Glorious technicolour

For those of you who read my previous post, I am happy to say my little Grandson seems to be settling happily into his new school life. I collected him from school with his Daddy on Tuesday and was delighted when an excited Toby flew through the school gates to give his Nana a big ol' hug, clutching his first official reading book. He was full of beans and eager to tell us all about his day. Yes, I think he'll be just fine.

So, I can now swap my 'anxious Nana' head, for my 'busy bearmaker' head but first I should mention, I am sat at home today waiting for a very special parcel ... my vintage Singer sewing machine is due to arrive! Whoop whoop! I am very excited to receive this beautiful old lady. My poor dogs are far less excited though, as it means their walk has been delayed while we wait for the doorbell and they have had to satisfy themselves with barking at the window cleaner rather than running on the field. Sorry girls!

By the way, I plan to finish a new teddy bear this afternoon, a lovely cheerful clown bear. The black and white pic is just to whet your appetite, I'll reveal all in glorious technicolour shortly!

:-)

Twists, turns and teddy bear artistry

Time is a funny old thing isn't it ... I was hunting through some old photographs for pictures of my biggest bears and came across this one taken about twenty years ago, with my huge 32" 'Miguel the Magnificent' alpaca teddy. We were perched on the steps outside my kitchen window while my then husband, snapped a quick photo to record the creation of this huge teddy bear, before he took a flight to meet his new owner in the USA.

Me and Miguel the Magnificent circa 1998.

So much in my life changed since those days. After this happy pic was taken, I became divorced, a single mum and eventually, left my home of twenty three years, to begin a new life with my now husband and two teenage children. Then my kids grew up and made careers for themselves, left home to build their own nests ... and joy of joys, my grandson was born!

Just before my son left home my Dad passed away unexpectedly, which took a great deal of coming to terms with, as I rattled in an empty house each day. I filled the silence with waggy tails, noisy barks and golden sunshine thanks to Polly and Betty, my two beautiful golden retrievers and more recently, added a cheeky ginger kitten into this rather lively mix - one thing is absolutely certain, the house is no longer too quiet and I have no time left to rattle any more!

Thinking about things further, it wasn't until after the photograph with Miguel was taken, I finally plucked up sufficient determination to learn to drive, passing my test on the second attempt, at the grand old age of 42! I also taught myself to use a computer properly, learned among a zillion other things, to create a website to showcase my bears, write a blog and to utilise social media effectively. I also joined the Open University to develop my writing skills, then surprised myself by passing well!  And when a very boisterous Polly puppy arrived, I nervously signed up for dog obedience training classes and once again surprised myself by actually managing to teach not one, but two naughty puppies to become polite doggy citizens. I learned how to use a digital camera to photograph bears, to make cloth dollies and recently, to paint and draw. 

Me and Lonnie, February 2018

Since the early 1990's, I have witnessed the ebb and flow of teddy bear collecting and watched it reshape dramatically with the birth of the internet ... it has been a fascinating period of historic teddy bear change, both in terms of design and collecting ... and one in which I have enjoyed a privileged view! 

On a personal note, although my life has been full of ups and downs, twists and turns throughout those twenty something years, thankfully the one constant has been my teddy bears. The passion to create these gentle creatures has remained with me, during the best and the worst of times.

There must be many reasons people become teddy bear makers. Mine was simply that I always loved traditional bears, ever since I was child and I had an itch to create my own ... then once I'd started, I couldn't bear to stop!

Thank you so very much if you have been a part of my teddy bear history. I have met many lovely people from around the world during my time as a 'bear artist' and am eternally grateful for the kind homes shared with my teddy bears and the kindness shared with me. 

:-)

Come rain, come shine

Being a maker of teddy bears can be a very sedentary and isolating job ... in fact, I don't recall how I  stayed sane before this daft pair moved in and took over my life.

Come rain, come shine, Polly and Betty never fail to ensure I keep my priorities in order by ensuring we go out into the big wide world for fresh air, exercise, obedience training and most importantly, fun.  They also keep me sociable by introducing themselves to other dogs and their owners whenever they spot one. My girls love to say hello!

