Season's Greetings

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)

Decking the Halls

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!

What On Earth Was I Thinking?

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

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)

Wee Bear

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!

This is Amazing

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 :)

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

"Mr. Wonderful"

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)

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny

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 :)

At Work Again, And An Anniversary

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!