edenbears

Quite A Little Character!

2012-02-12T16:50:00.006Z

I have just completed this commission request for a Character Bear.
He's very different to my usual style and I thoroughly enjoyed working towards creating a completely different head design to fulfill the brief I was given.

I hope you will agree he has a playful and cheeky character :0) . . .

RMS TITANIC 100 YEARS commemorative black musical bear.

2012-02-02T17:31:00.003Z

One hundred years ago, on April 10, 1912, the legendary RMS Titanic, left Southampton, England on her maiden voyage to New York City.
Four days into her journey, at 11:40pm on the night of April 14th, she struck an iceberg.
. . . The rest as they say is history.

SAILOR JACK is my RMS Titanic commemorative musical black bear.
He carries the Crows Nest Key which was found to be missing on that fateful night. Could this key have helped to save the Titanic? It's said to be the key to the binoculars locked away in the Crows Nest.
On his tummy he bears the newspaper heading of that day and his black armband marking the fateful year is stitched onto his left arm.
He also wears his White Star Line sailor's hat and his right paw carries the White Star Line flag.
Press the image of the Titanic on his tummy and he quietly plays the Titanic theme music (My Heart Will Go On).

Rupert's Revival

2012-01-10T13:14:00.017Z

Poor Rupert, he came to me so contorted, he had suffering for many years after being very poorly repaired in the past. He'd also been infested with moths over the course of time and had become very damp and wet around his neck joint causing his joint pin to rust and the wood wool stuffing in his head to stain his fabric. All in all Rupert was in a bad way but I could see through this and knew there was a very handsome bear beneath the surface just begging for help.

I got straight to work and treated him for his infestation, once this was done I got rid of Rupert's old stuffing in his head and body cavity and released his contorted position. I gave him a gentle clean and realigned his body parts. The staining around his neck would not shift despite many gentle attempts so I patched it with a close matching mohair which looks far better than the ugly brown stain that was severely denting Rupert's confidence.

After a few stitches here and there to repair a couple of holes in his pads and a little topping up of his arm stuffing I finished him off with a befitting red bow. I hope you agree he looks relieved to be feeling more like himself and looking so handsome once again.

New Year, New Bear!

2012-01-04T14:59:00.006Z

I'm so sorry I didn't photograph this large Wendy Boston style bear before I worked on him, it's a first for me but I really didn't expect the camera would see much difference.

However, now he's all washed and cared for there really is a big difference in him, not just for the camera but in the fur too.

I have cleaned him, re-stuffed him and tended to a torn muzzle. His owner will be meeting him tomorrow and I hope she is as surprised as I am with his new found lease of life!

Happy New Birthday Ginger Bear! :0)

BLIZZARD

2011-12-20T15:10:00.003Z

Meet Blizzard, he arrived a little later than forecast but he’s ready for a winter wonderland in his cosy fur hood.

Standing at 7" tall he's created from white mohair with glass eyes black as coal and a wet-look nose, he’s a little snow bear.

I hope he melts your heart.

Eleven, Eleven, Eleven.

2011-11-11T12:52:00.001Z

Teddybear News

2011-11-03T13:42:00.005Z

I am pleased to be the artist portrayed on pages 9-12 of the November 2011 issue of Teddybear News, the German online publication which will also be published in English on the sites link early in 2012 at: http://www.teddybear-news.info/

Heather

2011-10-13T18:04:00.004+01:00

This is Heather, a 12" tall girl bear with sparkly eyes.

Made from a long pile shaggy mohair which I have hand-dyed, she is loosely 5-way cotter pin jointed and stuffed with heavyweight premium polyfil.

I have given her steel grey cashmere paw and foot pads, hand-painted sparkly glass eyes and a nose embroidered in perle cotton.

Heather wears a neck bow in colours of charcoal and pale mauve to match her fur.

A Brown Bear Is Born

2011-10-12T17:54:00.003+01:00

My latest bear, standing at 11" tall, created from a ratinee finish mohair which gives him a 'rough and tumble' sort of look.

I have shaded his features and aged his wool felt paws and feet a little. His nose is embroidered and glossed, he has black glass eyes and is stuffed with heavyweight polyfil.

'Brown Bear' has been accessorised with an old key tied around his neck with a little ribbon.

ADOPTED

Boston Baby

2011-10-07T16:05:00.008+01:00

This dearly loved Wendy Boston bear was brought to me in need of help.

His stuffing was escaping from the holes worn in the front of his body from being a well-traveled bear and I guess too many hugs and kisses.

This type of Wendy Boston bear was filled with foam chips and over time the foam disintegrates and finally breaks down into a sticky, powdery mess.

We caught this little bear in time to save him from such a nasty experience and now he's been re-stuffed with a premium quality polyester filling.

I gently cleaned him then re-surfaced the front of his body with fabric that I'd tinted and aged to reflect his original well-loved condition minus the holes.

