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How awful :(. I have never had any contact with her but do know her bears and fabrics (on eBay) - her absence will be a huge loss to the bear world.....
Dilu, you've got me thinking quite deeply here! And that's no mean feat, considering it's a Friday evening and I'm tired and a little cranky 
I think we have control over our own creative process - but only to an extent. How often do you get to the end of a piece of work, stand back and think 'did I really make that?!!!'. I do! Not all the time, but enough to make me wonder where the creativity comes from....is it from within? Or from some outside influence? I'm not a religious person, but maybe there's a creative energy that we tap into, if we are open to it and allow ourselves to go with it? Is this making sense?!!!!
I have to say this is not an original idea on my part - I've been reading a book called 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron and have so far found it fascinating. It is making sense to me and I'm hoping it opens me up a little bit more, creatively speaking. I can recommend it! As for the bear making or any other art we might be involved in, I think it's best to follow our own instincts and do what feels best, because in my opinion that should produce the best results. They might not be the prettiest/most commercial/most highly praised results, but they would be most personally satisfying/truer to ourselves/have more integrity.
See, I told you I'd been thinking deeply!!!!! I'll stop wittering now...... 
No, the fray check just disappears as it dries! 
Catherine, I've only used the cotton fabric for labels so far. The others look too light-weight and will probably frey more. I rubbed the back of the printed cotton with fray check before cutting the labels out and they work just fine. Oh, and the fray check I use is...well...the stuff called 'fray check'! Comes in a little bottle and is a clear liquid. You can probably find some on eBay if you don't already have some (though the more glue-like stuff would probably work too???).
For the most part I just do what feels right :). But I think there are certain features that tend towards cuteness...such as a rounded head and large eyes. I did alter my patterns to incorporate these features, but there still was/is a lot of hit and miss!
I think your minis are lovely Dilu, and have a great deal of charm :love:.
You know, I agree with Jenny. Hard as it might be, I think you need to take a firm stance. If you think about it, (and this is just my opinion!) until you are paid the the bears are still your property and they have no right to sell them on. Unless of course there's a mutually agreed contract involved.
:hug:
Dilu, do you use internet explorer? You could try speeding things up by switching off the pictures....go to Tools on the menu bar, choose Internet Options and then choose the 'advanced' tab in the window that pops up. Scroll down and there should a tick next to 'show pictures' in the multimedia section. Untick it and see what happens. You can just switch it back on again when you want to see the photos, of the bears-for-sale, for instance
Or here's another option: there's a program you can download, called Onspeed, that can speed up dial-up connections (http://www.onspeed.com/en/index.php). It works by degrading the pictures so that they don't take as long to open when you go to a new webpage. You can switch the program on or off, depending on what you need to see. My dad uses it and it does work, though I'm not sure about their claim that it's an alternative to broadband. But it might be worth a try!
:hug: :hug: :hug:
Good Luck Danni - I really hope this can be cleared up soon. I would understand it if you were more wary of selling to shops in the future (this one in particular). I've only sold to a shop once and have decided not to go that route at the moment. It was a good experience for me (thankfully!) but to be honest I'm happy to take my chances on eBay and undertake the few commissions I get.
When I did sell to that one shop, I was paid before I sent the bears out. I guess different shops have different practices though :hug:
We asked and were told he's been sold, Pipa. The lady in the shop remembers Dad taking him in, and remembers him selling the next day... :|.
Wonderful photos! I've really enjoyed looking through them :hug:
Here's a photo of Katie taken 2 months ago. She's 5 going on 15!!! And she's the apple of my eye.....
Thankyou - you're all so kind and have made me feel much better 
Fran, I keep asking myself why that teddy was still at dad's place.... I've had the nagging feeling recently I should bring him home with me. Aargh. I left home to go to University when I was 19, and only took what I could fit in a suitcase. I've moved a lot over the years and some things just got left at my parent's, for safe-keeping. Plus my mum would encourage me to store things there.... I think she secretly liked having some of my things to look after, if you know what I mean. Anyway, mum died last year 
and dad is now planning to move (house is too big) and needs to have a clearout. Poor dad, he feels really bad about this (he shouldn't though, because if it's anyone's fault it's mine for not collecting my stuff sooner!).
Anne, Donna and Jane - that's a great idea about putting an ad in the shop/newspaper. And I might just do that. Part of me wants the bear back (of course!) but there's another part of me that thinks it's time to say bye-bye. Maybe it's more complicated than just losing the teddy. Ack.
Sue Ann - sorry to hear you had a similar experience :cry:. I don't know how you felt about it at the time, but I think it has taught me a few lessons. And I'll be keeping a close eye on dad and his decluttering ways from now on!
Aww, she's very cute Kathy! I don't blame you for keeping her! You did a great job with her teeny face, especially her nose :love:.
