It's Show Time!

OH WOW.... how insanely fast does time fly by... I can't believe it is show day already :o)

So, wondering what to do with your Sunday? How about

heading to Woodend and saying hello to the teds? Behind my

table you will find my mum (whose name is really Joanna)

and Ric ... well mum definitely *hehe* I did notice Ric

slipping his mountain bike into the boot of the car, so you may have more luck finding him up in the hills :o) He will be the

one on the white Turner, wearing lots of trail dust and a big

grin :oD

What's that you said? Ahh, where are the bears?

Good question :o)

You would like a little peek huh? We-ellll OK, my arm doesn't

need much twisting *hehe* ....here is a selection (but not all) of my little critters you can find hanging out at the Woodend

Teddy Bear Show today :o)

and of course, you will need the details - hard to get where you need to go, when you don't actually know where that is lol ;o)

Hope you can make it over there!!

Woodend is just around the corner...

It’s astounding....Time is fleeting.... lolololol who knows the next line? Hmmmm, indeed *hehe*!

Yup, so it is nearly show time. Again :o) Sunday, October 25th brings my last show for this year. This time we will be in beautiful Woodend, a gorgeous town in the Macedon Ranges of my home state, Victoria. I am, of course madly working on a new batch of lovelies to debut on the 25th. Mum and Ric - my indomitable show team - will be, as always, behind the table for me, and would love you to stop on by!

You can read up about The Woodend Teddy Bear Show on the web the “official” site woodendteddybearshow.com as well as HERE at the Macedon Ranges site, and HERE on the Visit Victoria site. Visit Victoria also has a really handy 'how to get there' feature, where you put in your post code and it gives you a map and list of directions.... mine says to “bear left” onto the Monash Freeway lololol - what can I say, small things amuse me :oP

My critters are in Teddy Bear & Friends magazine...

A rather lovely parcel arrived for me a short while back.... and in amongst the goodies was the current issue of Teddy Bear and Friends magazine :o) This in itself is always cause for celebration - I love browsing my teddy mags - but this one is just a tiny bit more special (for me) than most!!

MmmHHmm :o) *nods* Yup, indeed it is!! Go grab your copies now and flip on over to page 40 :o) YAHHH!! Those are my little critters ...I was so excited to get my hands on this issue and see the pictures that were chosen and the words that were written. I’ve been around the bear world for quite a while now - and i’ve been in my fair share of magazines too - but I’m still like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to seeing my little guys featured between the pages of these magazines. Not to mention how flattering and awesome it feels to be included in the same publications as stories about, and pictures from, other bear artists I admire so much. Life can be So Cool sometimes! Enough babble from me, go check out my page :o) Thats page 40 by the way :oP

The bunny you see before you, by the way, is Godfrey, who spends his days hanging out with me and waiting for a new mum (or dad) to come along and adopt him... Maybe you like the look of him and would be interested in clicking HERE to go say “hi” to him over on the website?

2009 TOBY Pubic Choice winners announced...

The TOBY Public Choice Award winners for 2009 have been announced, and the list goes a litttle like this:

Miniature Artist Bear, Dressed

Samantha Potter, “Grace”

Miniature Artist Bear, Undressed

Donna Griffin, “Pansy and Rosebud, the Panda Sisters”

Small Artist Bear, Dressed

Silvia Gilles, “Marcula”

Small Artist Bear, Undressed

Yoko Nakayama, “Milk”

Large Artist Bear, Dressed

Melissa Zemeski, “Captain Zinfangar”

Large Artist Bear, Undressed

Karin De Lorenzo, “Bubbele”

Artist Vignette

Karin De Lorenzo, “Be Friends? Yes we can!!!”

Artist “Friends”

Karen Lyons, “Cat and the Fiddle”

Artist Creation, Nontraditional Materials

Berta Hesen-Minten, “Elf”

Small Manufactured Bear, Dressed

The Bearington Collection, Ltd., “Ms. Abracadabra”

Small Manufactured Bear, Undressed

Gund Inc., “Zhen Zhen”

Large Manufactured Bear, Dressed

Hermann-Spielwaren GmbH, “Old Bavarian Bear”

Large Manufactured Bear, Undressed

Steiff North America, Inc., “Alexander, the Trademark Bear”

Manufactured “Friends”

Steiff North America, Inc., “Snoopy and Woodstock, the Best Friends”

Best in Show

Karin De Lorenzo, “Be Friends? Yes we can!!!”

