Recycle, Reuse ...

As I was saying yesterday, I've been hard at work on my latest project, a 'Scrap Heap' bear for the Guild of Master Bearcrafters' latest challenge.  I remember buying my pair of Levi jeans years ago, then loving them into a faded, shabby looking 'me' shape.  Eventually, as is the way of most old clothing, those jeans lay forgotten in the bottom of my wardrobe, waiting in vain for me to shed a few pounds. Despite a little nostalgic reluctance, earlier this week I made that first vital snip along the leg seams, sacrificing my worn out, too-snug-around-the-waistband Levi's, in the name of creativity.

'Red Levi' 

'Red Levi' has vintage buttons for eyes and I have tried to incorporate the most 'interesting' elements of my jeans, such as the famous 'Red Tab', pocket, Levi Strauss button and printed pocket linings, into his design. I was interested to read that the Levi Strauss Company, founded in 1853, actively supports a sustainability and recycling ethos within their business today, so now it seems all the more appropriate to have sacrificed my comfy old jeans for the 'Scrap Heap Challenge'!

Scrap Heap Challenge

Once every quarter, I put my thinking cap on and try to come up with an interesting challenge for the Guild of Master Bearcrafters; something to help crank up those creative artistic juices!  With news bulletins constantly reminding us to be more frugal, recycle and generally 'draw in our belts', it dawned on me this time, that a return to the wartime 'make do and mend' ethos could be fun ... and so our 'Scrap Heap Challenge' was born!  We are avoiding the temptation to use expensive mohair, instead we're hunting around for suitable fabric scraps with which to create our bears!

As usual, I'm way behind the rest of the group and am aware the deadline looms this Saturday.  I will be working on my Scrap Heap Challenge bear this week and have decided to sacrifice an elderly pair of much-loved Levis ... it's time to face facts Paula, they won't ever fit you again, so they might as well be put to good use!

I've never made a denim bear before, so this should be fun!

An Englishman's home is his castle

I have lived in Maidstone, with the brief exception of a couple of years spent in London, since I was a mere snippet of just twelve, which is now not far short of forty years ago ... goodness me, where do those years go?  One of the local places of interest I have always wanted to visit, but for some inexplicable reason never have, is Leeds Castle 

My favourite castle photograph of the day!

Isn't it strange how we often travel far and wide to visit attractions, but somehow overlook what is virtually on our own doorstep?  Leeds Castle is only a ten minute drive from my house and yet, despite hearing of its grandeur, I haven't ever set foot in the castle grounds!  A visit was long overdue and last week, Stuart and I set that to rights.

The Castle

It was a classic Spring day with cheery yellow daffodils and warm sunshine beaming, making it the perfect day to wander through the grounds of our lovely local castle, amidst the delightfully regal peacocks.

Welcoming us to the castle grounds, a very regal peacock!

One thing's for sure, we certainly won't be leaving it another forty years until we return!  We have promised ourselves a visit in May to enjoy the bluebells in the ancient woodlands surrounding the castle grounds and as I am sure the formal gardens will be ablaze with Summer colour from June onwards, no doubt we'll be back to admire those too.  We were so enchanted with the grounds, we haven't seen the inside of the castle yet, but as our tickets last all year, I am happy to say, we can afford to save that treat for another day!

Hooray, the maze exit sign at last!

One thing I definitely don't want to do again though, is tackle the castle maze - it's tricky and we took absolutely ages to find our way to the centre grotto and escape from the neat hedgerows, by which time I was quite grumpy!

Showing off, a white peacock!

After our lovely afternoon in the sunshine at Leeds Castle, we strolled back towards the car and were treated to a spectacular display by a pure white peacock who decided to put on a show for us.  It was such a fabulous ending to our visit ... not only have I never visited Leeds Castle before, I've never seen a white peacock either!

Learning Curves

Making and selling teddy bears might seem like a dream job and in many ways it can be, but believe me, it certainly isn't all about sewing!

When I first began making bears, I didn't even own a computer and the potential for internet exposure had never entered my consciousness.  In those days, cameras used film to capture images and it was necessary to wait several days for photographs to be developed in town before I could sift through them and put them to good use. Marketing my bears relied heavily on sending pics through the post to collectors and I think it's fair to say working life definitely moved at a more gentle pace!

