Hibernating!

It's a really cold, windy and rainy day here, perfect weather for bears (and bear makers!) to hibernate. I've got so many exciting new projects on the go, just can't wait to share so much with you, including the first ever Bumpkin Bears Calendar - right now the bears are deciding amongst themselves which month they want to appear on!! Whilst I'm waiting for their decision I've got lots to get on with, a darling new drawing, with bear and some new friends, that I'm having such fun with (can't wait to share it). Plus commission bears to finish and start. Last week I ordered some GORGEOUS Schulte kid mohairs, the top of the top in the mohair world for softness, these are going to be some cuddly bears! I'm trying to be patient until they appear from the UK, it will be like Christmas for me when the box arrives!

I have just been featured on Indiepublic along some other fabulous artists. You can even see a photo of Finnegan, one of the first bears I designed many moons ago! Click here to take a look.

Yesterday I received the sweetest photos from Peter, a very kind collector (and brilliant photographer) right here in Belgium, he is a very good Dad to two of my Bumpkin Bears, Lewis and Bailey. As you will see in these gorgeous photos they have just received a Peter Rabbit story book. As many know I am a huge fan of Beatrix Potter and I can just imagine all the stories of Jemima Puddleduck, Mrs Tiggy Winkle, Benjamin Bunny and of course Peter Rabbit... those bears are going to sleep very well after their bedtime story. Mind you, I think they will not let poor Peter go to sleep until they have heard many many of them!!




Come back soon to see lots of new friends, calendars, gift tags.... such exciting times :) Hugs, Catherine x

Summer's Last Smile

Thanks for all your lovely response about my Bunny and her Teacup Print, it's been a delight to send these prints off to special folk around the world, more of this series to follow. I have always loved Bunnies, but seeing the wild bunnies in my garden every day and my Summer Trip to Beatrix Potter's home has really got me into Bunny mode! If you missed out on the photos just click here and here.

So I've been having fun drawing a dancing bunny today, after painting yet another window frame of our house! The painting is nearly done, just the front door to go, then our old dark wood will have disappeared and been replaced with a pretty yellowy cream. After many Autumnal days we suddenly had a very hot day yesterday of 30c, Summer's last smile. Here are some photos I took in my garden. I'm busy bringing a new Bear to life in pretty antique peach mohair, a girly bear, so come back soon to say hello to her.


Hugs, Catherine x

Friends for Tea

Don't you just love having Friends for Tea, using your pretty antique china? I can't think of a better guest than a wee fluffy Bunny, she has even brought her very own Teacup - can you spot it? How very well mannered of her! This Print is the first in a darling series of Friends For Tea. You can have this Bumpkin Bunny to Tea in your own home by going along to my Etsy store. Click on photos to see Bunny closer!





Have a lovely weekend, Catherine and Bunny xx

Peek-a-boo!

Hop, Hop....... I can't spring high enough yet, but soon we will meet .... are you ready to have some Friends For Tea?! Bumpkin Bunny x

In the footsteps of Miss Potter - the movie

It's been a busy week, trying to paint our house window frames in between rain showers, sewing a new bear and lots of sketching. Back to my trip in the world of Beatrix Potter..... After visiting Hill Top we went on to the Beatrix Potter Gallery in nearby village, Hawkshead. A wonderous amount of original sketches and watercolours are displayed within the old solicitors offices of her husband. A beautiful 17th Century building, with wonky wooden floors and low ceilings (not good for bumping your head if you're tall like my fiance!).



Then we went in search of Yew Tree Farm , that was one of the farms that Beatrix had owned, and was used as Hill Top in the Miss Potter movie. If you click on the red link above you can see why the actual Hill Top was not able to be used in the Movie. We had a lovely cup of tea in their garden, with little lambs sleeping under the benches! A truly beautiful house, wouldn't you just love to live here, I know I would!






I have just changed my banners here on my blog and on my website, hope you like them. Many more photos coming up soon. Wishing you all a happy weekend. Hugs, Catherine x

In the footsteps of Beatrix Potter

It has been a wish for a very long time to visit Hill Top, the home of Beatrix Potter in a little village called Near Sawrey.

For those that have seen the Miss Potter movie you will know that she bought Hill Top in 1905, at a very sad time of her life when she had just lost her fiance to a sudden illness. She bought Hill Top with the royalties from her first few books, written at her parents home in London, but inspired by her annual holiday visits to the Lake District. She visited as often as she could, but never for more than a few days at a time, sketching the house, garden, countryside and animals for her new books. After she bought the farm, she busied herself writing more books and running the farm. Beatrix wrote many of her famous children's stories in this little 17th century stone house. Characters such as Tom Kitten, Samuel Whiskers and Jemima Puddleduck were all created here, and the books contain many pictures based on the house and garden.

I took lots and lots of photos of the house, village, bunnies and gardens (more than 40) which I have put on my Flickr page. Just click on the red text to get to Flickr and then click on the first photo of the set and follow my journey :) I hope you have a good time!

We also visited the Potter Gallery, full of original illustrations as well as the beautiful farmhouse that was used as Hill Top in the Miss Potter movie, it was also owned my Beatrix and was so sweet. More photos coming soon! Yesterday I started on a new bear inspired by the beautiful beaches on the West Coast of Scotland! I have also been busy drawing, who could not be inspired having been in the home of Beatrix Potter! Hugs, Catherine x

Join me on holiday!

Hi everyone, we're back safe and sound, we had THE most fabulous holiday in The Lake District and Scotland, finishing with a few happy days visiting family before driving back to Belgium. We took nearly 2000 photos over 2 weeks, no ... no.... come back, don't worry I'm not going to show you ALL of them ;-) We started off taking the Eurotunnel from France to Kent in the UK, this is quite an experience, driving into a train, sitting in your car for half an hour and then driving out and voila... there you are in England -isn't that just magic! Here you can see the train and a few shots taken out of the car on our road trip up to the North of England and the beautiful Lake District. This is the most beautiful area, with lakes at every turn, charming hand built dry stone walls dividing up the fields up and down the hills, with sheep dotting the hillsides. We stayed in a lovely hotel on the Lake Side in Ambleside, look at that sweet window sweet in our room. I was excited as a little kid on Christmas morning because the next day we were going to visit Hill Top, the farmhouse where Beatrix Potter lived! I'll show photos of this as well as the landscapes over the next few days. So do hop back along my garden path to visit Peter Rabbit's playground!






Hugs, Catherine x