Congratulations to all who were nominated, and an extra big round of applause to those listed above - the bears who have been chosen by the public as their favourites :o) The lucky TOBY winners were presented with their awards at the Teddy Bear Artist Invitational in Binghamton, NY last Saturday.

TB&F is on Twitter ...AND Facebook

OK, so I know there isn’t a mass of bear makers out in the twittersphere right now - or if there are I’ve not found them yet lol...but I’m hoping the arrival of one of our favourite bear magazine will help to change that :o) YAH!!

Teddy Bear & Friends magazine have taken the plunge and opened up an account, and you can find them right HERE

I am thrilled that the magazine has chosen to open up the line of communication between themselves and their readers...it can only do us all the world of good to be able to twitter away about the things we love, and would like to see more of between the magazines pages, as well as the magazine reaching out to us for ideas and contributions that we can give to them :o) Anything like this that can revitalize our industry and bring more members into our community is a good thing in my book!

I also love that the list of people following Teddy Bear & Friends will be a wonderful place for anyone with a twitter account to start connecting with other teddy enthusiasts :o) At the time of writing they haven’t accumulated many followers - yet - though hopefully time will see that change and before long their account will be one big, happy hug of chattering bear artists and collectors. Now how cool would that be?!

***ADDED LATER***

Oh dear, I really do have a most dreadful memory lol! As Matilda Huggington Bear has so kindly pointed out (in the comments section) there is another social network that Teddy Bear & Friends magazine can be found on... Facebook :o)

Even better, not only can Teddy Bear and Friends fan page be found on Facebook HERE BUT the Teddy Bear Review magazine fan page can be found HERE Two of our favourite bear magazines in the one place...it just keeps getting better and better doesn’t it!

Deep, dark and mysterious...

....Mmmm, and aren’t they gorgeous? They are a deeper, darker, shiny metallic in real life, and their gorgeousness dictates that they live at the very top of my favourite beads list! These beauties have been worn by, or used to accessorize, many a critter of mine :o) Sadly, or happily(?) because of this, what you see in the picture there is all I have left of them - barely enough to make it around a small teds neck.....a most unacceptable state of affairs I must say.....

.....But, we all know what that means, don’t we lol?! SHOPPING!! Oooooh shopping. Ahhhh Shopping *happy sigh*. Definitely one of lifes more enjoyable pursuits here at Chateau Teddy :o)

*makes pot of tea and spreads out colour chart*

now, do I reallly need that pack of transparent matte purple? MMhhmmmm, Yes I Do! Indeed I DO :oD

Twitterific

I'm on twitter

Come follow me and join in the fun :oD

I've been tagged....

The lovely Melly of Melbears Quality Collectibles has tagged my blog for the “One Lovely Blog” award :o)  What fun!!  Thanks Mel *mwah*

The deal is that once you are tagged, you have to answer the following questions (deleting one you dislike, and replacing it with a new one of your own)...then you have to tag 7 other blogs that you feel are deserving of the description...but first to the questions:

What is your current obsession?

beauty blogs

What is your horoscope and do you relate to it?

I am a Cancer, though I was born 2 weeks late so I should have been a Gemini....and I do combine an odd jumble of traits from the 2 signs.  Hmmm, I wonder, how does when you should have been born interact with when you were actually born?  Particularly pertinent in this age of scheduled caesarians I’d suggest...

What are you wearing today?

A knowing smile 

What was the last thing you bought?

A pair of black/white Chuck Taylors...If I like ‘em I’m going to get a pink/purple pair too :oD

What is your favorite Holiday?

Christmas - I am unashamedly addicted to fairy lights, and what better time of year to go nuts with strings and strings of them lol!