So, I may not have time to make quite as many bears as I once did, but thanks to my beautiful golden girls, I am no longer at my desk for such long hours and am thankfully, a much healthier bear-maker than I used to be!

:-)

Champagne and Oo-bi-doo

I've been working on a big teddy bear for a collector in the US ... 'I'll leave it up to you Paula' she said, when asked about mohair choices. So, I created this lovely big cuddle of a bear in the hope 'Champagne' might be the perfect bear for my collector and happily, he was!

22" Champagne

So yesterday was 'up, up and away' day for Champagne. I booked a courier collection for the afternoon and quite literally, jogged back from our local playground with my grandson and two dogs in tow, to ensure we could be home as the van pulled up, to hand our precious cargo over in person.  We waved the van off, then settled on the sofa to watch Disney's 'Jungle Book'. Oh how I love grey November afternoons snuggled with my Grandson, singing along to 'Oo-bi-doo!' and 'I'm the king of the swingers'! Fun, fun,fun!

:-)

Adventuring

I have never have had a head for heights, regrettably failing to inherent my mother's daredevil gene ... (she has bungee'd, white water rafted, abseiled and even done that 'dangle from a parachute' thing. Her most recent madness being a crazy-scary face down plunge from a mountaintop in Wales, along a mile long zip wire ... at the age of 75!)

Despite being a complete wuss and having a long way to go to match my mother's adventuresome spirit, I will try my hand at almost anything if it puts a smiles on my grandson's face and this week, was by far the oldest participant in our local 'Jungle Gym', as my intrepid adventurer scaled rope bridges, urging me to 'up here Nana'!  It was hot, it was slippery and by gum it was exhausting, but we had an absolute blast together!

:-)

Ripening plums

Rodney found his climbing legs this week and his favourite lookout is now perched high in our plum tree.

At five months of age, this cheeky kitten has us enchanted. He is such a sweetheart and even has my dogs wrapped around his needle sharp little paws.

He wakes me politely each morning by walking along my back and settling between my shoulders, purring loudly ... and if that doesn't work, puts his nose  softly to mine until I open my eyes and say good morning!

It won't be much longer before young Rodders wants to explore further than the safety of our back garden; cats are such curious creatures after all. It always makes me nervous when first they take off into the Big Wide World beyond the garden fence! I will be taking him to visit the vet for removal of his own ripening plums (!) in a few week's time ... hopefully that will keep his wanderlust in check and ensure we don't have a neighbourhood of 'mini Rodneys' arriving beyond our fence in a few months' time!

Stay safe Rodney x

:-)

Political pathways

Yesterday was General Election Day here in the UK and to be honest, I hadn't a clear view of which party I felt could safely lead the country towards a future I would like for my children and grandson. This election, nothing seemed quite clearly enough defined for my simple head and despite trying to unravel pledges from the main parties, it seemed to me what I needed was a 'pick 'n mix' option in order to select my ideal world! Sadly that wasn't available so I did what I could to read and research, asked my friends to share their thoughts and then strolled down to the polling station, still muddle headed, with my husband after dinner.

Polly and Betty accompanied us and enjoyed saying hello to the polling station officials as we collected our voting slips. They sat patiently and politely in the booth, while I pondered, pencil in hand, before finally committing my vote.  It may not have been a completely confident 'X' in the box this year, but it was a cross made with hope for our future, love of my family and gratitude to those women who fought a determined battle a hundred years ago, to give women their political voice.

'Emmeline' has been adopted

As my poor head pondered the political pathways yesterday afternoon, I finished this teddy girl and given the importance of her birthday, named her Emmeline ... it seemed appropriate!

:-)

So that was 2012 ...

As regular readers will know, Stuart and I began this year by fixing the date for our wedding. Two years after losing my Dad so very unexpectedly, I made a decision at the start of 2012 to take up the reins of my life again ... I knew Dad would have told me, 'life is for the living Paula', so we went ahead, booked the date, told our families and with the much needed help of our 'Planning Committee' members, launched head first into months of wedding preparation.

