Milly Me® Teddy Bears

♥ ♥ ♥ LOVE IS IN THE AIR ♥ ♥ ♥

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000+01:00

LOVE

can be expressed in many ways.

One way I know is to send it across the distance

to my blog followers and visitors who are reading this.

I love you for thousands reasons.

Distance doesn't seem to matter to bring me smiles and laughter send by your comments.

And if I had a flower for every time you made me smile and laugh,

I'd have a garden to walk in

FOREVER

So I thank you for sharing a bit of yourself with me.

I wish you all a:

At last I did it: I designed my own DIGI-STAMPS

2012-02-10T13:46:00.000+01:00

It was on my wishlist for quite a while:

DIGI-STAMPS

My new plush design reached the final state:I FINISHED it and I’m very pleased with the result.

No no wait....it's not COMPLETED yet. Just the new furry friend has come to life.

And she is sooo ♥ adorable ♥.

With her finished I felt it was time to do something else.

As usual it is easier said than done and I shouldhave known: it was a time-consuming project.

BUT:

I managed to create my own digi-stamps.

They are printable in any size I want and in any colorI want and in any text I want.
Whoops and if it is not enough: in any font I want.

Just be: “ Sillyand Creative ” and the possibilities are endless....

E.g. YIN & YANG

This allows me to make my own label/hang-tags too:

It’s so nice to design and make them yourself.

Easy too: you can print/cut as many as you want, nowaitinglist!!!

Straight available (unless you want THAT particular paper that is NOT in your stock).

And above all: sometimes you simply need to dosomething else than making bears.

It freshes up your own hard disk a little bit ☺

Although…on second thoughts…mmmmm…this may also leadto other things…

…to be even MORE creative in my work…

Something is“tickling” in my brain...ahhhh…this is gonna kill me.

Creative mindsnever rest, believe me!!!

At least I cannot stop mine from working, anyone withideas: feel free to share your tips.

I would love to know, they are more than welcome.

Have a nice weekend!

I for sure will set my mind to something else. Maybethis will cool off my brain a little bit…☺

♥ A ♥ sweet-heart ♥ for ♥ Valentine's Day ♥

2012-02-03T11:09:00.001+01:00

Well I bet you were you sittin' on your pins & needles waiting for my new piece.

I won't keep you waiting any longer then:

She is a new design and I am soo thrilled at how wonderfull she turned out.

What a wonderful piece for ♥ Valentine's Day ♥

And when Valentine's is over, you still have a magnificant set to display all year long.

Exactly as the text on the box indicates:

" TO HAVE & TO HOLD - FOREVER & ALWAYS "

Scarlett weares and aged hand knitted barret that I have designed for her.

It was my first barret ever and it turned out wonderful ♥

Scarlett is sitting on a very special box that I created for her.

I made a cross stitched ribbon around the box with lovely berries and leaves

in very old colors and then aged.

The box is handpainted and then aged for definition to look like a very old box
which could be found in grandnanny's attic.

The text speaks for itself and therefore is well suited as a special keepsake box for the

TO HAVE & TO HOLD - FOREVER & ALWAYS

treasures.

And what is even more appropriate as a background....
I found this music sheet by Ludwig von Beethoven called:

♥ Ich liebe dich - I love thee - Je t'aime ♥
♥ Ik hou van jou - Я кахаю цябе ♥
(...found in a music book which was one of my flea market treasures last summer...)
And I love thee too...I can't help it but I'm in love with my own piece.

Voilà:
♥ The Tree of Love ♥
from my previous post.

It's made of woolfelt, trimmed with a piece of cotton lace, a vintage heart pendant

that dangles from a rusty ring and the letter S of course!

The heart is trimmed with an aged vintage ribbon.

Scarlett wears a handknitted pullover with "poof" short sleeves

and a navy collar with vintage bow.

A handmade cotton skirt with pleaters and hand dyed red ribbon trim.
Then I distressed and aged the entire outfit for definition.

Go to my website for much more full sized pictures and all the other details:

► CLICK HERE ◄

In other words: Scarlett found a new home!

Weather Update :

Mr. Winter is blowing super cool air over Holland. The temperature dropped to -14.3 degrees last night...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. It is as if you are stepping in a large freezer when you go outside.

Like the Fisherman's Friends: IT FEELS SUPER FRESH!!!

And today, as if it is not enough, and on top of all this: SNOW....Yeah!

How I love King Winter in it's full glory.

As beeing a skinny person I need at least 7 layers of extra jumpers, pants, thights

and 10 pair of socks to keep me warm.

He he he...So I'm feelin' a bit like the Michelin (wo-)Man right now.

The ice rink in our village is open since yesterday.

They are skating on the big pond behind our house too.....

Mmmm....I think I'm honouring our attic with my visit: where are those skates of mine....

But before I go up I have to unwrap myself of some extra layers,

otherwise I can't move one bit...he he he.

Extra last update: YUP....it's snowing right now!!!

Coming soon: NEW PIECE ( sneak-peek available if you can't wait)

2012-02-01T11:14:00.000+01:00

Well do you feel it....I know I do:
♥ LOVE IS IN THE AIR ♥
And if there is love in the air, I get butterflies in my belly.
It's a "tickling" feeling that I have since I created the new piece which is coming soon.

It will be a piece:

And....tadaaaaa....here is your sneak-peek.

It's a piece that I:

The only thing you need right now before you can view the entire set is: patience dust.
Mailing List Members First!

Off the record news:
The weather in Holland is very very very cold...brrrrrrrbbbb....
It's like living in a freezer when you go outside.
But these temperatures are good for a massive-madness-hype amongst the Dutch.
As there can only be one reason:
We smell ice !!!
And when we smell ice: BINGO ► we are completely freaking out, we are going nuts!!!
All together, we suffer from massively ICE FEVER!!!

Almost anyone can skate.
It doesn't matter what age your are, when there is ice, you just go for it.

Very famous and beautiful to watch is our traditional way of folk skating.

It's a very special style, often done by older people who still dominate this style of skating.

But the thing we are all waiting for is the famous:
Elf Stedentocht > The 11 Cities Race
It has only been held 15 times since the first official event in 1909.
It's a 200 km - 120-mile speedskating marathon over frozen rivers and canals linking 11 towns in the nothern part of Holland: a province called Friesland.
The long term outlook is good. But we need 16 cm - 6 inches of ice.
And Friesland is preparing itself.
Hundreds of thousands of people are watching the marathon skaters and other participants who are skating this race non-stop. In other words: it's a kind of national holiday.
We'll see if Mr. Winter continues to send very cold air to Holland....
The last race was held on the 4th of January 1997, my birthday.
Many skaters are now waiting for the 11 city president who will speak these famous words
that are soooo well known:

And if you want my honest opinion: well I love to skate. As a young girl I used to do it a lot.
And I love to watch the 11 city race as well.
But that's just it. Now that I've become an older (& hopefully a wiser) Dutch girl: I hate cold weather.
The only advantage I see is that the sun is shining ☼
(but maybe if the ice conditions are good....I cannot resist to "get the skates out of its fat" !!!)

Meanwhile I have to bear in mind that:

Shhhhhh quiet please, do you hear what I hear.....???

2012-01-25T11:30:00.005+01:00

...Peep-Peep-Peep-Peep-Peep...

Please have a tiny little sneaky-peeky-look to what came to life in my studio.
I've taken good care after the eggs from my previous post.
It was a very responsible job, which I've taken very seriously.
Proper care and patience dust will pay off. Look what came out of the eggs today:
the most adorable little “ Royal Pinky Chickadees ”.
Shhhh please make no noise…and be quiet while looking at them!!!

We don’t wanna disturb them, do we?

I've never seen a breed like this before, so Beepy & Peepy are very original chickens.
And therefore I’m considering to register them at the center of rare species.

Oh I know what you are saying: ahhh, you love to fool us Thea!!!! ☺

Of course I do: these little chickens belong to the new piece that I want to create.

They both came out really sweet and normally I wouldn’t publish anything before I've finished the entire piece. But I love them so much, that I couldn’t resist to share them with you.
They are made off woolfelt.
It's the first time in my life that I woolfelted miniature birds.
I love to discover new things, learn new techniques etc.
My motto: you need to experience things and you're never too old to learn.
So I'm please to found out that I managed to create these little birds and that my kills
have expanded a little bit too.

They are made in an Itty-Bitty-Size.
And please bear in mind: my hands are Itty-Bitty-Sized too…☺

So my next job: seeking worms!!! Boy oh boy, they have an insatiable appetite…phew.
Gotta go now....peep-peep-peep-peep....

Why isnt't there a "bad-day-delete"- button.....???

2012-01-20T15:41:00.003+01:00

It wasn't a happy week at:

" Villa Teddy Bear Fur "

If I was able to skip a week, I probably would use this feature and delete last week forgood.
Open the trash bin and dump it as quick as I possible!
There were a couple of reasons which can be held responsible:

First of all: I cut my right thumb 3 (!!!!) times.
Reason: my Venus Gilette Razor.
My tip: never rinse the razor behind your back after shaving your armpits. Until now it was always my method ( I’ve always loved to do things the other way around).
( pssstttt....Did I say the wisdom comes with age....or was it the other way around...??? )

For some reason this title song of the Commodores:
“ Three Times A Lady ”, pops up in my mind.

