Such an exciting parcel

My huge parcel of German bears and animals has arrived.  I will be so busy once they have spent their time in the freezer (the bread had to move over to make room).
There are no photos as yet as I needed to get them straight into cold store to eliminate any possibility of carpet beetles etc.  I have too many dogs and bears here to risk it.

There are - 3 cats, 11 bears, 4 dogs and a Marmot (not a Gopher as I first thought).
One of the 3 big bears (23") is beautiful, a pretty pale coloured mohair with a growler as a bonus.  He looks to be a Hermann-Coburg bear.
The other two are grubbier, one has a non-working growler (I will investigate) and the other is rod jointed with very loose legs.  I've never seen rod jointing before so not sure how to tighten them as yet.  One of these two is definately not mohair, but has age and I'm hoping he will brush up well.

The 3 mohair cats are cute, especially the smallest, who I have identified as a Teddy Hermann made in 1954.
There are a couple of Spaniel dogs, a black poodle, 3 Zottys (2 laying, 1 standing), a few other dogs and last, but not least, the Marmot.

I am really looking forward to getting started on these animals.

In the meantime I have listed a Siamese cat this morning and the only 'patients' I  have left is this very sick Pekingese, and Percy, a sweet little bear with only one arm.  I have tried to find out what make Percy is but have come up with a blank so far.

Puss




Such a grumpy face, I hope someone will love him



Gary




 

Poor little Percy One Arm

 The Peke was called Gary because he is very bald (Garibaldi biscuits?).  I think I may need to knit him a coat.
Percy needs a false arm.  I have decided not to try and match his fur, but just give him an obvious false arm.  He may then have a jacket to cover it a bit.  I'll just play it by ear with him.  He is so cute, I don't mind if he doesn't sell, I'll just keep him.
Just one more to arrive now, a gold mohair 1940's-1950's, my favourite sort.

Polly's home for old dogs

I think that is what I may soon need to call my bungalow!

I seem to have amassed quite a few vintage mohair dogs of various breeds.

Fred - just Fred SOLD

Patch, a proud little boy SOLD

 

Pip, a dog with an attitude problem SOLD

Sammy - he is gorgeous, but so difficult to photo

Scrap - tiny terrier

Waggy , a Chiltern with a tail that wags SOLD

All of the above are available at my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11

These two boys have already found a home, one in Australia and one in USA.

Roddy - SOLD

Scrappy - SOLD

I have 10 more dogs of various breeds coming up soon, plus two very nervous cats (and a gopher??).
More bears are on the way too, all the way from Germany.

My first craft fair for a year

I was quite pleased with the craft fair yesterday.  I couldn't stay there too long because of my back, but I popped in to see my sister who was manning the stall for us both.

Hank (SOLD)

I sold one of my mohair bears and some fridge magnets, plus a few other bits and pieces. My sister did well with her dressed dolls and dolls clothes.
Our next one is this weekend, a 3 day event at the Great Yarmouth Marina.  There should be a bear collector coming back for 2 bears (fingers crossed!).  I will try to get over to help as much as I can, but unfortunately this back problem is not going away. 
I am having an x-ray today, waiting for an appointment with a back specialist and physiotherapy.  I want to see if the speciaslist will send me for a scan on my spine to see what is going on with it.
The big white dog that I told you about previously has been sold.  He is winging his way to USA as I speak.


Scrappy (SOLD)

I have had a very successful week with the buying of old bears and dogs. 
Look out for - a Chiltern Koala with bells in his ears, 3 little mohair
terriers, a black Spaniel, 8 German bears, one English bear and various mohair animals.


Such a cutie, but who is he?

