Bears In The Bush

What Have You Been Up To Mrs. B?

2012-02-16T09:56:00.000+11:00

Well now, what have I been up too?

I have just spent a busy ten days in Victoria, teaching two wonderful groups of ladies how to make Sierra. At the end of it all we had 18 "Sierras" in various stages of completion. I have to say that these workshops, which lasted three days each, were jammed full of techniques and I think all of the girls who participated were exhausted, but extremely happy at the end of the third day.

On day one we made feet! This was an optional extra workshop to create trapunto leather foot pads which were then sewn into the legs ready for the following two days. I was really pleased with how well this day went, and we had some beautiful feet at the end of it. Such a simple technique for absolutely stunning results!

On one of my free days, I designed and made "Mr Jingles" after requests for something small for my next workshop at Bear Essence (in May). These workshops are already filling fast! After some consultation with the girls in one of the workshops and the addition of his accessories this little fellow was named after the mouse in "The Green Mile"

Well that's about it, apart from a mountain of housework and weeding in the garden and of course more bears, that's what I've been up to. I also need to find some pickle recipes for our abundance of cucumbers, the plants are at peak production right now and don't look like they're going to be giving up any time soon, so it would be nice to put some up for use later in the year. And I promise, my giveaway will be coming real soon!

Being A Tree

2012-01-17T10:03:00.001+11:00

There are three here!

The other day I was pottering around in the garden when I noticed some unusual looking branches in one of our White Peppermints. I wandered over for a closer look and found these three fellows roosting for the day. I think they are this year's young and still learning, obviously. If you want to be a tree, choose one that looks like you! The White Peppermint is not endemic to this forest, Chris sowed the seeds of these trees many years ago when we first came to live here. He's chuffed that these Tawny Frogmouths have chosen them for their occasional daytime roost, but they do kind of stick out! If they had chosen any number of other trees around here I would never have noticed them! They really do look like part of the tree when they choose one that matches their plumage. Contrary to common belief these are not owls, they are related to Nightjars. They don't have the strong talons of owls and feed off insects and the occasional frog, not rodents and apparently they sit and wait for the insects to bump into them rather than actively hunting!

This weekend I'm off for a drive up into the highlands of Tasmania, to Tarraleah for a teddy bear making workshop. This is the first gig of the year, it all starts from now.......I'll soon be off to Tooradin again for some more workshops at Bear Essence and then up to Sydney for the Sydney Teddy Bear Fair and a workshop at Teddy's Bits.
I don't know about you, but these things have crept up on me. All of a sudden, the holiday is over and things start to get busy again. So I had better get on and do some more sewing today, I have such a lot to get through and it seems not enough time to do it! So until next time......"happy trails to you"......
Ooooh and I know I mentioned a New Year Giveaway.........well, make that a Valentine's Giveaway, look out for it real soon!

The Best Investment!

2012-01-05T11:19:00.000+11:00

2 cups of flour. a cup of salt, 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar, some oil, some water and a few drops of food colouring, stirred all together for a few minutes on the stove and you have made one of the best things a three year old could wish for! Good for the imagination, and creativity.....not so good for the matchbox cars that get driven through it though! The joys of play dough! (I will have to have a major clean-up after he goes, we have blue spots from one end of the house to the other! All in the name of little boy fun, so well worth it)

Still having fun with my grandson, and in between a little bear-making is also getting done.

Season's Greetings

2011-12-15T10:48:00.003+11:00

Just ten more days until Christmas! WHAT??????

On Christmas day we will be sharing a lovely meal with family, much of which will home grown, picked fresh from our gardens. Tonight my son and grandson arrive from Melbourne, which is just as well as we have an over-abundance of strawberries. And Tobias LOVES strawberries, so he can help in the eating of them! I love having a food garden, I hate buying inferior vegetables and fruit and paying too much for things that have been sprayed, with who knows what! This year we have added a new poly tunnel to our growing area, and in it we have some very lusty plants which will give us tomatoes, capsicums, aubergines, chillis, cucumbers and hopefully some cantaloupes! My, that sounds like an awful lot of food! (It is a big poly tunnel!) In a few days I will send the boys out to find us a nice Christmas tree to put up, I don't like the artificial ones. I like the piny smell in the house from a fresh tree. (It's ok, we only take them from where they shouldn't be growing, they're weeds really). On Face Book I've been seeing everyone posting photos of their decorations, the whole house decked out in Christmas cheer......it will be all I can do to get this place clean! Let alone decorated. (Maybe I'll blow the cobwebs off my wreath and hang that today) I really should put some effort in this year, since we have Tobias staying with us and at three and a half he's old enough now feel the excitement of the festive season. (For me that's what Christmas is all about really, the children).

Anyway, in case I don't get a chance between now and Christmas, I want to wish everyone everywhere, peace and joy, not only for Christmas, but for 2012. May the coming year be filled with all things wonderful! However you wish to celebrate......MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!
Aaaaaand look out for a New Year's Benson Bears giveaway, coming soon! Just to say thanks for your support and for visiting, and especially for reading....... :o)

Back To My Roots

2011-11-10T10:07:00.000+11:00

While I was overseas in September I had an email inviting me to teach a workshop at Tarraleah Resort in the highlands of Tasmania. Tarraleah is one of Tasmania's old "Hydro" villages, which were built last century to house the workers and their families when Tasmania's hydro-electric schemes were being built.
My father was one of these workers, and in the 1950's and 60's our family lived in Tarraleah village, my first five years were spent there! I haven't been back to Tarraleah since childhood and this invitation came out of the blue, and of course I was intrigued. The development of Tarraleah as a resort saved the village from becoming a victim of time and derelection. The workers cottages have been restored as accommodation, though my sister tells me that "our" house no longer exists. There is a range of different accomodations to suit all budgets from luxury through to a caravan park. If you would like to learn more about Tarraleah here is the link.
The workshop will be a basic bear for beginners, this entailed me making a sample "teddy" suitable for teaching novice bear makers. It is quite some time since I've made a teddy bear, and it was rather lovely to return to my bear making roots (though embroidering that nose was a challenge!) I'm rather excited about these weekend retreats, there is one next month (17th and 18th) and another in January (21st and 22nd), I really am looking forward to seeing "what they've done with the place"! Take a look at the website and check out the events callendar, there is a range of different weekends on offer over the Summer.
Perhaps some of my Tasmanian readers might be interested in a beary nice weekend retreat?

Decking the Halls

2011-11-04T17:37:00.003+11:00

At last I have something to write about! Well actually I have lots to write about but I simply haven't had time to sit down and compose.
This will be a quickie to let you know that in a week I will be participating in a Mini Christmas online show.
The theme of the show is "Deck The Halls" and participating artists have been working hard for some months to bring you pieces in keeping with the theme.

So, if you want to treat yourself to something a little special this Christmas be sure to come along to the show. It runs from the 11th to the 14th of November. I'm sure you will be delighted with what you will find when you visit.
I'm off to NSW tomorrow, on Sunday I have my final "in the fur" show at Mittagong followed by a two day workshop at Teddy's Bits I'm home again on Wednesday ready to do some catching up.......I really do need some home time!

This Was Unexpected

2011-08-28T09:49:00.000+10:00

The other morning I had a phone call from my sister Susie wishing me a Happy Birthday, this was somewhat unexpected as she usually forgets (our family was never all that good with this sort of thing). We arranged a meeting in town for coffee and Susie gave me this gorgeous little "Sukeshi" doll. When I saw a group of these on her blog I was taken with "P'tit Fauve" particularly, because his little face reminds me so much of my grandson. Tobias gets just this look on his face on occasion, usually when he's thinking up some mischief! I think it is so special to receive a little something hand~crafted, and this little one is such a treasure. If you want to see more of Susie's work you will find it here. I wish I had a photo of Tobias with "the look" so that you can see what I mean!
Tomorrow I'm heading off to England and Germany. I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter in London and catching up with family in Germany and England. I'm teaching two workshops in Bremen and one in Somerset, and I am also exhibiting my bears at Teddies 2011 on September 11th. I'll be away for three weeks, so things will probably be a bit quiet around here. I'll tell you all about it when I get back!

The Name Game

2011-08-12T15:11:00.001+10:00

I have seen many photographs of polar bear cubs when they first emerge from their winter snow caves, they look so small and vulnerable in the vastness of the Arctic wilderness. There is one particular photo that I often hold in my mind of a cub trotting along in pursuit of it's mother, you don't see the adult in the picture just this tiny cub in a huge, snowy, vastness. It makes me smile because he's such a cute little guy, but I also feel an incredible sadness at how the future looks for polar bears. That photograph seems to embody the fragility of their existence in the face of diminishing suitable habitat, it is such a tragedy that we may lose this magnificent species (one of my favourites) in the very near future as the ice caps disappear.

In this latest bear I have endeavoured to capture the vulnnerability of a newly emerged polar bear cub. I have used a very dense alpaca for his coat, which I have had to extensively trim to carve out his features (otherwise he would just be a big fuzz ball!) He has a Locline "spine" and he also has it in all his limbs but I have kept him softly filled so that he is a very poseable bear. I added a bag of stainless steel pellets to his tummy to give him a nice weight. He has needle felted eye surrounds, which have enhanced his juvenile appearance. I really like how this one has turned out, in fact I think it may be my best work to date! Now all I need to do is think of a name...............

You'll have to forgive my odd set up for these photos. I could have taken a trip up Ben Lomond and posed him in the real snow up there, but quite frankly I didn't really want to get that cold for a couple of photos. So you get the old polyfill "snow" instead!

Cross Over

2011-08-06T13:16:00.001+10:00

In bear making as in a lot of things, there are the "given" ways of doing things. The pattern we first use will determine pretty much how we approach our bears. For years I have been unhappy with the way the fur sat over the toes on my bears. The traditional pattern for a bear's leg is made in two pieces plus a foot pad, and therein lies the problem, that seam over the centre of the toe area. I have been dabbling a little in dolls over the last few years and have found that there are techniques which definitely cross over between dolls and bears, and in dolls is where I found an answer to a couple of bear design problems.
I wanted to get a flatter looking foot for my bears and looked at doll patterns for a solution. So now for a number of years I have been making bears with a two piece leg like a doll's leg with the toe sewn flat (but with no footpad). I then hand appliqued leather pads to the feet, which were stuffed and sculpted to get toes like this. This achieved the flatter foot I was after, but I still had problems with how the fur was sitting over the toe end of the foot because of the seam running down the centre of the foot.
Just recently I have sloved this annoying problem by again looking at doll patterns. I now I have a three piece leg with no seam over the toe, plus a foot pad. I can then use different techniques for the pads, including sculpting the pad after the legs have been stuffed, or using a combination of trapunto and needle sculpting to get some very nice feet. The bear I have just completed has given me alot of joy, I have managed to get some great articulation in him using Loc-line in both his body and his limbs, and I have spent hours playing with him enjoying the realistic movement in him. I feel I'm getting closer to what I'm after in my bears and that is what is so rewarding about all that I do, the evolution of design, the solution of problems and the joy of achievement!

This bear has the "new" feet, but isn't my latest.You can see how nicely the fur is sitting over the ends of his toes.

RSI And A Bear Named Mon

2011-07-07T09:45:00.001+10:00

There were alot of names to write out, then cut into individual slips and then screw up into little balls and now my hand is suffering a little RSI! We need a DRUM ROLL please! The name drawn from the basket is Linda Down (Lombard Bears)! Congratulations Linda, and many thanks to all who entered into the spirit of the game and left name suggestions, I'm going to file some of them away for future reference.

Soon Mon will be on her way to a new home.

The Best Laid Plans.......

