Being A Tree

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!

A Magical Time Of Year

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!

Jo Jo's Coming To Sydney!

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?

A Workshop In Sydney

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)

Matilda

The trouble with Blogging is that it marks the passage of time. I can't believe that over a week has passed since my last entry. I've been busy though, this time with a creature other than a bear. This was my contibution to the TBACA (http://www.teddybearsandcritters.com/) Easter challenge. I decided Australia's answer to the Easter Bunny, the Bilby, was appropriate, as well as being quite a challenge. Matilda is the result, and I'm very pleased with how she turned out. I think I have managed to capture Matilda's "Bilbyness" quite well. She is made in alpaca fur fabric, with stiffened and painted cloth ears (thanks to my sister, Susie McMahon, and her cloth doll expertise for the ears http://www.susiemcmahondolls.blogspot.com/). Matilda's little hands and feet are ultra suede, and her fur has been extensively hand tinted to recreate true Bilby colouring.

Now, it's back to making bears for the Sydney Teddy Bear Fair, in two weeks!(http://www.sydneyteddybearfair.com/)