February's challenge - feel the love

Hello there, goodness, February has sprung on us rather quickly hasn't it? As it's the start of the month, it must be the start of another challenge here at The House of Bears.




It's Pooh and Podgy here as your hosts, you've caught us reading one of our all time favourite love stories, Pride and Prejudice, ah, don't you just love Mr. Darcy et al? Don't you just love Austen's portrayal of Mrs. Bennett , desperate to marry her to daughters off to men of substance? Who could resist the opening line 'it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife'. It's probably one of the best known opening lines to a novel, even if you're not sure on hearing it, where it originates from, you will probably still be familiar with the line.
Austen's novel is actually 200 years old now, but is as well loved and read as ever, Austen has book groups and societies worldwide dedicated to her works, and, despite only ever writing 6 novels, can be considered one of our most popular and enduring authors.

So, I guess you're all now thinking, oh, we're going to be asked to base our art work on this esteemed novel this month? Well, yes and no, yes if you want to, and no if you don't. Confused? Join the club!!
This month, the bears have decided to be unoriginal in their challenge choice, and have agreed on the good old theme of love, just like Austen's novels it too is a timeless classic, which most of us at one time or another are either in, or searching for!

The challenge this month, LOVE

Make any kind of art work, an ATC, journal page, tag, greetings card, bookmark, you name it, anything goes.....

Base your art work on a love story.....

This does not have to be the conventional love story between a man and woman, where everything turns out just right, but could be a mother's enduring love for her child, a struggle to be loved, an unrequited love, such as Pip's for Estella in Great Expectations, a lost love such as that in One Day, where Dex's long term friend turned love, Em, is taken from him suddenly (wow that twist really shocked us in that book. ) You could take the great work, Wuthering Heights, and illustrate Heathcliff's love turned to bitterness and revenge. You could pick your favourite love story, anything, if it has a theme of love or a quote about love it can count.

Alternatively, you could make art work based on the book you love the most, or the author you love the most, if it has a book theme to it, it counts.
Conversely, you could be subversive, and make a piece of work that has a twisted love (think Dracula and his love of blood) or love turned to hate, as long as your original idea takes inspiration from a book, it counts.
Thinking outside the box is as welcome as conventional here, we don't want to be so prescriptive as to put off potential joiners. The more the merrier in The House of Bears.

Normal 'rules' apply, post your art work to the linky (which we hope to remember to provide early this month) and add a comment after posting, so we know to come and look at your work. We do check back, but it's a lot easier to come and see you if you add a comment along with your link.
If you can, please visit other participants, as the best bit about the bears' challenge is sharing ideas and interpretations with each other.
This is a just for fun challenge, no prizes or top threes, as we have some of our nearest and dearest taking part, we don't want to be guilty of nepotism, or ignoring our loved ones. :)

Please do help yourself to our challenge button if you haven't already.
Spread the word, we really do love crafting with friends, so the more people who join in, the more fun we find it. The best thing about blogging is the inspiring and encouraging people we meet along the way.

Challenge will be closed at the end of the month, when we will also post our art, once we've chosen just one book to base it on, that is! Incidentally, did you know that the bears never know before the challenge what their chosen piece will be, it makes it a challenge for us that way too.

Our most important rule which MUST be adhered to - have fun.

With love from the bears.