Elizabeth Lloyd is an English award winning Teddy Bear Artist residing in Dorset England,
who's home is surrounded by green rolling meadows, babbling brooks, trout filled ponds, and
magnificent Oak trees. All within easy walking distance of the Dorset cliffs and beaches
leading out onto the English channel, this environment gives the inspiration for
Elizabeth to create her "Cupboards Bears".
Elizabeth started stitching at a very early stage in life. Her Great Gran was a seamstress,
so she was bought up in an environment of stitching, which started Elizabeth's interest in
sewing at the tender age of four. She used to carry her stitching around with her in her
pocket where ever she went.
Her interest in creating Bears came nearly seven years ago, when during a period of bad health,
Elizabeth's Husband, Steve, bought her a cute little bear that he made come alive to cheer her up.
She then decided to create her first bear in Mohair. Thus James, a smoky grey bear, was born.
Elizabeth immediately fell in love with him and couldn't bear to part with him. He now sits proudly
on the best shelf in the studio, watching while his fellow brothers and sister are created.
Cupboard bears are primarily made of mohair and other luxury fabrics. Elizabeth likes to work with
different fabrics, textures and colours. Her favorite being traditional colours such as gold, brown and
cinnamon, while unusual colours and fabrics add interest to the creations of the bears.
All Cupboard bears are made using patterns that Elizabeth has designed hersel.Usually the individual
fabrics will inspire a design idea, and thus another Cupboard bear is born. Elizabeth is only satisfied
with a bear when it "talks" to her, it must have it's own unique personality and features, if not Elizabeth
makes changes until she is pleased. Much love and attention is put into each and every "Cupboard bear".
Cupboard bears are filled with a mixture of fibrefill and pellets, either poly pellets or glass beads.
It's her feeling that the pellets give the bear a huggable feel. The bears range in size from 5" up to 18",
some of which are dressed, while others may have just a bow or lace trim, and some bears just stay bare.
The bears all have either boot button or glass eyes, their paws are either top quality suedette or suede,
as Elizabeth feels that they will last the lifetime of the bear. Their joints are created using the
traditional hard board method with nuts and bolts. Her meticulous attention to detail and love for
creating bears all adds to the charm and character of Cupboard Bears.
Elizabeth, Steve, her Husband and the Bears have travelled the length and breadth of Britain attending
Shows and meeting collectors of "Cupboard Bears". They have all also travelled to the USA to attend
various shows and to meet the American collectors, which is great fun. Next year they intend to travel
back to the USA and further to meet more "Cupboard Bears" collectors.
Also we mustn't forget the very successful trip to the USA in May 98. Elizabeth attended, as one of
the eight Artists, the others being world known Ted Menton, Kimberly Fischer, Donna Bobby
Sandra Dickl, Irene Weiser, Susan Durbas and Lin and Gareth Davis in the very special Gallery show
hosted by Beary Best Friends of Tannersville PA USA. Followed by the Hershey show, also in PA, both
very daunting for Elizabeth, as these were such well known Artists that she was showing her bears with.
However, both shows were a great success with Elizabeth's Cupboard Bears selling out very quickly at
both shows.
Elizabeth's "Cupboard Bears" reside in many countries worldwide including America, New Zealand,
Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Germany, Austria, Ireland, France and not forgetting England
Scotland and Wales to name but a few. Elizabeth says that she is amazed at just how far the Bears go
to find homes.
Elizanbeth has great aspirations for her work, in that she would like her bears to find as many warm
loving homes in as many countries as possible. She feels that the Teddy bear collectors of this world
are the best warm fun loving people she could ever wish to meet. She'd also like to thank the collectors
and show organisers for giving her such a wonderful occupation.
I met Elizabeth in 1996, at a Teddy Bear Show in Princeton, New Jersey. She showed me her treasures
and I was smitten! I am proud to be the second shoppe in the USA to ever have her bears, and have
delighted in her overwhelming success. The only problem, of course, is never having enough of them in
the shoppe. We wait patiently, as do all of her avid collectors, for the newest children to join our family
at Beary Best Friends!
The Teddy Bear
Shoppe Of The Poconos