 I also have a one armed little bear that is so cute.  I think he could be German, possibly Bing, (his feet pads go to a point) but I'm really not sure.  Has anyone by any chance seen one like this?  He has 4 stitched claws on each paw, his feet are flat and card lined.  He is fully woodwool filled and his final stitching is down his tummy.  He was sold as mohair, but I think he may be silk plush, if not it's a very silky mohair!  He is wearing his original green leather collar.
As for his restoration, I will give him a new arm, but I'm not going to try to match it exactly, it will be a 'false arm'.  His ears need sewing back on properly. They have wire in them to keep them standing - not seen that in a bear before, only in dogs.  He will have a little clean although he is not too grubby anywhere, just his ankles.

Here is the Airedale Terrier that I was working on at the end of my last post.



The before photo
 (the shot isn't at an angle, he was leaning like this)



Much happier, amd he doesn't
look like he's going downhill now!

He didn't need a lot doing, just new eyes and a bit of stuffing to cure his lean.
He can be found on my Etsy site www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11
There have been quite a few views and some enquiries so I am not expecting him to be around long.

Here are the two new bears I have to clean up that I mentioned in my last post.  I have named the pretty pink  one Rose and the other one Mammy (that bundle is actually a baby bear!)

                                  
Rose is a bit faded and grubby, but Mammy is really dirty.  It will take quite a lot of rubbing and brushing to get her clean.  She has a music box that plays a lullaby, but I haven't looked close enough yet to see if she should actually rock the baby.  She has a Chiltern label, but I haven't been able to find a reference to her yet.
I love both of these bears' faces, so gentle.
I am off work yet again, only been back 2 weeks and the sciatica and arthritis pain is back again.  To be honest I really don't know how much longer I can do the job as I am on my feet all day. 
Why did they have to move the goalposts for womens' retirement?  I am 60 in 5 weeks so I would have been able to have retired.  Now I need to be 61 and half to get my state pension.  I have never claimed unemployment benefits etc and have always worked, apart from when my children were little.  Now it feels as if I will be forced into the benefits system as I can't go out to work. 
I am selling a few bears and dogs, but not enough to replace my (small) wages from the store.
Off to give Rose her 'grooming' now, look out for her on Etsy shortly.

Good News, Bad News

The bad news is that I have had to give up the Sunday shop.   I usually work my day job Friday and Saturday and after two days on my feet walking the shop floor all day I cannot move so well on a Sunday.  This week my back problems kicked in and I decided to call it a day.  To be honest the shop had not picked up as well as I had hoped, with my main sales coming from the knitted bears rather than the mohair ones.


New design with bigger feet



One of the hairy big bears



A little mohair/wool blend bear

 The knitted bears are available in my Folksy shop www.folksy.com/shops/PudBearsandFriends
Prices start from £6.95.

The good news is that I am selling my restored bears.  That means I can buy more of the poor old characters to mend.  It really is a very rewarding pastime, especially when they come with no eyes, very grubby and with arms and ears hanging off.

This is something I have always wanted to do, but never had the confidence until now.

I have more dogs than bears ready at the moment, but keep watching my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Polly/Kay11 as I have two lovely unusual bears coming up.  One is a Chiltern Mummy and Baby bear with a music box, and the other a really pretty pink bear that I believe to be a Merrythought.





The latest mohair dog I have listed is this Chiltern waggy tail one.  He has the remains of his label which dates him to the 1950's and when you press down on his back his tail wags.  He was in quite good condition, just needed a bit of extra stuffing in his front end so that he could stand better and I gave him a good clean.



Waggy



Falling down

My favourite sale from this week has to be a little Austrian bear that I named Anna.

I didn't know what make she was until I found a piece of orange label in her side seam as I was cleaning her.

I looked on the net and discovered that she was from the Austrian maker Siegried Saf.  Her little triangular nose and mouth shape fitted too.  They made a lot of open mouth bears, although Anna's was closed.  She still had a working squeaker too.  Here she is before her journey to her new home in Japan.



Anna, a Saf bear



That is all for now, I have a Chiltern blind mohair Airedale Terrier who leans to one side to sort out :) .