2011-06-22T11:15:00.002+10:00

Well now, after a perfect alignment the other day, the stars must have jumbled themselves up again! So much for yesterday's plans! In the morning the car had a flat, Chris changed it and on inspection noticed that two other tyres had worrisome splits in them! (We have a very bumpy drive into our place which can be very hard on our tyres but to get three splits all at once was just plain unlucky, I think some track maintainance has become rather higher on the "to do" list!) So yesterday was spent replacing the tyres and wandering around Launceston while waiting for the task to be done. We looked at vacuum cleaners, as the one we have is barely functional. Don't get me wrong, it still sucks.........but it sucks........it is held together with gaffer tape and now the head has lost a spring and I can no longer lower the brushes for hard floors, so I guess we need a new one. I could go for one of those little cheapies, but I do like the Dysons! And of course, depending on who you're talking to, things get confusing. I'll just have to struggle on with my geriatric Phillips for a while, but will have to decide something soon.
So........because of yesterday's dramas I didn't get around to photographing my giveaway bear, let alone getting him in here!
I can say our shortest day was cold, wet and windy. Today is looking decidedly better with a frost this morning, and the sun shining through the bay window is managing to warm me a little. I have just popped outside and taken this photo. This is my next giveaway! ( Thankyou Sandi for making such a cute button for this one)

If you want to be in with a chance to win this bear, leave your comment below with a suggested name for him/her. If you want some extra chances repost this photo on your own blog with a link back here and I'll add your name an additional two times to the hat/bowl/basket. I think that will do, I don't want to inundate you with rules! I'll look forward to your name suggestions, the draw will take place in two weeks and the bear will be given the name that comes out of the hat. Good Luck!

I Always Get It In The End (and you might too)

2011-06-20T14:23:00.002+10:00

It seems that I can puzzle over things for years, trying various methods of approach that don't work and then all of a sudden all falls into place and the solution to a particular problem presents itself when I wasn't even trying (perhaps the phase of the moon or the alignment of the stars were perfect)! This happened today. Over the years I have tried and tried to sculpt a leather nose for my pandas which has the distinctive shape of a real panda's nose. Many times I have tossed the resulting misshapen mess into the bin and reverted to my more typically beary nose. Today it's a different story, I wasn't even putting serious thought into it just fiddling about with a piece of green felt, trying out different shapes, "et voila" there it was in my hands, a panda nose! I'm so happy about this, but you are going to have to wait to see it, as this head is barely recognisable as the beginnings of a panda! (Does have a cute nose though)
My real reason for posting today is to let you know I'm having another giveaway. I see that I am inching my way to 300 followers (thanks y'all), good enough reason to celebrate along with midwinter I'd say ;o)
Tomorrow, on the shortest day of the year here for us down under, I will post a photo of the giveaway bear. So stay tuned, there will be some rules!

Meanwhile here's a little shot of Funi from our trip to the Adelaide zoo in January.......just to give you an idea of what I'm on about when it comes to noses and pandas :o)

A Magical Time Of Year

2011-05-30T09:56:00.000+10:00

Even though the days are short and cold, there is a magical quality about late Autumn and Early Winter here in Tasmania. On Saturday evening, just after sunset we were treated to a display of southern lights, we don't often see them and when we do it always feels special. Then on Sunday morning this is what we awoke to in the garden! It must have got down very cold in the night and this ice sculpture is the result of a leak in one of our water pipes which had sent a fine water spray out over a patch of long grass and bracken. In each of these structures, if you look closely, you will see a grass stem or other vegetation on which the ice has formed. Now readers in some of the colder areas of Europe and America probably won't think much of this, but for us it was a real treat. I think we have had snow fall here where we live just three times in thirty odd years, and only once did it settle long enough to scrape together enough to make a small snowman, it just doesn't get all that cold, really.

I'm working on pieces to bring away with me to the Gold Coast International Teddy Bear Fair which is being held over the Queen's Birthday long weekend (11th and 12th June) The little guy I'm making now has such a sweet face, I'm not sure I want to take him along! I might want to keep him. This doesn't often happen to me, but occasionally one little face will talk to me and I'll hang on to the bear........ for a while at least.

Last week I received my trophy from the Sydney Teddy Bear Fair people's choice competition, a lovely crystal piece to add to my cabinet :) This was for Fynn, and he won the Modern Bear category.

Lastly, don't forget to cast your vote in the Australasian Creative Design Awards, voting is open for just a few more days. On Wednesday morning all the entries will be available for adoption, I hope to "see" you there!

Ginger's Giveaway!

2011-05-23T14:55:00.000+10:00

Ginger Brame over at Bear Bits is having a giveaway, in celebration of her 500th blog post! WOW! And just look at this gorgeous little bear she has up for grabs! Isn't he just the cutest little thing ever? His name is May-bee and you have a whole month in which to get your entry in, I've already done mine :o)

Keeping The Home Fires Burning

2011-05-08T17:51:00.003+10:00

This is how I've spent some of this mother's day, stacking firewood into the "woodshed". This little structure was one of our first building attempts out here. It was intended as a "temporary" solution to our firewood storage needs and is built with bush poles, scrap timber and old roofing iron. It has stood nigh on thirty years! Not so bad for a temporary building. It is a little swaybacked and it has a definite lean in a south~easterly direction and quite frankly I'm surprised it's still standing! We keep thinking it will do for another winter....and another....and another and still it stands! Being "off the grid" for everything this is a vital part of keeping things going out here, a good wood supply. Our kitchen wood~fired stove also heats our water.......so no wood, no fire, no hot water. We like it that way, being totally in control of things, but it can get very wearying at times, and as we get older it's getting harder. I guess the time will come when we will really need to re-think things and find some "simpler" solutions. Meantime, our little shed serves our needs.

The other thing I've been doing today is playing with paperclay. I've been sculpting this doll's head, it started out as a styrofoam egg over which the clay has been added. I have been following a guided tutorial by Sue McFadden (Blueprints in Felt Doll Making), and I have been enjoying it immensely. I have dabbled in dolls from time to time and played in my sister Susie's studio, but I always come unstuck when it comes time to paint! If I fiddle about long enough I can get a reasonable looking sculpt, but me and paint? Ugh! When I saw this tutorial I thought it was much more manageable for me as there is minimal painting involved! I love the tactile look of the wool felt over the paperclay sculpt, it somehow feels closer to bearmaking for me. (Now getting the felt to sit nicely over the sculpt might prove to be too much of a challenge for me, so stay tuned for an update!) I still have quite a way to go with the sculpting but it's getting there. I suppose I should really put it aside and get some bears made, it's only a few short weeks until the Gold Coast International Teddy Bear Fair! You might like to take a look at Sue's work, her dolls have such gentle souls, and are quite whimsicle, you'll find them here

In Case You Haven't Heard....

2011-05-06T15:20:00.001+10:00

I have been honoured with two nominations in this year's Australasian Creative Design Awards! Now that the hands on judges have completed their task, we are allowed to brag a little. All the entries in this year's competition can now be viewed here please take a few minutes to have a look and vote for your favourite critter. (If you find the photos a bit small to make a decision, you can wait unti June1 when the show opens and cast your vote then, they will be displayed much bigger then)
This year we had to find inspiration in the works of Beatrix Potter, a theme I had surprising difficulty with! It was hard for me not to just reproduce her characters, as I find them all so endearing! In the end I was pretty pleased with my efforts and these two have been in the hands of the three judges this past week. I'm looking forward to reading the critiques when I get them back. I always find "in the fur" judging very beneficial, it can bring attention to any aspects of your work that can be improved upon which would never be picked up from a photograph, and I certainly take the judges' advice to heart.
Squirrel Nutkin and his friends were the inspiration for "Nuss". I know the red squirrel is now rare in the British Isles but I do get excited when I see the little grey squirrels who seem to inhabit every garden and park, when I visit the UK. (Maybe I'll be lucky and see a red squirrel too, sometime)

Nuss

As for "Missy" my little mouse. It seems I have inspiration for her all over the house at the moment, as they always invade when the weather starts to get cool. But in truth back when I was making her, the weather was warm and the mice were happy to be outside in the bush, so Appley Dappley's old woman who lived in a little shoe-house was my inspiration. Though I didn't give Missy nearly as fancy a shoe as Beatrix painted for her mouse, (it is a genuine antique button-up boot though).
I hope you enjoy seeing all the pieces in the show, there certainly are some wonderful works and some very interesting interpretations of the theme!

Missy

It Won't Last, I Tell You.

2011-04-11T14:44:00.005+10:00

From time to time my pincushion ends up looking like this.....

And when it does, I seem to waste an awful lot of

time trying to locate the right needle for a particular task. Rummaging around in the tangle, trying to get at my applique pins which seem to bury themselves deep in the nest of mess.......it all takes up valuable bearmaking time.

The last straw came recently, when I was in Victoria at Bear Essence teaching some workshops. My dear friend and owner of the shop (Kim) had a dig at me and my pincushion! Then this morning when the dog swept it to the floor with her over enthusiastic tail wagging, and sent a miscellany of bits and pieces flying, I decided it was time for a pincushion clean-up!

And this is the result..........

...........but It won't last, I tell you!

Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-04-01T10:09:00.002+11:00

The weather has certainly turned and we are heading into Winter after a rather disappointing Summer. Though, of course, I can look at it in a positive way and say that we never had that feeling of imminent danger this past Summer. No scanning the skies for puffs of smoke hoping that they weren't in our neck of the woods. The countryside has stayed remarkably green and now, with the Autumn colour in the deciduous trees, it's looking very pretty.

Nanou will be my next workshop at Bear Essence

I have just returned home after spending a few days teaching a couple of workshops at Bear Essence in Victoria. These were mixed classes of Teo the sunbear and a large polar/grizzly bear from a few years back. I must say that the girls all did beautiful work and some lovely bears were birthed. I'll be heading back over at the end of April for two one day classes, making Nanou in beautiful Japanese alpaca fur. Followed by a bear fair in Berwick which has been organised by Melissa Kemp, on 1st of May.

Just some of the girls and their bears

I managed to complete all my entries for the ACDAs before I left for Victoria. When Sandi told us that the challenge was for critters inspired by Beatrix Potter, I thought that it would be a breeze. However, this didn't prove to be the case! It was HARD! I can't go into what I made, but I can say that it was difficult not to end up making Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddleduck, Hunca Munca, Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, Mrs Tiggywinkle etc,etc....... Remember we had to find ispiration from her work, not recreate her characters which are protected by copyright. I leave you with these tantalisng thoughts, you can ponder what inspired me and where it took me. On June 1st all will be revealed! So be sure to note that date in your diary, and head over to the ACDA site where you will be able to view all the entrants in this year's challenge.

Two Names

2011-02-20T14:00:00.000+11:00

Cuddling up to a Moroccan Kitty

I went through all the comments. I wrote all the names onto paper. I cut them all into individual little slips and then I screwed them all up and put them in a basket (not a hat) My daughter picked out the following two names.............. Michele Vaile (soggibottom) and Adriana. Congratulations to you both! I'll pop these little sweeties into the post, just as soon as I've heard from you both with your postal addresses.........and I've made them. Shouldn't take me too long, they're only very small :o)

On A Train

2011-02-18T11:17:00.002+11:00

All the way from Arizona

Now a pendant

Last year I travelled by train from London to Suffolk to visit my cousin Jane, and other members of my extended family. After sitting and chatting for a while, I realised that I had lost the dangle from one of my ear-rings. It was a pair of Navajo sterling silver, fetish style bears that I'd had, and worn for many years. I was pretty devastated by the loss, I was really attached to those ear-rings and missed them terribly. I while back I decided to do a bit of an internet search to see if I could find something to replace them with. Yesterday these came in the mail, all the way from eScape Market in Arizona. They are just beautiful! Gorgeous stylised, sterling silver bears inlaid with my favourite stone. It's amazing that such a simple thing can make a person feel whole. I'd been wearing those bears for so long and the loss of one of them affected me more deeply than I expected. I'm wearing these new ones now and they're making me feel so right! I've taken the bear remaining from the original set and added a silver jump ring and I've hung it from a silver choker. So now I can still wear it as a pendant. I could spend hours trawling through eScape Market, they have a wonderful range of Navajo and Zuni Indian jewelery, pottery and other crafts. Take a look, you might find something you "need"!

