Thursday, December 30, 2010

Happy New Year to you all.....

We are off to Sydney today to stay with Samantha and Tony but will be home again next week Friday. Country bumpkins and dogs hit the city! We always have a good time and so do the dogs. If I can stay awake and do a 2k walk we will be watching the firework display over the Sydney harbour bridge.
Anyway, we would just like to wish you all a good and happy bear making New Year and may all your resolutions come true - gave up making those years ago as I could never stick to them LOL!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Saturday, December 11, 2010

HETTIE the birthday bear.......




I just had to show Hettie off as I was so pleased with the way she turned out when finished - I made her as a pressie for my friends birthday - just hope she doesn't take a look at my blog between now and Thursday!
There was a bit of excitement around here this week  and it all started with Millie & Amy and their special barks which means 'we've found something' though most unusual for Millie she was doing it through the lounge glass door (we have glass sliding doors out onto a paved area). Dave went to investigate with the dogs in tow and they seemed to home in (I was watching from the kitchen window) on the barbie which is parked against the house wall just pass the glass doors - even the parrots were sending up an alarm call - so being very brave Dave lifted the barbie cover with a long pole and then shouted SNAKE! For once the girls were very obedient and I got them to come inside straight away. He managed to get it out from under the barbie and then sort of pushed it along away from the house. It was about a meter in length and what is known as a Red Belly snake - shiny black with a red strip down it's sides and deadly poisonous but not aggressive and deadly like the Brown snake that we also get around here - in fact the Red Bellies kill the Browns.
It is the first time that I have seen a wild live snake (seen dead ones on the roads) - snakes don't scare me at all but I'm very wary of them which is understandable when most of them out here are deadly and being so close to the house left us feeling a little uneasy - our main concern is for the girls and that is why we always check when they use their special barks and I think Millie must have sensed that this snake was dangerous.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Last bear before Christmas......

 MIMOSA

Phewie! I have managed to squeeze in one last colourful bear this side of the silly season:o)) I made her from a lovely soft curly mohair and used an aged vintage lace collar to set all the colours off. She maybe the last bear but it doesn't mean I have stopped sewing - there are bears in progress and more dying to be done at some point too. Anyway, suppose this person better get back to her bear business as I have 2 bears which need to be packed up and sent to their new owner.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

A very cute guy........

I've just popped into Irma at Pudra Studio who is having a 'Giveaway' of one of her lovely creations - so if you want to join in then go along and check it out.  http://pudra-studio.blogspot.com/

Monday, November 29, 2010

SCANNING or SCAMMING......

Getting on my soap today as I was a little shocked when I took a bear to be posted to America to find that I had to pay a AUD$9 surcharge because it weighed more than 453grams (1lb).
This is apparently to fund the USA's newly introduced package scanning operation - maybe that should read 'scamming' operation - what an outrage! It is almost like another import tax in disguise.
As if the richest country in the world cannot afford to do this as part of their normal operations as every other country in the world does - without a surcharge. Is this the FREE trade we keep hearing about from America?
Not exactly something that you can ask the collector to pay on top of the already high postage. Not a happy bunny when I have 2 more packages to send to America.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

LIZARD WATCH...........


For once I had the camera when I needed it and got some really nice pictures of the girl's on their Lizard watch or anything else that moves! They are on their special box with a cushion on top which is kept by the window in the study so that they can sit on there and watch the world go by. This is really Millie's special place but Amy has taken to either shoving Millie to one side and then getting on there with her or Amy will stand there and shout until Millie gives in and gets off so that madam can have the cushion all to herself! Amy really is a very bossy mini Dachs where as Millie is very laid back and so sweet tempered.


Monday, November 8, 2010

LOTUS the blossom bear...........



