Miss Mayhem too!

In my last post I introduced you to Nikkety Nakkety Noo, my Halloween clown bear and today I can share 'Miss Mayhem' with you too.  She has been a secret project, kept under wraps for fear of my sister Fiona discovering what I've been up to ... you see, I wanted to give Miss Mayhem to Fiona at her Halloween party yesterday, as a surprise early birthday present!

'Miss Mayhem'

I am happy to report my Witchypoo sister Fiona, was delighted with her Witchypoo Dolly Doodle!  An early Happy Birthday to you Sis xxx

'Sin-derella' with her Emerald Witch Auntie Paula!

We enjoyed a whole heap of All Hallowes Eve mischief in Wormshill under cover of darkness last night ... it was the strangest sensation pulling up to my sister's driveway on the outskirts of the village and seeing her house bathed in eerie green light with werewolves, witches, wizards, vampires and pumpkins outlined in the kitchen window! 

Here are a few of my daft family members in full 'fright night' regalia ...

Fo's Simon as 'Beetlejuice'

'Wizard Stuart'

A bevvy of Halloween terrors!

The Pumpkins!

Our lovely Halloween clown, my niece Justine

My Vampire niece Lauren with Erin, our mini Pumpkin

A pretty scarey bunch eh?!

My photographer sister Tina (big pumpkin!) took some super pics, so when she's ready, I'll see if I can borrow some to show you a few of the other characters (unsurprisingly, our Mum made a spooktacularly realistic witch ... now why didn't that surprise anyone I wonder?!)

I must confess, my witching hour celebrations aren't quite what they used to be and this cranky ol' Emerald Witch is yawning like crazy today as she types her post to you ... I think it's time she put her broomstick safely back into storage until next year!

Nikkety Nakkety Noo!

It would seem I am not the only one with a penchant for Halloween - this special Halloween clown bear was snapped up within moments of appearing on my website and even before I had the chance to introduce him to you!

20" 'Nikkety Nakkety Noo'

'Nikkety Nakkety Noo' was a heap of fun to make and I'm delighted with how he's come together, just in the nick of time for Halloween.

I will be indulging in some family hubble bubble myself this All Hallowes Eve ... yes this daft bear maker will be donning her 'emerald witch' outfit, complete with pointy hat and sparkly green fingernails and gathering with her coven of witchypoo sisters to dance around the cauldron at the witching hour! 

I hope you all enjoy a magical Halloween ... hocus pocus, let's have some fun!

The UK Teddy Bear Guide 2011 - out now!

The 'UK Teddy Bear Guide' for 2011 dropped through my letterbox this morning and I was so delighted to receive it, I couldn't wait to race upstairs for my little camera to share it with you!

The UK Teddy Bear Guide 2011

This is the 24th edition of the annual Hugglets Guide and believe me, it's a cracker! The cover bear is called 'Bolero' and was created by 'Vintage Bears' in France - c'est magnifique!  I think this is my favourite ever Hugglets Guide front cover!

The Guide is a mine of teddy bear related information and an absolute must have for anyone with a passion for teddy bears.  If you would like to purchase a copy, it will be available shortly from:

 http://www.hugglets.co.uk/guideindex.php

By the way, are you wondering who the bear holding my copy of the Guide is?  Well,  I'll tell you ... he is my lovely 1940's Chiltern Hugmee 'Bobby Bear'.  I bought him  from the (sadly now closed) Petersfield Bear Museum in Hampshire, long before I began bear making.  The museum was opened in 1984 by Judy Sparrow to showcase her spectacular collection of antique teddy bears.  After admiring all Judy's fabulous bear treasures, I regretfully ambled towards the door to go home and Bobby Bear caught my eye ... I couldn't take my eyes off him and had a lovely chat with Judy and her husband; needless to say, Bobby Bear came home with me and has been with me ever since! 

'Teddy Bears' written in 1993 by Judy Sparrow

Back in 1993, Judy had her delightful 'Teddy Bears' book published in hardback by Magna Books. It features some beautiful photographs of Judy's antique bear collection and it is still possible to find copies if you hunt online.  In fact, I found several copies available on http://www.amazon.co.uk/ today.  It's a lovely book and if you have an interest in the history of teddy bears, I would highly recommend grabbing a copy for your bookshelf if you are ever lucky enough to find one!

Testing times!

After listening to the gloom and doom of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's financial review yesterday, I hardly dare suggest anyone might care to adopt a new teddy bear ... but what is a bear maker to do?  The artist bears of the world will always need good homes and we poor bear makers still need to eat and pay our way! 

I finished little Stanley yesterday and after my recent break from work, would love to find this dear little chap a caring new home as soon as possible ...

12" Stanley

We are working through a tough financial climate of course, but hopefully beautifully crafted teddy bears can stay strong and survive these testing times.  Fingers and toes are crossed for little Stanley's future!

“A few clowns short of a circus”

I was browsing through some of my earlier blog posts today, when I came across one I'd entitled, 'There ought to be clowns'.  I wrote the post back in May 2007, at a time when I was excitedly preparing to embark on a new range of bears ... in fact, back then I had just started to design my big clown bear 'Billy Buttons' who subsequently went on to win the coveted 'TOBY Industry's Choice Award.'

23" 'Billy Buttons'

Billy Buttons blazed a successful trail for me and since 2007, I have enjoyed making many more clown bears.  As they always make me smile, I thought you too might enjoy sharing a few of my favourites here today ...

23" 'Raffles'

Naturally, as he's the logo bear for my blog, I think I should begin with the rather majestic 'Raffles'.  He won an URSA Award in 2008 ... seems these clowns are pretty popular with the voters eh?!

20" 'Kefalonia'

One of my personal favourites this year has to be Kefalonia, a pretty clown bear created in beautiful peach and white to reflect my lovely holiday in Kefalonia.

20" 'Victor'

As an English girl through and through, I jumped at the chance to create a patriotic bear for a magazine when I was invited by the Editor.  'Victor' was the result and I had such fun designing him!

19" 'Crocus'

I created Crocus to celebrate Springtime and entered her into a competition, but she didn't win an award that year.  It makes not a jot of difference to me though, I still think she was a lovely Spring clown bear!

20" 'Tipsy'

How could this festive clown bear fail to make you smile?!  I made Tipsy to celebrate Christmas a few years ago ... hic!

20" 'Sophia'

My lovely Sophia was designed for the 'Edwina's Friends' shop and quickly found a new home in France. 

19" 'Mayhem'

And as we all know, I love Halloween, so mystical 'Mayhem' created in vintage red and green last year, has to be on my 'favourites' list!

20" 'Calypso'

I have a lovely collector in the US who adores brightly coloured bears.  She commissioned Calypso, challenging me to make him as brightly coloured as possible.  I had such fun hand dyeing the fabric for this cheerful bear and was delighted with the outcome!

20" Cornelius

Cornelius was a beauty!  He was created from both antique and modern mohair in such rich Autumnal colours ... very handsome if I do so say myself!

14" 'Rhubarb'

By the way, not all my clowns have been big bears, little Rhubarb was only 14" and such a cutie!

28" 'PaZaZZ'

My affair with clown bears began many years ago when I designed my very first clown called 'PaZaZZ'.  He won second place in the British Bear Artist Awards way back in 1999, then flew off to Hong Kong - I wonder where he is now?

There have been many clown bears along the way and I know there will be many more in future.  I simply love making these colourful characters!  In fact, if you keep watching, I may even have a Halloween clown bear on the horizon for this year, so if you love clowns, please watch this space!

If you would like to read my earlier 'There ought to be clowns' blog post, please click the link below:

http://allbear.blogspot.com/2007/05/lets-bring-on-clowns-there-ought-to-be.html

Restoration.

As you may know from recent earlier posts, my family and I have been through a very challenging few weeks, so yesterday I decided it would be a good idea to go out walking in the Autumn sunshine and share a few hours of family fun.

Knole House

The ancient parklands surrounding Knole House in Sevenoaks are spectacular at this time of year and as October is also mating season for the deer, the park stags were in fine fettle when we visited yesterday!

A stag mewing for his mate

Pretty fallow deer

We had a lovely time watching the deer and my kids, big as they now are, were thrilled when the deer approached them to share nuts foraged from under the trees.

Fay befriends a deer

Little deer, big son!

Fallow deer taking a Sunday afternoon nap

Last year the Clock Tower on top of the mansion house was hidden behind scaffolding and green netting, so I was delighted to see it has now been fully restored and looks like something you'd find perched atop a fairy castle ... such a pretty clock!

The restored Clock Tower

For me, the most special thing about yesterday wasn't the spectacular scenery though, it was the opportunity to see my family laughing happily together again after so much heartache.

Fay

Anthony

Stuart

Fay strolling with Auntie Fo

Anthony with his Hannah

Knole Park is a beautiful place and our visit gave a real lift to my spirits.  Dad would have said, 'life is for the living PJ' and that was crystal clear to me yesterday.   Although I continue to feel a deep sadness that he can't be with us now, I know he would have loved these pics and would have been happy we are all able to enjoy life without him.

If you would like to visit Knole Park, please see the website below for further details ... it's well worth the trip!

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-knole/

A little Hubble Bubble!

When I was a very little girl, one of my secret pleasures at this time of year was to borrow a special book from the school library.  I can't remember what that enchanting book was called, but the pictures of witches flying on broomsticks over the rooftops had me enthralled!

