Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Just catching up around here, and all these little thread guys are making me want to dig out my crochet hook again! They are all cute and huggable!

I've only made one crocheted bear - my first and last - he's lucky he didn't end up in the bin, he gave me sooooo much trouble. And he was on the big side for a mini so goodness only knows how you clever ladies make the teeny ones....I in awe  Anyway, here's my one-and-only; Barnet, a bear with hair  . Don't ask me for details, they were instantly forgotten... :whistle:

Actually, he was adopted on eBay by a very nice lady in Canada who obviously enjoys 'quirky' bears...

Aww Jenn ~ I can understand the hurt you're feeling. As for the people doing the talking, leave 'em to it. What Glenys said is true...remember that whilst they're talking about you they're leaving some other poor bugger alone!!! My mum used to say that and it always raises a smile!

But the bear you made that was not well-received, well you have only heard this indirectly is that right? So it might not be the truth. Even so, I understand how hurtful this is and have experienced something similar myself. It might not be a reflection of your bear, but more than likely reflects the expectation of the person you swapped with. So please keep this in mind, know that you did your best out of the very kindness of your heart and that anyone of us here would love a bear of yours....  :hug:

I usually use ultrasuede, mainly because I have a huge stash of off-cuts that I bought about 18 months ago. Because I only make small bears I only need small amounts so I can see this stash lasting me forever!

But I have also used suedine (imitation suede) and just love the stuff. The pile is shorter that cashmere and suitable for little bears, and the backing is very tightly woven & doesn't fray. Here's a link: http://www.probear.com/com/stoffen_overig.html#suedine (I haven't bought it from here but it gives you an idea of the fabric).

It's so cute when a child's drawings become more realistic, and you can tell what they are supposed to be.... I'm sure you'll treasure this one Julia! She's a clever little girl! 

Just over 2 years. And I still feel like a newbie! 

Ah, Nancy...you answered the question I was just about to ask! That is, how much attention do collectors pay to 'awards'? The only reason I (personally) would enter a competition would be for the fun! I imagine it being very exciting, and a real buzz if there's a chance of being nominated. Other than that, I'm not sure what my motivation would be :/

I like Penny's criteria for a good bear :lol:. When I first responded to this thread I wasn't thinking along the lines of a really serious critique...more a little constructive criticism of the friendly kind. You know...someone else to tug at the ears and say whether or not they are fixed firmly enough (eek!)...that kind of thing. But at the end of the day it's all pretty subjective isn't it? Just looking at the bears on eBay for example, I can see differences in workmanship (and I'm by no means an expert!). But it doesn't always seem to correlate with how well the bears sell. Bears that are more naively made can sometimes sell better than ones that obviously crafted to a very high standard. It's the desirability that's hard to factor in.

Not sure what point I'm trying to make, but I know there's one in there somewhere!     

She's a real cutie Deb, and has a twinkle in her eyes that no are a result of the struggle she gave you! Sometimes it takes me a while to really 'see' the bear I've made...we're just so close to them during the creation process. Your bear has turned out to be very pretty   

You know, I think this is a great (if a little scary) idea! It is SO hard to judge your own bears, especially if you're like me and don't get to shows very often (I've only been to one). I try to seek out bear shops whenever I can and browse the artist bears for 'feel' but really I've had quite a small amount of exposure to other artist's bears. I don't think I'm the only one???

The one thing I do rely on is the feedback I get from my buyers, who I assume have collected other artist's bears too. However I guess they might not always tell-it-like-it-is because they might not want to offend (despite paying out good money for a creation).

Hmm, would I be brave enough to participate in something like this??!

Oooh, Anne....looks to me like you're with Mulder from the X-files....you lucky woman you!!!! 

Thankyou Jane!!!! Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! This is such fun, and I'm delighted you've made more 'well-endowed' than I have ever been in my life. Only in my dreams have I had a figure like that!!!!    :P

What a fantastic way to welcome the New Year. I only wish we could do this in reality!

I'm toasting you all with my virtual glass of wine *clink* - Happy New Year Everyone 

I have a huge collection of 'pots on legs', and the first one came from a childhood friend. It was given to me as a birthday present when I was about 10, and I rediscovered it as an adult. Then I got hooked on collecting them....because they remind of my friend, the fun we had together as children and just my childhood in general. Yes, I buy them mainly for the feelings they evoke  .

BTW 'pots on legs' are actually Carltonware Walking Ware, that's just my silly name for them    - you can find them on eBay, although I tend not to buy them over the internet.

White bears? Makes me think of innocence and mystery. Darker bears tend to me more realistic, or brooding don't you think? I'm drawn to bears with a 'cute' expression and large eyes. I also like the more traditional bears. I found the thread 'do your bears look like you?' interesting, because there was often a resemblance between maker and bear. Perhaps that's to do with the people we see around us, who will often be family and therefore not unlike ourselves? Not suggesting for a minute that I'm 'cute'  , but I do have a young daughter so maybe the attraction to cute, childlike bears stems from there?

As for colour, I totally agree that it has a strong effect on emotion and the way we see ourselves and others. I'm determined to introduce some colour into my own wardrobe - I'm sure it would brighten my moods! I went clothes shopping with this in mind just recently and was disappointed to find mostly greys, browns, and dark colours on the rails  . Retailers must think we all want to dress in drab colours at this time of year!