But I guess that refers to something else...he he he.
It was a bit inconvenient to work with a thumb wrapped in a bandage,
but I managed to create a new design. Mission accomplished.

Second problem: a nasty toothache for at least a whole week.
And I’m not so keen on that. Alarm bells were ringing in my head as this is not the first time.
I’m familiar with toothaches caused by something else.

As there was no spontaneous cure,
I decided to open my routine-book to eliminate certain causes and it was...........

........at my dentist.
But there was nothing wrong with my teeth. The only thing the dentist discovered was a sensible wisdom tooth and we both decided to extract it. Phew.
That little thing won’t tease my any longer.
(....what did I say about wisdom before....LOL)
After checking the photo all that was left and A BIG BONUS AFER ALL and what causes my toothache appeared to be a sinus inflammation! YEAH.

Best way to deal with it:

Open your own spa, health and wellness center and try to steam everything open.
So far so good, nature must do the rest, I’m not so fond of antibiotics.

Despite all these problems, I always look on the bright side of life.
It's Springtime in my studio !!!
I just love it!!! I’m probably the biggest SPRING-fan on earth.
I’m very curious to look what will peep out of these eggs below….
I have no idea….do you know…??
All you need is a litte patience dust.....and meanwhile I'm the EGG-SITTER.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Voilà: My First Design of 2012

2012-01-12T07:56:00.013+01:00

...In a Vintage Whimsical Circus Clown Style...

Miou Miou is the first one of my " NEW BREED DESIGN "

and I am so thrilled at how wonderful & sweet this piece turned out.

Miou Miou is an Itty-Bitty-Size wich means she is small enough to fit in your hand
too which makes her so adorable.

Miou Miou's wears a sweet little pinaforce I made from a soft pink rayon fabric and then aged.

The pinaforce is trimmed with hand tinted fine French cotton lace & a rayon ribbon bow

which I dyed and distressed.

Miou Miou travels to her new home sitting on her own "cute little wagon".

I covered it with an old pink fabric which I distressed for a vintage look.
It is trimmed with a cream ribbon with black scalloped edges and a small

silk ribbon woven through cotton lace.

I applied my specially developed "color-&-painting" technique on the box.

Then aged to look like an old box.

I applied little black dots for the finishing touch.

If you cannot find the wheels you want, you simply have to make them yourself.

I must admit - despite several mistakes - I love the way they turned out...!!!

While cutting them I was thinking of old times when I used to help my dad in the garage.

In his spare time he made furniture and I was his " little-big-daddies-helper-(wo)man "!!!

Ergo: I think I'm well experienced...☺

Et voilà: the final result, beautiful little wagon with a bunch of hand painted flowers on the front and the cord with the vintage wooden bead as charming finishing touches.

If you would like to view her full information and to see much more full size photographs, please visit my website: www.milly-me.nl

Miou Miou is already adopted and right now she is on her way

to the land of Uncle Sam where she found a new home.

A warm place where they love plush friends.
So I wave goodbye to her….

♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥

ANNOUNCEMENT - ANKÜNDIGUNG - AANKONDIGING:

2012-01-10T17:14:00.005+01:00

...Ta Ta Ra Ta Ta Daaaaa...Pee Peepp...

Well today was my first day in my studio after the happy holidays.

I look back with moments of great joy and pleasure, maybe I'd better describe it as

" melancholy sentiments " and " feelings of nostalgia "

I ordered some great new stuff (which took about a hundred years to arrive at my doorstep...pfff...) and started to "play" with it today. Result: this great looking ANNOUNCMENT-LABEL with Herald, the fabulous rabbit of Alice in Wonderland.

(ggg...did I mention that a least 5 pieces ended up in my trash-bin...lol)

It's a perfect label to annouce that I've created a new design and I'm soooooo happy at how adorable this piece turned out.

Right now I'm working on the pictures.

I'm so exited...and I'm sure that you won't be dissapointed in this one-of-a-kind-piece!!

SO: WHATCH THIS SPACE...!!!

Oh well...if you insist...here you go...

a tiny little sneak-peek. But that's all you get right now!!!

I'm definitely not a Party Pooper !!!

2012-01-04T07:40:00.000+01:00

On the contrary, I would like to extend the Happy Holidays a little.....
Do you wanna know ???
Well...there is a reason and I simply cannot deny this, it's an undeniable fact of life,

look at the picture below to found out what I mean.

...Keep those birthdays rolling in...
♪♫♪♫♪ YEAH ♪♫♪♫♪

So I invite you to my virtual birthday party ☺

My birthday is a special time to celebrate and here is a piece of
" digital"-cake from me to you....
So take a piece (but not too much ...LOL)

CHEERS TO A NEW YEAR.....

2012-01-01T14:42:00.000+01:00

My first words for you:

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY

BLOG FOLLOWERS & BLOG READERS

I wish you Health...
So you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the Love of friends and family...
And Peace within your heart.

I wish you the Beauty of nature...
That you may enjoy the work of God.

I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities...
For those things that really matter in life.

I wish you Generosity so you may share...
All good things that come to you.

I wish you Happiness and Joy...
And Blessings for the New Year.

I wish you the best of everything...
That you so well deserve.

May the new year bring these wishes to each & everyone of you …

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...A DUTCH NEW YEAR'S EVE...

2011-12-30T08:44:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow we ring in a new year! Yeah!

*** 2012 ***

We are currently very busy in Holland. Not only with shoppings and buying fireworks.

No way…we spend the last days of December baking typical Dutch holiday pastries that we eat

at the 31^st of December and the 1^st of January.

By far out the most popular are: ” OLIEBOLLEN “ (raisin fritter balls)

However, I prefer the literal translation: ”OIL BULBS”

What about that, see the link to my Dutch nationality ☺!!!

Raisin fritters are very delicious and we Dutch eat lotsa them.

It’s fun to build your own tower of raisin fritters and then dusting it all over with icing sugar.

(I wonder what will happen if I sneeze…hihi)

And if you do not want to bake the holiday goodies and many other yummies yourself, then

they are widely available from bakeries, supermarkets and market stables like the one above.

I live in the east of Holland, and in our region it is a tradtion to bake New Year Rolls:

well known as “KNIEPERTJES”

They are made off normal cookie batter with a hint of vanilla, cinnamon and anise.

They are very crispy and taste delicious.

This is how you make them:

After they have cooled you fill ‘em with whipped cream….mmm

These New Year Rolls are baked for a long time. Below you see a painting of Tomas Yepes

in 1640. Here you see a whole basket full of New Year Rolls.

But by far my favorite delicacy of these days, joy of all joys…….tadaaaaaaaaa……..

“ Dutch APPELBOLLEN “ (Apple Dumplings)

This is a real Dutch treat and they are only available in this time of the year.

You need a particular apple variety: the so called GOUDREINETTEN, they taste a little sour.

Apple dumplings are made off apples (!), raisins, cinnamon, sugar, marzipan and puff pastry.

Hmmmm I’m almost melting if I see a picture of them!

Dutch apple dumplings are delectable, free-form packages made by wrapping puff pastry around a cored apple filled with marzipan, cinnamon, sugar and raisins (rum, too, if you’re feeling frisky ☺!!!). They’re almost like individual apple pies, but faster and easier to make, especially if you have puff pastry on hand.

Here is the recipe for Dutch “Appelbollen” - Apple Dumplings

The shopping list:
what you will need to bake 4 apple dumplings

1/2 Cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 c water
1 Tbsp butter, plus 4 more tsp
4 apples, peeled and cored
2 Tbsp raisins
4 Tsp light brown sugar
cinnamon

marzipan
for each apple you need one puff pastry square ( or French pastry),
enough for a single crust apple dumpling.

Cooking instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º degrees F/ 180º C. Make syrup: Place dark brown sugar, water and 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a minute or two, to thicken up. Set aside.

2. Take 1 puff pastry square. Roll or hand flatten each into a “pancake” large enough to cover a whole apple. Place each apple in the middle of its own pastry square and take a little marzipan and press it down.

3. Evenly divide raisins, light brown sugar and butter among the 4 apple core holes. Sprinkle all 4 apples with cinnamon. And for those who want to feel ‘frisky’ add a little bit of rum.

For each one, bring up the sides of the puff pastry to cover and close in the apple. (If you like sprinkle the puff pastry with white sugar). Place apples on a rimmed baking sheet, baste with syrup and bake for 20-25 minutes, basting 2-3 more times, until golden brown.

Serve hot or cold, with icing sugar. Enjoy!!

Well…phew…

I suppose this is (or was?) my last blog post of 2012.

Enjoy the last days of December and I wish you all a great New Year's Eve.

