Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

LAST DAY today (12th)............VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And a warning/reminder..............don't "unlike" the Chase pages for a couple of weeks, otherwise the votes will disappear!
Huggies from a very HOT, humid Germany..........sleeping in a "sauna" is not nice - or even possible!
Maria

Me again..........votes still needed! If you use all the twenty votes they allow you, you get TWO gift votes which you can send onto someone else............and if you are sent two gift votes you can use them too..........so you get to vote twice for the NABC and WRI
huggies
Maria

I'm glad to hear things are looking up for you Susan  - and I hope it continues to go well, and you can feel settled again
big huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:

The Shar-Pei !!!!!!!!!! What a cute face      
Happy 4th everyone!

         
hugs
Maria

Tthanks for the video, Sue Ann.........he's just adorable, and looks  - well - rather a hedonist, the way he's eating those grapes. I so agree with you - HOW can anyone shoot one of these beautiful creatures? I HOPE(!) you do get accepted as a volunteer.........

big huggies
Maria

Happy July 4th  to all who celebrate it.......have a GREAT day!
big huggies
Maria

Me too..............and I so love the idea of the "Hope Center"!

Oh Marilyn.......your ARE so nice! I probably would have done the same thing too........I'm pretty good at stupid!
you wouldn't believe how long it took me,  after 8 years in Australia, to keep an eye on the side of the road at night, for kangaroos! and yes - I "saw" quite a few! And then there was the time I decided I had to rescue a LARGE buzzard which was flapping round on the ground and looking injured.............took my jacket off to catch him (and steeled myself).......and to my intense relief, he flew off.............
big hugs
Maria

Wwow, Peter.......all of the Stratford bears    are gorgeous....and these two whoppers are both stunning!
So - when do you have to move to a bigger house??????????? :crackup:
Happy Sunday
huggies
Maria

Wwow - so many wonderful bears, and lot so happy smiling faces.........thanks so much! And a round of applause for your husband :clap:  :clap:  :clap:
huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:

Great idea......like you, I never have enough hours in the day!

Thanks for bumping this up Tami :hug:  :hug:
Must say, it's really nice to be able to do something for real bears, but it's hard work, especially on the Lily Fb pages - have to keep posting reminders.........and  as someone who is allergic to hard sell and nagging, I really hate doing it!
huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Thanks for posting these links, Sue Ann.........looks like a really tremendous place! I'd envy you just visiting there - but getting to be a volunteer - wow! Lucky you!
huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Hi Katy.........I think it would be best to check with Wendy..........altho I think it does probably mean "making bears for less than 18 months"
period, full stop! And GO FOR IT...........you'll never know unless you enter!
big huggies
Maria

Well  - I couldn't imagine you leaving any bear show, Peter, without a few beautiful additions to your bear family........and these two are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!! I sort of wonder at what people think when they see you on the way back from a show, with great armfuls of bears.............heck - they are probably JEALOUS!
big huggies
Maria

Many thanks, Katy! and fingers crossed, eh?
have a good weekend
huggies
Maria

The raffle ends in a few hours........we plan to draw thw winner at mid-day tomorrow (German time) when it should be the end of the day on the ither side of the world!
In case anyone is interested...........
after the success of the first raffle , for my avatar bear (raised $ 1270)  , I decided to do one more. This month, an anonymous donor is giving TWO dollars for every ONE donated - too good to miss!
The raffle is for my Ted and Lucky bears......and ALL money goes straight to the North American Bear Center. Tickets are $5 each, and it's easy to get tickets..........just go to www.bear.org  - you'll see a "Donate" button - do the necessary(!) , let me know  and I'll allocate ticket numbers. Raffle will run to the end of the month.

huggies
Maria

Really lovely, Tami...........perfect showcase for your stunning bears    
huggies
Maria............and have fun with the signing

LOVE this , Katy!  It's a great story, and you must (deservedly) feel really GOOD about it all :clap:  :clap:  :clap:
Great bear, BTW!

big huggies
Maria

How b........... AWFUL, Susan. Like you, I live "abroad" , and you do feel a bit vulnerable for many reasons......... but this is WAY too much. I've been seeing reports of similar things happening in Spain too. I really hope you can sort something out of this mess - Will keep evrything crossed for you
huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Well - here's my two - nothing new - remember, the entries had to be in January from what I remember..............
"Does my bum look big in this"? is nominated in Cat. 5

and "bare-faced cheek" in Cat 6

huggies
Maria

You and me both, Marilyn.............many tears, both sad and happy have been shed over Hope and Lily! But we're not alone --- I bet the Lily/Hope fans have upped the sales of tissues world wide!
And yes - doesn't Hope look GOOD? Those ears really ARE something!      
And now Lily has been seen with a male..........love is in the air!
Who needs TV soap operas?
huggies
Maria

I was out yesterday evening, and just decided to check mails & posts before dragging myself off to bed...........what a LOVELY surprise!!!! :dance:  :dance:  :dance:  :dance: I'll get himself to sort out the piccies of my two this evening.........but for now a yippee, and huge congrats to all the other nominees :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:
huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:

Jane - you're a star! Thanks so much for all the brilliant photos.............such wonderful bears! congrats everyone involved - it must have been a tremendous show!
huggies
Maria