Stratford : The TBAE show .

The day of my first show dawned with that expectant , slightly sultry air which promises a hot day . My husband and I had worked out the details of the table and unloading all the stuff (well , a wheeled trolley of 2 crates we walked over the road !) in advance - there's nothing like a bit of military campaigning to soothe a control freak like me (think of the comforting lists that need making !!) There was plenty of time to set out the stall and park my raffle donation bear , and my competition entry for the Exhibitor's Challenge in their respective places , and grab some cups of tea as drinks were made available gratis to all those wearing their official badges all day. Samantha ; the organiser , and her wonderful family team really had thought of everything - I felt most welcome and gradually started to relax .
In the bottom left of the pic above you can see Kim Gallimore (A Bear by Kim) who had the table next to me . I was surprised to hear that not only was it her first show , but it was the first time she had even been to one .... oh yes , and her baby should have put in an appearance on the preceding Tuesday !!! She was an absolute star , gaining 2 medals in the competition , and I could only drool over the bears !

It was such a treat and privilege for me to meet so many ladies I've long highly regarded and considered an inspiration . In particular , it was great to meet Paula (All Bear) in person , and after seeing her bears in the fur my admiration is renewed !
I've also heard other artists state that there is nothing like the feeling of chatting with collectors , and I completely agree ! I met some absolutely lovely people , who I could have happily chatted to all day ! I must also say a huge "Thank You" to those collectors who adopted tiny new friends from me ; I would be thrilled for them to stay in touch !

Here are a few photos of the table :- (Click on them to see a larger version)







and a couple more of the hall :-






A few close-ups of the bears themselves :-

Butterfly Fairies

Oriental bears

"Little kids"


Cashmere bears

I felt the day was very successful , and as soon as we had packed up I was thinking about next year !
I hope to get some of the bears on to my website by the end of the week , and also get back to the sewing as soon as possible ; I have loads of ideas whizzing about in my head which I'm itching to start on !!

Ta Ta For Now ,
Ruth xx