The Fantasy Ball Is Now On!

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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.