50% off Some Items in my Etsy Shop Sale

I have some items at half price in my Etsy shop.  www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears
This sale is for February 2014 only, they will go back to full price at the end of the month.
Here are the ones that are still available -



Steiff Lion
Was £37.50 Half Price £18.75

Steiff Robby Seal
Was £22 Half Price £11 SOLD

Was £12.50 Half Price £6.25

Was £12.50 Half Price £6.25



Hermann Spaniel Dog
Was £19.50 Half Price £9.75



Knitted Cat Shelf Sitter
Was £12 Half Price £6
 

Irish Black and White Bear
Was £22.50 Half Price £11.25



Lefray Hairy Bear
Was £20 Half Price £10





Bitsy Bears Tea Cup Roundabout
Was £15 Half Price £7.50

Bitsy Bears Carousel
Was £15 Half Price £7.50



1940's Mohair Dog Puppet
Was £15 Half Price £7.50

1940's Mohair Dog Puppet
Was £15 Half Price £7.50
 



The Bears in the Drawer

I have a number of bears and animals in the drawer awaiting mending and/or cleaning.
Some are just grubby and need a good clean and brush, and others, like the poor little Chiltern bear need various 'operations' and 'fur grafts'.


The bear waiting room drawer

I really need to get this drawer emptied a bit as it is near impossible to close.
Starting at top left and working clockwise:-
Rust and white large bear made by Betoy in Oxfordshire, England, and a large brown bear (unknown maker).  Both finds by my husband, so not as old as most of my bears - probably 1970's-1980's.

Large pink German Funfair bear.  The blue bear is a smaller version.  They need a good clean but are both beautiful bears.

Clemens 'Sammy' bear with open, happy mouth.  Again needs a thorough cleaning.
White bear with red ears and eyes.  Cute little bear, but I don't know his origins.

Gorgeous large mohair bear that is in good condition, but needs ears and eyes.  I am waiting to go to a bear fair to buy appropriate mohair to make ears.  I think he may be a Schuco bear.

 

Two Chiltern grey cats are next.  The larger of the two has a squeak box, but it does not work.  They just need a clean and brush.

Black and white mohair dog nightdress case.  Clean, no damage, but needs a good brushing.

Just peeping through the middle are two little elephants.  One I think is a Steiff, but he has no label and his tusks are missing.









Plush sleepy dog, possibly Steiff.

Very bald Chiltern bear with much work needed - ears stitched back, paws mended, hole in tummy to be patched etc.  He does have his eyes and most of his nose and mouth stitching though.

Beige and red rabbit with red coat.  He is very old, may be a home made toy.

White mohair dog pyjama case - just needs eyes and a brushing.


So, there they are, my future projects all jumping up and down in the drawer saying "me next, mend me next".






Vintage Mantel Shelf Clocks

My husband recycles and restores old clocks from the 1930's to 1970's.
He has some nice clocks in his Etsy shop at the moment www.etsy.com/shop/AKClocks
Here is a selection of my favourites.  The prices range from £25 to £40.

 If you like what you see, take a look at his shop, there are wall clocks, alarm clocks and novelty clocks too made from different items.  Some are all original and others have a new battery movement fitted if there old movement did not work well.  This gives the vintage look, with the accuracy of a modern movement.

 

Hermann Bears With a New Lease of Life

I have a group of Hermann bears in my Etsy shop at the moment. Three of them are from around the 1950's.
The first one though is a more modern example that I would not have recognised as a Hermann bear, but I am told on good authorisation that he is.  He is definitely a German bear.
This cute chap is really cuddly with a good covering of mohair. 

 



SOLD

 The next is this cheerful open mouthed bear with his black dog.  He is not jointed, but sits quite happily if leaning on something.
I had to remove his head (sorry if you are squeamish, I hated doing it) and stitch it back on again as it was in danger of falling off.
He has a squeaker that works when it feels like it!


This grumpy looking growling Hermann bear stands very straight (with a bit of help from me) and looks very proud of his little bell.  He is a serious soul, but very cuddly with his beautiful long pile mohair.  I had to do some extensive repairs to his paws, practically having to replace the left one as can be seen if you look carefully at the photo.  He is probably my favourite of this group of Hermanns.  As with other damaged paws I tried to leave as much of the original fabric in place and just slip the new underneath and stitch in place with tiny invisible (I hope) stitches.

This is the last of the German bears to date.  I am not sure if this one is actually a Hermann bear, but he is definitely from that area of Germany, as there are many similarities in his design.  He is not mohair, but a soft plush which has cleaned and brushed up very well.

All of the above bears are available for sale in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears

along with many other bears and vintage toys.

Chiltern Bear 'Darnit'

Darnit, with his strange button eyes.

I have not blogged for quite a while, but I just had to show off this cute Chiltern bear that I have christened Darnit.  He has quite extensive darning to his eye sockets, hence his name.
Here are his before and after photos.


What a difference a nice pair of glass eyes makes.
Darnit is now SOLD

He came to me with odd sized white button eyes, one stitched on with green wool and the other with white wool.  A delicate operation and he now looks much happier with his amber glass eyes.

He is very worn with just tufts of mohair and is quite saggy.  His paw pads are all intact though and he has his original nose and mouth.  I restitched his back seam as it was not very neat and put a few stitches in one of his ears.

He is now available in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears

Fairies, Sprites, Elves, Gnomes and Woodland Creatures

I love the fantasy world of Fairies and Elves, and all of the beautiful woodland creatures that are seen in pictures with them
I realized that I have many of these creatures in my Etsy shops as well as the Fairies themselves.
The knitted fairies were based on a pattern found in the IOM and are all individual designs - no two will be the same.
The Kneehugger Elf/Gnome is a vintage find from around the 1950's and is in very good condition.

Knitted Sprite and Fairy 15" Tall



Vintage Pot Headed Knee Hugger Elf  SOLD

Purple and Pink Knitted Fairy Doll

The next section are the woodland animals that are mainly Steiff except for the larger Deer which is Hermann.


Steiff Wittie Owl - Large  SOLD




 

Steiff  Joggi Hedgehog 5" SOLD and Hoppy Rabbit



Steiff  Nagy Beaver

Steiff Perri Squirrel

Steiff  Tiny Fawn SOLD

Hermann Fawn

 ..and finally, the Christmas Fairies are back!  I know it is only the end of August, but the Christmas goods are already being filtered into the High Street shops so I thought I would get in on the act.

Pink and White Fairy



Pink Fairy Christmas Tree Topper SOLD



Pink Fairy Tree Topper



Blue and Purple Fairy Christmas Tree Topper

 I hope that you enjoyed looking at my fairy folk and cute woodland creatures.  They are all available at www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears




 

Pud Bears Flower Pandas

I started making 3 coloured Pud Bears Pandas in the 1990's.  They were very popular so I have made a few since I restarted making bears.  Here are a selection of past and present Pandas.



8" Biscuit - SOLD

8" Cherry Panda - SOLD

 

8" Rusty Panda - SOLD

8" Purple Panda - SOLD

8" Tan and Green Panda - SOLD

6" Tan Panda - SOLD





Pastel Panda - available at House of Bears, Bath



I am currently making a new 8" Panda in black, shaggy blue tipped, and royal blue.