I've re-accessorised!

I decided to revamp some of the old Christmas themed bears, and give them a new look for the new year... These two are the remaining 'floppy bear', now named 'Glitter' and 'Sparkle'! They now have funky rainbow collars and cute little bows. They can both be found in my etsy store.




And this little lady is just divine now, with her big cobalt blue wings, heart pendant and matching blue bow...


I will admit that I think these new accessories look SO MUCH BETTER than the old Christmas ones. I'm so glad I took the time to do this. I wasn't going to at first because I thought it was a bit mean... I'd dressed her a certain way, and named her accordingly... it just felt like I was taking away her identity.

So I've kept her original name of 'Joy', and just added to it (Beyonce style!). This bear is now known as 'Blue Joy'.



Blue Joy can also be found in my etsy store.

Just hanging around!

One of the bonuses of moving house is that you find a lot of stuff that was put away 'somewhere safe' and subsequently forgotten about...

... these four sweethearts are the last of the bears I had set aside to 'reborn'. Clean, re-stitch, tighten joints, re-set eyes etc. Basically to give them a new chance at finding a home to be cherished. These four are actually really nice bears too. I think with a bit of a scrub and polish, they'll come out beautifully! And I must say they do make a handsome foursome too don't they.

(and for those wondering - the original maker is aware that I am restoring her bears, and is totally ok with this, otherwise I wouldn't even attempt it!)

New Reborn Bear - Angel

Decided to give this little bear a quick restoration last night before bed. That wasn't one of my better ideas though, and i didn't end up getting to bed till after midnight!

On first glance there wasn't much that needed doing to cute little Angel bear, but as is sometimes the way, the harder you look - the more you see! He's still not perfect - his arms are a little too far forward and a bit loose in the joints, and his nose isn't embroidered as straight as i would have liked, but i think he has still managed to come out with some appeal. Hopefully he'll tug the heart strings of someone out there in the big wild world and find a new home to be cherished.

His full listing can be seen here.

Bear Reborning

A little while ago... maybe six months or so... i discovered that there was some hostility towards bear reborning out there in internet-bear-making land. I was totally oblivious to it up until that point, and had already happily re-done a number of bears that needed a little TLC.

Some of the points raised in objection to reborning a bear were that you were messing with someone else's piece of art, that bears have souls and by changing it's look you destroy it's essence, that no artist could feel secure that their work would be kept as they intended it once it is sent into the world, that the reborner would try to take all the credit for the bear etc...

So, last night i managed to muster up enough courage to try making-over a little bear called Morris that had been waiting patiently for his turn at a new life. I have tried to address as many concerns about bear-reborning as I can in his bearpile.com listing, but i'm still not sure how he will be received.

I feel that I have given him a whole new lease on life, but I do understand that there will always be those who disagree with what I have done. And I accept that. What matters is that I feel I have done this as ethically as possible. I don't wish to claim that I am the greatest bearmaker on earth and all bears should be 'reborn' by me, but i do think that this little guy will now have a good chance at being cherished by a new owner.

Would love to know your thoughts. Positive and Negative.