It's a jungle out there!

I'm trying hard to stay focused on my show bear preparation, but I'll confess it has been a little tricky since Daisy moved in at the weekend, because she has enchanted us all!

Time for a cuppa

Potting

Wassat?????

Ready, steady ...

Peek-a-boo!

Who'da boss?!

After playing in the garden, guess who's a sleepy kitty cat now?!

Hopefully I will have some new bear photographs to share with you soon, but in the meantime, I hope you are enjoying my kitty pics!

Daisy, Daisy!

I received a call on Friday to tell me little Daisy was big enough to leave her mum and come to live with us, on Saturday morning, my son and I scrambled to the local pet store to buy pretty pink kitty toys before driving to Charing to collect our new charge ... and here she is!

Daisy on adoption day

On the prowl ...

Playtime with Anthony!

Anthony with his new love!

Kitty cuddles with Fay ...

... and finally, one very sleepy kitty snuggling with Han!

As you can see, little Daisy has settled in beautifully and she is so much fun!  Puddle is naturally a little miffed by our newcomer, but I'm sure she'll come round in a day or so; as for Toffee, he's not in the least bit bothered by our new kitty, but is far too interested in her food bowl, naughty boy!

With only two more weeks until the Stratford show, I'm going to have to make a concerted effort not to be too distracted from my bear-making by this cheeky little bundle!

Show prep for the 'Teddy Bear Artist Event'

I've escaped from my workroom this morning ... you see, the sun came out and as there wasn't a cloud in the sky, I decided to plonk myself in the conservatory with 'This Morning' on the telly to finish knitting a cute little cardigan for one of my show bears.  The weather is so beautiful, I'm even wearing shorts today!

 

My pink girl bear, waiting for her cardigan to be knitted

I thought you might like to see how I'm getting on with my show preparation with only two and a half weeks until show day.  As you can see below, I've left my worktable under a pile of 'in progress' bits 'n pieces, so will need to have a big tidy up soon because I don't like being in a mess (albeit a creative one) for too long!  By the way, if you look closely, you can spot the head of my pink bear (above) lolling on the table.

In progress ... my work table is buried under there somewhere!

I have a few show bears with all relevant limbs and ears attached, waiting patiently on my workroom shelf for their final titivations, so at least I can see some progress now ... there's still a long way to go before I'll be completely ready for the show though!

On the shelf ...

Well, on that note, I suppose I had better get back to my knitting needles and make the most of our lovely May sunshine!

Bluebells in May.

After spending seven hours in the Accident and Emergency department of our local hospital with my son and his dislocated knee the previous weekend, it was a treat to take a stroll with Stuart to hunt for some bluebells yesterday, before the rain began to pour.  We are fortunate that behind our garden lies a lane and a short toddle along that lane takes us to Allington Woods.  With bluebells carpeting the ground, this lovely pocket of Kentish countryside is definitely at its best ...

There was an extra treat for us yesterday, when through the trees we spotted spectacular fields of gloriously sunny rape ...

Stuart enjoying the yellow!

Don't you just love how the English countryside suddenly bursts into colour at this time of year?  I know I do!

A hop, skip and ... two work-in-progress bears.

After my last post, I thought it was about time I shared some work with you just to prove I haven't quite drifted away with the breeze!  Here is a little work-in-progress peek at two of the bears I have been working on for my next show 'The Teddy Bear Artist Event,' which takes place in beautiful Stratford Upon Avon on June 6th.

They aren't aren't quite finished yet and are waiting patiently on my workroom shelf for a few final fiddlings while I crack on with a few more bears.  I snapped this pic quickly on my new 'point 'n shoot' camera yesterday - it's a Canon Ixus 210 by the way and I really must read the book to find out how to use the camera properly;  I know it takes better pics than this ... I blame the photographer!

All in all, bear production hasn't been as successful as it should have been during the past few days, unfortunately my son dislocated his knee whilst playing football at the weekend, so we spent seven hours waiting for treatment in the Accident and Emergency department of our local hospital, which wasn't much fun as you can imagine!  Poor Anthony is now hopping around on crutches with a knee the size of a football.  Typically he was grateful the accident happened during his last match of the season, so he can be match fit again for next season's games ... boys and their footie eh?!


The Civic Hall, Rother Street, Stratford Upon Avon

Before I go, perhaps I should mention the bear show in detail for anyone who might like to visit!  It's a truly lovely bear show, celebrating the very best in teddy bear artistry.  It will take place at the Civic Hall in Rother Street, Stratford Upon Avon on Sunday 6th June and I do hope you can visit!

