Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Great news Jennie   :dance:    :dance:    :dance: .It can cheer you up no end just to sell a few bears as it can be so depressing not to sell any.I put 3 bears on e bay last week and I sold one of them.I was quite pleased as at this time of the year you don't know if people are still penniless from xmas.
Laurie :hug:

What a cutie-he made me laugh
Laurie :hug:

I agree with everything said here as I don't like commissions for that reason of trying to please people.If I were you I would not even attempt another one for this customer but instead offer her first refusal on say the next three bears that you do and if she doesn't want any of these at least you have tried.Just tell her you work better from the heart.It takes the pressure off  you as well as you won't have to feel like you are making the bears just for her.It can be impossible trying to please some people as they seem unrealistic in their expectations.
Laurie :hug:

I love this one Gemma-he is a real little sweetie       .I reckon that this new pattern will be quite popular.You might not be able to keep him until May as someone will want him before then
How big is he?
Laurie :hug:

If you enter any contest you know that you can be disappointed if you do not win but even if the people who are complaining didn't enter no one can deny that those that have got nominations haven't deserved them with the outstanding quality of their work.
There could be many others that could have been nominated as their quality of work is just as good but that is what you get in competions some you win :dance:  some you lose.
Laurie :hug:

They are sooo cute Samantha-I especially love little Jessica.
Congratulations :clap:
Laurie :hug:

He made me smile Tami-he is sooo cute :love:
Laurie :hug:

Congratulations to all you talented people that have nominations :hug:  :dance:
Laurie :hug:

Theres definately a similarity there Chloe-especially with the second photo.I don't fancy having my photo taken any more than I have to besides hubby is still trying to work out how to use his camera-well thats my excuse anyway :crackup:
Joking aside hubby does often say he can see me in my bears.Either with the cheeky looking bears I do or the ones with a sorrowful look on their faces.
Laurie :hug:

This one is a little cutie Gemma.I love the colour
Laurie :hug:

Happiness is having a happy healthy family and seeing my Balinese cat look through the living room window on Thursday night when he went missing for over 3 days as the red setter opened the door and let him out.He is an indoor cat and he was out in all the storms and we were starting to loose hope of finding him as we had looked everywhere around our village.I can't tell you how pleased I was to see him
Laurie :hug:

I have been making bears for just two years now and the first style that I have stuck with is my avatar bear.I just knew that I would like to carry on with this style as soon as I made the first one.I now like making the traditional bears and had a style for that but have recently tweaked it .I think you should just do what you are happy doing.There has to be fun in making bears and if you don't enjoy it because you are not doing what you want to it will show in how your bears turn out.I am happy doing my two styles of bears at the moment but I wouldn't rule out constantly tweaking my patterns or trying something different.Just go with the flow and do whatever inspires you at the time.
Laurie :hug:

I have just done the same thing myself.Someone liked a 20 inch bear that I had just sold and wanted me to make them one similar.My faces never turn out exactly the same so I thought I would tweak the original pattern and make the nose a bit different.I didn't like it so on to head number 2-I thought I would lengthen the nose as number 1 was a bit short.Didn't like that either.On to head number 3 and the last one I could do before I wouldn't have enough mohair left to finish the rest of the bear.Head number 3 was the original one that I had made Walter with and the one the lady liked.He looks different to Walter but he is the best head out of all.Why didn't I just use the original in the first place aaargh.I had sat up until 1.30am for 3 nights trying to get it right putting in eyes noses etc hoping they would look ok when I finished them.I know exactly how you feel and how much time that you can spend on them.Sometimes though you have to go through this process as you will never know what you will like in the end and it could have worked out in your favour-Just wish it wasn't such a lengthy process and in my case it would have been much easier if it was one of my 12 inch bears as I hand sew all of mine!
The funny thing is that as you try out these things it doesn't take long before your instincts are telling you this isn't going to work yet you still try to make it work.I have thrown many a head in the bin much to hubbys dismay when it is one of those heads that I just don't like.You know that you don't like it and sometimes you can't even explain why
Maybe thats what makes an artist good at what they do as they can see the difference between a good piece of work and something that just hasn't got it.
Laurie :hug:

I think you should still give it a go Paula.You can age your bear as much or as little as you like.I would do your smallest bear size as you won't need so much material.
The worst thing is that you won't want to sell the bear as your not happy with it but there again you could be pleasantly surprised.It is easy to stick with the same thing all of the time and keep in your comfort zone but if at least you have had a go you haven't given up before you started.
Laurie :hug:

Thanks Sandi.One of a kind in a series of two might just be the wording that I am after on this one.
Laurie :hug:

If you pick the right fur to start with(expensive or not)you shouldn't feel so guilty about distressing it as if done properly it can only enhance the end result.I like to use schulte but the sorts of fur that you use for older bears aren't as expensive as you normally use Paula.I like to study the genuine older bears to see where the normal wear and tear areas would be.It is a bit scary to start with as once you start distressing you can't put right any mistakes.Good luck with your new project and I will wait to see your end results.
Laurie :hug:

When you choose the mohair you need to go for the sparse furs and pick a colour that looks like it would look even better if you distressed it.I prefer piles that are not straight but with a curl to it or some sort of scruffy look to it.I wouldn't use your normal fur Paula as you would have a harder job to get the look.
I usually distress mine with tea or copic markers but I would like to use my oils but haven't got around to it yet.I finished the head on a 12 inch sparse bear last night and he was supposed to be an older bear but he is too cute for that and sometimes I find that the face has to have the look to start with otherwise you can distress him as much as you like but he still won't look like an old bear. I have loaded two pictures of some I done and wondered whether I had overdone them but they all sold quickly so they can't have been that bad.Once you start doing older bears they do become addictive though
Laurie :hug:

Thanks for your helpful comments on this.Going by the five rule sounds a good idea as I noticed with your bears Paula there are around that many differences between each one and by doing that they do all look so different.I don't want the person who buys my bear to feel cheated if I labelled him as 1 of 1 so maybe I can think of something special to put on his label and next time I do this I will make sure I have enough differences so I don't have this ooak problem again :doh:
Thanks
Laurie :hug:

I am now finishing a bear for a shop and I can't decide if he is ooak.I know we had a lengthy discussion on this before.I have made two bears and they are both the same size and pattern.They were made with the same fur and ultrasuede too.The only difference is that the first one had black glass eyes and a brown perle cotton nose and the second one has hand painted two tone blue eyes and a blue nose with a brown border around it.I really can't decide whether to call this one two of two or will he be one of one as he is not exactly the same as the first  They were supposed to be the same but I just couldn't resist trying to see if I could make him nicer than the first!
I am hoping for a few suggestions on this.
Laurie :hug:

Congratulations Chloe.They are lovely bears and I especially like Smoo as he has lovely colours  
Laurie :hug:

That is a great Luann.You must be so pleased-I know I would have been.I should think that he will be really spoilt and fussed over now.
Laurie :hug:

You have exactly the same thoughts as me Melissa.They are my aims of this year.I want to try out knitting and making clothes.I have started a little knitting and need a few more books from the library to help me out out.The only thing is that was a couple of weeks ago and I still haven't had the time to go to the library.I think it is going to be a slow process 
Laurie :hug:

He is sooo cute
Laurie :hug:

He is so cute and I bet you can't wait to get him home.You can't replace the dogs that you lost but having a new puppy helps so much to take your mind off things.I am sure that he will be well loved.
Laurie :hug:

Rise above it Kim.Your bear is easily better than hers and you must be a better artist for her to have  to copy you in the first place.If she was a good artist even though we all draw inspiration from others she would have been able to come up with her own ideas.
Laurie :hug: