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Oh Ellen, I am so jealous. We left our bike in SA when we moved here on contract. Havnt ridden in 9 months 
Used to tour South Africa extensively. Love it. One trip we didnt have waterproof gloves or boots so were in rain suits with plastic bags over our boots, hands in washing up gloves over our leather gloves ( i couldnt even get diva pink so had to settle for yellow). Got soaked to the skin and ended up in a really nice town with a pub where they plied us with sherry and soup next to a roaring fire.... oh what a day that was. We never used to plan a route. Head in a general direction and stop when we felt like it. Stayed in some amazing places, met stunning people and took 1000's of photos off the back of the bike. Our bike is being baby sat by really good friends who take it for a ride on the weekends and their bike and ours get washed. Better than being in storage. But we should be going back for a month in January and all we want to do is RIDE. Family spread over SA so going to tour around to see them. Cant wait. Pack a bag with some clothes and bear stuff and hit the road 
Eileen you are so right, I am one of the youngsters (only 42) and certainly dont see it as old. (forget the mirror). have so many plans of what I want to do when I grow up. I have raised 2 great children who are off doing their own thing. And so what if gravity is winning and I am getting a bit saggy, I am more confident than ever before. Besides with great people like all of you to chat to everyday I get to laugh and learn something.
Jane, do you pajamas also have teddies on them???? mine do.
I hope there is a cartoonist out there.... I have been reading through tips etc and out of all of them have composed a uniform. Not sure about the hair except for bits of fluff, or a pencil sticking out of it.... but, lucky pajamas, covered with a plastic bag, gardening gloves, face mask, either thick shoes to prevent stray pins hurting or no shoes to make finding said stray pins easier. Accssorise with alligator clips, pins etc. Gosh we are a glamerous bunch
Your blog is beautiful, as are your bears. Thought I could read more German than I can, but I used Babelfish and translated bits.... well done you for doing it all by yourself.
can I come and visit too? All sounds yummy. Not British but my Granddad was and remember making the little cakes like that. Scones of course. I make individual yorkies in muffin tins. Rule is. you make 12 for dinner with gravy etc. You quietly make another 12 that you stash till morning, breakfast (for you only of course) is 6 with syryp and cream and 6 with heated up gravy ( that you also stashed the night before). Roxanne you are so sweet to do things like that for her. She will be a very happy lady.
Found this in old mail, it made me laugh so much the first time I saw it
yes humans could learn alot. I used to have 2 rescue horses. both blind in 1 eye. the opposite eyes. they used to walk around together with their "good" eyes on the outside (if you know what I mean) and help each other. They went to a riding school when I left, inseperable. to live out their happy lives being petted by all the children.
Judi, it appears it is a type of fruit, it is hard to pin stuff down here, (they eat corn with ice cream 
) but the little sign said fox face/mickey mouse plant. I have tried Rambutan, Atis, jack fruit, mangosteen etc. NOT Durian..... And this one I havnt had either. I should think it tastes like star fruit, will let you know when I have. Just looked like a bear.... Has anyone else out there ever lived in asia????
Does this happen to anyone else. I have just finished a bear and althought I have loads to do, feel "lost"
Never sold one, just given to friends as gifts. Now worrying about it finding a good home, not being eaten by someones dog etc. Is it just becuase I am new??? I thought I was silly about some stuff until reading the "house with a bear artist" now thinking I am not so alone. So come on girls, how do you feel when you finish and ship a bear?
ditto on the hugs and curved needle. I still cook though, it is the only time to get my eyes to focus. Doesnt mean all the ingredients get into wherever they ment to be, but hey. Saw these fruit this weekend at a resort (am in the Philippines) called mickey mouse plant or fox face.... guess what I saw :crackup:
but your strawberry is a stunner
ditto on the hay fever,,,, I got my dishes done, house kinda tidy, forget the ironing... Did get it all up to date last week as we had a guest. Even got all the bear stuff more or less packed away. Lasted all of 2 days. Now back to my organised chaos
Very good thread, I thought I was alone in this....
Mine:
When you move around the world with a suitcase and more than half of it is bear stuff.
When you buy a skirt, not to wear, to cut up for bears.
When you worry for days about a bears clothes, but throw on any clothes for yourself.
When you sit down to do something "quickly" at 9 in the morning and at 5 o'clock in the afternoon still sitting there in your pajamas.
When you have perforated fingers.
When your 3 inch bears and their stuff spreads out over the entire house.
Yes, as mentioned before, you have an impressive collection of tools and medical equipment.
Out of a pin cushion of 100's of needles you have a favorite.
Other people have to buy mascara with added fibre to lengthen their eyelashes....