A tidy up of his nose stitching and a few darned areas on the worn tips of his ears, paws and feet made him altogether a much stronger, happier and healthier bear!

I couldn't thank his owner enough and was quite overwhelmed when she very kindly gave me a bouquet of what are coincidentally my favourite flowers and a very generous tip for helping her bear. Her gesture of appreciation truly made my day!

Thank you so much Mrs A. :0)

Soapy Success

2011-10-04T12:25:00.003+01:00

Since we moved into our house around 18 months ago we have completed many projects in and around the home but there is one 'little room' that has not had much attention from me, in fact I actually forget it's there because I never personally use it . . . our understair WC.

It has a very small window and for the past 18 months it has had two strips of paper kitchen roll taped to the window for extra privacy (very classy:0), it's one of those things that's been there for so long I don't notice it anymore!

It would have been very easy to pick up the smallest roller blind on the market but I just wanted something a little different.

Today, I addressed the situation and I was up at the break of dawn making a start to the creation of my own blind.

It's a very simple affair made from cream linen with a vintage panel advertising Pears Soap (one of my favourites) printed in the middle.

The simple colouring of this design complemented the 'little room' and I love the vintage advert.

My Water Babies At Play

2011-09-28T11:48:00.005+01:00

My beautiful pet Koi basking in the warmth of the day . . . such a joy to watch, so difficult to photograph :0)

Amusing Coincidence

2011-09-21T15:28:00.006+01:00

Whilst searching for my birth certificate yesterday I stumbled upon some school report cards from when I was only 8 and 9 years old.

I was amazed to read the teachers findings about me at that age.

. . . Seemingly I enjoyed needlework!

I could not remember this being particularly so but now it all makes sense.

I have been pursuing my passion for bears for a few years and I desperately wanted to make them, not a conscious decision to do sewing in itself, but to produce bears.

Needlework is obviously something that has been lying dormant within me for a lot of years but I was completely amused that coincidentally nowadays I do hand sew almost every day.

Strangely enough I was also noted for a lack of imagination in art? I blame the teacher considering . . . I have worked in an Art / Design background since leaving school and I’m sure anyone who knows me would not consider me to lack imagination at any point in my life! In fact I have a very vivid imagination :0)

PENDLE, The Little Witch Bear

2011-09-17T17:24:00.007+01:00

Pendle is a sweet little Lancashire witch bear, she's been keeping busy with the leaf sweeping and looking forward to Halloween when she'll be flying around on her broomstick creating hubble, bubble, toil and trouble .

She stands at 7" tall and is gently weighted with steel shot in her tummy and has a wobbly head joint.

Her bendy hat is adorned with a red rose symbolic of the County of Lancashire and she has a black lace collar tied with a bow and a leather belt.

Billy's Back In The Pink!

2011-09-07T14:08:00.006+01:00

When this bear came to me for some TLC, he was rather deflated and badly worn in areas. I set to work on him by giving him a gentle wash and plumping him up by replacing his stuffing.

It was a difficult task trying to obtain a good colour match for Billy's bald areas. He was not a 'standard' colour and had become rather 'pink toned' in certain areas after being washed with a red ribbon around his neck in the past.

After a few unsuccessful attempts at dying some plush teddy fabric (colour looked perfect in the water whist wet but when I rinsed it out it went pale lilac!)

I then called upon a very helpful lady by the name of Tracey of 'Sew What & Stuff It' bear supplies for a piece of mohair, she had the closest match I could find (thanks for coming to the rescue once again Tracey).

After patching all Billy's bald areas, I re-stitched his nose and mouth and finally gave him a pair of shiny bright new eyes as his old ones were rather badly scratched.

He's now very happy to be back home with his owner.

Here's Billy Before and After . . .

2011-09-04T16:54:00.006+01:00

My tribute to Merrythought's Cheeky Bear design . . .

I created this bear for The Guild Of Master Bear Crafter's group challenge which was to make a bear that represented a traditional design of one of your countries original bear manufacturers from 1900 - 1960.

JINGO represents Merrythought's unmistakable Cheeky Bear design combined with the British flag through his red, white and blue colouring.

He also has Union Jack design paw and foot pads incorporating his name, my 'edenbears' name and the year of his creation.

I have given him a 'Cheeky Punkinhead' twist with his topknot of long hair and he has bells in his ears, just like Merrythought's original Cheeky Bears.

I had great fun designing him and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge! :0)

Last Day Of August And A New Season In The Air

2011-08-31T17:46:00.006+01:00

I can feel my favourite season approaching, my favourite trees are turning to their fiery colours and the last blooms are appearing on show.

This Summer's Garden Project

2011-08-31T17:33:00.005+01:00

We have spent most of this summer constructing a pond in the garden. It's now complete with it's pergola and roof and apart from the usual routine maintenance heading into Autumn and Winter we have completed our biggest project this year.