♥*♥*♥ See ya in 2012 ♥*♥*♥

Oops…before I forget:

♥*♥*♥ * ♥*♥*♥

A very Merry Christmas to all of you

2011-12-24T06:47:00.000+01:00

At last....tonight it is Christmas Eve.

Another year has passed us by. A year with highs and lows.

But the year 2011 had a theme: I'VE BEEN BUSIER THAN EVER BEFORE.

At least that is how I experienced this year.

First I want to thank everyone who has become a follower of my blog.

I thank you all for all your comments. I very much appreciate that.

" It is by chance we met . . .

By choice you became blog followers "

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ You are very special and I love each one of you ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Here is my wish:

This is also the wish of Mr. BOOMY my very special teddy bear.

Boomy is very special to me, because he is one of my first teddy bears. I lost the first one.

I guess I hugged that one to much, it only remains in pictures when I was a little girl.

Boomy is from the 1950's, probably 1951-1952.

My father won this bear at a fair, shortly after he came home from the war in Indonesia.

He gave Boomy to his newborn niece.

When she got older Boomy moved to another niece in the family.

And from there he moved a couple of times from one family to another.

He came into my life when I was a toddler.

I played with him endlessly and he stayed with me ever since.

Nowadays he is the keeper of the house,

for he now sits on the stairs in the hall and sees everyone going in and going out
and most of all running by......ggg.

He is made off sparse mohair, stuffed with wood wool and 5-way jointed.

Don't know anything of his creator.

He has had some accidents, as his eyes, nose and mouth are not original.

My mum restored him a little bit and I still don't know what to do with him.

Restore him into the bear he once was or.....

leave him as the the teddy bear that I remember from my childhood.

And because that memory is so special to me I decided to leave him as he is...

The picture below was taken by my father and here you can see me with Mr. BOOMY

on my 3-wheel bike. Isn't it fabulous...!!! We're quite a team...!!!

Well, I will finish this blogpost by saying that:

I truely hope that your Christmas days will be merry and bright, warm and cosy
and surrounded by those who are most dear to us.

And I look forward to keeping in touch with you in 2012!!!
Big bearhugs and kisses from me and Mr. Boomy to each and everyone of you.

♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥

In der Weihnachtsbäckerei.....

2011-12-23T07:56:00.000+01:00

Cinnamon Stars - Zimtsterne - Kaneelsterren
A German-Swiss holiday favorite - and one of mine too.... ☺
*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*

With Christmas not so far away (patience dust Thea, you need to wait one more day....)
you can find me in the Christmas Bakery, (now the alternative for my kitchen).
I was born and raised on the border of Germany, I have German family and friends,
and therefore I understand this language very well.
I love this beautiful country very much and not only for their delicious pastries and pies.
Because, apart from the fact that they have the best teddy bear shows of the whole world,
they also bake the best cinnamon cookies of the whole world!!!

It has become a tradition in our house to bake these stars at Christmas.

And when you bake these cookies you simply have to sing this German song:
♪♫♪♪♫♪ " In der Weihnachtsbäckerei " ♪♫♪♪♫♪

(in the Christmas Bakery)

From the remaining batter you can create these funny cookies.

Wrap them in a cute bag and give 'em to your neighbours, they will ♥ love you 4-ever ♥

And now over to this delicious recipe:

2 2/3 cups finely ground almonds
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons lemon juice

Stir together the almonds, cinnamon, and lemon zest until combined.
Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Slowly sift in the confectioner's sugar, continuing to beat until the mixture is stiff. Set aside 1/3 cup of the egg white mixture for the glaze. Fold in the almond mixture.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a surface that has been sprinkled with confectioners' sugar. Using a 2 1/2-inch star cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on the cookie sheets.
To make the glaze, add the lemon juice to the reserved egg white mixture, stirring until smooth. Brush the tops of the cookies lightly with the glaze. (If the glaze starts to thicken, add a few more drops of lemon juice.)
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When done, they will be light brown and soft in the center.
Remove and cool on wire racks.

*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*
Oh and if your are interested in this lovely German song, here you go.
Please note, I cannot stress this enough, this song it is at least 7 days in your head!!!
(...and sometimes even longer ☺...)
So go ahead and take the risk, I'm pretty sure that you'll love this as much as me.

I can smell the scent of Christmas...

2011-12-20T07:48:00.000+01:00

I think that I have mentioned that I love Christmas. Woo Hoo it's only a few days away...

How wonderful to stroll around and smell the scent of Christmas everywhere.
Here are a few shots from my visit at the garden center.

Aaaahhhh...these are the cutest and coolest Santa booties that I've ever seen.
Now I have tiny feet, but unfortunately they did not fit.

If you see this beautiful Christmas stuff, you want to buy it all.

Somehow I managed to restrain myself, but it wasn't easy.... You rock Thea :o)

Tadaaaa.....it's simple and easy to create a major effect...

Christmas balls keep fallin' on my head :o)

It looks like a big Christmas Blow Out Sale....!!!!

But there is an exception to every rule, especially when you love wrens.

I got weak knees when I saw this little bird...I counld not resist, so it's all mine now.

It was love at first sight.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas Tree, how immense do I love thee

And now I'm off......into my Christmas Bakery and start baking
those delicious christmas cinnamon stars.

Yummmmmmmmm!!!
SO WATCH THIS SPACE

Painting the Past

2011-12-16T17:55:00.000+01:00

Christmas is really getting closer each day.
You simply cannot deny it...as if I ever could....I love this time of the year.
Besides warehouses and garden centers, you can visit various Christmas markets
and other events.
And one of the most beautiful events to visit is our local historical spectacle.
Last weekend our village went back in time to the year 1830.
This is always a great event and has also become well known in the Netherlands.
Visitors come from everywhere to " PAINT THE PAST ".

As usual the amount of impressions was just too much, but here are a few:

Sing a welcome song......

The Major......................and...........................the Piper

Local children gave their " Acte de Présence "

An awesome abacus...I wish I was mine....


LOOK OUT: Chickens on transport!!!

Awww.... two poor girls dressend in old rags, bagging for food and money...
I'll bet they love eatin' "our" crispy french fries :o)

It was just one day, but one day to remember.

Have fun to prepare yourselves for the most beautiful time of the year.
I know I will.

I LOVE HER TO BITS....

2011-12-06T10:12:00.000+01:00

Falling in love with your own pet. Does it seem familiar to anyone?

Sometimes Ymke, my dog, can be so funny, creative and weird.

Take a look at the snapshot below that I took from her.

First of all, remember this, it is always good to have a camera lying somewhere... :o)

I love my dog very much, but there are strict rules like this one:

IN MY STUDIO!!!!

But sometimes she sneakes into my studio, just like yesterday. I did not hear her come in.

I have a babysitter in my studio which I wanted to sell.

Apparently Ymke tought it was a nice place to sleep. I was working on my new piece from the previous post and when I turned around I found her like this:

Ain't she sweet-looking?

I LOVE HER TOO BITS...!!!

Where would she dream about...??? I would like to know. Do you have an idea??

And apparently Ymke is not the only dog who is lying in someone else's bed.

And I found this funny video of Glenn Page and his doggy Lullaby song
" TIME TO SLEEP "
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did :o)

Work in progress....my new X-MAS-????

2011-12-01T08:23:00.000+01:00

It's the 1st day of December.

Time flies...and we can almost look back to the year 2011.

This weekend I will prepare my house for the most romantic time of the year:

** CHRISTMAS **

And with Christmas coming up I'm also working on my next piece which will be an X-mas-????

It's a lot of work...as always, I would say.

I just love the colors for this time of the year: the reds, the greens and the golds.

They bring warmth and coziness.

Sitting in front of the fireplace, candles burning, a glass of mulled wine...mmm...
I my head Bing Crosby is singing his famous " White Christmas ". Ohh I just love it.

And of course: no Christmas without berries!!!

I don't know exactly how this piece will turn out. That's a surprise for me too... :o)

But so far so good. And working on this new piece brings much joy.

At this moment I am embroidering. Haven't done this in ages.

And it brings back good memories. I use to embroider a lot in the past.

pssstt....at the right side a little FEET-PEEK-A-BOO....of my next...????... at least she is ready!!!

So I hope I got this piece DONE-ON-TIME...and TIME is always flying in my studio.

If a day had 48 hours, I was still short of time :o)

So gotta rush........see ya.....

AURELIA

2011-11-26T12:03:00.000+01:00

I am so pleased to show you Aurelia.

I am sooo thrilled at how wonderful she turned out. She has tons of detail.

Everything that you see is handmade and created with deep love & passion.

Aurelia's hat is double layered and it is wonderfully distressed for definition,

trimmed with a ribbon and a handmade ring made off twisted copper wire,
swarovski bicones with other beads and pearls.

The flowers are handpainted and beautifully distressed with accents of morning dew.

I just love these precious colors.

The pictures of Aurelia DO NOT do her justice because they are small

(blogger-sized) and you cannot enlarge them.

I invite you to visit Aurelia's own webpage where I've uploaded lots of supersized pictures.