But times have changed.  Technological advancements mean these days the internet is at our fingertips, eager to help us sell and the world of teddy bears continues to leap forward, as more and more collectors embrace the World Wide Web.  Keeping up with progress has meant learning a raft of new skills throughout the past decade and like so many other bear makers and craft workers, I have had to teach myself not only to use a computer, but also to maintain a website to market my work on the internet.  This in turn required a move from the film photography I was once so comfortable with, to the unfamiliar complexities of digital photography.

Needless to say, soon after I bought my first digital camera I realised I would have to learn how to create a studio for my photography and master photography software programmes to create professional images of my work.  Luckily for me, my sister Tina inherited our Dad's passion for photography and as a consequence, spent several years studying to become a professional photographer.  As they say, sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know!  Initially I relied heavily on Tina's photographic skills to help me, but over time, she shared her knowledge, teaching me how to set up a little studio, take my own photographs and edit them for marketing.

This week I decided it was time to 'push the envelope' further by teaching myself how to use a light tent to photograph my new, smaller bears.  My first port of call for advice was of course, my sister.  Once we'd identified exactly which equipment I would need for this new project, I placed an order and yesterday, set the afternoon aside to play!

I soon worked out what went where and positioned my first teddy bear subject.  The light tent was quite a bit larger than expected, so my first task this morning was to order a smaller one, to fit more comfortably on my dining room table! 

I found mastering the manual settings on my camera for the light tent, a very different process than my usual tungsten lamp set-up; but by a process of trial and error, combined with posting photos 'real-time' on my Facebook page for Tina's running commentary, I slowly began to grasp the mysteries of 'depth of field', 'aperture', 'shutter speed' and that all-important 'white balance'!

It didn't take very long before I wanted to try things 'my way', so I stuck in a piece of card I'd saved for pattern making with masking tape, weighted it with some of my pots and started tweaking the camera settings all over again.

As you can see from the pic above, I didn't get it right straight away!

After several long hours of intense concentration and many unsatisfactory pics, I slowly began to understand what my camera was asking from me and eventually produced a few photographs I was actually quite happy with!

By tea-time yesterday, I was confident I would be able to make good use of the light tent, so decided to put my new equipment away, feeling rather pleased with myself.  Silly me, I should have known better!  After an afternoon of progress, the bloomin' pop up light tent finally defeated me by belligerently refusing to pop down. I battled with the wretched thing for ages, so did Stuart when he came home from work, but neither of us could beat it.  Every time we thought we had it trapped into submission, it sprang back out at us.  I swear those things have a life force all of their own!

I'm going to add these pics of little 'Jeremy' to my website after lunch; there's no point in learning a new skill, if it's not put into practice!

Up, up and away!

Up, up and away?  Well maybe if my vertigo would permit me the freedom to cut loose and soar, but given that I'm the kind of girl who finds herself clinging desperately to handrails whenever she climbs the ramparts, it's unlikely I'll ever find myself in the basket of one of these ...

It must be an amazing sensation to float on the breeze and watching this hot air balloon rise majestically towards the beautiful clear blue sky in Mote Park yesterday afternoon, was quite a treat in itself!

A New Direction

This little fellow made his way to my website for adoption this morning and was adopted so quickly I'm sure my head spun!  It seems my new 'Tiddlers' may well be a welcome addition to the wider All Bear family!

8" Harry

There's nothing quite like a speedy adoption to give a bear maker confidence when taking a new design direction, so thank you to everyone who has been so enthusiastic about this latest project!

Wilf

I have been itching to start work on the new little bears mentioned in my previous post, but restrained the impulse until today, to make sure the bear waiting patiently in my work basket wasn't overlooked.

 11" Wilf' and little bro' 'Chip'

I'm happy to say both Chip and his bigger brother Wilf both found new homes very quickly, so now I'm about to dive in to my lovely new little bear fabrics and start creating again!

Springspiration!

After a major show, I always feel the need to take a few days away from bear-making to recharge my batteries, so this week I have been working on the computer rather than in my sewing room.  It is starting to feel as though Spring is just around the corner here in the UK, so I've been inspired to give www.allbear.co.uk a fresh new lilac look.  While I was about it, I introduced three new bears for sale on the site, then one thing led to another and I decided to teach myself how to add Paypal buttons to make payment easier for customers - but as always with all things website based, what I thought would be a simple task, of course, proved otherwise.  Several frustrating hours later, I eventually managed to sort things out and thankfully now my website is working efficiently again!