So far this week all is going well - that was until this morning when I wanted to cut a piece of cotton - missed that and cut my finger instead which is now encased in a plaster. It's not sore but it took forever to stop the bleeding and hubby did a disappearing act as he goes all weak at the knees at the sight of blood - not much help there then! Last week was a bit of a disaster as the washing machine threw a big hissy fit, fell apart and leaked all over the laundry room floor - luckily I had just got all the laundry finished so not too much screaming and shouting from me! I am now the proud owner of a new washing machine which arrived yesterday and it got the first work out today - very happy bunny am I:o))
Anyway, I got real busy and finished Lotus who's colours are a little unusual and what I was trying to achieve was in capturing the colours of one of my doona covers and I think I got pretty close to it. 
LOTUS is now ADOPTED

Saturday, October 23, 2010

OSCAR rolls into town.....


Just finished Oscar who belongs to my Oldies but Goodies collection - thought I would show him off here but hopefully today at some point he will put in an appearance on my website - got to sweet talk hubby! Making these care worn loved bears is fast becoming an addiction and a very nice one it is too! I am getting as much pleasure out of giving them the 'shabby look' as I do out of sewing them:o))
ADOPTED

Monday, October 18, 2010

DANCER and POPPY

DANCER

ADOPTED

Well I've been real busy and managed to finish not one but two new bears! It seemed to take me forever to come up with names for them but I got there in the end and I think their names suit them! I am waiting for himself to put them up on my website - he has gone away for a few days checking out the Central Coast to see if this is where we want to move to. So, it's just me and the dogs and it is so peaceful around here aaarrrhhh bliss!

ADOPTED

POPPY

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Lonely MYRTLE..........

Another oldie but goodie and she goes by the name of Myrtle! I used a lovely soft sparse curly mohair in a pale pink and lilac. I gave her plenty of aging which I find so much fun to do. 
Anyway, I can't really hang out on the blog today as it seems to be one of those days when every time I look at the clock more time has whizzed past and I still have so much more to do! 
ADOPTED

Thursday, September 30, 2010

PIPPA a new bear......


I can't believe another week has whizzed pass - did I miss something?! Well, it is the first day of the new month and this morning when I went outside with the dogs to breath in the fresh air and contemplate a new day I found that we are surrounded by stinky smoke. It seems they have decided to back burn in the forest as today is the start of the bush fire season. We have had no rain for ages and it is becoming very dry and I've noticed that some of our trees and plants are starting to look a little sad and droopy.
I did manage to finished a bear this week, hooray! The mohair pile is a little longer than what I usually work with but I just couldn't resist this lovely blue - it really is a nice eye catching blue and the cream sets it off so nicely.
Anyway, it is a long weekend for us and the clocks change - just hope I remember to change them at the right time. Samantha is arriving this afternoon leaving hubby behind as he wants to spend sometime with his Dad so looking forward to seeing her and having a good girly gossip:o)) 
ADOPTED

Monday, September 6, 2010

MUFFIN another lonely care worn......


Hooray! another finished bear and another lonely tired and care worn - never thought I would see myself having so much fun putting these oldies together and I have to admit it is becoming addictive! I like all the detailing and accessorizing that can be done.
This crazy lady now has to go and do torture in the form of power walking (don't do running) and give the neighbours something to laugh at as I do it around my property - I do 9 laps which works out to 2.5km and then it is back to making another bear - that's the best part:o))
ADOPTED

Monday, August 16, 2010

BANJO a lonely care worn.......


Let me introduce Banjo to you all as he is going to be the first in my "Oldies but Goodies" collection. I really enjoyed myself aging this little guy especially when it came to doing the nose (me and noses do not go together!) as I didn't have to sew the perfect nose! Aaaahhhh bliss:o))
ADOPTED

Saturday, August 14, 2010

BUFFY the bear......


I had a re-inventing moment and sought out my original head which I fiddled with here and there and the end result was Buffy. I must admit I'm not sure if I enjoy these re-inventing moments as it feels like I have gone backwards when I would much prefer to go forward! 
I'm quite excited about a couple of bears that are in the sewing process as I feel I have come out of my comfort zone and I'm working on those care worn oldies - I have a real soft spot for these type of bears and have quite a few in my collection.
It is so windy today and my laundry is literally being spun dry! Bet I end up rescuing undies and such from around the garden LOL!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

ROSA and DAISY.........


