my BUSINESS. Which is just a big word for doing what I love to do. I hope you enjoy looking at my gollies. Enjoy looking around. And if you would be interested in adopting one of my gollies, well you won't find them here. Because these have all gone to new homes, but I would be delighted to create one for you. Just e-mail me. And as I make new ones, and before they are placed on Bid 4 bears or e-bay I will post the piccys here. And most important of all? Thank you for stopping by. I hope I was able to bring you a smile in these trying times. Fondly, Diane Lundgren, a.k.a. |