May the magic of the season be with you!

From all of us here at Chateau Teddy!  I hope the season - how ever you chose to celebrate it (or not lol) brings you peace and joy ... and maybe, just maybe, one of these cuties:

SQUUEEEEEEEEEEE!!  Lindt Chocolate bears!  Oh be still my beating heart ... and be quiet my rumbling tummy :oP  Yum!  Or maybe I should say Double YUM with a red ribbon wrapped round!

WIPW - Fun with floss

I’ve been sewing for, mmmmm , I dunno - a very looong time.  It’s possibly revealing TMI (in the age department for ones dignity) but some of my tapestry threads I’ve had for over 30 years.  Love ‘em!  I’ve never really thought of them as a “collection” as such, but I guess that is exactly what my floss stash has grown into lol!  

Some serious reorganisation has been the order of the day  for me :o)  Our local craft store is clearing out it’s embroidery section *sobs wails and gnashing of teeth* but the silver lining to that cloud is all their thread is marked down to just 59c a skein ... BARGAIN!!!  Seriously!!  I walked past it the first time ( .... weeellllll OK I *did* grab a just few pretty ones) but only because I knew I would be returning very soon, floss boxes in hand, so I could be sure to get colours I didn’t already have lol.

Mum and I spent almost an hour looking through all the colours, attempting to fill the holes in my “collection” with out getting to close to any of the colours I already had - I tell you there are so many delicious colours to be had, I had a severe case of grabby hands in the face of all that beauty!!  

But, I can now say that I have an really good spread across all the colour groups except one :o/  Who wants to take a stab at what i need?  Anyone?  Yup - you in the back, that’s right PURPLE!  What is it with me and purple - I never seem to have the right purple and the craft store display had been sufficiently picked over that there were no reds or purples left *sulk* .... Looks like my ongoing mission to find the perfect purple nose threads shall continue lol .... just quietly I think I *need* 3746, so cross your fingers I can find it somewhere!

Wanna see some pretty close up?  Sure you do :oP

While I’ve been playing in my floss box, I remembered that there is something else I wanted to show you - Check out these lovelies - the above two with names came from a girl on ArtFire and are hand dyed.  Aren’t they awesome :o)  I love it when I can use the amazing work of other artist to make mine look even better, it’s a Total WIN :o)  

I have no idea what I’ll use them for yet, but they were too beautiful to go past, and a floss called ‘Fairyland’ from an artist who sells under the name ‘Rainbow Fingers’ *shakes head* nope, I was utterly powerless against the cute lol!  Below are all the flosses I greedily grabbed chose with dignity :oP right after they arrived from Rainbow Fingers *sigh* So Lovely!! 

I’m off to play with and admire my flosses again now ... see ya!

Bears That Care auction 2011

My brother has an uncanny sense of time - any time, day or night, you can ask him what time it is and he will be able to guess pretty darn accurately .... me, I have NONE.  Zilch. Zero.  Sometimes I am lucky to even know what day of the week it is lol, so it will come as no surprise to hear that I got a mighty big shock when just a few days I ago I realised that the Bears That Care auction day was almost upon us.  And now it is!  At 6.30 this evening (AEST) bear artists, and bear appreciators alike, will begin to gather at The Conservatory in the RACV City Club in anticipation of a bear (and fun) filled evening :o)

This is what the official flyers for the event have to say:

The “Bears That Care” Charity Auction had its origins in the very late 90’s and was established to raise funds for research, education and awareness of women’s gynaecological cancers.  After some years in ‘hibernation’, the ‘bears that care’ returned last year in support of the work of the Ovcare Research Team and following on from that success, the Bears That Care are back in 2011! 

AND ... you’re invited!  Please join our host for the evening, Ovcare Ambassador, Rebecca Maddern (Channel 7 News), for a fabulous night where you can become the proud owner of some highly sought after OOAK bears to add to your collection in support of a cause we cannot ignore! 

and the fine print :oP  gotta have the fine print .... which I have enlarged for you because it was almost unreadable otherwise  lol:

The “Bears That Care” Charity Auction is a program of the National Centre for Health Innovation Limited (NCHI) in support of Ovcare - ovarian cancer research, education and awareness.  The NCHI is a registered charity - ABN:  48 148 012 453.  Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. 