I've been so busy in the bear making department that I can't really tell you what else has been going on around here big sighs! I do know the sun is shining it's heart out today which is really nice because we have had lots of those nasty grey clouds and some rain and it is still cold!
I do know that Samantha & Tony (daughter & hubby) are due home from their six weeks honeymoon in Croatia tomorrow so it will be good to catch up with them.



I walked the beach with the dogs the other day to blow away all those fuzzy cobwebs which have been stuffing up my brain - hubby came along too BUT it turned out he was really clever and managed to loose his mobile (iPhone so not a cheap one!) and of course we only found this out after we had got home. Like many other guys he goes like this 'have you seen....' or 'I can't find....' or 'I don't know where I've put it' aaarrrggghhhh! It's like having the kids home all over again - don't you just love them!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Local Wallaby.......

These pictures of the Wallaby was taken by Dave this morning - this guy has taken to hanging out in our front yard - I walked right pass him as I went down to the front to collect the newspaper and he didn't move so when I came back I stopped and had a chat with him - yeah, I know crazy lady LOL!! He is quite a big guy and known as a Red Neck Wallaby - we also get another type of Wallaby (Swamp Wallabies) which is much smaller and I think it must be the girls as they hang out in a group of 4 or 5 and can be found most days down the far side of the house just in front of the computer room window - quite a large open area of land before it goes into a woody part so if they get the spooks they can bolt into there.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

CAMEO the newbie bear......

Another bear is born and this time quite a bit different to my usual colourful ones. I've used that lovely soft dense Alpaca/mohair which is a dream to work with. For the first time I have made her arms bendable and another couple of first for me is the Trapunto pads and the needle felted scarf which brought a few tears to my eyes along with plenty of swearing as I think I must have stabbed myself quite a few times!! Ooooohhhh! my poor fingers are sore today:o((
She will be appearing on my website very soon.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

A New Bear is Born.........


Meet Carmen a bear which I started before I went away and now I have finished her. Can't believe I have been back home a week already! Carmen's face is a little different to what I usually do and I wasn't quite sure if she looked right or not but after a few days of looking at her I think she is pretty cute and the colours have gone well together too. I really must get some more pieces of mohair dyed as I have nothing left but that doesn't stop me from sewing as at the moment I am having fun working with 'normal' colours:o)) Anyway, you can find Carmen up for adoption on my website if you would like to give her a good home:o))

Thursday, June 24, 2010

The day of the Wedding..........

I'm back! Slowly getting things sorted and catching up! Had a great time and so did the dogs - lots of eating yummy food and I'm thinking I am going to pay for this! But believe it or not I have actually lost 2kg's which came as a real surprise to me! Must have been all the exercise as we were out and about every day doing something and we were taking the dogs down to the doggie park or walking the streets or when Tony went for a run around the bay we all went to with the dogs in tow.
The day of the wedding (18th June) went reasonably smoothly - poor Matt (Tony's best mate) who arrived back early morning from his trip to USA/Canada had no sooner put his case down before I had him putting the ribbon on his car and ours! The day before I was learning how to make a wedding bouquet on YouTube - in the afternoon I went out and got the flowers and all the other bits and pieces and then I spent the evening making it as well as 3 buttonhole pieces for himself, Tony and his dad. Samantha wasn't going to have flowers because the florist wanted $180 just for a little posey! She just couldn't justify that amount of money for just a few flowers.
 
The pictures don't really show it but we were all freezing our bunnies off! It was quite windy which didn't help matters - Samantha wore her thick heavy  Winter coat which I was quite happy to hold for her when the time came for the ceremony - no chance of getting into it but at least I could put it around my shoulders!
Simon (son) and Teresa are now in NZ for a 14 day holiday - flew out the day after the wedding and Samantha and Tony left for Croatia on Wednesday so should be there now - text us from Singapore where they had an 8-10 hour stop over. They will be having a full ceremony in Croatia so there will be more pics to look at some point.
 