Scrappy the Westie

I was in the mood for having a go at the poorly big white dog today. 
I stitched a patch on his face as he had some holes and the backing of his fabric was very delicate.
I found some mohair pieces that were a good match in length and type, but a gold colour, not white (off) as his mohair is.

Alert, and ready for anything!

I stitched him a new nose and gave him some vintage amber glass eyes.  Then I stitched his ears back on minus the metal wire that was rusting inside them.

No eyes, no nose, this is what they call
a 'hangdog expression'

He had his head put back on and then a final clean and brush before getting his red collar back.

I am really pleased with how he has turned out as I thought I may have to throw him away (that's just me not having confidence in my own ability!).

I called him Scrappy after a dog that my sister used to have.  Here are his before and after photos.



Poor boy, he's been neglected



Alert and perky in the sunshine



I really laughed when I saw this photo - such attitude!
Sidney and Harry thought they had competition.



He is for sale on my website http://www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com/





Recent activity in the Pud Bears household

It seems ages since I blogged.  I have so much going on at the moment.
The restored bears are doing well and I am constantly on the look out for more old characters to give a makeover to.  It is such a satisfying process.
The large white dog is proving to be a challenge.  I think he may have been in a fire as I have been trying everything to get rid of the lingering smoky smell.
As a last resort he has had a surface wash.  He has improved, but I may even have to remove all of the woodwool and replace it.  This he may not survive as he is a bit delicate in places.


Look away if you are squeamish!



Mickey is a happy soul even with pegs in his ears.

 He sat in the sunshine to dry with Mickey Mouse watching over him from his advantage point on the washing
line.

My Husband did well finding 2 mohair dogs for me and now is keen to find more.  Unfortunately he does not always get it right.  The camel is not mohair, and I've no idea if he is very old, but he makes me laugh so I just may keep him for myself.  I have named him Isiah (one eye is higher than the other).  The little white Boyds bear is actually mohair but is not that old at 1998.  He tries though, bless him, and it is nice getting little gifts like this

I have two mohair dogs in the freezer, awaiting their makeovers, one a Chiltern with a tail that wags, and the other a Farnell Pekingese in a very sorry state.  He may need a knitted coat to cover his (very bald) body.

I am also waiting for 2 bears and another dog.  I seem to be finding more dogs than bears at the moment., but I love dogs so they are just as enjoyable for me to do as the bears.



The remaining sock monkey
click on the picture to go to his shop page

I have only 2 more weeks at the Sunday shop in the Alby Craft Centre and then I will be concentrating on local Craft fairs leading up to Christmas. I have been selling the knitted bears quite well at the shop and will need to get some made up for the fairs.  I think they will sell better than the mohair bears in this sort of venue. I only have one sock monkey left too.

One of the large knitted bears,
click on picture to go to his shop page

On the personal side, I am back at work now after 6 weeks off with sciatica and arthritis problems.  I am struggling to manage a full day on my feet and need higher doses of medication than when I am at home.

Roll on retirement - 15 months to go, but I'm not counting!

Don't forget to take a look at my Etsy and Folksy shops and my new Vintage bears website - http://www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com/     I am struggling to get it to come up on Google, I've tried loads of different ways, but nothing seems to work. Can I ask you a favour?  Could you put the link on your Facebook, Tweet or anything else that would help it to be found?  I would be very grateful as I would love to see a higher number of hits on the site.

New Vintage Bears website now online

At last I have my much wanted Web site.  I have set it up just for the vintage items.
Bears and dogs mainly, plus the odd doll and other bear related item.

http://www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com/

Here are a few of the items for sale.



Daisy



Ping



Salt and pepper pots



Eli in his new glasses modelling a cardi

 There are many more items on the website.  Take a look, I try to keep the prices reasonable.

