Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Millie, that is a wonderful and touching idea. A gorgeous bear that will keep your daughters memory alive.  :hug:

Wow, he's amazing! How could you resist that gorgeous face??! 

Oh gosh, he is soooo cute! 

Edie, what a wonderful bear!!! I'd love to have a bear made from a piece of clothing from my childhood. Bravo to you!! Your daughter will be thrilled.

She's beautiful!! I've had a look at the others too and they're ALL wonderful! 

Below are the first 6 creations ready for Hugglets. I have 4 more which just need their finishing touches which I will be adding in the next few days.

There is 'Bramble' my first Pumpkin & Pickle bunny!! 'Jasper' - my first time using alpaca (love it!!), 'Lockie' (with the key around his neck), 'Baloo' (the big one which most would have seen before), 'Scamp' (with the needlefelted muzzle) and 'Otto' with his butterfly.

Ooh, she's sooooo pretty! Reminds me of the strawberry and vanilla ice cream I used to have while on holiday in Dorset!! 

Yvonne, they're outstanding!!!! I'm particularly taken with Opal and Jess!! 

Ooh, I love the one on the blue cushion - such a sweet face! I bet they're super soft too! I've just made my first alpaca bear and I can't wait to get more....it's fabulous to work with and looks wonderful too!

You're SO clever making opening/closing eyelids. This bear is super cute! 

What gorgeous bears!!! I just love the old scruffy ones! 

Tina, they're wonderful! Love the little one in the orange box! 

That is one darned cute little pig!!!! 

Aww, they look like 2 naughty little brothers....reminds me of my 2 boys!!

They're lovely Jane and their outfits are wonderful....you're a clever lady!

Ooh Paula, those colours are SO yummy!! And she has such a beautiful name too!

Me too!! Hall 4, Stand 125.

My first time trading at Hugglets...will be strange to be BEHIND the table!! I'm getting nervous though......

Today my husband, our 2 boys and I have been to choose a puppy from a litter of 'Golden Boxers' (which I believe is a registered breed in the US?? Although it isn't here in the UK) - mum is a Golden Retriever and dad is a Boxer. There were 6 puppies in total but we had just 2 to choose from as we specifically wanted a girl with a white face....this didn't make our decision any easier though! I just couldn't decide and had to leave that down to Stu (my hubby) who found it tough also....finally he decided on one.....

These are the 2 we had to choose between - Stu decided on the one on the left (with more white on her face). I felt SO guilty not choosing the other one:

Me having cuddle with our new puppy:

Stu having a cuddle with our new puppy:

Isn't she just adorable????!!!:

This is her mum:

This is her dad:

They are only 5 weeks old at the moment so we have another 3 weeks before we can bring her home.

We had to go to Bognor Regis, West Sussex (a popular seaside resort) to see the puppies so as we were there, we decided to go to the beach for the rest of the afternoon...here is a picture of my 3 boys enjoing a paddle:

I feel I must appologise (is that the correct spelling??) for not posting very often lately....Hugglets is fast approaching and I'm desperately trying to get bears made, along with looking after the boys as they are on summer holidays from school/pre-school.....needless to say, my free time is literally non-existant at the moment!!! 

I have won 3 British Bear Artist Awards and DO say 'Award-winning Artist' on my business cards and whenever I have a bear on ebay (which is very rarely). I feel that I deserve to mention it to potential new customers as I'm very proud of it! I entered not expecting to win but more to challenge myself...I was up against other Artists who have been making bears for FAR longer than me (some of them for 20+ years compared to my 2.5 years) and I wanted to see how I'd compare to them. The thing I like about the BBAA's is that your bear is not just judged on 'looks' but also on how well it is made - loose eyes, wonky stitches on the nose, uneven limbs and noticible stitches where the seams have been closed are all looked at becuase the bears are present and judged on the day....basically there's no way of hiding imperfections!

I would LOVE to enter the bigger awards and I fully intend to for 2009 - my problem is I am confused at the amount of them and when the entries have to be in for each one.

I have bought bears on the internet before and been a little saddened when it's arrived as it wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be in terms of quality....I feel that mentioning these awards gives customers peace of mind that their money is being well-spent as the quality of work has been inspected by the judges.

I know there are lots of Artists who don't enter the competitions who's work is outstanding, but for me, I like to know that I'm doing it right and i feel having a bear judged does just that.

She is SUPER cute!!!!     

We are considering getting a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in the next few months. I decided about 6 months ago that I want a blenheim girl called Maggie.......might have to think up a new name now!!!  :doh:

Oh no!! How frustrating!! 

Well, I wish you LOTS and LOTS of luck for the next one! 

Awww, how cute!!!

I used to have a hamster that exact colour when I was a little girl! 

Oh my gosh....that is SO breathtakingly beautiful.....just stunning. 

Oh, don't even tell about flamin custom tax!!!!!!

I ordered $45 (£22.50) worth of fabric from Sassy's a few weeks ago and I got a note through my door last Friday that said I had a parcel waiting at the Post Office which had a customs fee to pay. I went there and was stung with paying £12 ($24)!!!! How on EARTH do they justify charging that much?? I asked the man at the Post Office what the limit was and he said it was £18....so becuase the value of my purchases were £4.50 more than that, they chatged me £12 for the privilege.....go figure!!! 

I'm lucky that I've never had this happen before but I am soooooo frustrated!! For a small order of supplies that should have cost me £22.50 has now cost me £34.50.....grrrrr....

I LOVE Stephanie's fabrics! Infact, I placed a small order last night and I STILL get overwhelmed and take ages to decide what to get....the problem is there is just sooooo many yummy fabrics!

I've made miniature bears and some of my mini elephants with the fabric and I just love it to work with. I am currently making a bear from a new pattern from some brown smokey long pile who will be about 6.5-7" and he's looking pretty darned cute at the moment - it just shows that you can make slightly larger bears from it too!

Wendy, i also ordered some of the thread you were talking about....I just had to try it out for myself!

Here are 2 of my elephants made from Stephanie's fabrics:

First is Edgar who's arms, legs and head are made from Stephanie's tie-dye blue/green cashmere

This is Sally Sunshine who is made from Sassy long pile.

Kathy, it looks AMAZING! Soooo tranquil and serene which I just love! 

Glad you had a great time!  :hug: