I’m a bit late in posting this I know…… as it has really been a busy month for us rushing to get our  new bears ready for two Online Shows, ie. NCTB Oh BearZ Show on 15 November and Who is Who in Bear Making on 29 November.

 

I wonder how much we will get done today. I’ve got several bears that need attention. A couple are for new bears to be posted on my website and I’ve also got a custom order bear asking to be finished.   

 

                                                        

A photo of Mum busy helping me with the bears. It’s not easy work, long hours, our eyes strained and our hands sore but we do have fun and enjoy seeing our bears come to life.

 

Please meet Ralph! He’s a 11 inches new design bear created for Oh BearZ

Online Show. He has beautiful tied paws and toes. There was no plans to put him on a horse but somehow after finishing him, we thought he will be more complete riding on a horse.

 

I can’t believe that the dateline to submit the photos of our completed bears is coming up so soon! Still working on bears but I do hope to finish this project soon and take a break, ie. my other activities and hobbies that includes handmade beaded jewelry and scrap booking. I just enjoy craft putting materials and ideas together to create something of my own.

 

 

Another photo of our bears in our Bear Making Studio waiting to be completed. I hope they will find loving homes soon.

 

 

 

In one of Southeast Asia’s top traveled destinations, Malaysia is also the home of artist, Barbara Choo of Merry-Go-Bears.

Living in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city, she makes her home amid three dogs and a Persian cat.

Even at the tender age of 24, Barbara’s skill is evident. “I remember sewing my first un joined bear from a wool fabric when I was about twelve.” Filling her time with various crafting hobbies, she continued to dabble in teddy bear making.

“I made a jointed bear about four  years ago and it has since become an addictive hobby for both my mother and myself.”

With the help of her mother, who she credits as helping with all her bears, she has found a business partner who shares in her creative dream.

It did not cross their minds that one day it would be their business and their passion.

Learning techniques from teddy bear books and magazines, they came about their craft through a self-taught route. They have applied their own ideas, developing one creation after another over the years.

“It takes time and experience to acquire good bear making techniques,” she concluded. “Along the way, we learned through mistakes, refined our creations and improved our techniques.”

The earlier bears were gifts for family and friends, some have gone to children who need them in various local orphanages.

Barbara credits her “mum” with helping her start her business.

“She is always there giving me a little hard push and I know with her serious attitude on work, I have a long, long way to go in this business venture.”

To add a distinctive touch to her bears, Barbara is considering adding beaded jewelery and hand-painting Batik fabrics to dress her bears with.

“We have collectors who had requested items from Malaysia to be sent together with their bears and we are now considering selling the Batik too.”

On the leading edge of the teddy bear business in her area, Barbara feels that, “Artist teddy bear making is very much in its infancy today in Malaysia,” she remarked, “but we hope we can create the awareness for not only Malaysians but also Asians to recognize and appreciate this hobby on teddy bear collecting and making.”

Barbara and her mother now work full time making teddy bears.

“We encourage and influence each other. Through our work, our love for animals and our bears, along with learning our new trade, we continue to find ideas and designs that provide inspiration for our own business.”

Of course, parting with her creations still pulls on her heartstrings.

“When I have to put them in their boxes, I always have this feeling of sadness that they are leaving me,” adding, “but then I am proud and happy knowing they are finding new homes in faraway, beautiful countries that I can only wish and dream of visiting one day.”

Currently, she uses her web site to sell her bears, but plans to start selling at online auctions soon.

With her mother as her companion, helping build her business, Barbara can definitely look forward to a long and happy lifetime of adding her special touch on bear making.

Bear making has brought out in me, a contentment and happiness to do what I enjoy doing.”

Barbara explains, “and I believe with determination and effort, my work will be appreciated.”

She also added, “It is us teddy bear makers along with the collectors appreciation and support, in the art of artist bears, that will see us going and carry this handmade bear industry into a trade that will never cease.”

When I was young, I always have a love for all sorts of plush toys, especially teddy bears. They were always gifts from or to my close friends and family. I never knew it would someday be my most passionate hobby and now a little business I call my very own.

A friend of mine recently told me that she was not surprised I started my own website on teddy bears. She still remembers all the doodling of teddy bears I used to love. All the birthday cards I handmade myself would surely have a teddy bear drawn on them by me.

The bear in the picture is a present I received from my mum on my 12th birthday. It is the biggest teddy I have ’till today. I still remember I was so thrilled to have received the huge bear that I did not let it out of my sight that night. On that very same night when I woke up to go to the washroom, I screamed in fright to see a big black shadow next to me. Next day, Mum sat ‘Teddy’ on a chair at the corner of my room. And ’till today he’s still there at the same corner watching over me.

It’s really nice to have ‘Teddy’ with me. At times when I am down, I would just look at ‘Teddy’ and he seems to understand. This is my big faithful old bear that would share secrets of mine and would always be there to give me that great big hug I sometimes needed so much. To think about it, teddy bears are just friends in disguise wearing a bear suit. Don’t you think so?

Hi, I have just created my personal online BLOG - www.merrygobears.com/blog - which you are most welcome to visit and read.

Here I would like to share with you a little about how my days are really spent with my Teddy Bears in my Bear Making Studio!

Besides information, articles and pictures on teddy bears, I’ll also share with you my second love, i.e. my pets and places of interest where I live and our culture, which I hope you will find interesting. 

Now and then you may find boring ramblings and my nonsense …..  but those are also a part of my day!

I hope my blog will allow us to keep in touch and let you know a little more about myself and where your adopted bears come from!

If you would like to make a comment on my blog please do! I would be delighted to hear from you!

Hugs,

Barbara.