Introducing Beatrice Bear.

Just wanted to show off Beatrice, she's already flown the nest and I think she's happy in her new home.
She's a big bear for me measuring 9" and she's a lovely peachy pink sparse mohair.

You may remember Mabel who was made from the same pattern, I had a request for a replica of her with a lace collar instead of a skirt. It can be quite difficult to make two bears look exactly the same but I got close, what do you think ?
 http://hugabyebears.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/hello-again-mabel.html

Long lost blogs.

I tidied up my blog roll yesterday and I discovered that many of the bear blogs that I followed when I first began blogging are now abandoned, frozen in time on the last post.
No goodbyes or explanation for the owner going AWOL, it's as if they walked into the blogosphere sunset and never looked back!!!


Of course I totally understand that life gets in the way, people change, stop making bears or just get tired of blogging, I've taken many extended breaks myself but it doesn't stop me wondering what happened to my favourite bloggers...... If you're out there reading this, hope you are all ok.


Some of my distractions from blogging take the form of crafts, doll making is my most recent new fave. Say hello to Clara.......

She's really quite small when you see her next to Mr Beau Blue! Click on the pics to zoom in and see her in full glory. Her painted features needed a very steady hand let me tell you :)

New Miniature Bear.

Introducing Mr Beau Blue.

I had a lot of fun making this little guy, he's hand dyed a pale shade of blue and plucked and shaded to give an aged appearance. I stuffed him with excelsior/wood wool for a real authentic feel.
He's 5.5" small and has cotter pin joints and amber English glass eyes.

After all the grey skies and dull winter weather, I am craving spring pastels and am also finishing off a bigger bear in pink mohair.

He'll be in my Hugabye Etsy shop later this evening, pop by and say hello!

Are you ready for spring coming???

Bears back in action!

It has been a long time since I blogged, I almost forgot how to do it! Sometimes when life gets in the way and things take over you just have to go with it. My bear making has been on the back burner for a while now but if you have ever made a bear then you will know that it's well nigh impossible to quit forever! A custom order for a bear was all it took to set the wheels back in motion and searching through my mohair stash has another two bears just begging to be made.
I wonder whether there's a cycle or rhythm to my creativity. I've heard it said that bear making is a perfect winter activity, one for those early dark nights where you want cosy up by the fire but I for one can't see to thread a needle when the sun has gone down! I guess spring and summer are when I'm at my most creative. Today definitely feels like spring and the mohair is out ready to be cut.
Do you have your own creative peaks and troughs according to the seasons?

Bertie a 4" Clown Bear

Hello, autumn is here and I have been inspired by all the lovely reds that are showing in the trees and their leaves that are beginning to fall slowly here in the UK right now. Bertie is now in the shop waiting to go to his new home!

Back to Bears!!!

After a long break away from making bears, I have picked up needle and thread and started stitching again. The slow process of the teeny tiny hand stitches and the soft silken mohair is what I have missed. The delight of seeing a little character's face take form is not something that I can forget and so it is with excitement that I start over with new bears!

     Introducing Sylvie

One of the last bears I made before my break.

I think she needs a companion!

She's a diminutive 5" small with her own special outfit made by me.

Please feel free to comment, it's kind of lonely here at the moment!

                                                                                                                                                                             

Summer Blossom

To celebrate the fabulous summer weather that we've been having here in the UK I've made a cute little pink bear called Summer Blossom. 4 1/2" of cuteness with some pretty pink flowers in her hair, just what I needed to kick start my summer bear making! Go to my Etsy shop for more pics, I'm sure she'd welcome a visit!

Unfinished Business.

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm still here and having fun making my wee bears. This latest one was started last year when I went to France. I had almost completed her and somehow she must have been put away and forgotton about! I don't know why or how I managed to forget about something as sweet as her but I did!

I have a plethora of unfinished projects in my past but never never any bears! What was I thinking?

Anyway she was worth the wait and when I look at her now I'm reminded of hot summer lazy French days sat by the lake where we stayed, sewing and soaking up the sun.

Oooh how I wish I was there right now, the weather here is turning cold again and spring still feels so far away, but I'm not going to let that stop me working on some spring projects.

I'm working on a new bear design, it'll be another wee one and maybe I'll have some sneak peek pics later on this week.

Hello

It's been a while since I last looked in and today I pay a visit and notice that people are still visiting this blog. I read through some of the posts and I can honestly say that I have missed this place. How strange!
I've decided to start blogging over here again so look out for some more posts and pics real soon.

Back Home.

Well I'm back with batteries recharged and my creative head swimming with ideas. I had a great time with my sister and only wish that I could go and visit more often , but now that I've conquered my fear of long drives then maybe I will!
The journey down there was going well until a trucker drifted into my lane forcing me to swerve, narrowly missing the central reservation and sending my pulse rate off the scale! It was scarey but I just carried on as I had no choice. It hasn't put me off because I think that I reacted to the situation well enough to avoid a collision - I was in control even if the crazy trucker wasn't!
I didn't get any decent pics while I was in Dorset because I kept forgetting to take my camera when we went out, so no photos I'm afraid.
Hope it's a great weekend for everyone x

Dorset Days.