Just Four More Days!

2011-02-15T10:42:00.000+11:00

You have just four more days to get your entry in for my double giveaway. On the 19th I'll be pulling two names out of the hat and each will receive a miniature bear made by me. If you scroll down a few posts you will find the right spot (it's the one with these two bears on it), just leave your comment and a means of contact.

Jo Jo's Coming To Sydney!

2011-02-14T17:29:00.002+11:00

Hi there, I've just finished this alpaca panda cub named Jo Jo. She's such a sweet little thing, I rushed out and took some photos because I was so excited about her! Jo Jo is about 12.5" tall and she has a needle felted muzzle, which has fur rooted into it to recreate fuzziness after the sculpting of the needle felt is finished. This takes a long time to do, and involves rooting the hair row by row with a felting needle to get the right effect (this is not something you should do while watching the telly). I have also given her a needle felted nose, which I have hardened and then painted, giving it a lifelike pinkish tone inside. I also waxed and buffed the nose to a lovely soft sheen. Jo Jo has eyes that can be posed open, closed or sleepy. I think she looks really sweet when asleep, but under her eyelids she has lovely blue English glass, starburst eyes. Her paws and feet have top trapunto leather features which are sculpted and dry brush painted using artists oils. I have also added little leather claws. I managed to get alot of glass pellets into this bear, so she's nice and heavy when cuddled. Jo Jo will be coming with me to Sydney in a few weeks for the Sydney Teddy Bear Fair. I can't believe that I'm looking at dates in March thinking how close they are! Where does the time go?

Don't Forget!

2011-02-10T09:02:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow is the day! At 8pm Eastern Australian Daylight Saving Time, the BMV online show begins. I sure hope you can join us at the TBACA site for all the fun.

Insomnia Can Be A Good Thing

2011-02-05T15:26:00.000+11:00

I finished this bear this morning. I've decided to name him Yasi, since I've been working on him this week and Yasi has been in the headlines all week. Not that he's anything like that terrible cyclone, (he's a sweet faced, gentle little bear) I just liked the name and though it might suit a bear :o)

A sweet faced, gentle little bear.

Rather sweet in "half asleep" pose

And fast asleep :o)

He's actually a variant of Nanou's pattern, with a little more fine tuning. I have given him slightly longer arms which I have set a little further forward on his body. Yasi is made from the other piece of Belgian plush that Melissa gave me, this one has a slightly lighter tip on it and is a blended mix of taupe, beige and grey. I have spent alot of time on trimming his face to get his sweet expression. I have also added open/close eyelids. This is a new thing for me, and one I've been pondering on and off for a number of years until the solution struck the other night when I should really have been asleep! Another little technique to tuck under my belt :o) He also has a full set of leather claws and beautiful sculpted and painted paws to complete him. Have a look at the photos and tell me what you think, I rather like him in "half asleep" pose.

Another BMV Sneak Peek

2011-02-04T09:15:00.001+11:00

Here's another little peek at my BMV offerings. In just a week all will be revealed! I hope you can find the time to pop over to have a look at all the creations the members of TBACA have made for the show. This year the show will run over four days, starting at 8pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time) on Friday the 11th through until Monday 14th at 8pm. This gives you plenty of time to go and take a look, I hope to see you there :o)

A Workshop In Sydney

2011-02-01T16:37:00.001+11:00

Back in November, at the Mittagong Doll And Bear Fair Melissa Kemp from The Art Of Teddy Bears gave me a couple of pieces of Belgian plush to try out. I have just finished this gorgeous little polar bear (Nanou)and he's the sample for my two, one-day workshops which will be held on Friday and Saturday before the Sydney Teddy Bear Fair. It was quite different working with this plush, it trims beautifully and the bear looks really chubby because it's extremely dense and oh so soft! If you're in Sydney or are planning to be there for the show, perhaps you'd like to join me for a little workshop fun? If you're interested contact Melissa, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you :o)

Another Peek

2011-01-31T09:45:00.000+11:00

As promised here is another little peek at what I will be offering at the BMV online show. It's not too far away now :o)

BMV Sneak Peek

2011-01-27T16:57:00.000+11:00

With the Be My Valentine Show coming up in February, it's time for the sneak peeks! I'll be trotting out a few of these over the next couple of weeks to whet your appetites. I hope you like what you see. Also, a reminder of my giveaway which will be drawn on the 19th of Feb. There are no strings attached to this one, all you need do is leave a comment on the giveaway post to be in the running, (and a means of contact, if you don't have blog or aren't a member of TT or TBACA)

Lets Make It A Double!

2011-01-19T10:41:00.000+11:00

I promised another giveaway. I've decided to make it a double, in celebration of 100 posts and also my Blog anniverary which is coming up in February. If you want to be in the draw, leave a comment here and you'll be entered. You can enter more than once if you like. Simple huh? I'll make one each of these to give away. I haven't decided how the draw will take place, but it will be in a month on the 19th of February. Good Luck!

A Sigh Of Relief

2011-01-17T09:56:00.003+11:00

I've had a stressful couple of days. Midnight on Saturday was the deadline for submissions for the "Be My Valentine" show with the TBACA, which was fine. I spent some of Saturday with a few last minute tasks on the bears before a photography session out on the patio. The battery on the camera ran low before I'd finished so while it was recharging I wrote the descriptions, making good use of my time (this is unusual for me) Then back out to finish taking the pictures.

Do you think I could remember how to do the photo editing to get them into the right format for Sandi huh? After fiddling with the computer for a while and getting flustered, I sent a text to my son for instructions and he put me on the right track :o) It was starting to get late by then and time to cook dinner, so I left Chris in charge of the photo editing while I banged about in the kitchen for a bit. After finishing dinner and the bottle of red we'd opened on Friday night, I sent everything off to Sandi along with an email asking for confirmation that all had arrived. I then settled down to a little sewing in front of the telly, keeping one eye on the computer while I waited for Sandi to reply. Nothing! So I sent a couple more emails. Midnight passed and still nothing came from Sandi. By now I was feeling pretty anxious. I stayed up til about 1am and then decided it was pointless getting too worked up about it. I didn't sleep very well and in the morning we discovered our mail server was down! Our ISP is based in Queensland and with the wild time they've been having lately I suppose we should really have expected this. I sent a message to Sandi on Facebook and she replied saying that all had arrived and that obviously I wasn't getting her emails........PHEW! Slowly over the course of yesterday the emails arrived, and yes there was the confirmation from Sandi sent soon after I'd submitted everything! (stuff was going out but nothing was coming in)

I suppose that will teach me to leave everything so late, and I should be more organised! But I'm sorry, I really don't think this old dog can realistically learn that new trick. I've been lurching through my life from one deadline to another for too long now :o)
So here's a photo of our patio, my photography studio. It works surprisingly well, with a white cloth hung to cut the glare of the sun and one of the chairs up on the table draped with a cloth on which to pose the bears. I could have taken a pic of the setup, but we had an unexpected guest for dinner last night so I had to dismantle in order to use the table! It's a lovely spot to sit out in Summer, especially on a long balmy evening with a few candles for light.........ahhh relaxing.

Happy Holiday

2011-01-03T12:35:00.005+11:00

On New Years Day I visited Adelaide Zoo with Tobias. I was determined to go, and having our grandson with us provided the perfect "excuse"! My motive was to go and see Wang Wang and Funi the pandas. I had never seen real live pandas and this was an opportunity I couldn't miss. It was an extremely hot Adelaide summer's day, but the pandas have a wonderful enclosure where they are protected from the worst of it. Funi (the female) had a big "popsicle" which had pieces of fruit and bamboo leaves frozen into it, and she was making a determined effort to get at the goodies in the ice.

I remember seeing a comedy skit years ago involving a couple of guys dressed as pandas, as the panda exhibit in a zoo, and it was brought to mind when I saw Funi and Wang Wang. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a zipper there somewhere and I was looking at a couple of guys in panda suits! The animals don't look real to me, maybe animated soft toys (or men in suits). Pandas don't have expressive faces, even though they are just about as cute as you can imagine any animal to be (this has something to do with the huge muscle mass they need in their jaws for all that bamboo chewing they do, making them look somewhat toylike). I'm so pleased I had the chance to see them and got some good shots. Tobias was more interested in climbing on things and pressing the buttons on the interactive displays than the animals, but he had a fun day with Nanny and Poppa and we had a lovely day with our adorable grandson :o)
I'm inspired to make a panda now :o)

Merry Christmas To All

2010-12-23T09:36:00.004+11:00

I just wanted to pop in and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year and to thank you all for visiting and leaving your lovely comments. I feel blessed to count you among my friends, and I hope that our journey together continues through the coming year. Some of you, I know I will encounter on my travels, and I look forward to perhaps meeting more of you too! Where ever you are in this world, we come together here and share a bond. It truly is a "small world".
So, enjoy the season however you choose to celebrate it. I wish you all the best in the New Year.
Beary Hugs
Linda

(BTW this is my 100th post, so look out for another giveaway soon!)

What On Earth Was I Thinking?

2010-12-18T15:14:00.003+11:00

You know my bears, you know that I like to make realistic bears. You have seen my stash and seen all the lovely "beary" colours I have in it. Soooooooo...... what was I thinking when I bought these two pieces of hand dyed alpaca recently? And what am I going to do with them? Sometimes a gal just has to break out I guess :o) I'm sorry, but you will have to wait until the new year to see what comes from these. I'm quite looking forward to having a little play, but right now I'm busy with a few last minute Christmas orders and I have a plum pudding to make! Late (I know) but it's a super recipe I have been making since I was a teen and it always tastes so good, even when it hasn't had the customary months to mellow and mature.

All the lovely "beary" colours in my stash

And what was I thinking?

A Christmas Treat

2010-12-17T10:34:00.002+11:00

Once again I took part in a Christmas swap with the TBACA. I was lucky to get Robyn Roe from Mima's Bears as my swap partner. Greentwinky Jnr is the bear I received from Robyn. He's such gorgeous bear in silk plush, with the most beautiful handpainted twinkly eyes! He looks very sassy with his little bottom sticking out, as he pulls a Christmas tree along behind him in his little Christmassy wagon.

Rollo and Ding are what I sent to Robyn. I had such fun with this duo, I thought they looked quite the part in their red Chrissy hats :o)

More Family Talent

2010-12-12T09:45:00.002+11:00

This is one of my neice's pencil drawings, the daughter of my very talented doll maker sister, Susie McMahon. I have never know Selty not to be drawing something, even as a little girl she needed to get her daily "fix" with pencil and paper! Selty has an incredible eye for detail, and amazing patience in capturing it on paper. If you would like to see more of her work you can visit her blog. She has just started it and I'm sure she would love to have a few visitors.......and maybe some comments to encourage her.

We Have A Winner!

2010-12-11T09:26:00.000+11:00

Late, late last night, Sue Jenning's name was drawn from the hat. I want to thank you all for your lovely comments and welcome to my new followers. Stay tuned, I'll be having another giveaway draw soon to celebrate my 100th post! This is number 96 so hopefully it won't be too much longer :o)

Wee Bear

2010-12-07T09:37:00.001+11:00

This is Wee Bear, I'll be making one just like him as the giveaway gift. I thought he looked a little Christmassy and it being December and all........
For such a small bear ( 2.25"), he has lots of features. He is made in alpaca fur, has a tiny sculpted leather nose, sculpted feet and paws and he even has claws! His little jingle bell hat is sewn from the softest leather.

So if you want to be in with a chance to win this little bear, become a follower of this blog if you aren't one already and leave a comment here or on the previous post. If you mention the giveaway and add a link to your blog I'll add your name twice.That's it, nothing to it really, I'll draw a name on the 10th, in the mean time I'll put my skates on and get the bear done!

Where I Come From And A Giveaway!

