Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

  Patience is just gorgeous!!  I love black bears!!   I'm positively drooling.....where's my bib?  

Hi Everyone!  I wanted to share photos of the latest custom order bear I've done.  Please meet Puccino!    He was named by his new owner, (a fellow artist whom I will let introduce himself if he wants to), who is a genuis with names.    I never would have thought of such a great one.....it is short for Cappucino:o)

Puccino is one of my big bears and made from long (2 inch+) tan mohair from Intercal, with gorgeous blown-glass doll eyes chosen specifically for him by his owner, and sculpted epoxy clay nose and eyelids.  I hope you enjoy his photos!

Teddy hugs,
Tracy

:hug:  :hug:  :hug: Awe, thank you ladies!!  Your comments mean the world to me!

Hi All! :hug: I've just put Bethany up on my website.  She's made from purple and light beige mohair and stands 15 inches tall. Bethany is all dressed up in her pretty choker and tulle skirt.  I hope you all can pay her a visit: http://www.thimblebearyoriginals.com/we … able1.html

Teddy hugs!
Tracy

Update:  She was available.  Bethany has sold already....woo hoo!! :dance:

Hi Jennie :hug:  Darren has a store on eBay that he started this past summer after he lost his job.  He makes many different designs of shirts using a t-shirt press and transfers.  He started out with the larger sizes (XL-5X), but also now has size S-L as well.  Business is steady, which is good when starting out in our current economy, I think.  Not good enought though to make a living!   Which is why he is also working part-time now at another job.  But I have high hopes that his business will continue to grow until he can do only that.    Anyway, if you want to check it out, here is a link to his eBay store: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/cheepteezpl … QQ_armrsZ1

PS-When Darren gets home, I'm going to check the shirt measurements you gave me, as he has all that information somewhere on his computer.  The size might work....I'll PM you later tonight! :hug:

  I love, love, love it, Jennie!  Great job!!  

  What sweet little buns!  And bless your heart for raising them in lieu of their momma! :clap: What a handsome boy Herbie is, too.....bet he hears that a lot!

  Happy Easter to you too, Jane! :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  And what a wonderful card! :clap:

  Oh, what gorgeous color!! I think he's wonderful!!  Your daughter picked a perfect name for him as well!

  What a cutie!  Love the color!

As for your question about the patches, I sew mine on after the head is stuffed and needle sculpted, with the fur trimmed away underneath where the patches are going.  Though I once also painted the patches with oils on a little bear....the color was a perfect match, so no problem that time.  When sewing, I turn under the edges of the patch fabric, which has already been thoroughly fray checked by the way, as I sew, and use a ladder type of stitching so it all but disappears.  I will admit, it is a bit fiddly and takes some time to sew around the patches this way.  I've only done a handful of pandas really, so haven't put a whole lot of effort into finding an easier method.  I also would love to hear any other ideas/techniques.  Julie, perhaps you might want to pose this question in the Tips & Techniques area as well so more might see it?

Wow!  thanks so much, all of you! :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

  Awesome!!!!  What a cute face, and love his bell!

  Such a sweet little elephant!

  Oh, he's too cute for words!  I just want to hug him! :hug:

Sweet (*grin*) chocolate bunny!    I love him!!

Oh, most certainly, I would think so!    If not there, then perhaps on Etsy?  I wish I understood it all well enough to help you.  All I'm able to do is take out my old pics and description and put in the new each time.....all the while leaving the other stuff alone.  If my template ever really gets messed up, I'm in trouble!

Hello Everyone! Appearing tonight on eBay is the second of three Spring fairy bears I'm doing.  Meet Gilly, 5 1/4 inches tall and made from blue German mohair.  Gilly has pink blown glass doll eyes and pink sculpted eyelids, nose and toes/foot pads.  She comes with her favorite fairy nest (a prop with faux daisies and grass made by me) and just loves to lounge around among her flowers.  Here's the link to visit her auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … 0372317155  Hope to 'see' you there!

Teddy hugs :hug:
Tracy

  What a great story!  How lucky Pork Chop was to have Tristan find her.  What a special little boy.....great job Tristan! :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Hi Cathy I use an auction layout that was made for me by Penny Davis quite awhile ago.  I had tried so hard to do my own, as it sounds like you are doing, but just couldn't get it to work.  It was almost right (sounds about the same as yours, actually), but pictures would be over the top of other things and all messed up.  Anyway, Penny told me at the time that the coding for eBay is difficult....they don't accept most things and are very particular about how it has to be written.  Lucky for me, Pen made up my template for me and saved my bacon.  Also did the About Me page for me, bless her heart.  Perhaps Janice Woodard will be able to help you as Alison suggested.....I know Penny is unavailable these days (miss you, Pen!).  Otherwise, maybe someone else can step in to help.  I just wanted you to know that it's not you or any major lack of understanding on your part; it's eBay that makes it extra difficult.  Maybe they want people to use their templates and things, so there is a reason things are so particular? Anyway, find someone who understands the code well enough for eBay's specifications, and you'll be okay.  It is so much simpler to be able to make up your auction yourself and just paste it in, instead of having to build it on eBay, or even Seller's Source Book as that has a membership fee involved.  I used to use SSB, and found it very easy to use, but hated having to pay the membership when I don't list very often.  I was very happy to finally have my own template.  Best of luck to you getting this sorted out! :hug:

