Long may he reign supreme!

Not that I don't enjoy the challenge of contemporary design, but traditional bears were my first love and they still know how to tug at my heartstrings today ...

'Becks and Scrump' circa 1996

In fact, I remember my early classic bears as old friends.  'Becks' and 'Scrump' for example, two super teddy bears made by my sister and I, way back in the mid 1990's.  They were made from glorious Schulte mohair in two alternative shades of gold.  My sister Fiona designed Scrump (right) and I created Becks (left).  We didn't collaborate beyond choosing the mohair together over a cuppa and yet when completed, our bears looked just as though they were brothers, meant to be together!

'Orwell' Circa Circa 1995

Then there was Orwell, another early 90's bear, beautifully big and totally traditional. I think I made about ten of these bears, but never kept one for myself ... now I so wish I had!  I recall being absolutely delighted with this 25" teddy bear as it was the first time I felt as though I had succeeded in creating the kind of teddy bear I would like to buy for myself.

'Timeless' Circa 1995

Not long after Orwell, came 'Timeless', a whopping 26" growler.  He was made for the  final Hugglets' 'Festival of Artist Bears' show, in Stratford Upon Avon.  I stood behind the table with Fiona and as the doors opened a lady flew across the room to scoop him into her arms ... we watched as she fell hook, line and sinker in love with him!  We had a super time at that show standing among the most fabulous bear artists of the time - it was a completely thrilling day for two bear-making sisters quite new to selling their work!

'Gorgeous George' Circa 2007

Luckily for me, traditional bears really are timeless and a decade later they were still very much in demand.  'Gorgeous George' was another bear of whom I was very proud. I gave him a gentle nod to modernity by introducing hand painted glass eyes and subtle shading to the eye socket, but as you can see, he remained true to his forebears.

'Bellamy' 2009

Since the traditional teddy bear heyday of the 1990's, I have made many, many teddies of all shapes, colours, styles and sizes, but throughout those years have never been distracted from my first love and what I consider to be 'a proper teddy bear'.  Leaping forward some fourteen years, brings us to 'Bellamy,' a magnificent 23" bear commissioned by a devoted gentleman collector.  Once again, I used only the very best Schulte mohair to help me create a bear I could be proud of.  There's something so special about Schulte mohair, not only is it fabulously silky, dense, gloriously rich in colour and strong ... it is also absolutely perfect for creating teddy bears of distinction!

'Stirling' 2011

There's no doubt in my mind, traditional teddy bears should never grow old or become outmoded.  They are bears to care about, bears to cherish and most definitely bears to take with us into the future.

Hip hip horaay for our traditional teddy bear!
Long may he reign supreme!

In search of hidden treasure!

Well, that's Stratford done for another year!  Once again Stuart and I enjoyed a lovely weekend there and this year thankfully, it didn't rain.

Boats on the River Avon

A change of scenery is always a breath of fresh of air to flagging spirits and Stratford with its cultural hustle and bustle, great restaurants and generally 'interesting things to do', never fails to capture our interest.

Late afternoon sunshine on the Guild Hall

We love to mooch along the river Avon and potter around the town's medieval streets and of course, I always have my faithful camera close to hand ...

The Holy Trinity Church

The Bard himself is interred within Holy Trinity Church, but aside from that cultural claim to fame, I think the Church is an absolutely beautiful building and I love its tranquil churchyard, set back from the riverbank.

We strolled along the river for a while before heading back into town to our favourite eatery 'The Garrick Inn', which claims to be the oldest public house in town, dating back as far as the fourteenth century.  

After imbibing several glasses of beer, a very tasty meal of sea bass cooked in a delicious dill and butter sauce and a large Irish coffee (yes Dad, made with Jamiesons Irish whisky, just as you taught me!) in the candlelit restaurant, it was still light outside, so feeling rather mellow (!) we decided to continue our walk, with the intention of finding Anne Hathaway's Cottage for the first time ... 

Anne Hathaway's Cottage!

And after a long walk through several inter-connecting lanes, there it was, a signpost to Hathaway cottage!  Other day trippers had long since retreated to their coaches and departed for evening meals, so we were delighted to be alone, peeking over the garden gate to see this picturesque thatched cottage where Shakespeare's wife once lived, with its quintessentially English flower gardens blooming with lupins and poppies ... it felt just like finding hidden treasure!