While down there I got the chance to go to the Craft and Quilt Fair at the exhibition centre, Darling Harbour - had a very enjoyable time in there! Himself was having a few groans and I really should have insisted he took himself off to the art gallery as he would have liked to have gone there - not really my thing.
Lots of sewing to catch up on as I didn't do any while away even though I did take my bear box with. Finished a bear off which was nearly finished before I left - just need to do the pics now once the Sun pops out again - wish it would as I have a stack of laundry to get dry with more to wash.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Walking Opals.....

How about these for walking jewels. These little guys were found in my friends back yard as she was pruning the Hibscus bush. They are known as a Cotton Harlequin Bug and there are a few different types but these guys must be top of the list for beauty - like my friend said they are like walking Opals.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Winter is upon us now brrrrrrr!......

Well it's here and so chilly! Out with the Winter woolies and on with the Winter doona aarrrhhh! So nice and cosy - now if I was a bear I would be seriously thinking about going into hibernation! Thank goodness the sun keeps on shining most days as I do need to keep nipping outside to have a warm up - bit like a lizard or snake:o))
Amy (mini Dachs) is a fair weather girl so she usually joins me outside for a quick warm up and of course she doesn't sleep on top of her blankets now but disappears underneath them all LOL! Millie (Norwich Terrier) is the tough girl and only sometimes is in need of a warm up but then she is sporting a much thicker and longer coat.  Come the late afternoon poor Amy can't take it anymore so we have to have one of our many smart doggie coats on made by me! The dog coat is laid on the floor Amy rolls into it and its fixed into place and up we get and off we go with a spring in our paws:o)) Picture of Amy modeling her 'Smartie' coat (looks like a tube of Smarties) and Millie is not amused!



Monday, May 10, 2010

BUTTERCUP a ray of sunshine.....

A ray of sunshine to brighten up anyone's day. As soon as I had finished her the name Buttercup sprung to mind which I think suits her very well. She is looking for a new home and so if you are in need of a ray of sunshine in your home then she is the bear for you!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Ann-Marie's blog giveaway......


This is a really nice blog giveaway being held by Ann-Marie of 'BearMeToo' and the winner will be picked out on the 22nd May. So pop along and join in her work is colourful and a little different and very appealing. http://bearmetoo.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

New kid in town.....


Just finished this new Panda type bear which turned out very pleasing to my very critical eye! The coloured parts which I hand dyed - came out looking a bit like a rose pink and reminded me of cherry blossom so I gave her the name of "Sakura".

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

TICKLES the mouse.......


A mouse has been born and a first for me - I had one of those moments when I thought leave the comfort zone and have some fun with a mouse! Bears rule! but I do like trying something a little different now and then. So this little squeek just needs a good home now - any mouse lovers out there?!
Autumn is creeping up on us now so it is chilly nights and early mornings and it's getting dark quite early brrrrrr! Amy the Dachs is a fair weather dog so she has started chasing the sun spots and getting underneath the blankets instead of on top of them!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Panda moment.....


I had the urge to have a Panda moment and came up with 'Chi Chi' and for once I didn't dye the mohair because I thought these 2 colours went so well together and the mohair is soft, dense and lovely to touch. This was made for a collector in America and she will be on her way tomorrow to join some of my other creations which this lady has.
I just had to show her off because she turned out better than what I thought she would and it has lead - yep, you've guessed it - to yet another Panda moment:o))........

Friday, March 19, 2010


Elanor of Shantock Bears is having her very first 'giveaway' of one of her adorable mice and she would love everyone to go along to her blog and join in http://www.shantockbears.com/

Thursday, March 18, 2010

BUNNIES galore......

