artist teddy bear – Moby and Puddle

Posy Is Pretty In Pink

Little Posy is my latest fluffy pink bear and was made especially for a special bear collector who wanted a pink bear with roses. I think that Posy ticks both of those boxes.

Posy is created from a very soft fluffy faux fur, fleece and felt. I got the chance to experiment with Posy and she is the first bear that I have created who has decorated paws, I drew a little rose pattern on her paw pads and on her ears too. I think it gives her a little more uniqueness and character, hopefully her forever family will agree.

Once I had created Posy I then made her some roses but she told me that she liked a bit of bling so I added a little sparkle on her nose and on the rose at the top of her head. Posy is much happier now that she has some sparkle.

I loved painting Posy because watercolour loose florals are one of the things that I paint when I want to relax and have a good time. I think that Posy would love to walk through a rose garden. The daffodils are in full bloom right now and hopefully it wont be too long before the roses bloom too.

Pink bears are always some of the most fun to make, sometimes they come out as very gentle characters and sometimes they come out a little sassy, I think that Posy falls somewhere in the middle, she is as delicate as a rose but I get the sense that she could have a few thorns if not handled properly.

I am delighted with how Posy came out, she is a darling and I think she will be very happy in her forever home, I am excited to hear about what she gets up to! If you would like to adopt one of my bears you can see which ones are available now by popping over to my Folksy shop.

Thank you for reading my blog,

Samantha x

March 28, 2023March 28, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: arctophile, artist bear, artist teddy bear, artist teddy bears, felt roses, handmade bear, Moby and puddle, pink teddy bear, posy, Samantha webb, teddy bear, teddy bear artist, teddy bear collection

Kaida The Baby Dragon

I am very pleased to introduce you to baby dragon Kaida, the name Kaida originated in Japan and feels perfect for this really little dragon who is only 11cm tall with a teeny wingspan of approximately 7cm. She really is just a teeny wee dragon, I created a new pattern for her and the whole thing was diddy.

Her tiny features just made her even more difficult to sew but I think it was worth the effort of turning tiny fabric pieces inside out to create such a cutie. Her wings have a very thin wire inside to give them a bit of stability which Kaida will definitely need whilst flying to her new home.

She has pointy ears and excellent hearing, her eyes sparkle and of course like all of my bears she has a tiny silver heart sewn to her fur with an S stamped on it, this shows that she is a collectors piece but also that I will never make the same one again, Kaida really is one of a kind.

Kaida is weighted and is so nice to hold, you may be a little shocked at how much a baby dragon actually weighs when you hold one but be careful if you do, they are ticklish!

Kaida is such a darling little dragon, I am really happy with the way the pattern came out and I hope to make more baby dragons (and maybe some bigger ones) in the future. I can imagine a whole hoard of dragons would be rather cute if not chaotic. I painted Kaida just like my bears and she enjoyed sitting for her portrait but was insitent that I use all of the colours because they are all her favourite!

Kaida is a lucky dragon and has already been adopted by a very lovely family who have experience caring for dragons, she is very excited to meet them. Keep an eye on my social media pages though because now that I know my pattern works well I will be creating more in the future so you may be able to adopt your own baby dragon someday too.

Thank you for reading my blog,

Samantha Webb.

March 14, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: artist bear, artist teddy bear, baby dragon, dragon, kaida, Moby and puddle, Samantha webb, teddy bear collection

Firecracker

Firecracker is a really wonderful bear, as soon as I saw this fluff I had to make a bear with it and ahhhh it was a dream to sew with! I am in love with Firecracker and how he came out. He has a bow and some little bells so that he can dance and jingle everywhere he goes. The black of his main fluff truly is the best background for his fantastic pops and bangs of colour.

Firecracker has colours from his feet to his ears, he is a big burst of fun! He is made of faux fur and fleece, he has glass eyes and an embroidered nose! Even his eyes sparkle. With his cotter pin joints he can stand or sit, move his arms, legs and neck, he can basically dance!

