Third Not-Annual Art Deco Contest - Reminder of Deadline - 30 November 2025

Hullo!!! I just wanted to remind all stuffies... the deadline for the Third Not-Annual Art Deco Contest is coming up on November 30... get your entries in!!

Check the link for rules... Beanie & Co.... looking at you, Mice.... Little Fox is ahead of you and has several stuffies already entered... And this pic you took at Ibex House would be perfect!!! Get your little mouse tails in gear!

 

Sandy's Third Randomly-Scheduled Art Deco Architecture Contest

Hullo!! Sandy Bear here, and I came across a tragical tale the other day which has inspired me... Soooo...

This lovely building was the Georgia Medical and Dental Building (GMDB). It was built in 1927-1929 and was a stellar example of art deco architecture in Vancouver. It was the first art deco skyscraper in Vancouver! Pretty, isn't it?? It was designed by the same people who designed the Marine Building! And we all know how much I love the Marine Building...

It was across from the Hotel Vancouver - that's it in the background on the right...

The GMDB building had these 10 foot high terra cotta nurse statues on the outside of the 10th floor...

They were called the Rhea sisters and the three of them were nicknamed "Gono," "Pyor," and "Dia" (funny, eh?).

If you've been paying attention... you've probably noticed that I've been referring to the building in the past tense... sigh...

In 1989... the building was demolished with one of those controlled explosions. It created quite a stir and after that the City of Vancouver did more to protect historical heritage buildings. The reason for the demolition... it wasn't earthquake proof. Sigh.

Scandalous!!! Really. They did save the Rhea sisters... and one of them is on a building up at UBC!

They replaced the GMDB with a building now called Cathedral Place (cause it's next to the Anglican Cathedral. This new building has a fibreglass replica of a Rhea Sister. Hmph...

Anyhow... this story inspired me to hold the 3rd Randomly-Scheduled Art Deco Architecture Contest!! It's nothing like being an annual contest... although the last ones were in 2019 and then 2021... anyhoo...

3rd Randomly-Scheduled Art Deco Architecture Contest

The idea is... get a picture of yourself (the stuffie... not the human) in front of an Art Deco building where you live (or travel)... more details below... Building should be in focus... stuffies can be out of focus... as they usually are...

Contest Details:

Take a picture of you (the stuffie) in front of an Art Deco building where you live (or travel).

One entry per stuffie. If there is more than one stuffie in your household... well... then you can have one entry for each stuffie... Maximum of 3 (or 4 or 5) stuffies per household (looking at you Beanie Mouse & Co... and you Little Fox & Co!!!)

You can send the pic via email or post on your blog and send me the link... (littlecanadianbear {at} gmail {dot} com)

Winners chosen by random draw...

Prizes sent out by Canada Post (as long as it's not on strike (again)).

Deadline for submissions: November 30, 2025

More Info on the Tragic Georgia Medical and Dental Building

Vancouver's First Art Deco Skyscraper Crumbles Down -

Georgia Medical Dental Building demolition - YouTube

The Georgia Medical-Dental Building | Eve Lazarus

Finding the Rhea Sisters   | Eve Lazarus

A Halloween Treat

 Hullo! Yes it's us again! We were going to pass on the Halloween treat category for Jerry & Ben's contest but... we pulled an entry together!!!

"First, we **cough** made a pie crust..."

I dare you to stare into the steely-eyed gaze of this little fox and challenge that claim...

Then we **cough** made the filling!

Yes we did... eggs, milk and pumpkin stuff!

"Don't forget to prick the pie shell...."

Then we poured the filling into the pie shell. Easy peasy!!

And shoved it in the oven and waited...

Until it came out! Yum!!!

Then we looked through Pinterest for decorating ideas...

Ooohhh... this one is cute!!!

What do you think??

We like the maple leaf bits... but should they not be placed on the pie half way through? Or... hmmm... baking is not our forte! 

Ohhhh... this one!!!

Look at those! Maybe they could be baked separately and put on later??

O... M... G... 

Awwww this one is perfect!!!!! It's got ghosts on it!

Or... hang on... what's this...

No wait this one!!! LF! Come and look at this one... It would be amazing!!! 

Errr... LF??? Where'd you go??

Now... where did that fox get to??? Uh-oh... I hear noises in the kitchen!!!!

GASP!!!! Oh my... our pie!!!

Is Jerry in the house????!!! Or has Little Fox taken a page out of his book!?

Ummm... LF... did you seriously eat a piece of pie?? That big?

"Heck NO! I heard noises and I came out here to check and... voila... The Case of the Missing Piece of Pumpkin Pie!"

Me thinks I smell a human at work!!

Ah-hah!!!! Caught pumpkin-pie handed!!!! 

How could you!!??? Our pie??!!!

What do you mean "payment for services rendered"... we didn't even get a chance to decorate it!

Our poor pumpkin pie... oh well... Ben will understand what this is like... and Jerry will just start drooling...

Pumpkin Carving!!

 Hullo!! I know, it's been a few days since we last posted. We were working on our Halloween costumes!! Anyhow... today is pumpkin carving day but... honestly... these are more like pumpkinettes than pumpkins!!!

Oh... whoa! OK... there is a REAL pumpkin here!

Time to get to work!

First... decapitate the pumpkin...

And now... disembowel the pumpkin brains... that is a beary messy job.

"We'll leave it up to your human, Sandy... that's what they're here for..."

"While we go and pick out a pattern!"

Alrightee... it's relatively clean in there...

"Now we get the pattern!"

"We picked this one cause the mouth looks like a bat!"

"And then we taped it to a good side of the pumpkin and..."

"Got carving... hmmm..."

"These paper patterns are beary messy!"

***a little while later***

Ugh... the paper pattern keeps falling apart! 

Will we succeed in our mission??

"Have faith little bear!"

OK... there we go... not too bad. Now we just have to push the cut bits out and cross our claws!

Ahhhh... it turned out pretty good!!!!

What do you think?? We think that looks pretty good!

And we put it outside... It's still 10 days till Halloween so it might be a bit icky by then... but that's Halloween for you!

There's always more pumpkins if we are feeling adventurous.

And here's Mr. Pumpkin Head!

Whew... that is done. Oh yes, and this pumpkin is our entry for Jerry & Ben's Halloween contest!