8.5" Chip

Once I'd sorted out the website and a few other marketing bits 'n pieces, my thoughts turned to Spring bears.  As you know, I'm far better known for creating substantial, armful sized bears, than tiddlers, but the little chap in the pic above was such fun to make, I've decided to dabble further! Although I've always steered clear of making little bears because there are many other bear artists who already do the job exceedingly well, I've decided to be brave and try to include little bears in my 2012 range.  With that in mind, I spent several hours hunting on the internet for suitable fabrics earlier in the week and was thrilled when they were promptly delivered from Germany yesterday!

I would like to create some colourful little bears for the Spring, maybe in clown style, so these pretty shades will be perfect!

And this more realistic brown bear mohair should result in some very handsome tiddly teds!

I was exactly like the proverbial kid in a sweetie shop while I um'ed and ah'ed over which fabrics to work with and although I had chosen plenty to be going on with, just couldn't resist this gorgeous selection of alpacas too! I'm hoping they will make really cuddly little bears.

I still have a couple of larger bears in my work basket to finish before I can start on the tiddlers, but once they are finished I'm going to make time to play with my lovely new fabrics ... please watch this space for progress updates!

Excellence in Bear Artistry

In my humble opinion, when it comes to teddy bear competitions here in the UK, we have been lacking anything significant since the fabulous heyday of the 'British Bear Artist Awards'.  Way back in the 1990's, the UK teddy bear world and beyond, positively buzzed at 'BBAA' time, because back then, we were duly proud of our major national award.  It heralded the teddy bear as an art form, showcasing bear artists and rewarding winners with beautiful etched crystal awards, bouquets of flowers, framed certificates and a rather posh presentation dinner requiring one's best bib and tucker, to-boot!  The BBAA competition wasn't just a competition, it was an event and an event which often resulted in far reaching opportunities for its shining stars!  

'Bon-Bon' won 2nd place in the 1997 BBAA's

My own bear making career took off dramatically in 1997, after winning second place in the 'Big Bears Undressed' category of the British Bear Artist Awards.  I remember how shocked I was to receive postal notification of my nomination and an invitation to the grand Awards Ceremony, which was to be held at the swanky St. James Hotel in the heart of London.  I agonised over what to wear for weeks prior to the event and was a bag of nerves on the big night.  After a lovely dinner with all the other nominees, my name was called out to collect my award and I stumbled up from the table, blushing furiously and shaking like a leaf!  It was a significant night for all of us there and for me, opened many doors because those 'in the know' considered the competition a benchmark for quality and innovation.  I received numerous invitations to work with shops and magazines both in the UK and overseas as a result of my first BBAA and even had my work included in a museum in Hong Kong!

'Himself' won first place in the 1998 BBAA's

Keen to prove I wasn't just a 'one trick pony', I entered 32" 'Himself' into the BBAA's the following year and was over the moon when he won first place!  Since then, I have entered other competitions both in the UK and overseas and have been honoured with many other awards, but nothing has ever given me quite the same sense of personal pride as winning those very first 'British Bear Artist awards' ... 

My 1998 'British Bear Artist Award' 

(displayed with my 2008 TOBY Award)

I hope you'll be relieved to hear my reason for this post isn't simply to blow my own trumpet.  No, in fact it's to pass on some exciting news because at long last, I am able to tell you about an exciting new, British based, teddy bear competition!  

Sponsored by Bear Basics and designed by proprietor Susan Davies, the 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' will take place this year, for the sole purpose of recognising, supporting and encouraging the creative work of teddy bear artists both in the UK and overseas.  Susan has designed a fabulous website to host the awards and has also called upon four highly respected teddy bear professionals to judge the competition.  There will even be an official awards ceremony to honour the winners!  

This new competition is such good news for the bear industry and I am certain the 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' is destined to become the UK's flagship teddy bear competition!

If you would like further details please visit:

www.bearartistry.com 

Out of hibernation!

There is something more than a little disconcerting about reluctantly hauling yourself from your pillows at 6.30am, driving to London whilst yawning and bleary eyed, only to be greeted by lycra clad fitness fanatics pounding the City's grey pavements, as if it's the most normal activity in the world at that time of day ... how on earth do they manage that?!

I have never been a morning person and early starts on show days always tax my good nature. In fact, believe it or believe it not, I have been known to growl a little whenever Stuart tries to 'encourage' me to 'get a move on Paula,' on show days!  I know, shame on me!

Anyway, we arrived at Kensington Town Hall in reasonable time and although there was a nip in the air, the sun was shining, promising a gorgeous early Spring Sunday. As usual, when we arrived the Town Hall was buzzing with activity, with a significant queue of eager collectors waiting outside for the doors to open, which is always a good sign for a busy, buzzy, show!