Hi Brenda:o)  There are so many thoughts and opinions out there on the proper way to train a dog (and several have many similarities along with important differences), so the right thing to do is to check out various things and then do what works best for you and your dog.  If the prong collar is working, and you are comfortable using it, then go with it.    There's nothing wrong with this type of collar...they are not cruel, and are actually easier on a dog's neck than a choke chain collar.  I use one on Otis, our Mastiff/German Shepherd pup (age 1 1/2) who weighs over 100 pounds now.  I couldn't walk him without it....he would pull my arms from their sockets with his exuberance!  It's amazing how little correction I need to use in most situations....usually just a twitch of my finger on the leash is enough now.  Otis walks right along in the 'heel' position where he should.  Of course, this didn't all come about just from the prong collar.  We have also had to study and learn about pack structure and how to be good pack leaders.  That's the hardest part...and we're are still learning!  Cesar Milan talks about this, and he is obviously a pack leader...I love watching how quickly the dogs respond to him.  The training we have chosen to follow is similar to his, though Ed Frawley can be much more blunt about things.  I happen to like that, as I like to get right to the point with things like this, so his (and his wife's) training works for me (and Darren, too).  Plus, there is tons of free information on their website.  They operate Leerburg Kennels, breeding and training K-9's for many years now.  Here's a link to their site: http://leerburg.com/  Another link to the page where you can find the free puppy training e-books: http://leerburg.com/puppytraining.htm There are more pages with information on training older dogs, obedience training, agressive dog handling, etc.  So much to read....I have spent hours there.  Have also bought a couple of his DVD's, which I whole-heartedly recommend to anyone.  Really, stumbling across this site saved us with Otis.  He is a tough one, as he is so big and also tends to be fear-agressive as well as anxious.  We have to have control of him at all times.  It's for his safey as well as ours and anyone else who comes in contact with us.  So, we use the prong collar, and always with a back up collar in case the prong collar fails and comes apart.  (If they aren't fitted properly, this can happen and your dog is loose.....not good!)  Otis has come such a long way, as have we.  Pack structure is fairly firmly established in our home now, and Otis has lost much of his anxiety problems.  Today I was so proud of him......a farmer stopped in the driveway while I was out walking with Otis, and my pooch handled things very well.  He did bark and growl a tiny bit when the truck first pulled in, but quieted down right off when told to do so.  Then he sat by my leg and acted all aloof like that farmer (and his dog that was still in the truck) wasn't even there.  Perfect!    That's what we want.....Otis knows it's not his job to protect 'the pack'.  That job's mine (and Darren's), he understands this, and he feels safe letting us do our job.  I can't wait to tell Darren when he gets home from work tonight! :dance:  Anyway, do check out the site.  You'll probably find something there that will help you.  In fact, I think I remember reading something in particular about the Martingale collars...........there is also info on the proper way to fit and use the prong collars.  If you need a question answered, like how old a pup needs to be before using this type collar, for instance, you can email the Frawleys, and they will email an answer back to you.

Here's another link to the e-books: http://leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm

I just put in a search for martindale collars on Leerburg's site and found this question and answer.  Well put, I thought!

I had a collar question, I was wondering if you had any immediate thoughts on martingale flat collars. On the equipment section of your Basic Dog Obedience, you don't mention these. Are these effective and humane?

Thank you.
Reuben

Answer:

In our opinion, a martingale collar is really nothing more than a flat collar that the dog can't slip. You see a lot of these on sight hounds, because of their unique structure of having a head smaller than their neck.
They can get out of regular collars very easily.

I use a variety of collars on my dogs, flat collar, prong collar and remote.
I don't feel that there is one PERFECT collar out there, they each are used as needed according to the dog's drive, temperament and level of training.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

Thanks girls!   I am wishing for May/June to come quickly also.  I know it's going to be so hard on them to be separated again so soon.

or cry happy tears!    I cried...couldn't help it.      That's my sister (also crying) on the news video, with her boyfriend John popping the question in a big surprise way.  Have a look: http://www.kcci.com/video/19018352/index.html?taf=des 

This happened night before last, and we all got to watch it on the news later that night.  John had a surprise planned for Laurie that day.  All he told her was to be sure she was wearing clean underwear!   :crackup: Turns out, she needed those because they had side by side professional massages to start off (we were wondering....thank goodness that's what it was ), then it was a romantic dinner, then a drive in the limo that had picked them up in the beginning, and off to Gray's Lake, where they went for a romantic walk through the park and across the foot bridge.  There was the big surprise....a violinist from the Des Moines Symphony playing and John dropping to one knee while the news camera was rolling! :dance: I am so happy for my sister.....what a great guy she's got!    I don't know how John could possibly top this one, though he says he certainly will. :clap:  :clap:  Unfortunately, John has to go back to Iraq tomorrow (the news gal had it wrong....he's already been home on leave the last two weeks).  Good news though that he is supposed to be home for good in May or June;  this is new, as originally his homecoming wasn't to be until September or later.  The wedding is planned for November.

Excellent idea!! Can we not buy buttons from Intercal?  Or is that only T-shirts?