Bearfoot was one of my first teddy bears. He was a bonus gift from Santa when my single-mother’s Christmas rule was short, but hardly sweet to a seven-year-old with a long wish list: Ask Santa for the one thing you really want.
I can’t remember what I asked for that year. I was too thrilled with my new bear. From then on, I collected everything bear-related. I had mugs, cookie jars, posters and, of course, more stuffed bears. Then on my 13th birthday, my mom took me to lunch and handed me a skinny box with a big bow. Inside was Albert, a floppy bear with crooked eyes and a white turtleneck sweater.
“He’s your last one,” she said.
I was happy and crushed – until I learned how to make bears. Then no one could say how many I could have.
Two and a half decades later I am a professional teddy bear artist. I create my menagerie of handcrafted teddys with unusual fabric and color combinations under the Toys by Toddles line. One of the most popular items is a 5-inch jointed bear “up-cycled” from an old tie.
Say, hello, to this and other friends at my Toys by Toddles Etsy shop.
Posted by Good karma « Petite Shards on November 25, 2009 at 2:05 pm
[...] Menagerie [...]