Back to work

[Judi Russell]

Easter seems a long way away now and we are all back to work, its lovely to have the light nights I seem to get so much more done in a day.
What is happening out there, have you got shows coming up, or new bears on the go. We would all love to hear what everyone is doing. :6087: :6013: :6086:

[Geralye]

I've got several bears on the go, but just can't seem to work up the enthusiasm at the moment. Lost my mojo completely.

I've had one cold after another, so generally feel run down.

I'm also depressed to see my Dad deteriorating (he has cancer of the oesophagus), over Easter it was very evident how tired he gets.

My neighbours from hell also fired up their barbecue and chiminea over Easter, and every night since, and as we have such small gardens, the whole of my house stinks of charred meat and lighter fuel.

Sorry, doom and gloom all round from me.

cheers,
G

[Lorna Evett]

Hello Geralye and Judi

Am actually off work sick today, I have not visited the forum for some time and like you Geralye have hit a bit of a brick wall. Not for the same reasons as yourself, purely selfish really, I got told I was going to be a granny by my youngest son, my eldest ,son told me he was getting a divorce and my daughter announced she was coming out of nursing all in one week it knocked the wind out of my sails a bit. I worry for them all so my bear in making is sitting on the tray next to my chair I actually sewed his ears on last night so he is looking more full of character.

However good news is I sold two bears earlier this week which bucked me up and I have to choose another one to go to for someone. So I am running out of bears so must really get my act together.

I think a big deterrant also has been my eyesight. I have had to purchase new glasses for the close up work, i have tried bifocals and kept feeling seasick, i find it really frustrating swapping glasses, I do have a light with a magnifying glass which is great but gets so hot.

Anyway No more news really. Just going to sit in my conservatory and enjoy the sun and warmth, will be back at work tomorrow.

Lorna

[LisaAP]

Oh dear! Geralye and Lorna, you are having a tough time of it at the moment. I do hope that things pick up for you real soon. Fortunately for me it's life as normal, the kids are back at school this week and that means I can get on with all the stuff I've been putting off over the Easter period.

I am working on my latest softie effort which is (hopefully) going to be a cat. If all goes well it will be a leopard but if it goes pear-shaped then it will be a very distant relative of the leopards, probably new species never described before now, lol! :p

Regards

Lisa

[Andrel13]

I'm having a good time currently working on two bears one was meant to be rabbit but turned into something completely different >.> but I got really into it after the "grumbling..it was meant to be a rabbit" passed I let you all see it when its done..its an it right now coz I'm not sure if its female of male :6044: .
my other bears doing oki its just a bear so no worrys :P
just need to sell some of the others as I cannot move for them >< my bedrooms turning into a bear room ...oh dear hehe
also going to be updating a few things on my website like the front page doing a watercolour scene for it as I didn't like the CG i did...that was just a "I don't want to see the white !!!!!..cover it with anything" idea :6086:
hmmm oh also doing a drawing..painting of my Fav book char's right now though there's a lot of black in it and its giving me problems got to make the hair like a ravens wing sort of blackly blue, I always have problems with that...not really bear related but that's what I'm up to :6013:

anyway that's everything for now speak to you all soon

Snuggles Vicky:6086:

[Lorna Evett]

Well after putting down my tales of woe, decided to go through the general discussions and have applied for an application form for the artists bear competition :eek: have already got an idea, also put together a rough draft for my web page, which my husband says he will do, I am not holding my breath though. I reckon if he got me started I could do it quite easily myself.

Hope you are going to post a picture of the distant relative of the leopard Lisa.;)

I still have not got that bit right, every time I try to upload a picture it gets lost, i am sure i am doing it right, will let my husband watch over my shoulder to tell me how stupid I am and I have to say I agree. I follow the directions I am just a doofus!

Lorna

[Judi Russell]

You are all still there after all. We all think that our lives are the only ones having problems, but when you start to talk to folk you realise pretty quickly that you are not the only one.
Had a bit of a horrible time over Easter when our daughter's dog Poppy, got very ill and then had to be put down. Poor Becca and Ade were devestated, it was all so quick and so sad, Pops was only four. They did the right thing and got another puppy straight away, a little Welsh Terrier they have called Dolly. She is proving to be a little monkey and is filling a large hole in their lives, I hope you will eventually make a mini one of her Ruth?
So come on our gang, lets get some bears made and some more pictures on the forum to cheer everyone up, or rabbits or anything else that takes your fancy. :6018: :6026: Maybe even a leopard or two!