2010-11-10T08:58:00.008+11:00

I grew up in a family that was always doing and making, our parents encouraged us in all our creative activities and as adults we have all continued to make stuff. This little bird was made by my mother, it's stumpwork embroidery and is a late birthday present from her. When I went to visit back in August, just after my birthday, Mum said I'd have to wait for my birthday present because she'd sold it! That's ok with me, this little wren was well worth waiting for. I wanted to show it to you, so that you can see where I get my love of textiles from. Mum is 85, and I've never known her not to be busy with some kind of handcraft. I only hope that I manage to keep going like her, somehow I doubt that I will. I have aches in both hands at the moment after a really intense week of workshops in Victoria. But that might be because I had several weeks off from sewing while on holiday and then got straight into a big day (it was a bit like going back to the gym after a break). I'm hoping that after a while things will settle down and the pain will ease. I'm busy with new bears, I have a show in 11 days and more workshops. After that I can be home for a while.

I've just noticed that I now have 200 followers......time for a new give away! Now I don't yet know what it will be, certainly a little something made by my hand. If you want to be in the draw; become a follower if you aren't one already. Leave a comment here, if you have a blog spread the word with a link here and I'll add your name twice. (You can grab the button for you sidebar if you like) I'll draw a name on the 10th of December.

Keep checking back, I should have a photo of what's up for grabs after I get back from NSW

OUT OF THE LOOP

2010-10-21T15:51:00.006+11:00

I have spent some time on the computer today, doing a little catching up. I feel like I have really been out of the loop for too long! DID YOU MISS ME?

I've been away for the best part of eight weeks, some of which was business. I taught three workshops, (one in Germany and two in England) and traded at the Hugglets show in London.

With business out of the way, I was joined by my husband and daughter for some down time in southern Spain and Morocco. Now, if you want a relaxing holiday I suggest you don't try Morocco! What an assualt on the senses our visit there was. Eventful, colourful, smelly, dirty, astonishing, overwhelming, amazing, beautiful, bountiful and completely stunning, but definitely not relaxing! I thought I'd share some photos with you and let you know I'm still on the planet. When I'm feeling a little less jetlagged I'll share some tales.

This is the entry to Casa Perleta, our accomodation in Chefchaouen (Ville Bleu)

One of the less crowded markets in the Medina in Marrakech, yep that's my back view :)

I Can Definitely Feel It

2010-08-17T09:25:00.006+10:00

I'm sitting in a pool of sunshine in the bay window, it's real frosty outside but I'm feeling as warm as toast. Lately it has definitely felt like spring is on the way, the wattles are bursting into bloom, and in a few days the bush around here will be golden and abuzz with bees. The birds are certainly gearing up, our little Blue Wrens are becoming extremely vociferous and the other day I spotted the first of the returning Welcome Swallows wheeling above the house. Yes, I can definitely feel it :)We have bought a new camera, it's a little one to take travelling with us, so I have been "practicing" with it. I'll have to get used to not looking through the viewfinder, though (it feels kind of odd) but I'm pretty happy with the pics I've been taking. Here are a couple of test photos I took of a bear I've been working on, I wanted to see how close in I could get it. These are with the bear sitting in my lap as I was working. Not bad for snaps! I think it will be a great little camera to take with us to Spain and Morocco, much less cumbersome than the SLR which tends to stay in the bag becuase it's such a pain to get out and use. So hopefully I will have lots of great travel pics to share with you when we get back from our trip :)

Teo, the Sunbear

2010-07-14T13:52:00.007+10:00

Hi everybody, I have finally finished the sunbear sample for my UK workshops. This is Teo, named with the help of my dear friend Ruth.

Teo has a wired jaw and a long tongue. Sunbears are also known for their claws, so I have made quite a feature of these using a natural leather which contrasts nicely with his black mohair. He also has a locline spine and jointed wrists which make him very poseable. Of course he has my trademark leather nose and appliqued, sculpted leather feet. Now all I need to do is email his photo to Susan at Bear Basics and send her the list of ingredients, the pre-sewing instructions and the pattern.

I can't believe how quickly this trip has come around, I'll be off in a few short weeks! I'm not sure if I'll reach my 100th post before I go, I've been quite slack with my Blogging lately. I promise I will let you all know when the time comes, so keep an eye open for a giveaway in the not too distant future :)

A Beautiful Gift

2010-07-06T08:56:00.007+10:00

I recently donated some mini T pins and discs to a doll maker friend, who was making a bear companion for one of her dolls, and this beautiful watercolour painting was a surprise gift to me in return. I was so overwhelmed when I saw it, she has captured Ralph so perfectly. Linda's other work can be found here

I have almost completed making a sunbear which is the sample for my workshops in the UK in September. I ended up making two heads for this bear, I was wanting to put more and more into it but had to restrain myself, remembering what is achievable in the two days of a workshop. Still, there will be plenty to learn and I have to say the bear is looking pretty cute :) I just need to think of a name for him, suggestions?

Signing Off

2010-06-09T19:53:00.006+10:00

Tomorrow morning I'm off to the Gold Coast in Queensland, so I'm signing off for a week. I'll update when I get back next week, with hopefully some photos. I'm hoping the house will still be in one piece when I get back, with my ramapaging two year old grandson here without me to keep an extra eye on him :)

Another Award

2010-06-09T08:56:00.003+10:00

You may have seen it elsewhere, but I though I would blog about it too. Aurora won the vote in the "People's Photographic Choice" in the ACDAs, which surprised me somewhat as I found it very hard to photograph her and show her at her best. She's flying off to her new home in America, not under her own steam, but in a box with plenty of bubble wrap to keep her comfortable.

I'm inching my way towards my 100th post so it's coming up to time for a new giveaway, I think :) So watch this space, as very soon I'll be announcing it.

The Three Bears

2010-06-02T12:04:00.005+10:00

As I've said before, I had real difficulties coming up with "Fantasy" themed pieces for the Fantasy Ball. I like bears, and I really like making them, so here are the three bears from Goldilocks! Pappa is 15cm tall, Mamma is 14cm and Baby is 7cm, the larger bears have wired arms, so that they can cuddle their baby. There is more information about them on the Fantasy Ball page on the TBACA website.

The Fantasy Ball Is Now On!

2010-06-01T09:29:00.006+10:00

The Fantasy Ball is open and there are some wonderful creations available for adoption. I hope you all find time to take a look at what we have all been doing. While you are there, don't forget to cast your vote for your favourite critter in the Australasian Creative Design Awards.

Right now I'm busy making bears to take with me to Queensland next week, it should be a good week of catching up with friends and, hopefully meeting new ones. I hope you're all having a great day, the sun is out here in Tasmania, so the day should be pleasant enough.......curled up in my chair in the sunshine with my sewing......

Here's a photo of Petula pig, she's one of the creations I have available in the TBACA Fantasy Ball.........go on I know you're curious, get on over there!

I Thought You Might Like To See

2010-05-27T09:32:00.006+10:00

In a couple of weeks I'm flying off to the Queensland for the International Bear and Doll Show at Jupiter's, on the Gold Coast. This is a two day event, held over the Queen's Birthday weekend, and it will give me a welcome break from our wintery weather here in Tasmania. After the show, I am giving two workshops, each one runs for one day, and deals only with the head of the bear. This is a bear I've been teaching for some years now, but I have added some new techniques to it , so the workshops should have plenty of interest for those who are participating.

Included in this workshop are an open mouth with trapunto tongue, leather nose, leather eyelids, shading and detailing and also leather claws for those who wish to add them. It will be a very full on workshop. The kits have been sent out in advance so that the bodies can be prepared, and hopefully by the end of each day we will have all the bears completed.

Meantime, I've got bears to make for the show; so it's a good thing this cold weather we've been having lately, makes me want to huddle up inside by the heater with my sewing!

I know this photo looks weird, I took it when I'd finished the head so that Patti and Graham could use it for promotional purposes, and it does show what the workshops will entail. I have since finished the bear and sent him off to play with the other bears at the Kympatti Studio, I'm sure he's having fun in the Queenland sun :)

For Your Entertainment

2010-05-26T10:19:00.004+10:00

I have put together a little preview, sneak peek of what I'll have available at the Fantasy Ball starting on Monday 31st May, at 8am Australian Eastern Standard Time. (If you click on this link it will take you to the website and you'll find a time converter in the sidebar, so you'll be able to find out what time it starts in your neck of the woods)
I hope you like what you see and that you'll find time to pop into the show, it's open 24/7 for a whole week.

This collage customized with Smilebox

TACDA Nominee

2010-05-23T10:13:00.007+10:00

This is Aurora, she's an Arctic Angel and she's been nominated in The Australasian Creative Design Awards. I used a gorgeous piece of Japanese alpaca fur fabric for this bear, it's incredibly soft. Her wings are fashioned from Japanese silk velvet. A very "tame" interpretation of the fantasy theme, but I think a beautiful bear none the less :) If you visit the TBACA website you can see a slide show of all the entries.
On Monday 31st, the ball begins and you will be able to view and vote for your favourite critter in the TACDA's. I'm keen to see how the other ball participants have interpreted the fantasy theme of this show, I had a real struggle but in the end I was pretty pleased with my efforts. I hope you will all find the time to drop into the ball, it will be open for a whole week.

A Bingle Bear Up For Grabs

2010-05-20T08:40:00.003+10:00

Take a look at this gorgeous little bear. This is Sammy and he's Cheryl Hutchinson's Anniversary Giveaway. If you click on his button in the sidebar you'll be taken over to Cheryl's blog where you can enter the draw, but don't bother he's MINE!!!!!( (only kidding) He's such a sweet little fellow don't you think?

AAAAARH! What Have They Done?

2010-05-19T08:18:00.005+10:00

It was "crazy hair" day at my grandson's day care, and this is what they did to him! He apparently wasn't too impressed. It reminded me of when his daddy and aunty were little, they were both very bald (my father nicknamed them a "bucket of whitebait" because they were all big blue eyes looking out of the twin stroller) Anyway people used to stop me to admire the babies, and on being told they were boy and girl, assumed Sam was the girl because he had a little more hair than Laurel. So, as soon as I could drag Laurel's hair up into a top knot, I did so, denoting her as the girl.......only trouble was, when Sam saw it he wanted one too! :D He tried a dress once too, but I think he decided that it was too inhibiting for boisterous play (or is that "boysterous"?)

Late yesterday I walked with Lily down to the lake, it had been a gorgeous Autumn day and (very rarely for Tasmania) there wasn't a breath of wind, so I knew it would be lovely to watch the sunset over the water. As we strolled along, the pastels of the sunset were reflected perfectly in the still waters of the lake. We saw a group of swans, they were calling out to each other and their voices carried easily over the glassy surface. There were trout leaping, breaking the surface with mighty splashes as they fell back into the water. I love these gentle autumn days, there's a little bit a sadness and introspection about them as the days draw in, but there comes with them the welcome relief from summer's arid heat. The only thing that spoiled the idyll, was the clamour of logging operations in the distance, the noise carried rather loudly through the still air over the lake.

Fab Flynn Fun

2010-04-23T14:51:00.010+10:00

I have returned from Bear Essence in Victoria, after two very full Flynn workshops. It was a very tiring, but also very fulfilling four days of intense bear teaching. The girls all went home well pleased with their achievements, while in the evenings, despite my exhaustion, I was able to make progress on my pieces for the Fantasy Ball.

Off To Melbourne

2010-04-16T09:01:00.004+10:00

I'm off to Melbourne later today, for four days of workshopping. We're making Flynn, a lovely brown, alpaca bear with a gorgeous face and wrist joints.

As usual I will have my work cut out for me, with lots of new techniques covered over the two days of each workshop. I will hopefully have some photos of the completed bears when I get back next week. I had better go get myself packed, I need to take plenty of sewing to do in the evenings with the TBACA Fantasy Ball photo deadline looming large. I have had lots of trouble with the fantasy themeof this show, my feet are just too firmly planted on the ground! Still, it will do me good to get out of my comfort zone and try something a little different, which is Sandi's intention.

