Old Barney ....

In March, an old dog called Barney came to live at The Raggy Rat ...

His forelimbs are almost parting company from his body and his wood wool leaks out. But I love him. And so do others, it would appear! 

I think Barney appealed to me because I'm also a work in progress ....

A Very Welsh Saturday!

On Saturday Gordon's Bear and I Went to Wales with Michael driving the 460 odd miles ...

We made our way to ffald-y-brenin as since meeting Roy Goodwin and reading his book I have wanted to go ... There's a lovely walkway to the cross and it's paved with bark, and is a tunnel through the trees. On this path, it hit me, first a few tears until my face was screwed up and I stumbled and clung to mike, finally sobbing like a child, for a reason I knew not!

We reached the simple cross, humble and man-sized not totemic and towering, fluttering with tattered prayers, as the wind picked up. I sobbed and sobbed and mike said let it be good, and it was.

Not a soul we saw at the centre, until we met God here at the cross, Roy would be very happy to know this! The sun came out strong for a moment and my Crying stopped. Now I had to lie down and be still on the ground, for every where around ffald-y-brenin my body felt bowed under a weight which made it hard to walk. This was a joyous, honeyed heaviness. A strong loving hand. Just bigger than me ...

The Chapel was sweet. And filled with peace ... we rested here a while ...

Bear rested too ... i might even have nodded off on the cushions!

We were excited to make our way to Victory Church, Cwmbran, stopping for some food and getting drunk and silly in the foyer with Mike, Raphael and Raphael's Dad, Martin! No alcohol involved though!

Bear got silly and excited too. Well, it doesn't help when mike goes, 'Come and mess with us!', etc etc!

The atmosphere in this place was cooking! I nearly blew out of the door trying to get in! Fun!

Famous, but sad bear comes to The Raggy Rat ...

A very famous bear, well ok a slightly famous bear, has come to stay with me ... She arrived with a postcard showing her rather fabulous portrait ....

 

... and was squished inside a tiny box and sent to me by an artist with a sense of fun! She didn't look best pleased, as usual!

 

 Bear was a lot smaller than i imagined! But that's ok, she is going to come to France with me on the Dorset for Singing Tour De Normandie!

 

 More about the artist here on the back of the postcard too ...

 

Hmmm, the accommodation may need some sorting out?

 

Now Enjoy Gordon's video all about Sad Bear ...

Bear finished!

He was fun to make, a friend of mine thinks he looks like a Matthew! Do you agree? Made from vintage mohair throw!

Bear bits!

Making a new tiny bear...

Old Bear, well loved, seeks carer!

Here i am carefully stripping a dear old gent of a bear ... beloved companion to 2 generations, whos clothes are holding him together, and who could do with a bit of a rest!



I covered him in scrap fabric to form a pattern to create his twin, who actually might well make a nice girl friend for Andrew panda!



The same but different? I am sure they wont mind the age gap, and I hope my friends daughter enjoys unwrapping her on Christmas day! (I might sneak in to see her face!)

Have a Heart!

No one loves you like your teddy ... so for the current 'plush team' challenge, I made this sweet little bear who wears his heart like a button joint, two little red bells and a sweet ribbon ...

i also used a lovely vintage woven-backed faux fur, in a warm soft shade ...bear is fully jointed and about 25cm tall ...

the eyes are glass and the button is hand made ceramic

http://raggyrat.etsy.com

"Plush Team Has Heart" is a fundraiser to benefit the International Children's Heart Foundation, an organization that works to bring aid to children in developing countries with congenital heart conditions. 100% of these sales will be donated to the ICHF.

Thanks to all the Plushteam members who are participating in this charity, we hope for it to be a huge success. All of the other items can be found at http://plushteam.etsy.com.



Should you want more information about the ICHF their website is here: http://www.babyheart.org/


and here is their rating on Charity Navigator: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=11172

Bear got a new face ...

He came from a loft, in a stash of crafting goodies, and he had no face, so i gave him one. We think it suits him, and he joins in our games!

tell us a story, old bear ....

i recently found an old friend again. well ok, he's not that old - i made him when i was around 8. i cant have been older then eight because my friend just turned 9 when i finished him ...



here is the book i poured over, then my mum bought me the yellow fur and i gave him life !



he is a bit flat, and lumpy. please don't mention that one arm is bigger than the other. i haven't told him. and i have forgotten his name. do you know?

winner!

good bye little bear, be goood ...



here is the randomly chosen winner, and their post

Audrinna said...
I want to win this bear, love bears
I have posted on my blog
http://aurinnnworld.blogspot.com/

26 November 2009 10:37

thank everyone for coming to comment ... good luck next time - it might be a rat!

giveaway ... bear with me ...

here is a bear who has been around since 2004, one of the first things i ever made with joints ... now i have decided not to be sentimental anymore and send him home with one of you ...

so please leave a comment below, and if you want to come back and include a link to you blog or other, sharing news of this bear giveaway, then of course you will get another chance of being pulled out of the hat ...

now when shall i do the draw? well i want to give you a few days, but not make you wait too long ... how about next tuesday? tuesdays are not very exciting ...

look at him. he just wants a cuddle ... again!

collaboration ...sneaky peek ...

this is art bear he looks super and is made by wendy-matilda
... although he is not finnished as he needs a little more input from 'me', and now the seafest is done and dusted (apart from the matter of a large cheque), i can work on cute again, yippeeee!

art is pictured with the charming 'figgaro mouse' made by me and adopted by wendy... and i love this image she sent me as they look so great together ...

so lets shrink the world :-) one bear at a time ....