Next year we will landscape around the pond and the rest of the garden, but for now we will sit back and enjoy watching the fish and the wildlife in and around the pond.

Here's how it's progressed, the plants and wire were temporary measures to keep herons and cats away.

It's A Cat's Life!

2011-08-25T11:42:00.003+01:00

My helping hands . . . Muffin lazes on a bean bag all day with hardly the energy to keep herself on it and Button sleeps on my sewing box lid :0)

Chiltern Panda

2011-08-23T07:27:00.012+01:00

Here's a beautiful Chiltern Panda I have recently restored. She was covered in moth gauzes - evidence of their past visits, along with the gritty dust which is the moth eggs.

Setting to work on her immediately I rid her of any pests and debris. I didn't even keep her hanging around for a 'before' photo so I only have the owners original images which are the first two pictures below.

I can gladly say that she is now a very clean Panda, I have thoroughly treated her to ensure there was nothing left alive, completely replaced her stuffing and removed every trace of moth deposit from her fur.

A couple of missing claw stitches, a replacement squeaker followed by a gentle brushing and she's now happily on her way home.

Happy To Be Reunited

2011-07-30T15:27:00.007+01:00

This little bear has been the cherished friend of James since the day he was born. Now lifeless, a little deflated and in desperate need of some help to revive him James's Dad arranged for his bear to be sent to my hospital for some TLC.

I gave him a gentle cleaning, a new body and new footpads then re-stuffed him with the silkiest, softest filling I could find.

After his treatments Ted felt and looked much happier and healthier and James is also happy to have his cherished friend back home and looking more like his former self.

Here's a picture of a happy James and his happy bear . . .

Etsy Treasury

2011-07-22T17:28:00.003+01:00

Liquorice my black bear has been featured as part of another Etsy Treasury titled . . .

LOVELY LUSCIOUS LIQUORICE (coincidentally one of my favourite confections!) :0)

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI1NDk3MDl8NDc1MjQ1ODYw/lovely-luscious-liquorice?index=0

Ready To Face The Next 60 Years

2011-06-29T17:26:00.007+01:00

Another patient is ready to leave my Teddy Bear Hospital today.

He's a Chiltern bear (always such handsome bears) approximately 60 years old and arrived looking rather worse for wear.

He's had some therapeutic treatments whilst under my care including . . .

A complete re-stuffing
New wool felt paw and foot pads
Replacement amber glass eyes
An over all cleaning
Re-stitching of nose, mouth and claw features
Darning of all fragile areas
Re-jointing of all limbs and head
Repaired Ting-a-Ling sound

I also inserted a small cotton pouch of Cotswold lavender grains into his tummy. This helps to ward off any insects and keeps his fresh, clean after-bath fragrance . . . I guarantee he'll be attracting those girly bears wherever he goes! :0) Well a bear feels good if he smells good!

He can now look forward to another 60 years with the right care.

Here he is before and after . . .

A Tight Squeeze

2011-06-22T09:27:00.006+01:00

I received a request for a bear to be repaired as a gift for a birthday coming up very soon. Although usually I'd have asked for more time to restore him I didn't want to let him or his owner down. I find it difficult to refuse a bear and when I discovered he's not a very large bear I thought with a little concentrated effort I could fit him in between current repairs. I set to work on him as soon as he arrived and when I removed the fabric covering his pads I discovered his original pads were a red imitation velvet fabric (see picture above) they were also a distinctively pointed shape at the toe so I replaced them with red velvety paw fabric and copied their original shape.

I also completely re-stuffed him, re-jointed him, replaced his eyes, tidied his nose and mouth stitching and cleaned him. His owner remembers he used to growl so I gave him a new growl too.

So here he is, after his treatments . . . ready to wish his owner a very Happy Birthday with his new found growl! :0)

Proud Ted!

2011-06-09T11:01:00.004+01:00

I've had a lovely email with pictures attached of a bear that recently came to my Teddy Hospital.
He was in a very bad way when he arrived (see picture) but I was able to save him.
I recommended that he was given some clothing when he got home to help to protect his fragile body from any further wear or damage, especially as he now had his squeaker back in his body and every squeak he made could potentially contribute towards another bit of wear and tear on his poor old tum.

Ted's owner also left me a lovely review which you can see on my website:
http://www.edenbears.co.uk/teddybearhospital.htm

Doesn't he look sweet in his brand new outfit!! :0)

A Little Diversion

2011-05-30T18:28:00.006+01:00

I've been using some techniques that are new for me. As something a little different from my usual traditional bear, I've created LIQUORICE. He's got a slightly more contemporary look with upper eyelids made of leather and a painted and glossed nose! :0)

Bear Lover's Book GIVEAWAY!

2011-05-24T10:16:00.002+01:00

Visit JOANNE LIVINGSTONE the wonderfully talented artist and creator of DESERT MOUNTAIN BEARS blog at the link below to be in with a chance of winning this beautiful book!
http://desertmountainbear.blogspot.com/2011/05/giveaway-book-for-bear-lover.html?showComment=1306228487592#c5003829373998324977

MAY-BEE you could own this bear!!

