Welcome Spring!

I love England in the Spring, so when I realised there were no Spring bulbs planted in our new garden, I knew we would have to remedy the problem!

Stuart and I spent several hours digging and planting Spring bulbs in our little garden last Autumn and now we have a beautiful display of sunny yellow, lemon and white daffodils and lipstick red tulips waving cheerfully in the breeze, thanking us for our labours!

While we were clomping around in the mud, we also took the plunge and re-planted the camelia my Dad gave me years ago.  I was a little nervous about moving my precious camelia from its pot, but it seems to have settled comfortably into its new position in the flower bed and this year, is rewarding us with the most gorgeous display of pretty pink blooms.

Those of you who read regularly may remember the little Victoria plum tree I gave Stuart for his birthday last year ... well I am happy to tell, not only did it provide us with a few delicious plums last summer, it survived our harsh winter and is now bursting with dainty white blossom, so hopefully there will be many more juicy, sweet plums to eat this summer!

I love our little garden and am delighted that after three years it is finally beginning to feel like our own, rather than the previous owner's.

There's plenty more for us to enjoy in the garden in the coming months - in fact I can already see the roses I planted last year leafing, Stuart's potatoes poking through the soil, our little blueberry bushes budding and my herb pot bursting with mint and chives.  We'll pot a couple of tomato plants to grow on the patio soon and perhaps some strawberries too ... mmn, Summer's coming ... I feel it in my bones!

A warm welcome in Wormshill

Many of you may remember my sister Fiona ... (a few years ago she made beautiful bears under the 'Absolutely Bears' label and prior to that we worked together as 'Auntie Bears') ... anyway, as I was about to say, after many years living in the hustle and bustle of town, Fiona and her other half Simon recently moved out to the Kentish countryide to start afresh.  It's a little further to visit, but still easily 'do-able' and such a lovely drive; a quick whizz along the M20 takes us to the ancient village of Hollingbourne lined with quaint cottages and the magnificent Hollingbourne Manor House, then we're out into woodland and through to hedgerows and fields.  

Coffee in the conservatory

Saturday afternoon was glorious, so my daughter Fay and I let Fo know to put the kettle on, revved up my little Saxo and went for a spin in the April sunshine to the village of Wormshill, where she now lives.  Wormshill is a tiny Parish which lies on an exposed high point of the North Downs, within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

For anyone (like me!) with an interest in such things, Wikipedia says:

"Archaeological and toponymic evidence of Wormshill's existence predates its appearance in the Domesday survey of 1086. The village contains a number of heritage-listed buildings, which include a Norman church, a public house and one of the oldest surviving post office buildings in the United Kingdom. The fields and woodland surrounding Wormshill have changed little in the past 500 years, and the village itself remains rural with a low population density compared to the national average. The population of 200 is a mixture of agricultural workers employed by local farms and professional residents who commute to nearby towns."

So as you can imagine, Wormshill really is a tiny slice of picturesque English countryside!

Bugsy

As usual, we received a very warm welcome from Bugsy, Fiona's bouncy German Shepherd (who I think has a crush on my daughter) before settling in the conservatory for a girly catch up over coffee and gooey lemon muffins, which I must tell you, were yummy!  After a while, Bugsy looked a bit bored with the girly chit-chat and as we were stuffed full of cake, we decided to take him for a walk around the fields which surround Fo's house, or perhaps I should say he took us for a walk around the fields which surround Fo's house!

Bugs drags Fo back down the hill ...

"Look Mum, cows!"

We walked up hill and down dale, keeping Bugs on a very tight lead because dotted around the farmer's fields were ewes with the cutest little lambs and doe-eyed, curious cows ...

Fo, a country girl at heart.  Who'd ever have thought it?!

Fay takes in the view

Auntie Fo, Fay and Bugsy

For some reason best known to himself, on the return walk Bugsy decided he no longer wanted to jump stiles and no amount of coaxing would convince him ... there was nothing for it but for Fiona and I to heave him over in a rather undignified fashion!