Your husband is too scared to go into your handbag, not because of the normal "girl" mess, but because somewhere in there lurks a work in progress in case you have to wait somewhere.
When living in a foreign country and warned that you may have to evacuate, you keep all your important documents, jewelry and bears together for a fast getaway. (with a collection of "stuff" to keep you going until you can order more)
Oh dear, I think I have to admit I am an addict
Hi Thank you for all your nice comments, Christina that was quite big for me
Susan Ifeel like I have lost my mind. I posted on Saturday and it is gone. Your bears are wonderful and I fell in love with Poppit when you posted on the challange. I really cant see how you could be having a problem with a costume as you got the waist coat for Rui. But would love to give you any tips that might help.
I used the bear pattern to cut the arms, body and hood. Just had to draw them out on paper to get it to be as if there was only one seam. The body had to get armholes. Dressmaking helped with that. Legs are the slightly difficult part. I made one bear in dungerees (eddie on my site) and those were just 2 rectangles sewn to fit. But if you want definition around the legs, use the body part and leave a gusset between the legs and then cut around the leg (leaving seam allowance) the leg pattern for the bear should pretty much fit into that "hole". Failing all else, draping and pinning works well.
I have just started on a series on 6 bears in costumes and although I try to keep it simple becase of the size, havnt had too many problems. Maybe just luck.
oohhhh. i had such fun with mine, now there may be time for another one it is amazing to see everyday what people have added. They are all wonderful, Obviously I have favorites but all are really really beautiful. Certainly made me have a look at the way I am doing things and improve. Thank you all for the inspriation.
Hi, read a tip like that in one of the very old posts and it makes sense to me. Sounds like a really neat way to do it.
Another one that I have tried. Cant find it again to give credit to the person who wrote it, but works like a dream for me. Leave the top of the arm/leg open instead of the side. Really makes for a nice leg. You can stictch around the washer then. A couple of people at the time asked about how hard it was to stitch on a curve, ok I make Minis but use the "easing" method like you do when fitting a sleeve. Gather round the curve and pull it in just enough to make it curve. Thank you who ever posted this so long ago. It really does work.
oh no.... any chance I had of sewing has just one right out the window. have to get this
Was trying something for the Panda challange but kept coming back to the bear getting into costume. This little person who still is nameless measures just under 3 inches fom under his soles to tip of his ears (his not the costume). Tried a tip I found on an old posting for the bear pattern. Stuffing arms and legs from the top and it worked so well. Go a nice body shape too. But the costume won in the end.
Hi
This was one of the nail airbrush systems I found. There was another one too that looked even better and cant find it again and didnt bookmark it 
.http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=25734. Have got loads on ebay too. I liked the fact it was small and light. Have to think about that for moving around.
This is going to be really silly. Judi I know you are really profesional so please dont laugh too loudly. What about the kits for nail art etc??? I make minis and have thought about trying. I also cant lug too much around the world with me. Or the old nebulisors? Or the hand held tanning systems?
Oh I am happy. I read the story and stayed out of it. I had a cat go missing about a year and a half ago. One minute she was playing in the lounge with the other cat, the next gone. And she never came back. It was about a year before we moved away, but I still have someone to keep an eye open for her incase she does come back. So pleased you had a happy ending.
Well done. It must be such a boost getting recognised like that. But rightly so, your bears are wonderful.
Oh boy, you too??? I am learning fast to quit while I am behind Would love to say I could have a glass of wine, but even that doesnt work here. But I am saving up all the occasions for one for when I go back to SA. Any of you girls out there that can get good red wine have a glass for me please. My latest mishap was getting my website so that I can search and find it, horray at last. But the title is the wrong thing. so back to the drawing board. Oh and!!!!! bought a packet of onyx beads before coming here. Somehow got them into another bag of black beads I think, because I cant fint them anywhere. So must have, in a tyding up frenzy, tipped them together.
Sometimes you just have to sit and shake your head....
That is just the cutest. You are really very talented.
Hi all,
Never made a panda but really need to start doing something. Had a look at all the old challange posts and cant see any rules. Are there any aside from the fact that the bear must be designed for the challange? If I have missed a post please help.
Have fun
Hi Lynette
Have you ever been out to the lion park near Honeydew? Was close to where I lived. The lions also came right up to the truck and tried to eat the tyres. Ok they also played with the guide who had hand reared them. Been out of Africa for a couple of months and really miss it. Got the chance to go back a month ago but went to Mali and Keny and did a game drive outside Niarobi. We are really lucky in SA to have such stunning scenery and animals. Hadnt realised how much I took it for granted.