For those in Melbourne and it’s surrounds, it is not to late to attend in person - just visit the website www.bearsthatcare.com.au and follow the link offering tickets for sale or contact Judi on judi@ovcare.com.au or (03)90113851 or 0407826771 :o)  

Nor is it too late to bid if you can’t join us.  A list of the 2011 bears can be found HERE and absentee votes can be placed HERE.   The only fly in the ointment is that you only have until until Midday (Melbourne time) today to place your bids.  Here is a quick time conversion I have done for you so you can see if you still have a chance to bid on one (or more) of the gorgeous teds on offer :o)

Have I piqued your interest?  Maybe you would like to see the ted that I have donated for this years Auction?  His name is Nibali - and is a mouse rather than a bear - with out further ado, here he is 

There is also something special included with each bear this year - an official 2011 lapel button.  Each of the donating artists have been sent one to wear, and you too can have one if you are the highest bidder on your chosen ted(s).  

I have been wearing mine about the place with a particularly big grin on my face.  What to know why?  Well I’m going to tell you anyway lol ...  Do you recognise the face of the ted you see there on it?  Scroll up and check the ted at the top of this post :oD  MmmmHmmmm that is the same bear ... and not only is it the same bear but it is/was my 2010 auction ted :o)  He has been given the honour of being the official ‘cover bear’ of the 2011 auction ... I can’t even express in words how wonderful that makes me feel!  My little darling a cover boy *explodes with happiness and pride at the thought*

Woodend Teddy Bear Show 2011

SHOW TIME!!!

This suspicious looking group have been seen loitering in the area of the Woodend Teddy Bear Show.  If you see them, please proceed with caution - mischievous schoolboys are an unpredictable species, particularly the 2 inch tall variety :oP

Potential sightings will continue until 4pm today, at which time it is believed that any members of this group still at large have plans to return to their cosy cupboard here at chateau teddy .... they are only wee after all, and how much excitement can a teddy bear ;o)

Happy Mail Day!!!

I la-la-la-LOVE getting mail ... pretty much any kind of mail really, but even I will admit that some of it is more fun than others :oD

Today was definitely a fun mail kind of day - a few weeks back I finally pulled the trigger on a order of mini cards from moo.com ... coz, y’know I make mini’s so mini business cards is kinda perfect, yes?!  The arrival date guestimate was November 4, but I crossed my fingers and trusted to luck, and voila, it has paid off.  How CUTE are these wee babies!!  

I’m soooo happy they have arrived in time for Sundays show ... even if i did cut it just a smidge fine lol :oP

side note:  I ran out of steam to finish off my shrinkies last night, but I'll show them to you when i've got a bit more time :o)

WIPW - shrinky time!

So, I’ve been tossing around the thought of some 'Work In Progress Wednesday' posts, but up to now things have worked against me ... a computer that keeps spontaneously shutting down, followed by a modem that goes on the blink the second the computer returns from the hospital will do that to a girl :oP   But finally, here I am :o)  Shrinky tags come up fairly regularly in bear forums, and elicit a fair bit of curiosity from collectors, so what better way to begin ‘Work In Progress Wednesday’ than with the process I followed to make mine this afternoon?!

I can vaguely recall thinking “hmmm time to make some more shrinky tags” when I was working on the teds for the Bears On Parade show ... but then, as is my way, I got distracted by something else and promptly forgot about them *eye roll*.   Last night, I discovered that there is a distinct shortage of the smallest ones I use, and that more would be needed PRONTO or there would be bears heading out into the world with out the proper identifiers, and that would never do *shakes head solemnly*.

Lets get started, shall we :o)  Last night I printed out a couple of sheets so they had plenty of time to dry.  This afternoon, I settled myself in the dappled shade of Chateau Teddies garden table and got to it...

