Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi Edie,   You have inspired  me to get mjy pieces like yours again!  I bought a couple about 10 years ago and used them for displaying my little guys at shows and people loved it.    Thanks for the remindered to dig themj out.    Janet

Olive Oyl sitting the the daffodils  .......

more chocolate......  antique kitchen towel

Chef Bear R Dee     theme of the San Jose show

There are 12 individual bears.... one for each table and a lucky person at each table will win one.

Hi Bonnie,    I just saw your post and looked in my stash as I remember having some of that very buttery soft synthetic fur with the woven backing.  I can't remember where I got it over 25 years ago.... maybe Edinburgh.  I am hoping to move and I am getting rid of a lot of stuff and have no use of this fur so if you are interested I would love to unload it to someone who would use it.   I have two large pieces and one smaller in an off white color, a pale butter color and the small one is a light brown.  I could send a sample.  Janet

It was a Happy May Day  with snow in CO  yesterday.  Windy and still cold today.  No spring here.  Janet

It is SPRING TIME IN THE ROCKIES!!!!   I got about a foot of snow last night just after getting rid of the two feet we had last week.   April is the third snowest month here in Colorado so things are normal...   I am very anxious for the flowers some of rest of you are showing!!!     Janet

This is Lavender sitting in the lillies.  More photos right now on Bid4Bears.

The Funny Pages is the Theme for TBAI in Aug. this year.  I selected Olive Oyl and had such fun creating her.  Olive Oyl bear is 8 1/2 inches tall of spotted tipped short mohair.  Featured are her skinnyness , big feet and usual costume of red top and long black skirt.  I hand knit her sweater and crocheted the little hat.  The leather boots were key chains that I happened to buy in a drug store about 15 years ago and have been hanging out in my closet ever since.  You never know when something might have a use.

Did anyone notice this display pictured and written about in the latest Teddy Bear and Friends (March/April) ?   It is a wonderful article about ways of sharing the bear world with our local communities.  Thanks, Mindy
   Janet

Johann Sebastian Bear

This is J S Bach... another composer bear specially commissioned by a member of an orchestra I play in here in Denver.  Last year I did Mozart for this customer.  J S Bear is 14 inches and made from grey dense alpaca.  His costume is based on a famous portrait of Bach.

The library display was up for one month and taken out.  It was a success in that the library got many wonderful comments on the display and it was written up in the local paper so many people went to see it.  They want me to do another in the future and I signed up.  There is a two year waiting list but I asked to be notified if there is a cancellation and I am the first pick if that comes up.  I will do another theme such as Teddy Bears and Literature or something else.  Any suggestions?   

     Here are photos of the take out crew.  One of myself  and the second of my three sons who were here for Christmas and very handy for packing up everything and doing all the carrying.

Kristopher sking in Colorado on candy cane skies...

The local newspaper was very interested in my library display when I called them today. 

      So I am writing a press release and emailing it .  They will get it in the paper this week.
      Hopefully, this will bring even more people in to see, read and be introduced to the Teddy
      Bear world.  This was a big effort  so I want to spread the word so it will be
      seen by many people.  This library is a very active one with classes going and other
      activities.   Plus this was a big beautiful case to work with and I enjoyed doing it very
      much.

      I hope this will encourage more of you to try new things to get in the public eye.  I was a
      hestitant to call but newpapers and others media are anxious to get some interesting
      positive information to talk about.  They were very receptive. 

      Any more ideas on how I can get this display seen?

      Janet

photo 7   partial  right side

photo 8  right side    top shelf has a Steiff bear 1909 replica and text about Steiff
                              also a 1907 American made bear replica bear (made by artist Sharon
                                                                                                                      Queen)

photo 9  lower right side   middle shelf included books with stories about bears and also stories about people and their bears and what they have meant to them

photo 5 upper center with poster about History of Teddy Bear (I inclueded The Hotel Colorado's claim on being the birthplace of the teddy bear)

photo 6 Teddy Bear Christmas tree (with my 4 and 5 inch bears)

photo 2   Library case

photo 3  left side   book is open to a page telling about how early bears resembled "real" bears
                           on the end is bear by artist Kelly Dauterman

photo 4  neighbors old bear and poem

I signed up two years ago (there was that long of a waiting list) to do an educational display in my local library.... Evergreen, CO.  I decided to do a history of the teddy bear with emphasis on the present and the teddy bear artist movement to inform more people of the ARTIST TEDDY BEAR.  Since I am not a collector I used my bears in the display but put in a few others that I have to show some other styles.  Also, to included an antique style bear I dug in my mohair stash, used a pattern by Kathy Wallace that was in Teddy Bear and Friends (2002) and made one.  Since it is a library I included lots of books that I have and also purchased a few on history of the teddy bear. The library also wanted lots of text so I typed up and placed many cards in with the display describing the history and what the teddy bear is all about.

    A highlight of doing this project was talking to my neighbor and found she had an old bear that has been with her since early childhood and has always kept on her bed to this day.  My neighbor writes poetry and is 75 years old so I asked her if I could use her bear in my display and if she would write a poem about her feelings for her bear. 

     The display will be in the library for a month .. Dec. 1 - 31.  Since it is during Christmas they wanted me to include bears and Christmas in my theme.  While setting up yesterday many people were enjoying looking so since I was present I could talk about it and answer some questions.  One man stood there later for maybe 20 minutes and read everything!

    I took lots of photos but due to the glass on the display case I got lots of glare.  But I will include some so you all can see and my contribution to promoting our industry. 

     Photo 1       Overview of the whole case

What about other on line shows??    such as the one on NCTB coming up in  Nov?  Anyone have experience with with this show or others?

Hi Michelle,
     As a person who lived in Minnesota most of my life I am certainly relating to this tradegy. I grew up in the Minneapolis area (Hopkins) and lived and taught school up in Interntaional Falls. until moving to CO in 1989.  My middle son is now attending the U of MN getting his doctorate and crosses that bridge daily.  I was very relieved to hear his voice answer his phone yesterday and hear he was Ok....   Thinking of all you Minnesotans..... Janet

Hey Daphne.... I am planning on Hunt Valley and have  not signed up for a room yet.  Yes I would be interested in having a roomate as keeping the cost down is a priority   .....    I have not paid my full fee yet and was waiting to see what happen this past week on an endevor which did not work out.      Janet 

PS     maybe you want to wait and see how the TBAI  snoring and sleep talking works out???

Two things that I collect or in other words are things that I look for when traveling or just on to look out for are:   
                                  Little Chef figurine bears ...   hard to find  but they decorate my kitchen

                                  Antique tea cups....  the demitasse size   with the English or French as \
                                                                 favorites...

Iam coming too!   SOOOOOOO looking forward to a beautiful drive down from CO through Taos and then on to Albuquerque.  After a very long winter here and having 3 feet of snow a week ago plus another  foot thtis past weekend I am so ready to frolic in NM.  See you all soon!    Janet