Shows all over..

I hope you've had time to check out the Teddies Worldwide 'Bears on Parade' show already. If you haven't, there's still plenty of time to check it out before the Parade is over... Most of my bears have been snapped up, but little Cleo above is still waiting for a new home.
I do hope you stop by and visit with all the lovely pieces created specially for this event. Just click on the badge to the right --->
So while the Parade has been on, I've been attending a show in New Zealand organised by my lovely friend Annetta Flaunty. Craft Out West has a fabulous variety of arts and crafts for all budgets and tastes. From yummy cupcakes and fudges to handcrafted rocking horses to beautiful Pacific Island crafts like Flax weaving. On the off chance you happen to be in Auckland tomorrow, it is well worth checking out!

Up To my Ears in it!

Full steam ahead here in the workroom, finishing off critters for Bears on Parade, the lovely Daphne's online show coming- well looming actually, looming menacingly! lol.... Also 'on the workbench' bears for my trip to New Zealand and Sydney..
Unfortunately I can't show you my Parade bears yet, top secret til the big day, aside from the preview which starts today. For a sneak peek at all 75 fabulous parade pieces, click the badge at the side of the page.
Because I don't have anything new- thats finished!- to show you, maybe you'll join me in a delicious snack of Macarons... I'm afraid you'll have to have the Pistachio one, as the Rose is my favourite:)
Now back to work for me...

Little Treasures...

There are many reasons I love going to Doll and Bear shows. One is it's a great chance to catch up with artist and collector friends, and another is it's a great place to stock up on little finds that inspire *more* bears or dolls...
At the last bear show here in Melbourne, I managed to nab these little satin shoes... So tiny, they look to me like they were made for a flowergirl. A bunch of vintage milliners Roses.. A necklace of tiny pearls... What will happen with them who knows? For now they are resting on a cupcake stand here in my studio, where I admire them every time I walk past:) It's fun to imagine the story behind little bits and prices like these... Who bought them? Who wore them? When? Where? Wouldn't it be wonderful to know?

Adventures..

Home again from wonderful Queensland for the Gold Coast Teddybear Fair and a couple of days of classes at Gerry's. It was lovely to catch up with everyone up there again. The plan was to enjoy some nice warm weather, but mother nature was not cooperating this year! Cold ( for Queensland!) temperatures, not to mention the ash from the Chilean volcano messing with everyone's travel plans.
While I was lucky enough to escape a cancelled flight, it was still a worry for several days, with all flights to Melbourne by several airlines cancelled. Waiting to see if the cloud would dissipate or move on was nail biting!
Now onto preparations for the Bears on Parade online show... Banner *will* be posted soon! I need to fire up the laptop, I've become so addicted to my iPad the poor thing hardly gets any use these days, but unfortunately there are some things I can't do on the iPad:(

Busy day..

Well today will be a very busy one. Setting off tomorrow for the fabulous Gold Coast, so I have lots of things to finish up and get packed.. Last night I finished off sewing the hats for the new bears who are coming along, using some of the hand- dyed hat straws in the photo above. While they make many pretty colours in the straw, I decided one day ( again, just before a show) I was a bit bored with the colours I had, so I got out the dye pots and set to work... I was rather pleased with the pretty pinks beiges and lavenders I managed to come up with...
So now today will be spent trimming the hats and dresses, going over the bears for a final check, tagging pricing and packing... I like to finish all my new bears at once, because I make such a mess when I'm trimming.. I need to have lots of boxes down off the shelves so I have plenty of flowers and ribbons to choose from.. Perhaps it would be a quicker job if I restricted myself more? I'm not sure.....
Well, better get to it!

Full Steam Ahead!

Things are busy here with preparations for the Gold Coast Bear Fair coming up next weekend. Teddy lovers from all over Australia and as far afield as New Zealand and maybe even Europe converging on the hopefully sunny Gold Coast for one of the highlights of the calendar here in Australia. I always look forward to this show, even if it does usually involve a bumpy flight with a scary bumpy landing in Coolangatta:)
Along with my preparations for the show, I've also been busy designing new patterns for Gerrys... Little Dandy the Lion here is a bit of a sneak peek. Of the four on the CD, not one is a bear...I hope people will find them interesting projects though.... After I've sent them off to Lyn at Gerrys, I'll unveil the rest.. In the meantime I hope you like Dandy...I'm rather pleased with him.. Though he has to be the least scary lion ever!

Ta daaaa!

..... And here is Sarsaparilla! Sadly I wasn't able to capture the true cherry red of Sarsaparilla's body fabric... But I hope you enjoyed watching him come to life, from first pattern sketch to finished product.
Don't forget if you'd like to try making a Sarsaparilla of your own, the pattern will be in the next 'Bear Tales' book, coming out soon. Just get in touch with Kim or Josey at Bear Essence (link in sidebar) and they will be sure to help you out! A whole year of lovely bear patterns designed exclusively for Bear Tales by artists from all over.