I have never painted a firework but this was a pretty good little attempt I think. Firecracker really loves fireworks night when the skies are lit up with all of the colours of the rainbow! All of my bears come with a portrait that I have painted, I just love painting bears.

Firecracker is just chilling out and waiting for his forever home, it needs to be with a family who loves colour because he is sure to stand out!

Find him in my Folksy store while he waits but as always he is one of kind and will not be replicated.

Thank you for reading my blog post,

Samantha x

March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: artist bear, artist teddy bear, artist teddy bears, firecracker, handmade bear, Moby and puddle, Samantha webb, teddy bear collection

Oleander

Oleander looks like she is made from candy floss, her faux fur is the longest, fluffiest fur that I have ever sewn with and it was not easy but I am so happy that I persevered because look at that little face!

Oleander has sparkly green eyes, a pastel rainbow over sized bow and gorgeous little toes that have been needle sculpted from fleece. Oleander is named after a beautiful pink and purple flower, I call her Andie for short after Andie from the movie Pretty In Pink which I have always loved. She can sit or stand, move her arms and her neck, she likes to shimmy her fluffy fur!

I had such a lot of fun painting this bear, how on earth does she manage to be so bright and also so pastel all at the same time? She is a mystery to me and I could not love her more!

Oleander is chilling out waiting for a forever home, she doesn’t mind waiting, its almost spring and she will wait in the sunshine! If you would like to adopt her please pop over to my Folksy shop and see if she is still available, she is one of a kind and will not be repeated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog,

Samantha x

February 28, 2023February 28, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: arctophile, artist bear, artist teddy bear, handmade bear, Moby and puddle, oleander, pretty in pink, Samantha webb, teddy bear

Happy Valentine’s Day From The Bears

A very happy Valentine’s Day to each and every one of you from me, the bears and Muddle. Today is a day to celebrate love!

I hope that wherever you are today and whatever you are doing that you manage to tell someone that you love them and hear it in return. It shouldn’t take a special day to remind us but now that it is here it is a perfect chance to say it. I will be spending valentine’s day with my lovely big bear, Jangy and our Webblings but I am hoping to sneak in a little sewing too!

All of these bears are waiting to give a great big hug to someone that they love, a forever family. You can adopt them now from my Folksy shop. Each and every one is genuinely made with love, care and attention to detail. They all have a little silver heart on too that has been stamped with an S just like the one Muddle is holding in the illustration above.

From me, my family, all of the bears and Muddle … HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Oooh do you think I should make a little cupid bear soon? That would be adorable.

Thank you for reading,

Samantha.

February 14, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: artist bear, artist teddy bear, handmade bear, happy valentines day, Moby and puddle, muddle the bear, Samantha webb, teddy bear artist, valentines bears

My Bears Are Extra Special …

With so many bears on the market from very cheap to incredibly expensive collectible bears, my bears are the lower end of the collectible market and I am always so very grateful when someone chooses one of my bears from the wide arrange of the bears available. Adding a bear to your hug can be a hard choice to make.

My bears are not toys, they have not been CE tested and because of the weights, the joints and the fact that they are hand sewn means that they would not pass testing and testing is only financially viable for products you wish to mass produce which is the exact opposite of my bears which I want to be one of a kind.

While I am here I should probably address that fact that I also cannot and do not breach copyright with my bears, as much as I am grateful that people would like me to create them Winnie The Pooh or Paddington, I am afraid I have to stick to my own characters. The risks involved in ignoring copyright laws can be severe even for the smallest of businesses.

So what makes bears pieces of art over toys? To me it is the amount of love and dedication that I put into each one, they really are works of art! I write on all of my tags that they are 001 of 001 and they really are, it is sort of a joke since I own bears from big manufacturers that are 396 of 3000 for example. I never repeat a name and in all the years of creating bears they all seem to be happy with their names, don’t worry there are millions of names in the world so I won’t run out.

