Tuesday 28 October 2014

Hester Harvest Witch

My 'Prim Dolly Doodles' have been on the back burner for almost a year now and needless to say, they are not at all happy about it.


With Halloween only a few days away, I simply couldn't ignore their pleas any longer, so decided it was time to set aside the bears and squeeze in a Prim Dolly Doodle Witchypoo in time for some All Hallowes Eve fun.


My dollies don't aspire to high artistry, they are proud of their primitive cloth doll roots.  Simplicity they say, allows a cheeky personality to shine through!


They begin to come to life as soon as their eyes are painted and as you can see below, by the time I create the hairdo, there's no holding these saucy little misses back!


I finished 'Hester Harvest Witch' yesterday evening, so didn't have time to hunt out her broomstick and take a studio photo before dinner ... but as you can see, she was determined to introduce herself anyway, the moment her little witch hat was stitched firmly onto her head!


Happily, Hester was content to pose for her formal Witchypoo photo this afternoon!  She was adopted within moments of making herself known online and will shortly hop onto her broomstick to spend Halloween with her lovely new owner.

Hopefully I will find time to make one or two festive Prim Dolly Doodles in time for Christmas ... please watch this space for further dolly developments!

Wednesday 22 October 2014

Mapping out my stationery

The trouble with change is that it can sometime catch you out. After building my new website, www.allbearbypaula.com and organising a smart new dot com domain address, it took a little while to dawn on me that I should also update my hang tags and advertising postcards to avoid sending collectors to my old website now that it is defunct.  My apologies if you have already had one such wasted journey!

Teddy bear hang tag

Those of you who already own an 'All Bear', will know that besides the satin stitched in 'tush tags', each of my bears wears a card hang tag tied around his neck detailing my contact details, bear's name, date and materials on the reverse side.  The tag also states the legally required 'This bear is an adult collectible and not suitable for use under the age of 14', because components such as cotter pins and glass eyes are not considered legally safe for young children.

Advertising postcard

I spent yesterday afternoon engrossed in 'Photoshop', working on new advertising stationery for my bears, whilst trying to fathom how to keep the text inside the required parameters for www.vistaprint.co.uk printing.  After several unsatisfactory attempts, I eventually arrived at this hang tag and postcard, featuring Twig, Logan and little Acorn. I do hope you like the new artwork as these cards will be accompanying all new bears in future ... just as soon as they arrive from the printers!

And just to make absolutely certain you all know exactly where to find us in future, here is a link to our lovely new dot.com website!

Monday 13 October 2014

It's a new day ..

My telephone was set to ring as loudly as possible throughout Thursday and into Friday.  The message I was waiting so anxiously for, finally came from my son in the wee small hours of Friday morning ... my first grandchild had arrived safely in the world at 12.30 am precisely!


So far, Master Toby Carter is a very calm young man, no doubt because he has such incredibly relaxed parents.  Anthony and Hannah are making deft work of their new arrival, taking every new experience one step at a time and loving the learning process.  I am completely confident they will be the very best of parents and can't tell you how delighted I am to see the oh-so proud grin permanently spread across my son's face - I don't think I have ever seen him quite as happy as he is right now!


As for me - well where to begin?!

Holding my grandson for the first time was beyond words.  I am so thrilled to be Nana to this precious little boy and absolutely over the moon for my son and Hannah, now that they are a family.

Welcome to our world little Toby xxx


Wednesday 8 October 2014

Twig's Posh Paws

I saved hard to buy my first leather sofa so when, after many years of good service, the time finally came to accept it had served my family well but was no longer comfortable, I decided to recycle the areas of leather which hadn't been worn and put them to good use as teddy bear paws.


As you can see, that rich conker colour is perfect for my latest Autumn bear!


I used my pointiest needles to stitch in those leather paws and despite the extra effort required to sew them, am delighted with how well they suit my new bear 'Twig'.  Once I'd assembled him, I decided he would suit a waxed nose ... a technique requiring nerves of steel and a very steady hand, but I hope you will agree, the lovely soft shine is well worth the effort.

20" Twig

And here he is, complete with posh leather paws!

If you think Twig would make a wonderful addition to your collection of teddy bears, I am happy to tell you this fine fellow is now available to purchase direct from my website ...

Wednesday 1 October 2014

A feather in my oh-so-traditional cap

Over the years I have often wondered if traditionally styled teddy bears can really hold their own against the bells and whistles of contemporary artist bears, when it comes to being judged on techniques employed and whenever I enter one of my classic teddy bears into a competition, I confess, it is usually with a fair degree of determination to have the typical teddy bear remembered and represented, whether or not he stands a chance of selection in this, the day of artistic impression.


'Beau'' - honoured with a 2014 Judges' Choice 
'Excellence in Bear Artistry Award' 

Well, today I am delighted to be able to share a little news with you ... 

I have just learned that my entry into the 2014 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' has been honoured by a panel of elite teddy bear judges ... thus proving without a doubt, the traditional teddy bear still has as much place in competition as the most experimental of teddy bear interpretations!

The public voting element of this competition is now live, so please visit the link below and express your opinions on teddy bear design by casting your votes, thank you!

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