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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Hi, I have an Iwata airbrush that nail techs use for nail art. It's great for minis and big bears too. It give you a lot of control. I use a badger compressor. I use dye-na-flow by Jacquard in it. I've tried other paints and it gums it up badly but the dye-na-flow doesn't and there are plenty of colors to choose from. 
Airbrushing is fun and easy. I taught myself and am getting better the longer I do it.
Hugs,
Alison
Amazing! I really shouldn't show these pics to my son but probably will. He'll want to move in as soon as it's complete!
Hugs,
Alison
Congrats! :dance: Your bears are beautiful as are you! I'm sure you're over the moon!
Hugs,
Alison
Did a miss the name of this cutie? I love Bernese Mountain Dogs. I think they look like big teddy bears that need hugging! With my dogs, I would leave them out for a while until they went then I would praise them and let them in the house. If she's going that often, you won't have to wait long until she piddles. Also, if she doesn't go while in the kennel, keep her in the kennel most of the time. Let her out of the kennel, then right out the door to pee. Then, she can play in the house for a while before you return her to the kennel to hold it a while. I bet pretty soon, she'll learn how to hold it for longer periods. HOWEVER, if she continues to have problems and goes several times an hour, take her to the vet. She may have a urinary tract infection or a bladder control problem. I look forward to seeing lots of pictures as she grows!
Hugs!
Alison
:clap: What a hero you are! Hanna is beautiful. You never know when a wonderful animal will find you. I brought home 3 starving hound dog puppies from a trip. I kept the sickest little girl. She's such a little blessing! I'm sure your Hannah will be the same.
Hugs!
Alison
Mary Lou!
You really captured the real Obama! It really tickled me and another artist friend and was the topic of conversation while we were at Expo. It was great to come home from the show and see that he did so well for you. The collector who adopted him must be very proud to have him.
Hugs,
Alison
OMG! I have such a stash of ombre' ribbon! I bought scads of it when a local craft store was going out of business. Are you looking for a small amount for a particular bear or an entire roll? What color, width, etc? If you just need enough for one bear and have a color in mind, I can check the stash. All of mine has wired edges. Every time we go to a store with ribbon, my children groan. I tell them, I'm just going to look! Yeah, right! 
Alison
Mellisa,
I sew everything by machine. I've been sewing by machine since I was a child. My dad always teased that I sewed like a bat out of you know where. 
He comes over to my house and says, yep, you still sew the same. I can even sew a 4 inch mini ALL on my machine. I have an old singer. It's a mid-sized machine, not quite as small as a feather weight but sews identical to one. I would recommend an OLD machine. I've had some new ones and they just don't cut the mustard. All my machine does is sew in a straight line. No zigzag, no fancy schmancy stuff. This is all you need to make teddy bears. So, don't go out and buy something from the store, unless you have a shop that carries old machines that others have traded in. Get yourself a 50's or older Singer. You won't be frustrated with too many buttons and they sew like a dream!
Alison
How interesting. I didn't know such things existed. I'll have to research this. Thanks for the web info Sue Ann.
Alison
Kerrilyn,
2nd & 3rd place are definitely wins! Just look at the Olympics. 1/100th of a second can put you in 2nd place. Still a win in my book. Also, just a nomination is also a win. Again, look at the Olympics, just being there is a win. When you start a website, you decide what you deem award winning. A few years back I had a bear win 2nd place in a show competition. I put that on my website. It was the best I did to date and I was proud of it. There is NOTHING wrong with saying to collectors, "Hey, look what I did and look who took notice." Being proud of yourself is not conceit. And, collectors enjoy sharing in your accomplishments.