2011-05-24T09:02:00.006+01:00

http://bearbits.blogspot.com/

From GINGER BRAME the extremely talented artist and creator of the PIECE PARADE TEDDY BEARS comes this fantastic and unmissable GIVEAWAY opportunity for all to enter. Simply click the link above to go to her blog where you can read all about him, see more pictures and post your comment to be entered for the chance to own this simply gorgeous little bee bear.

(¯`•ø,¸¸,TUMBLEWEED,¸,ø•´¯)

2011-05-02T11:01:00.009+01:00

Tumbleweed, a commission bear born on April 29th. He's a scruffy little mohair bear with a heart stuffed full of love. 'Tumble' enjoys nothing more than clowning around. Standing just over 7" tall he's partly filled with steel shot which gives him his tactile weight. He has shaded features, black glass eyes, a bright spotted neck ruffle and stitches all over his body . . . the result of some of his clowning around and the tumbles he's taken!

Thank You!

2011-04-05T12:06:00.003+01:00

I just wanted to say thank you for all the comments that have recently left on my edenbears blog about my restorations. I haven't noticed these until today (duh!) and it's so nice to read your kind words about my work.
Special thanks to Cara for the comment on your Mum's bear, (Loved To Bits Literally)
I realise how special he is to her and how much she missed him when she had to send him away for a while.
It's an (at times) intensive labour of love for me requiring time, patience, care and attention to detail that appears to be generating more demand as time goes by. I thoroughly enjoy the process and look forward to seeing the 'before' and after 'results' myself.

Thanks for all your words of support, they make it even more enjoyable and a highly worthwhile vocation for me.

( A work in progress picture just because I find blogs are better with a picture ) :0)

All Spruced Up

2011-04-05T11:47:00.006+01:00

I went into the edenbears Teddy Bear Hospital with very sore paws and feet, I had a few open wounds on my body and head and I was also little bit dirty from being stored away for some time. After being in the operating theatre for a few days, my paws and feet are brand new, look at the difference in my before and after pictures, I've had a nice relaxing bath, I look and feel much cleaner and all my wounds have been healed. I feel on top of the world and ready to go home!

Clean and Tidy

2011-03-29T17:43:00.005+01:00

This lovely old Chiltern bear came to my hospital with definite evidence of a moth infestation. On the surface he looked in not too bad a condition, however his fur showed the signs and damage inflicted by moths. I went to work on him by emptying out his old wood wool stuffing and surface cleaning him. I then re-jointed his head as the joint was showing through the mohair at the back of the neck and the fabric required strengthening to secure it once again. A couple of repaired holes here and there and with completely renewed wood wool stuffing he is now a much 'healthier' bear. I re-stitched his nose and a couple of missing claws too.
When I emptied out his old stuffing I found the old growler inside him that no longer worked so I replaced that and he can now growl once again!

Here are his before and after pictures . . .

Loved To Bits . . . Literally!

2011-03-21T15:57:00.007Z

The latest reformed character to be going home from my hospital is this little bear who has been loved so much he had truly worn away. After years of being a constant companion I was summoned to help him and do what I could for him.
Major repairing of holes and thinning fabric were required, there was also a small piece of evidence that resembled a tongue and his owner informed me that he had once sported a little red tongue which I have reinstated too.
I think he will be around for a few more years to come yet! :0)

New Lease Of Life!

2011-03-10T15:05:00.007Z

This little bear originally came to me looking rather deflated.
His old foam chip stuffing had completely broken down and turned into a sticky powder.
His joints were also seized.
After I removed all his broken down stuffing I re-stuffed him with a healthier kapok filling then carefully manipulated his joints to free them up and ease their movement, I then reset his original eyes back into place. I was glad to be able to salvage these as the wires attached to them had badly rusted and my worry was they might have broken off if put under any pressure, however I handled them with great care and the operation was a success.
He can now sit and stand with his free-moving joints and his healthy new stuffing.

BEFORE . . .

Fresh Out Of Theatre . . .

2011-02-24T17:50:00.011Z

Yesterday I posted about the bear I had in the operating theatre.
This evening he has been transferred to the recovery room to let the anesthetic wear off.

During his stay here at the edenbears hospital he told me how much he loved the food and as we had a long wait to find a matching fur for his operation he was being very well fed and loving every morsel . . . here's his before and after pictures, you can see why I've mentioned his love of hospital food, he's twice the bear he was when he first came here! :0)

Some Beary Good News . . .

2011-02-24T12:40:00.011Z

I'm animal daft and I support a few animal charities, not with huge amounts of money but I like to give something rather than nothing at all when I can.

Being a bear maker, I have a particular fondness and love for bears so what better way to do my little bit than support WSPA (the World Society for the Protection of Animals).