You can also find out how to adopt this piece to add it to your own collection!!

She is oh so wonderful and you won't be dissapointed in this charming one-of-a-kind piece.

Sorry I'm RESERVED

Flea market Stuffiezzzzzz (part 2)

2011-11-18T12:01:00.000+01:00

A while ago I visited a big flea market in my neighbourhood.

Flea markets always make me nuts...YEAH ... :o)

I always hope to find a bargain which seems to be worth a lot....so far....no luck...snif snif...
but the stuffiezzz that I find can also be real treasures.
So when my eyes fell on this puzzle.....

.....my heart created a dance of joy!!!

I couldn't believe it...so no matter what at any cost, I had to buy it.

I was hoping that the price was not too high. And fortunately it was not: only 3 EURO'S!!!

Now why was I so happy with this puzzle:

IT'S A CHILDHOOD MEMORY

When I was at kindergarten I played with a similar puzzle. I remembered it at once when I saw it.

I was in 7th heaven, to me this was a dream come true and it brought me back to those happy days of beeing a little child that could play endlessly.

I'm looking at it each day, cause it is in my studio on a special "TREASURE"- shelf.

... and here are the other stuffiezzzzz that I found ...

The abacus is also awesome....

I wonder who's been playing with it.
It was also a bargain, I've seen them for much higher prices

I also love the letterbox.

I want to change the letters a little bit: color them or distress them...don't know yet.

The little suitcase is also a childhood memory. I had a red one, but it's lost somewhere in the past. The seller told me it was from her daughter who is my age.

So I turned home with these little treasures and they made me a very happy Thea :o)

The Milly Me Music Corporation Presents:

2011-11-14T16:09:00.000+01:00

Petit Mozart is already adopted

Well after a few months the time has come to launch a new creation.

I've finished little Mozart ages ago and it's about time to show him.

So please take a peek at my iTTy-biTTy, whimsical and most of all musical little friend.


Little Mozart likes to play on his handmade drum.

There are more and full-sized pictures on my website: >> CLICK HERE <<

And this is also the end of this blogpost :o)

Take care...and...

My first WORKSHOP ever.....!!!

2011-11-08T14:19:00.000+01:00

While I was looking through my childhood photo album I came accross this picture:

This proves you're never too young to learn how to distress a teddy bear :-)

It is absolutely one of my sweetest childhood pictures. I think I'm almost 2 yrs old.

Unfortunately, the bear died...snif snif... :-(

Perhaps I've scrubbed too hard...lol

And apperently I am not the only one with "polishing tendencies"

HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR LACE AND RIBBON STASH..!!!

2011-11-03T12:35:00.000+01:00

Are you also having severe problems to find a particular lace or ribbon...???

WELL I DO

I am a lace and ribbon junkie for many many years.

My motto is: YOU NEVER HAVE ENOUGH LACE AND RIBBONS...!!!

So I decided to sort them all out to provent me from:

" S**T-where-is-that-particular-ribbon-which-I-definitely-need-right-now-*&#(#)*&%$*@$ :o( !! "

... I started to cut thick carboard cards...


...and then the real work began: RIBBON AND LACE WINDING...

It took a long time, believe me or not, it really took a few days. It seemed there was no end.

But everything comes to an end and so I finished the job.


Now my boxes are filled with fine french and english lace and all kinds of ribbon.


ggg...its only a small part of the collection :o)

AND TADAAAAAAA...THE FINAL RESULT >>>

A large tower of boxes bursting with lace and ribbon

...when will they EXPLODE..!!! :o)

The total length: approx 132 cm - 52 inches - 1.45 yards

My questions for you:

* Are you familiar with this problem..?

* How do you keep your ribbons..?

* So am I the only nutter who collect this much..? (which I can't believe...LOL)

I am really looking forward to hear from how you deal with it.

Bericht publiceren

I proudly present: MILLY ME of LOENERHOF

2011-10-21T13:42:00.000+02:00

I always wanted to tell you: there is a Milly Me that really exists!!!

She was born at 29 July 2009 and her full name is:

Milly Me is a small Münsterlander Pointer (German breed), their specialty: bird hunting.

Our dog Ymke is the of the same breed and she comes from the same kennel.

In fact Milly Me is a full niece of our dog.

I'm very honored that Judith, the breeder and co-owner of the kennel, has used my name for one of her dogs.

Like all mummy dogs Nancy is cleaning her new born puppy Milly Me.

Milly, 6 days

Milly loves to play with her sister Lune....

......pooh, pooh, I'm a little tired......(4½ weeks)

May 2010: Judith and Milly, 3rd place at the clubmatch

Milly's official photo on the kennels website.

2011........like all Small Münsterlander Pointers she loves to swim.

If you want to see more of Milly Me, then please visit the website: Milly Me van Loenerhof

HELL'S KITCHEN....!!!!

2011-10-13T16:16:00.000+02:00

I didn't blog very much, my previous post is a long time ago. But there is a reason:

M Y  N E W  K I T C H E N

We started to strip the old one on the 22nd of August.

Once started...we decided to change the utility room, hall and downstairs toilet too.

I have to admit it is has become a huge project and it is still not finished. But I am so happy with my new interior home colors, wallpapers, ceiling mods, new kitchen etc.

And as always the latest work is the most time-consuming.

Everything that could go wrong, simply went wrong. It appeared that several granite slabs for the kitchen sink and the kitchen brigde for the taps were too small.

One granite slab broke just a few hundred meters away from our house, because the transport van was driving too fast over a road bump.

......ETC ... ETC....ETC....

I've been calm these past months, but was simply too much for me.

I'm so fed up with this s**t.

All I want is a working kitchen where everything is functioning normally.

A place to cook, sit and chat.

So I need a bit of patience dust...1-2-3...stay calm Thea and take a deep breath!!!

I'm sure we will manage to fix it all (as if we can stop this process...he he he)

Here are just a few piccy's to show you:


First of all: stripping the wall tiles, paintings & decoratioins have been removed.

Poof....get rid of everything and start with a blank canvas.....


The kitchen was used as a studio to paint a lot of doors.

A preview of the new english country style kitchen.

My new job as a full-time painter...!!!

Cooking the last meal.... my doggie is looking over my shoulder as my guardian angel.

" Yo boss, gimme some of that stuff...."

It's a delicious vegetarian meal....Yummmmm

And when the painting inside is finished, then you go outside.

" Oops...OMG...all is crying out loud for maintainance "

So I ran like hell trough my garden to:

prune the fruit trees....

...and there is such a thing like: CLEANUP YOUR POND...

...a really nice job...oempf...I'm not as resilient as I once was...

And when the job outside is done...you can still cook your dinner inside in a primitive way...LOL.

And this is one of the last meals that I cook in the garage.

If all goes well tomorrow, the electriciens are here for the final finishing touches: connect our watertap, quooker, the hob and toilet to their networks.

I keep my fingers crossed.

This evening the ceiling moldings will be placed. And next week the plasterer.

And then there's only job left: painting the walls and celing with beautiful paint from Farrow & Ball.

And paper the walls in the hall and downstairs toilet.

As I write this, I realize that this will still take some time...phew.

I hope to be back into business very soon...

BOO HOO and WOO HOO

2011-08-11T14:44:00.000+02:00

Well....did you miss me....???

Did you wonder why I haven't been posting....?? I bet you didn't....

I didn't too.. :o)

The thing is that my Betsie ( the equivalent for my pc) got a serious hart attack last Friday and there was no chance to recover her. No matter what I tried to do, she was
as DEAD as a DODO...!!!

snif snif snif....BOO HOO

She was suffering from severe heart failure (she was from spring 2002!!), so I expected her to give up some day, but as usual, it was a total unexpected suprise when all of a sudden she stopped working.

And now she is replaced, I have a brand and shiny new PC: A new BETSIE!!! YEAH!!!

She is running rocket fast, has a great memory, a lot of storage on 2 discs etc.

But meanwhile I look a bit like this:

I must re-install a lot of software, which of course won't work the way you want.

My Photoshop CD has a failure and won't work, the embroidery software has an older key gen, Outlook asks at least a thousand times that I need to login with my password.

Don't know why, I can send and receive emails. But a wizzard with this question keeps popping up!!!

I tried to figure out why, but without any luck.
So untill a new Photoshop is installed (which will be next week), I cannot do what I want to do
.....patience dus needed....
But at least you know why it is so quiet here.

SO PC-GUYS YOU GOTTA HELP ME TO FIX THIS PROBLEM PLEASE!!!
So untill a new Photoshop is installed (which will be next week),
I cannot do what I want to do
.....patience dus needed....
But at least you know why it is so quiet here on my blog.

To be continued...

UH...OH...???...!!!

2011-08-01T15:00:00.000+02:00

LOL.....I am working on my blog...change HTML codes, create new labels etc.

Playing with the HTML code is somewhat advanced stuff, so just to be sure and just in case I made a back-up of my blog.....

I previewed every change that I made and only S A V E D my changes when approved OK.

