Spellbound

 

Spellbound

When I was a child, way, way, way back in the 60's, Halloween wasn't especially celebrated where we lived but buried deep in my primary school library, was a book I found utterly magical. Sadly, I don't recall the title now but I have never forgotten the sillouette illustrations of witches flying across a moonlit sky and how they captured the imagination of the little girl I once was. The memory of that mystical book is why, half a century later, I let my imagination loose to cast a spell of childhood magic in teddy bear form ... and celebrate the witches' flight of All Hallowes Eve! 

Happy Halloween Magic to you!

A Halloween Rune

As you know, a black bear is a rare bear from All Bear.. but with Halloween approaching, I couldn't resist squeezing this fine fellow in!

Photographing black bears is always a challenge and yesterday it was raining with no hope of photographing outdoors, so I decided to take my latest teddy bear's pics against my favourite sofa cushions, set the camera to 'auto' and keep my fingers crossed... and as it turns out, they weren't too bad and didn't even bleach out Rune teddy's pretty nose embroidery!

Happy Halloween Rune teddy! 

Let's hope you find your special person in time for some magical Halloween cuddles.

You can visit Rune and see more of his photos on my website ...

www.allbearbypaula.com

I hope you enjoy your visit!

A spooky little clown

I rarely create themed bears, but couldn't resist making a little bear for Halloween later this month ...

14" Twilight

This spooky little clown might be perfect for Halloween ... but he'll also be heaps of fun all year round too!

If you would like to know more about this sweet Twilight teddy bear, please visit him on my website:

www.allbearbypaula.com

Before I head back upstairs to my workroom, here is a link to my earlier Halloween blog posts, full of bears, dolls and of course, lots of spooky family fun ... I hope you enjoy the read!

https://allbear.blogspot.com/search/label/Halloween

Wishing you all a safe, fun and of course, mischievous Halloween 2019!

:-)

Update: Twilight has been adopted.

A little goosebump!

I am thrilled to have my little 'Goosebump' teddy bear featured in this month's 'Teddy Bear Times & Friends' magazine!

TBT's 2019 Halloween Spooktacular, 

features Goosebump (bottom left)

It has been ages since I thought to send any photographs to the specialist teddy bear magazines as time just seems to run away with me these days, but the thrill of seeing my bears in print never diminishes, even after so many years of bearmaking. I have a real soft spot for this particular magazine, as it played a big part in helping to launch my career as a bearmaker, so a huge thank you to TBT! 

If you haven't yet purchased a copy, this issue is available either individually, or as part of an annual subscription, from the TBT website:

https://www.teddybeartimes.com/issues

With the fun of Halloween on the horizon, I am inspired to finish a new spooky little bear ready for the trick and treatery. I'm cutting it fine as usual, but hope to have my Halloween teddy to share with you in the next few days ... maybe I should cast a magic spell to help speed up his progress a bit?!

A nod to the dark side!

Halloween is only a few days away and I will be tut-tutting with the best of 'em, while I pull up my drawbridge to discourage those mischievous 'trick or treat tricksters'. Children knocking on strangers' doors eager for sweeties is something I heartily disapprove of ... for their own safety. That said, there is something about the magical mayhem of Halloween I have loved since I was a child and it has nothing to do with parties, fancy dress or tricks; no, for me it has always been far more about imaginative stories and mischievous characters gathering together in the dark of night.

Speaking of whom ...

20" 'Mischief'

Well, I couldn't let Halloween pass with at least a gentle nod to the darker side now could I?!

It has been absolutely ages since I last made a black bear and after a week sewing black thread on black mohair, now I remember why I don't make them often! I am so glad I did though, Mischief is tall, dark and handsome, with a twinkle in his eye. The perfect Halloween cuddle in fact.

Available now from my website:

www.allbearbypaula.com

Wishing you all a safe and fun Halloween 2018!

:-)

Update: Mischief has been adopted!

They're spooky and they're scary!

As regular readers will know, I have enjoyed the magical mayhem of Halloween since I was a very young girl. My favourite childhood stories always featured spooky witches and sad ghosts ... and even now, almost half a century later, I still clearly remember a picture from my favourite school library book featuring witches flying in silhouette across the night sky.

Halloween fun with my family

To be completely honest, I'm less than keen on playing dress-up these days (feeling my age I think!) but did scrape myself into a long black witchypoo cape, a pair of rather fetching black and orange striped tights, batty t-shirt and a small pointy hat, to join my family for some Halloween fun at my niece's house-warming party last weekend. 