Every bear of mine has a tiny silver heart sewn to them that has been hand stamped with an ‘S’, tiny bears have the heart on the tag because my tiniest bears are not much bigger than the hearts sometimes. If they have this silver heart then you know they are made by me, Samantha Webb which is what the S stands for (They are too tiny for and SW).

When you receive one of my bears they also come with a tiny portrait which I paint with watercolours, I love to paint bears and it is a great excuse for me to practice painting with my watercolours on smaller images. I am predominantly a children’s illustrator and painting is my passion so it is fantastic to be able to merge my interests. I like to imagine that some of my collectors will have binders full of the trading card sized illustrations someday just like my Artist Trading Card binders that I love.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has ever adopted one of my bears, they really do mean a lot to me and every purchase helps me to keep my tiny business afloat and to support my family too. Purchasing from me or in fact any teddy bear artist is keeping an old craft alive, I hope to pass down my skills to someone someday but until then I will keep perfecting my bears, I do think that they continue to get better and better over time like any skill that requires practice.

If you have any name suggestions (I am currently working on two bears that are as yet unnamed) let me know!

Thank you for reading my blog,

Samantha Webb.

January 17, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: artist bear, artist teddy bear, artist teddy bears, handmade bear, Moby and puddle, one of a kind bear, Samantha webb, special bears, teddy bear artist, teddy bear collection Leave a comment

Meet Evangeline

The eagle eyed among you would of noticed a face in my 2022 round up that I hadn’t yet introduced you to, well the time has come …

This is Evangeline and Evangeline is incredibly difficult to photograph because she has the most beautiful, vibrant fur in a rainbow of colours all standing out against a bright white under layer and my camera absolutely hates it. It cannot focus on the colours without making the white unbearably bright. So please trust me when I say this bear is so much more beautiful in real life!

As I was creating Evangeline I was listening to a lot of Disney songs, it’s kind of a guilty pleasure only I don’t feel guilty about it. One of my favourite songs came on ‘Ma Belle Evangeline’ and it stuck in my head for days whilst I created this bear so it was only fitting at the end that she be named Evangeline. I think that it really suits her too because she is a star!

Evangeline is created from faux fur like all of my bears. Her needle sculpted toes and her ears are fleece and her eyes are glass. Evangeline has an embroidered nose and a lovely yellow ribbon. She is weighted so she is lovely to snuggle and she has 5 joints (neck, legs and arms) so she is posable although a doll stand is recommended if she is to be displayed stood up, she is more than happy to chill out sat down.

As her name Evangeline means ‘bearer of good news’ I am happy to announce that she is available for adoption from my folksy shop. She is of course one of a kind so she is only available until she has been adopted.

Like all of my bears she has a tiny silver heart that is stamped with an ‘S’ attached to her, just below the chin so you know she is created by me and will be a one of a kind bear.

I love to paint my bears and Evangeline was nice exception, I have painted her in watercolours and her painting will accompany her to her forever home. They are trading card size and are also one of a kind, I think that some of my amazing customers must have quite the collection of bear cards by now.

I have loved creating Evangeline, she is very unique and although she was my last bear of 2022 she has given me the boost in confidence to keep creating into 2023 and I have my next bear planned already!!

Thank you so much for reading my blog.

Samantha x

January 10, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: artist bear, artist teddy bear, artist teddy bears, evangeline, evangeline bear, handmade bear, Moby and puddle, rainbow bear, Samantha webb, teddy bear artist, teddy bear collection

Lupine the Bear

Happy New Year Bear Lovers!!! I hope you had an amazing Christmas and are enjoying the start of a fresh and wonderful new year!

I am delighted to be able to introduce you to Lupine, although technically she made an appearance in my 2022 yearly round up, I wanted to give her a proper hello.

Named after a beautiful purple flower, Lupine does the name justice with her ever so fluffy (faux) fur in a deep purple with white accents. She has black glass eyes and needle sculpted feet. Her nose is embroidered in a lovely brown which compliments her extra long bow! Why is her bow so long? Well I was going to cut it much shorter but she insisted that it needs to be super long, she wouldn’t say why!