Aww, wonderful doggy, Anne! He's crammed full of personality and so so cute! Well done - I can't believe he's your first needle felted creation....are you sure you haven't been secretly practicing??! Seriously, as someone else said, you're a natural and I'm looking forward to seeing your next creation!

:hug:

PS Sorry I didn't notice him before now...I've only been popping in and out of the discussion forum this past week or so. But normal service will resume shortly and I'll have more time to play here! Yay!

I've enjoyed this discussion  :). I think you are so right Brenda, when you say there has to be a happy medium somewhere. And a space for everybody too  :hug:.

We had loads of brasses decorating our fireplace at home. Not just horse brasses but coal buckets/brushes, figures and other ornaments. They were everywhere! Actually, I'm now wondering where they've all gone to....I'll have to have a dig around!

I love the Dicken's brasses you bought, Eileen. I haven't seen any like those before 

I had similar problems with my computer just over a year ago (does yours also crash? or develop odd faults?). It went on for a few months and then one day the hard-drive went kapput...I switched it on, and nothing happened. So the faults and the slowdown had been due to an increasing number of physical faults on the hard-drive (according to the computer guy who fixed it). Luckily the rest of the computer was ok, so it has a new hard-drive now and is working fine. Touch wood!

Hopefully this isn't your problem but (just in case) make sure you have everything backed up. I've since found out that hard-drives have an average life of around 5 years, which was the case with ours (mind you, it gets a hammering!).

Hope it sorts itself out and you find out what the problem is!  :hug:

PS Is it only slow when you're online? Could it be a connection problem???

PPS When we need to replace our computer I'm seriously thinking about Dell...I've heard lots of good things about them 

Difficult subject that always seems to go around and around! I guess it boils down to 'what price for art?'. I just cannot judge the art-worthiness of my own bears, so the price is hard to pitch. Likewise I see bears I find totally adorable going for low prices on eBay, so is it my taste that's different??? Or is the maker just less well known to collectors?

I started my bears off at a very low price on eBay, basically to find out how well received they would be. And although they sold for low prices I had encouraging feedback about the standard of workmanship etc. So the price went up, slowly....but it has taken about 18 months to 2 years to build up a following that I can rely on and now pretty much all of my bears sell. Am I still underpricing myself? Probably! But I get commissions on the back of the eBay advertising and I charge at full price for those. Also, the eBay starting price is normally pushed up to a level I'm happy with. For the ones that sell for the lower end...well, I usually reason they don't have the same 'appeal', however much care and attention I gave them... 

On the question of shops --- I've only sold to a shop once. I totally undercut myself, the mark-up was presumably high, and all three bears sold to a regular buyer who saw their photo on my website!!! So I won't be doing that again! I prefer to sell directly, but that's just my personal preference. I like to interact with my buyers. Maybe this is another reason shops are finding it more difficult these days, and it's not just the pricing? 

Thanks for the link!  :hug:

Ours will be up till Jan 6th too --- I hate it when the decorations come down, because the room looks so bare! I'm going to leave some fairy lights up this year, hopefully tasteful ones, just to add some glow to the winter months  .

Cute pictures! We ate turkey for two days solid....luckily I only buy a turkey breast, otherwise I'd still be making soup!

:hug:

Mary Holstad's work is incredible. Because I've always sold on eBay, she was one of the first artists I became aware of and I'm still in awe of her work!!! Especially the dogs..soooo cute & lifelike!

I've just caught up on this thread....and I'm touched by so many of the posts here. Winney, take care of yourself. I'm glad you are able to see the goodness in life. Brenda, your ornaments sound lovely. They say it's the thought that counts, and it's so true isn't it?

My friend recently persuaded me to wear a red dress to a dinner dance....her red dress, because I have nothing 'dressy' enough in my wardrobe and it was my first night out with my husband for a loooong time. Now, please understand I don't wear red, it's not my colour, but she convinced me and gave me the confidence to wear it. And guess what? I had a great time!!! I felt good in it and got a few compliments too. So....yesterday she gave me a Christmas present, and later when she'd gone I peeked in the parcel (tsk tsk!). It's the red dress. I just know I'm going to cry when I open it on Christmas day. She couldn't have given me a better present  . So it's definitely the thought that counts!

Oh Sandi.....some people just have no decency.....I really feel for you. It's a stressful enough time of year without all this. Hopefully you're getting over the shock right now and will still be able to enjoy Christmas - as others have said, you still have the important things! Family and health! Take care  :hug:

I've just been surfing Estelle, and found out that advocaat is the same as eggnog but without the milk. It can be mixed with milk to make a thinner consistency. You learn something new everyday! (I didn't know that!).

Cheers!

Ooooh, yum yum! They all sound delicious. I have never made eggnog from scratch - instead, Warninks Advocaat is an institution in our family, and I associate it with Christmas. As children we'd drink it mixed with lemonade (called a 'snowball' - and yes, we drank the alcoholic version but only a teeny amount! Just enough to make us feel grown up, and only at Christmas. I still like it like this ).

Here's a link: http://www.webtender.com/db/ingred/111

Well, I'm starting to relax a bit now and I hope everyone else is too! Hubby's off work for a week or so (hurrah) and Katie's so excited she's like a bubble about to burst (what it's like to be a 5-yr-old, eh?!). So I'm just popping in to wish you all a wonderful time over the holidays - I hope you all have a relaxing and peaceful few days however you choose to spend it.

Me...I'll be sampling some of that eggnog several of you have been recommending!!!