Sunday shop update

Thought I would do a little update on the progress of my little shop at Alby Crafts. www.tournorfolk.co.uk/albycrafts.html
I have not been able to go myself for 4 weeks because of Sciatica.  I do miss it as I really enjoy being there and meeting the locals and tourists that visit.
During my absence my Sister has been going with either my Husband or Brother to man the shop.
My Brother seems ok with it, my Husband gets bored very quickly, but my Sister loves it and wants to come with me when I start back (hopefully next Sunday).  She knits most of the clothes for my bears and has made a few dolls clothes to sell at the shop too.
The sales are not as high as I would have hoped but we are ticking over.  I have had to think of bear related items as well as the collectors bears to encourage sales from non-bear collectors.  Holidaymakers just want to buy a little keepsake sometimes and the keyrings and fridge magnets seem to be doing quite well in this respect.



Keyrings



Fridge magnets



I have had some success in the photographs too, both canvas based and framed.  I love taking the photographs so I am pleased at this.









The vintage bears are a good talking point in the shop, and I have sold one small dog, but these seem to have more interest on Etsy.

As for the vintage toys - I am currently trying to source more old dogs as they seem to be quite popular.  At the moment I have a very good condition  mohair Pekingese waiting for his makeover and a mohair Westie type with no nose yet to arrive.


Bruin



Eli

 I have Eli, an eyeless old bear to sort out and a Chiltern Bruin to put back together.  I removed his music box/head movement and my Husband tried to mend it as it was seized up. Unfortunately, although the music box did work, there were teeth broken out of one of the cogs and it stopped at that point unless you gave it a little push.  This means that once it is back in the bear it will not keep going.  That was very disappointing as we got quite excited when it started to work thinking that it was mended. 
He is still a lovely bear so he will go on Etsy at a reduced price to take into account that he has a broken music box.

I also have my Sister's old pot headed black doll.  I can remember playing with him as a child along with an old Merrythought Bingie Bear  (she still has him) and a faded blue Scottie dog with no ears.  She was bought the doll from a local Garden Fete over 60 years ago.  Apparently her friend had one too.  He has a pot head and a homemade simple thick cloth body (probably made from an old coat or trousers).  She has asked me to sell him for her but currently I have no idea of his worth.  His head is quite scratched and marked so he will not be a high price.  I cannot find anything like him on the net. 

I think I will have to make a couple of mohair bears this week, it seems ages since I have made a new one.

Thanks for reading my blog.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy making it.

Pollyxx

Nearly contacted Dogslost

I took the tatty old mohair dog out of the freezer and started work on him this morning.
His squeaker was beyond repair, it had just about disintegrated and the wire was sticking through his side so I removed it.  His nose and mouth, although with a few stitches missing, were fine to be left as they were.  He had a few torn seams and small rips that I repaired and then gave him the customary mohair bath and brush up at the Pud Bears grooming parlour.
He then got a shiny new pair of glass eyes as he didn't have any at all, and a bright red ribbon around his neck.
Here are his before and after photos, I was very pleased with how he turned out.



Poor old thing - call the RSPCA!



I identified him as an Alpha Farnell dog



He made friends with Smiler, my funny old smiling bear

 Why the title for this post?  I photographed him and set about putting him in my Etsy shop.  Satisfied with how his entry looked I pressed 'publish' (or whatever the Etsy equivalent is).
He sat proudly at the top of my listings above an old bear that I put on yesterday.

I thought I would see how my shop looked now and went in to see  - no dog!  Where is he, looked in 'inactive listings' not there, looked in 'draft listings' not there.  I thought maybe I had pressed the wrong button and deleted him so went to look at the activity bit. 

Lo and behold, there was Jock, large as life.

Why?  He'd been sold in those couple of minutes between me listing him and looking at my shop.  Plus another vintage bear.  I'm so pleased that the old bears and dogs are selling as I love mending and cleaning them.

Guiness (the bear), and Jock are going to Japan once the Paypal funds are cleared.



Guiness