For full details, including the exhibitor's list, please visit http://www.teddybearartistevent.co.uk/

On the breeze ...

It's one of those days, you know the kind where you can't quite put your mind to any one thing?  Rather it wafts away on the breeze, here, there and almost anywhere ...

My sewing will have to wait, on days like today I need to ponder things, rather than do them! 

The Careworn Pastel Collection

It feels like ages since I have had a new bear to share with you and all of a sudden, today I can share an entire collection of five!  I have been working hard finishing this collection for a shop in Scotland for the past few weeks. 

The Careworn Pastels Collection

13" Doolittle & 19" Higgins

13" Doolittle & 15" Porgy

Bess & Porgy both 15"

17" Eliza shown with 15" Porgy & Bess

I met Julieann, the owner of 'Silly Bears', at the Winter Bearfest show in London back in February when she visited my stand to view my work. We hit it off immediately and Julieann liked my bears so much she invited me to work with her.  So, if you were wondering why news on my bear front has been a little quiet lately, these lovely, shabby bears, destined for Silly Bears in Aberdeen, right up in Scotland, are the reason why.  By the way, the 'Careworn Pastels Collection' will be launched and available exclusively from Silly Bears later today!

A tale of nine cats

I have always had a soft spot for cats.  There's something very knowing about a cat, they seem to have life sorted out and I like that about them - the odd thing is, I've never known two cats alike in all the years I've provided home and hearth for them, they are such individual characters!  My cats have never had much in the way of airs or graces, each of my moggies found his or her way to me the same way he or she came into this world ... by chance.

My first, a beautiful sassy tortoiseshell called Sally, was born in the piggery of a farm near my Dad's house.  She was a wee scrap of a thing, found floundering at only four weeks old after being abandoned by her mum.  Sally gave me many loyal years and was definitely head of the household, even dominating our poor old dog - she really was a bossy boots! 

My son and Sally, 1987

A couple of years later I contacted the 'Cats Protection League' to ask if any cats needed adopting.  I was presented with 'Poppet', a skinny tabby stray, caught scrounging behind our local library.  I quickly changed her name to 'Poppy' (Poppet was a bit too gooey for my tastes!) and for the next sixteen years, she hissed and spat at everyone and everything.  We were never close, but we rubbed along okay and when she finally gave in to old age, I quite surprised myself by being so sad to lose her.

Several years ago, I received a call from one of my sisters to tell me a litter of feral kittens had moved into her garden shed and of course, I couldn't resist ... the two of us sat for hours in a corner of her garden, quietly luring the hungry kitties towards us with titbits.  Little Socks gave in first, she was such a pretty girl, smokey grey with white socks and the sweetest white face.  Socksie was soon coaxed from her wild ways and became the perfect lap cat, she was such a gentle soul and very special to me.  Sadly she developed a heart condition and a growth in her tummy, so slipped away just before Christmas Eve one year, but for the seven years she lived with us, she had a good life.  Her brother Leo also came to live with us, another gentle soul with a loud purr and great big feet.  Leo was easily tamed and in his later years, loved to spend the day in the garden, asleep on the patio table.  The worst part about sharing your life with pets is saying goodbye when their time comes and sadly Leo's time came a couple of weeks ago. 

Toffee

Leo's pal Toffee was the runt of a litter, living on a local farm.  We had recently given a kitten from the same farm to my niece Leah, to console her after her cat Mischief disappeared.  Truffle was a pretty kitten and Leah was thrilled with her, but needless to say it wasn't long before Mischief wandered back home as if he'd never been away - that's cats for you eh?!  My daughter was determined we too should have another kitten, so we returned to the farm and brought Toffee home, a scrawny ginger tomcat.  With a little tender loving care, he soon became a robust cat, full of adoration for Fay.  That was fourteen years ago and he's still with us, preferring a quiet life these days, but still able to shin up a garden fence when the need arises!

Truffle

If you read regularly, you will probably already know about my little black bundle of trouble.  Puddle was another of my daughter's 'oh please Mum, can we?' cats.  She needed a home three years ago, but was terribly ill a few days after arriving.  I nursed her through the night, feeding her liquids with a syringe - it was touch and go for a while, but by some miracle she pulled through and has since become a much loved, extremely cheeky and very lively member of our family!