A Desertmountain Bear Giveaway

2010-04-12T09:03:00.003+10:00

Joanne Livingston is giving away a gorgeous little repro girlie on her blog. If you want to take part, click on the button in the sidebar and you will be taken over to Desertmountain Bear's blog, where you'll find the instructions for the draw.

Off To A New Home

2010-04-01T10:55:00.003+11:00

Just letting you know that Luna has found a new home. He will be flying off to keep company with quite a few other Benson Bears in a very special hug :-) I thought I would show you just how cute his feet are before he goes. This leather is a beautiful deep, reddish brown, and I have added oil paint to enhance the sculpting.

Some New Bears At Last!

2010-03-30T15:14:00.009+11:00

Wow lookie here! I've got two new bears to show you :) I haven't been idle at all. I have just sent my photo to Sandi for the Australasian Creative Design Awards, it was really hard to get a good photo of that creation. Some things just never seem to come out so well in a photo, unlike the house which always looks alot tidier and cleaner than in real life ;-) I guess the camera doesn't really focus on the dog hair balls hiding in the corners or the drifts of bear fur floating around............. Ah the bears! Here we have Luna (the brown bear with contrasing ears) and Rosa. Each has a double neck joint and Rosa also has joints at her wrists. They are both made from beautiful tipped Schulte alpaca. Luna's fur is brown with black tip while Rosa's is a gorgeous chocolate brown with an almost dusky rose tip (hence her name). Of course they both have some really cute sculpted leather feet, made from some wonderfully soft leather I brought back from England with me last year. I'll try to get them up on my website with some more information a little later, right now the dog is hassling for a walk and I need the exercise.

Ginger's having a Giveaway!

2010-03-29T16:49:00.004+11:00

My dear Blogging friend Ginger Brame is having a Spring giveaway. The sweet little bear in the photo is Blossom, and she's up for grabs over at Ginger's Blog. Just click on her photo and you'll be whisked away over to the right place :)

You've Gotta Try This!

2010-03-15T10:13:00.004+11:00

I have been using this thimble for some weeks now and I'm totally converted! It looks very insubstantial, but therein lies it's practicality. It is a small, concave and dimpled stainless steel disc which attaches to your finger with strong double sided tape. When I'm sewing it stays there for hours, in fact the longer it is attached to my finger the stronger it's hold, and I forget it's there. I have quite a collection of various thimbles that I have accumulated over the years, some are homemade leather protectors, some I have bought. My mother gave me a lovely antique silver thimble many years ago, which I used constantly until I wore through the tip. I took it to a jeweler for repairs and he thought he was doing me a favour when he smoothed out all the dents on the tip! Obviously he had never sewn in his life and didn't realise why they were there, the thimble was rendered useless and now resides in a display cabinet with a few other "treasures". And no I'm not left handed I just popped the thimble on my other hand so I could hold the camera for the photo without contorting myself and doing myself a mischief :)

Giveaway Winners

2010-02-14T15:47:00.008+11:00

I was so caught up in the banter over at the TBACA show last night that I forgot to draw the winners for my giveaways! The two names that came out of the basket (not a hat) were.......DRUM ROLL.......Robyn Roe from Mima's Bears and Peterbear who I know from over at Teddy Talk and who I have also had the pleasure of meeting in person at Hugglets, Teddies 2009! So, Robyn and Peter, I will need to get your details so that I can post out your surprises :) Thankyou to all who participated in the draw, I've really enjoyed reading your comments and visiting those of you who have blogs.

Meanwhile the Be My Valentine show yesterday was another success for me, with all my bears finding new homes. Many, many thanks to Sandi Smith who once again did marvelously well to keep us all on track and inspired.

Now that the show is over I can let you see them all.

Don't Forget!

2010-02-12T16:28:00.008+11:00

Tomorrow the TBACA "Be My Valentine" show starts at 8am Eastern Aussie Summe Time, if you pop over to the site you'll find a time converter in the side bar where you can figure out the start time in you own neck of the woods.
I'll definitely need to set my alarm for the morning after a very disturbed night last night, curtesy of my grandson! After leaving him to himself for a while I thought I'd try him in bed with us.....big mistake! It was like trying to sleep with a rooting piglet in the bed! Eventually I had to decamp with Tobias under my arm, so that Chris could get at least a couple of hours sleep before going to work. How can someone so small take up so much room in a Queen size bed?
Here's to a good nights sleep tonight :)
I'd also hoped to have photos of my giveaways before now, but it just hasn't happened. Hopefully sometime tomorrow all will be revealed, so be patient with this poor ol' sleep deprived Nanna.

Not Much Going On Here

2010-01-29T09:03:00.003+11:00

I have my 20 month old grandson, Tobias, staying with me for a couple of days, so the only time I can get anything significant done is when he's gone nunights! Even though he seems to be extremely self contained and entertains himself really happily, I have to keep a very watchful eye on him, particularly as he seems to be attracted to all the sharp things associated with sewing bears!

Sandi Sent Me A Button

2010-01-18T21:09:00.010+11:00

Sandi Smith over at Bearly Sane has sent me a button for my give aways, feel free to lift it and use it on your own blogs :)
Thanks so much Sandi, you're such a gem to find the time to do this for me when you're in the thick of it!
In case you didn't realise, Sandi's in the middle of getting the TBACA Be My Valentine Show ready for our opening on February 13th, check out the TBACA website for the details.

Imminent Danger!

2010-01-18T09:36:00.004+11:00

I'm in imminent danger of having to add another Blog giveaway! In celebration of 100 followers I will be adding another bear to my giveaway. So on the 13th of February when I do the draw for my first anniversary, if I have 100 followers, I will be drawing not one name but two names from the hat! If you have already signed up you're in, the same rules apply. Sign up as a follower and leave a comment, if you add a link to your blog mentioning the giveaways you will get two extra chances in the draws. You can leave your comments here or in the earlier giveaway post.
Woohoo this is FUN!!!

Therapy

2010-01-15T08:40:00.004+11:00

I spent all of yesterday in therapy. Not really but it sure felt like it. I've started the enormous task of sorting out my bearmaking supplies, starting with my huge stash of fabric! Wow, I never realised how much I had until I saw it all in one place, not scattered in boxes all over the house :) I also realised that my penchant for alpaca is more than evident when I perused the pile, I would say that is constitutes around 90% of my stash!

And the leathers! I spent several hours stripping down various pieces of opshop leather clothing, getting rid of linings, zippers, studs, shoulder pads and ended up with a big pile. I found some small pieces that I've had for years from which I may be able to squeeze some fabulous feet, but I seem to have mislaid them again.......perhaps swallowed by the heap. I'll have to go through it all again to locate them because I really, really want to use those pieces! Though there are lots of other pieces to choose from :)

You know all those bags of scraps you accumulate, the bits that are too small to do anything with but are too big to toss? You know, you've had them for years and still they accumulated, well I TOSSED them! Yep, I know I was never going to use them and they were taking up precious storage space. I have a friend who teaches primary school and I will donate some of the better pieces to her for the children to use in their art, with Easter around the corner they can make some furry bunny collages.

There is still so much to do, all the incidentals like hardware, I've dealt with the software ;) sewing thread, the magazines which seem to breed, the bits and pieces scattered far a wide all need a home where I can lay my hands on them without spending precious hours rummaging. I'm determined to be more organised this year........er um I think I said that last year, perhaps if I keep saying it, it will happen but maybe not over night!

Thanks for listening, I may take a break today and actually do some sewing......after all there's a gorgeous pile of alpaca beckoning and bears in my head.

Oh and don't forget to sign up for my blogiversary giveaway, I should have some idea of what it will be in a few days, Bye for now :)

A Sneak Peek 2

2010-01-13T11:54:00.004+11:00

This is more like it! With some email help from Linda at Lombard Bears (http://www.lombardbears.blogspot.com/) I managed to get this! What fun!

Not Quite What I Had In Mind

2010-01-13T10:18:00.001+11:00

Make a Smilebox collage

Well this isn't quite what I intended, but it looks like fun :) This is a sneak peek at the bears I will have in the "Be My Valentine" online show next month. I'm sure Sandi was spitting at me and my limited computer abilities on Sunday night, but after a few hitches I got the photos off to her......in by the skin of my teeth again! I will have to be more organised next time, to save Sandi some anxiety. It is all in her capable hands now as she gets the site ready for our opening on February 13, I sure hope to see you there!

A Blogiversary and a Give Away!

2010-01-12T14:28:00.003+11:00

I've been thinking lately, that with my first blogging anniversary just around the corner, it's time for a Blog give away :) I haven't actually decided what it will be yet, but it will be a bear made by me. So here's the deal; if you want to be included in the draw. If you aren't already one, register as a follower and leave a comment. If you mention the give away and add a link on your blog you will be entitled to 2 extra chances in the draw. When the time comes, ( February 13th at 9pm AEST) I'll use a highly scientific method to choose the winner (ie;names in a hat)
In the meantime I'll put my skates on and make the bear so that it's ready to post out to the lucky winner. I will also take a photo to show you all what's up for grabs :) Good Luck and many thanks to you all for your support during the year it's been a blast!

Keeping the Monsters at Bay

2010-01-05T11:13:00.004+11:00

It's high Summer here in Tasmania with long days of sunshine, but not too hot on the whole. We have been eating strawberries harvested daily from the garden along with salads of picking leaves, (oak leaf lettuce, rocket, baby beet, spinnach) but best of all we have just pulled up the garlic grown from cloves pushed into the soil deep in Winter. As the bulbs cure I've been stringing them together to make a garlic rope and there is an all pervading aroma of garlic about the house......so no self respecting vampire will be visiting us any time soon!

This is Amazing

2009-12-29T10:44:00.004+11:00

For Christmas, I received from Chris this amazing book of bear portraits by Jill Greenberg. When I first looked at it I thought they were incredible drawings, however on reading the text, I realised that they were indeed photographs and that they were given their unreal appearance with Jill's studio lighting. I find myself having to look through this book, in awe of the beauty, power, and even the comedy that has been captured in these portraits. It is truly a book to treasure and one full of inspiration for me in my bearmaking.

Furbles :)

2009-12-16T19:14:00.007+11:00

I have just heard from Ann-Marie Dodd that she has received the Christmas ornament I made for her in the TT swap, so now I can show you what I made! I think everyone should hang "furbles" on their Christmas trees so that little bears can have a rest upon them (glass ones would be way too slippery and uncomfortable). This was a fun little project, which started with the red and green fur bauble which I had kicking around in my work space while I contemplated where to take it. Eventually this little polar bear popped into my head, I think he looks like he's had a big Christmas and now he's needing to rest his little head.

Wishing all my blogging friends a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and a fantastic New Year

Final Workshop For The Year

2009-12-07T09:13:00.008+11:00

Saturday and Sunday were spent workshopping with a wonderful group of girls overlooking the marina at Belrieve, on Hobart's Eastern shore. Another little hug of Kiko's were all but completed by the end of Sunday and all went home pleased with their accomplishments.

On Friday I dove down a very damaged midland Highway. The road surface was appalling in places having suffered the ravages of Tasmania's wetter than usual winter. It was good to see the farms through the midlands with a green cover, full dams and well fed sheep grazing on grass rather than rocks!

I headed straight through Hobart on Friday evening and down into the Huon Valley to visit an old friend from my art school days. We spent the evening reminiscing and catching up, and I got to view some of the beautiful work Ian Clare is producing after a break of a couple of years. A wonderfully talented potter, I'm so pleased he is back at work.

Another one down, one to go.

2009-12-02T09:12:00.010+11:00

A hug of new little "Kikos" came into the world after four busy days of workshop fun in Tooradin at Bear Essence. There were some familiar old faces as well as quite a few new ones, and it was lovely to catch up with the girls at the shop. The new premises are wonderful with a great workshop space, and a bakery around the corner when we were peckish, (that could be dangerous).

I have just one more trip this year, I'll be driving down to Hobart on Friday for another Kiko workshop over the weekend. How nice it will be not to have to fly, I think I've seen enough of airports for a while.