Lupine has a new home and was made especially for a subscriber to Muddle’s bear club, a club where you receive three surprise bears a year. Small, medium and Large, Lupine will join Heather and Candytuft in their hug and she is very much looking forward to being a part of the family. If you would like to know more about the bear club (currently only available for UK bear lovers) please send me a message and I can give you all of the details.

Like all of my bears Lupine has a tiny silver heart stamped with an ‘S’ on her chest and has had her portrait painted. She really is a one of a kind bear who is going to a bear collector who will love and cherish her.

I am always so thankful when my bears get a new home and don’t have to go into storage until they find their forever home.

I hope that you like Lupine, I have lots of bears currently available for adoption and will have more in 2023.

I hope that 2023 is the year of the teddy bear for all of us!

Thank you for reading,

Samantha x

January 3, 2023January 3, 2023 by bysamanthawebb Tags: artist bear, artist teddy bear, artist teddy bears, handmade bear, lupine, Moby and puddle, Samantha webb, teddy bear artist, teddy bear collection Leave a comment

2022 A Year Of Bears

I have been much quieter on social media in 2022 than in previous years and have even had some messages to ask if Moby and Puddle is still going, I promise you that it is going strong and I am still loving creating my bears and a few other little bits they just take me a little longer these days, I think that makes them even more special though.

These are the beautiful bears that I have created this year.

13 might be unlucky for some but I think that since currently 11 of these bears have new families I am very lucky indeed. 13 new bears in 2022, I wonder how many will be created in 2023? I have lots and lots of new ideas and I am hoping to make some beautiful new bears for you to adopt.

You can always find my available bears in my Folksy shop too.

Which one is your favourite?

Thank you for reading my blog, have a wonderful New Year,

Samantha

December 27, 2022 by bysamanthawebb Tags: 2022 bears, arctophile, artist bear, artist teddy bear, artist teddy bears, Moby and puddle, Samantha webb, teddy bear artist, teddy bear collection, year in review Leave a comment

Where Has The Time Gone?

It is that crazy time of year where you have to be in around six different places all at the same time and you have to somehow remember what you are supposed to be doing all with a massive smile on your face and maybe even a sing song. I am dreaming of dancing with candy canes and having nightmares about having to wrap a never ending supply of Chocolate Orange!

The Webblings have a lot going on, last week Lilly Webbling was a star on the ice in her winter gala and Harry Webbling shone bright too in his Christmas concert as part of the drama club and the choir. I really could not be more proud of them both!

It seems that we have a huge list of family and friends to see before Christmas and even though my children are now a bit older they have decided that they would still like to visit Jolly Old St Nick so we will have to fit that in too. Not to mention that these elves, Ernest and Elizabeth are driving me insane with their shenanigans (I love the word shenanigans, I should use it more!) and the mess I have to clean each day, it is lucky they are cute!

All of that to say that sewing is going SLOWLY! I am currently working on two large bears, one of which is a super secret bear for my monthly subscription so I cannot show you that one until January but the other is a rainbow bear with some of the most beautiful faux fur that I have ever worked on. This bear will hopefully be finished before Christmas and I will be able to at the very least photograph her, sadly there is no possible way that she will be ready in time to go under anyone’s tree because of the postage issues that we have been having.

She may well be my last bear of 2022 but who knows, if time slows down a little I would love to create another with this special firework fabric that I have just in time for new years eve, I can hope! I am sewing as fast as I can in the few short gaps of time that I can find.

I am not complaining though, I absolutely love this time of year, I wouldn’t change it for the world (except maybe learn to sew a little faster and not have to wrap chocolate oranges!). I hope that you are having a wonderful winter no matter how you celebrate.

Thank you for reading my rambling blog,

Samantha x

December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 by bysamanthawebb Tags: artist bear, artist teddy bear, artist teddy bears, christmas time, handmade bear, Moby and puddle, never enough time, Samantha webb Leave a comment