Just a quick one, I'm off to to visit my sister who lives on the beautiful Dorset coast. Can't wait , I always come back with my batteries recharged feeling totally refreshed. The only downside is that I'm driving down there on my own :-( This is a big step for me as I had a car crash a few years ago ( I was driving ) I've been a very cautious driver ever since....................
Wish me luck it, feels like I'm going on an adventure, better go now, gotta check my tyre pressure. Ta ta for now !

Miss Polly.

Hello , thought you might like to meet my latest mini bear. She's 5" small and a mischievous little madam. Don't tell her I told you but she "borrowed" those pearls from her Mother, you'd never know by that innocent expression on her face. Oh Polly what will we do with you!

She's available now from my Etsy shop, and she'd love you to pay her a visit.

Princess Celia.

Ooh I'm having lots of fun making new bears with a feminine edge. I have lots of silks ,trimmings, beads and crystals just begging to be used, so Princess Celia has her very own custom made tiara and necklace to go with her silk satin skirt. Princess Celia , you will be the Belle of the ball!!

Hello again Mabel.

It occured to me that Mabel wasn't showing her true colours in the pic I posted yesterday. The lighting was terrible and Mabel looked blonde when in fact she's really a very soft pink. So here she is again in her finery showing off her pinkness!

Note to self - must get around to reading the camera manual......................
Have a great weekend x

Hello Mabel.

Hello Mabel, you are in a mood, could it have anything to do with the fact that I left you totally bare for a whole 5 months before I reached into my trimmings box and pulled out some tulle, crystals and ribbons just for you ? So now you're dressed in your finery was it worth the wait my dear ?

This poor little madam was languishing in a wip box for way too long ! I'm glad she's finally got an outfit, it was always my intention to make something feminine for this little girlie but I guess I got side tracked with other things and forgot she was there. Well that's one of the things on my to do list ticked off, now on to the other 99 things!!

Mmmm Mohair.

Just a selection of the delicious mohair I'm starting work on next week. I especially love the grey tipped one third from the bottom, the grey is very subtle but it gives a lovely depth to the mohair, I haven't worked with this before and can't wait to get those scissors out!

The one at the bottom is a mohair and rayon mix - lovely and silky, again I haven't worked with this either so I'm champing at the bit again. Steady now girl! All I need to do now is figure out how to squeeze an extra couple of hours into my day.......

Look what I got today!!

My friend at work gave me a lovely surprise today when she gave me a shabby little faded bear! How totally unexpected , in fact it's the second surprise gift I've had this week - my Dad gave me a gorgeous vintage brooch with semi precious stones and it's not even my birthday! I think gifts are all the more wonderful when they are given for no reason in particular, why wait until a birthday or Christmas ? I plan to pass it on and give someone a surprise pressie to brighten their day , why not try it yourself.

My pressie is gonna be for a very special person called Di she's one of the warmest most generous people I know. For my birthday this year she got me a craft book on all sorts of goodies to make from linen, so I think I'll have a stab at making her something from the book. Will let you know how I get on. Have a great weekend, hubby and I have an wedding reception to go to tomorrow night. Can't wait, ta a for now.

Summer 09.

Here are some of the things that I got up to over the summer! These gorgeous bears live in a toy museum in France where I went for a break with my hubby. We stayed with our beautiful friend Joelle in a teeny village near Beziers.

Love this pair!

The landscape in the region is just staggering and the road leading up this mountain was like something out of The Italian Job - hair raising and I'm such an awful passenger since being in a car crash , so I closed my eyes and held onto my seat and was rewarded with this magnificent view at the top. Well worth it, only then I had to go down !!

This is the little hamlet where we stayed, to be honest I didn't take many photos because the blistering heat kept me firmly rooted in the shade most of the time. It was the hottest I've ever experienced in France, the local fire brigade and helicopters where on constant look out and alert in case of forest fires .

This is a beach on the beautiful Dorset coast where we went visiting my sister and her family. I'm so jealous of the lovely weather that those guys get. I live near the Pennines which are synonymous with wind, rain and snow!!

Well the summer went in a flash and now autumn is upon us, time to dig out those woollies again........

It's me again!

Hi, I can't believe it's over a month since my last post! I just want to let you know that I am still around and will be back to blogging again this week. I've had a great summer and hope you have too, will post some pics soon. Ta ta for now.

Sugar Plum Kitty.

Sugar Plum is 5" of cute kitty made from black Schulte
mohair with 100% wool paws and inner ears in lilac. She
has matt black English glass eyes, and a pink sparkly
nose.
I made her some silk roses and a hand dyed ribbon
bow and lilac tutu. I think her whiskers and bendy tail
( it has wire armature) finish her off nicely.
Sugar is gently weighted with steel shot .

I love experimenting with design and have made many
bears and friends in different styles but now that I have
found my groove I'm selling all my earlier bears at a reduced
price. Sugar Plum is OOAK and is just £25.
ginie@hotmail.co.uk email me for details.
Grab yourself a bargain!
Scroll down for details of Belle .