I'm actually looking forward to the drive in our "new" car (new for us anyway). It seems to have an awful lot of bells and whistles, and I know it's going to take a while to familiarise myself with them all :)

Off Again

2009-11-26T09:23:00.005+11:00

It seems that I have only just come home from NSW and I'm off again. This time I'm heading to Melbourne to teach two workshops at http://www.bearessence.com.au/. The Newcastle and Castle Hill workshops went well and I sold quite a few bears too, so I'm pretty happy with my recent trip. The weather in NSW was very hot while I was there, with temperatures climbing into the high 30's in Western Sydney (where I was). This poor little Tassie girl really felt it.............thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to the inventor of air conditioning!

I taught a one day, head only, class in Newcastle and I was really pleased with how it went. It was a very busy day and I completely forgot to take any photos, which is a shame as the bears were all looking fabulous at the end of the day. This was a new venue for me with a couple of familiar but mostly new faces. Jeanette has a great set up, with her craft room occupying the original dwelling on the property which is a very well appointed space for workshops Anyway, they must have enjoyed the class as I've been asked back for a two day workshop, which will probably be in March.

The two day workshop in Castle Hill was Kiko, which is a bear packed full of new techniques and kept the girls busy. All of them were very happy with their achievements at the end of the class. When I got home to Tasmania it seemed that winter had revisited, with a cold Southerly blowing and a dreary few days.

On Tuesday, a package arrived all the way from Sweden and inside was this gorgeous tree ornament made for me by Ann-Marie Dodd (http://www.bearmetoo.se/) as part of the Teddy Talk Christmas ornament swap. Ann-Marie is so organised! I'm yet to start mine.........I'd better get cracking as it has a long journey to make :) This fellow has an amazing needle felted face with the typical "goofy" look of Ann-Marie's bears, I'm so lucky to have received it, and I'm looking forward to hanging it on the tree. I was actually thinking of giving the tree a miss this year, since neither of the children will be here, but I guess I'll have to change my mind about that :)

I'm on the very early morning flight to Melbourne tomorrow, ready for a busy four days of teaching and catching up with some beary friends.........I'll be sure to get pics.........

Am I Really?

2009-11-12T09:23:00.007+11:00

Sandi Smith (bearlysaneaust.blogspot.com) and Helen Gleeson (barecubdesigns.blogspot.com) have both passed on this blog award to me. Now I'm not too sure if I deserve it, am I really "over the top"? But it looks like a little bit of fun while I'm digesting breakfast :) The trick will be restricting myself to one word answers, though I suppose it will curb any tendancies to verbosity!
The Rules:
1: Use only one word answers
2: Pass along to 6 of your favourite bloggers
3: Tell them you have given them the award
4: Have Fun!

1. Where is your cell phone? Here
2. Your hair? Messy
3.Your mother? Clever
4. Your father? Clever
5. Your favorite food? Curry
6. Your dream last night? Something
7. Your favorite drink? Wine
8. Your dream/goal? Peace
9. What room are you in? Lounge
10. Your hobby? Hmmmmmm
11. Your fear? Warming
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Somewhere
13. Where were you last night? Bed
14. Something that you aren’t? Ostentatious
15. Muffins? Fruity
16. Wish list item? Housecleaner
17. Where did you grow up? Tasmania
18. Last thing you did? Eat
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? Sweet
22. Friends? Caring
23. Your life? Comfortable
24. Your mood? Mixed
25. Missing someone? Ralph
26. Vehicle? Dead
27. Something you’re not wearing? Bra
28. Your favorite store? Homewares
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When was the last time you laughed? Lastnight
31. Last time you cried? Recently
32. Your best friend? Chris
33. One place that I go to over and over? Town
34. One person who emails me regularly? Ruth
35. Favorite place to eat? Home
I am presenting my award/tags to:

http://www.bearsintooradin.blogspot.com/

http://www.lesbears.blogspot.com/

http://www.robynroe.blogspot.com

http://www.thislittlebear.blogspot.com/

http://www.susiemcmahondolls.blogspot.com/

http://www.alena-eliseeva.blogspot.com/

Mmmmmm that was harder than it first appeared to be!

"Lindsey"

2009-11-11T16:17:00.004+11:00

Look who Chris brought home from the P.O after work yesterday! This is Lindsey who was made by Sandi Smith from http://www.bearlysaneteddies.com/ for our TBACA Christmas swap. He's a sweet little alpaca bear with the cutest handpainted sleigh, he'll fit very nicely into my hug of small bears. It's pure coincidence that we both made cream coloured bears and dressed them alike in green felt! Perhaps Sandi and I share some deeper connection which caused us to be on a similar wave length when we were creating these bears. Whatever it is, I'm extremely pleased to add Lindsey to my collection, thank you so much Sandi :) A new album has been created on the TBACA website and this is where the swap bears will be displayed as they come in, you might like to have a peep at them (just click on available bears in the navigation bar at the top of the TBACA page and you'll find it)

I have a couple of pleasing new designs to take with me when I fly to Sydney on Friday. I have a one day workshop in Newcastle on Saturday, the Mittagong Doll and Bear Fair on Sunday and then a two day workshop in Castle Hill on Monday and Tuesday. So a busy few days are ahead for me. This is the last show of the year, after which I will be able to catch up with a few orders before Christmas, which will be a good thing!

I really must find some time in the next few weeks to reorganise my work space and materials, I seem to have spread myself from one end of the house to the other. I find this disorganised state of things very frustrating and wasteful of time, especially when a particular something I need eludes me. I do seem to spend an awful lot of my time rummaging through "stuff"!

We've been having some very warm weather here in Tasmania, the garden is going gangbusters as are the weeds and I suspect there will be rather a lot to catch up on in the garden when I get back from Sydney. With this warm weather the snakes are on the move too, so I will have to keep an eye on Lily while we're out on our walks.

"Mr. Wonderful"

2009-11-05T20:51:00.005+11:00

Sandi emailed me this afternoon after the days postal delivery, and she is delighted with the bear I sent her for the TBACA Christmas swap. I haven't named him yet so Sandi has nicknamed him Mr Wonderful! (Which I think is a pretty good name so perhaps he'll keep it) Here he is in all his "Christmasness" :)

I don't usually dress bears so this is a bit of a departure for me, but I wanted him to have a distinctively festive air. His costume is made from Christmassy green, wool felt with a red cotton trim which has a cute starry print and red star shaped buttons. Mr Wonderful has a matching Christmas stocking which is embroidered with Sandi's name and in the stocking is a mini bear. I think tomorrow will be delivery day for Sandi's bear to me.......I can't wait!

Today was a gorgeous Spring day, and I spent some time in the late afternoon down at the lakeside with Lily. I could have stayed longer but chores were calling me home. I watched a family of black swans out on the water, the cygnets are about half grown and still grey. They were a lovely sight but they moved farther out onto lake when they saw us, rather cautious of Lily's water antics. She was having a heap of fun with a stick, pushing it around in the water with her nose while blowing bubbles! So funny! Lily loves the water and even in the middle of winter she'll jump in after a ball or stick! (Brrrrrr)

Aaah At Last!

2009-11-04T09:30:00.005+11:00

I popped into my sister's Blog yesterday eager to know if I had won her 100th post give away......no such luck :(

But here's the news, Susie now has a website at long last. So if you're interested in seeing some amazing dolls and figurative sculpture, you should go and check it out. You should get there by clicking on the image above.

Today I'll be sending my Christmas swap bear off to Sandi, so when I know she has him I'll put his photo up so you can see him. Sandi has created a new album on the TBACA website where we will be able to showcase all the swaps as they are completed.

In a little over a week I'm flying out again. This time I'm off to NSW for a show and also a couple of workshops and I'll also be receiving the trophies from Sandra Wigzell for the ABC awards won by Kumo. I also have to take some good prints of Kumo with me so that Maureen Christie, http://www.christieart.com.au/, can paint his portrait, another part of my prize. I'm interested to see what Maureen does with Kumo's portrait, as I've only seen traditional bears painted by her.

We are finally having some beautiful Spring weather. The apple blossom has almost finished, we have the small beginnings of a vegetable garden, and we have been gorging on asparagus! I did some more weeding over the weekend and actually caught a little too much sun on my shoulders.

Greetings for now from sunny Tasmania :)

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny

2009-10-29T09:22:00.006+11:00

I have been making miniatures for the last couple of days, some traditional teddies for a change. I can tell you that embroidering their noses was a real challenge for me, since it is quite some time since I've done one.

Ever since I worked out how to put a realistic leather nose onto a bear's snout, I rarely do embroidered ones and I guess I've lost the knack, being somewhat out of practice. These little fellows are just 2 1/4" tall and fully pin and disc jointed. I've really enjoyed making them, apart from their noses that is (one of which had to be unpicked and resewn it looked so bad!)

It is surprising that I can manage to get my big hands to work these tiny bears and at times I do find them frustrating in the extreme, but I always get a thrill when one is completed. I rather like them without any ribbons or frills, I sometimes feel that miniaturists over accessorise and the poor wee bears become overwhelmed by all the bits that have been added to them. But then, apart from very early on when I dressed my bears in little hand smocked dresses and the like, I have always preferred to leave my bears bare.

I have also completed a bear for Sandi Smith who is my partner in the TBACA Christmas swap. This one was quite a departure for me and it even elicited a very positive response from Chris, who doesn't often comment on my bears. I won't show it to you until I know Sandi has him, as I don't want to spoil her surprise. We will be having a showcase of the Christmas swaps on the TBACA website a little later on, too. I've never made a specifically "Christmas" bear before and until I made a start on him I had so many different ideas I didn't know what I was going to do. In the end I just pottered on with it until a rather charming and very "Christmassy" fellow resulted, I just hope Sandi feels the same about him :)

Featured Artist

2009-10-23T09:50:00.005+11:00

This month yours truly is the featured artist on the TBACA website. So, if you're a little curious and would like a little insight into what makes this ol' girl's mind tick, pop over to http://www.teddybearsandcritters.com and click on the link in the navigation bar at the top of the page. It's amazing, really, trying to write about yourself. Even with a set of questions as a guide, I found it quite difficult. I think Blogging has made things a little easier, it has helped me to sort my thoughts and to restrain my waffle. I know how I feel about things but I find it hard to write my thoughts, and there is always the nagging feeling........ "who wants to know anyway"!

Here are a couple of photos taken at the workshop in Somerset, I'm deep in coversation with Susan's five month old Spaniel, Harry. He's such a lovely little fellow with the most amazing eyes, which are almost green! He was alot of fun to have around, though he did prove to be a distraction, particularly for those of us who have an overwhelming love of dogs, which I must say were the majority of those in the room! :)

The current issue of Australian Bear Creations magazine has a nice little article on bear artists' pandas, and my panda Yi Min is featured along with some other great pandas. The article is also a bit of a tribute to Pauline Wong (Wee Paws) who lost her battle against cancer a while back. Pauline was a master at creating beautiful little pandas and I'm lucky enough to own one of her gorgeous little masterpieces, a very treasured member of my small collection of little bears. That's it folks, I have to go get sewing as I have a show to go to in three weeks.

At Work Again, And An Anniversary

2009-10-15T11:36:00.006+11:00

At last I have started working on my bears again, the new glasses are stronger than my last ones so this means my eyes have got older :0( But at least I can now see the eyes in my tiny needles for threading!

Yesterday marked the 26th anniversary of our marriage.....WOW! I'm amazed that we even remembered, actually. Usually November rolls around and we look at each other and remark that we've missed it again! Last year was something special and Chris surprised me with a weekend away. We went to Bruny Island, right down at the Southern tip of Tasmania. We had a night in a lovely cabin with sweeping views overlooking the Channel and the next day we had a thrilling boat ride heading south and around the bottom of Bruny...... with nothing between us and Antarctica! Our special weekend was completed when we were priviledged with some whale sightings! These two were heading to Antarctica for the Summer. It was such athrill for me to see them, it has been a long held wish of mine.

