The year that was....

Houston - 1st place and Best Bear in Section at Woodend 2010.

It's about this time that I generally think back and do a year in review.  I'll be honest, i'll be very glad to see the back of 2010.  Its been what can only be described as a disgusting year for me and my family, both immediate and extended.  This year has been plagued with job issues, illness, death and other problems that I won't divulge out of respect and privacy for my family.  The passing of my Grandma will always be the major "event" that overshadowed everything this year.

Flip the coin though and 2010 has been a massive year for me in regards to my bear/critter making.  I started the year with my first Golden Teddy nomination for a needle felted giraffe, followed by my first nomination in the Australian Bear Creation Awards for a needle felted bear.  In June I started hand sewing bears for the first time and 8 weeks later won a 1st place and "Best Bear in Show" at the Royal Adelaide Show. 8 weeks on from that, I won another 1st place and "Best Bear in Section" at the Woodend Teddy Bear show.

It's almost from one extreme to the other isn't it?  Completely black and white...only if I think harder, there's been a lot of grey too.  It's the grey that is the balance and it's the balance that brings happiness.  My son did very well at school this year and moved up a couple of levels at swimming.  My daughter started kindergarten for the first time.  My niece had her 1st birthday.  My husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage.  I spent a lot of time with my parents and sister.  I made new friends and cherished my "old" ones.  I saw a lot of family that I don't get to see often.  I laughed a lot and smiled even more.  Extremes are a part of life and they can be great if it's a good extreme, but it's the saying "It's the little things" that rings true.  I wish you and your family lots of "grey" this holiday season and for 2011.  Remember to enjoy the little things.  At the end of the day, they are the things that matter most.

It's almost time!

5 hours from now, the Teddies Worldwide Online Show begins!  If you are looking for Holiday gifts (or any excuse for gift giving actually!) then this show is THE place to be.  Showcasing the most gorgeous creations from 75 bear artists, you won't want to miss this.  Be a part of history in the making, and make sure you visit the worlds largest online teddy bear show.

"Maxwell" and "Banjo" available from the Teddies Worldwide Online Show.

Teddies Worldwide Sneak Peek!

Click on the bear in the above banner now to visit the Teddies Worldwide Holiday Bear Show website.  You can see a sneak peek of the amazing creations 75 bear artists have created!  The bears in the sneek peek, plus many more will be available for purchase starting the 20th of November.  Don't miss out on seeing the biggest online teddy bear show to date!

Santa arrives in Adelaide!

Santa Claus quite literally arrived in Adelaide today, amongst a mass of children who were hyped up on the excitement of Christmas cheer and the feast of colour from Christmas themed floats.  We arrived in the city centre just after 7am.  We staked out our spot and after a breakfast of pancakes from McDonalds (and strong coffee for hubby and I), we patiently waited until the 9:30am start of the annual Police Credit Union Christmas Pageant.  Hundreds of parents came prepared with tubs of chalk, so their children could draw all over the road and hopefully make the long wait pass by just that little bit faster.  My 7 year old son and soon to be 4 year old daughter had a lovely time adding their chalk drawings to the road that is usually bumper to bumper with traffic.  It wasn't long before the festivities started.  The floats were really impressive, the clowns and people walking with the floats interacted with the crowd, but the most excitement was saved for Santa.  You didn't have to see him to know he was on his way, the cheers and squeals of delight from the children (and adults too I suspect) were all the heads up you needed.  With the arrival of Santa to Adelaide, I guess it's time to think about putting the Christmas tree up!

He's back!

Houston arrived home this morning and he bought ribbons, a rosette and a critique sheet with him.  The yellow ribbon is for participating in the Woodend Teddy Bear Show.  The blue is for winning 1st place in the "Novice - Original Design" category and the purple rosette is for winning the "Best Bear In Section" (Novice).  It's funny seeing Houston sitting next to the other bears i've made since, I can see the difference in my fine tuning already.  I think it's even funnier that if you had've told me 6 months ago that I would have a stash of mohair, sewing needles, stuffing and various other bear making tools, I wouldn't have believed you!  All this time I thought I couldn't stand sewing.  How wrong was I?

What isn't perfect for one, is for another.

A week ago, my nearly 4 year old daughter fell over and hit her head on a doorframe with such force that she split her head open.  It was bad enough that it required a trip to the hospital to have the cut glued shut.  Being a wound on the head (lots of blood), combined with the fact that we were at the hospital, my daughter was a bit distressed.  When we were checking in, in the emergency department, the lady behind the counter asked her what her favourite colour was.  "Pink!".  A few minutes later, the lady came out to my daughter with an arm full of pink teddies like the one above.  She told her that she could choose whichever one she wanted and that it was for her to take home.

I saw it as a lovely gesture from the hospital and I was very grateful to the unknown person who would've spent time making this bear for an unknown child in distress.  For whatever reason, this bear was the one that my daughter decided was going to help her through her hospital visit.  A couple of nights ago, she went to bed and forgot to take her "hospital bear" with her.  There were tears until I found it and tucked the bear under her blankets, along with the other 4 or 5 animals she sleeps with (That's a whole new post in itself!).  She completely believes that each night she sleeps with this bear, her cut gets just that little bit smaller overnight.

The above teddy wasn't the prettiest of the bunch, one of it's eyes is slightly crooked, you can see the black marker guideline for where the mouth had to go and you can see pink yarn from the body tucked up under the white face.  It got me thinking though, it's only natural that you'll see the imperfections in something you create or in something that someone else has created, but there is always someone who is willing to look past all of that.  Something that might be slightly crooked, chipped, cracked or just plain unattractive to one person, is just perfect to another.

Houston, we have a winner!

I decided to try my luck by entering the bear competition at this years, Woodend Teddy Bear Show.  As i've only been sewing bears since June, I entered the novice category with Houston, the first bear I created from my very own pattern.  Houston was boxed up and taken to the post office 2 -3 weeks ago so he could make his journey from South Australia to Victoria.  A few hours ago, I found out that Houston won "Best in Category".  I was secretly hoping I might place in the category, so that purple rosette ribbon is very special to me!  I'm looking forward to Houston making his journey home so I can give him a congratulatory hug...isn't that the best way to say thanks to a teddy bear?