BUT for some silly reason blogger posted a previous post from the 17th of May again!!
" MY FIRST REBORN TEDDY BEAR "
(see the post below this one)

*#&@-+&#%*^$ #@-&;%*&#;_!

AHHHHH...!!!

Can anyone tell me W H Y..??? Of course it's not what I want.
And to complete the nightmare, they mixed up the post as well, what a mess!
I will not delete it as I cannot find the reason why and perhaps it will be gone tomorrow.
That happened before.

But I hate it when Blogger behaves like a antonomous muscle.
So I cross my fingers that it will be fixed by tormorrow.
If not: hereby my apologies for any inconvenience caused.

My first reborn teddy bear

2011-08-01T09:59:00.000+02:00

This is ridiculous. It cannot be that I have not communicated since april 5th. Shame on me. I apologise. But teddybears and other friends kept my away from my computer.

I've been working on a new collection and all parts that belong to it are finished since yesterday.

All turned out wonderful and I am capable of more than I think.

But I want to look at my own collection for a little bit longer, before I start selling them.

I've also been working on my first "reborn" teddy bear.

Below the story of Mr. Strawbeary and his amazing make-over!!!

Sometimes..........you are no longer satisfied with your own teddybear that you've once made.

In March 2008 I attented a course to make a teddy bear.

This is how it all begann with my teddy bears.

In August 2008 I created Mr. Strawbeary. He was the first teddy bear that I've made without any help. I bought him as a teddy bear kit. And then I was satisfied with the result.

But he was not a stayer, as he was not the style that I wanted to make. He went to my mum.

He stood for a while in her room, until he moved to the hall way in early 2010.

Message understood, she did not like him as in the beginning.

In January this year she wanted to turn him into a teddy girl and asked me for a piece of lace to make a dress.

???????????.......excuse me.......a girl....??????? I burst out laughing.....really!!!!!

I decided to take him back home and prepare him for his big gender transformation.

He sat a while in my room and I saw no girl in him.....fact.

After a few months my mother asked if the teddy bear was ready . Oops sorry, no.

I've been very busy with other

teddy bears and I asked her to have more patience dust.

And finally......last weekend I got a brilliant idea. He stayed a HE, but I "reborned" him into a clown.

And I must say, he turned out wonderful. It was such fun to do.

Below you can see the befores and the afters......have fun looking at him........

This is the original Mr. Strawbeary in August 2008.

Left: august 2008. Right May 2011.

I made this lovely label which Pippo now is wearing around his wrist.

Success at first attempt.....

You can see a much more and larger pictures of Pippo the Clown at my website.

Click ** HERE **

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Flea market Stuffiezzzzzz

2011-07-30T18:03:00.000+02:00

Summer-time = Flea-market-time

in our area!!

Not only in our village, but in almost every village around us.

This means: hopping from flea market to flea market.

I just love it!!!

What did I find last time...

Great music books, antique fine French lace, vintage buttons and an old wagon.

I have tons of lace, and I can't refuse to buy it when I find something lovely like this.

I am simply too addicted at antique lace you see.

And every piece of lace is different of course :o)
And especially when it's wrapped in it's original paper

I'm over the moon!!!

I also found great music books.

I just love the cover of this old music book. It's awesome.

The seller told me it was coming from and old piano teacher.

I'm really looking forward to use the items for my next projects to come...... They are inspiring me and will give me ideas.

I love to work with materials like this, and they will certainly enchance the bears and other furry friends.

Welcome New Sweet Little Baby

2011-07-25T12:03:00.000+02:00

F L E U R

...born yesterday on the 24th of July 2011...

A new family member has arrived!!!

A darling niece for us to love.

She is so sweet and beautiful, a true miracle of life...

...and I am so proud to be her "sugar-auntie".

Holding the finger of her big brother Rick.

My husband and I

Your day of birth seems the perfect time,
To say a word or two,
About how nice it is to have
A Family Member just like you
It also is the perfect chance
To send this wish your way,
For all life’s best and finest things,
Today and everyday.

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Please meet : Petit Pepino

2011-07-15T17:43:00.000+02:00

TADAAAAAAAAAA
BOOM BOOM BOOM
BENG BENG BENG

Sorry, I'm adopted

Please meet:
" Petit Pepino "
He can be adopted.Please check my website to see more full-sized photos and find out more about this

little-itty-bitty-bunny and how to adopt him.
Click ** HERE **

Pepino loves to play on his new drum, which I created for him.

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Please meet: Clown Bear TOBIAS

2011-07-08T15:14:00.000+02:00

I'm very pleased to show to you clown bear TOBIAS.

He is a new design and I think it turned out wonderful. I love him very much and it was a bit hard to let him go. You know every detail and every stitch that you've created with such deep love & passion. That makes saying goodbye is a little painful sometimes.

On the other hand I cannot keep all the teddy bears, that's a fact.

I love making beautiful teddy bears and I love to hear that others appreciate my creations very much. This makes me happy and this is one of the reasons why teddy bears are my passion. It's a passion which I would like to share with others.......

Tobias is now off to France where he will live in the beautiful French Alps of Albertville.

I'm sure he enjoyes the beautiful view.

Click ** HERE ** for more & full size pictures on my website.

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Isn't she lovely.....

2011-06-28T09:34:00.000+02:00

I found this picture of myself a couple of days ago while I was "spring cleaning " my entire house.

The reason for this was a little mouse in our house downstairs....We had to clean the utility room as the little fellow decided to gnaw a hole in my bags with bread mix. Oh you naughty little thing!!!
I do like mice, but this was one step too far.......
So we start to clean up the whole room. Result: NO MOUSE!!!!
Huh.....where did he go..?? Finally we managed to locate where he came from. We found a small hole in the ceiling that leads outside.
My husband has placed a mouse trap on one of the shelves, but the mouse did not show up again.
Phew...I think he had an mouse-garding angel.
So one step led to another and I all of a sudden I was in a manic "cleaning-up-the-mess-mood".
Started downstairs and ended with the attic. A normal person would do this probably the other way around, but I like to do things in a different way you see...LOL.

So in one of the rooms I found a lot of folders with pictures and negatives. And I also found this great picture of myself. I must have been approx. 5-6 months old.
I do not like pictures of myself, I do not look good. But I love this one of myself. It gives me a nostalgic feeling of tenderness.
And this picture is so special because my dad took it. He was a good photographer and unfortunately he passed away in 1999. I still miss him very much as we had a lot of fun together.
So I am so happy that I found this picture again and I love to share with you a very young happy little Thea.....

I'm off for today.....I close my pc.The only think I can think of with this hot weather is ICE.
Indeed I GOTTA-HAVE-'EM NOW!!!

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

OMG..........this can't be true.....

2011-06-27T09:47:00.001+02:00

I WON...this Blog Bon Bon!!
Tralala...ICH FREU MICH!!

Biene had this great Blogbonbon at her Blog in May 2011.

I decided to join...you never know, do you....

But.....I haven't been online very much last week as I was very very very busy with my new design which was very time-consuming and definitely no time for my pc as it is time-consuming as well in my case...LOL.
I was at Biene's wonderful blog today to found out who the lucky winner was...
and...tadaaaaaaaaa.......it was me....
Uhhhhh.........squeeze my arms will ya....please...
oops no...it's there in pink & white.....I still can read my name....ouch!!....

Liebe Biene....
ICH LIEBE DICH - LOVE YA VERY MUCH!!!!
Can't believe I won this ...it's just fantastic.
What can I say...all favorite colours are there and I'm sure I will
create something to treasure!!

I will let you know when it arrives.....ohhhhh can't wait for Mr. Postman to arrive at my doorstep. It will be an itty-bitty-Christmas in my house....he he he.
If you like to know more about Biene's romantic and lovely blog:
** CLICK HERE **

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

FOR SALE: " Petite Rosette "

2011-06-15T13:28:00.001+02:00

As promised... please meet my new

little-itty-bitty-size-pretty-in-pink bunny:

" Petite Rosette "
She is now ready to be adopted.

I also made this " très petit " duckie.

Please check my website to see more full-sized photos and find out more about this

little-itty-bitty-pretty-in-pink bunny and how to adopt her.
I'm SOLD....Thank you.

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Newsflash...& Sneak Peek...!!!

2011-06-09T11:15:00.000+02:00

I would like to announce that my new
" little-itty-bitty-size-pretty-in-pink... ???? ..."
will be here on my blog on Wednesday 15th June.

Here you have a tiny-itty-bitty-sneak-peek... :0)

I hope you will be able to pop along to see the new ????

Have a nice weekend.......

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

SPRING IS HERE.......!!!

2011-04-05T11:06:00.000+02:00

The sun is up, the sky is blue....
spring's bursting into life...
& everything's new!

It's finally spring...Yeah!!!!

My garden is filled with beautiful spring colors.
It's my favorite season of the year.
And YESS my violets are blue....

Is this thermometer upset or lying or what.....???
Nope. It was almost 26 degrees in the shade.
How I love these temperatures.
Can it please stay like this until Christmas!!!