Our Planning Committee

Before wedding work started in earnest, my daughter surprised me with tickets to see 'Phantom of the Opera' in Her Majesty's Theatre in London and we shared a very special mum/daughter day up in town together.

Stuart and I took a brief break half way through the year with the intention of recharging our batteries before the wedding but unfortunately, temperatures soared so high in Crete, we wilted and couldn't wait to come home again!

In June we squeezed in a fun Wormshill village picnic with my sister's family, to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee ...

Closely followed by my lovely niece's 21st birthday party.

We also managed to fit in a couple of trips to Portchester to catch up with my sister Tina and her family ...

Tina then travelled back to Kent for a 'pre-wedding' photo shoot at the Archbishop's Palace to help me iron out my looming bridal photo nerves.

And once that was done and dusted, we enjoyed a lovely relaxed 'sisters' afternoon, nattering and walking, at Leed's Castle.

Only 48 hours before our wedding day, we received a 5am call to tell us Stuart's new Granddaughter was on her way and our services were needed to take the expectant mum to hospital. Thankfully, Stuart's new granddaughter arrived speedily and healthily!

Stuart meeting his new granddaughter for the first time

Our big day dawned on the 16th September 2012 and what a fabulous day it was!  Such a happy, fun, family wedding ... we absolutely loved it. It was a a truly wonderful start to married life.

A few weeks later we returned to a favourite haunt for our honeymoon and had a super time clomping through Cornwall's woodland, cliff paths and beaches in the glorious late autumn sunshine.

And in November I was absolutely thrilled to become 'Great Auntie Paula' for the very first time! Thank you so much Leah and welcome to the world baby Ella xxx

Stuart and I wound up 2012 in our capacity as grandparents, by taking a trip to London with a very excited grandson yesterday, to see the 'Walking with dinosaurs' spectacular at the O2.

And after such a hectic year, I think we're beginning to feel a little like old dinosaurs ourselves!

So that was 2012 in a nutshell ... I wonder what 2013 will bring?!

The Glad Game

Oh dear, I'm such a party pooper!  It's an undeniable fact of life that me and New Year's Eve don't sit well with one another, so in classic Paula fashion, I was in bed by ten and fast asleep as the clock struck midnight on Saturday. 

It's the 2nd of January and I have decided to begin my New Year today.  Yesterday was wet and gloomy, completely unbefitting the start of New Year, but today the sun is shining boldly and the sky is clear blue ... a far better start to my shiny New Year!

Some of my 2011 teddy bear designs

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for 2011, it was remiss of me to have overlooked the good stuff.  Last year may not have had me laughing in the aisles, but it did reward me with the love and loyalty of those closest to me, a raft of success with my teddy bear designs and another year's solid portfolio of work under my belt.  Also, the 'Guild of Master Bearcrafters' went from strength to strength, my bears found new homes despite the challenging economic climate and I learned that even when life does its utmost to stop us in our tracks, somehow we still manage to cope. 

See, what happens when I put my Pollyanna head on? Suddenly the world becomes a brighter place!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year xxx

Spit Spot!

So, it will be New Year's Eve on Saturday and then thankfully, I can wave 2011 goodbye.  I'm not usually so lacking in enthusiasm for any entire year, but this past year has been a battle too far as far as I'm concerned ... 2011, I freely confess you have sapped me!  At last it's time to let you fade away so I can look forward to the brighter days of a shiny New Year.

My website has now been de-Christmassed in preparation for 2012! 

www.allbear.co.uk

First things first though, I need a little 'spit spot' to help me tidy Christmas away and ready myself for a fresh start ... so off with the tinsel and sparkle, this bearmaker intends to get organised!

Autumn Days

There's a definite nip in the air here in Kent and already there are early signs of Autumn ...

Woodland brambles are bearing juicy blackberries ...

Oak trees are preparing to shed their cargo of acorns ...

Hedgerows are dotted with pretty red rosehips ...

Orchards are laden with golden pears ...

The corn has been harvested ...