A guilty pleasure?

life is too short to indulge in guilt, though on the rare occasion I do, it usually because I have buried my head in a book, pointedly ignoring all the other things demanding my attention ;o)

What is your must have item for Summer?

A lovely fresh pedicure...I feel naked with out nail polish!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would it be?

A street cafe in a fashionable part of Paris, where I could sit watching all the glamorous people strolling past and soak up the atmosphere

What is your favourite piece of clothing from your closet?

A fitted black shirt with tiny white spots, white piping and puffed cap sleeves - it is a really cute retro chic design

What is your dream job?

working in the Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI....quite a way from teddies hey lolololol

What do you consider a Fashion faux pas?

grottiness *shudder*...not washing is so NOT cool

When I was a child I wanted to be......

....taller

What are you going to do after this?

Hit publish and go get a hot cup of tea.  Mmmm hot tea.....

What are your favourtie past-times and hobbies?

reading; music; watching old Hollywood (and the English equivalent) movies; cold war espionage - fictional ( James Bond etc) and factual (Cambridge spies etc);  criminology;  sewing;  internet shopping;  watching cycling - Yah!  Only one month to the the Tour De France :o) 

Have you got pets at home?

4 cats:  3 siamese females - seal point Louise (aka Weiner) and 2 of her daughters, blue point Cricket (aka ducky) and lilac point BB.  1 chocolate Burmese male called Jamie

What are you proud of?

Hand rearing my kitty Cricket from an extremely sick newborn, to the healthy little (7 yr old) monster she is today...wanna see a pic of my baby?  K :o)

....and the 7 blogs i choose to tag with this award are

Baggaley Bears by Vicki   

Caya’s Corner

Dolls N Dreams  

Karen’s Bears and Other Things

Louise Peers

Puddle Maker 

Sarahs’ Scribbles   

Waking in a Winter Wonderland....

Not exactly bear related, but - for a girl who lives at sea level, and has never seen snow in real life - definitely note worthy!!

This morning at 4am, I heard the skies open and mother nature begin to positively chuck it down. I knew there was hail: the noise combined with my sudden goose bumps (from the accompanying drop in temperature) were a dead giveaway lol, but I was (mostly) warm and comfortable so I decided to leave Mother Nature to get on with her business while I got on with mine...

...so imagine my surprise when the sun came up to reveal that Chateau Teddy had been blanketed in a layer of ice bubbles! The hail stones you see had survived a good 3 - 4 hours in the pre-dawn chill. How awesome must it have looked after that first downpour!?! Check out these pics - the ice was already starting to melt by the time, camera in hand, I braved the big chill, but there was still a pretty thick layer of the stuff :o) Click on the pic for a bigger image....

Can you believe the delicious irony - our poor wilty pink camellia, dehydrated from season after season with out decent rain fall, surrounded by ice lol....what a wacky woman our Ma Nature can be lololololol :o)

I do hope violets can survive being packed in ice....

BBrrrrrrr *shivers*

Free wall paper from pixelgirlpresents.com

I tend to have a very low boredom threshold when it comes to the pictures I use as background on  my laptop - I change a minimum of once a week, so I am always on the hunt for new wallpaper...

One of my favourite hunting grounds is the wonderful Pixelgirl Presents :o)  Browsing there earlier I came across this little sweetie, and decided he was just Too Cute not to share!

Talk about cuteness overload :o)  You can download the picture here

A whisper of things to come...

Choosing fabric combinations for the critters dancing in my imagination is one of my favourite parts of bear making......I can pull out all my prettiest fabrics, make a nice pot of tea and settle to playing in my stash to my hearts content :o) Sometimes I even get some work done lol (o;  

.....and this, my friends, is exactly what has been happening at Chateau Teddy for the last week or so.  My front room found itself covered in bits of fabric - the table, the chairs, no flat surface escaped......Until finally the seemingly chaotic jumble of colours and textures transformed themselves into neat(ish) piles on the pink chaise, just as you see before you......