First comes cutting the sheets into strips so there is easy access for punching holes ... 

then punch punch punch etc. etc. etc.  Which one does until ones hand starts to feel like it is going to cramp, go numb, fall off or an interesting combination of all three :oP

... until *PHEW* all done :o)

Next comes the snippy snippety snip SNIPing bit..... don't forget some rockin' tunes to listen to as you are ..

working through the pile in the saucer, happily watching as the number in the tea cup swells until ...

TEA TIME!!  One must keep ones strength up, and good hydration is So Important don’t ya know :oP

once rejuvenated it doesn’t take long to reach the finish line ....  YIPPPEEEEEE!!

Which, of course, isn’t the end of the story, but the cookery bit can wait until tomorrow ... Work in Progress Thursday ... just doesn’t have the same ring does it lol.  Lucky Thursdays here in Aus are actually still Wednesday in the USA lol :oD

You play with MEeeee-now?

SIDE NOTE:  I don’t have any one particular brand of shrinky plastic that I favour, though I have found I prefer the way the opaque white stuff looks to the clear I made my earlier tags out of.  Generally when I need to buy more I head over to ebay and search for ‘white bubblejet shrink plastic’ - it’s not failed me yet :o)  Though I will admit that different brands shrink more horizontally or vertically, so if you are a bit less laissez-faire about how yours turn out, it is something to keep in mind :o)

Who wants a pre-show teddy sneek peek?

Yes?  No?  Any takers?  I have a couple of bears ready to make the trip to Woodend at the end of the month, and a very sweet little mouse who is marking time until he can have his 15 minutes of fame at the Bears That Care Charity Auction 

  which is next month (but we’ll have a chat about that on another day) and they have all expressed a desire for you to come and greet them :o)

Just one small snag if you would like to see my wee teds in the fur ... you need to be in Melbourne, and you need to be in the mood for chocolate cake and champers!  Sounds like a tough call hey lol?!  But in all seriousness, a group of my teds will be performing meet and greet duties at a very special birthday party,  and you are all invited ...

See, a little known fact about me is that when I’m not hanging out at Chateau Teddy being a bear artist, I hang out at 313 Vets being a veterinary nurse ... it’s tough getting paid to cuddle gorgeous furry critters and chat to their lovely owners, but well, y’know, some ones got to do it ;oP  And tomorrow will be a day for very special birthday cuddles with the lovely Gretel, though the teds have admitted to being a little nervous about the whole doggy thing, so I have agreed that they can stick to playing with people and singing Happy Birthday from a safe height lol!

Is it a bird? Is it a Parade... Yup, definitely a Parade! It's Bears on Parade

... Can you hear something?  *tilts head sideways for more effective listening*

... Sounds like *tilts head in the other direction* 

Music!  ... and Laughter  ... and large amounts of furry style frivolity ...

Reallly!!  Listen ...  Something is afoot, I’m sure it is ...

YES!!  LOOK!!  Here comes the Parade <3

So, get your marching boots on and come join in the fun with the rest of us :o)

It can all be found at www.teddiesworldwide.com

We are all waiting for you ... but only until 4pm Sunday afternoon (New York time, that's 6am Monday morning for my fellow Aussies on AEST) so don’t put off joining the festivities for too long, or you may well find the parade has passed you by, and all that is left is sawdust and some glitter....

Bears on Parade Preview is GO!!!

My My, time does fly when you are having fun, and I have definitely been having a blast working on my little critters for the Bears on Parade online show .... not that there have been any explosions or anything :oP but there has definitely been some BOOM BOOM BOOM noises from the little drummer boy I made especially for the preview :o)

I’ll introduce you to him shall I?  His name is Pierre 

He is but one of 75 teds from artists all around the globe, who are currently a part of the Bears on Parade online show preview :o)  You can GO HERE now and check out the other 74 preview teds .... and you can do so until July 15th :o)  THEN the real fun begins :o)  The show opens at 4pm New York time (*cough* that’s 6am for me here in Melbourne *splutter*) and runs through until 4pm (also NYT) on the 17th.  Click HERE to find out what the time will be in your neck of the woods.

