A challenge with a difference - Or a Tale of Joy

Bear with me (no pun intended), or scroll down for the info on the challenges, but first a little, or should that be long story, with apologies to anyone from CraftTelly.com who has already read it once.

There I was last Friday week, 26th February, in the morning watching the Charlie Bears programme on QVC UK when there was a 5 second preview of a bear called Pandy. Oh I thought, my childhood name for my Sister and the name of my long lost panda bear, I will get him for my Sis for her birthday next month!. So I quickly bought him and sat back to await the presentation. Imagine my shock when Charlie started telling my story!!!!!! I screamed out to my Daughter 'OH MY WORD MY BEAR IS ON TV .... QUICK, QUICK COME SEE.'

I missed most of the story, because I was crying with excitement and joy.

About 6 months ago I rang Charlie Bears to ask about how to make a bear stand up properly and Charlotte Morris 'Charlie' herself answered the phone. We got chatting and I told her about how when I was a small child I went to school one day and when I came home the Council Builders, who were renovating our house, had bricked up my Pandy under the stairs. I cried, I pleaded, I begged, but they were having none of it. Pandy is still there today and it broke my little heart. The lovely Charlie was touched by my story and told me if at all possible she would make me a Pandy bear. Well people say these things, but you never expect them to really deliver.

So last Friday I tuned in and there he was. Obviously my Sister has a cat in hades chance of getting him now, and my lovely Daughter is buying him for me for Mother's Day. What a lovely treat. I will have something to cuddle when I am missing Bonnie.

I telephoned after the presentation and asked to be put through to the studio, but they said they were not taking any more calls until I explained that Pandy bear was mine. When I got through Debbie, the presenter of the hour, made me promise if I was going out and had builders in again I must take the bears with me I am afraid I burbled like a nitwit, partly I was struggling not to cry with the emotion of it and partly I was just so excited.

Here is the first little pic I saw of him.
You can't see it in this photo but he has a sad frown on his face where he has been trapped under the stairs, but finally he is free at last!

So Friday 5th March, after what seemed a very long week he finally arrived. I am a little bit ashamed to say I took him out the box and emotion just overwhelmed me and I hugged him whilst crying for a good few minutes. He is absolutely beautiful, and sooooooo soft, and he has a nice tinkly bell around his neck, presumably to call out for help if he ever gets trapped again.

I sat him down and popped out the room to use the bathroom and when I came back what do you suppose had happened. The other bears had thrown a party for him and they were all sitting on the sofa with tea cups and garibaldi biscuits having an impromptu tea party in honour of Pandy's safe arrival.

I grabbed my camera and hid behind the door and took a couple of snaps of Pandy's welcome home party.

















I can't take my eyes off him. I keep checking he is still there. My Daughter has agreed I don't have to put him back in his box until Mother's Day next Sunday, after all he has been shut away for the best part of 45 years. The little girl in me is brimming with joy, the old lady is thrilled that someone went to so much effort to put a smile back on my face. So to all at Charlie Bears but particularly the lovely Charlie herself, thank you, a thousand thank yous.

Finally, a friend over at Craft Telly called Juliet penned this little ode, which she has given me persmission to publish here.

ODE TO PANDY

We used to go a-wandering Pandy (my teddy) and I,
We'd climb the hill, smell daffodils and watch the world go by.
He came with me on holidays, boat trips, car trips and more.
I'd dress him up, he looked so smart as we headed out the door.
And when the day was ended and stars lit up the sky,
I'd lie in bed, hug Pandy close and keep him by my side.
Then one day it happened,
I hardly could take it in,
I came home to find the workmen had bricked my Pandy in.
Behind the bricks and mortar my poor Pandy lay,
I cried my little heart out but the builders wouldn't give way.
They wouldn't take the bricks down, They wouldn't hear my pleas,
That was the end of Pandy,
He'd been taken away from me.
Years have gone by since that awful day,
I'm an adult now you see
but I've never forgotten the happy time we spent,
dear Pandy and me.
I never dreamt that one day my story would be told,
Pandy would come back to me before I got too old.
A bear named Pandy will be with me soon,
All fluffy bright and new,
He'll represent to me all my memories
even tho he is still new.
The spirit of my childhood days, my family, friends and more
will always be around me in Pandy who I'll adore.
He'll never be near the fireplace,
He'll never be blocked in a hole,
For this Pandy will be with me, no matter where I roam!

To all Pandys everywhere!

Yes I know I am as mad as a box of frogs, but maybe it's an unwritten rule about bear collecting, or it could be that those builders traumatised me more than I realised :-))

To anyone whoever lost a loved and precious toy, chin up, who knows what delightful surprise might be waiting for you round the corner.

So what better way to celebrate than to make a card! Wouldn't you just know it. It meets the criteria for three challenges. Firstly Celebration over at Creative Card Crew, and I know I already entered this once before but what better celebration than to be re-united with your first love....... my Pandy bear.

Secondly Flower Power over at Cupcake Craft Challenges - the flowers on here are hand made to match the papers used in the design and the background paper itself is a beautiful Summer Driggs design called 'Happy Mother's Day' which is covered in flowers.

Finally Friendship is the theme at Saturday Spotlight. What better friend can a girl have than her teddy, or in my case Panda.

I have used an image from Sassy Cheryl as it was the closest thing I could find to a girl and her panda and tried (not that well to be honest) to colour him in to match the lovely Pandy bear that Charlie has made for me. It's called Love's Healing Hands, appropriate eh?

By the way, in case you were wondering why Pandy is not black and white like a traditional 50s panda would have been, well come on he has been under the stairs for 45 years he would be more than a little faded and definitely very dusty!

Love Lin and Pandy :-)))