They help with all sorts of animal plights around the world from cruelty to disaster funding. It sometimes overwhelms me to see the amount of rescue aid required and I hardly think my little donations are going to make any difference at all so today when I received this uplifting piece of correspondence through the post I realise every little bit really DOES COUNT . . .

Read all about Chowti's rescue here:
CHOWTI'S FIRST TASTE OF FREEDOM

MY AWESOME BLOG AWARD!

2011-02-24T09:16:00.007Z

My beautiful friend Penelope Kowalik has sent me this AWESOME BLOG AWARD!

Thank you Penelope! :0)

This is Penelope (aka Nellie)
. . . the most beautiful 12 year old lilac point Siamese from Midway BC Canada.
Starsign: Taurus
Occupation: Mouser
. . . you can read all about this most beautiful city girl's antics and adventures at http://thecatfromhell.blogspot.com/

In Theatre Today . . .

2011-02-23T12:26:00.009Z

This is someone's little cherished friend receiving hospital attention from me today.
I've been working on him for a while and I'm really hoping to be completing him today or tomorrow.
He's lost a lot of stuffing from his neck area, it's so thin and wobbly it needs building up, as do most of his 'muscles'. He could also do with a little hair restoration here and there!
He can't wait to come back and say hello when he's recovered from his treatment.

The 3 Bears

2011-02-23T10:23:00.004Z

My latest little commission bears . . . now with their new families in Scotland.

Koalas Fight For Life!

2011-02-23T09:03:00.005Z

Here's a little koala I recently rescued at my hospital. He was unable to be handled as his stuffing was one solid block with powder residue and came pouring out of his holed and shriveled body every time he was picked up.
I think he has a few more years left in him now that I've given him some TLC and stuffing!

Rosie - Well Received!

2011-01-13T16:18:00.007Z

Rosie went to her new home just before Christmas and I'm happy to say she was loved instantly. Not only that but she was the perfect match for her surroundings! Her new owners had just decorated their lounge and it had been done in a modern monochromatic scheme with silver accents. I had never seen the house before and as it was so close to Christmas Rosie decided to take her little silver bottle brush Christmas tree with her, she looked so at home as she sat there coincidentally coordinating with the decor!

A Rosie Day!

2010-12-08T10:23:00.005Z

My latest bear Rosie was born yesterday on the 7th December.
Rosie has dense wavy tipped mohair and she is 12" tall. She has been created especially for a commission request, I hope she is well received as she is a little different to some of my previous bears :0/ . . . If she becomes an orphan I will post her on my website for sale.
My last bear was little Guy, he's now been adopted and is to be the keepsake bear of someone's grandchild so he'll be traveling to snowbound Scotland to meet his new family soon, bet he's glad he has longer fur for those minus temperatures up there at the moment!!

Here are pictures of Rosie and Guy in their last few days together . . .

Guy

2010-11-04T13:54:00.002Z

Due to this little bear being born today (4th November) I have decided to break the edenbears tradition of botanical names and call him Guy.
He's arrived just in time to see the fireworks!

Guy is 8 inches tall and a bit of a scruff with his distressed pile mohair, he has black glass eyes, an embroidered glossed nose and a little shading to his features, his foot and paw pads are cashmere.
He is filled with heavyweight polyfill and has some steel shot in his tummy to give him a tactile weight.

. . . Guy asked me to wish you all a happy and safe Bonfire Night!

GROWLIE - Good As Gold

2010-10-28T17:38:00.005+01:00

Meet GROWLIE, my patient who is at last ready to go home after a long stay in my Teddy Bear Hospital. He has been a very good patient and hasn't complained at all despite undergoing quite an operation.
I had to empty his stuffing out completely it was so old and disintegrated it had turned to a very fine powdery dust! Really horrible stuff, it was so bad I had to empty him outside.

Once we were rid of the nasty stuff the TLC could begin . . . He had a nice clean up of his fur, all his stuffing was replaced and his head was re-joined to his body, he then got some new paw and foot pads, his original eyes were secured back into his head and he got a new nose and mouth.
Now he's a clean, bright, happy boy once again, he's looking forward to going home and receiving lots of much deserved love and attention!

Here's his BEFORE and AFTER pictures . . .

Lovely Reunion Update

2010-10-20T11:13:00.006+01:00

An earlier post on my blog told of a bear discovered after many years and the original owner having no idea that he is still existence.
It's her 60th birthday coming up soon and her sister is having the bear restored especially for the surprise reunion of her and her old ted!
His fabric is extremely fragile and threadbare so I had to approach with extra care on this little one. I replaced his eyes and gave him a new nose and mouth, he also had a hole just under his left eye which I have darned to blend in. I then gently topped up his stuffing where he'd gone flat or lost some. I couldn't be too heavy handed in this process for fear of tearing his fabric further. I stitched both arms back on properly as they had been over-stitched with black thread and I closed the opening you can clearly see in the 'before' picture which was open down both legs too. Finally I gave him a gentle cleaning. Lots of dirt did come off him so he is much cleaner but I didn't want to subject him to any more wiping due to his fragile state. It would be a good idea to have a jumper made for him to protect his body fabric in future.

