Lilas Rose

 

Lilas Rose

Now and again it is fun to create a unique teddy bear in a more unusual colour. I was recently asked to make a special pink teddy girl for a collector, so rather than repeat any shades I have previously used in my bear-making, I decided to hand dye a piece of mohair and discover a unique shade of pink. 14" 'Lilas-Rose' teddy is the resulting bear... a wonderful confection of soft pink shades... and a lovely memory of our magnificent summer roses this year!

Camellia-Rose

 

It is several years since I last used my dye pot to create a teddy bear but last week, I remembered just how much fun it was...

I had a beautiful piece of ivory mohair in my box but it wasn't quite hitting the high notes for me to want to start making a teddy bear, so I decided to use some beautiful silk dyes to mix up a little teddy bear magic! After mixing my dye, I hung the mohair to dry in my garden near the camellia plant my dad gave me for my birthday, about thirty years ago. The plant, originally in a heavy ceramic pot, was eventually transported to our new home and transplanted to the garden about seventeen years ago. It settled into the flowerbed perfectly and has since grown huge over the years, bearing the most stunning pink blooms in April. The colour of my mohair was the colour of the Dad's camellia blooms, which made me smile and inspired me to create my Camellia-Rose teddy bear last week.

Happily, Camellia-Rose was adopted shortly after I popped her onto my website and she will be flying out to America to meet her new owner this week.

I am feeling inspired to create my own palette of pretty teddy bears over the coming summer months, so have ordered a lovely selection of dyes and am looking forward to sharing the results on my website!

The Spring Ball

 

THE SPRING BALL

After the wettest and muddiest of winters, Spring has at last arrived in the South East of England...

... and it is such a joy to watch gardens and the local countryside, waking to a swathe of pretty pastel blossoms dancing in the breeze... from the palest, to the most bold and flirtatious. Mother Nature at her most feminine!

There are also daffodils in heartfelt yellows and oranges, swaying gently in the borders, guaranteed to warm the chilliest of walkers, frilly hyacinths in pretty tutus of pink, blue and lilac, the shy purple crocus (almost at an end now) and sturdy camellia shrubs adorned in the most fabulous pinks and reds, demanding the eye of any passerby.

This week, the most spectacular sign that winter has now passed, has to be the breathtakingly beautiful magnolia trees, their branches dramatic with glamorous pink and white blooms, inviting us all to enjoy the show as they reach for the sky. Definitely the Belles of our Spring Ball, for a few more days at least, until wind and rain sweep back in to claim them... but never mind, it will soon be the turn of our magical Bluebells, currently waiting patiently in the wings to take centre stage!

It is such a lovely time of year and for this teddy bear maker, the 'Spring Ball' is always an inspiration!

A many splendoured thing

On this Valentine's Day..

13" Love

A sweet little pink bear, to celebrate that thing called 'Love'.

:-)

Wisteria Tweedy

On this beautiful Easter Bank Holiday, I am delighted to introduce a new Tweedy Ted to my website..

Wisteria Tweedy

Wisteria Tweedy is a new size of Tweedy at 16" ... a lovely, cuddly, snugglesome size in fact.  I have used a beautiful lilac herringbone Harris Tweed for this lovely teddy bear and contrasted with pretty pink. As with all my bears, Wisteria Tweedy is five way hardboard jointed and has glass eyes (yes, just like my mohair bears!) These bears are so fun to create and with the wonderful array of tweed available, design possibilities are endless!

If you would like to find out more about my Tweedy Teds, please pop over to www.allbearbypaula.com

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.

:-)

Update: Wisteria Tweedy has been adopted!

Business as usual

I had planned to introduce Duchesse on my blog but she sold within seconds of appearing on my website, then in the flurry of paperwork and packaging to send her on her way, I completely forgot to write my promised blog post ... sorry! She was a pretty, gentle looking teddy bear, created from lovely Schulte mohair.

20" Duchesse

After finishing Duchesse last week, I made another teddy bear from lovely Harris Tweed cloth.  I sized him down to be a bit smaller than the first Tweedy Bears, and at 17" 'Pippin' is a perfect size for cuddles. By the way, I used gorgeous autumnal shades for this bear, so he looks very cosy!

17" Pippin

Pippin is now available to adopt from my website, together with big brother 'McBlue', a very handsome 20" Tweedy Ted. I am planning to change McBlue's buttons and ribbon, as after mulling things over, I think matching grey tweed buttons and bow-tie would suit him better.

20" McBlue

I am looking forward to starting work on another Tweedy Ted this week, a special commission order for a collector. This one will be a teddy girl in pretty herringbone lilac and pink stripes,  hand woven by an independent weaver from the Isle of Lewis. It is such a joy to create teddy bears from such special cloth!

