My Obsession with Teddy Bear Making

If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know that this year I became (just a little) obsessed with baking macarons. I just love watching my mixture turn into beautiful shiny puffy blobs with perfect little feet. It has been such a challenge to get them consistently right, and even better to eat them!

Now I'd like to tell you about one of my other creative obsessions.

Teddy Bear making 

I first started making teddy bears about 10 years ago, after looking through my sister's bear and doll making magazines. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I chose a 10cm miniature to start and made him from upholstery fabric. He turned out rather well, so I did another, and another.

My love of the miniature bear has remained, and when looking through bear magazines I tend to pick out the ones that I would like to make, (usually the ones that are a little different) and then go to the photocopier to shrink them until they're somewhere between 8 and 11cm tall. Most of the time this works fairly well, and I have only had one real issue with one that hasn't. Stay tuned for a later post on that.

The majority of the bears that I have made I have kept. There are a few that I have made and given away (mainly to family) for various occasions, and a few that I have sold to friends or given away to be sold for fundraisers.

Christmas Macarons

I've been a bit quiet on here for a while, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been creative. I had a few hectic months work-wise, and in the lead up to Christmas, time just seems to disappear without a trace.

I was also busy making macarons for family and friends for Christmas. I have been experimenting with flavours for a while, and came up with 3 that go hand in hand with Christmas.

Crushed Candy Canes sprinkled on macarons fresh out of the oven

1. Candy Cane
2. Eggnog
3. Chocolate Orange and spices