Puddle

So here I am, twenty three years after first adopting Sally from the pig farm, waiting excitedly for my next arrival!  Yes, Fay convinced me to find a young friend for Puddle and Stuart agreed, so on Monday we drove out visit the cutest litter of black and white kitties.  

Daisy!

I'm excited to tell you, little Daisy (I've called her that because the lawn is blooming with daisies at the moment) the boldest kitten in the litter, will be coming to live with us in a few weeks, just as soon as she's big enough to leave her mum!

xxXxx

Monday 20th February 2017

A Daisy in May

A sad weekend, saying goodbye to our fat little cat Daisy, a springtime kitten who sadly didn't quite make it to her seventh birthday.

Daisy was such a gentle, sweet tempered girl and she has left us far too soon. Sometimes that's just how it is with cats .. I have owned cats all my adult life and you never can tell how long they will stay. Saying goodbye always hurts, they are such unique characters and so much a part of our family. 

Daisy

 May 2010 - February 2017

So my pretty, lazy girl, sleep tight in your garden, free from pain. I am so very sad you have left us.

xxXxx

3rd August 2023.. it has been sometime since I last updated this post but it feels appropriate to do so today. Since I last wrote, another little kitten came to live us. He was a scrappy street cat who put us in mind of the tv series 'Only Fools and Horses' for some reason, so we called him 'Rodney', or more often than not, 'Rodders'...

Rodders

Rodders was quite a character! He quickly made firm friends with Betty, one of our golden retrievers and was often to be found sleeping on her back. I am certain he was convinced he was a dog instead of a cat because what the dogs did, Rod did too. He enjoyed their company and could always be found close to them. Rodney filled our days with laughter. He was affectionate, funny and mischievous. We absolutely adored him and when early one morning, we found him sleeping his last sleep peacefully on our living room rug, at the tender age of three, we were completely heartbroken. There was no rhyme or reason to his passing, he just left us in his own way, in his time, which sadly was far too short. It was such an unexpected loss, probably as the result of a blood clot according to the vet, I couldn't bring myself to write about him until now. He is buried in our garden and I think of him often.

 

Dear dear Rod.

xxXxx

And yesterday, another sad loss. 

This time, thankfully at the end of her long and peaceful life...

A rainy day and a sad one.

Today we said goodbye to our Puddlecat, aged 16 years.

Puddle

Yesterday was a rainy day... and a sad one. We said goodbye to our dear ol' Puddlecat, aged 16 years. Always the most gentle of girls, she left us peacefully and as was her way, without fuss.

Puddle came to us as a tiny scrappy kitten who had managed to tug at my daughter's heartstrings. She didn't have the best start to kitty life and Fay was keen to rescue her, so we brought her home and after a shaky start with her health, she soon blossomed into a beautiful glossy black cat with the sweetest nature and a penchant for playing with my knitting. She loved nothing more than to keep me company during the day, teasing me as I worked on my bears, or whenever I picked up my knitting needles.

Puddle

As she grew older poor Puddle developed hyperthyroidism and gradually became very skinny and fussy about eating, although she never lost her love of cheese and I did manage to feed her a few tiny pieces yesterday. She never changed her gentle nature despite her health and was always happiest to be close to us, especially in the evenings, when she liked to perch on the back of the sofa while we watched tv. 

Despite being quite a shy girl, she loved the children and always enjoyed a special fuss from my Grandson, who was very fond of her. Puddle wasn't too keen on our other cats and dogs over the years, preferring to remain aloof and distant with them, with the exception of dear old Daisy, a previous member of our long-standing cat family... or so she preferred us to believe... but yesterday morning, she allowed Cooper to approach and give her a very gentle kiss while she sat on my lap for a goodbye cuddle and despite her clear disapproval of young Stanley cat when he first joined us, I found them resting comfortably together in the sunshine on our conservatory sofa yesterday afternoon.

So, yes a rainy day and of course a very sad day, but also a day to remember our gentle black Puddlecat and to thank her for remaining faithfully by my side for so many long years.

Sleep tight sweet Puds. 

We will miss you. 

xxx

xxXxx

Desertmountain Bear Blog Giveaway!

By the way, before I sign off for the weekend, did you know Joanne Livingston, a member of the Guild of Master Bearcrafters, is hosting a blog giveaway?  Her beautiful bear 'Ruth' simply oozes nostalgia and is such a generous prize! 

