Christmas & Winter

A Christmas Without Bears?

I spent the weekend decorating for Christmas like many of you.  My husband drug out all the boxes, stacked them in the center of the garage and asked “are you doing the bears this year?”  ” Think I’ll skip a year” I said.  “Maybe they’re getting a bit old, year after year.”

And then tonight I found these pictures…

“So you’re done now, right?  I can put all these boxes away?”  “Yes, all finished!”, I said.  But that was before I found the photos.

I don’t have the heart to tell him my little friends can’t sit outside in plastic bins.  I don’t know where I’ll put them now that all the decorations are up, but they have to come in and be part of our holiday tradition.   Call me sentimental.  He’s put away all the boxes so I think I’ll just link him to this blog post.  Who can resist these bears?

While I’m working on finding a place for my bears, I found another picture for you!  Would you like to win a few of these tiny little bundles?  Packages of 2  1/2″ x 2  1/2″ squares of Lily & Will II!

Leave me a comment and 12 of you are going to win 3 little bundles each of yellow and aqua Lily & Will II!  Oh the fun you can have with these little squares!  I’ll announce the 12 winners Friday December 3rd!

Have a great week everyone!

Hugs,

Anne

389 Comments

  • Marisa

    I’m planning to do less this year as well. Baby #3 is due in 3 weeks so I don’t want to have a ton to put away at the end of the season. I can see why you want to have your bears out. They are adorable.

    Love the 2 1/2 squares of Lily and Will. Such cute little packages!

  • connie

    Christmas season is upon us
    our list are getting done ..hopefully
    I would just love a sampler of Lily and Will to complete my projects for Christmas …can’t wait for the last block of the month so I can display my Snow men quilt for the finishing touch !

  • Pauline

    I am a teddy bear collector with at least 1 bear in every room, even the bathrooms. I have over 100 bears smiling year round and for the holidays I used to decorate a tree with just bears but for the past few years I always bring my Christmas bears out but not for a tree. We always go back to Canada for the holidays so we decorate just 1 big tree now. I used to make mohair bears but since I started quilting and started embroidering again I’ve not made a bear in about 5 years and my knitting and crocheting projects have been few and far between. You know what…..in the new year I’m going to make a new bear. I think it is time. Thanks Anne….you are always inspiring me.

    I’ve got some Lily and Will charm packs and a green layer cake already and my yardage should be arriving at Cori’s quilt shop shortly. My niece and I are making Park Lane with the green border. Would love to win the aqua and yummy yellow bundle of Lily and Will II. Thanks for the chance Anne, have a wonderful day.

  • Karen

    Those charm squares would be perfect! We are expecting a new grandbaby in March! This makes 5 precious blessings! The colors are perfect as the baby will be a surprise!

  • Elaine

    Of course you have to have bears, they can have their own Teddy Bear’s Picnic (Christmas of course), even if it is in another part of the house, it can be a search for the bears time.
    As for that lovely material, like everyone else I love your fabric and would love to win it. Thank you so much.

  • Del Dodson

    I think that you can’t leave the bears in hiding for Christmas! They are all soo nice!
    I just LOVE bears!

    The Lilly and Will fabric squares are nice too!

    Del

  • Nancy C. in Utah

    Anne, I was wondering what those little voices I kept hearing were…now I know it was your bears, calling to you from their storage bins. One of them suggested that maybe if they sang some Christmas Carols it would cheer them all up, but it didn’t help much. They really want to join your other Christmas Decorations!!! I’m very sentimental things tug at my heart very easily. Your bears certainly do!!! OH, now you know your bears better than I do of course but one little rebel in the bunch didn’t want to sing Christmas Carols so he was singing “The Teddy Bears Picnic” song instead, LOL. Do you remember that song? When I was a little girl I had an old 45 rpm record of that song and I would play it on the little record player in my room over and over again until my folks would tell me ‘enough was enough’. While it played I would sit my rag dolls, teddy bear and the few stuffed animals I had in row on the bed and pretend we were having a sing along, with the Teddy Bear in charge, LOL. I hadn’t thought of that song and my ‘sing along’ for a very long time until I read your post today. What a great memory…thanks so much for reminding me of that delightful time. I hope your hubby reads your post and understands that you really want your bears to be part of your Christmas Celebration! Hugs… OH, and I love the little bundles of Lily and Will, so many idea’s of how to use them are dancing through my head but I think if I won I would just have to sit them out in my sewing room (where all my most beloved stuffed animal now reside, LOL) and enjoy seeing them and carefully fondling them for a while. Thanks so much for a chance to have them! Good Luck to everyone!
    I just have to tell you one more thing…I watched the movie Toy Story 3 a couple of nights ago and I have this picture in my head of the your bears coming up with an escape plan and making their way to your Christmas tree and all being in their places, smiles on their little faces, surprising you when you walk into the room, LOL. Sorry, it’s just the way my mind works!!!