"Good dog, jump over the stile Bugs ..."

"Nope. Don't want to!"

Thanks Fo (and you too Bugsy!) we had a lovely Saturday afternoon and will be back soon, complete with wellies, for a walk on the wild side in Wormshill Woods!

06/07/10 Update: Thank you Richard for your message today!  How lovely to hear from the gentleman who wrote the Wikipedia reference for Wormshill!

The Circle of Life.

What a week it has been.  We started the week with our first walk of the season on Sunday afternoon.  It was meant to be a gentle stroll, but lured by early Spring sunshine and previously undiscovered (by us that is) woodland very close to home on the outskirts of Barming, it soon became a two hour stride, reminding me that neither my bladder, not my joints are as young as they used to be.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any photographs to share here, so you will need to picture the two of us rambling along the circular track through tall trees, still twig brown, in bud but not yet in leaf, jackets slung casually over our shoulders, relishing the warm sun on our faces ... then perhaps on the return trail you can picture me hobbling behind Stuart, whining frequently about how much my poor feet ached! 

I have borrowed the image below to show you where we were walking.  Coincidentally, it looks as though the photographer took his pic at a similar time of year!

North Pole Road through Oaken Wood - looking east towards Barming.

© Copyright Richard Sanders and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

Sadly during Sunday night, my elderly and very frail cat Leo slipped quietly away in his sleep.  He had been a starving feral kitten rescued by my sister and I when he was only about three months old and with careful handling, became a gentle, loving adult cat.  After many years together I was terribly sad to lose him, but comforted by the fact he was with his old pal Toffee when his time came, rather than in a sterile surgery across town.  Fortunately, by chance my son was home from work that day and took care of everything for me, even coping manfully with my tears!   I'm so grateful to him, not to mention proud of him. 

Anthony blowing out his 25th birthday candles.

Speaking of Anthony, on Tuesday we celebrated his 25th birthday and it occurred to me that both my offspring are now over a quarter of a century old.  I am amazed and somewhat alarmed by how fast the years have flown and to borrow a cliche, yes it does still feel like only yesterday they were babes in arms!  At the moment both Fay and Anthony still live with me, but my son is now in the process of buying his first house with his girlfriend and will be setting up his new home in the next couple of months; he won't be too far away though - still near enough to call in a crisis, thank goodness!

As far as my bear making goes, this week has been far from productive.  Creativity always seems to take a back seat at times of upset, leaving me feeling rather flat, but as I have so much to do this month, it's time for me to pick myself up, dust myself down and set to work today.  Right, sewing machine, here I come!

2010 Glaeserner Teddy Bear Competition

I have been invited to judge the '2010 Glaeserner Teddy Bear' competition again this year!

I do hope you can all take a moment to cast a vote in each of the categories:

This week we have the 'Beginners' category.

Glaeserner Teddybaer 2010 Competition

The Guild of Master Bearcrafters

When I first created 'The Guild of Master Bearcrafters' in mid 2009, I had no idea whether it would become a thriving venture, or whether it was more likely to idly gather dust in a virtual corner of the World Wide Web.  

My initial idea was simply to create an exclusive venue for bear artists to meet, somewhere they could come together to chat privately about their craft and where it was heading ... so little could I predict that a year later, Guild membership would have grown to over three hundred extremely dedicated international bear artists! 

The Guild offers bearcrafters an opportunity to showcase their latest works, encouraging professionalism, both in terms of workmanship and business acumen.  Whilst not elitist, there is an entry criteria for membership and all Guild members must prove their commitment to bear artistry by having designed and sold their own range of teddy bears for at least one year ...

... as you can see from the showcase of Guild members' work below, the quality of collectible bear art currently being created for collectors is absolutely outstanding!

