Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thanks for your comments.

He is definitely a cuddly dragon Melissa. They make fantastic pets, I would definitley recommend them. But as with all exotic pets you need to do your own research. There doesn't seem to be too many specialist vets about, the nearest one to me is an hour away and I know a lot more about them than our local vet.

He loves to run around the house and his favourite food is Locusts. His eyes light up if he sees the tub of locusts and he even tries to eat them through the plastic tub I buy them in

Louise was a commissioned bear.

She is fully jointed and is made of hand dyed mohair. She is filled with heavy poly-fil, has black glass eyes and a pink nose.

This is Sebastian. He is made with a lovely dense faux fur and has leatherette paw pads.
He is fully jointed and is living with his new mum in Leeds.

my Bearded Dragon.

I mentioned in another thread last month that Dino had been really sick, and i seem to remember posting a pic of him last year when we got him. So here is a little update on my little monster, now he is back to full health and as cheeky as ever.

This is him last year (6 weeks old and 6 inches long)

His favourite place when he was sick was snuggled up to my neck

Sleepy Dino

Chasing a tasty cricket!!

This is last night in the bath (just over 1½ years old and 21 inches long)

Sorry if I got a little carried away with the pics ;)

Hugs
Kat

I would like to add another one too - for reptile owners.

In August I to take my Bearded Dragon to the vets to treat pinworms. The nearest reptile specialist to me is an hours drive away, so I took him to the local vets instead (as I had done last year).

The local vet gave him Ivermectin (most often used in cattle) to treat the worms.

I had to take him to the specialist and feed him a critical care solution by syringe (orally) for around 4 weeks. I had to bathe him daily too, to help keep him hydrated.

The Ivermectin causes lethargy and anorexia in Lizards and is usually fatal to Turtles and Tortoises. Dino seemed to struggle with his breathing too, so I had to keep a close eye on that too.

It almost killed him, but with a lot of care I managed to get him back. I had read on a forum that Beardies don't usually survive this treatment.

This is Monty.

He is a commission bear and is off to live with his new mum this weekend.

He is 12" mohair bear. He has cotterpin joints and has been coloured and shaved to make him look old and well-loved.

Since I'm from Yorkshire, and Yorkshire Puddings and pancakes are my favourite foods, I make them a lot.

I don't know the measurements though, I just guess.

The Yorkshire Pudding batter I use is:

Plain Flour
3 Eggs
A pinch of salt
Milk

Mix well (not too thick, but not too thin either)

Warm the pudding tray in the oven with a little lard or oil. (gas mark 6 or electric 180°c for about 10 mins)(add sausages now if making toad-in-the-hole)

Once the fat is hot, pour in the pudding batter
The puddings should take about 20 minutes.

(I use the same batter for pancakes, but I use 2 eggs for these instead of 3)

There are some nice recipes on the Be-Ro website too.

Here is the recipes page:
http://www.be-ro.com/f_insp.htm

Hmmm...I'm hungry now...bangers and mash in a giant yorkshire pudding for dinner. Yum.

Hugs,
Kat

I hand sew everything at the minute.

I'm only 24 and I already have RSI (possibly carpel tunnel) in my right hand & wrist from all the typing I do at work. I manage to make a few bears, then I have to have a few weeks rest, because my hand decides to give up on me.
I haven't been able to do any sewing for the last three weeks or so, my hand and wrist are still not much better and I have two orders to do.

I'm looking for a nice old machine, maybe a treadle, at the minute so that I can save my hand a little by doing the bigger bits on machine.

I would love to keep hand sewing them, but if I don't start using a machine, my bear making career isn't going to last very long.

Thanks,

This is the first time I have tried to design a website from scratch.
I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I have done everything right and the new site works properly.

I'll add your links now.

Hugs,
Kat

I am hoping to have my new website up and running in the next day or so, and am re-doing my links page.

Here is my banner if anyone is interested in swapping links.

www.brierleybears.co.uk

You'll love it. Skiing is great fun.

