Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Deciding where to move was a process that took us quite some time.  When we decided to think about retiring we first went to the internet and checked out several states (we live in the USA) then we visited areas that we pulled from the internet.  We did this several times, staying a few days in each area.  We would look at the tax base, housing costs, shopping and costs of food, and the availability of doctors and hospitals.  The weather was another factor we checked on as for when you get older a drier sunnier climate helps keep the old bones from hurting as much.   

Good luck on your search and I hope you find a place that you will be happy and comfortable in.

Love it and all so true.........

Wonderful.  You make the best looking kittys.  

Love your little chef bears.

Very neat idea.  I have all of mine in zip lock bags and then they are put in a file drawer.  I mark the ziplock bag with date of design and any other info that I would need.

Another great bear!!!      Someday I hope to have enough money to buy one of your delightful bears.

Just finished this so soft and shiny faux fur pink bear.  It is another of my child safe bears with the locking eyes and nose.  She has pink cotton velvet inner ears and paw pads and is 5 way jointed.  She is 14 inches tall and even has a little tail.
She is available on my website, if you care to take a look.

Another wonderful lion.  I just love your work    

He is adorable.  I can see why he is gone already.

You are not doing anything wrong.  Everyone's bears are unique in some way.  That is what draws the bear to sell.  You do your bears what ever way you a pleased with.  If you look at all the different types of bears on this site, you will see that no one makes their bears the same.

Please meet Caramel.  He is made of a faux fur that his soft and curly.    He, like all my bears, is child safe with locking eyes and nose.  He is now available on my website.

Becky, sometimes the body piece can make a difference too.  Are you centering the legs or setting them back to give a bigger tummy?  As I make child safe bears and only use the plastic locking joints all my joints are put in before I stuff.  I center my legs and also make sure the bottom of the leg is even with the bottom of the body as if the bear was sitting.  Don't know if this makes sense, I hope so.  Them when I stuff, I do the body first and then when I do the leg, I do the foot and then the top part of the leg so that I can see how the leg will look and then the middle of the leg.  This keeps me from pushing the top of the leg out too much.  As you are using the nut and bolt system, which I use to use, a bigger washer sometimes works in keeping the top of the leg from sticking out too much.

Thank you Joanne.  I know he will enjoy his new home.

Here is Raspberry.  She is a 10 inch bear, 5 way jointed, locking black eyes and nose and black suede leather foot pads.  Her face has been scissor sculpted and slightly tinted.  I do have her listed on my website.

I was born in 1940 so I remember all of this.....what fun!  15 cent McDonalds and A&W root beer floats and ladies don't forget all the times we starched our many petticoats so that our skirts would be full.  As I remember we always wore 3 or 4 at a time.

The wings on your bears are beautiful.  Of course the bears are all cute too.

Love that expression on his face  

I don't have the printer on all the time so he is only there when it  is off.  He doesn't tear up paper but if I don't pay attention to him when he wants something, he bits my arm or hand.  My right arm looks like I have been digging in the brambles  :crackup:   He is 9 years old and we have had him since he was 6 weeks old and was the runt of the litter.  Our friends has a stray cat have kittens in their shed and thought we should have one of the kittens.  Now he rules the house and is a super fussy cat!

Thank you all!!

Thank you Joanne.

This is our cat.  His name is Mutt and weights 17 pounds.  He likes to lay on the printer next to the computer desk and sleep or watch me at the computer.  He is really too big but he always seems to manage not to fall off.

Here is Chocolate, made from feather faux fur, with brown under tones.  He is 10 inches tall and 5 way jointed.  He has leather paws, and locking black eyes and  emblossed nose.  His nose has been scissor trimmed and shading applied around the nose and eyes.  He will be listed on my website at the end of the week.

I am fairly new to this site, about a year I guess, although I have been making bears for 30 years.  I am awed by some of the bears and other critters I see on this site.  As I do mainly child safe bears, mine are pretty traditional looking.  I have also always make soft dolls and a few other critters.  I don't know about the rest of the bear makers but my passion for making bears has never wained and I will probably make bears until I can't see or handle the fur anymore.  There is always some new technique to learn or a new design rolling around in my head that just has to be made up.   Right now, with this economy, I know the bears are not selling at the rate they use too but never fail they will again.   At my age, I don't have to rely on selling my work to live and only hope I sell enough to buy more supplies.  It has to be really hard on those who have to make a living from selling their work and I have a lot of empathy for them.

Here is a free site where you can resize your photos and do all kinds of other things with them.  www.picnik.com