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Hi Jenn, my little ones have eyes that are 3 - 5mm in size. They are flat-backed with a 'squashed' loop, which makes them less likely to break when crimping the wires as well as easier to use.
I use suppliers here in the UK, but Intercal have them as well as a few other suppliers: http://www.intercaltg.com/catalog/eyes.html (scroll down to #500-Black Glass Eyes).
Shouldn't they be studying, instead of messing around?! 
:lol:
Great clip - my ribs are hurting from laughingso much!! Thanks Roxanne 
Excellent post, Dilu :)
The night's are dark so early here....and getting up in the dark is really hard on the system too. I really think I was born to hibernate, the amount of yawning I'm doing!!!
Kim, I totally agree....and I think that's when the 'offendee' has to realise that the lack of mannerisms can put a whole new slant on something that was never meant to be offensive. Then there are cultural differances of course - something said in one place may be totally harmless but said in another may be the most hurtful thing in the world!
Ha! It's all these differences that make life interesting, don't you think?! And for me it's only the intent that really matters.
Penny, are you there? Are you ok? 
I'm quite comfortable, thankyou. A bit bog-eyed from not waking up properly yet, but otherwise ok 
Seriously, I completely missed whatever post you're referring to but can't imagine you deliberately offending anyone, Penny, so no need for any apology as far as I'm concerned... :hug: :hug: :hug:
They are both very cute Dilu, and I love the little (lighter coloured) fella....though I also thought he/she was a very cute bunny at first glance! Nothing wrong with bunnies, I love bunnies!
You're right, there's less margin for error with the little ones. I think the proportions are great - but the golden bear's arms could probably be shortened a little as you pointed out. Head size looks good to me though. If you place the cotter pin a little further forward in the head you'll find that he'll look straight ahead or down which can be a very cute look. Do you put darts in the body? This helps plump them out (shoulders and bottom), as well as extending the tummy a teeny bit. Personally I like the way his body looks already!
Nothing to say about bunny/bear....you can't improve on perfection!!!! 
That's wonderful news!!! Rosa-Bella....what a pretty name :). It sounds like she wanted to make a grand entrance into the world, and who can blame her :lol:. Well done to mum & daughter and congratulations to everyone!
I've printed it out with the full intention of baking it tomorrow....yummy!!! Will let you know how it goes. Slurp
Hmm, that's knowing, thanks Jenny :). I guess the baddies will have silicone in their ingredients list? Well I'm going out shopping today so I'll have a look for something suitable....because I'm a cheapskate I tend not to use the fancy stuff, but have used aveda (which someone else recommended to me too). I don't actually like the feel of those serums, and if my hair feels dry (this time of year) tend to put conditioner onto dry hair instead. Is that a really bad thing to do?!?! My hair just soaks it up....
Wish I could pop into your salon. I'm always on the lookout for a good hairdresser!!!!! (And we can talk bears too!).
Yayyyy!!! How exciting and nervewracking for you all! :dance: Very best wishes to everyone!!!
I wear my hair curly so I'm no use to you Pipa! I did have my hair straightened once, at the hairdressers, but didn't like it - I don't think it suits me, and my head felt so small!!
Jenny, I didn't realise that about serum (not that I use it much!). Do you have something you'd recommend to calm the frizz? This cold, damp weather plays havoc and I often end up feeling like a scarecrow! 
Amanda, I think that's the right attitude to have as far as eBay's concerned! At least it's more fun! If you really need a bear to sell for a certain price then it's sensible to use a reserve or start at a minimum, but otherwise...why not enjoy it and take the gamble?! In this case, I think it's a risk worth taking because Richey is so cute....
Amanda, maybe you could protect it with a reserve? It would be a shame for Richey to go for too low a price!
Wonderful Pipa! Your aunt will be delighted, I'm sure! You've done a fantastic job :love:.
Very cute! I love his fluffy ears and wise expression! I'm sure he'll do brilliantly on eBay
Ooh, gosh, I didn't read the original post properly did I?! 