Thatched cottages off Tannery Lane

Failing light reminded us we had a long walk ahead, so happy with our lovely historical find, we headed back along Tannery Lane as dusk fell, for a well-earned brandy night cap back in the hotel bar.

The Clock Tower at twilight

Needless to say, waking in time to exhibit at a teddy bear show in the Civic Hall on Sunday morning after the Saturday night before, wasn't easy!  However, one of the perks of staying away overnight is a full English breakfast and there was no way Stuart was going to miss ours!  He chivvied me out of bed and down to the restaurant, before plying me with sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes, setting me up for the bear-filled day ahead.

All set up, just in the nick of time!

After breakfast, we set up my stand, fluffed the bears and waited for the show to begin ...

A pre-show peek inside the Teddy Bear Artist Event show

Although it could have been busier, it was a lovely, well organised, very friendly show (with fabulous home made cake!)  The day passed in a gentle hubbub and I was thrilled to see my little 'Pops' bear go home with a very happy raffle supporter.  At four o'clock we packed everything back into the car and were safely home in Kent again, four hours later.  Today I'm as tired as a tired thing can be ... but no matter, we've had a lovely weekend!

Nice weather for ducks!

The heavens opened when we reached Stratford on Saturday and as we strolled along the River Avon after unloading our car, we were every bit as wet as the ducks.  Not even torrential rain could dampen our mood though ... we were determined to make the most of our weekend away in Shakespeare's beautiful home town!

The Falcon Hotel

We've stayed in the Falcon Hotel previously, but not had the pleasure of staying in the original 16th Century part of the hotel, which is a very different experience from the modern end of the building.  This year our room had a lovely little lounge attached, which looked onto an archaelogical dig taking place at 'Nash's House' (Shakespeare's last residence) opposite.  There were Tudor beams galore, not to mention a wonderfully quirky floor, which tipped everything, bed included, towards the centre of the room - not necessarily the most comfortable night's sleep we've ever had, but atmospheric and great fun! And on Sunday morning the hotel's restaurant provided us with an excellent 'Full English' breakfast, which let's face it, is the perfect start to a busy show day!

Stuart checking out the Bard's monument in the pouring rain.

View towards Holy Trinity Church

We walked along the Riverbank in the direction of the Holy Trinity Church (where Shakespeare was christened) and from time to time the sun made a half hearted effort to shine through the clouds.

We even saw a rainbow, just as Stuart did his Mary Poppins routine!

The Holy Trinity Church across the Avon

It became clear the rain wasn't likely to ease for long enough for us to sit on the grass with a pint or two like we did last year, so we decided to take the sensible option and instead walked back through the town in search of a cosy pub!

The Guild Chapel and the Grammar School where Shakespeare was educated

Needless to say, I kept my little point 'n' shoot camera handy as we walked ... after all, there are so many picturesque sights in Stratford, it would have been a shame to miss an opportunity to snap away!  

And before long we spotted The 'Windmill Inn', which has been a designated public house for an impressive 400 years ... perfect!

"Oi, will you stop fiddling with that camera and let's get inside!"

We guzzled our beer and as the warmth of the pub gradually dried our soggy feet, decided we were hungry, so wandered towards the 14th Century 'Garrick Inn,' in search of further sustenance.

We enjoyed a tasty meal, topped off with Irish coffees in the Garrick.  All in all, a very pleasant way to spend an evening.

Sunday's 'Teddy Bear Artist Event show took place in the Civic Hall across the road from the magnficent Clock Tower.

The Clock Tower

Luckily for the exhibitors, the heavy rain didn't scare away our hardy collectors and this lovely show was a terrific success!  I spent the entire day chatting and finding new homes for my show bears. 

Having a natter with lovely Pam Howells

Eager collectors and yes, there's Gregory Gyllenship too!

I'm afraid not many of the show pics I took came out well enough to share here with you ... but don't let that stop you from visiting Stratford and the Teddy Bear Artist Event next year will you?!  I highly recommend a weekend in Stratford, whatever the weather!

'Felicity and her bun'

The icing on my Stratford cake was that my competition entry 'Felicity and her bun' won the 'Organiser's Award' at the show, which means I have been given a free stand at next year's show ... and of course, that gives me a great excuse for another weekend in lovely Stratford Upon Avon.  Now that's what I call a result!