[shelly]

It seems ages since I've talked to anyone on the forum. As some people may know I have been having my bathroom moved and a new ensuite and bathroom put in. Well after four weeks it's finished, well nearly, still painitng to be done. I have had stuff all over the house and it's been such a mess. I feel like I've really got behind with my rabbits and there's so much I wanted to do. I have been making some but I can't seem to concentrate for very long , I've either had the plumber here , the boys off school and sometimes I just couldn't find the bits I needed for the rabbits.

My bathroom looks great and the ensuite,and I am very pleased and very lucky. Hopefully in the next week or two I can finally finish my website and my rabbits and get back to some forum chit chat.
Best wishes to all
Shelly x.:6086:

PS. Oh I feel a bit bad now going on about my bathroom, I just responded to the page and didn't actually read what people had written . You all had a bit of a bad time of it. Well the blossom is out a summer is on it's way !! Things can only get better.

[Ruth]

Oww Judi , that's so sad ; glad I made a teeny reminder of Poppy ( as well as their photos ) It's wonderful Becca now has Dolly to concentrate all that love on :6037: I'll have to look up Welsh Terriers at some point !!
I really feel for you all - I've just been jogging along as usual ; somewhat busy with a comp' entry , luckily sold a few bears . My biggest worry on the horizon is dratted SATS for my 11yr old in a month - by then it will practically be Summer , where's the year going ???? :6086:
I will pop some pics of a weensy koala recently finished , in to Show and Tell !
Hugs Everyone , Ruth :6034:

[All Bear]

I've been working on new traditional teds and having my sewing room decorated ... here are some before and after pics. I'm very pleased with my nice fresh space!

288

289 290

[shebob bears]

Really lovely, Paula, and not a hint of clutter anywhere in sight!! Doesn't it make such a difference to your frame of mind when everything is in its proper place. Your room looks so much brighter and more cheerful now. Love it.

Sheila x :6013:

[shelly]

I love the organised thread holder, very posh! I have given up trying to keep my threads straight, and they are just thrown in a container and I pick out what I need . I must have about a hundred, remnants from my job!
Shelly x:6086:

[Lorna Evett]

Loved the room too, and the teddy bear chest. The thread organiser is great. When I move up to the spare bedroom, when the ebay stuff has gone, and the car boot stuff has gone, I want to have a nice organised room like that. Still pleased to see the big bag of wadding haning around you cant make that look tidy, or can you?:p

Lorna

[Vicky Allum]

Oh Judi, I'm so sorry to hear about little Poppy that is so sad ...... so unfair

Gerayle and Lorna, I hope you're both feeling better now. Good luck with the competition Lorna.

Paula your work room looks great, lovely sunny colour. It looks sooooo organised - you should see mine, it looks like a bomb has gone off despite my best efforts to be tidy.:)

Last week was really busy, I spent all week at the machine putting together lots of bears (I was absolutely sick of the sight of it by Friday) ........ now I have to stuff them all!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

[All Bear]

Aha! They were the BEFORE shots by the way Vicki! I'm all blitzed now.:D As for that big bag of filler, you're right Lorna, there's just no hope of making it look tidy!

By the way, if anyone is interested in purchasing a cotton reel holder, you can get them from http://www.cottonpatch.co.uk Bear in mind they are self assembly .. easy enough to put together, but a bit of a boring process and the instructions are written in German! It's so lovely not to have to fight a big tangle of threads any more though, that it was worth the fiddle of assembling it.

[Vicky Allum]

Thanks for that link Paula - I'd defintely like one of those. I'm ashamed to admit that I've been coveting that cotton holder since you posted it:o

[Lorna Evett]

Had a look at that link Paula and have added it as a favourite to go through again.

Just out of interest anyone. Does anyone know where I can buy fray check, more than one bottle at a time, but I want the fine tip one, without having to pay postage per bottle?

Finished a bear since last looked in, called him Neville, he's cute, more of a traditional design.

Shed a tear with my frient at work on Monday, she had had to have her dog put down, he was called Sam and was 19!!!!! She had taken him on from a friend who had moved to New Zealand years ago, and the coincidence was that the friend rang up yesterday and asked if her son could come and see him as he was in England, Sue had to tell her that he had died so we shed a tear again!!!!

Ah me.

