Sandra Marie has always been interested in crafts, having learned to sew and crochet at a very early age. She has a special passion
for creating beautiful things.

However, she had no clue just how much her life would change in 1995 when she made her first teddy bear.
She was completely hooked
on bear making and that’s when “Bartlett Bears” was born.

Sandra, who was originally from New England, experienced a significant accident that resulted in chronic pain. In an effort to find relief for her body, she made the decision to relocate to sunny Florida 17 years ago, believing that the warmer climate would be very beneficial for her healing.

With the move to Florida she decided to change her business name from Bartlett Bears to Bear Hugs Originals.

Being very creative and enthusiastic with the mechanics of bear making, she delved into the process, learning more and more techniques as she went along. "I'm a self-taught teddy bear artist."

Over the years, Sandra has honed her skills and developed her own style of bear making. Her bears and animals often have a whimsical charm and playful expressions.

Candy Hearts

Billy Blue

Basket of Bunnies

Little Boo

Frankie

Abigail

Frosty

Sandra Marie is known as a soft sculpture artist who has been designing award winning, one-of-a-kind, handmade, collectible artist teddy bears.

Her bears are created using high quality faux fur and mohair.

All of her patterns
are designed from either
a sculpt of clay or her own sketches and each bear is an original, authentic collectible artist bear.

Her bears are known for their vibrant colors, expressive faces and their intricate details.

She describes her bears as “definitely contemporary”, using both quality faux fur and mohair, and her favorite material to work with is faux fur.

She puts a lot of detail into each and every one of her original creations. “The face takes many hours to needle and or scissor sculpt, as each one has to be absolutely perfect before I move onto the body."

Bear noses are most always embroidered, but you may see an occasional needle felted
or sculpted polymer clay nose.

All her bears have pulled feet and paw pads with shading. Some larger ‘toddler-size’ bears have wired arms so they can be posed and give gentle hugs. All bears and animals are filled with premium polyfill and are weighted with steel shot or plastic pellets.

Sandra Marie is passionate about her work, and she loves creating bears that bring joy to her collectors. She believes that teddy bears are more than just toys; they are symbols of love, friendship, and comfort. Her bears have been adopted by collectors around the world.

Sandra has won numerous awards for her bears over the years, including a first place USRA Award Competition for her bear Peter in 2018 and an Excellence in Bear Artistry: ”Judges Choice” and “Public’s Choice Award” for her bear Lil Max in 2019.

She has also been featured in numerous magazines and is a Professional Artist Member of Bears&Buds. (See the list below).

Cyberspace has become her storefront where you can find Sandra Marie’s latest creations on her Facebook page, on BearPile and exhibiting in all eight of Bright Star Promotions’ Online Teddy Bear Shows.

Blessed with exceptional computer graphic skills, she's able to design stunning advertisements that attract collectors to the online shows.

As a result, it's not uncommon for her to sell all her bears on display within hours of the show's opening.

Despite the success of Bear Hugs Originals, Sandra remains humble and grateful for the opportunity to do what she loves. She enjoys the process of creating each new bear, and takes joy in knowing that her one-of-a-kind creations bring happiness to others.

Her hope is that her bears and animals will continue to be treasured for years to come, and that these works-of-art might inspire others to embrace their own creativity and passion.

Bear Hugs Originals

Sandra Marie

Daisy

Chiari Warrior

Lil' Max

Whitney

Wasabi

Lavender

Winslow

Yogi

Awards:
2013 "Excellence in Bear Artistry Award" (Oliver) Judges Choice
2015 "Fourth Place URSA Award" (Flopsy) Judges Choice
2015 "Excellence in Bear Artistry Award" (Frankenteddy)
2018 "First Place URSA Award" (Peter)
2019 "Second Place URSA Award" (Fiona)
2019 "Third Place URSA Award" (Kopernikus)
2019 "Excellence in Bear Artistry Award" (Lil' Max) Judges Choice & Public's Choice
2019 "TOBY Industry Choice Award" (Kopernikus)
2019 "TOBY Industry Choice Award" (Cooper)

2020 "Third Place URSA Award" (Stuart)
2023 "Best in Show Award" BearHugs4U March Online Show for bear named Winslow.

Publications/Features:
April 2015 Featured - Bears & Buds Online Magazine
September 2015 - Teddy Bear & Friends Marketplace; "Rory the Raccoon" and Wags the Dog"
January 2016 Featured - The Blog of The Guild of Master Bearcrafters March 2019 Teddy Bear & Friends Marketplace; "Noggin the Yorkie" December 2022 - Featured - Teddy Bear Times Magazine