And here in the All Bear studio, my new 'Autumn Days' bears are wearing cosy hand knits!

Yes, Summer is drawing to a close in England and soon our countryside will be aflame with the rich russets, plums and golds of glorious Autumn ... once more. 

Missing you Dad x

Some things will never change.

My little boy turned 26 yesterday.  I guess at six foot three, working regularly overseas and with a mortgage in his own right now, it's time for me to face facts and accept he's not so little any more.  So, I won't whimper on about 'where did all the years go?'  Suffice it to say this year, rather than make his birthday tea myself, I was invited to share the celebrations as a guest in his new home.

Our Birthday Boy!  King of his very own couch.

Birthday cup cakes courtesy of Anthony's girlfriend Hannah - yum!

You'll always find us in the kitchen at parties!

It was lovely to share my son's birthday in his new home and I guess maybe in time, I might become used to not having to do the clearing up afterwards ...

Ants and Murphy

Happily some family traditions stay the same and as his Mum, I naturally maintain the right to embarrass my boy on his birthday; so here he is, aged a cheeky eleven or thereabouts, with his favourite bear 'Murphy' (made by Frank Webster) perched on his shoulder.  I smiled broadly to see old Murphy perched on the corner of Anthony's smart new living room shelf yesterday ... there's comfort in knowing some things will never change eh?!

Happiest of birthday wishes to you my boy,
with much love always,

Your Muva xxx

Disco Diversion ...

I've been in a bit of a sulky teenage fug today ... you know when you have to do something you really don't want to think about, let alone do?  Well, I've been having one of those days.  Anyway, without boring you with the detail, suffice it to say a blast of my special pink disco CD, played at full pelt while I was photographing my latest bear this afternoon, soon had me sorted ... there's nothing quite like 'It's raining men' by the Weather Girls, to set a '70's-at-heart-girl' back on the right track is there?!

16" Gracie is now available from www.allbear.co.uk

So this is 'Gracie', a pretty dusky pink girl bear, duly photographed, uploaded to my website to a disco beat and ... ready to adopt!

Update: I'm delighted to tell you Gracie found a lovely new home in the US shortly after appearing on my website!

Foward Focus.

I need to think about January's work schedule today.  It's hard to fathom how the first five days of 2011 managed to slip past without me so much as entering first gear.  In fairness though, I've had a chaotic few weeks, first my son's knee reconstruction and convalescence after a serious football accident, then Christmas, then summoning strength to help move Ants into his first new home a week ago ... no wonder the 'flu whacked me! 

Anthony, making his way in the world!

It's very quiet at home without Anthony and it will take me a while to adjust to him not being around every day, but I'm confident he's ready for his independence and as his mum, I take pride in that.  I guess, like all mums of adult children, there's no choice but to accept the time has come for me to find my way and allow him to find his ... I just wish the past twenty five years hadn't flown by quite so quickly!  Anyway, no point wallowing, it's not as if he's moved to the ends of the earth and I'm sure we will make more of the time we do spend together in future; besides which, I'll be popping in to his new house for a cuppa at the weekend!  (Can you hear this mum giving herself a firm talking to here?!  Hmmn, I thought so!)

1986, precious cuddles with my baby boy

I have my first show of 2011 booked for the end of February, so preparation for that should keep me occupied in the coming weeks.  I think I'll start work on the show bears very soon, but first, I have my Silly Bears shop order to complete and I am also determined to finish the lovely ginger bear waiting patiently in my work basket, so he can make his way to my website.

All Bear - 2010 portfolio cover

My 2010 portfolio of work

I was delighted to receive my 2010 portfolio in the post yesterday, particularly as this is the first book I've completed from photographs using my studio set-up.  It looks very professional, if I do say so myself!  My intention is to display the portfolio on my stand at the 'Winter Bearfest' show in Kensington, so visitors will be able to flick through and see what my work is all about.

These books are useful promotional tools at shows, but I also like to have them sat on my workroom bookshelf for reference, not to mention simply to enjoy reflecting on my past works  ... after all, we all need a little reminder of our achievements now and again!