BEFORE and AFTER

2010-10-17T11:09:00.007+01:00

Here's the latest patient to leave my Teddy Bear Hospital. Poor old Ted had very damaged paws, a sore nose and he was rather dirty all over!
I've given him a much needed dose of TLC and he's just gone home this morning.
His Mum was so pleased to see him looking so well and she was very happy to be reunited with her faithful companion and confidante whom she'd dearly missed whilst he'd been in Hospital.

Hot Off The Press!

2010-10-12T18:29:00.011+01:00

WINNIE-THE-POOH’S STAMP OF APPROVAL FROM MORECAMBE TEDDY BEAR MAKER

A devoted teddy bear maker and collector from Morecambe, along with some of her collection, lent a paw to Royal Mail to help launch its latest special stamps which tell the magical story of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Elaine Hirst, designer and creator of ‘edenbears’ traditionally-styled artist bears, showcased the Winnie-the-Pooh stamp series at her home and workshop, surrounded by several bears from her personal collection and some visitors to her teddy bear hospital, where she sympathetically restores well-loved family heirlooms to their former glory.

The 10 stamps celebrate the enduring popularity and universal appeal of the hunny-loving character, famously created by AA Milne for his son, Christopher Robin, in 1926. Pooh was beautifully brought to life in endearing illustrations by EH Shepard and images from the original Pooh stories, Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner and the book of verse, Now we are Six, feature in the series of stamps. Pooh takes centre stage on the stamps, but is also joined by his pals Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Owl and Tigger.

Elaine said: “I think the stamps are absolutely beautiful and I’m so honoured to be asked to help launch them. I’ve loved bears for as long as I can remember and I started collecting them as soon as I left school. My hobby developed into a business and I’ve been making collectible bears since 2007, so to be involved in the launch of the Winnie-the-Pooh stamps is brilliant.”

Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps Strategy Manager, said: “At nearly 90 years old, Winnie-the-Pooh is looking incredibly good for his age, thanks to the imaginative writing of AA Milne and the timeless illustrations of EH Shepard. “We’re delighted that through this wonderful collection we will bring a new adventure for Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends as they travel on letters to millions of homes across the UK and beyond.”

It's In The Bag!

2010-10-09T15:30:00.005+01:00

Sometimes I find it a bit of a problem deciding the best way to present an adopted bear to his or her new Mum. I've tried boxes but I can often not find quite the right size for comfort or I have found some really pretty ones which can be a bit pricey and would bump up the cost of the whole package, so I thought I'd make my own canvas bags for my bears to travel in or be stored in.
I printed my edenbears logo on the front.
Here's Woodruff, one of my bears, inspecting the finished product!
Woodruff was the first of my bears to be presented to his new owner in his edenbears canvas bag earlier this year.

Forward Thinking

2010-09-28T13:22:00.007+01:00

As a bear artist and a bear collector I am inspired by several artists, one of them being Amy Beth Goodrich of the world famous Portobello Bear Co.
I was pleased to receive my Amy Goodrich 2011 calendar in the post today and wanted to share it with you . . . each page has a lovely picture of one of Amy's beautiful creations, each one can be signed by Amy herself if you purchase a signed copy.
The images are suitable for framing afterwards if you so choose or it can be kept whole as the collectable calendar that it is.
I will be inspired with the turning of every page!
Signed copies available from www.lulu.com search for Amy Goodrich.

Lovely Reunion Coming Up!

2010-09-28T11:14:00.003+01:00

I've undertaken another patient in my hospital, I have a little queue of them at present but I was particularly warmed by the idea behind this bears restoration.
His owner has no idea he is still in existence so her sister is having him restored to present him back to her on her 60th birthday which is coming up very soon!
I thought that was a very thoughtful and lovely idea and I'm looking forward to playing my part in the birthday surprise.
Here's the boy himself as he is before any work on him . . . he will come back and see you after surgery.

Another Patient

2010-09-27T22:17:00.002+01:00

Here's the latest patient to leave my teddy bear hospital. Ursula came to me in a very poor state! I gave her lots of TLC and she's looking and feeling much better for it!
Here's her BEFORE and AFTER pics . . .

A&E to Intensive Care!

2010-09-25T17:20:00.008+01:00

One of my patients is in a worse state than first anticipated . . . this poor Chiltern is in the midst of a very serious operation. Originally his owner thought he had been attacked by mice, this may have been the case but I have discovered some serious moth damage too! He has required lots of graft work but he will be okay, we are almost over the worst and progressing back to health day by day. He will be back to his former self in the next few days! Here he is in his worst state before any treatment . . . his arms did actually drop off themselves just before I began working on him!