We set the stand up, positioning the new bears just in time for opening and from that moment on, all four halls quickly filled with visitors.  The aisles of our Hall were absolutely heaving as people tried to muscle their way to see all the bears!

Exhibiting at the Winter Bearfest always makes me feel as though I've suddenly come out of hibernation after a long Winter; after months of working quietly on my bears in my workroom, being faced with so many eager people wanting to chat is lovely, but it can also be quite overwhelming, even for an old timer!  Yesterday was extremely busy and very sociable.  The bears behaved impeccably as they were discussed from every angle by their visitors and I am delighted to say the compliments they received were enough to make even the most confident of bear makers blush. I was truly touched by the reactions from collectors - we may well be in the middle of the worst economic climate experienced for many a year, but nonetheless yesterday proved the passion for teddy bears is as strong as ever it was and it was clear many collectors had come to share and support the bears on their big day out, whether or not they were able to buy a new bear on the day.

Not all my new bears found new homes at the show yesterday, so I am now offering those bears for adoption.  If you couldn't make it to the show but would love an opportunity to own one of the bears, please visit:

www.allbear.co.uk

I know, they'd love to hear from you!

Show Time!

At last, all my 'Winter Bearfest' show bears are finished and ready to report for duty on Sunday ... it's a great feeling, ha!  I've just finished crawling around on my hands and knees with my camera, so can now share a quick peek at some of them with you.  Here are the bears you haven't yet seen ...

I thought I'd try my hand at another 'little 'un' for this show because I've only ever made two bears under 10", so this is 'Chip', a dear little 8 and a half inch bear ... (mustn't forget the 'and a half' as it's very important to a bear when he's less than 10 inches in height!)  Stuart is really taken with this fellow, so I foresee my small bear range extending in the near future.

Poor old Tucker almost wasn't finished in time for the show because I ran out of fabric, leaving him with only one leg!  Fortunately, after a plea to bear artist friends on Facebook, my old friend Dawn James came to the rescue after a hunt through her extensive stash of fabrics.  Thanks Dawn, you're a star!

Finally, 'Florence and Frederico' are two of my new traditional 'Heritage Teds' and I'm hoping my colour choices for Spring 2012, bring this very classic pair, bang up to date. 

By the way, if you missed the post featuring my other show bears, please scroll down to read, or visit www.allbear.co.uk to enjoy my official show preview.

Well, that's the bears sorted, now I just need to make sure I don't forget a single item from the list 'a gazillion and one essentials required to ensure a stress free show' ... I wonder if there really is such a thing?!

If you would like to meet me and the bears and the host of other wonderful bear artists with their fabulous creations, please visit www.hugglets.co.uk for full details of this spectacular London show.

I look forward to meeting you on Sunday!

Be Mine?

Love is in the air ...

'Be Mine Valentine?'

I hope my pic has given you a lovely warm, fuzzy sensation in time for Valentine's Day tomorrow!

I'm so pleased with these rose tinted bears! I made them for the Hugglets' show in London on the 26th of this month - if you would like to meet them in bearson, please visit me in Hall 2 on stand 75 on the big day. 

Full details for this super show can be found at: www.hugglets.co.uk

'Piper'

'Jeb'

And while I'm chatting about 'The Winter Bearfest show', here is a quick peek at a couple more of the bears coming to Kensington with me;  'Piper' and 'Jeb' are both from my new 2012 'Heritage Teds Collection'.

Well, it's time for me to go back to my workroom and make sure I have a few more bears to share on show day!  

In the meantime, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Butterfly Brain!

Do you ever feel you are getting nowhere fast and can't quite settle to any one thing?  Me too, usually two weeks before I'm due to exhibit at a major show!  There seems to have been an inordinate amount of 'faffing' in my world of late and the days are slipping through my fingers.  I still have too little to show for my efforts, even though I have been busy ... truly I have!  The internet is a help but also a hindrance as there are so many pretty things to look at, so much creative 'research' to indulge in.  I must confess, the Pinterest website has really fired up my creative self, but regrettably it is such a gorgeous time waster too ... *sighs* ...

This bear will be available from 'The Winter Bearfest Show' in Kensington on 26th Feb!

Anyway, butterfly brain I may have, but my workroom shelves are gradually filling with new bears - with only two weeks until the Kensington show though, I really wish they would fill a little faster!

 

Note to self: must work harder!

