Friday 20 February 2009

The bunny has landed!

(Not the day I expected it to be!)

So (and I KNOW you should never start a sentence with so. SO? !) I woke up and thought "hmmm its going to be a good day - I am nearly done, just a little matter of ribbons for the new bunny and then I can stop and rest."
Feeling like it was going to be a more relaxing day, I decided to start it with a lovely long walk in the fields and woods with Alfie and Meg, our little Norfolk Terriers (teddy bear dogs). It was grey and damp but all was well, they had a great run about chasing smells and elusive rabbits and squirrels and we were out for an hour and I felt a good and kind owner! Then it was off 2 miles to the ribbon shop as I couldn't put it off any longer. Should have only taken 20 minutes in total and then I could say I was finished........ Best laid plans of mice and men? .....Famous last words?......

The shop had a nice little notice in the door saying that it was SHUT DOWN. I should have been alerted by the empty interior I suppose. Apparently they had moved to Sevenoaks, so that was a half hour drive away. I only had 50p in change which meant I only had half an hours parking, and I hadn't thought to write down the address. Sevenoaks is quite big, and very spread out. Hey ho, I got there, parked easily, and even found the shop easily............but no ribbons anymore. I just couldn't believe it. This bunny NEEDED a ribbon, didn't they understand?? I was mooching round the shop in a not too gracious mood when tucked away on the bottom shelf behind the counter I spotted it! Perfect! A lovely fluffy girly thingy, and great colour, and I even treated her to a whole reel of cotton so she could have matching nail varnish on her cashmere pads!
(If anyone wants an almost complete reel of thick dusky rose thread please shout!)
And here they are - the Warren Bunnies!










You have already met Benjamin, but here is Bonita.


She is beautiful dense creamy white mohair, with cashmere pads and ears in deepest aubergine, and of course, the new nail varnish to match her thingy (what are they called??) Hope you like her, and hope to see you on Sunday at Hugglets.
Come and say hi if you are there!

Thursday 19 February 2009

Meet the latest additions...

Well, the Warren Bears machine has been working overtime this week - if only it was a machine, maybe it would make life that bit easier! However, I'm hoping the hard work has been worth it. I'll let you decide for yourself, by introducing you to this little lot. One or two of them may look familiar, as a couple have made appearances on this blog (in the previous post) but I thought it was time to introduce them all in a bit more detail...


First up, we have the rather dashing Arthur, a 13" laughing bear, made from a rich gold alpaca, with lovely cashmere pads. He is sporting a very sophisticated, hand-knitted, chocolate duffle coat.

The second introduction to be made is this 'Little Handful' bunny called Benjamin. If you have read any Beatrix Potter, you may well know of his namesake! Benjamin is a 9" little chap, made from Japanese alpaca, with cashmere sculpted pads and another Warren Bears speciality: a hand-knitted waistcoat. He'll soon have some cute little whiskers too!

Next up we have Bertie, another 9" Little handful, made from gold mohair, also sporting those popular sculpted cashmere pads and a smart little hand-knitted red waistcoat. This cheeky little chappy will be there to greet you on my stand should you visit us at the show on Sunday, along with all the others.

Now time to introduce a lady to this - thus far male dominated - collection! Meet Bethany, a very elegant 12" bear made from cream and 'honey cream' alpaca, with luxurious cashmere pads. Only the best for Bethany, she carries off her velvet hat and matching bow just beautifully!


Sticking with the girl theme, may I introduce Jenny, another very feminine little 8" bear, made from white, short-pile mohair. She is dressed up ready for the outdoors in a gorgeous little hand-knitted, pink scarf. She prefers pretty, girly colours to the elegant, lady-like style carried off by the likes of Bethany!From two little ladies to a real old gentleman, we move on to this 21" huge hug, named Mister! He is made with two varieties of wispy mohair: pure caramel and caramel with dark tips. His paw pads are ultrasuede and, just to complete his cuddly bear look, he's wearing a lovely big red bow. He will be looking out for you on Sunday, ready and waiting with a warm hug!

Now onto some pairs of bears for you to meet! Firstly, meet Noah and Alf, two 13" bears made from delicious, butterscotch mohair and a deep copper mohair. Both have cashmere pads and wobble heads. They can be bought individually or as a pair - they just like to be photographed together.



They say a dog is a man's best friend but at Warren Bears HQ, we've found that it's very possible for dogs to be friends with bears as well. These two photos are the proof of that, surely?!



Their names are Tony and Puppy, a multi-poseable bear in caramel wispy mohair and hand-knitted waistcoat and his little puppy, made with gold and white mohair. Tony will lie back in a particularly chilled out fashion, swing his legs over a shelf or mantle piece edge, or just sit like a good bear.

And finally.... here is a work in progress and it is not for the faint-hearted. My daughter used to find such sights rather distressing when she was younger, but just be glad it has a head! This little bunny is giving me the run-around but will make its very own appearance on this blog as soon as it is completed. It'll hopefully be accompanying all the others to the show on Sunday, providing it behaves itself between now and then!



Friday 13 February 2009

Preparing for Hugglets - February 22nd 2009 at Kensington Town Hall



Well I am working away on new bears for Hugglets next weekend. It's slow progress, but I have five little sweeties sitting on the shelves of my workroom eagerly awaiting some new friends to be created.







Here is a very cute little chocolate bunny to start with.........
                                             

           There is a lovely 21" cuddle 
made from dense and curly mohair. I have made his legs, arms and ears with a deep chocolate tip and his head and body with the under colour, and he has a multi layered hand stitched nose. He is finished with a lovely wired ribbon in deep red with hearts on (well, it IS that time of year!)





Then there is a cheeky little lad with bent legs so that he can either sit, lay back chilled out fashion, or sit on a shelf edge or mantlepiece with his legs swinging over! Very versatile.He has a little handknitted waistcoat to keep him warm in this horrible weather we have here.





More to come in a few days!

Thursday 12 February 2009

Beary Early Days...


Hello and welcome to my brand new blog! This is all very new to me, so please bear with me (I promise that's the last of those puns now!) and pop back in the next week or so to meet the first lucky handful of bears to be showcased here. If you simply can't wait to see them though, feel free to check out my website. Otherwise, watch this space!
If you happen to have a minute or two to spare, please do let me know how you came across this blog - was it via my website, my facebook, a search engine or perhaps something else entirely? However you got here, I'm glad you did and I hope you'll be back soon.