14" 'Hubble Bubble'

The magic and mayhem of 'All Hallowes Eve' is fast approaching, so as part of my 'back to work Paula' plan, I decided to allow myself a fun project this week and my little 'Hubble Bubble' is the result.  It only took this cheeky little wizard bear a few minutes to cast his spell when he appeared on my website earlier today, so on our next moonlit night, he will be pointing his broomstick 'Downunder' and whizzing off to meet his new owner in Australia, just in time for the Halloween celebrations!

Nesbit, a 2010 URSA Award Winner!

Thank you to everyone who voted for 'Nesbit' in this year's URSA Award competition. 

I am delighted to be able to tell you Nesbit has won second place in his 'Hugely Huggable' category!

'Nesbit', a 2010 URSA Award winner!

When the world stops turning.

Thank you so much for your kind messages of support during the past two weeks, they have brought me comfort during this sad time in my life.  Sometimes life is impossible to prepare for and the recent loss of our Dad has been one of those times.  Since childhood my four sisters and I, like most daughters I am sure, always believed Dad possessed super human powers and would be around forever.  Knowing that I won't be able to pick up the 'phone to talk to him, or sit and chat over a cuppa again, breaks my heart, but as so many of you have said, he may have slipped peacefully away, but I know he never will truly leave me.

As you can imagine, the past two weeks have been among the toughest of my life and for a moment I'm sure the world actually stopped turning, but with Dad's words ringing in my ears I have picked myself up, dusted myself down and will be trying my best to 'get on with it girl' ...

So, now it's time to think about moving forward once more and with a smile on my face, I'd like to share a little secret with you ... I have a wedding to plan! Yes, Stuart and I will be quietly 'tying the knot' next year.  Stuart proposed to me shortly before Dad passed away and happily, I had told Dad of our plans for the future and he was delighted for us.

Next week I will start work on my bears again because I feel the need to make my world normal after all that has happened.  Aside from work, plans are also afoot for a family Halloween party at the end of the month and it may give you a chuckle to learn I have purchased a new broomstick, pointy hat and full green witch costume in preparation!  (I've no doubt there are those who believe the broomstick to be my usual method of transport, but I can confirm, this will be the first time since leaving school, I have ever risen to the challenge of fancy dress!) and yes, I can genuinely tell you I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing my family dressed to impress this All Hallowes Eve!

Time to let our world turn again ...

Live the life you love.

Celebrating Dad's 70th with my sisters

He hobbled his bulk towards my kitchen, at which point I suggested he might like to sit on a chair while I made his lunch, nonchalence carefully contrived to disguise my concern.  Age is taking its toll on my Dad's stoutly gouty knees and after years of ignoring their pleas, they are fighting back, demanding their right to a peaceful retirement.

As he eased himself onto a chair, I busied myself about the kitchen.  The twinkle in his eye was still very much in evidence, but I sensed age impinging on his mobility, frustrating his attempts to live life as he would choose.  If the choice were still his own, I knew he would elect to live a life full to overflowing with the great outdoors he loved so much and when the need for company called to him, would relish the opportunity to flirt with the ladies, oil his joints with a decent bottle of red and dance the twist all night long.

As the cheese bubbled and browned on his toast, he told me indignantly that after his recent arthroscopy examination, the nursing staff attempted to encourage him to use a zimmer frame.  He's an irascible old devil at the best of times, so sent them packing, leaving them in no uncertainty regarding his feelings on the matter.  I smiled as, full of his usual bluff and bluster, he recounted his exploits, knowing without any doubt, he'd rather those pretty young nurses paid more attention to the twinkle in his eye, than to his recalitrant knees.

My father is a man who loves to talk and is at his most animated with an audience.  With very little encouragement, he will capture his listener with flambuoyant tales and with every yarn he shares, zest for life bursts from him, painting pictures of his exploits in the brightest imaginable hues.  In both stature and character Dad is an imposing man, commanding respect from all who meet him.  He can be a hard man, a determined man, but always a fair man.  Not one to fight shy of life, Dad has never hesitated to come out fighting whenever the world has dared to take him on. 

As a father, he was a strict disciplinarian, but he was also the man who gathered all the local kids together, stacking them into his estate car to drive to the woods to find sand dunes, so we could all run, roll and rejoice in the fresh air.  He would show us how to gather willow to weave baskets, how to bang nails into wood to create boats to float and how to find squirrels in those wonderful woodlands.  He would take us blackberry collecting, bringing us home with buckets brimful of juicy fruit, purple faced and deliciously sticky.  Heaven help us though when we misbehaved, then his roar would terrify us, sending us scattering for cover.