Find more photos like this on The Guild of Master Bearcrafters

For me, Friday has become Guild update day.  Each Friday morning, I put the kettle on, pour a mug of coffee and set a few hours aside to showcase members' work for Guild visitors. What a pleasure it is for me to share these amazing works of creativity!  Our Guild members live and work right around the globe, from countries as far afield as Australia, America, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Israel, Europe, Singapore and beyond ... it really is wonderful to see so many amazing bears being created in so many far flung countries!

April Annie

So what do you give a parascending, bungee jumping, white water rafting, mountain climbing mother for her birthday?  Well, in the case of my Mum, who recently returned from a solo trip photographing wildlife in Namibia and at sixty eight is more adventurous than ever, a special Prim Dolly Doodle of course! 

'April Annie'

Yes, fortunately for me, Mum had mentioned she would like a special doll wearing shades of yellow.  As she loves gardening, I found a pretty themed print and finished 'April Annie' (Mum's name is Anne) in time for Mum's big day yesterday!

Happy Birthday to you Mum, with much love always xxx

Daffodil delight!

On this Easter weekend, we have a beautiful burst of yellow daffodils carpeting much of England and it's impossible not to feel inspired by them! 

19" Daffy is available from www.allbear.co.uk

As my son will tell you, I absolutely love daffodils (he always buys them for me for Mother's Day!) so when I spotted this beautiful yellow/gold kid mohair in Australia, I threw caution to the wind, ignored the exchange rate and ordered it - I mean, who could resist?!  The pure silk, hand dyed ribbon in pale gold and orange has been in my stash for a while waiting for the perfect Springtime colourway and this is definitely it.

I hope you enjoy my Springtime 'Daffy' and I wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Springtime?

This is my latest clown, a pretty Spring clown bear created as a commission order and finished today.  Let's hope her new mum falls in love with her - I'm waiting with baited breath for the thumbs up!

20" Spring clown bear

The weather in the UK is far from Springlike this week with heavy snow in the North and pouring rain in the South.  If it carries on like this, the Easter Bank Holiday will be a wash out ... such a shame!  Even the daffodils and tulips in my garden are refusing to flower.

Despite the weather, I had a lovely weekend visit to my sister's house in the country last weekend.  We sat in her conservatory supping coffee, munching danish pastries and chuckling at the new Spring lambs gamboling in the fields beyond the garden; they are such fun and don't seem to mind the rain!  

With any luck we'll soon have some lovely Spring sunshine to enjoy - it's a shame it probably won't arrive in time for Easter though.  Ah well, I guess that's life in the UK for you!

All Bear's Facebook Fan Page

Technology moves so much faster than I do, but I am trying my best to keep pace.  All Bear has recently joined the Facebook phenomenom and now has its very own fan page! 

So, if you would like to keep in touch with the latest All Bear developments via Facebook, please join me and the bears (and dolls!) at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Bear-by-Paula-Carter/366975611250?ref=nf

Hopefully I'll see you there soon!

Oscar, better late than never!

My bear making has been a little stop/start over the past week, partly because of a twinge in my wrist ... the bain of a bear stuffer's life (!) and partly because I needed to set aside some family time to celebrate my little girl's 27th birthday - my oh my, how the years fly by!  It may be cliched to tell you it seems like yesterday when she was a babe in my arms, but that doesn't make it any less true.

22" Oscar

All things considered, I think it's fair to say I'm a few days' late introducing this fellow, so I hope you think he was worth the wait!  He's a substantial 22" bear, so naturally he needed a good solid name .. 'Oscar' seems to fit him perfectly!

Update: Oscar has now been sold! 

A raffle surprise!

When I purchased raffle tickets to support a school fundraiser, I certainly didn't expect to win a prize, so when Alison of Eteddys told to expect an international delivery, you could have knocked me down with a feather!

  Alison's beautiful bear 'Melina' travelled all the way from Arizona in America and arrived here in the UK a few days ago ... as you can see, she's settling in well!