But I digress :o)  When you get to the PREVIEW PAGE there are a few changes from the last show :o)  This time all the preview ted’s images are clickable so you can have an even bigger sneak peek :oP  We like that!

ANNNNNND even more exciting, this show Daphne has introduced the “Collectors Choice Award”

Voting is open to everyone, and is very easy!  You chose your favourite ted in the mini section, then vote for that artist/ted by clicking on their name, at which point a confirmation message will pop up, leaving you in no doubt you have been successful at putting your favourite in the running for the award :o)  You then get to chose a second bear in the full size category ... but only one in each category mind.  The winning ted/artist in each category will be announced at the start of the show, and a picture of the winning teds will also feature in a write up Teddy Bear Review are going to do about the show in the December issue :o)  Cool huh!?!

So :o)  Off you go now - go take a peek at all the critters, great and small, who make up the preview of the Bears on Parade online show ... www.teddiesworldwide.com 

A change is as good as a holiday..

Chateau Teddy is a rather sad place to be today :o(  Over the weekend my Chief Quality Control Officer and regular sewing companion lost her 13 month battle with mammary cancer...  Wasn’t she beautiful *lip wobble* she was diagnosed Easter 2010, and this was a snap I took of her frolicking in the garden (while I sewed, of course) during Easter 2011.

She produced some absolutely gorgeous wee kitties in her day, and one of my enduring memories of her will be her absolute certainty that any (and every lol) panda I made was one of her babies, and as such needed to be stolen away rescued... ahhh, I have so many happy memories of her sitting on my work table calmly watching as I chose ribbons, sewed noses, flicked eyeballs all over the room set in eyes *sigh* :o(  And because of that, trying to work on bears makes me miss her even more right now, so I am taking a wee break and trying my hand at some non-teddy projects :o)  They do say a change is as good as a holiday :oP and working on THIS matryoshka doll embroidery with super colourful thread is certainly making a lovely change ... 

... aaaand you know me - or even if you don’t but have read a few of my posts, you will know that a spot of shopping always makes me feel better, so I gave in and grabbed this Oh-So-Adorable teddy fabric *squeeeeeeee* isn’t it beyond cute :o)  Now I just have to decide how best to use it .... hmmmm .... *adjusts thinking cap* 

Bears on Parade online show

From 4pm July 15 to 4pm July 17th (New York Time)... 

I’m still in the ‘what will I make’ phase, but I do know I'll be aiming to present 10 new teds :o)  and as so many have requested them, at least 3 of them will be under the $100 mark too!!

Hmmmm ...... think I’ll use some of my hand dyed cashmeres <3 

Dyeing up a storm....

Summer never *really* arrived here in Melbourne this year, and the extra chill in the air (and on the ground) offers a not so subtle hint that Old Man Winter is starting to close the door on the chance that it ever will :o(  *sniffs* I am so NOT a cold weather kinda girl... long balmy days into velvet nights, that’s me :o)  *sighs whistfully*

... Maaaaybe I can blame the lack of warm on not having done any fabric dyeing this year, maybe I can’t :oP  But what I can say, is that I was smart enough to realize that the lovely weekend Mother Nature just granted us was going to be one of my last chances to throw all the windows and doors wide open (gotta have good ventilation don’tcha know lol) and break out my dye pots *rubs hands gleefully together*

Behold the pile of fabulous Epic WIN I have as a result of my magical mixings:

If you have never played with creating your own custom colours, you are really missing out :o)  The satisfaction is immense.... a drop of this, a dribble of that you have alchemical magic on your hands!  Who would have thought that adding a few drops of blue and purple to a brown dye bath could add so much extra life to the end result?!?!   

Each of the following pieces were done using the following method; Mix up a colour, dye a piece of fabric, add a drop of another colour, dye another piece, add a splash more water and a drop of another colour, dye another piece.... So much fun seeing what comes out of the dye bath, especially how the different fabrics take the dye - notice below how much warmer the tones of the overdyed ivory longpile are in comparison to the white medium pile cashmere...