Everyone rose to the occasion by dressing in Halloween finery for the evening. The house was dressed spectacularly in cobwebs, cackling witches, bats, spiders and carved pumpkins, with all manner of spooks dangling in dark corners. It was heaps of fun to see everyone in costume, although at first glance, quite tricky to work out who was who in some cases!

The party went with a swing and the dance floor quickly filled with an eclectic group of witches, ghostly pirates, skeletons, a vicar, a nun and even a ghostly jester! The children had a wonderful time (except my sweet little Great Niece, who is just a year old and was understandably a wee bit overwhelmed by the Halloween madness in her house). The older kids danced, apple bobbed and chased around excitedly, relishing the spooky atmosphere. As for our very own mini werewolf Toby, well, he soon had the hang of Halloween, dancing happily with the spooks, eating chocolate apples and at the grand old age of three, simply accepting the fact that sometimes adults behave rather strangely!

:-)

An INKRedibleTOBER inspiration

I am still busy teaching myself to draw and paint, so throughout October, took part in a fun challenge called #Inkredibletober.  The idea was to interpret Halloween prompts each day using ink in one form or another.  I didn't manage to complete the entire thirty one prompts, but I did do most, learned heaps and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge!

Here are a few of my favourite prompts ...

Last but not least, I squeezed in a little Trick or Treat teddy bear!

In fact I especially enjoyed drawing teddy bear scenes, so with Christmas on the distant horizon, I think I might try to paint a little festive teddy bear and if he turns out okay, could even be bold enough to turn him into a Christmas card ... fingers crossed!

:-)

A Sketchy Halloween Ted

Didn't quite finish this little fellow in time for Halloween ...

Never mind Little Wiz, there's always next year!

:-)

Before we head on to the sparkle of Christmas, I thought you might enjoy one last peek at some my bears and dolls from Halloween past ...

These witchypoos and wizards always make me smile, I hope they make you smile too.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

:-)

Cobweb

It's almost time for Halloween, a spooktastic time for teddy bear design! This year I have decided to create a clown teddy bear in magical purple and grey mohair, but rather than an being overtly Halloween ted, I prefer to think he is a lovely bear to be displayed and loved, all year round!

Introducing 'Cobweb'!

This super teddy bear has just made his way to my website, so if you would like to know a little more about him, please pop along to:

www.allbearbypaula.com

Wishing you all a safe and fun Happy Halloween 2016!

:-)

Update: Cobweb has been adopted and will be living in the UK!

Goosebump

Little 'Goosebump' disappeared almost as quickly as I could say 'boo' yesterday!

No sooner did I send him to my website, than he was invited to spend Halloween with a lovely new owner!  I'm certainly not complaining, but sending 'sorry that one already sold' emails to eager collectors who only just miss a bear they are excited about, is always tough.  

I can't stress enough, if you fall in love with a special teddy bear, either on a website, or at a show, please trust your instincts and adopt as quickly as possible, because if you've fallen head over heels in love, the chances are someone else has too ... 

Happy Halloween Bear Collecting Everyone!

:-)

A Polly & Betty catch up

Last weekend was a quiet one for us, so a chance to don walking shoes and enjoy some Autumn sunshine at Cobtree Manor Country Park with our girls ...

Little Betty is now almost five months old and a happy, cheeky little soul.  She is so much fun and I am constantly amazed by how fast she learns new skills.  Having a big sister to look up to has definitely helped Betty master the basics quickly, but even without Polly's guidance, this little girl is very switched on, constantly impressing me with a sweet-faced eagerness to please and a lovely natural enthusiasm.  Betty and I enrolled at Obedience School together recently and I am delighted to tell you, she is already proving herself to be as bright as a button.

As for my beautiful Polly (now two and a half years old), she will soon be undertaking a spot of 'urban training'.  I thought it might benefit her (and me) to join a small group which trains in real life situations, so we have signed up with an ex-guide dog instructor and our first walk is going to take place right through the centre of our busy local town, which should certainly put our obedience skills to the test!

Two such lively young girls keep me on my toes as you can imagine, but they do enjoy a snooze or two every day, so don't worry, there's still time for my bear-making.  In fact, I am currently working on a little Halloween teddy bear for my website and am hoping to finish the Halloween Prim Dolly Doodle I started a while ago.  Speaking of which, I'd better sign off and get to work ... Halloween is fast approaching!!!

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!

Halloween Fun Wormshill Style!

Saturday night was fright night for our family and friends, so we donned Halloween garb and drove out through the countryside surrounding Wormshill to partake of some spooktacular fun at Fiona and Simon's 'All Hallowes Eve' party.  I hope you enjoy this private peek into the party from our family album, courtesy of my talented youngest photographer sister Laura and my daughter Fay ...