'Melina' by Alison McKee of Eteddys

Checking out my workroom ...

Making new friends.

Thank you so much for this special bear Alison, I couldn't be more delighted with my raffle prize!

If you would like to see more examples of Alison's enchanting work, please visit: http://eteddys.net/

Mother's Day, butterflies, daffodils.

It was Mother's Day here  in the UK yesterday, a day to set aside and celebrate Mums everywhere.  A day of special cards, Spring flowers and in my case, butterflies and as is traditional, daffodils too ... thanks kids xxx

It was a day to set aside and share with Mum,

... a day to remember Mums who are no longer with us ...

Our Gran holding Mum in the early 1940's

... a day to let our own Mum know just how special she is ...

Mum

... and of course, a day to share chocolate and cakes!

Mum with me and my younger sister Fiona, in the early 60's

Mum's five girls

... a day for happy family memories ...

Me with my daughter in 1983

...  a day to think about the next generation ...

With my son in the late 80's

... a day to know how much we are loved ...

Mum's ten grandchildren

... and a day to celebrate our future generations!

Maintaining a time honoured mother son tradition

 ... thanks son x

Wishing Mums everywhere a Happy Mother's Day!

Liberty Lou and Dewey too!

I'm feeling very satisfied with myself this week, not only do I have a new bear to share with you, I have a new Prim Dolly Doodle too.  Yes, I am happy to say I have been in full productive mode!

20" Dewey is now available from www.allbear.co.uk
Update: Dewey has now sold!

I couldn't wait to start work on this bear, his mohair is simply stunning!  It's a luxury Schulte curl with a pretty tip to the ends, dense, silky and absolutely beautiful ... a big bear maker's dream!  The mohair makes such a statement and suits this classic teddy bear perfectly.  'Dewey' was reserved for a collector shortly after making his debut on my website, so if everything goes to plan, he should soon be travelling to meet his new mum early next week.

20" Liberty Lou is available to purchase

Update: Liberty Lou has sold!

This dolly was sat in my work basket for several weeks waiting patiently for me to make time to finish her, so I was determined I would complete her last week.  'Liberty Lou' has a lovely American themed frock and I found a cute straw hat to finish her outfit.  The tiny red, blue and white button on front of her hat mysteriously arrived in the post a few days ago ... after scratching my head for a while, I discovered my sister Tina had been visiting an antiques fair and sent me some buttons in the post! 

Thank you Tina x

A friend for Rica.

Rica & Willi by Rita Diesing of Ridibears

Do you remember me telling you about little Rica at Christmas?  He was a special present from me to me, after a busy year of bear making.  I stumbled across Rica whilst browsing the orphans page of Abracadabra Bears website (http://www.abracadabra-teddies.com/orphanagegallery.htm) and as a long time admirer of Rita Diesling's (http://www.ridibears.de/) lovely bears, I couldn't pass him by!  Every time I visited the site, there was little Rica, begging me to adopt him in time for Christmas - so eventually I accepted fate and did just that!  Well, as is usually the case with these things, one thing quickly led to another and on a return visit to Abracadabra, I noticed another of Rita's bears had been orphaned.  Fortunately for me, Marsha the owner of Abracadra Bears was able to reserve 'Willi' for me until my birthday in February.  I am happy to tell you these dear little bears are now reunited and have now settled comfortably into my workroom with me!

Kensington - A Sellout Show!

As I pulled back the curtains at 6.30am on Sunday I was met with howling winds and driving rain which is not the best start to a show day!  As is usual for me the night before a show, I only managed about four hours sleep, so on first inspection it was evident that no amount of cosmetic assistance was likely to make me look bright eyed and bushy tailed.  Poor Stuart had even less sleep than me - he had been awake working from about 4.00am because as a Management Accountant, my London show had fallen on entirely the wrong day for him as 'month end' figures still have to be submitted come what may.  Fortunately for me though, it meant that by the time I hauled myself out of bed, he had already packed up the car and put the kettle on to boil ... where would I be without him eh?!