The longile:

Medium pile cashmere in pinks and purples:

Medium pile cashmere in shades of brown:

I know I know, I hear you.  You never know which colours you should add to get what, and you are scared you will ruin your fabric, but you know what?  There IS a brilliant way you can work this stuff out with out the risk of ruining a single piece of precious fabric, annnnd leaving no evidence of your (potentially) less than perfect efforts lol!  Seriously!  

Baking!

Yes, you read right... get thee into the kitchen, whip up a double batch of royal icing - and a batch of cookies to use it on, of course lol.  Divide the icing between a packet of disposable cups, and mix a cup for each food colour you have.  Then, with  Paddle Pop sticks, use a dab of this colour, and a scoop of that to experiment and mix up subtle/wacky/daring colour combinations in the remaining cups.  Ace fun, and easy to clean up as the “wrong ‘uns” can go straight into the bin :o)  Then of course you get to transfer the “good” colours to sandwich bags (knot one corner, snip the other) and pipe pretty designs onto your cookies... like so!  

An educational and tasty experiment in colour lol!  What could be better <3  *whispers*  why dyeing your own fabrics of course lol... after all, that was the point of this post :oP

IT'S SHOW TIME!!

But only until 9pm Sunday night (New York time), so no dawdling now :o)  

You have already met Aurora here and now I am able to show you the other four darlings for sale on my show page :o)  In no particular order they are

Pippa

Jimmy

Flitter

and Dapper

www.teddiesworldwide.com

 GO!!!!

Blooming Bear Show

*titters* Down here in Aus, “blooming” is a bit of a swear word... only a minor one, a swear word lite shall we say lol ... but still, every time I see the name of this show my mind reverts back to that of a 12 year old boy and *giggles*

.... but that is probably enough of confession time from me lol, you want to hear about the show and the teds... and oh my!  The Teds, The TEDS!!!   Just Gorgeous <3

Daphne has done a fabulous job putting it all together, and the Preview is now open HERE  Each of us participating artists has one bear included on the preview page for your viewing pleasure... and I’ve already taken a look, so I can emphatically and categorically state that all the wonderful teds really do make checking it out a pleasure!  

Here is a sneak peek at the first of mine, but to see more you will have to come to the show itself... but you already know you want to do that anyway, don’t you *winks*

Can’t wait to present my remaining 4 teds to you on the weekend of March the 12th!! 

GORGEOUS!!

I find myself doing a spot of late night etsy.com browsing, and I just couldn’t go past these beauties... they snuck themselves into my shopping cart and were magically transacted :oP  I do love a bit of magic, don’t you?  Not to mention a lovely big bundle of gorgeous silk ribbons <3

fine print: photo credit must go to Etsy trader silkribbons4you, as it is only mere minutes since I placed the order :o)

Crossroads Doll & Teddy Bear Show, San Deigo 2011

This is a pile of miscellaneous bits of fabric ...

This is what happens to those said miscellaneous bits when - with a needle, thread and a few stitches - I work my magic and “Hey Presto”...  A wee ted who answers to the call of Ted, Super Ted! is born!

This is Felicia Hymer,  She answers to the call of The Bear Scout (welllll she also answers to Felicia, but lets not get bogged down in details lol).  

Felicia offers the wonderful service of acting as a representative (or scout) for many artists.  One of her services is to take teds around to shows in the US so that artists, like myself, who are unable to travel the distance, still have the opportunity for US collectors to greet our teds face to face!   

Utilizing his super powers, Ted, Super Ted! has flown to the arms of Felicia, and this weekend both will be traveling to the Crossroads Doll & Teddy Show in  San Deigo, California.  Details can be found HERE 

To whet your appetite of what you may see if you are able to pop in to say hello to Felicia and the bears, here are a couple of shots of The Bear Scout tables (taken at a show in 2010).  What you see before you is 4 tables choc full or gorgeous teddies and friends...  Definitely worth a trip if you are in the area!