I also have a more vintage style teddy bear in the pipeline and maybe a Tiddler or two on the cards ...  or at least a couple of smallish bears; in fact, I have a head full of teddy bear waiting to bring to life at the moment!

So, it will be business as usual this summer in the All Bear workroom, then hopefully a change of pace and scenery in the Autumn, when I plan to squeeze in a ramble along Cornish cliffs and indulge myself in a spot of gazing out to sea and soaking up the view. 

Can't wait!

:-)

A rainy start

It's a rainy start to the week here in Kent and there is no hope of my being able to photograph my latest teddy bear in the garden. I put my thinking cap on and remembered my studio equipment, which has been gathering dust in the garage of late.

It's a bit of a long winded process setting it all up, but I did enjoy taking a few 'proper' studio photos of the teddy bears I currently have waiting to find for new homes - mind you, Rodney's 'assistance' wasn't in the least bit welcome, so he was unceremoniously packed off quick-smart to another room!

And the new teddy bear? Well, to my great surprise and delight, almost as soon has her studio photos were uploaded to my website a little earlier, she was adopted!

17" Memory has been adopted.

For anyone who missed her arrival on my website, this is 'Memory', a very traditional teddy bear in a pretty vintage pink shade of mohair.

My fingers and toes are now crossed for Albert, Lonnie and Whisper ... here's hoping they too will find special homes soon. 

:-)

Update: Lonnie and Whisper have been adopted!

Bramble

I love the delicate palette of my latest big teddy bear. The beautiful oyster pink Schulte mohair really lent itself to soft pinky-beige velvet paws and dusky pink highlights and I think, makes a lovely variation on the Autumn teddy theme. I hope you think so too!

'Bramble' is 22"

I am happy to tell you, Bramble has hopped onto my website and is now available for adoption. Please visit for further pics and full details. Thank you!

www.allbearbypaula.com

:-)

Update: Bramble has been adopted!

Cut from the same cloth

Oops, 'Lolly' was adopted so quickly I was caught up in a flurry of parcel tape and completely forgot to share her here on my blog, so I'd better set that straight today.

18" 'Lolly'

 After making exclusively hairy bears so far this year, I recently experienced a creative urge to work with a fabric other than mohair. I remembered some beautiful pure wool, English Harris Tweed I'd purchased and tucked away in my cupboard a couple of months ago, so I hunted it out and hey presto, 'Lolly' was born!

I love these bright pink 'n purple tweeds, so much more cheerful than the dreary brown tweeds my old school maths teacher used to wear as he raised his eyes heavenwards whilst trying to explain mathematical processes to this less than interested teenager.

Unlike my maths lessons, Lolly was fun to work on! I used bear making and doll making techniques, so she's part dolly and part teddy bear; what you might call a 'dolly bear' I suppose.

I really enjoyed using cloth and have more of the Harris Tweed in lovely autumnal shades, so please watch this space for future teddy developments, if this style of hairless teddy bear appeals as much to you as it did to Lolly's new owner in the USA!

:-)

In an English country garden

I finished this lovely pale pink traditional teddy bear yesterday and while I was running through potential names in my head, kept being drawn towards cottage garden flowers as cottage gardens are always packed full of the prettiest flowers! One of my favourites is the hollyhock ... I love how tall and elegant they are!  So, I've named my teddy 'Hollyhock'. I think it is the perfect name, I hope you do too!

17" Hollyhock

Hollyhock is now available to adopt. 

For full details, please feel free to pop over to visit my website, thank you!

www.allbearbypaula.com

:-)

Update: Hollyhock has been adopted!

A little Sweetheart!

I was recently digging around in my boxes of mohair and found just enough of my lovely 'Elizabeth Rose' Schulte mohair to make a 15" teddy bear for my website.

15" 'Sweetheart'

Pink teddies are always popular and Sweetheart has been no exception. I uploaded her to my website, took Polly and Betty out for their walk and by the time we arrived back home, she had captured the heart of an overseas collector and made her arrangements to settle in America ... way to go Sweetheart!

:-)

Elizabeth Rose

So, while I was waiting for fabric to arrive from Germany and enjoying my roses, I decided to finish work on a Summer bear I started a little while ago and as I pondered what to call her, it dawned on me our amazing Queen has been celebrating her 90th birthday this weekend, so my pretty pink girl teddy bear has been named 'Elizabeth Rose' in her honour ... wishing you a very Happy Birthday Ma'am!

20" Elizabeth Rose is now available for adoption from my website.  If she tugs at your heartstrings, please pop over to:

www.allbearbypaula.com 

Thank you!

