The simple things in life..

Time seems to have flown this week, can't believe it's Friday already. I've been working on a new smaller bear design and cut the pattern out today in a gorgeous combo of faux furs. I love the soft feel of furs, but oh boy you sure do run the risk of disappearing behind a mountain of fluff when cutting it out!!
I think the colour combo will be rather sweet, think strawberries and chocolate!

Over Easter we went to Ikea, we needed a new office chair and I got some really pretty pink fabric covered storage boxes to help tidy my work space! Our cats thought that the box that had held the chair was just brilliant, I cut out some other holes underneath it to make it even more fun! Isn't it funny how you could spend a fortune on toys but it's the simple cardboard boxes that are just the best!





I have been busy packaging bears this week to send to their new homes, I always get attached to my bears but I feel so much better when I hear how loved they are by their new family. I'll be back soon hopefully with photos of a new bear. Have a great weekend, Catherine x

Dreaming of a White... Easter!

Well, I hope you are all having a nice Easter Break. I bought some chocolate Easter friends for my fiance (I can't eat chocolate right now due to health probs!), I thought they were too cute to eat so I took a quick photo before they disappeared for good!! mmmm Belgian chocolate is too yummy! Yesterday morning was beautifully sunny so I got out in the garden to do some Spring pruning, then last night what did we have .... Snow!!




It had mostly melted away this morning but I got a few photos. The plum blossom seems to have survived, a few years ago we inherited a few smallish Plum trees from an allotment. I wasn't sure they would survive being moved, but last Summer we had juicy plums :) I love watching plants grow, love to take cuttings and grow from seed. I've got some cuttings in my cold frame and some seem to have survived through the winter, so can't wait to see them grow on in the Summer in the garden. Will be starting a new bear next week, so will be back soon. Hugs, Catherine x

Snow and Blossom!

I noticed yesterday that the white blossom has started to appear on my plum trees and then today we've got SNOW! It's going to be a very soggy cold Easter weekend so not much fun for the Easter bunny to go and hide all the eggs! I've got a wild bunny that visits my garden, I'll try to get a photo of him to post soon. It's been a busy week, Milo my blue bear will be heading off to his new Mummy in the States, wonderful that he will also be joining some other Bumpkin Bears, a Bumpkin reunion!

I want to wish you all a really Happy Easter, I found this hilarious photo of a bunny and thought I'd add a few extras in photoshop! Chat again soon, Easter Hugs, Catherine x

Softies Easter Parade!

Do pop along to Lisa's Softies Easter Parade, you can vote for your favourites in the different sections - My little ted and Chick set (Sprite and Chirpie) are in the Hot Chicks part of the parade - do pop along for all sorts of Eastery wonders :)

click here to visit the Parade

Milo the Dreamer

Well, here is the blue bear I've been talking about -

Milo is a dreamer, he lives with his head in the clouds imagining far away lands full of wonderous sights. If he's not busy day dreaming you will find him with his head in a book, he tells the other bears that these books whisk him away to magical worlds. Milo is a bear with a sweet nievity that sees the brightness in everything around him, a characterisitc that soon rubs off on those around him. He was brought to life with a unique hand dyed soft as clouds mohair, the colour is a handsome powder soft blue as if gently faded with a life time of dreaming. I made his silk ruff around his neck and hand dyed it in soft shades of blues and violets.

He is 15.5" and available for adoption right now from my website - www.bumpkinbears.com - just click on his photo on my site for all his photos and info.

Signing off from a very rainy Belgium! Hugs, Catherine x

Real bears in my living room!

Hi everyone, well my blue bear is nearly finished, I hope to have brought him fully to life today so check back over the next few days :) Inspired by Wendy's comment on my last blog post that she loves real bears I thought I'd share a photo of a large canvas we have on our living room wall. We visited Canada a few years ago and had the most amazing experience of seeing black bears in the wild, including on our last day seeing a mother with her cub. I wrote an article for a teddy magazine about seeing bears in the wild. We had a favourite photo that we took and gave it a sepia tone and slight painterly effect in Photoshop and then had it printed out on a huge canvas. It always reminds me of this wonderful adventure. Has anyone else seen bears in the wild, do share any photos or experiences on your blogs and let me know :) Chat again soon, Catherine x

Feeling blue ..

sorry I've not been around for a week, I was hit with flu, but am starting to feel better now. I had a lovely birthday with my fiance, we went to my favourite garden centre and he bought me the most beautiful flowers. I have been wanting to make a soft blue coloured bear for a while now and decided to dye some mohair yesterday. I love dying, you never quite know how it will turn out and I'm really pleased with this one, just what I wanted :) It is a gorgeously soft mohair too. I started to sew him this morning so he's beginning to come to life, can't wait to meet this chap :) Chat again soon, Catherine x

Easter friends!

With Spring arriving I felt inspired to create a little miniature set of easter friends so here's Sprite and Chirpie!

Sprite bear measures a tiny 3.5" and Chirpie is only 1.5"! Chirpie chick is needlefelted.

Sprite loves to go on adventures into the wild, otherwise known as the garden! Chirpie and Sprite are such close friends, that where one goes the other is never far behind! With Spring arriving you can often catch a glimpse of them riding along underneath the daffodils!

They are available from my website - take a peek - www.bumpkinbears.com
I'll be back to write more in the week, it was my birthday on Thursday so I'll add some photos soon. Hugs, Catherine