The brown male frogs in our pond are desperately searching for women froggies...

They make funny grunting noises.

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Please meet: LILLY

2011-04-01T13:53:00.000+02:00

I am so pleased to show you Lilly.
It is a new design and I am very happy the way she looks.

Lilly is made off antique short pile mohair.

Her dress is handknitted with a crochted golden ruffle

and silk ribbon.

She wears a matching crocheted hat with an

organza flower and glass pearls.

Her "bloomer"-pants are made off hand dyed muslin

& trimmed with fine French cotton lace.

For more and larger pictures, please visit my website:

Click >> HERELilly & Lollipop are adopted!!

The new owner fell head over heals in love with them.
A love at first sight..... :o)

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Ted World Wide Show Wiesbaden

2011-03-27T12:10:00.000+02:00

Ahhhhhh finally......it's about time to show you the pictures of my amazing week in Germany.

Because of my husbands surgery last week I wasn't able to post. He is recovering very well with ups & downs,
but all seems to go well.

I visited the Ted World Wide Teddy Bear Show in Wiesbaden at the 12th of March.
It was great this year. There was already a long queue waiting before the show opened.
There were more exhibitors (264!!!) than last year and I thought the level was much higher.
Some exhibitors were sold out ROCKET FAST!!! Just amazing to see how quickly the bears were sold to the new owners. Some visitors run like hell hoping to buy that speacial teddy bear.
I other words I enjoyed and loved it very very much.
Here are the pictures, enjoy viewing them.....

Bären aus dem Reiherwald by Roswitha Weyand (Germany)

A beautiful Ice Bear Cub by Karin de Lorenzo (Germany)

Dufeu Bear by Günter Dufeu (Germany)

Stepi Bären by Nicole Stepien (Germany)

Amazing teddy bears and other pets by Alena Zhirenkina (Russia)
I was very impressed with her work.

The famous "Feenwald Bären" by Biene Michalak (Germany)
Biene has a great blog, I highly recommand it: ELVENPULVER
" Why is almost everything sold out...??? "
You rock BIENE :0)

Which bear will win the Ted World Wide Award?
Here are a few nominees:
Nanny McPhee & Lillibet by Annie Beerten
Goldie by Anna Dazumal
Liz & Lizzy by Britta Uhlendorff
Albina by Anna Tide
Ori by Karin De Lorenzo

Nappi Bears by Barbara Sulser (Switserland)

Oksana Sklirenko (Ukraine)

Furry Critters by Manuela Schulz (Germany)

Avateddy by Olga Sobol (Germany)End of the show.
It is time to go home....bye bye Wiesbaden....
See ya next year!!

From Wiesbaden I went straight to the Creativa Show in Dortmund (Germany).
Four halls with all kind of crafts....OMG....I never ever went to a show like this before.
And I never ever saw so many women together......
The only few men who were there looked like "pack mules" that carry stuff. Poor men.... :0)

A silicon Ice Bear Cub by Sigrun Heck (Germany)
Just amazing all hairs are rooted!!

A beautiful quilt. One of the best I ever saw.
It was awesome!!
And here is the final result of those great shows.
I am very happy with my new stuff.

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

Yep.....my BREAKIE-TIME is over....!!!!

2011-03-04T14:40:00.000+01:00

It took a while since my last post......it look like ages ago....

In the meantime my body took a lot of attention: first of all a nasty injury at my neck and shoulders which was followed by a heavy flu. For the first time in 20 years or so I was in bed with fever. But tataaadaaaaaa.......I am fully back into business which takes also a lot of time.
I visited two beautiful craft shows in Holland. Didn't came home empty handed....he he he.

Yesterday evening I went to my scrap evening.
This time I created a Magnolia card......see below...
It was such fun to create this card, especially the pearls.....they have a backside with glue dots, but according to Jolanda's opinion they do not stay permanently on the card with these glue dots. So she recommanded a heavier kind of glue:
the 1 second glue!!!!!
Right after the first attempt it went wrong: instead of glueing the pearl dot on paper,she glued the pearl dot on her finger!!!!! OMG what kind of fun........he he he.....I'm afraid it is now forerver stucked on your fingertip darling.......:0)
Next time I should take the camera to make pictures!!!

Right now I am working on my next projects. They are almost done. I am busy with the last finishing touches......they are lovely little bundles of Easter Joy!!!

Next week I look forward to visit the "Teddy Bär Welt" in Wiesbaden (Germany). This show is by far the best one of all Teddy Bear Shows that I've seen/visited. Over 300 exhibitioners will show their beautiful teddy bears and other furry friends. There are also great teddy bears suppliers with all kinds of stuff that bear artists simply do need.

And right after Wiesbaden I will visit the CREATIVA Exhibition in Dortmund (Germany).
This is Europe's leading exhibition for creative design.
I am a first time visitor of this exhibition and I don't know what to expect, except that there will be thousands of others too
(mmmmm I am curions how a big bunch of desparately seeking housewives will look .....ggg).
My dear friend from Germany planned us a bustrip with a nice touring car.........wow...ain't that absolutely fabulous!!!!
For once I do not have to play Mrs. Regio Taxi, YIPPIE!!!!
UTE ICH FREU MICH GAAAAAANZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
From what I have heard it must be great!!!!
So I put on my "money printing machine" and it is working really hard right now......ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Stay tuned......XOXO Thea

"HILFE - HELP"...............a new virus....?????

2011-02-02T10:40:00.000+01:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhh am I infected with a NEW VIRUS...???
I don't know.....but last week I had my first scrap/crop evening.
Scrapping is very very popular in Holland especially in combination with the Magnolia stamps.
They are extremely popular!!!!
I made this little bag with Tilda design paper.
And I water-coloured Tilda (that's her name) with Distress Ink.
I've never done this before, but I really loved it.
I'm afraid there will be more scrap evenings to follow.....ggg.
It is too much fun to do.

Below sitting on a small bunch of Hydrangea's: Finley.
He is one of the little woolfelt rabbits from my previous post.
And I'm very happy with my new design.
I am into rabbits these days, because I like them very much.
And they were on my wishlist for quite a while.
Meanwhile I made a few more rabbits and hopefully they will appear on this blog and my website very soon.

Speaking of website's......
I am revamping the website a little bit. That is one of the reasons I am not posting very much. It takes a lot of time to re-write/update several pages and to make new page titles. In other words: I got PHOTOSHOP EYES at the moment :o)

Stay tuned.........XOXO Thea

TIED UP.............

2011-01-18T14:59:00.000+01:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhh time flies........
This picture above says more than enough I think.
In the past weeks I've been very busy with new designs and new techniques.
My head is literally "overflowing" with ideas. I look a bit like this at the moment ha ha ha:
Therefore I decided that I will only concentrate myself on the new designs and the PC is a big NO NO for me these days/weeks.

My hubby and I are also working on a new kitchen.........it's taking a lot of time and it is a hell of a job to decide what we want. But we did it!!!! The only thing is that we must wait until september. The "kitchenfarmer" is fully booked.

This weekend I'm off.......I'm going with my mum to a big creative craft exhibition called "HOBBY FESTIVAL". I'm really looking forward..........approx. 300 exhibitioners with all kinds of crafts, hobby's and supplies.......YEAHHHH!!!! From what I've heard it must be great.

So my blog will probably be quiet for a while.......no worries, you now know the reason.

Meanwhile have a nice time, stay tuned.......XOXO, Thea

Have yourself a very warm birthday........

2011-01-05T10:11:00.000+01:00

Phewwwwwwwwwww last night all of a sudden it was very warm in my house......
Look what I got:
this large candlelight birthday cake of one of my dearest friends.
It was totally surprised she brought me this cake. Typically for her to do such a sweet thing.
Yes you guessed it: yesterday was my BIRTHDAY!!!!
Do you wanna now my age???
Count the candles on my cake.....
I bet you will not succeed he he he!!!

Together with the cake I got this lovely card.
Here is the translation:

HIP HIP HOORAY
BIRTHDAYS
are very healthy.
The fact is:
the more you celebrate,
the longer you live

LOL..........YUP........I AGREE WITH THAT!!!!!!

In preparation for my birthday party this weekend I will be off a couple of days. First of all to pick up my mum who lives in the south. I will stay over for one night. Do some "EINKAUFEN" in Germany (my mum lives almost on the border).
And then hurry home tomorrow and hopefully have a crazy weekend!!!!

Stay tuned and till next week, XOXO Thea

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T12:00:00.001+01:00

First of all I wanna wish you all a Happy New Year
and a "beary" creative 2011!!!

I came across this cartoon and it always makes me smile.....
I once used it to make my own Christmas cards several years ago.

A new year starts with new designs.
I already begun to create these new littlewoolfelt rabbits in the last days of 2010.
I made one that belonged to an order that I am currently working on. I was so happy with that result that I decided to create a whole bunch of these rabbits.
You have to wait for the final result.....the new owner gets to see them first......

