Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi Doreen!
I use the vintage rayon (upholstery) all the time.  I love it.  There's a great seller on ebay for short/medium pile in a ton of colors, I think Tammy and I probably use the same person (she sells a ton of it)....BUT it's not really "long pile"...at least not what I consider long pile.  True vintage long pile out on ebay is a rare treat, so be prepared to pay for the golds, creams and brown tones.
The Halloween bear under my avatar right now is an example of long and short/medium combined...you can see that his face and paws are a long fur looking pile..while his body is a short pile.
It's all great to work with because of the no fray grid backing. And the true long pile is great to scissor sculpt.

This guy here is a long pile....

HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!
:hug:
~Chrissi

Thanks so much Tami, you're a doll!!

I have loved getting each issue, but there's something special about the Holiday issues....I love Christmas time!!  The Holiday issues are really wonderful!!  So many lovely bears!!

Danni we're on the same page     If I can figure out this scanner and get a good clear image I'll send it

:hug:
~Chrissi

Wow, how cool...without his uncle where would we be??
I feel like we should all sign and send a big thank you card     

:hug:
~Chrissi

Mine too!

That's very exciting!!!  Is this your first time as an aunt or do you have other little ones in the family already??  My sister is expecting right now, we'll know in November if it's a boy or girl (we're bad with surprises in my family!!!).  It's all really exciting so I can feel your joy!!

I've already picked out Mohair and 2 choices of vintage outfits depending on boy/girl!!

:hug:
~Chrissi

Yes, this guy will be on eBay. He's 3.5 inches head to toe.
Wishing you luck with yours too...saw them today..very very cute!!
I'm trying to rotate each auction site along with my website.  I've had good responses so far with eBay, hoping that continues.  I use the "featured" listing option.  It's $20, but I view it as advertising costs for right now.  If you've never used it..try it..and compare the number of hits you see.  Jared once made a really good point of..where else can you get a week's worth of front page advertising for $20?? 

:hug:
~Chrissi

Hi Jodi,

I'm getting ready to list this little dude (Stitch)....I took several shots today, but some just came out too dark.  I will have to try again tomorrow
Here's what I did get...he has a set of Halloween Balloons, with a pumpkin face instead of the ghost I did previously. Here's hoping I can get the last few shots I need tomorrow!!! 
The next mini is a Mohair Mini....haven't done one in a little while, so I'm itching to get started.
:hug:
~Chrissi

Glad you've got power again!! You appreciate it so much when it's out for days....I remember loosing it for 3-4 days and thinking how wonderful it was to make coffee and tea again!!! Boiling water was a big thing !!

The poor trees are all set for fall and they get hit with Snow...it's a funny picture when you really look at it. 
I love the snow, but I wouldn't want to rush it...not October snow!

:hug:
~Chrissi

I LOVE shrinky dinks....what a cool childhood item.  I bought some a while back to use for tags and still may for some items, but went another direction for my bear tags in the end.  But they are such fun to use!!

You can buy shrinky dink "papers" in different colors now too...AND they sell a printer friendly "paper" too (you could shrinky dink actual photos of your bears if you wanted too (how cool!).  I found it all at the Shrinky Dink web site. 

:hug:
~Chrissi

We all had really nice GOODs happen!! Naps and snazzy printers are nothing to sneeze at...I'm wish listing a printer for Christmas this year.  And thank you for the warm comments..I'm still perma smiled..my cheeks are starting to hurt a little :crackup:  :crackup:

Congratulations on the house Paula!!  It's such a great feeling when you walk into a house and know it's going to be your home ...that's the best...esp if you've been out looking for a while (and probably seeing some real doozies along the way!!)

:hug:
~Chrissi

Daphne that's awesome!! I truly hope it all works out for you both, sounds like it will   I'll keep you in my prayers!!

I have a good share too!!  I'm newer to the bear "industry".  I've been creating my mini's since 2003, but only recently began to sell.  Until stumbling into TT I wasn't really up on the magazines, shows, etc. I did tons of internet searches, but somehow missed the good stuff!! (BIG thank you TT!!!)
Less than a year ago I made some goals for myself. I'm staying focused and hitting most. There's been a lot of talk about awards, ribbons, prizes, what to be proud of etc..so this may seem small to some, but to me it's big and I'm really happy about it.
I came home after a weekend at my mom's (girls all went shopping and hung out this weekend) to find my TBR and TB&F waiting for me on the kitchen table.  I have a bear pictured in both and it makes me the happiest happy dancing chick on the planet right now.  Like I said, I'm newer to the business side of bears so this is something really special for me :dance:   
I think I have perma smile  
:hug:
~Chrissi

Ribbons, Awards, confused collectors....this is all going back to that recent post regarding what collectors think about awards and how much they "affect" a buy. 