I have a similar problem sometimes with the body, and as well it being a stuffing problem I also wonder if it's the way I sew? On the wee bears a little 'off' with the seams can be a lot....so try as I might to hold and sew the seams evenly I suspect that one side has a tendency to 'stretch' more in relation to the other (this is hard to describe!). The end result being that when I stuff, one side looks a fraction fuller than the other.
Just another thought to add to the pot!
I do find these hints and tips threads very useful
Happy Saturday!
Hmm, this is a tricky one! The hair is prominent...so perhaps a wig, or some longer mohair on the head? A white collar round the neck? And perhaps a mini English Dictionary for your Johnson bear to browse.....! Or a book of Shakespeare (didn't he have something to do with Shakespeare's plays?).
I used to have that problem too. I was attaching the head by making a teeny hole to one side of the seam, as close as possible. Is that what you do? But no matter how close I made the hole to the seam the head always seemed a bit 'off' :whistle:.
So...here's what I do now. I make darts for 'shoulders' in the body pieces, at the approximate postion where I want the head to go. I sew round the body to this dart, and finish off. I start sewing again on the other side of the dart. This leaves a tiny gap exactly in the seam itself, where I push the head joint through. No more lop-sidedness! Hope this helps :rose:.
Well I can see why he sold Kathy, he's just so cute! He has a very sweet expression! Well done!
LOL, I've had such fun reading this thread! Thanks for all your kind comments about little Rascal. I can't wait to get started on a sibling for him!
Shelli, you raised the biggest smile on my face and, as Dilu says, how can you hate such cute 'wittle bittle racoons'?! OK, so I don't have the firsthand experience that you do, but... 'satan's spawn'?! They have such sweet little faces, endearing and so very cute. Or perhaps the bandit stripes give away their true nature.... :P
This discussion reminds of the grey squirrels we have here in the UK. They are common and considered vermin, causing damage to property and generally running amok in some places. But they have such huge (and cheeky) personalities that it's hard not to love them.
Thanks again everyone!
Dilu, we don't have racoons here but we do badgers and they sound fairly similar in terms of temperament. One badger took up residence in the back of my dad's garden, much to his annoyance because it kept digging the lawn up looking for worms! Dad called the experts in to find out how to get rid of his unwanted guest but was told that badgers are protected in the UK so legally there wasn't much he could do about it. They suggested feeding it, so that it wouldn't need to dig the lawn so much, which dad did (very reluctantly!!!). And it worked :lol:. Happy badger, happy dad. He still has his 'pet' badger and it's a great talking point (I keep threatening to organise a neighbourhood 'badger watch' :D).
Glad you like Rascal - thankyou both for your comments!
I finished this little chap this afternoon! I've called him Rascal and he's a commission. My first racoon, too! I loved making him, and have a feeling he might have a brother or sister going on eBay sometime :whistle:.
The photo quality isn't great because I'm just too impatient to share him (it's dark outside so I took it under the flourescent light).
Hope you like him!
I have priced my mini's with no particular formula in mind. I'd been selling them on eBay for a while (where they priced themselves!) and then looked around to see what other artist's were charging.... so I now charge £65 per commission, which is stated on my site. This is slightly higher than they would usually sell for eBay but I figure I'm taking time out of my schedule and also possibly having to design a bear to a particular specification. And the collector's have so far seemed happy with the price. (These are 3" bears by the way!).
Ebay is a different ballgame. I set a minimum price and let it go from there. But I'm starting to wonder if my minimum is too low...$40. It usually climbs though, to a price more in line with my expectations. But of course there's no guarantee.
I think I'm rambling too...it's early here and i still haven't had my caffeine!
I've tried the oil paints too and was very pleased with the outcome (my avatar bear). I haven't yet used them on the mini's because of a lack of suitable brushes - I'd need them to be really small. Thanks for the tip, Shelli!!!
