Flea Market Treasures

I went to the flea market looking for some new friends for Teddy Forest, but came back with some inspiring sewing supplies. These beautiful vintage threads on wooden spools are beautiful and the colours are so unique!

I also found this awesome sewing friend at the same booth:

It looks as though someone handmade him to keep their sewing supplies; the little bucket is meant to hold a thimble and the body opens up to act as a needle case.

I can't wait to use my new threads to make some teddies! Happy crafting!

Back to the Bears

There has been a bit of friendly grumbling in Teddy Forest recently, what with all the postings about birds and salamanders, the bears are beginning to ask, what about us? Well, they're back again, this time enjoying a lovely evening stroll in Teddy Forest Gardens.

Tinker, Wesley, and Pennington (Russ Heritage) have some advice for the weekend:



Stop to smell the flowers

  

Keep your face in the sunshine              Climb as high as you can



Love your pals

West Coast Creature Feature-The Fabulous Ensatina

Ensatina by smallgirl

This is one of my most favourite animals, not only in beautiful Teddy Forest, but in the whole wide world! It is the incredible ensatina salamander, sometimes called a red salamander (Ensatina escholtzii). These wonderful creatures are special because they are "lungless" amphibians that breathe throught their skin. Unlike most amphibians, ensatinas spend their whole lives on land, enjoying the woody debris of moist, cool rainforests. If you go into the rainforest and hope to find one, gently move a log or piece of bark to see if there is an ensatina beneath. Since ensatinas love woody debris so much, it's best not to jump on or put your whole weight on logs, bark, and other woody debris on the forest floor.
Have a super-salamander day!

Happy World Migratory Bird Day!

We're so excited in Teddy Forest for World Migratory Bird Day! This is a UN initiative to raise awareness around the world about the importance of migratory birds and their habitats around the world. Since we live on the Pacific Flyway, we're so lucky to see so many species of birds here. So, get outside today!

Great Blue Heron, White crowned Sparrow, and Anna's Hummingbird by smallgirl

Visit: http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/

May the Fourth be with You

May the Fourth Be With You! May the Forest Be With You!

Suzannah (TY 1999) in her Ewok costume and a fun ad from the back of a Dennis the Menace comic book from Teddy Forest library.

Have a silly play-on-words weekend!

West Coast Creature Feature- The Spectacular Anna's Hummingbird

Here at Teddy Forest, the bears and I are very interested in local ecology, so we have decided to add a West Coast Creature Feature. At least once a month, we will feature a fantastical creature that lives in our wonderful rainforest!

We'll start with the spectacular Anna's Hummingbird.

Photo by smallgirl, April 30 2012

This 4-inch hummingbird lives on the Pacific Coast from California to British Columbia. It emits a high-pitch squeek and can often be seen chirping at the tops of twiggy trees, shining like a tiny green or red jewel. The female is green while the male is green with a red head. This particular Anna's hummingbird is well camouflaged in her tiny nest. I was so excited when I found her that I thought I might faint! This is the first nest I've ever seen, although Anna's hummingbirds are numerous in the rainforest. Do you ever see hummingbirds?

Spring means Swamp Lanterns

Bears all over the westcoast rainforest are waking up to delicious swamp lanterns, also know as skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus). These beautiful yellow flowered plants help black bears clear out their digestive tracts after a long hibernation. Here, Blackie and Blacky are enjoying an afternoon snack.

Blacky by Unipak, who also doubles as a cute purse, was a dumpster dive rescue. He's much happier munching swamp lanterns in Teddy Forest.

Blackie, a very vintage make by littlebluebirdcrafts has been a fixture in Teddy Forest for a long time. She's a little on the shy side but loves to get out into the woods in spring time.

Have a swampy-sweet day!

Spring has Sprung!

Happy Spring! We do live in a temperate rainforest, so we don't complain about the rain here in Teddy Forest, but we are happy for this recent bout of sun. Carmen, Bruno, Stella Bunny, and Chicky Chick went out to the garden to play this afternoon.

Elf planter: 1951 Gilner California, Carmen: designed and needlefelted by smallgirl, Bruno: designed and handsewn by smallgirl, Stella Bunny: Easter vintage, Chicky Chick: souvenir from the chicken farmer association.

Carmen, needlfelted by smallgirl

Have a great week <3

Martin- A Teddy Forest Friend

This is Martin, made in Canterbury, UK by the Canterbury Bear Co. One year ago this week I got him from the Hamley's at St. Pancras Station in London. Here, he is enjoying the beautiful Isle of Wight. He is named after the (possibly unfortunate) Old Martin, the first grizzly bear brought to England. He was given to the Royal Menagerie by the Hudson's Bay Company and kept in the Tower of London in the 1800s. His ghost has been reported once, haunting the Tower. Teddy Forest's Martin has happily settled in to the West Coast lifestyle and says the rain reminds him of home.

About this blog

This is the first blog post for Teddy Forest! Apologies for the amateur design. It will get better-I promise!

This blog will have a little bit of everything; teddy bear making and collecting, nature observations, pretty crafts, and inspirations.

Stay tuned!