Wednesday 30 May 2012

A Trio of Teds

This trio of traditional teds will be heading for 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich later today!

Shop Exclusives for 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich

Now my shop bears are ready to travel,  it's time for me to get back to work on some show bears for 'The Teddy Bear Artist Event' in Stratford on the 10th June.  I have a few lovely new bears ready for this super show, but I'm hoping to finish a few more too!

Monday 28 May 2012

Signed, sealed ...

My apologies, a week has flown past without a single bear post; I have been working on my bears - no really, I have!  The trouble is, I haven't only been working on my bears, I have also been busy planning a rather special event for this coming Autumn ...


Stuart and I are getting married!  

Ta da!!!!

So now you know that between bears, I have been preparing for our special day.  I truly had no idea how much time it would take to put the finishing touches to our wedding day, but we're getting there and last Friday afternoon, we visited our wedding venue to formalise the arrangements ... 

Signed, sealed and on a lovely Autumn day (with luck!) our wedding will at long last, be delivered!

(PS: Normal bear service will resume shortly!)

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Photographing the Photographer

After my worrying week with Fay, I am relieved to report she is now back at work, so  thankfully I have been able to put my Florence Nightingale uniform away.  It's hard to explain to anyone who isn't fully cognisant with diabetes, just how alarming sickness bugs can be - suffice it to say, such illness doesn't simply make the patient feel terrible, it's also dangerous and there's a very fine line between being able to manage the illness safely at home and having to call the hospital for assistance.  Luckily we managed without the hospital this time.

The Portchester Troops (photo courtesy of Tina)

Anyway, panic over!  Although her illness had passed, Fay wasn't quite strong enough to join us for the two hour drive to Portchester to spend time with my family on Saturday, so we left her to enjoy a little peace and quiet with her boyfriend and hopped in the car with my son and his girlfriend to spend a super day with my sisters Tina and Fiona and their families.  After a whopping lunch of homemade spaghetti bolognese, following by hip busting banoffee pie pud (yes, I will suffer for this indulgence for some time to come!) we gathered our troops for a stroll to the castle to walk off the excess!

Boys being boys! (Courtesy of Tina)

And as you can see, when you gather assorted boys together, antics usually occur!

View from the ramparts across the Solent and yes, I snapped this one! 

Ever the business woman, Tina successfully negotiated a group discount so we could enter the impressive castle gate and climb the ramparts to see the fabulous view across Port Solent.

Group photo call! (Courtesy of Tina)

One of the perks of having a professional photographer for a sister is, she never travels anywhere without her trusty camera and isn't afraid to use it! Portchester Castle is a beautiful place to visit and we were all delighted when Tina organised us into various corners of the castle to have our pics taken ...


My son and his girlfriend (Courtesy of Tina)

Needless to say, as his Mum, I was especially thrilled with this lovely photograph!

Photographing the Photographer!

Tina took many other super shots of our family at the castle, far too many to post here today, so I'm going to risk her wrath by sharing a final, rather rare shot.  Tina is usually hidden away behind the lens, so I insisted on borrowing her camera and this was the result, a lovely, natural photograph of my sister, 'Tina the Photographer'!

If you are in the Hampshire area and are looking for a talented, friendly photographer, please visit Tina's website at: Tina Allingham Photography

And wherever you are, if you would like to keep in touch with Tina's work via Facebook, please visit:Tina Allingham Photography on Facebook

She's building an amazing new studio at the moment, so there's always something interesting to read.  By the way, please take a moment to 'like' her FB page and 'share' it among your friends, thanks!

Tina, I know you'll read this, so I'm going to say a big 'thank you' for all the special memories you capture for us, your family.

Thanks Sis, you're a gem
 xxx

Tuesday 15 May 2012

First things first ...

How I would love to be able to show you a super neat workroom full of completed projects today, but the truth is, this week I'm running a little behind as my daughter has been unwell and unwell daughters need their mums, especially if they happen to be diabetic and particularly poorly.  So, as you can see, I have a desk covered with un-stuffed bear limbs, not to mention a variety of other half finished projects temporarily abandoned in my workroom.


I am hoping to turn my pile of mohair pieces into three lovely new teddy bears destined for 'The Bear Shop' in a week or two ... and see that pile of pennants?  Well, that's work-in-progress which hopefully will result in a lovely long length of bunting for a special day later this year.


And of course, there are my 'Teddy Bear Artist Event' show bears to continue work on; I do have a few new furry bums sat on my shelves ready for their big day out in Stratford Upon Avon in June, but there are more yet to bring to life!

On top of which, I have been invited to create a small limited edition to help the guys at Apple Pie House celebrate their 15th anniversary shortly and a special laughing bear edition for an old favourite of mine, the Teddies of Mt Holly shop in the US. 

Mum things first though,
Get well soon Fay xxx

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Crafty Weekend

Spring Bank Holiday wasn't at all springlike, in fact it had far more in common with a chilly, wet, November weekend.  On the plus side though, the rain gave me the perfect excuse to start work on a few craft projects ...


So, on Sunday afternoon, as I settled onto the sofa with Stuart to watch 'The Iron Lady' on DVD, I cast on to knit a gorgeous teddy bear pattern from 
Mary Jane's Tearooms 

Stuart is going to be a Granddad again in a few months and I am going to made a Great Auntie for the very first time later this year, so with two new babies on the way, I intend to put this lovely pattern to very good use!


After starting work on my Stratford show bears last week, this weekend I decided to 'vintage' a pretty lace collar for the young lady bear above.  I used walnut stain (a trick I learned from prim dolly makers) and really like the effect.  


Finally, when the sun eventually peeked through the clouds yesterday, Stuart couldn't wait to get out in the garden to have a tidy up; I was happy to let him get on with it while I cranked up my sewing machine to start work on some bunting. I'm working my way through my fabric stash to make bunting for a special family event planned later this year.

Hopefully, I'll be able to show you my finished projects in a few months' time!

Tuesday 1 May 2012

Maggie May

It may not be late September as the song says, but if I tell you quite unashamedly I have been singing along to Rod Stewart on my Itunes playlist whilst finishing this little girl bear, you'll probably guess where the inspiration for her name came from ... yes, she's called 'Maggie May'!

8.5" 'Maggie May' 

Besides which, it's May Day today, so 'Maggie May' seems particularly apt ... thanks for your help Rod!

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