If you would like to join in the fun, please visit Joanne's blog to find out all the details:

http://desertmountainbear.blogspot.com/2010/04/bear-give-away.html

Welcome to the weekend everyone!

Making a Teddy Bear

Have you ever wondered how a teddy bear is made?  Each artist bear maker develops their their own methods through trial and tribulations, so a few months ago, I decided to create a bear in 'real time' and photograph his progress, step by step to show you how I create my bears. 

This is the story of how 22" Caspian was created.

He was pre-sewn yesterday.

This morning: head stuffed, ears and eyes positioned and pinned, nose area trimmed, half of muzzle trimmed. Now it's time for lunch! 

Nose stitched.

 

Mouth stitched and left half of muzzle finely trimmed.

Remainder of muzzle finely trimmed.

Eyes next ... but first it's time for a coffee break!

 Eyes inserted but eye area needs a trim so he can see where he's going!

That's better ... eye sockets trimmed to show off his baby blues.

 A little shading to make the eyes really 'pop'.

A little more muzzle trimming and hey presto, one teddy bear head ready for its body!

It's 4pm, so there's still time to joint his head to his body and perhaps stuff the arms and legs before I have to cook dinner. 

 

 Now he has a body ...

... and a pile of half stuffed limbs!

 Measuring where the arms should be placed.

 Arms attached. He's starting to look more like a proper bear now!

 Arms and legs attached.

 Unstuffed - this bear needs a substantial meal!

 Get stuffed bear!

 Well, I think that's my lot for today. It's time to cook the evening meal before my family comes home from work and it's too dark to take any more photos.

Everything is attached and bear's tummy is full, he even has a growler. His arms and legs will have to wait until the morning for final stuffing (they are only half stuffed at the moment) and I think I'll fiddle with the ears tomorrow too because I'm not sure about their position at the moment. So, if all goes well, he'll have his ears sewn on, stitched claws and a waxed nose by tomorrow afternoon.

A good day's work so far ... this has been fun!

 

 Day 2 and here we go again!

First, bear needs to have his back seam closed. Ladder stitching does the job beautifully.

 

 See, now he has an invisible back seam!

 Bottoms up bear, it's time to stuff the top half of your legs ...

 Sitting pretty! Legs stuffed, arms next ..

 One arm stuffed, the other one still to finish ... and those ears!

 Arms finished but his ears are really bugging me now!

 Not quite the look I was aiming for ...

 Howsabout placing them slightly lower ...

 ... like this? Nah, too cutsie for this ol' growler!

 Isn't this where they were to start with?! Well, maybe not quite ... they do suit him better a little higher though.

Right, time to make the final decision and sew those ears on.

 That's better! A tiny bit more trimming into the top of the muzzle area and with a little gentle sprucing up he's almost finished ...

 Come on bear, give us a twirl!

Lovely profile ...

Yes, this side is lovely too!

 

Hey, you're a handsome chap ... but ooops, I haven't sewn your claws on yet! Better do that next - and get that nose waxed.

We're almost there ...

Back later - yes, it's teabreak time! I'm going to put the kettle on now!

 

 Now to wax his nose.  Waiting patiently while the wax melts ...

 First coat of beeswax ... yuk, snotty!

Initial buffing for first coat ... looks okay, but hopefully will be even better after the second coat.

Second snotty! Poor ol' bear! Atishoo!

But all that ucky snottyness was worth the effort, now bear has a smart shiny nose and yes, that's him, sat by my computer screen admiring his work in progress photographs as I type!

We're not quite finished though, I still have his claws to stitch, but Fo's due here for her cup of tea soon, so I may have to do that a little later.

Finally I'll have to decide whether to trim him, or leave him bare ... hmmmn .... what do you think?

And then tomorrow he can have his posh pics taken on my posh Canon camera ...

 

Almost teatime on Day 2 and bear's claws are now underway!

He's a classic bear, so I've given him simple stitched claws ... very neat!

  Is it time for my trim yet Mum? Look all my claws are stitched now ...


A ribbon bow? Really? Are you sure about this? Yes bear, I am sure. It suits your baby blue eyes!

And finally, after many practise shots, a lovely professional photograph of my finished bear.  All in all, he took about three days to finish. 

I am delighted to tell you that since making him, Caspian quickly found a lovely new home in America, has been featured in the US 'Teddy Bear Review' magazine and was also a finalist in the 2010 Australian 'People's Choice' Awards!