So all I ask i: have a little patience dust :o) .....
and meanwhile: stay tuned...!!!
XOXO, Thea

PEEK A BOO...............

2010-12-27T10:54:00.001+01:00

IEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK....

Oh no don't be afraid, new teddy bears always look like this..gggg..
I always find it very comical to see the beginning of a new bear.
That this should be a lovely teddy bear face is almost unbelievable, but YEP, believe me, it is.
They all look like this at the beginning.
If all goes well, this teddy bear girl will be born this week....
I'm doing my best.......!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO and stay tuned.........Thea

The Past , the Present & my Christmas wish

2010-12-21T11:56:00.000+01:00

This speaks for itself:

I don't know how it is in the rest of the world, but Holland is suffering from the HEARTS HYPE!!!!
Everywhere you look..........no matter where........there are HEARTS, HEARTS and more HEARTS in all shapes. So I also could not resist buying one of them.

Below is a picture of my Santa Claus from the past.
He is from my childhood. I saw a little Santa Claus in a German magazine and I wanted him so badly...!!!!! My mum decided to make me one. I still remember the day that we went to a craftstore to buy all the supplies that she needed.
And after a few days............my wish was fulfilled.......there he was: my own Santa Claus.
And every year he comes out of the box like a fairytale to me. And every year I remember the little girl of 8 years old when she got her Santa Claus.
The star is cut out by my father, who no longer lives.
So you will understand that this little Santa is very very dear to me.

I was up very late this morning.... (pssstttt.....I had overslept myself again....ggg....) but when I pulled up the blinds.....wow....the whole world looked like a fairytale!!!
It was sooooooo beautiful too see this mysterious sunlight.

It is very cold in Holland. Last night it was -13C. And we had a lot of SNOW!!! This year we have a white Christmas......YEAHHHH!!!
But I have to tell you a little secret: a beautiful winter landscape or not....I am not a "winter person"!! I am a SUMMER-LOVERS-JUNKIE!!! I hate the cold and love the heat and the sun.
I am a bare legs lover, a person that looks much better with a bronze tan instead of beeing pale with a dry, blotchy central heated skin and static hair.
The only thing you can do, is to remove yourself from the situation.
So this is what I will do: I may complain for a while and then I will leave on a 5 weeks holiday. Because this is what kind of person I am: A SUMMER HOLIDAYS PERSON!!!!

I have been busy decorating our house to make the winter a bit more cheerfull....despite the beautiful winterlandscape of this morning.

Our chimney..........with the Christmas Card "mousies"

Our 2.10 m high Christmas Tree.
It took me a morning to decorate it.......pfffffff.......

Our front window.......in the evening.

Many big Christmas hugssss and stay tuned........ Thea

Please meet: LITTLE VERA........

2010-12-15T13:26:00.000+01:00

Surprise......surprise.....

My mother wanted a teddy bear for her birthday.

She gave me her special requests and I made her this small teddy bear.

Please meet: Little Vera

Vera's outfit is handknitted and her little bunny
is made of woolfelt with embroidered flowers.

There are a lot more pictures of Little Vera on my website.
Click >> HERE <<>

HOCUS.....POCUS.........AMAGURIMI........

2010-12-07T09:54:00.000+01:00

This sounds like magic words of Harry Potter,
but they are not.......
Amagurimi stands for Japanese crocheting.
I've never done this before and this Hello Kitty is the first to try it. It was really fun to do.
This way of crocheting is quite different than I used to do.
And I am pretty happy with the result.
So as always there is the challenge to make them even smaller........

Stay tuned...........
Hello Kitty Hugsssss, Thea

My new B.W.A.N. - Bear......

2010-11-19T14:47:00.000+01:00

Which means: a Bear Without A Name....he he he. She, cause she is a she, is born today. This is my first little teddy bear. I never ever made a little one like this.

She is only 9 cm - 3½ inches and made of woolfelt.
She's still a bit naked and gave me an order to make pretty clothes for her.....YES M'AM....at your service!!!

Here are her piccy's.......

Have a nice weekend.
XOXO and stay tuned......Thea

Now.....there is day cream and.........baby day cream.......

2010-11-12T12:19:00.001+01:00

I just love Disney's Piglet. She is so sweet to see. You simply must be in love with her at once, she is adorable. And when you find a sweet little baby Piglet on a box with your most beloved day cream (ssssssssssttttttt........in fact it's baby cream, but I love to put on my mature face.....hehehe) . There is only one option left: you MUST buy this cream!

I found these sweet little boxes in a drugstore in Germany. Each box only for € 0,99!!!
Great price for such a good product.
I often shop in Germany. I simply love it. It's a beautiful country, nice people, you can eat & drink well and they have excellent shops. And they also organize the best teddy bear shows too .......... what more do you want .........
oooooohhhhhhhh wellllllll let's see.......hmmmmmm........ how about putting a little bit of this (baby) day cream on my face to the prevent the physical decline a little bit........LOL......

XOXO & stay tuned..........Thea

International Doll & Teddy Bear Show at Ahoy Rotterdam and more.......

2010-11-05T11:51:00.000+01:00

Last Friday my mum and I attended the
International Doll & Teddy Bear Show
at Ahoy - Rotterdam (Netherlands).

As usual a great show with lot's of Dolls, Bears,
Supplies, Toys etc. etc.
Below just a few pictures of the show.....

Above and below two beautiful bears of Christel van Hove (Belgium)

This cutie pie is made by Esther v.d. Meyden (Estheringridoriginals.com)

What more can I say.......above and below pictures of the bears, mice,bunnies and other stuff
all made by Marijke van Ooijen.
Marijke is very talented and her stand was just awesome.

You just have to fall in love with those big beautiful eyes........

Adorable little mice.....

Together with the show at Ahoy, there was a Doll Houses and Miniatures Show at the Rijnhal in the city of Arnhem.
Of what we have heard it's the worlds biggest dolls houses show.
My mum lives pretty close to the city of Arnhem. I have also lived and studied here as well.
And I still love to go there. It's a fantastic city to shop.
My mum wanted to visit this show as well so I was the taxi-driver (with a lot of pleasure of course). It was also the first time we both attended a show like this.
No regrets......we found it both very nice.
Below some pictures....

Christopher Malcomson from the UK is the most fantastic miniaturist Cabinet Maker.
These cabinets are just so beautiful to see.
The one from above was sold after I took the picture. It's price: 2300 Euro

Nothing to complain about visitors.....there were lots.....

This year more than 200 participants coming from all over the world.

Below a scene of the Dutch History.

Below: a TV crew at work.....and I saw the TV broadcast yesterday.

I don't know her name, but the lady from the pictures below, is coming from Belgium and she just creates the most fantastic miniature shops I have ever seen in my entire life.

There are so many details to look at.......just amazing.......

END OF THE SHOW
..........and now I need to work.........

XOXO and stay tuned.........Thea

Something else than just creating teddy bears....

2010-11-04T12:06:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I do something else than just creating teddybears.

This time I digitized 3 Diddl images into embroidery patterns for my embroidery machine.
It was a lot of work but I am very happy with the result.
The little girl who will receive this birthday gift will be very happy....!!! I'm very sure.
Diddl and Diddlina are very hot at the moment.
And I have to admit, they are very cute looking.

This is Diddlina

This is Diddl

And here they are together...

XOXO and stay tuned.........Thea

Autumn arrived......

2010-10-22T15:48:00.000+02:00

Another week passed very quickly .... time goes by when you are busy. We had a visit from good friends who brought a beautiful bunch of flowers. It looks great all those warm autumn colors They are so beautiful to look at.

This week I made a teddy bear for my mother's birthday.
When I was filling her, I had to put her away to do something else. I had a big smile on my face when I looked at her and saw that she stood like this. I just had to make a picture of her.

"Little Miss Vera" (what's in a name) had to wait till the 12th of December and then she will fly away to my mothers house. Because of me she started collecting little bears . She's almost 80 yrs of age and she still likes to travel to teddy bears shows with me.
Next weekend we will both attend the International Doll & Teddybear fair at Ahoy - Rotterdam (Netherlands). It's a real Mecca for doll & teddy bear lovers and I am really looking forward.

The next coming weeks we are busy picking out a new kitchen!!!!! We want at least an English/Dutch country kitchen style. There are several "kitchen-farmers" in our neighbourhood who still design and create kitchens. It is hard to pick one ........ but in any case, and no matter what: the money printing machine will be turned on ..... lol......

I wish you all a wonderful weekend and great week.

XOXO & stay tuned.......

EURO TEDDY 2010 - Essen (Germany)

2010-10-14T16:42:00.000+02:00

As promised I will show you some pictures which I made when I attended Euro Teddy in Essen (Germany). It was a great show, with lot's of fantastic bears all made by great teddy bear artists around the world. It was very nice to meet several artists from Australia and Russia.
They were exhibititing for the first time in Essen.

Most of the pictures are taken from the nominees who were taking part in the Euro Teddy Award of 2010.
I still do not know who the overall winner is......?????
Sorry, I checked the website, but there is no info available about 2010.
Please click on the pictures to enlarge....!!!