I'm working on bears for my next show which will be held in Mittagong, NSW on Sunday 15th November. I will also be teaching two workshops while I'm in NSW, one in Newcastle and the other at Teddy's Bits in Castle Hill.

I also have to get on with a special little bear for Sandi, who is my partner in the TBACA Christmas swap. I'm mulling over a few ideas at the moment, but I'll have to get cracking if I'm going to have it ready for the November 1st mailing day! There's going to be a Christmas party on the TBACA website, so everyone can see all the swap bears/critters, so stay tuned. I can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner, the year has flown past in a flash!

Spring Gardening

2009-10-12T10:00:00.006+11:00

Since I can't get much sewing done until my new glasses are ready, I've been spending time in the garden. I have weeded under some of the apple trees with bees buzzing in the blossom above. I'm so glad that I haven't missed the apple blossom, it's so pretty and has a beautiful delicate scent. I discovered that while I was away the chives had started into growth and are actually quite large, I found, once all the weeds were removed! Spring has definitely sprung but it is off to a rather cool beginning, we've been in southerly airstream and with not much between us and Antarctica the air has been pretty cold. Out of the wind and in a sheltered spot however, you can feel the warmth in the sun (when it shines).

I'm finding it very frustrating without my glasses, I'd love to be getting on with some bearworks! I have brought back some fabulous fabrics and leather from http://www.bearbasics.co.uk/ and I'm itching to get into them. All I can do is look at them and drool, while imagining the bears that will emerge. I have been drawing, my old glasses are ok for that, and the optometrist has put a priority on my new ones so hopefully the wait won't be too long.

When the weather warms up some more I'll be getting into some more mud larks, making progress on the house. I'm feeling that we should make a big impression on the project this year it's clearer in our heads what needs doing, so there should be less standing around staring up at walls trying to figure things out. In fact I can't wait to start again, the winter hiatus has left me with a severe itch to get going! Despite it's frustrations, building is another enjoyable aspect of life out here and though it sometimes feels as though we will never finish, it gives me a great sense of achievement. Slowly but surely our home is emerging and sooner or later it will no longer be a building site :) The photo shows the mix of mud and straw which is packed in between the timbers of the house to make the walls. It dries to become very solid and once plastered and rendered is a very eco friendly and insulating wall system. This is a very old building technique and there are samples that have stood the test of time and have been lived in continuously for centuries.

ABC Awards Winner

2009-10-08T10:57:00.003+11:00

That's right! Kumo has been voted the winner in the people's choice and has won the editor's choice in the Australian Bear Creations Awards for 2009. I'm so honoured and wish to thank all those who took the trouble to vote, not only for Kumo but for all the bears in the competition. Thanks also to Australian Bear Creations magazine for hosting the awards.

Home

2009-10-06T11:43:00.011+11:00

I'm home again after a successful trip to England. Hugglets was a wonderful show for me with some good sales and new contacts. I spent some lovely days with family, especially my daughter and yes, I got to go a brambling in the hedgerows. The berries we picked are bubbling away in demi-johns to become wine. I sat listening to the brews one day and it sounded like they were having a good conversation. Perhaps this is a foretaste of the amiable conversations to come over dinner, fuelled by Doug's palatable but potent brews!

The workshop went well, Lockerbie was cancelled when some ladies withdrew. This was just as well really, as the hotel proved to be impossible to contact and it transpired that it had closed, with no notification! (Visions of me arriving and balefully knocking on the door....let me in.) At least I had a full class in Wincanton and all the girls enjoyed a workshop packed with lots of new techniques and some lovely bears resulted. You can see from this photo, that Susan has an absolutely fabulous space for workshops with light streaming in to make sewing a dream. If you look closely you will see a few headless bodies sitting on the table. For this workshop the ladies needed to have the body assembled and ready for the head if they were to have any chance of getting the bear anywhere near completed, and I'm glad to say they all had their homework done. I must say, though, it did look very strange to see all these bodies on the table awaiting their heads.

The trip ended on a somewhat sour note when my ipod, glasses and sunglasses were stolen from my bag in Melbourne's Tullamarine airport. In fact, an accumulation of little disasters brought me down to earth with a resounding bump! After an extended flight delay into Tasmania, I arrived home late on Sunday and after sharing a bottle of red wine, I slept soundly..... only to be woken by the alarm and the realisation normal life had returned and housework was beckoning. Ho Hum!

Signing Off

2009-09-09T21:01:00.003+10:00

I'm flying out to London in the morning, so I'll probably not be blogging for the next few weeks. See you all when I get back :) I'd hoped to have some photos of the bears I'll have at Hugglets, but I simply have run out of time.
It was sunny today :)

A Dream Show!

2009-09-07T09:00:00.009+10:00

The online show at the weekend was an outstanding success for me, with a sellout! Thankyou Sandi Smith http://www.bearlysaneteddies.com for all your tireless efforts in creating the site and congratulations on how smoothly everything ran. You really do amaze me with what you do and I am extremely grateful to you for your commitment to us all. This amazing woman is already planning the next event, Be My Valentine, which will also have a special collection of bears available for Bobo, TBACA's sponsored sun bear. All these bears and critters will be donated by the artists and all the funds raised go towards the wonderful work of Free The Bears, http://www.freethebears.org.au/, for their bear sanctuary in Cambodia. All the bears at the sanctuary have been rescued from intolerable lives, some as "pets" but most as unwilling prisoners in bile farms, none of these bears can be returned to the wild so they live out their lives at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. You can read more about all this on the Free The Bears website.

It's full steam ahead for Hugglets now, just three sleeps till I fly out! I have a small but very nice collection of bears to take with me. I'm hoping I might even see some sunshine while I'm away because we certainly haven't been getting any in Tasmania! The English countryside should be looking very pretty in all it's golden Autumn glory, I might even get the chance to do a little berrying in the hedgerows near my brother-in-law's house in Somerset.

Here are the bears I had on offer over the weekend, they have all found new homes here in Australia.

One More Sleep to Dream

2009-09-04T08:48:00.003+10:00

Tomorrow morning the latest TBACA online show begins at 10am. I'm really looking forward to this show as there should be some really exceptional works exhibited from some of Australia's finest bearsmiths. If you pop over to the TBACA websit and follow the link you will see the list of exhibitors. We have each contributed three pieces to the show and the offerings should be quite diverse, looking at who is on that list.

My collection for Hugglets is coming together, I've spent some time on the computer lately, redesigning my swing tags and printing. I'm hoping to have all these things ready to go at the end of today, so that I can concentrate for the time remaining on a last few little bears. I'm flying out on Thursday. I've got lots of music loaded onto my ipod, and I need to select a good book to help the long haul pass as pleasantly as possible.

I feel a little sad at leaving at this time of year, I love early Spring in Tasmania. The wattle is in full bloom and there are daffodils everywhere. In town the other day I saw the most amazing magnolia abundantly blooming. I wonder if I will be back in time to see the apple and pear blossom in the orchard? It always looks so pretty. I think the asparagus will be in full production when I get home, oh joy!

I'll only be gone for three and a half weeks, the time will pass quickly enough. I will then have the warm half of Spring, and then hopefully a wonderful Summer to enjoy.

Time

2009-08-25T09:27:00.005+10:00

Here it is, the last day of my forties! EEEEK. Trouble is I don't feel old enough to be this old! I don't feel middle aged, if the mirror didn't tell me otherwise I could imagine I was still twenty (I wish!). I guess I've grown a little wiser with age, and I certainly made choices when I was young that make me cringe now! As they say "youth is wasted on the young", it would be so good to be able to go back and have all that energy, with a head full of the knowledge that only comes with experience. The things I would get done! Truth be told I'm actually in better shape than I was ten years ago, physically stronger though definitely wrinklier, my hair has only just started to show a little grey, so I guess not too bad. I do enjoy being a grandmother, I have found this new role in my life very fulfilling, though lately I just haven't had time to see enough of my precious grandson. Hopefully this will change when I get back from the UK, even though my calendar does look rather full with workshops in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania in November and December.

I'm beavering away at getting a collection together for Hugglets, my fingers are very sore. The other day my "thimble" finger lost it's callus which will make miniatures difficult. I do wear a leather thimble when working on my bigger bears, but find it too inhibiting when working on minis. It will take lots of sewing to work that hard pad back. This happens from time to time, usually when the tip of my finger has got to the stage where is has no feeling left in it, that's when it will peel off revealing the healthy new pink skin underneath, ready to start all over again.

Not long now to the next online show. Having got the bears done and the photos off I keep forgetting that it will be on soon. I can't wait to see what everyone has done, this show is quite small but there should be some really great works exhibited, I do hope you all will find the time to drop in on the 5th and 6th of September. Here's another little peek at what I will be offering.

Correction

2009-08-21T09:18:00.005+10:00

I thought I had better make a correction on my last post, we have gone beyond ridiculous with the weather, here in Tasmania. We've had a once in forty years flood and the river has been raging through The Gorge in Launceston in a spectacular fashion. Apparently we're in for much more over the next month or so, with a series of fronts blowing in from the West. I must admit I'm rather sick of the rain now, and it would be lovely if we could have some real sunshine for a few days. Everything is so wet!

At least it's great weather to be holed up indoors making bears, which is imperative with Hugglets just a matter of a few weeks away! I'm just back from Adelaide where I managed to sell a few bears. They're all panda mad over there at the moment, because Adelaide zoo is about to get a breeding pair of these fabulous animals and they're counting the days to their arrival! I sold more pandas than anything at the show :) Next year I'm booked to teach a workshop after the show, and you guessed it, it's going to be a panda!

I've added another little peek at what I have coming up in the "When You Dare To Dream"(www.teddybearsandcritters.com/whenyoudaretodream.htm ) online show on the 5th and 6th of September, one of these days I'll figure out how to make a collage but I simply don't have time for fiddling about on the computer right now, I have bears to make! So this little teaser will have to suffice. Cheers for now from a very sodden Tasmania.

Winter

2009-08-07T14:47:00.003+10:00

It seems, for this year at least, we have returned to a "normal" Winter weather pattern. We have had more rain than we've had in years and as I predicted, our dam has filled for the first time in five years. We are even blessed with a wild drake and his harem, who fly off everytime I walk up there, no matter how cautiously I approach. The lake nearby is very full too and since the opening of the fishing season, last weekend, I have seen some sizeable trout caught. For three months of the year I could almost believe that the lake is our own, not a soul to be seen. When the season opens it becomes a Mecca for fishers from far and wide until it starts to get warm in the highlands, then it gets a little quieter again. What I object to, is the accumulation of rubbish along the shore as the season progresses. How difficult can it be for someone to carry back their empties? I often take a plastic bag along with me when I go for a walk by the lake, in order to collect some of what's been left, and I'm pretty sure others do the same. It's just such a shame that there are those out there who think it's ok to be so senseless.

I have finally submitted all my photos for "When You Dare To Dream" I even had some days to spare! Now everything is in Sandi's capable hands as she gets the site prepared for our grand opening on the 5th of September. I will hopefully have a sneak peek up here soon. Meanwhile here's just a little taster.........

I fly to Adelaide next Thursday, the South Australian Doll and Bear Fair is on that weekend, time to catch up with some friends and hopefully sell a few bears too. I'm taking a small collection of my sister's bears with me this time, too. After a few years break she has started to make her sweet little fellows again. I must say it's rather lovely to have her back even in a small way, I've missed our "beary" connection. Some of you may remember Jan's bears, she trades as Brady's Bears, they still have the same "Brady's" style so she hasn't lost it while she's been away, there's one little fellow in the box who may not even get to Adelaide, I like him too much :)

Dreaming

2009-07-31T09:38:00.004+10:00

I keep having dreams with Ralph in them. This morning he was running and playing with another large dog, a New Foundland, they were so well matched and were having such fun! In reality if Ralph had come across a dog as large as himself he would have come to me and hidden his head between my knees! He did this at the vet's once. We were waiting and the surgery door opened to reveal a rather large Rhodesian Ridgeback, Ralph took one look and "hid" himself! Poor boy, he was such a softy! In all these dreams Ralph is young and vigorous again, I like to think that it's true...........I don't think I'll ever be able to get over his loss, but I do feel happy when I'm dreaming him.

