My name is Kristie Carwithen and I'm a wife and mother of 4 sons. I was born and raised in the Lower Mainland, BC, Canada.
I was inspired to love dolls and teddy bears at an early age by my Mother and Grandmother and since I am the only daughter with two brothers, I think I was a little spoiled with the amount of 'stuffed' gifts I received.
My whole family is very artistic, inventive and good at working with their hands. Both my parents love to draw and paint and would let me have my own rein on how much creativity I could exert. Even though I am sure most parents would consider it defacement to their house, my folks just offered an encouraging smile when I would draw huge scenes on our bedroom walls. They grinned, nodded and helped provide materials when I would be inspired to build and refinish my own furniture. It all was seeds of planting to be creative and too seek a limitless individuality..
I don't think there has ever been one thing I wanted to be when I 'grew up'... a writer, a painter, a doll maker and now a teddy bear artist. Teddy bears are inspired to me by my Mother. She painted them for many years and has collected them since longer than I can remember. Driven and ambitious in her own artist endeavors, my Mom has encouraged me to perform my very best in every bear or doll I make..
Most of the last 5 years have been devoted to making and collecting dolls and its only been recently that I've taken up hand-stitching bears. It's been a pure joy for me because I can settle myself on the floor among my three sons, my youngest being just 12 months, play and chat with them and stitch away on my furry friends. I am living a dream, really ... intertwined with the things I love most, my day couldn't be better..
My husband is my biggest fan and holds with loving hands, my very first bear. He urges me to continue exploring my interests and always seems to listen intently while I prattle on about my new ideas and dreams. And there are so many new things I want to try and different avenues of bear and doll making I have to explore. I look forward to trying everything and feel very privileged to be able to share them with others.
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