A duck for Dad x

If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also enjoy the following:

http://allbear.blogspot.com/2008/06/summing-up-stratford-upon-avon.html

and

http://allbear.blogspot.com/2010/06/show-time-in-stratford.html

All Present and Correct!

How I did it, I'm not quite sure, but today I can announce my 'Teddy Bear Artist Event' show bears are at last, all present and correct in time for their big day out in Stratford Upon Avon ... phew!

My 2011 Stratford Collection!

  I feel as though I've done a full workout this morning ... who would have thought clambering around the lounge taking photographs could be such strenuous work?!

If you would like to join us all and meet the bears in person on Sunday, please visit http://www.teddybearartistevent.co.uk/ for full details of this very special artist bear show.

Well, the bears are made, they've had their official photo shoot, my http://www.allbear.co.uk/ website has been updated with pics ... time for a rest?  If only!  There is still much to do before Sunday's show - pricing, tagging and packing to name but a few of the remaining tasks ...

But first lunch!  All this work has given me an appetite and as the sun is shining, I'm looking forward to taking a breather while I eat an egg and tomato sandwich out in my garden ... I reckon I've earned it!

Too little too late?

I must admit to feeling a little bogged down this week.  The Stratford show is looming large on the 12th June and as my next shop order has been pulled forward at short notice too, it doesn't feel as though I'm doing justice to anything right now.  Hopefully by the middle of next week, my basket of bits will magically have become lovely new bears and I will be able to relax a bit!

Ah well, at least I do have a few new bears ready for the show ...

21" Hector

21" Ophelia

16" Toby

23" Felicity

And although I haven't photographed him yet, I also finished a little bear yesterday ... mind you, at only 8" he's not exactly going to help fill my table is he?!

Work, rest and play!

Here I am, a weary ol' bearmaker after my weekend showing off in Stratford.  It seems incredible that after all the preparation and worry about being ready, now I'm back home and it's all over and done with!  I confess, the weekend didn't exactly get off to a racing start when we packed up my little Saxo and drove to the end of our road before almost expiring in the heat!  Stuart and I took one look at each other, nodded, turned the car round and drove the few yards back to our own driveway.  Heaven only knows what the neighbours thought as they watched their daft neighbours take one step across the drive, only to load up Stuart's car instead - had they been strapped into my ten year old car in temperatures of 28 degrees celsius minus aircon, they may have more easily understood our antics!

Oh dear, too late for Shakespeare's Birthplace ... again!

Eventually we arrived in Stratford just in time to miss the opening times for Shakespeare's Birthplace for the second year, so my cultural education remains unimproved .. ah well, maybe I'll try harder next year!  We spent a beautiful balmy evening in Stratford nevertheless, mooching along the riverbank and then back to one of the riverside pubs.  We plonked ourselves by the river Avon with beer in hand, watching the world sailing by, before ambling back to the 'Garrick Inn' for a delicious meal and yes, a little more beer!

Stuart watches the world sail by on the River Avon ...

One of the benefits of staying overnight in Stratford, was that on Sunday morning we were able to virtually fall out of bed and in through the show door ... well, perhaps not quite, but as the Civic Hall was just a little way down the road, it meant we could enjoy a traditional full English breakfast in our hotel restaurant before getting into show mode.  Stuart heartily approved of that arrangment I can tell you!

Enjoying our evening by the river.

The show itself was lovely, so well organised, beautifully presented and very sociable.  I thoroughly enjoyed my day and as usual, spent almost every second of it chatting to visitors, friends and basically anyone prepared to listen.  I was absolutely delighted by the kindness of the visitors to my stand and utterly thrilled when the doors first opened and one lovely collector flew to my stand to grab 'Gustav' as quickly as possible.  This gentleman had travelled and queued early to ensure no-one else adopted the special bear he had set his heart on and let me tell you, that passion is what makes a bear maker's world turn!

My stand.

One thing I love about this show, is the opportunity to catch up with bear artist friends ... for us shows are like coming out of a long hibernation and it's so good to be able to actually natter in person with one another!  This year I had the pleasure of my table being positioned between Sue Quinn of 'Bears by Sue Quinn' http://www.bearsbysuequinn.co.uk/  a lovely lady I have known about for many years (Sue has been a bear maker for thirty years!) but never met in person before and Shelly Allison the Rabbitmaker http://www.therabbitmaker.com/, who I have known since before her first show and who makes the most wonderful sculptural rabbits.

