Melissa Jayne Bears are designed and produced by myself and I am a self-taught artist. The bears I make are a mixture of traditional and original styles with a modern approach, and are created within several different themed collections.
My creations range from 4 to 24 inches in height and are all virtually all one-off, unique.
Any edition I do create will never be greater than three as I like my bears to be special and individual in their own right. So if you have more than one of my bears, you will have slightly different characters but who are still definably 'Melissa Jayne Bears'. I feel that because everybody's tastes are different, I hope by giving my bears a unique identity, they will be as individual as the individual who decides to give them a home.
All my bears are handcrafted from the finest quality mohair and on rare occasion, vintage velvet and other vintage fabrics. They have glass eyes, cotter-pin or nut and bolt joints, a hand stitched or polymer nose and are poly filled. They are also weighted with steel shot and have pellets in their tummies to give them that nice weighty bear feel.
And it is important to note that due to these components, my bears are unsuitable for children under fourteen years and they are intended for adult collectors only.
Each bear comes complete with swing tag/ signed certificate of authenticity signed, which contains information on the materials used in the make up of the bear, their name, edition and collection.
Caring for Melissa Jayne Bears
Melissa Jayne Bears are relatively easy to look after but do like hugs from time to time!
They should to be kept away from fire places and direct sunlight and if you liked you could display them behind glass to keep them dust free.
They like a light brush to keep their fur looking at its best and they're not washable but a very gentle surface clean is okay.
Please keep them out of reach of children because they are not safe for children to 'play' with them.
I love Teddy bears and I know I'll never be able to stop collecting and making them.
My motto which is printed on my cards and tags, sums up what I believe teddy bears are; it reads 'Timeless Treasures'.
As teddies continue to bring joy and reassurance to many, they are truly everlasting.
Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy looking at my Melissa Jayne Bears as much as I have enjoyed creating them.
About
At the beginning of 2005, I began to create fantasy clay sculptures, I originally produced these as a hobby for gifts for family and friends. Soon later I decided to offer my dolls for sale under the name of Land of Enchantment.
My dolls are individually designed and completely hand sculpted by myself. I create figures of Fairies and Mermaids ranging from 3 – 10 inches in size and they are all one of a kind never to be duplicated.
Since October 2006 I have started to focus mainly on babies, baby fairies and angels -totally inspired by the birth of my little baby boy Aaron Joshua.
All the sculptures are handcrafted from clay and built over a wire armature for added strength. They have hand painted facial features and are also hinted with paints to provide the look of different skin tones. Their hair is made out of Tibetan lamb mohair which I apply lock by lock. The faeries also have hand made wings which are removerable for packaging but can then be glued into place when they are in their desired display position.
It is important to note that due to the fragile nature of the sculptures, they are unsuitable for children under fourteen years and are just for display purposes - intended for adult collectors only. Very special care should be taken when handling the dolls because if they are dropped, they are likely to break.
Each doll comes complete with a numbered, signed and dated certificate of authenticity.
About
In 2006, I started to design and create embroidered / hand painted bags under the name of 'Curlylocks Creations'.
The bags can be used for storing teddy bears if you don't have them all out on display all of the time. They can also be used to carry your bears around and for general every day use.
Due to the hand embroidered/painted quality, each bag design will be slightly unique.
The bags are made from heavy duty canvas, are hand wash only and cool iron on reverse.
Teddy bears are an important part of the childhood of most people, and anybody who has owned and treasured a bear as a child will never be able to forget it, and if that special bear is no longer around in their adult life, it will leave happy memories with them and there will always be a place for it in their heart.
There is nothing else quite like loving and owning a teddy bear and no-one can quite explain why they do. That’s why today, teddy bears continue to be cherished by children and collected by countless adults in many parts of the world.
My love of teddy bears began before I started school; I had a pretend ‘Teddy Hospital’ with my Nanna, where she would repair old worn teds (bought from jumble sales and charity shops) sewing up any holes, replacing their ears, eyes and so on. I remember watching her in amazement and wondered how she could magically transform them to look as good as new.
A good few years later, I had a try at sewing myself and started to spend my pocket money on craft kits to create various furry animals that I would attempt to make on my own.
Drawing and painting was also a continuing hobby and from an early age I started to draw pictures of teddies, bunnies, cats, dogs and other animals and wrote accompanying stories of the creatures and their adventures.
This true passion of arts, crafts and design continued right on to further education and subsequently in 2003, I gained a BA (Hons) Textiles Degree at the Manchester Metropolitan University. You can see images from my show by clicking here and here.
After graduating, I decided to combine many of the valuable skills picked up throughout further education. Incorporating the textiles and design elements, and bringing in my ultimate affection for teddy bears, thus created my own unique and innovative style and Melissa Jayne Bears was formed.