Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Jane!  I had mine out, and am much happier for it.

I hope you are back on TT really soon - we'll miss you!!
Lynne

Hi all,

I love seeing pictures of everyone's pets!     Okay, how can I not post a photo of my baby!
This is Cody - he's about 3 years old.  Probably a mix of Jack Russell Terrier and Beagle, but that's a guess. I adopted him from a local shelter after my Jack Russell best friend of 14 years, Gypsy, passed away.  He is such a good boy!!  He sticks to me like glue, and I love him for it.

I've also posted photos of the other pets - it's only fair!  The black cat is Benny and I couldn't forget my goldfish. 

The fish were a table decoration at my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary party!  They are full of personality too.  They really glare at me if I dare eat anything in front of them.  They're named Jack and Pat after my Aunt and Uncle - I am not sure they'd approve! :lol:

Lynne

I thought I'd throw in another tip that I use - after I make a photo smaller and it gets a bit 'soft', I apply a "sharpen" effect or filter to it (in my photo editing software), and it "pops" the edges.  It looks just about as good as before it was reduced.   

Hope this helps someone.  You all are giving great advice!  I swear I learn something here every day. And I looove seeing everybody's bears!

Lynne

Shelli ---  That scary movie was called "Trilogy of Terror".  My little sister loved scary movies on TV and that was her favorite!  She used to run down the hall imitating it's high pitched yell. It is available on VSH tape at Amazon, if you want to be creeped out by a Zuni Fetish doll!   

Too scary for me!
Lynne

I just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in... I built a website for the theater company I work for at Homestead.com.  They will register your domain name for you, and they host the site.  They have different plans to choose from.  I used them because I didn't own web building software.

When I first got my computer, of course didn't know how to do anything - I just knew what I wanted it to look like.  Homestead supplies the editing software (you download it) and you just follow the instructions.  We signed up when it was free, but now we pay $99 a year and get unlimited websites and unlimited files and storage.  It's a great deal for me, because I was able to put up my bear page at no extra cost!  (The theater company doesn't know anything about the bear site! :P)

By the way, if anyone is interested in theater junk, our site is www.2ndstarproductions.com It is what I do with the rest of my life (non bear related activity:))
Lynne

I just checked your website, Kim and it's really cute!  I love the color scheme!  Way to go girl!!

Shelli - thanks for the compliments!  As for selling, I am thinking, thinking...  maybe by the Christmas season I will give it a try.   Just to dip my toes in.:D   I have read so many useful tips for selling on Teddy Talk!  Just reading the posts is like taking a course in marketing bears!

Another thing I've thought to stuff inside a bear is balsam fir needles.  They are used in oh, I think, potpourri pillows, and a friend of mine has them in a "draft stopper" thingy.  You can get them online.   They smell like Christmas when you squish them, but I am afraid they'll eventually poke through the backing. Painful!

Lynne

I am usually too impatient to wait for pellets or shot to arrive - I want to finish the bear!  -  so when I want to give a bear some weight I have used new, clean aquarium gravel.  It is pretty cheap and available in any pet store.  It's also colorfast, since it is used underwater!  Best for bears at least 10".  It makes an interesting scrunchy sound, and is very heavy.

My goldfish don't seem to mind me using up their gravel supply! :D

Lynne

Thanks Hayley!  That is a great suggestion - I will definitely try sewing  my ears that way.  Sure makes a lot of sense!
Lynne

Thanks, Shantell, for asking about ears - I have always had the same problem securing them.   

Big, big thanks Shelli!   I can't wait to ladder stitch the next set of ears!   Now why haven't I ever tried that before? :rolleyes:

Lynne