These days he visits when he can.  It is always with the greatest of pleasure and pride that he enjoys the company of his grandchildren and in turn, they are intrigued by him and love his humour, greatly respecting the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

As he tucked into his lunch with gusto, I heard him ask his grandson, my nineteen year old son, how he was getting on at University.  I waited with interest for the answer.  It came openly and honestly as he shared his frustrations with his Grandad.  With almost half a century between them, Dad gave him the sense of direction which I, as his so very responsible mother could not.  "Don't waste a single day on anything in life that you hate," Dad advised, "...live a life you love and don't waste a single day."

I watched as the tension which had been tormenting my son for the past few weeks, left his face and later, as he waved goodby to his Grandfather, it was with the warmth of genuine respect and affection. 

Thanks Dad.

Written 25th August 2004

My Dearest Dad, I will miss you more than you'll ever know.

PJ x

A river runs through ...

So, as I was saying yesterday, my car only just managed to wend its way home after Sunday's show and the engine sounded like a rocket launcher as we pootled along the motorway.  By the time we arrived home, she was complaining bitterly.  Unluckily for me, the auto-centre is what I would term 'a significant hike' from my house, so when I limped my little Saxo gingerly along the road for surgery yesterday morning, I knew I'd be in for a long, tedious wait while she was fixed ...

The Royal Star Arcade coffee shop

... and that was when I remembered a comment Yvonne made on Sunday about enjoying my blog walks!  So, rather than mope around in town for hours on my own, I slipped my point 'n shoot digicam into my handbag so you could join me while my catalytic converter was being fitted! 

The Royal Star Arcade built in 1989 on the site of the old Star Hotel - where I used to disco way back in the days when strawberry lipgloss was 'cool'!

The first picture is a bit of a giveaway; after popping into a book shop to hunt down a new paperback, I decided to indulge myself with a cappucino and pecan and maple syrup danish pastry.  Several chapters of my book later, I remembered my camera and began to snap discreetly as I went on my way ...

Middle Row, I used to go to disco's here too when I was a girl!  Sadly the street is fairly run down these days - a real shame; but if you look above eye level, there are still  plenty of clues to Maidstone's history ...

Fortunately it stayed dry while I was walking and it was quite warm,  so although the skies were heavy with cloud, rain didn't interfere with my play. 

These days Maidstone suffers in much the same way as many other towns, with boarded up shops, gum plastered pavements and general air of 'can't be botherdness', but if you know where to look, it is still possible to enjoy the best of this historic County Town and after more than thirty years of residence, my feet have traipsed all over the town and know exactly where to take me ...

The Bell Tower, All Saints Church

All Saints Church is a beautiful building, whether you 'got religion' or didn't.  I won't whitter on here like a history teacher, suffice it to say this is a fourteenth century church and not only was my niece baptised here, I have also attended many charming Christmas carol, Easter and Harvest Festival services here whilst working with the infant department of All Saints C of E Primary School, which is across the road.  One day I'd like to look out at Maidstone from the top of that magnificent bell tower!

The Archbishop's Palace

Taking these pics for you gave me the perfect excuse to slip down the steps behind the Bell Tower to show you 'The Archbishop's Palace' built by Archbishop Courtenay in 1396.  I think this is probably the most impressive building in Maidstone.  These days it is the town's Register Office and many a bride and groom have been photographed with the front elevation gracing the background (including two of my sisters in fact!) but my favourite view is here at the rear of the building, where it dominates the riverside.

The Millenium Bridge

Surprisingly perhaps, modern mingles quite comfortably with medieval in this area.  I'm guessing no matter how rich in history an area is, life moves on demanding practical solutions to modern day needs - no matter the romance of yesteryear!  I confess that when the Millenium Bridge was opened in 1999, I shuddered at the concept of something so blatantly contemporary being built across the Medway close to the Archbishop's Palace and All Saints Church, but when I realised this little metal bridge could bring the local 'B &Q' do-it-yourself store so much closer to me, my ire began to soften ...

Medway Bridge

I have no idea how many times I have crossed this ancient bridge.  As a child I crossed it twice a day to reach school and as an adult, who knows how many times to reach the shops!  I think it's one of those purposeful constructions that is used so frequently, it becomes almost invisible with time.  It was rebuilt in 1879 and now draws traffic away from the town centre but I think it lends the town a sense of permanence and has a certain solid, supportive charm ...

Travel Lodge

I couldn't resist including this recent glaring monstrosity.  A 'Travel Lodge' now perches on the side of the river upsteam from the historical buildings ... talk about a blot on our landscape!

Invicta Regimental War Memorial

I think Maidstone is like many towns, a mix of the old and the new.  It's a little jaded around its rather scruffy edges, but like the river that has always flowed through it, the town moves forward reflecting current times, whilst quietly remembering its past.