I'd like to think of a collector as someone who has an eye for what they want and like... no matter the ribbon, award, society, etc...they're educated to their likes, they have access to the internet, magazines, forums and are able to "judge" for themselves what is and isn't up to their standards.  They buy major appliances, cars, homes and comparison shop via amazon, overstock, and realtor.com every single day.  I don't think any of our collectors are bumping into walls confused over our accomplishments and verbiage on our ribbons.  :doh:  :crackup:     If they like a bear they'll want to take it home, regardless.

:hug:
~Chrissi

Be Careful Tracy...they're like potato chips...can't just do one!!!   :crackup:
Have fun...can't wait for the pics!

:hug:
~Chrissi

Hey there Susan,
I just visited your site and your listing.  You can clearly read each ribbon and see what it is for, so I personally don't think you have a thing to be embarrased about.  It's your business and if you like it that way...leave it.  If your customers have liked it..leave it. Let others do it their own way.   Showcase your ribbons and be happy that you have a wonderful talent to share with collectors

(I'm overseas...and I wasn't confused about a thing, no worries luv)

:hug:
~Chrissi

I'm hanging out with my sisters today.  We went to the Mall.  I haven't been "shopping" in a million years!! Got a few nice things (sales were good!)...the best was not even clothing related...a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream candle.  It really smells like a bowl of ice cream!!   I'm a candle junkie...I love the food smells.
Tomorrow will be bear day. Sundays are now fulltime studio days...now that it's football season and hub watches all day

:hug:
~Chrissi

Hi Jennie,
Definitely read through those posts.  When I read them all a while back I saw that SueAnn mentioned that the $10-$12 "industry standard" was from earlier shows she did.  That standard must have risen over the years a little bit with the rest of the worlds inflation, so use it as a minimal guide.  I think some here have moved up a bit with that $ amount. Like Daphne said ...it's a guide, not a definite.  It totally depends on what you've used and done to create the bear.
I personally like Paula's post on how she prices.  It's not based on making a sale (this is emotional and mental for artists...we always underestimate our work and it's worth...why is that) or industry $ standards. She bases it on the cost and production.  That's what really matters...what did it cost you to make the bear and then what is your time/production priced at. Don't step on your own toes as an artist to make a sale.
PLUS you've got some added bonuses as an artist, if I'm remembering correctly....didn't you have a bear being used in a Women's Magazine for a holiday pattern?  That's a nice plug for your show table and an added "selling point" as an artist. That's as good as an award (imo)..your bear design was picked to go to hundreds or thousands of subscribers. That's big.
:hug:
~Chrissi

I'll have to get some pictures of my collection tomorrow.  I'm looking at all of these amazing displays in baskets on the floor, going up staircases, and on hat boxes rising from the floors and the only thing I can think is......(sigh) "I wish I could do that too....  BUT i have dogs!!"
My small artist bear collection is way up high in an antique hoosier.

This is just a silly store bought bunny someone got me one easter...it was happily slumped on little chair in the studio until a beast of a puppy got a hold of it and slobbered it up!  No cute living room coffee table displays for my poor bears

:hug:
~Chrissi

I'm at 95! 
I too need to work on the exercise bit.  I eat really well with a strict diet and I don't have any unhealthy habits...except I hate to "exercise". It was too hard to do for a while with being sick. I walk the dogs, and I'm active  all day...BUT the idea of doing typical exercise (bouncing around) totally turns me off.  Years ago I once tried TaeBo (did I spell that right?) and the dogs freaked out. What a barking mess... It wasn't worth the aggravation :crackup:  :crackup:

:hug:
~Chrissi

Hi Tracy,

My mom's dog will be 15 in Nov, she's not a big dog, just a little runt mutt we got for $50 .....she's a white shepherd mix...but looks exactly like an australian cattle dog. She had a few seisures back when she was a really really young dog...maybe 2 or 3 years old (??).  We thought she was choking the first time it happened because she was standing and threw her head down.  She had maybe a dozen episodes over a small amount of time varying in duration. We were given a medication, she took it for a little while (I'll have to ask my mom what it was and for how long) and then never needed it again.
She would get weird afterwards to, really clingy to my mom..I think that she also knew my mom was upset and the poor little dog was trying to make my mom feel better too.
I hope it works out the same for Golly, that he can just "out grow" these episodes and get back to his normal routine.   

