Sim Yee, the creator and owner of CraneBeary, hails from Malaysia and currently resides in the vibrant city of Singapore.

From a young age, she developed a love for handicrafts, often sitting with her aunt to learn how to crochet simple items like doilies and bottle holders.

Despite her career and education in finance often limited her creative pursuits.

She rekindled her passion for handmade crafts after leaving her job a few years ago.

Now, she immerses herself in various forms of creativity, including embroidery, crocheting, needle felting, and watercolor painting.

"My greatest passion is creating art-toys, including teddy bears and their friends.
Included are bunnies, elephants, and more."

Her journey as a teddy bear artist began in 2018 after a chance encounter with miniature and doll house teddies that inspired her to learn the craft.

"I soon started designing and making my own teddy bears, leading to the creation of my brand, 'CraneBeary.'

As the name suggests, 'crane' symbolizes peace and harmony, while 'bear-y' represents teddy bears."

"My creations are primarily bears, each designed around a yearly theme inspired by  various sources, including wildlife photos, television documentaries, art and craft magazines, animal illustrations and paintings and vintage decorations."

Merlin

Alfie

CJ

Pingan

Roland

Sim Yee use high-quality materials such as alpaca and mohair fabric, glass eyes, and leather or ultra-suede for paw pads.

"When crafting these bears, my main focus is on giving them an expression that resonates with my heart."

Achieving the perfect look and feel requires countless hours at her table, carefully working on each teddy "until I am satisfied and can declare it the final look.'"

Due to her work commitments, including a part-time finance assistant job she manages from home, Sim Yee doesn't have much extra time to dedicate to making teddy bears.

However, she manages to squeeze in enough time to create 6 to 8 teddies annually, which she sells at live in-person shows.

Her first in-person show was in Singapore in November 2019, just before the pandemic, and her most recent show was in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2023.

"Attending exhibitions in person is exhilarating, and seeing the amazing creations by various artists is incredibly inspiring.

I cherish the comments and feedback from collectors, artists, and organizers, as these valuable inputs help me grow and improve my skills, allowing me to view my creations from different perspectives.

Making teddies brings me a sense of peace and calmness, and having them adopted by collectors who value my work, fills my heart with joy and pride.

CraneBeary
Sim Yee Hiew

Tammy

Narcicus

Willy

Group of teddies

More sweet teddies

Goldilocks