5th March 2012

5^th March 2012

Well it has been a week since Hugglets and life has not been dull!! The Fair was a fantastic day and I met some great people, some who I had been corresponding with online for years and some who I met for the first time last Sunday. Like the 92 year old lady who was telling me that when she was 4 years old she went to visit her “boyfriend” with her Mother. After they had left her Mother asked her what she had got under her coat and she had to confess that she had stolen the little boy’s teddy bear!

A couple of years ago I made a surprise bear from a mum to her daughter. The daughter had lost her beloved bear and her mum sent me photos for me to copy him. The mum and the daughter (with the bear of course!) made a special trip to meet me last week all the way from Spain! It was a very special moment.

I am not going to mention names as I have such a bad memory I am sure I would miss someone special out but I did have 3 ladies come up to me and say hi Jean I’m Nicky which got me right confused!

And finally I was very excited to meet at last, the lovely David and Norman, (did I say I wasn’t going to mention any names??) 2  well established authors who are in the middle of writing a book on bears and the Little Scruffs have  hopefully got themselves major parts!  I will keep you informed.

We stayed overnight in London and then travelled down to France the next day, arriving at our cottage at 10.30pm. Mike had been on his own the visit before and the water had been cut off so we were pleased to discover when we turned on that we had water for a much needed cuppa. If only we had known! Half hour later after unpacking the car  etc we opened the door to the bathroom and laundry area to find it completely flooded. After turning the water off again we retired to bed- a very damp bed where I was convinced that Mike had put wet sheets on! So day 2 started with me with a stinking cold and Mike fixing one leak after the other- oh and maybe even worse finding that my hair straighteners wouldn’t work!!!

I have been making some of my orders while I have been here and whenever I do repeat bears my mind starts wondering and trying to think up  new styles. I bought a vintage dog from a car boot when I was here before and thought I would have a go at doing one similar to him which had the body and legs all one piece and a jointed head. Well here is a photo of the first prototype - he needs lots of adjustments including longer arms   but I thought I would show you what I spent the last 24 hours doing. I think his better half will be on hold for a while.

Well bye for now and speak soon

Hugs

Jean

Little Scruffs

http://www.miniaturemohairbears.co.uk

25th February 2012

Well it's Hugglet's Eve and all is well. We are all packed up and ready to go and if we have forgotten anything it's tough as there is no more room in the car!
I have got Mike making chocolates for the show tomorrow- I hope we have plenty of visitors or I will have to eat them myself! I have quite  a few people coming who I have only had contact with online so I am really looking forward to meeting them.

I am very close to the bear making supplies so I shall have lots of temptation and even though I don't need any more fabric I know I won't be able to resist. And I certainly won't be looking at the old bears- far too tempting!
We are going straight onto France for a few weeks where I will still be making bears and keeping the website updated. Luckily it has coincided with our friends selling their house but not being able to move into their new property so they will be staying in our place which we are pleased about.

If you would like to be  notified when a new bear goes on my site please email me and I will put you on the mailing list. I do not give your email out to anyone else.

We have been having nice Spring like weather here in the UK recently and the light nights are coming. My husband can't wait to get into the garden in France and plant all the trees that we have packed in the car! 

When we get back we will have even more of a houseful as Amy is coming home for Easter and bringing a nice handsome Italian with here that she has met while working in Sicily! I can't learn French let alone trying Italian!  Anyway Ciao for now 

Hugs and take care 

Jean and the Little Scruffs

http://www.miniaturemohairbears.co.uk 

19th January 2012

I think it has been about 2 months since I last blogged- can't believe how time goes by so quickly!! In fact, does anyone have time to get bored nowadays, everyone seems to be rushing round so much.
Christmas and the New Year went by in a flash. Amy came home from Sicily for 2 weeks and it was so nice having her around. Anna (and Steve) came  too so it was very special.
The  bears sitting on the books above are Rita and Peter, 2 of the bears  going with me to the Hugglets Fair on the 26th February in Kensington in London.  I will be adding more preview photos during the next few weeks. I have  changed places and am now in Hall 1 table 55. I have a couple of spare free tickets if anyone would like them.
 I have been really enjoying creating new designs during the last few months and intend to keep creating more.