And here he is after his restoration process

My Magazine Appearance

2010-07-07T17:31:00.008+01:00

I have recently been featured in the German teddy bear magazine BarReport. I created TITAN especially for the feature, he's a little bear with a big personality. His pattern is also published in the pullout section incorporated in the magazine.

Phew!

2010-07-07T09:57:00.004+01:00

I'm back after a hectic couple of months . . . we have moved house and I've also clocked up a milestone birthday along the way! Now at last I'm back to taking on my repair work and commission bear orders.
Here's my latest patient . . . an old bear with sore paws and a few cuts and grazes! His owner didn't want his features altering, just his rips and tears sorting out. He's feeling much better now after a visit to my hospital.

My New Old Bear

2010-04-16T17:16:00.002+01:00

This is my latest hug member, I met him today for the first time and he's fast become one of my favourites. Luckily, he has worn well for his age and only requires a clean up, a tidying up of his nose stitching and replacement paw and foot pads, he is 50 this year and can still manage a tiny growl...well more of a whimper really but that just adds to his lovely charm and character for me!
With a little TLC at my Teddy Bear Hospital I can soon have him looking his absolute best!

Woodruff

2010-04-08T10:13:00.003+01:00

This is Woodruff, a 12" bear, born 7th April 2010.
Created from a brass-coloured mohair, he has cashmere paws, black glass eyes, a stitched, lightly waxed nose and has lightly aged and shaded accents to his features, paws and feet.
He is filled wirh polyfil pellets and steel shot to give him a nice weight.

Woodruff is now ADOPTED.

Flora

2010-02-26T07:48:00.002Z

Meet Flora...my latest creation, born 23rd February 2010.
She is a 12" tall, traditional lady bear wearing a locket and key tied on a ribbon around her neck.
You can view her details in full on my website :-)

Hickory

2010-01-29T08:16:00.006Z

Hickory has just arrived! Born 27th January. He's a 16" boy with a wobble jointed centre-seam head, 5-way cotter disk jointed, stuffed with kapok and polypellets, he has matt black glass eyes and a perle cotton embroidered nose and mouth, gold cashmere paws with black perle embroidered claw detail.
I have given him no accessories...he's simply a bare traditional bear!

He will be available on my website soon!

Maple

2009-10-25T07:13:00.006Z

Maple is a 10" tall boy cub weighing 1KG. I named this boy and colour schemed him to reflect the Autumnal leaves of the Maple tree.
ADOPTED.

My Halloween PUMPKIN!

2009-10-16T20:20:00.002+01:00

My Halloween creation, born October 16th, 2009. Her full details can be found on my website! :-)

It's A Girl!!!!

2009-08-19T16:10:00.003+01:00

Meet Alyssum...a 7" blonde mohair girl bear.
She was born earlier today.

Alyssum is a traditionally designed bear with a centre head seam. She's filled with polyfil and steel shot giving her a 250gm weight in the palm of your hand.

She has an embroidered, glossed nose and black glass eyes. I've kept things simple with this little lady and given her a brown gauze ribbon bow!

See more pictures and details about her on my website where she's looking for a new Mum :-)
ADOPTED.

Nimblewill

2009-07-21T15:31:00.008+01:00

This is Nimblewill...He was born on the 11th July, 2009 and weighs 100gms. He's a lovely little bear although a bit of a scruffy one and so named after a grassweed.
Created with Helmbold mohair, deliberately distressed for an aged/well-loved look, he stands at 6 inches, he is five-way cotter pin jointed, filled with woodwool, polyfil and steel shot. Nimblewill's heart is made of suede and stitched onto his chest. His footpads are distressed, the woodwool stuffing is almost visible and held in with stitches.
He has black glass eyes with stitched detail for his upper and lower eyelids. He has also got embroidered claw details and an embroidered, glossed nose and mouth with some 'age' shading to his face, paw and footpads. Nimblewill wears a brown satin ribbon ruff.
He is available on my website.

BRACKEN - born June 18th

2009-06-19T07:34:00.010+01:00

I'd like you to meet Bracken, he was only born yesterday! An 8" tall tan mohair boy with a tactile weight of 500gms. He feels quite substantial sitting in the palm of your hand! Steel shot gives him his added weight and I've waxed his nose and shaded features of his face paws and feet. He also has stitched claw details, glass eyes and he wears his velvet collar and bells.
He'll be making his debut on my website and Bear Pile :-) ADOPTED.

Latest addition to my hug!