My fellow bear makers will have instantly recognized each of those seemingly random piles as a little teddy....complimentary pieces of fabric that hold so much promise and potential.  Is that a Mouse you see?  A Super Hero perhaps?  Those of you who looked at the center pile and declared “JESTER” have just earned yourselves a Pink Elephant *wink wink* stamp :o)  

*happy sigh* Can you see the critters springing to life from these fabric piles too?  

A 'not about me' moment

HeHe :oD  What is the fun in having friends if you can’t do a bit of a favour for them every now and again??  When I heard that this little chap was up for an award, I just knew I would have to shine the spotlight on him over here :o)

So, with out further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Flamenco Fandango!

He is made by the lovely Wendy, whose work you can see more of here.  He’s a bit of a cutey huh?!?!

He is up for an award in the “Artist Bear Friend” category of the Australian Bear Creations Awards 2009.  Voting forms are in the latest issue (vol15 no1), and so far I think you have to buy a copy of Australian Bear Creations to be able to vote.....I did hear rumours about online voting, but I will have to look into that and get back to you :o)  But for all you Australian residents, here is the perfect excuse to grab a copy of ABC and have a jolly good read....go on :o)  you Know you want to *hehe*!  Oh and please vote for Wendy too, won’t you :oD

*EDIT*   I have contacted the magazine, and there WAS online voting, however it appears that someone with too much time, and not enough grey cells (pls note, my wording not the magazines) decided to launch a denial of service attack and bring the page down.  Not very very polite really, was it?!  Anyway, it is still possible to vote online if you download this and return your answers to this email address  adcopy@woodlandspublishing.com.au          

2009 Gold Teddy Award nominees

WooHoo!!  Teddy Bear Review's "Golden Teddy Award" nominations for 2009 have been released....and they go a little something like this:

Individual Artist–Bears
Undressed, 5 inches & under
•    "Mimi" by Donna Griffin, Donna and the Bears
•    "Mocha" by Peta Smart, Wazzabears
•    "Polar" by Tracey Smith
•    "Sleepy Chestnut Bear 'Marrone'" by Kumiko and Masaru Nakano, Ma’Sal Creations
•    "Yin Yang" by Erika Knirsch, Crunchy Bears
•    "Zachary" by Samantha Potter, Mary Myrtle Miniatures

Dressed/Accessorized, 5 inches & under
•    "Grace" by Samantha Potter, Mary Myrtle Miniatures
•    "Maude" by Donna Griffin, Donna and the Bears
•    "Min" by Eun-Sook Ma, Minabear
•    "Miss Majesty" by Ruth Bowman, Flutter-By Bears
•    "Pirouette" by Karen Alderson
•    "Polka Dot" by Michelle Lamb, One&Only Bears

Undressed, over 5 & under 14 inches
•    "Cappuccino" by Heike Buchner, Sunshine-Teddys
•    "Flocke" by Mary Lou Foley, Bayside Bears
•    "Lil Pudge" by Vicky Lougher, Elegant Creations
•    "Minerva" by Michelle Lamb, One&Only Bears
•    "Sugar Bear" by Judi Paul, Luxembears
•    "Tia" by Tammy Wamboldt, Beckoning Bears

Dressed/Accessorized, over 5 & under 14 inches
•    "Baggins" by Laraine White, Rainebears
•    "Bella" by Karen Alderson
•    "Elf" by Berta Hesen-Minten, ThReAdTeDs
•    "Helena" by Vicky Lougher, Elegant Creations
•    "Miss Lillie" by Kim Russell, Russell Bears
•    "Miyabi" by Terumi Yoshikawa, Rose Bear

Undressed, 14 inches & over
•    "Bruno" by Britta Helberg
•    "Daydreamer" by Karin De Lorenzo
•    "Edward Bear" by Tami Eveslage, Tami Eveslage Original Teddy Bears
•    "Jeffrey" by Charlene Draeger, CharBears
•    "Joe" by Aiko Kawamoto, Aico Bear
•    "Spirit Bear (Kermode)" by Sherry Shepardson, Sherr-Bear