:hug:
~Chrissi

Aleta, you simply ROCK!!  I love the idea of the 2 chairs being wired together.  That's such a cute display idea for a little girls room...love it.  Of course she's sold already...she's magnificent!!  

:hug:
~Chrissi

That's what I did...changed my user ID to reflect my bear biz.  I didn't want to have to start all over   after obtaining all the positive feedbacks. 
:hug:
~Chrissi

Aw Tracy, that's horrible.  Sometimes dogs just have them and then they go away.  Most times vets won't/can't really do anything for them until they present a pattern of some sort, especially if all testing is showing regular levels.
I feel so sorry for you 'cause I know how horrible they are to watch.  My mom's dog had a few when she was much much younger, we had a medication for her for a while too, but she's 15 now and really hasn't had one in such a long time. Hoping that will be the case for your big boy, he's a real cutie. Don't worry about him becoming aggressive...just be sure to keep your kids and your hands away from him until he's got himself together. Just talk him through it.
Like I've said before I have St Francis on speed dial, so I'll shoot some prayers over for you and Golly boy.
:hug:
~Chrissi

Congratulations!!  It's so exciting when you buy your first home!  Have fun with it all :dance:

:hug:
~Chrissi

I was going to start a Halloween pic thread; this is cool!  I love Halloween, always have.
My mom always sewed our costumes when we were little, we even dressed the family dog up. 
I'd like to see some pics of TT'ers in costume, kids in costume, even the pets in costume...parties, etc.
Aleta's got the Halloween decorating thing nailed down to perfection (check out the "show us your collection" thread)...wow. luv it!

Here are some of my favorite pics...
The first pics are from when I was obviously a lot younger!!  A scary Halloween Witch (I thought so anyway!). And my sis and I as futuristic space men.

This "newer" photo is one of my favorites.  My husband and I were only dating for a few months and there was a Halloween party for the shop I worked at.  The owners of the retail shop always threw a big Halloween Barn party.  This was back in 1997 and the shop sold Beanie Babies during the CRAZE. We all would buy the beanies.....but we really hated how they made customers act and probably hated the beanies a little too  :twisted: .  I had my hair pulled, I was stepped on, pushed, and screamed at.... all so customers could get to the newest shipment of Beanies.  At the store we joked that Ty would make a Beanie out of anything, nothing was off limits. SO, as an inside joke I made these costumes...Squishy and Squashy Beanies.  We were complete with Ty tags (each had a typical "name" poem inside), bandages, and bicycle tire marks on our butts. Like I said I'd only been dating my husband for a few months when I asked him to put this ridiculous costume on.  He's a football loving, hockey playing tough guy.... so this was not his usual cup of tea/bottle of beer. He only asked that I work a baseball hat into the costume..he always has a hat on.
He wore this silly costume and kept his typical sense of humor. My mom said "that's it, this guy is hooked"!
(PS...the Halloween shaped vodka jello jigglers at the party probably helped him keep his sense of humor :crackup: ).

Share your pics!!   

  :hug:
~Chrissi

Shiva oil stiks:  I found them cheaply at www.dickblick.com (they've got some GOOD sales right now on prismacolor markers, pencils, etc.... )
I like this site for art supplies, the prices are good and they ship fast.  Heat setting...when I started using these I read up on what I could find online. Quilters and fabric artists will heat set prior to washing. I can't iron a bear head AND since I'm not washing a bear head  :crackup:  I found I could heat set for a few minutes with a hair dryer, most sites said 4-7 minutes with the hair dryer. (after the paint dried..packaging says 24 hours).  Again...I test everything on scraps first. 
For shading faces and paws with the sticks I use a good quality stiff brush (a "stippler" with an angled edge works for me).  These paint sticks have a waxy film over them, so when you first touch them you can't imagine that they'd be "paint".  Take a piece of wax paper and press the stick onto it and "scribble" a quarter sized circle....you'll see the buttery "paint" that you can then pick up with a brush. You don't need a lot at all. Can always add more...can't really take away, and you don't want stiff fur.

I'm new to all of this too, so if anyone else has used the oil sticks and has tips or tricks please chime in!!! 

:hug:
~Chrissi