Born in a blizzard

I'm told I was born in the middle of a blizzard on the 5th February 1963 and yesterday, for the first time since I can remember, I woke and my birthday world had been carpeted white once again!

My special birthday cards from friends and family

Pretty as the snow was, I was anxious the weather might prevent me from seeing my son now that he has his own house, but fortunately he wasn't daunted by the snowy conditions ... he and his girlfriend drove over perfectly safely, arriving snug as bugs in their wellies, hats and scarves to share my birthday with me.  In fact, despite the snow, I've had visitors aplenty this weekend and it has been fun catching up with everyone and being made to feel so special.  We have laughed, chatted, played daft games on my new birthday 'Wii Fit' (heaven help me!) and just enjoyed spending some family time together.  In fact, one of my very best presents was simply watching my kids and their cousins having fun together.

Such a pretty card, handmade by my sister Lynda

I guess I'd better decide how to put my final 'forty something' year to best use now; after all, I don't want this year to slip through my fingers too easily, so with the help of my nearest and dearest, I intend to make the most of it!

Another lovely card,  made especially for me by my niece Sian

Happy birthday to me!

I want to thank everyone who took the time and trouble to remind me they care about me ... I loved all the visits, cards, messages and gifts!  Thank you for making my 49th birthday such a happy day xxx

Working its magic, The Winter Bearfest!

For the past couple of weeks, I have been working on some new classic bears for the 'Winter Bearfest' show which will take place in London on the 26th Feb.  I have exhibited at this show for more years than I care to admit and in my view, it's one of our very best UK teddy bear shows.  The show always oozes teddy bear talent talent in every corner and there's a discernible buzz of excitement from both collectors and exhibitors throughout the day.

Taken in the early 90's: with Abigail, my first collector bear

I remember my first visit to the 'Winter Bearfest' show as a collector many moons ago.  The show was almost overwhelming for a first timer, leaving me wide-eyed at the fabulous displays of both modern and vintage teddy bears.  That day, about twenty years ago, my very first artist bear, a gorgeous 22" girl named 'Abigail',  came home with me.  She was created by lovely Frank Webster of Charnwood Bears ... oh happy days!

My son enjoying a Hugglets show

In those days, I wasn't the only bear collector in my family, both my kids were also keen collectors, so visiting a bear show was a special treat for us all.  We spent the entire day chatting with bear artists as we visited stall, after stall, after stall, taking our time to admire each and every bear.  Many of the bear artists we met back then are still creating beautiful bears and have become friends over the years.

Meeting a friend from Hong Kong at my show table in 2010

It never ceases to amaze me that by some quirk, my collecting passion led me to creating my own teddy bears.  Nowadays, I'm thrilled to have my own table at the Hugglets shows ... isn't it strange how life works things out sometimes?!

If you have never visited a teddy bear show before and love teddy bears, please join us in London on Sunday the 26th February; you are guaranteed a magical, friendly, inspiring and above all, fun day!  You will find me in the corner of Hall 2, on stand 75. 

Please pop by and say hello ... I hope to see you there!

Full show details can be found on the show organiser's website: Hugglets Teddy Bear Festivals

Happy Birthday Stuart xxx

It will be this bloke's birthday tomorrow and as I know he likes to keeps tabs on me by taking a sneaky peek at my blog from time to time, this post is especially for him.  

He looks rather contemplative in the pic above, which is rare.  More usually you'll find him laughing and joking, making silly faces, speaking in daft voices, or 'Dad dancing' in the lounge to entertain my daughter.  He likes a beer, is obsessed with dreadful football (has held a season ticket at Gillingham since he was seven years old, need I say more?!) and is never happier than when he's pottering about in our garden, or out yomping in the great wide yonder ... (mind you,  if you ask him, he'll always tell you he was even happier when the Gills went to Wembley; so it's best not to ask, or you'll get all the gory details ... and I do mean ALL the gory details, yawn!)

He's argumentative, stubborn, irritatingly organised, snores AND hogs the duvet, but on the plus side he's rarely grumpy and is always the first to say sorry, even when he's not really in the wrong .... (ahem!)

He'll tell you he drives me nuts with a grin on his face and I know he has no intention of ever changing his neanderthal ways, but for all that he's a great bathroom scrubber and my friend through thick and thin, so as fiance's go, he'll do for me.

Anyway, as I said, it will be the ol' devil's birthday tomorrow, so this is me, giving him a chuckle, making him blush a little and wishing him the happiest of birthdays.

With all my love to you always Stuart,

Happy Birthday you ol' arse,

From me xxx