Contests DO help sales. And how they do that is through publicity. I can personally attest to that. I was nominated for 2 Golden Teddies this year. My nominees got published in a magazine. I add to my eBay auctions that I received nominations. This is a huge deal for me, I'm proud of it and collectors took notice. Now I didn't win a Golden Teddy, but that really doesn't matter. Being nominated is an honor and gave me great publicity. I saw a direct impact on my sales because of it. To me, the nomination was a WIN. Yes, contests are subjective and based on a handful of judges most of the time. Again, back to the Olympics. Judging in gymnastics, VERY SUBJECTIVE. The athletes know that but do not shy away from the competition. It only makes them work harder and strive to be their best. Contests bring attention to your work and allow more collectors to see what you do. Have you ever heard of any of these Olympic athletes before the games began? ? ?
I'm also with Sue Ann. Advertising, while very expensive, gets your work out there to the masses. When I have an ad in a magazine, I see the hits on my website skyrocket! My hubby will look at my website logs and usually comment, wow you had spike in web hits on this date. Typically the date when the magazine hit the mailboxes.
I look forward to seeing your website soon!
Alison
Judy,
No contests, NO WAY! Your work is beyond fabulous, your designs so original and so appealing to collectors. I love seeing your bears in the contests. You give other artists inspiration to strive for your kind of creativity, quality and craftsmanship.! The money you spend to enter certainly comes back to you tenfold in publicity. I didn't enter the awards for 3 years. I entered last year and with my 2 Golden Teddy nominations and Toby Industry Choice award, business sure improved. You probably don't realize that part of your success in sales, is a direct impact on your recognition through contests. While it is expensive to enter, I think everyone should give it go. I learned this year the impact it can have on your business. It's a good thing!
I still remember the piece you created that made me fall in love with your work. It was a boy bear with a frog. I think it was called "Can I keep him?"
Way to go on your Golden Teddies! Good luck on the TOBY's this weekend!
Alison
http://www.eTeddys.net
Thank you all for your help. I've contacted a few of your privately. It looks like I'll be able to get enough of the grey tip to finish my order. The old gold should be easy enough to substitute. But, if any of you find some laying about, please email. Paula, thanks for the heads up on ordering overseas. That was going to be my next step. I will keep that in mind in the future.
And, thanks for the complements on my bears! I should have joined Teddy Talk a long time ago. You've all been so nice and helpful!
Big hugs!
Alison
I buy Morning Glory from Walmart too! It's right at $10 for a 5 lb. box where I live. So, it's $50 for 25 pounds. I prefer this brand to any others I have tried. And, for soft squishy tummies, they have something called Cluster Stuff, also by Morning Glory. It's no good for stuffing heads and I don't like it for limbs either. But for tummies, it's the best! I'm not sure on the cost of that but it's only sold in a bag. It's nice to just buy one box at a time and not have to store scads of the stuff.
Alison McKee
OK, I just said hi and am already asking for help. 
(I should have got on here years ago just to use these emoticons!)
I just returned from Expo. I had one goal when I went to the show. Get in with a couple of really good shops. Mission accomplished! I have 2 wonderful, reputable shops want my work. One bought directly from my table. So, what's the problem? I cannot get 2 of the fabrics that I used for the bears they choose and they would like limited editions in order to publish the bears in their catalog. They are completely comfortable with me making substitutions but I would rather use the mohair that I used originally, since it is what they fell in love with. Why risk them not liking the substitutions if I can find the original mohair? I cannot find these fabrics at Edinburgh or Intercal anymore. So PLEASE :pray: help!
I have attempted to add 2 pics, hopefully they show up! If you have these fabrics in your stash and would like to sell them, please email me directly.
Figgy Puddin is made from mohair from Edinburgh Imports. The color is Old Gold - 5395. It's 3/4
semi-sparse, straight mohair and the backing is slightly lighter almost flesh toned. I
need 2 full yards of this mohair.
Ursa is made from a fabric I bought from eBay. I think this came from Intercal but I could be mistaken.
It is cream with grey tips, 1/2 inch regular density and straight. I need 1 yard of this mohair.
Thank you all so much for checking your stash for me!
Alison