  • Catherine Z

    Greetings from Northern Saskatchewan CANADA!
    I love bears too! I have a collection of Ty Christmas Beanie Babies and Buddies that only come out for a few weeks a year! I’m glad you are going to get your bears out too! I adore Lily and Will and would love to have a gift from you – thanks so much if you choose me!

  • Renee

    I would love a charming little bundle to show up for my Christmas stocking! I think the bears should come inside. My son’s nutcracker collection made it out for the first time in a couple of years and I’m really enjoying them!

  • Sue

    Anne, I love your bears, especially the little one in the cute frilly pajamas. They definitely need to be out and enjoying the holidays with you. Be sure to show us how you decorated. Your so talented that I would love to see what you have done. We are going to have a high today of 38 degrees today. Definitely puts me in the “Christmas” mode. Would love to win a bundle of Lily and Will. Have already picked up some pieces at the local quilt shop so I already have border fabric.

  • Gale Lavers

    We always have a real tree that we cut ourselves and as you know when they grow in nature they are not always perfect, that’s where our bears come in, they get to hang from a branch to cover a hole in our tree. It just wouldn’t be christmas without them. I think the Lily and Will would make a great 4 patch or 9 patch baby quilt.

  • Dana

    Every Christmas I do that with something, then the decorations are up and something is missing. I’m the one to haul it all out, so I haul out whatever it is I left in the box and put it out. Traditions.

  • marilynRH

    bears… helped my 78 year old mom put up her christmas tree, had to move her bear collection of over 100 bears . we moved the bears so we could decorate the tree with more bears and then placed some of her collection under her tree. she was so happy .

  • elizabeth

    Tiny little bundles would make great baby bear quilts (or in my case baby bunny quilts). I keep my bunnies out all year. Couldn’t “bear” to pack them away!

  • Jeanie

    I have so many bears that many also “reside” in plastic boxes too. I just can’t seem to part with them. Their little faces and the look in their eyes just grab my heart. Thanks for the opportunity to win some really cute fabric squares!

  • Clara Jung

    I would love to have these adorable fabric squares. I have three grandchildren and could make them something sweet with them. Thank you!

  • Dawn

    This year i was thinking of scaling back a little with our decorations as well. We have so much, I was thinking of going for a much simpler look but after seeing your post about your bears I wonder if i will be able to resist putting out some of our family favorites. Thanks so much for the opportunity to win a bundle of your new Lily and Will, I would love to add these to my collection.

  • Lisa Vecellio

    Love the butter yellow fabric. My niece is having a girl in April so guess what I get to use the lovely pink Lil & will for a quilt! I can almost hear your bears cheering when you bring them back.

  • Christy M

    Oh, who wouldn’t LOVE some little bundles of Lily & Will!!? :) I certainly would!
    And the bears are quite cute. How old is the oldest in your collection. My mom recently found her childhood bear while going through things at my grandparents house. He’s a little worn around the edges, but the love he reminds one of….just heart warming.

  • Dya

    Oh, those bears realy ‘deserve’ to see the Christmas tree again :-).
    Thank you for the give-away, I think the fabric is lovely, but haven’t seen it ‘in real live’ so far. I don’t know if there are Dutch shops selling it yet. So this chance to win is greatly appreciated.
    Dutch hugs.

  • Dawn

    Hi Anne, I would be “thrilled” to win a Lily & Will bundle. Can’t seem to find it in the shops here in the U.K.Happy Holidays

  • Jean Quek

    Lovely bears and lovely lil pieces of fabric from the sweet line of Lily and Will! I am sure the bears want to come out for Christmas! They are ‘family’ aren’t they? Let them join your family around the house! Surely there are spots for them all :)
    I am planning for a baby this coming year and am planning to make a quilt with the Lily and Will fabrics! How apt to come across your giveaway! Would love to win these unisex colours for my baby :) Happy holidays!

  • Diana

    Christmas is all about traditions – new or old! Hope your bears will have a chance to celebrate, too! Those Lily & Will squares will make a happy addition to my stash! Happy Holidays!

  • Inge Slaats

    Hi Anne,

    There are just so cute! Don’t let them sit in the plastic bins, please. I’m sure you’ll find a nice warm place for them, somewhere…….

    Many greetings,
    Inge from the Netherlands

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