My hands are a total disaster, no prizes for these manicurist's nightmares! I've been doing alot of leather applique, which always leaves my hands in a mess. I use really tiny glover's needles, and they have an extremely sharp three sided point to them which shreds my fingers, but slides through the leather with ease. I have a friend who is a potter, who develped a severe dermatitis from contact with clay (real handy, that). Anyway he treats it with the ointment dairy farmers use on their cows' teats when they get cracked, it works a treat. I have a small jar of the ointment somewhere, I'll have to hunt it out and use it I think. The same stuff is used by many hand embroiderers, too. I imagine it can be bought very cheaply from a rural supplies store, I was given my jar years ago and only use it when my finger tips get severly cracked from multiple needle jabs. A little dab on the offending digit with a "bandaid" over it, and overnight the crack will be all but completely healed! It really is that good! I just thought I'd hand this on to all you fellow sufferers out there.

I have to finish my bears for the next online show "When You Dare To Dream", in September. The photo submission deadline is looming, but I've found it very hard to really get motivated since we lost Ralph. Still, I'm almost done and I'll be getting the photos done in a couple of days. Then I can concentrate on bears for Adelaide and London.

We've been having some fabulous Winter weather lately, with big blue skies and lots of sunshine. I can really relate to being a cat on days like this. I can turn my chair around to bask in the sun streaming in through the bay window, I could almost start purring! Now that we're well past the shortest day, I swear I can hear the birds gearing up for Spring. Soon they will be gathering up tufts of Ralph's undercoat that I've left out after brushing him, and lining their nests with it. It's so soft I'm sure it makes a beautiful lining to nestle into, the little babies will be tucked up nice and warm.

Ralph

2009-07-21T15:36:00.004+10:00

Early on Saturday morning our big, gentle, beautiful Ralph passed away. He had been in hospital since Tuesday after losing the ability to raise himself, we thought it was his arthritis advancing and possibly getting into his spine. An xray revealed absolutely no arthritis in him, so we had to look at other causes for his loss of mobility. It turned out that he had an enormous brain tumor which was reavealed by MRI. We were looking at possibly flying him to Queensland for radiation therapy, but the discovery of the tumor came too late and he died peacefully in his sleep. Looking back, we can now see that the little changes in Ralph's behaviour which we attributed to his getting old and perhaps a little dotty, were actually signs of this growing menace in his brain. These changes happened so slowly and over such a long time, that we got used to them and thought little of them until it was too late. Given the size of the tumor, the vet was surprised that he hadn't been having seizures. I wish that he had, as that would have told us that something was seriously amiss with our wonderful companion, and something could have been done to save him. As it is, the family is still in disbelief, it was heartbreaking to tell our daughter overseas and all I wanted was to have her here so that I could put my arms around her, she sounded so devastated over the phone.

Ralph was one of those perfect beings, he was gentle and a true gentleman. There was absolutely no malice in him, all he ever wanted to do was to please us. As a puppy he learned very quickly, in fact there was very little training needed with him as he seemed to instinctively know what was required. He has been a wonderfully inspirational companion to have around and no doubt he will continue to inspire many bears to come. I am heartbroken and devastated at his loss, there is such a huge hole in my life now. I feel a little better now that he's home with us, we buried him under the walnut trees on Monday, rest in peace Ralphie boy.

OK, we've had enough now!

2009-07-12T12:50:00.003+10:00

I'ts been raining non-stop for two days now, I think we've had enough for the time being. There is water flowing where it hasn't flowed for years, so the ground water has been topped up to what used to be normal for Winter. I think I can say with confidence that our dam will be full and flowing over, in the next day or two, something which hasn't occurred for four years! I can only hope this is the end of this drought and we will see a return to normal weather patterns for a while at least.
I've been working on my pieces for the next online show in September. This is an exhibition of master works by some of Australia's best bear artists hosted by http://www.teddybearsandcritters.com/whenyoudaretodream.htm (When You Dare To Dream). It will be interesting to see what everyone will have to show. I'm very pleased with how my first two have turned out, just one more to do then I'm done. After which I can get on with getting stock ready for Adelaide and London, the months have slipped by too quickly!
Oh well, at least the weather is good for bear making. Snuggled up inside with the fire burning, a warm woolen jumper on and ugg boots on my feet, listening to the rain on the roof. (We have had enough for now, though!)

Penguins

2009-06-28T09:24:00.001+10:00

Ten Toes to Tickle

2009-06-26T09:58:00.003+10:00

I managed to get Bronson's feet in here at last! Now you can see what I mean about the leather

from these jackets that I buy. Aren't these feet just gorgeous? I sometimes think that I have the most fun with the feet of my bears, they are the last thing I do and I always feel that until they are done the bear isn't a bear! To me they are every bit as important as the face and I can often spend as much time on them!

I wonder what the ladies in the op shops would feel about me cutting up the jackets to get the leather? I'm sure that they would feel that I'm wasting them, but when I look at this photo of Bronson's feet, I know that it's never a waste :) When I cut up these jackets I sort the leather for different purposes as the thickness and quality will vary over different parts of the garment. There will be softer, thinner pieces that I save for my miniatures and the rest I keep for my larger bears. A long time ago I used to buy faux fur coats aswell, that was in the time before mohair and alpaca fur fabrics were so freely available, and they were my best source of good quality furs for my bears. I think I still have some of that fur stashed away somewhere, though I will probably never use it now, it may be time for a clean out!

Where has the Sun gone?

2009-06-25T18:15:00.004+10:00

I'm beginning to wonder if we will ever see the Sun again! It seems we have had an endless succession of foggy and overcast days, but very little rain. Today we finally got rain with the cloud, at last, but we are still in drought. We have had no-where near our usual rainfall, I just hope that the next few months will see a return to normal (whatever that is these days).
I've been struggling with a new polar bear pattern today, but I'm having a hard time getting it to work the way I want. This might be the first head to hit the bin in years! (OH DEAR) Having done this one today, though, I think I know how to tweak this new pattern so that I get what I'm after, so after I've finished this I'll have another go. I'll probably not throw this poor head in the bin either, I may be able to use it to try out some new ideas I have brewing, could be interesting......
Yesterday I popped into an op shop and found a couple of great leather jackets to cut up for paws and noses. For those of you overseas, op shops are thrift stores (US) or charity shops (UK) the name is short for opportunity shop. Us Aussies are great ones for shortening the names of things, but I guess it can become quite confusing for people overseas :) I find these stores a great source of leather, particularly the lovely mottled leather from those "stone washed" leather jackets that were all the rage some years ago. No-one wants to wear them these days so they are all turning up in the op shops, happily for me :) I've added this photo of Bronson's feet so that you know the type of leather I'm talking about, and to show you what I can do with it. Well so much for the photo, it's not uploading, I'll give it another go in the morning......ho hum.

Kiko, my workshop bear for the UK

2009-06-24T10:15:00.006+10:00

I have just sent Kiko off to Susan Davies (http://www.bearbasics.co.uk/) he's the sample for the workshops I will be teaching in September. At the request of last year's workshoppers I designed a Polar Bear. Kiko has lots of features which will keep the workshop participants very busy for the whole two days. There is my trademark leather nose in addition to an open mouth with tongue and eye teeth and I have also included sculpted paw pads with claws! So there will be lots to learn in the two days. One workshop is being held in Lockerbie and the other at Bear Basics in Somerset, both are being organised by Susan.

I can't believe how fast time has flown these past few months, it doesn't seem long enough ago that I was discussing going over to the UK again this year, I felt I had all the time in the world. All of a sudden I feel as though there isn't enough time to get done all that needs to be be done, with another online show to prepare for, the South Australian Doll and Bear Fair and then Hugglets in London!

I don't think I will be doing much blogging over the next few weeks, I just won't have the time! It will be head down and tail up for this little duck!

Yi Min

2009-06-10T14:58:00.005+10:00

This is the panda I've been working on, I finished her on Monday but had to wait for some decent weather for her photo shoot. Today started out with a hard frost and the day developed into a cool but cloudless winter's day, so I was able to set things up outside and got I some good shots without the aid of lights.

I managed to squeeze Yi Min's dark parts out of the alpaca left over from making Bronson, so there is absolutely none of that fur left. This panda is a one off, there will never be another one made in this colour. You can see more photos and read all about her on my website.

I've just felt the temperature plunge as the has sun dipped behind a rather large blackwood tree, I'll be lighting the heater early today. Having the sun streaming in through the windows all day, I'd forgotten just how cold the day really has been. The days are so short now, only a couple of weeks and we'll be past the solstice, then our days will begin to lengthen again. It's a bit like taking a big breath when we get over that hump and we start heading for Spring and Summer........still there are many cold days to come.

An Amazing Week!

2009-06-08T09:20:00.014+10:00

Wow! What a week I've had! The Black and White Ball concluded last night after a week of wonderful bears, critters and fun. I was surprised yesterday, and honoured to learn that I was the joint winner with Laraine White from New Zealand, of the public's choice vote, with my little panda Meixin. Later in the day the winners of the Australasian Creative Design Awards were announced, Katrina Ndrejica won the biggy and the runners up were Kim Russell and ME! So all in all a pretty amazing week with great sales to top it all off.

I can now reveal the bears and critters that I created for the show. I decided to stick with the black and white scheme and made a family of Emperor Penguins, a couple of Pandas, a couple of Polar Bears and a Tassie Devil! All but one found new homes over the week and I'm fairly confident that the last one will too. I'm so very happy with the outcome of my first online show, I'll certainly be participating in many more to come:) A huge thank you to Sandi Smith of http://www.bearlysaneteddies.com for all her tireless efforts in making this event such a wonderful success and experience for all involved!

Meanwhile I've been working on a new panda design, which will be finished today. I'm really pleased with this one, and hopefully I will be able to get some photos later and get his cute little face up in here.

Here's a Giggle!

2009-05-31T09:53:00.006+10:00

Just for fun, I thought I would show you where my bear making began. This little fellow is well over 25 years old and still lives with me having survived my children's growing years. He's a little flat these days, but still cute. He is made in a very cheap synthetic fur which was all that was available to me in the days before the internet and specialised teddy suppliers. I sold quite a few of these bears, I wonder if the others have survived the ravages of time equally well? I couldn't even get eyes back then, and I fashioned them myself using circles of felt with a little embroidered highlight. At least you could say he was child-safe, and that was my market back then. I think they appealed to parents because they were all a little individual and not clones churned out in a factory. I hope he brings a little smile to you today, I think you will have to agree that my bear making has come a long way over the years!

Well tomorrow is the big day! The Black and White Ball begins at 8am, I hope you will find the time to drop by and meet the bears and critters that will be on offer, and remember that there will be new additions each day of the show.

Here He Is!

2009-05-27T18:34:00.004+10:00

I've just finished Bronson, a new bear in the lovliest brown alpaca. I've had this piece for quite a few years, just waiting for the right bear. Bronson is truly one of a kind as this fabric is no longer available, it has a very unusual shaggy look with a blended mix of browns and a few blonde guard hairs, which suits this bear so well. I've had a great deal of fun working on Bronson's feet, I used a wonderful piece of mottled leather to applique his pads which were then sculpted and shaded to create his lovely feet. I will be putting some more photos and information on my website if you want to find out more about him.

It's just a few days to the Black and White Ball, Monday is our big day! I'm starting to feel a little anxious about the whole thing, I'm not too confident on the computer and I just hope it all goes smoothly. With Sandi at the helm I'm sure everything will be OK :) So don't forget to pay us a visit at http://www.teddybearsandcritters.com/ and remember that there will be new bears and critters added each day for the whole week! Be sure to cast your votes in the Australasian Creative Design Awards which are being held at the same time and place.