A Passion For Elephants I can't stop making these little vintage style elephants and just thought I would bob them on to say hello. It is a new design for me and I am loving making them. The grey one, Eleena, blue one Ola and gold one is Effie and have all found forever homes. Kiki is the pink one and is on Ebay at the moment to look for her special Mum or Dad.
I have such a soft spot for real elephants too, I watch every nature programme on TV about them, they seem such gentle giants and are so sensitive, and they way they all rally round to look after the babies, it's just amazing to watch them.
Hope you enjoy the picturs of my little ones. I am having a change now though and am creating couple of pandas which are around 12 inches - quite large for me as I seem to make more of the smaller bears.
I did a two day craft show at the weekend, the weather was fabulous for both days, warm , sunny and cloud free. It was quite a large event with stands of every craft I can think of and was the second time I have exhibited there with the bears.
The venue is a big old house which is now a museum called Shibden Hall and has belonged to the Lister family for generations. Craft weekends are held there twice each year and the stands are all set out in the different rooms, downstairs, upstairs and outside in the courtyard, stables and barns etc. This time I was at the very top of the house in one of the bedrooms. Everything was still in place, the big old bed, wardrobe, dressing table and everything people would have used in the 1800s there. My table was set out just in front of the bed.
The house is known to be haunted and although we didn't actually see anything, a few funny things happened during the course of the weekend.
On arriving in the bedroom just before setting out my stand, I stood in a spot to look around and suddenly felt dizzy and as if I was on a ship which was moving - almost sea sick and mentioned it to my Mum and Husband who were a little concerned. I moved away and sat down for a bit, then felt better so set up my stand. During the day another stall holder came to see me, we were having a nice little chat, when she suddenly had to hold on to a banister saying she felt dizzy and sick and felt like she was on a ship. My Mum and I looked at each other in amazement as the lady was stood in the very same spot that I was in earlier when the same thing happened to me and she had said the same thing that I had. Then, a little later, a gentlman with his wife was about to come into the room and stopped in his tracks, said to his wife "sorry I can't go in there, there is a presence in the room" and he would meet her downstairs!! One or two other things similar happend and also I had a little grey bear that I kept having to look for, either he had fallen on the floor, fallen off his stand, I was constantly looking for him and putting him back in his place, sometimes he was in the most peculiar places and I just thought visitors were picking him up and putting him elsewhere.
Later in the day, a lady came into the room, told us she was a medium and that there were two children spirits in the room and they were loving a particular bear and she pointed to the little grey bear and said "have you noticed this one moving at all"? Also she said that the mother who was called Victoria was there, that she loved us being there and the bears but she was pacing around as there was a chair from the corner gone from where she sat (Mum had actually pulled that chair away to sit on) and if we felt any floor movement, draughts or cold spots it was her pacing. She went on her way then ane later a man and his wife came. As the wife was looking at the bears, he was having a look around the bedroom and Mum said there had been a few little happenings today, seems a little bit spooky in here. He said "yes I understand what you are saying, I am a practising medium and there are 2 children coming through here". I looked up and said " is the mother with them" he said "no I cannot feel the mother but definitely 2 children coming through". That was two people saying the same thing (seemed like it was Mediums' day out!! He he he). Aparently, the house always attracts a lot of visitors who are keen on the history of the house as well as looking at the craft stalls. It kept us amused I must say, it was a very interesting weekend.
Hope you enjoy the picturs of the house and grounds. If you are ever in Yorkshire it is well worth a visit.
I am married to Alan, an Engineer and we have a grown up daughter Charlotte who after a career as a dancer/singer is now a Dance Teacher. I have been designing and making bears, bunnies and clothes for bears since 2005. I have won British Bear Artist Awards with my creations and they have also featured in many teddy bear magazines.
In my spare time I like to dance, taking classes in Ballroom, Latin and Old Time, also Tap Dancing.