2009-06-16T16:20:00.004+01:00

I'm so happy to have this bear as part of my hug! He's a lovely replica bear specially commissioned by Steiff for Ian Pout of Teddy Bears of Witney. He comes in his own special malachite printed box along with a lovely book telling the story of his life and that of Princess Xenia whom the original Steiff Alfonzo belonged to in 1908.
George Mikhailovich, Grand Duke of Russia purchased a bright red 33cm Steiff bear. He gave the colourful little bear to his daughter, Princess Xenia. She called him Alfonzo. Her nanny, Miss Ball, made him a bright cotton Cossack tunic and trousers.
Centenary Alfonzo has taken more time to create than any other Steiff replica, his mohair has been specially woven and coloured to achieve his aged appearance. The wood shaving filling shows through the holes in his footpads, and both the foot pads and wood shavings are age painted.
His cossack tunic is made of natural cotton. Each tunic is dressed on the bear before being airbrushed around the fall of the creases to achieve a naturally aged look.
The Centenary Alfonzo has a pewter coloured button with the final 'f' underscoring the last four letters, and his label printed with the bears edition number and the date 2008 is sewn into his left side seam.
Centenary Alfonzo is made in a LIMITED EDITION of 1908 and comes with a limited edition book, written and signed by Ian Pout telling the history of Alfonzo.

My latest creation

2009-05-28T09:36:00.005+01:00

Introducing Sweet William...a true gentleman!
You can check out his details on my website :-)

Beauty in the garden of edenbears

2009-05-24T20:59:00.005+01:00

Such a nice day today! Spent time in the garden and took some photos of the flowers in bloom at the moment.

2009-05-12T16:47:00.008+01:00

I've neglected my blog for a few days so I thought I'd share a couple of things with you
- Turn up the sound on your computer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ffwDYo00Q

Watch this one too :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s13dLaTIHSg

I dedicate these mini films to my late cat named Ben especially the TV Dinner one - it was exactly what he did!! In memory of Ben x

Earth Tremors!

2009-04-28T13:09:00.003+01:00

I've been getting on with my latest bear over last couple of days. This morning I was just beginning to wax the nose when I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by the loudest booming noise in the house that I have ever heard! I froze to the spot, the cats jumped up from their napping positions to the floor and were so wide-eyed, I dropped my bear on the table and ran to see what on earth had happened upstairs. My sister-in-law came rushing down at the same time to see if I knew what had happened and we had shocked and puzzled looks on our faces both declaring "What the h*** was that?"
We ran all around the house, looked outside but there was nothing obvious but other people on the street were doing the same. I concluded it must have been something like a gas explosion somewhere not too far away.
My sister-in-law called me about 2 hours later to say it had been announced on the radio that there had been an earthquake in Ulverston (approx 20 miles across the bay) measuring 3.7 on the richter scale! It's the first time in my life I have felt any signs of an earthquake - 3.7 is very mild but I felt so panicked by the house shaking and creaking at that level that it realise how horrific it must be to experience a much stronger quake!

Jeremy

2009-04-16T18:20:00.003+01:00

Jeremy is a 9” tall light blonde mohair bear weighing in at 0.3KG.
He is filled with heavy weight polyester and steel shot.
He has black glass eyes and is fully cotter pin jointed.
His paw and foot pads are cashmere with embroidered claw detail. He has an embroidered, glossed nose and mouth with some shaded accents to his face.
Jeremy wears a simple bow with a golden metal heart charm stating he is hand made with love.
ADOPTED.

Eve

2009-04-16T18:15:00.003+01:00

Eve is a 13” tall golden blonde mohair bear. She is filled with heavyweight polyester, plastic pellets and steel shot which gives her a tactile weight of just under 1KG. She’s five-way cotter pin jointed, has black glass eyes, her paw and footpads are cashmere with embroidered claw details. She has an embroidered, glossed nose and embroidered mouth with some shaded, accents to her face, paw and foot pads.
Eve wears a triple black bow with a large silver-coloured jingle bell attached.

I'm working on it!

2009-04-16T17:59:00.001+01:00

I'm currently working on a 20" bear and it has taken me about an hour this afternoon to stuff the head! Hopefully I'll be able to photograph and post the pictures soon.

Basil

2008-08-29T17:33:00.004+01:00

This is Basil, he's a 22" traditional mohair bear.
He has some hand shading to his face, brown glass eyes and an embroidered waxed nose, stitched claw details to his paws and feet and I have completed him with a simple bow and a large jingle bell.

Birch

2008-08-26T21:49:00.001+01:00

Meet Birch...

Jay

2008-08-26T21:48:00.002+01:00

This is Jay another of my bears.

Cane

2008-08-26T21:28:00.002+01:00

This is one of my bears, he is named Cane.

Hello

2008-08-24T10:50:00.005+01:00

I thought I'd create a blog to join in on the discussions and updates about bears etc.
I'm relatively new to bear making — my production is slow mostly because I choose to only create when my time allows me to fully concentrate on bears alone. I sew everything by hand and I design all my bears from scratch so each one is from an entirely new pattern. I'm still working towards the bear that will emerge as my own style. Currently, I'm at the experimental stage.

I will keep posting pics of my latest arrivals as soon as they are 'born'.