The show before opening.

The journey home was heavy with stop-start traffic, so we pulled off at an Oxford service station to refuel with Kentucky Fried Chicken ... (what with that, the beer, the fried breakfast, the homemade chocolate cake and the beautiful duck dinner with dauphinoise potatoes, this has not been a good weekend for my waistline!) eventually arriving home just after 8pm in the evening.  You might think show day would end with the emptying of the car boot and a nice glass of wine, but oh no, several of the bears remained unsold, so hopeful emails had to be answered and their adoptions finalised ...  by the time I eventually fell into bed it was somewhere around 11pm by which time I had lost the ability to think straight!

17" Petal

20" Sweet Dreams

My 'Petal' and 'Sweet Dreams' bears are waiting to hear if they will travel to new homes later this week, so I'm hoping everything goes well for them, please keep your fingers crossed!

8th June update: I am very happy to tell you all the show bears (and doll!) have now found new homes!

Summing up Stratford Upon Avon

'So, how did Stratford go Paula?' I hear you ask. Well, now that I've had time to put on my thinking cap and mull things over, I can tell you that overall, I was very impressed by the organisation of the show and I loved catching up with old friends, some of whom I haven't bumped into since my early days selling on the UK show circuit.

 
Unfortunately I must have had a 'senior moment' whilst making my preparations for the show. I thought I had organised my trip with military precision, but when I went to set up my stand on arrival, had to face facts, my memory is nowhere near as good as it used to be! I had left the entire centre section of my stand at home in Kent. It just goes to show there is always room for calamity on show days, no matter how experienced you are! By some miracle, I had a spare table covering in my box of tricks, so had to improvise by tipping the entire contents of my transporting box out under the table, turning the box upside down, covering it with the spare sheet et voila! Not perfect by a long shot, but I think I just about scraped myself out of trouble!

The Civic Hall is a super venue, not big enough to overwhelm and not small enough to tire of quickly, it was beautifully dressed by the organiser and I absolutely loved the addition of balloons everywhere ... so cheerful! Mind you, Sunday was very warm and by the afternoon, the temperature in the Hall sure had risen! Phew!

 The Civic Hall is the white building next to the Clock Tower

 The magnificent 1887 clock tower, outside the Civic Hall

I think overall, the show achieved its promise to offer a new collecting experience and managed to create an enthusiastic atmosphere amongst both visitors and exhibitors. Hopefully next year it will bring forth even more eager visitors! There was a super mix of teddy bears available from a wonderful range of bear artists, both newly establishing and old timers. I'm afraid I didn't manage to take more than a couple of photos inside the show but you should get the general idea. I think Samantha (show organiser) is going to add her collection of photos to the event website, so if you would like to see more pics please pop over in the next few days when she's had a chance to upload them. http://www.teddybearartistevent.co.uk/

We stayed at the White Swan Hotel, just a few steps from the Civic Hall

Stuart chilling out in the afternoon sunshine on Saturday

The Garrick Inn, where we had a lovely dinner. Stratford's oldest public house, dating back to the 14th Century!

On a personal note, my weekend in Shakespeare's home town of Stratford Upon Avon was an absolute treat and for those of you who love a little history and revel in a little literature, here are a few of the photographs I took on our balmy Saturday evening, spent exploring the town.

The house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564

The Guild Chapel, rebuilt in 15th Century - isn't it magnifcent in the evening sun!

 

Twilight on the River Avon

 

Modern uses for historic buildings ... the pizzeria!

Breathtaking Harvard House 1596, now houses the Pewter Museum. The intricate carvings on the front of this building are fabulous!

Nash's House, Shakespeare's retirement home 1597

Hey, there's even a very pretty teddy bear shop!

The RSC theatre is undergoing renovations, still a crowd pleaser though!

Stratford's War Memorial Gardens

16th Century Hall's Croft, Shakespeare's daughter's residence

Beautiful Tudor buildings around the town

The old Grammar School built 1428, where Shakespeare was educated

The beautiful Holy Trinity Church built in 1210, Shakespeare was baptised and buried here.

Well, I hope you enjoyed your visit to Stratford Upon Avon! I must admit, I was frustrated by lack of time and next time I visit, I would love to arrive in time to beat the 5pm closure deadline for the Shakespeare's Trust buildings and immerse myself in some of the wonderful history available by actually entering the buildings!