Been a Tad Busy!

It must be that time of year when I need to start cleaning things up . . . I have spent the last two days cleaning up my website. Yep, it's out with all the unneccesary files, photos, pages etc. etc. Just a little bit of artwork on PSP, then a slight revamp of title links to pages and you have it!!

Oh my latest creations and these three are staying in Glenn's Private Collection . . .  meet Clarise, Chloe and Clemantine!




They're a cheeky lot . . .  I think that's why he likes them. The three sisters are all dolled up to the nines and prepared for a night on the town . . . they even have money for a cab in their handbags!

Have a happy day, cheers!

For All Teddy Bear Lovers

For any arctophile, the passing of a great magazine like Teddy Bear Scene was almost too hard to bear ('scuse the pun). Many of us faithful followers grieved for months. So it gives me great pleasure to pass on this information to all those who haven't yet heard . . . we have a new arrival coming soon from Kathy Martin (former editor of TBS) and I am so excited!


If you would like a copy of this wonderful 100 page Annual, on sale from 19th November in the UK, you can pre-order your copy online now, just click here and have it delivered to your door.

Kathy has put together a great article on Teddy Talent from Down Under featuring The Australasian Creative Design Awards, as well as many other wonderful articles including a beautiful feature on "Teddy at Christmas", so it will definitely be worth buying.

There is talk of a Teddy Bear Scene supplement to go with the UK mag Collect It in 2010 and possibly more Annuals! But if we are to revive this magazine it needs a strong following to support it, PLEASE PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AND ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

No, I don't have shares in the company, I just feel strongly about giving back to a wonderful magazine editor who has worked hard to support the teddy bear industry and who has selflessly promoted teddy bear artists worldwide for years!

Hugs to the beary passionate!

P.S. Nancy just emailed this link for US subscribers.

Quick Post!

The Woodend Teddy Bear Show was great, it was wonderful catching up with all the artists (especially those from interstate and New Zealand) and dinner at Schatzi's on Saturday night was fabulous . . . superb food as always! This is our fun loving chef, Frank . . . as you can see he's a big kid at heart!


Must fly away to get ready for my class now, can't teach in my dressing gown. Feeling a lot like "the white rabbit" of late, always rushing here and there, with never enough hours in the day.


Catch you all later!

Romantic Bears

All ready for Christmas . . . their noses sparkle with coloured metalic thread. Each bear in this series comes complete with it's own bouquet of flowers.

Coconut Ice

I thought I would introduce another of my favourite creations. This is Coconut Ice from my Tasty Treats Series, who is now living comfortably in San Francisco, California USA.

She is made from a wonderful English mohair, that is quite dense and certainly unique. Unfortunately this fabric is no longer available due Norton Weaving closing it's doors in November, 2006.

I enjoyed working with this fabric and lucky for me I purchased several metres. I intend to make similar bears in each of the other colours...so you can look forward to seeing a Peppermint Pattie and a Caramel Creme in the not to distant future.


Enjoy your Sunday!

Lace, Roses and Romance

I thought I would post a photo of some gold painted boxes with lids that I covered in silk and lace and finished with hand made ribbon roses. It just goes to show that all the hoarding comes in handy from time to time!

The little bear is a new addition to my Romantic Series which I will be posting on my website a little later today.

Memories

I am still working on my project bear, it's almost stuffed and the accessories are coming along nicely. Remembering to take photos of the accessories as I go, is the hardest thing, so you may have to wait another day or two for the tutorial. Silly me finished the first accessory I was making before I realised I had forgotten to take the photos for steps 5 and 6. Now I will have to remember to take the darn photos when I make up the second one.

I thought I would make up for it a little by posting a photo of one of my bears I made a few months back, who now living with his new mummy in West Creek, New Jersey USA.


Hope you are all having a grand day!

Enough is Enough!

Do you ever feel that you are being pulled apart? Do you ever feel that everyone want a piece of you? Well perhaps you are a little like me and try to do too much. After all there are only twenty four hours in a day and even if there were twice that many, there still wouldn't be enough for all I would like to do.

Today was the day when I finally said to myself "enough is enough". I sat down and thought about all the things I do . . . firstly there were those that I really enjoy, like designing, sewing my bears, teaching, blogging, maintaining four websites, running TBACA and organising the online shows.

Then of course those that are neccessary for daily life to continue and those that I just felt were just a complete waste of my time and energy.

After musing awhile, I came to the conclusion . . . I don't really need two Twitter Accounts and I don't really need to belong to all the forums that I have joined (over the years there have been many) nor do I really need Facebook . . . so I had a clean out! And boy it's like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

At last I feel free as a bird . . . even if it only lasts a little, while I am going to make the most of it! As much as I enjoy helping everyone else and being involved, I am going to take some time and do something just for me . . . and spend the next few days sewing!

Have a great weekend everyone and I'll catch up with you next week sometime.

I Had to Share This

I am very pleased to introduce you to a superb pink piggy . . . Miss Paulette . . . designed and hand sewn by one of my students, Vera Lamb. Vera made her as a present for a dear friend who helps her at "The Shed", a family centre for the underpriveleged.

Although Vera has been a student of mine for some time, she has always been a little hesitant about designing something so left of centre and I am very proud of her for taking the plunge and achieving this result.

Don't you just love the way Vera has accessorised her with a touch of bling? I am sure her friend will be absolutely delighted.

The Australasian Creative Design Awards

The final count for the "People's Choice Award" took place this morning. The top three positions, actually had five candidates. After counting the votes manually to check there were no errors in counting, the Award ended up as a tie between Linda Benson of Benson Bears for her beautiful rendition of a Panda - Meixin and Laraine White of Rainbears for her superb clown bear Pepper.

The Runners Up and winners of the "High Achievement in Design and Workmanship Awards" were Kim Russell of Russell Bears for her wonderfully creative skunk Li'l Stinker and Linda Benson once again for Meixin.



"The Most Innovative Design and Workmanship Excellence Award" was presented to a very pleased and excited Katrina Ndrejica of Bumble Bears for her fantastic creation, Modoogo.


This was a very well deserved award for Katrina, as the workmanship of this bear was as near to perfection as is humanly possible.

Boy Oh Boy!

What a morning . . . just when things are rolling along smoothly and everything is good in my little corner of the world, the man upstairs throws a spanner in the works!

First thing this morning I walked into the kitchen, only to discovered a nice pile of dog poo on the floor . . . my dog has never done that in all his 13 years, not even as a puppy! Was "not very happy Jan"!

Then my hubby knocked the oil diffuser all over my lovely polished dining table and went off to work in a really crappy mood. Mind you, my mood wasn't much better...do you know what that oil does to polished wood? You really don't wanna know!

The things that are sent to try us, do tend to make it difficult to stay positive, bright and cheery. Especially when this all happens in a matter of a few hours. Thank heavens I had a teddy class to conduct and my wonderful students to take my mind off everything for a while.