Update: Elizabeth Rose has been adopted!

Rumour has it ..

On afternoons as beautiful as this, there is nothing like being able to work quietly outside, sat under my parasol.

This pretty Summer pink teddy girl is a commission order and she's waiting patiently while I knit her a little something to wear.  So here I am, enjoying the sunshine from the comfort of my garden chair and listening to Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' album while Polly and Betty doze on the lawn.  

It's a tough life!

;-)

Lily the Pink

This was a little indulgence bear on my part as it's been ages since I worked with alpaca, so when I saw this pretty powder puff pink piece, even though I had other projects I should have been working on, I couldn't resist buying it and squeezing her into my bear-making schedule.

I happened to have a couple of balls of lovely soft alpaca yarn in my work basket, in the perfect shade of pink for this bear, so over the weekend, I snuggled into my chair to knit her a cosy hat and scarf to wear.

Lily looked so pretty in pink, I am delighted to say she was adopted as soon as she went onto my website yesterday!

:-)

In the pink!

Between walking Polly each day and pondering what I will do with my newly enforced freedom, I've been sat in my conservatory, enjoying the Spring sunshine through the windows, whilst knitting this vintage style jacket for my sweet centre-seam teddy girl ...

I am very happy to say, 'Betsy Rose' found a lovely new home after I shared a few 'work in progress' pics on Twitter ... all hail the power of the Tweet!

I often post quick snaps of what I'm up to on my Twitter, so if you'd like to see more, you are very welcome to join me by clicking the link below:

Follow @allbearbypaula

On the crest of a wave

Before Summer slips into Autumn, I have one last pretty girl to share with you.

'Mary-Rose'

Naturally, after my recent holiday by the sea, this gorgeous girl teddy needed a nautical flair!

'Mary-Rose' is quite a substantial girl at 19" tall, so will no doubt provide a pretty pink statement in any teddy bear collection.  If you are yearning for clear blue skies and a life on the ocean waves, perhaps she could be the bear for you!  

For full details of this special teddy bear, please visit my website: 

www.allbearbypaula.com

Update: Mary-Rose has been adopted.

Sunday Sundae

Clear blue skies, steamy sunshine and an inviting waft of barbecued sausages rumblin' my tum ... Summer it seems, has arrived in the UK this Sunday!

19" Sundae

So today is the perfect day to introduce my own 'Sundae', a pretty pink and white alpaca teddy with velvet paws, which I've been working on recently.

As you can see, Sundae is a girl with a twinkle in her eye ... her hand painted glass eyes really bring her to life!

Sundae is now available to adopt from my brand new 'All Bear by Paula' website and can be found at: 

www.allbearbypaula.com

Update: Sundae has been adopted.

Happy First Birthday Ella!

It was my gorgeous Great niece's first birthday on Sunday ... goodness me how the year has flown!

Naturally I couldn't allow such an important occasion pass without a teddy bear, so set to work making 'Lily Marie', a pretty pink teddy bear, for our very special little lady, Miss Ella Marie.

I hope Ella and Lily Marie will become firm friends and share their secrets in years to come.

Ella's mummy and daddy put on a lovely family party yesterday so we could share Ella's very first birthday.

Happy Birthday Ella, may magic and sparkles be yours forever!

With much love,

Great Auntie Paula xxx

Dusty Rose

I made this lovely plummy pink bear a few weeks ago and since then she has been sat on my workroom shelf waiting patiently while I busy myself with other, more demanding projects.  It doesn't seem at all fair that she has been overlooked, so this week I am offering her for adoption and as Christmas is on the way and many bear collectors are gazing longingly at bears they can no longer afford in these tougher economic times, I've allowed myself to be a teensy bit carefree and sent her to Ebay with a starting price at almost a hundred pounds less than she would usually retail for.  Once in a while it feels pretty good to do something a little less than businesslike - don't worry, I won't be making a habit of such madness, let's just have some fun while I'm feeling generous!

'Dusty Rose'

If you would like to join in the fun this week, please click the link below to visit Dusty's auction page:

Visit Dusty's Ebay Auction Page

Five Bears and an Ellie!

It is immensely satisfying when the very last ear has been stitched, the final ribbon tied and of course, a good stout box safely sealed for an imminent courier collection.  Yes, drumroll please ... I can at long last introduce you to my 'Five Bears and an Ellie' collection!

Ta da!!!!

'Five Bears and an Ellie!'

This higgledy piggledy group of teds was commissioned by the 'One More Bear' shop in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, where they will soon be made available for adoption.  The bears range in size from 13" to 20" and in case you're curious, the pretty pink ellie is a very cute 16"!