MOPSY

FLOPSY

I have been busy having bunny moments and came up with 'Flopsy' (pale lilac) and 'Mopsy' who is a little more colourful. Both have been made from hand dyed (by me) from that lovely soft touchy feely Alpaca. These two girlie bunnies are looking for good homes:o))
I am doing more bears which are all at different stages of being made - there is of course a colourful one in Spring like colours (Spring for some of you out there but Autumn for me) and 2 sporting the Panda look design. Oh we must not forget a very shy little mouse who has stepped out of the comfort zone with me! So far I have really enjoyed making these different critters and a break from making the bears BUT the bears will always be number one!

FLOPSY had now found a good home

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

LILLY didn't make it......


Just thought I would pop Lilly on here for all to see as she didn't make it onto the website before someone said 'I'll take her'.
Well, we've done it......put our property up for sale as we would now like to move to the Central Coast as there will be more to do down there and also we will be a little nearer to the kids (big kids!). There are quite a few areas down there which are similar to what we have at the moment - just got to find the right house which can be fun and fed up all mixed into one!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

CHLOƉ


Finally raggie bunny got finished and her photo's taken! Yesterday and today I have been busy, busy playing with the dye pot and came up with 8 pieces of colourful dyed mohair phew! In between all this I managed to bake some very yummy chocalate muffins. Not all my own work as I had help from a box of Betty Crocker - she's good!!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

MARBLES & COTTONTAIL........



Well, another colourful creation is ready for you all to see - really liked working with these colours as I think they are warm and welcoming touchy touchy and make the bear have that soft cuddly look. I left that long and straight track (was a little bumpy!) for a short time and did something completely different - well, for me anyway and came up with a bunny. Think it could do with a bit more colour:o)) Maybe bunny 2 will be a bit more colourful - got to have colour I say!
Marbles and Cottontail have now been ADOPTED.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Making up for lost bear time.....


This is what happens when you take a few days off - you have to play this silly game called 'catch up' and that is just what I have been doing and the result is another colourful bear who goes by the name of 'Saffron' and will be making her appearance very soon on my site. I have a bunny which is very nearly finished but the poor thing is in need of a nose and maybe a carrot or two!
Saffron has now been ADOPTED.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Our trip to the big smoke.......


Blue Mountains
We have just come back from a visit to Sydney where we spent sometime with Samantha (daughter) and Tony who at the moment are living in Leichhardt. We had a really good time and it was nice that I was able to take the girls with us. All very strange for them being that they are country dogs but they settled into it quite well. On the Sunday morning we took them for a walk around the doggie park which was nearby and which also has a doggie cafƩ - my two were a bit stunned at seeing so many dogs in all shapes and sizes and for once Amy kept her mouth shut and her Bull Terrier put away! Little dog who thinks she is a big dog and can take on anything attitude - you know what I am meaning. She's not too bad thank goodness and hasn't got herself into trouble and we don't take her seriously and neither do others especially other dogs thank goodness!
Took a trip up to the Blue Mountains and saw the 3 sisters and all I can say is WOW! it is so vast and the thought of getting lost out there just doesn't bear thinking about!

I decided the girl's needed new harnesses for their trip to Sydney - got to show how smart us country girl's can be plus the one Amy wears at the moment has been making sore spots just by her elbow. Anyway, I found these really smart ones in a salmon pink stripes - very chic in a vest style harnesses so I bought one for Millie and one for Amy.

It was great to have a break and looking forward to the next one but now it is back to work in the bear making department as well as the raggy's. I'm working on an elephant at the moment which I actually took with me but the poor thing never saw the light of day!




Wednesday, January 13, 2010

CANDY COTTON makes an entrance.....


It may be hot sweaty and sticky at the moment with fans and air con doing overtime just to try and stay cool but I have managed to finish another bear with colours I suppose which would be quite fitting for a Easter theme - very yummy!!

CANDY COTTON has now been adopted and will soon be on her way to America.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

HARLEQUIN kicks off the New Year......


I've started off the New Year with a very colourful creation called 'Harlequin' who will be making his appearance on the website very soon - have to sweet talk hubby into doing it!