Trending: Bears

This bear serves you cocktails, my bear serves me my keys.
via rockingham.prints

Lately we've had bears on the brain. And, no, not that kind. We're talking real-life, honest to goodness bears that you find in the wild. You know, the kind that kill documentary filmmakers and ravage your campsite while you sleep. In reality, I would never want to encounter an actual bear in the wild... admiring bears as depicted in art and artifacts is much more my speed.


All this is why Andrew and I were pretty excited when we picked up this bronze tray at an estate sale a few months ago. I had every intention of selling it until Andrew suggested we keep at least one item from the day's haul. Still, I took a few photos for the store just in case:



But then we put him on the dresser and he's been the perfect landing pad for keys, wallets, what have you. There are so many things right about him: he's gold, he's useful and he's ADORABLE. So much so that we even had a little impromptu instagram photo session this morning.





And we're not the only ones admiring the noble bear lately (hence the "trending" title). Check out SF Girl by the Bay's post yesterday for all sorts of bear ephemera culled from the internet. And in searching for our tray online, we found there's even a collector's niche of trays featuring bears as guardians of important stuff.


Vienna Bronze Bear on Onyx Tray
via Live Auctioneers


Tifanny & Co. Bronze Desk Tray
via AuctionWally


Bronze Tray with Bear Signed M. Post
via Live Auctioneers


Black Forest Smoking Companion
via Sporting Collectibles


Small Bronze Bear Motif Tray
via Live Auctioneers

Truth time... bears are currently rivaling giraffes in the race for John's favorite animal and I can wholeheartedly get behind this bear trend since they're: a. not owls, and b. they remind me of home.



I never thought I'd say it, but... go bears.