Featured Artist

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.

A Dream Show!

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.

Kiko, my workshop bear for the UK

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!