She looks like she's made from mohair? Using mohair in such a little one takes a lot of patience and skill in my experience! :clap:
Jenny, I think you have the best reason in the world to be pre-occupied!!! Enjoy your new grand-daughter while she's so little!
Until recently my oldest, dearest teddy was safely stored (or so I thought) at my dad's house, which used to be our family home. But last week my dad (who's 77, lives on his own and is currently overwhelmed by the thought of selling the house next Spring) took it upon himself to give my teddy to charity! Dad is aware that the house is full of 45 years worth of clutter and is trying to clear some of it.....starting with my teddy it seems.
I'm trying sooooo hard not to be upset about this, but.... 
This is the bear I posted an old photo of some time ago. It was the first bear I remember having, was given to me by dad (ironically!) and although the bear didn't have a label he looked a lot like an unjointed Chiltern. He was 40 years old and in pristine condition. We have tried to retrieve him from the charity shop but he's been sold already :(.
Oh well. I think I'm going to be scouring eBay and the web for a similar one from now on. I doubt I'll be successful though - I haven't seen another like him yet.
Sorry - just had to share this!!!
I love Dreamweaver :love:. I use an old version of it (3.0) and am very happy with it despite the Dreamweaver people trying to make me upgrade! And the best thing about older software is....it costs less!!!! I bought mine off eBay for a bargain price (totally ligimate, sealed version).
However it can take a bit of getting used to and I did a short evening study course to find my way around it. It's like any new bit of software, there's a learning curve! I like the fact it uses a Windows-based interface and writes the html in the background. I've pretty much learnt the html as I've gone along so that I'm now comfortable checking through the html too, double checking for errors and so on (the html can be clumsy sometimes and benefit from streamlining).
On the study course, we were taught how to write webpages with 'layers', something that Dreamweaver is particularly good at. I set up our family site using layers, but have since grown to like using nested tables instead - very simple and very easy to do once you know how. And usually quicker to open, I think. For eBay I have a simple template I generated in Dreamweaver that uses tables, but really it would be quite straight-forward to handcode something like that once the jargon is understood. If anyone wants the basic coding for nested tables, just let me know - I'd be happy to help
Aww, Sophie :hug: Sometimes things just seem too much don't they? When I get like this, I make a mental list of priorities. What do a I need to do? What can wait? I file all the stuff that can wait on one corner of my brain and forget it for a while. Then I take one day at a time....and deal with everything one step at a time.
If all else fails I just accept that's life's a *&£@ sometimes, and eat chocolate!!! (I like Penny's suggestion :P)
Ellen, I'd love to see pics of your bears in the snow!
It's still coming down here - has been all day! The forecast is for freezing temperatures overnight, so it's tomorrow (the school run) I'm not looking forward to.
Of course, there's always the possibility we won't be able to get the car out of the drive.... 
The whole depression/anxiety/panic thing puzzles me too..... I've noticed in recent years how just how many women (mostly women) suffer and how many are on medication. That's just my family and friends. I wonder if it's always been around or do more of us suffer it now?
Bear-making is definitely my escape from real life..... 
Oh, he's so cute! He has a fantastic expression! So, are you hooked on anime bears now?!
Oh my....look what we have today!!!
I'm with you on the Spam then, Judi. We used to have spam fritters for lunch at school - I would always choose them when they were on the menu!!! Great comfort food.
Now....I'm not so sure I like the sound of 'grass clippings'....
Excellent Estelle! Your bears look like they are having a wonderful time, and it reminds me of summer
I didn't know you were diabetic Judi....how wonderful you were able to have your family despite it! 
As for Spam, do you mean the luncheon meat stuff (yum!) or the 100's of unwanted e-mails we all get???! :lol:
Stephanie, yes, it's truly horrible and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I'm really glad you found something that worked for you. I did start a course of tablets last year but they made me feel so odd for the first few days that I stopped taking them. I was fine over the summer but now the winter is here, I have that edgy feeling again :(.
Shelli, I used to know someone who rarely ate vegetables. He hated them and proclaimed 'peas are poison' at every opportunity!!!
Ok, something my friends may not know about me....
I love the Eurovision Song Contest! Every year when that night of splendid entertainment comes around, I pour myself a glass of wine, lock the door, take the phone off the hook and settle in front of the TV for 3 hours of 'nil point'! Fantastique! And for our non-European members who haven't a clue what I'm talking about, here's a link: http://www.eurovision.tv/english/index.htm . I missed the junior one - I'm saving myself for the full blown adult version 
. And believe me, it's not something many people admit to.... :wacko:
Something else - I have terrible anxiety problems. It comes and goes, but I worry, worry, worry a lot while it's happening. Panic attacks, palpitations, aches, pains....yuk. Hate it. I've taken anti-depressants in the past too, and beta-blockers, but at the moment I'm trying to manage it myself. And not doing too badly at the moment. Making bears is great therapy!!!
