THREE O'CLOCK THOUGHTS

News about bears!!!

Apart from swanning around Yorkshire and helping with toddler birthday parties I have actually been making bears. I am on course to have about 14 bears ready for the fair a week on Sunday. I am not sure If I will be done in time for a full preview though..I somehow doubt it as every minute of every day is spent sewing ( apart from time spent on my weekly update of the blog). I am hoping to have some done at the weekend...so watch this space!!

The birthday bash!

Last Friday was Elizabeths 4th birthday and we had the birthday party on Sunday. It was glorious sunny day and 15, 3 and 4 year olds...plus parents,  came round to my house. Lucie had hired the Birthday Wonder-Bus which is full of toys and slides and bouncy things to jump on and they played for two hours , had birthday cake , played 'pass the parcel'  bounced around a bit then went home leaving me, Grandad, Nanny Tanya (that's her other nanny) and mummy and daddy to collapse with a glass of vino in the sunshine. Lovely day though...but It's taken me 2 days to recover!!!

Here's the birthday girl in her best party dress!! The Wonderbus outside our house!

 

Rosie in her finest and Elizabeth with her face painted...all the little ones had their faces painted and a good time was had by all!

A bit of a break!!

I have just come home from a truly lovely long weekend with Steve in Yorkshire, mooching about and generally doing not very much. We had a fabulous time and now I really AM behind with the show bears. I took a big bag of sewing with me and of course did jack while I was there...and paid the price by working late last night beavering away!!

I hope to put a small preview up next week.

Here are some pics...we stayed at Egton Bridge again which is in the Esk Valley ...so beautiful and you can hear a pin drop it's so quiet. Not everyones cuppa char I know but it's my favourite place on earth.

This is the view from the garden at the Mouseman visitor centre where they make the furniture carved with a tiny mouse on each piece, you can just see the white horse in the background. Worth a visit if you are in the area:

www.robertthompsons.co.uk

New Puddy Tat finished at last!

Here is the little kitten , who I named India. I finally finished her this morning. Hopefully she has a new mum who has been waiting forever for me to get the urge to do another cat...if she doesn't like her she'll be available at Stratford ...but she is a totally new design from all my other cats...new head shape...new body..everything. I still retained the signature look so she doesn't end up looking like any old stuffed cat. She has life in her eyes which is what I strive for. She's bigger than my other cats..and is  an armful as she's longer, leaner and less stumpy. I am pretty proud of this one!!

Two Puddy Tats..one real...one ....well...not so real!!

Here are two 'Puddy Tats'...one is Fae our naughty ragdoll currently waking us up at 4.30am..and the other..who as yet has no name.. is keeping me up all hours to get her finished. I still have to do the shading on the face and ears and add the whiskers...but I am very pleased with her. I don't often do cats but she is very pretty!

Here is a link to a YOUTUBE cartoon which was posted by Michelle on Teddy Talk...I'd forgotten how funny this is and is just what Fae does every morning....

A whole lot of fluff!

 

I had a great spend up this morning on some fabulous new fabrics at this years Toy Fair at the NEC. It was  chock full the usual bunch of Roy Croppers walking about with shopping bags and purses eyeing up train sets and model diggers. Lord help the woman married to one of them. At least my husband hasn't got a purse ..I think I'd be worried if he had a shopping bag come to think of it.

I spent far more than I had intended stocking up my stash.Now I can't wait to start sewing it!!

Just a quick update....

For those kind folks who have been so concerned about Lottie she has made a steady improvement since Tuesday. The vet gave her some steroids ..and though I am nervous about them I am happy to report that she has been almost back to normal...jumping up , barking and cleaning herself which she has not done for ages as she seemed too sleepy and uncomfortable..even to the point that she barely wagged her tail when Steve came home which would normally send her into a fit of excitement. So it was an absolute delight to see her skipping about yesterday.

Thanks so much to everyone who has got in touch..I know some people don't get why pets cause so much heartache when they beome ill...but it's so hard to see a little dog so poorly and not feel anything, especially when they have shared your life for 8 years.

I am keeping everything crossed that she is genuinely on the road to recovery!!

Don't panic, don't panic...

It's only a few weeks till the TEDDY BEAR EVENT in STRATFORD-upon-AVON. I have  a LOT of work to do before then so I might disappear for a bit emerging nearer the time with a bunch of bears!

I do hope someone may come and see us on the 7th June. Me, Steve and the 14 bears I have planned. I have lots of lovely ones at various stages of being done, including a bunny rabbit and a polar on all fours.

I'll be posting a preview on my website very shortly...and I'll post a note here when it's imminent.

So, apologies if I don't post much on here...but I'll be head down sewing as if my life depends on it!!!

Lottie seems a teeny bit better ..

After the visit to the vet last night..and administering yet MORE tablets...Lottie has a spring in her step this morning. She actually barked at the cat...which I am sure the cat was delighted about.

I am hoping we may have turned a corner. Still no idea what has caused it though..the vet now thinks it could be a slipped disc type of a thing.

Hope it continues!!!

Amongst other things ...

When I was a child we always, like most other households, had a button tin. We used to sort through it as children and we thought it was full of treasure. Now I have my own button tin and it is one thing I decided as a child that when I got older I would do. As well as stay up late, not go to school and eat as many sweets as I wanted. I think out of all those the button tin is the most useful...and still surprises me when I am looking for buttons for the bears...there are loads I had forgotten about.

I search round car boot sales and table top sales for vintage buttons. It's so satisfying to find old cards of pristine 1950s and 60s buttons. I am very choosy...my mother often picked up some from charity shops...and she'd always get the wrong type. They must either have a shank on the back or four holes. Nothing else will do unless it is very special.

Isn't it weird the fascination of little things like buttons? I get very excited when I find ones that remind me of our childhood.

Anyone else enthralled by similar trivia?