Take care all and speak to you soon

Hugs from Jean and the Little Scruffs
http://www.miniaturemohairbears.co.uk

22nd November 2011

What's been going on in the month since I last blogged? probably the reason I haven't blogged before is that apart from working flat out on the bears I haven't had a chance to do anything else!I hate keeping people waiting and I don't like having a long order book  so I forfeited a month in France for getting up to date. It wasn't really a hardship though as I do love it and I am very grateful that I have such brilliant collectors and work coming in.Even more heart warming for me is that so many people tell me that the bears seem to have healing qualities for them
Meanwhile my daughters have a much more exciting life!! Amy , who recently graduated, has a job with the British Council working in Sicily. I don't think I could go off completely on my own to a new country but she is amazing. She has settled in very well and everyone has been very kind to her. She has had some hairy moments but is thoroughly enjoying herself. The town she is living in still has donkeys collecting the rubbish! I am looking forward to visiting her shortly.
Anna is on the move again this weekend to a new home. Luckily she doesn't live so far away so we can still see her easily.
Try not to race around too much with all the Christmas festivities coming up ladies- I say ladies as I am sure 99% of men don't even realise Christmas cards have to be written, presents bought before Christmas Eve etc etc!!!
Hugs

17th October 2011

I have just heard that the book is being printed at the moment. If you have no idea what I am talking about this is it.

Juggling Tales by  popular childrens author Dot Taig is a book of  seven short stories including one about Little Scruffs aimed at 8 to 12 year olds(But I enjoyed it!) It is being published towards the end of this month and Dot would like to know orders this week  if possible. The price will be £6 and would make a very nice gift. Please email me on littlescruffs@yahoo.co.uk if you are interested. Here is the front cover - spot the Scruffs!!!
and here is a bit more information

“Have a wonderful adventure,”

Stargazer said to the Little Scruffs.

We hope you do, too, as you turn the pages of this book and read all about the Scruffs, a magic pumpkin, a Tree Spirit, an invisibility hat and many other strange and wonderful things...

not forgetting the bag of wind!

Ghillie Dhu's Lost Amber
The magic pumpkin
The city under the sea
The little scruffs
Toytime
Is anyone there?
The Lost Christmas present.

I love thinking up new style bears and  I have been making quite a few new dogs recently. I have just  finished my first FatHead dog - a very vicious looking little one but his bark his worse than his bite! See Dawg on my bear page at http://www.miniaturemohairbears.co.uk

Bye for now

Jean

21st September 2011

Oh gosh I am getting longer in between my very interesting and entertaining (NOT!) blogs!! This also is going to be a very short one just to let you know I am here, in the background, beavering away everyday bear making! I say bear making but recently I have been making more dog like bears than ever. I must show you these 2 incredibly sweet photos of Tabitha, a tri coloured fox terrier and the little Tabitha I made of her. The real Tabitha is 14 years old and a very much loved family member so I was pleased that her owner was happy with my mini version.
The new Teddy bears of Witney catologue came out this week and I am pleased to say that the little grey dog has almost sold out and I have been asked to make a similar edition in brown.
This time next week my daughter Amy will be on her way to Sicily for a year in her first proper paid job since finishing Uni this year. So far she still has no where to stay so if anyone knows anyone living in Castelbuono, Sicily PLEASE contact me so that I can stop worrying!! I have just made her a mini Soldier Bear to take with her.
Don't forget to take a look at http://www.visionfinearts.co.uk/ where the artist Helen Jones  has packs of Little Scruffs notelets for sale. If you want paintings or drawings of your dog/bear/bike/house, the list goes on- see what she creates.
Well that's all for now, hopefully next time I will have more information about the book of short stories coming out for Christmas  by Dot Taig which includes a story on the Little Scruffs

12th August 2011

12th August 2011

I am more than half way through my “holiday” in France now. I don’t know why I call it a holiday as I have to do horrible household chores here that I usually get away with in England since my husband retired. Here in France we have loads of renovating to do and a field of a garden that if I didn’t keep cracking the whip Mike would be out in all day!!!

I have now given up on trying to find a reasonably priced courier to send the bears out with. They all seem to be twice the price of sending them by Royal Mail. Luckily I have some very lovely, patient customers and so far have 16 bears all waiting to go to new homes on my return.

I have become slightly obsessed with making my take on the old Soldier Bears from World War One at the moment but am aware that these funny little bears are not everyone’s cup of tea so force myself into only making every other one an alternative style.

I am thrilled to have a 2 page article in an online magazine this month written about the Little Scruffs. Here is the link and I think I am on pages 28 and 29

http://issuu.com/annelouisemagazine/docs/annelouisemagazineaugust2011

My daughter Anna and her boyfriend are coming to stay next week which we are really looking forward to. They want to camp in the garden but as we have a railway line at the bottom of it I am not sure if they will last the week there!!

We don’t have a phone line in the house so no Broadband for us. I have to walk 2 miles each day to an internet café to check my emails and update my website. If it wasn’t for that and the cost of postage I would be more inclined to stay here longer, especially after hearing about all the terrible riots in England this week.

Well I will love and leave you now and hope everyone has a lovely Summer.

Take Care

Hugs

Jean
Little Scruffs
http://www.miniaturemohairbears.co.uk/