Picture in your mind, the shape of Italy, the land looks like a boot?
Lisa Pianigiani and her father began making teddies incorporating their country into their business name: Bears From The Boot in 1998.
Lisa worked in the hotel industry for many years, often traveling to Switzerland, Germany and England.
And that’s where the fascination with teddies began. “Thanks to teddy bear shops, magazines and fairs is where I got my inspiration for teddy bear art).”
“My father comes from the Maremma, an area along Italy’s Tuscan coast and my mother from the largest city of Switzerland, Zurich. I’ve learned to enjoy life and live with the uses of either a rural area, characterized of small villages full of history and art, and the interest in languages and foreign cultures, bequeathed from
my mother.”
Lisa was born in Tuscany, traveled and now lives there again. “By the coast, with my beautiful family and one lazy grey cat.”
The sandy beach walks, specially during the quiet winter days, where she can close her eyes and breathe the fresh breeze, listening just at the noise of water
and waves, and gain creative inspiration!
“I feel very lucky to live here and the nature gives me serenity and energy to keep up with all my ideas and creative things!”
“I have always been very creative,” as she likes to draw, paint and take photographs.
“I have written a child’s book of which I made the drawings myself, but my biggest passion are always teddy bears!” |
AMBROGIO
AMERIGO
CRISTOFORO and FERDINANDO
|
Maria Antonietta
MELATA
PinocchiOrso |
Lisa stopped making bears for several years when she became a mother. As we know we have little time to work on hobbies or have mohair hairs all around!
In 2017 with the children grown up, she decided to have a new start, “and here I am, creating teddies again!” She exclaimed.
With her new enthusiasm, she began making bears with a vintage touch, most are one-of-a-kind or small limited editions. Each bear is fully jointed, made in mohair or viscose and she uses quality materials. Glass eyes for her bears and all are filled with poly-fiber and weighted with steel shots.
“My teddies are usually small to medium sized; I like the idea of allowing them to travel with us and a tiny size is perfect to fit a lady’s bag or gentleman’s pocket!
Her favorite bear size is
5" (13cm) tall and often she makes miniature bears too!
“The look I prefer mostly is the classical style; my bears are usually undressed and I like to add just a little something to make them special; a shiny tinkling bell, an elegant silk bow or an original rusty antique key!”
Lisa loves old toys; spinning tops/tins, wooden cubes, rocking chairs and antique teddies and I love to collect them but we are always out of space, I would need a castle instead of an apartment!” she laughs!
Often Lisa gives her creations that little extra appeal that comes from the past, such as adding an antique toy which has a history and has been played so much from a child. “I hand paint all details of my teddies to let them have this vintage look, add a wobble joint at the head or some crunchy wooden chips in the tummy!” |
STELLINO
SORRISO
|
One of her recent collections is called “Vintage Key Teddies”. Tiny bears made in silky viscose with natural colours and each one wearing an original miniature key she found in an antique shop, “whilst strolling in the beautiful Tuscan city of Arezzo, a wonderful place rich in history!”
Lisa’s bears have been published in several magazines: England’s Teddy Bear Times, Germany’s BaerReport and TeddysKreativ and recently in the Dutch Teddy Beeren & Poppen. “Now I am thrill to be a featured artists in Bears&Buds Original Online Teddy Bear Magazine.”
“I have been awarded Artist of the Week in December from TeddyMission too.”
“One of my bear, called PinocchiOrso, an original creation inspired to the famous Italian wooden puppet Pinocchio, is a Nominee for the international Golden George Award! I’m very proud of it, as it’s something made to represent my country and I have worked hard for a special pattern with 9 joints, a long nose and cheeky worried expression!
“I’ve entered the 16th Annual URSA Awards Competition also.
I hope you like my entries and will vote for them.”
Lisa Pianigiani
Bears From The Boot |
3428 Hillvale Road 