I'd recommend that you wear a helmet just in case you fall. The soft snow is nice, but it hurts when you bang you head on the compacted snow.

We went to France in March and on a couple of days it snowed, so we had lots of powder. Rob decided to go off piste, his skis got stuck in the deep snow and he landed face down a few feet in front of his skis, it was hilarious.  :crackup:

I can't wait to see your bear.

Hugs,
Kat

I emailed the seller and explained who I was and that it was not one of my bears.

I also explained that if you do a search on google for either "Kat Vardy" or "Brierley Bears", only my details show up.

He told me that the bear is in his shop and when he gets there this week, he will look into it for me.

I have only sold one bear without a hang tag, and that went to the USA, but Coffee didn't look anything like the one on ebay.

I haven't made one called Bridget so I don't think it could be a hang tag getting mixed up. My hang tags are all personalised. Each bear has their photo and name on the front and filling details on the inside.

Hopefully I'll have some more details in the next couple of days.

Hugs,
Kat

No, it's not one of mine.

It's just really strange.

I could understand it if someone had the same name as me, or the same business name, but not both.

I have just listed one of my bears on ebay, I was just putting my name "Brierley Bears" in a search to make sure my listing came up and look what I found.

This bear is not one of mine, yet it says that it is an artist bear made by Kat Vardy of Brierley Bears.

This is just too strange for me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/20-Bridget-by-Bears … 18Q2el1247

I think I might send the seller an email and ask about this.

Surely there can't be two people with the same name and business name. 

Hugs,

Kat

I love that ad too. I told Rob about it and he wouldn't believe that it was a real advert, so I looked on their website.

There are three ads with Vinnie on the Fox's website, but you can only see him on the one that is shown on tv at them minute. You can see them here www.foxs-biscuits.co.uk.

Hi Gemma,

I notice that you are another Yorkshire lass. I am from Brierley, only about 10 miles away from Wakefield.

I have been making bears since Autumn 2005.

My greatest achievement so far is helping to raise money for Sophie Lancaster's memorial bench in Whitby. I made a bear called Sophie to raffle there, and she helped to raise over £3000.

I love everything about making bears, it is so relaxing to sit and work on them after a full days work. As with most people, my favourite bit of making them is working on the face.

I don't really have a favourite bear, I like them all. I haven't started a collection yet, but I am going down to the fair at Stratford on Sunday, so I might treat myself to one.

I'm not sure if these count as hobbies, but I love spending time with my other half and my Bearded Dragon, Dino. I also go to Whitby Goth Weekend every year, so I get to dress up and wander around my favourite place for a week, usually having to stop every few minutes to have our photos taken.

Hugs,

Kat

Thanks for the suggestions, I will keep trying to research it.

A friend of mine has asked me to make a bear to be put in an exhibition.

This bear has to have animatronics.

One of the ideas he suggested was for a zombie themed bear, where the head spins around when someone walks past or makes a loud noise.

Does anyone have any experience with things like this?

We go through lots of cereal boxes at home, so I re-use the cereal boxes for all of my patterns.

I would have loved to come as an exhibitor, but I am definitely coming as a visitor.

You have done a fantastic job promoting the fair, so I am sure there will be plenty of people turning up.

Hugs,
Kat

I mainly read horror/gothic horror books.
My favourite authors are H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Rice and James Herbert.

After seeing the films though, I want to read Lord of the Rings.

The latest thing I heard is that the people there are protesting and wanting her to be executed, which is ridiculous to say the least.

The most simple solution is just ask her to rename the bear and have done with it. This way everyone is happy, and no-one gets hurt.

I agree. Definitely a red squirrel.
They are native to the uk, but there isn't many left. I can't remember the last time I saw one, except on telly.

They are much cuter than the grey ones.

Awwww!! So cute, I want one. I love bats. 

This is Tipsy. He is 5" tall. Adopted by my next door neighbour.