TIME FLIES.............!!!!!!!

2010-10-13T14:16:00.000+02:00

Boahhhhhh is it really so long ago since my last post..........!!!! Shame on me.
But I have a reason why I didn't post for so long:
I have been to France in September for about 3 weeks. We had a lovely holdiday which I needed. I was pretty exhausted when I left Holland.
We went to the center heart of France (Avergne) which is a very beautiful region. And one other thing about it which I love very much: it is QUIET!!!! The only thing you hear are the birds and bees and sometimes the fridge in the gîte that we rented......LOL. No ticking clock and no TV........And I didn't miss 'em at all. Below a few holiday pictures......

A room with a view....we had lots of dinners at this table while sitting in the evening sunshine!!!

You do not have to buy fruit in France...along the side of the road are many fruit trees....
"C'est gratuit"!!

The ancient cathedral of the city of Moulins.

Spotted in a local shop these two little "strawbearies"

Wow wow a mountain day at the famous Puy de Dôme....
"There ain't no mountain high enough"

Yesssssssss I did it......

And then.........I enjoyed a magnificant view.....

.....and I love to watch the para-gliders.....

A shop with beautiful fine French lace.
I bought several yards/meters. I love French laces very much.
I'm a "lace-junky" really I am.
I have boxes full of lace and I'm never tired to buy more .....

Still as fresh as a daisy but at the end of this hike completely wilted. I was broken.....LOL

Coming soon...
pictures of the Euro Teddy which was held at the 2nd & 3rd of October in Essen (Germany).
Stay tuned..........

APPLE JAM..........mmmmmmmmm........

2010-08-25T15:13:00.001+02:00

It's JAM-TIME today.......!!!!!

The apple-tree is full with delicious apples and my hubby and I are apple-jam-fans!!!
So we make apple-jam today.
First of all: peel a lot of apples, then rasp them and cook them with water, sugar, jelly sugar, cinnamon & thick apple juice. Add soms raisins if you wish....(yep we do)...and start cooking.........
Cook & stir this mass for several minutes.
Meanwhile sterilize the jam bottles with boiling water and a bit of soda.

And then........fill the jam bottles........

Result: see below. A lot of apple-jam!!!!
We use it on bread, cracker, yoghurt and for apple pies with wipped cream.
Yummie.........

Pitty you cannot smell the fragrance of this.....it smells wonderful in our kitchen....mmmmmm

Stay tuned.......

Oh frogs where art thou.......?????

2010-08-24T12:30:00.000+02:00

Our dog Ymke adores the brown frogs in our garden. As you can see the pictures, she stand like this for many hours. She wait as long until there is a frog that will jump. Ymke therefore finds frogs strange creatures. As a pointer she is highly interested in them.
She wants to catch them. So we have to constantly watch her to provide she doesn't catch them.
Pffffffffff.......... it's a neverending story.......ha ha ha.....

And here is one of the brown frogs.......

There was a nice surprise this morning in my mailbox: Teddy bear Times, a teddybear magazine published in the UK. A while ago one of the editors asked if I wanted to mail pictures for an article in the August/September issue. And Hip Hip Hooray one of the pictures is in this issue. It's a small picture, but I am still a bit proud, it's a my first picture ever published in a magazine. And you have to start somewhere right......!!!!
Below are the pictures. They are not high quality pictures, because I photgraphed the article instead of scanning.

Above the little picture of Rosaline.
Below the orginal one....

Meanwhile I'm working on 4 new teddybears. I'm very curious how they will look.
I'm very satisfied with the prototypes/samples that I made.

Work in progress.........stay tuned.......

New work in progressss..................

2010-08-11T15:39:00.001+02:00

I've been working on new designs for several weeks.

It has been a lot of work but I am pretty happy with the result:
12 new patterns!!!
I made a few design examples just to see if the proportions were right. And YESSSSSSS they are!!! (quite a number of design samples ended in my trashbin....!!!!) Tomorrow I will pick mohair for four new designs. I am very excited and I'm also very curious how they are going to be.

While I was working very hard, my dog Ymke took her nappy.
I couldn't resist making a quick snapshot of her.
She choose my husbands shoe as her pillow......silly girl!!!

Stay tuned...........

OOPS I ALMOST........

2010-07-17T12:16:00.000+02:00

Nischi is wearing a Milly Me® oufit

forgot...............to tell you that I received an email from Dutch doll artist and good friend Jannie de Lange this week.
She told me that NISCHI, the baby doll that she made was nominated for the Dolls Award of Excellence (DAE) 2010.
MANY GONCRATULATIONS JANNIE!!!
Nischi is produced by Paradise Galleries in the USA.
She is a full gentle touch vinyl baby doll and her size is 22 inches.

And I am so proud, because of the fact that Nischi is wearing an Milly Me® outfit, which is designed and created by me. So I cross my fingers that she will win this award.

If you want to vote for her, please click -> HERE <-
You do not need to register if you want to vote for her. Many thanks, Thea xxxx

Hot, hotter, hottest, wet, wetter, wettest........

2010-07-15T11:29:00.000+02:00

Pooh pooh.....it has been very hot in recent days as you can see from the termometer above, 36.5 degrees in the shade.
The heat was followed by a huge cooling down...........photos show the results. Big thunderstorms and lots of water came down.
The streets were completely flooded and within 15 minutes almost 8 cm. of water came down.

our front garden

Our livingroom at 12.54, completely dark!!!

The big tree in our garden has been damaged a lot. Whole branches were broken off and the nest of the wood pigeon did make it unfortunately. I found two eggs on the ground this morning. One egg had been eaten and the other one had a nearly grown pigeon chicken in it.

This is the large tree when the strom passed by.....
I love pigeons especially wood pigeons. They are such comic birds when they walk around in the garden. I feed them every day so they are pretty dear to me. And I was very upset when I found the two eggs on the ground (well actually is was our pointer who found them), and pigeon-mum-&-dad were gone.

The nest was hided in the large tree very well, but because of a broken large branche above the nest, it suddenly came to lie exposed and crows are lurking everywhere here. So I suppose they found the nest with the eggs and destroyed it. Nature is hard!!!

And after rain follows sunshine,

the large tree normally looks like this:

(by the way it's a Liriodendron tulipifera, the so called tulip tree, but the real one, not the magnolia)

My new knitting bag and fabulous strawberries......

2010-06-27T12:09:00.000+02:00

I've shopped a lot last week. I bought a lot of new stuff for my studio. It needed a facelift. It took me a couple of days to clean up (huhhhhh......5-6 days......!!!!!). Do you have the same problem like I do...are you also amazed by what you can collect....? I must admit, I was so amazed seeing my supplies, ribbons, lace etc.
But now everything is neatly in boxes. The only thing I want to do is pimp them up a little bit with lovely ribbons, lace and button so that I know what's in the boxes, of course!!!

I also bumped into this great bag. It was a this-one-is-mine-bag at once. This bag is very suitable of my knittingneedles because he's ABLONG!!!!! And it has also a lot of other very usefull pockets for all kinds of stuff. So I am in heaven with my new colorfull knitting bag!!! Looking at it makes me happy too. It reminds me a bit of Cath Kidston..........
I'm in love with that style.

Strawberriessssssss...........yummmmmmmie...........!!!!

We got this box full of strawberries from our neighbour. Thank you Jannie!!! You can wake me up in the middle of the night for STRAWBERRIES!!!!! I love summerfruit, no matter what.....but these are my favorites.
And these are also my inspiration for one of my next teddybears.

Stay tuned...........

Ohhhhhhh you naughty, naughty girl....!!!

2010-06-17T14:49:00.000+02:00

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ.........zzzzzzzzzzzz.........zzzzzzzzzzz

Guess what I found this morning in our bed .. ........ yes our dog Ymke. She has recently been very naughty and gets the craziest tricks. She is very creative in thinking up all sorts of things.
You understand of course that she does this more often, it isn't the first time......... ggg ....... And I am very fond of her and find it really difficult to be angry with her. Altough I should......I know,
I know.........

Also today: the patio behind our house will be paved again. There is a huge pile of stones and we are completely fenced ....!!!
Fortunately, the weather is dry and there is a lot of sunshine ......and.......my hubbly has gotta work very hard, while I am whatching........pahaha.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please meet........

2010-06-10T14:01:00.001+02:00

My new blog.........finally it's up and running. I am very short in time at the moment.
Need to do a lot of things.
Creating a blog was on my wishlist for quite a while and now I managed to upload, so it's up & running right now.

I want you to meet:

ROSALINE and her little " mousie "

...............Rosaline is adopted already.............

I gave her this special name because her ears and paw-pads are made of a fabric with roses and she has a very sweet bunch of paper roses in her hand.
I knitted her dress with 1.2 mm knitting needles. It has crocheted edges and handembroidered flowers. Her little " mousie " is made of woolfelt and has a dress which matches Rosaline's dress.
If you want to see more pictures of her, than take a peek at her at my website.
Click ► HERE ◄