Peeping out from behind my show stand!

We set off at half seven and at that time of the morning, the traffic is quiet so the drive to Kensington only took about an hour and a half.  Unfortunately I was feeling a little under the weather that morning, so on arrival Stuart sent me inside and unloaded the car himself.  We set up the stand, gave the bears a quick brush before settling them in place and then waited for the doors to open.  Despite the dreadful weather, there was a significant queue building outside the Town Hall well before opening time - bear collectors are a hardy bunch!  The rest of the day was a whirr ... there were so many eager collectors determined to secure their favourite bears!!!  I was delighted to catch up with old friends and meet new ones too and the day raced past ... it was 3pm before I even managed to grab a mouthful of sandwich.

My stand before opening ...
unfortunately I forgot to turn the lights on before I took this photo!

I'm so happy to be able to tell you all my show bears sold very quickly and we came home after the show, much lighter than we had set out in the morning!

 

I'm still pretty tired as I had to catch up with a stack of admin yesterday, not to mention buying the weeks' groceries because I didn't have time at the weekend, so I've promised myself a quiet afternoon ...

I think I've earned it!

Finishing Touches!

So here we are, the day before show day!  The final ear has been attached and everyone photographed, so all that is left for me to do is finalise price tags, hangtags, carrier bags and generally organise myself before thinking about packing up my trusty Saxo early tomorrow morning.  Unfortunately Sunday's weather forecast isn't good - heavy rain and gale force winds are predicted, so  I'm praying our show collectors will be a hardy bunch, prepared to battle the elements for their special show bears!

20" Elwyn

I'm relieved to tell you I finished my 'just one more' bear yesterday evening.  After making all the careworn, scruffy bears, I couldn't resist the temptation to create a lovely new looking, pristine white, fluffy bear -  I dare say he will stick out like a sore thumb on my table against the ramshackle rest, but never mind!

Careworn Collection hangtag

I had one of my last minute lightbulb moments a few days ago and decided I needed to design new hangtags and postcards for the show bears.  Typically I didn't leave myself enough time to take advantage of reasonable delivery charges, so paid a small fortune to make sure they arrived in the nick of time, but at least they did arrive and the bears will be able to show them off properly at the Winter Bearfest tomorrow! 

 Careworn Collection promotional postcard

If you would like to visit the 'Winter Bearfest' tomorrow, please come along to Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London SW8.  The doors open at 10.30am and the day will be filled from start to finish with thousands of the most wonderful teddy bears, all hoping to find new homes!

Kingsley is coming to Hugglets!

Just popping in to show you my final bear for the 'Careworn Collection' before I run back to my workroom to finish my 'just one more' show bear!

15" Kingsley will debut at the Winter Bearfest

on Sunday 28th Feb!

I have really enjoyed creating my collection of weary, scruffy ol' bears, but I'm now feeling the urge to make a lovely big, fluffy white, pristine, twinkly eyed ted.  Watch this space ... hopefully he'll be ready in time for Sunday!

Bears with a tale to tell ...

I have just one more working week to finish my show bears!  As always, the time is flying by so quickly I'm wondering if I'll ever be ready ...

19" 'Blyton' will debut at the Winter Bearfest show next Sunday.

Last week I managed to finish two more lovely bears for the show, 'Blyton' is a truly scruffy careworn ol' bear, completely mischievous and adventurous, rather like one of the characters in his namesake's 'Famous Five' books!  How I used to love those books when I was a young girl! 

19" Kipling will be there too!

His pal 'Kipling' is a gorgeous slumpy bear and the two of them together look absolutely adorable sat telling tales on the back of my sofa at the moment - I will miss them when they find new homes!

If you would like to meet the bears in person, please come along to the show on Sunday ... we'll be on Stand 63 in Hall 2 at Kensington Town Hall in London SW8.  Doors open at 10.30am!