Dressed/Accessorized, 14 inches & over
•    "Andre" by Lena Volkova, Teddy Kingdom
•    "Autunno" by Annalisa Taddei, The Tuscany Bear Maker
•    "Captain Zinfangar" by Melissa Zemeski, Heirloom Treasures
•    "Frank" by Aiko Kawamoto, Aico Bear
•    "Hyun" by Park Yeun-Hee, H&Y Teddy
•    "Nymph of Tree" by Eun-Sook Ma, Minabear

Individual Artist–Soft-Sculpture/Plush Animals
•    "Aesop" by Michelle Lamb, One&Only Bears
•    "Bakari" by Mary Lou Foley, Bayside Bears
•    "Holly" by Masako Kitao
•    "Hoppity" by Shelly Allison, The Rabbit Maker by Shelly Allison
•    "Indy" by Judi Paul, Luxembears
•    "Rex (German Shepherd)" by Guenter Dufeu, Dufeu Bear

Individual Artist–Needle-Felted/Sculpted Animals
•    "Jamie & Landon" by Iveta Everte
•    "Lil' Cubkin" by Janine Galante
•    "Mommy I'm Stuck Kitten" by Stephanie Tiongco, Creations by Stevi T.
•    "Olivia & Oliver: Luv Bug Romance" by Marge Wiese
•    "Rembrandt" by Patricia Bierer, Bierer Off the Road Gifts
•    "Roxanne" by Nichole Encinas, Blueberry Creations

Manufacturer–Bears
Undressed or Dressed, 5 inches & under
•    "Biscuit-The Gingerbread Bear" by Steiff North America
•    "Glaciera" from the story The Woodland Bear Saga by Jessica Van Antwerp
•    "Midnight Magic" by Bearington Collection
•    "Sadie Sue" by Goodreau Doll

Undressed, over 5 & under 14 inches
•    "Baby Beauregard" by Bearington Collection
•    "Violet-The Flower Bear" by Steiff North America
•    "Yamato" by Terumi Yoshikawa, Rose Bear (collaborative bear with a Japanese old bag company)
•    "Zhen Zhen" by Gund Inc.

Dressed/Accessorized, over 5 & under 14 inches
•    "Here Comes Santa Claus (Musical)" by Hermann-Spielwaren
•    "Nicolas-The Lucky Bear" by Steiff North America
•    "Noelle, The Christmas Joy Bear" by Danbury Mint
•    "Peppermint Swirl" by Bearington Collection
•    "Scooter" by Goodreau Doll
•    "Tayla" by Settler Bears

Undressed, 14 inches & over
•    "Alexander-The Trademark Bear" by Steiff North America
•    "Beauregard" by Bearington Collection
•    "Cookie" by Bev White, Happy Tymes Collectibles
•    "Gordy" by Gund Inc.
•    "Pedrolino" by Hildegard Günzel, PPM Hildegard Günzel

Dressed/Accessorized, 14 inches & over
•    "Gwendolyn Glitterwings" by Bearington Collectoin
•    "Hagen" by Gund Inc.
•    "Hartley-The Boyds Valentine’s Day Bear" by Danbury Mint (bear licensed through Boyds)
•    "Hilary" by Settler Bears
•    "Old Bavarian Bear" by Hermann-Spielwaren

Manufacturer–Soft-Sculpture/Plush Animals
•    "Doxie" by Bearington Collection
•    "Esmerelda" by Hildegard Günzel, PPM Hildegard Günzel
•    "Fawny" by Gund Inc.
•    "Truffles-Pig on Wheels" by Steiff North America

Tableaux
•    "Cat and the Fiddle" by Karen Lyons, KJ Lyons Design
•    "Gallopin' Grant and His Horse Jeff Davis" by Bev White, Happy Tymes Collectibles
•    "Polar Pals" by Kelly Dean, Kelly Dean and Co.
•    "Polar Santa" by Tami Eveslage, Tami Eveslage Original Teddy Bears
•    "Santa's Little Helper" by Julie Shepherd
•    "Would You Like to Be Our Mom" by Heike Buchner, Sunshine-Teddys

Congratulations, to everyone on the list :o)  I can't wait to see pictures of the bears!!