[Judi Russell]

Hi Lorna, I can for once say, 'I know how you feel' I still feel the need to :6022: every time I think of our Poppy, and even Jack, our Jack Russell, (well we couldn't call him anything else with our surname) he was nearly 20 when he finally gave up chasing rabbits for good! There is another dog out there being born just for your friend, it is only by chance they will meet up.

To your other point, we stock Fray Check, (why can you only buy one bottle at a time?) ours has a fine point on the bottle.

[Lorna Evett]

Hi Judi

I obviously looked with my eyes shut cos I went to your site but could not find it:rolleyes: Will go back and look again, will also look for the backing for the red leather too.

Am going into town tomorrow will look in John L for the needles.

My Jack Russell Trudi is sat on the bed looking at me:mad: face because i have the lap top on my lap and not her :6086:

Lorna

[Judi Russell]

Morning all, I have just noticed that Melanie and Ruth are reading the forum and that there are quite a few visitors this morning. What has everyone got on the go, it has been a bit quiet so I thought you would all be busy making new bears. I am having a break this weekend and getting Chris fitted for his wedding suit (our son is getting married in August) that should be fun:confused: Hope you all have a good Bank Holiday and that the York fair is a great success.

[shelly]

Hi Judi,

Well I am putting together an order for you ! I am also preparing for an online show at the end of June so I am quite busy thinking about that. I am also going to try and finish painting the bathroom today as the sun is in at the moment.
Hopefully it will be nice this weekend. We plan to take the boys out for a long walk and to keep them going we are going to buy a portable camping stove so we can picnic and have some bacon butties, and let then do the cooking.
I'll let you know how it goes!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Shelly:6086:

[Ruth]

Hi Judi - sorry about that ; I just ducked in and out this morning :6092: I'm trying to be busy making pieces for an online show also - keep getting side tracked by "stuff" :6086: like I started a blog :-

http://flutter-by-bearsandfriends.blogspot.com

although I'm not sure if I'll keep it (don't think anyones looked ??? :6022: ) but it has helped with my 'puter phobia !! I think I need the long weekend to kick start me off again ! :6013:
A wedding sounds fun/scary/exciting ! Good luck with your prep's for that !
Mini Hugs , Ruth

[LisaAP]

Ruth, you must keep your blog. I've just read it now, OK so better late than never, and its great, it really is. You write so well! I can't wait to see what you have hiding underneath the mystery shroud, if its anything like 'Dancing with Buddy' then it's gonna be fantastic I'm sure. Is it for the TBS competition per chance?

As for what I'm up to this weekend, all being well I'm finishing off my leopard/cat thingy. Whoopeee! Tomorrow we taking the boys on a bike ride along the Tissington Trail, not forgetting to pack up a tasty picnic to consume along the journey, and on Monday it's Donnington Park. A day more for the kids than for me to be honest but it'll be exciting I'm sure. Fingers crossed that the weather holds.

I hope you all have a good one. :6034:

Regards

Lisa

[Lorna Evett]

Hi Judi

Got my fray check yeah:6013: So I can get on with my bears. Being as I am going to be a grandma, I cant decide which to do first knit or make bears so downstairs I make bears and in bed I knit drives my old man ,mad :6086:

Loved the blog Ruth. I really should get my act together, upload pictures and do something ambitious.

Hope you all have a good bank holiday. I am off to Chichester for a couple of days to see a cousin so no bear making will be done, but if my husband drives I can knit. I have not knitted in years, it is quite an experience.

Gone to Tissington on the moterbike. It is so pretty.

Lorna

[Ruth]

Thanks Lorna , Lisa ; your v. kind words mean an awful lot to me - my sister said I should keep on with it as it's good for me ! It has really helped my confidence with computer stuff :6086: Honestly Lorna , if you can follow onscreen instructions then you can start one ! ( oh , go on !!! )
I was naughty in Chester yesterday , and bought loads of craft things , tons of beads , and had some jewellery too !!! :6045: Tsk tsk ....
Have a lovely weekend everyone
Ruth

[Lorna Evett]

Hi Ruth

'Twiglet Zone' Spooky, cant believe you said about the beads, I bought some off of ebay they arrived yesterday:6044: Some hand painted tibetan type beads with doghnuts and triangular things and some leather thong to do something with!! Just got the urge to buy them. Thought I might let my bears have some to wear. Only looked at some jewellery, there was a European Market in Sheffield yesteraday, there was some lovely tempting jewellery, but i did not buy any. I love crystals and stuff.

I'm watching most haunted at the moment, have to say i am a bit of an addict:6045: Have a good weekend everyone.

Lorna