'The Blue Witch' ... aka me!

I had to cackle as I entered the house because my nieces failed to recognise their Auntie Paula ... seems my grey wig confused them big time, lol!

Our Halloween hosts ...
My 'Lady of the Manor' sister Fiona and her 'Spooky Chef' fiance Simon

Two of my spooktacularly gorgeous nieces 

Leah and Lauren

We three Halloween Sisters of the Night!
L to R: Laura, me and Fo

Halloween fun with 'The Naughty Black Fairy'

My son's lovely girlfriend Hannah

Witch mother and son

Cheeky Halloween nieces

Halloween monsters!

My daughter Fay and oh-so-cheeky niece Erin

Preparing for take off with my beautiful Mini Witch Great Niece Ella

So this is what a year of marriage does to you!

Halloween Husband!

Fiona and Simon went to great lengths to dress their house in fabulous Halloween style and we all had a fun night partying way past the 'Witching hour'.

Hannah's Halloween cake masterpiece tasted every bit as good as it looked!

Thanks for the fantastic Halloween party you two, but more importantly, thank you both so much for doing what you always do so well ... bringing our families together to share fun, laughter and friendship.  

Much love to you, from us all xxx

Thanks also to my youngest sister Laura and her husband Keith, for capturing our special memories in such beautiful photographs!

Laura and Keith

More of Laura's photographic talents can be seen at: 

http://feldsparphotography.com/

Gee Wiz!

With Halloween fun and games at the front of my mind this week, I couldn't resist squeezing a little Halloween Tiddler bear into my schedule.

8.5" 'Wiz'

  

So this is 'Wiz', a handful of cheeky mischief at just 8.5"!

If you would like to adopt 'Wiz' please visit my website for full details: www.allbear.co.uk

My sister is hosting a Halloween party again this year, so my next task will be to titivate a witch hat with silver and blue stars for my 'blue witch' costume, make a special flashing collar for Polly to wear and attach her 'Halloween Fairy' wings to a dog harness - I'm not holding out too much hope the fairy wings will survive bouncing around with her German Shepherd pal Bugsy on the night though!

Update: Wiz has been adopted

Happy Prim Dolly Doodle Halloween!

Ever since I first discovered a magical storybook about witches in my school library when I was knee high to a grasshopper, I have been fascinated by the notion of witches gathering to fly the night skies on All Hallowes Eve ...

Octavia Orangewitch

It's been far too long since I indulged my inner doll-maker but of course, I couldn't let Halloween pass unmarked, so this week I've claimed back a little Paula Prim Dolly Doodle time to create 'Octavia Orangewitch' - she is of the new generation of witches, no hooky warty green noses for this young lady, oh no!  Octavia Orangewitch is a modern gal with highlights in her hair, a lovely orange party frock in which to dance the night away and beautifully beguiling big green eyes with which to cast her spell over you!

Happy Halloween!

A big 'un and a Dolly Doodle Witchypoo!

I am delighted to say, this rather impressive fellow found a lovely new home in the States almost as soon as he made his website debut yesterday!  I will be making his travel arrangements today, so he can meet his new mum (mom!) in the next few days.

22" 'Polperro'

I love making big bears in luxury mohair and am so grateful that after all these years of creating them, there are still collectors out there who love them too!

Halloween Witchypoo in progress!

  

With Christmas looming on the horizon, I have several shop orders to work on in the coming weeks, but first I'm squeezing in a dolly day ... it's been far too long since I made a Prim Dolly Doodle and I am determined to finish a 'Witchypoo' in time for All Hallowes Eve tomorrow!

Vanishing Act!

We're enjoying an Indian summer here in England with temperatures up in the eighties ... phew!  With so much sunshine beaming through my workroom window this week, working on Halloween pieces seemed a little topsy turvy, but I had fun anyway!

I've had my camera out this afternoon and can at last show you my finished Witchypoo Dolly Doodle ... complete with bloomers, I'm happy to say!

 

Polly Pumpkinwitch

I have also been working on a little black bear cub.  I called him Merlin and believe me, this little fellow was every bit as meddlesome as his namesake when I pointed my camera at him ... black bears are so tricky to photograph!

 

12" Merlin

Well, that's me and Halloween just about done for this year. I have a shop order to work on next and after that, it will be time for thinking Christmas thoughts.  One thing's for sure, with or without any hocus pocus, 2011 is fast doing a vanishing act!