Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Nancy,
I will also keep your family in prayer.   It is good to hear that she is a bit stronger, but it must be so difficult  for her to be away from her newborn. 
God Speed !

Judi, that is hilarious ( maybe becasue it is so true  )

Well ,
I can't help with using growlers ( other than to say I think they sound like sheep in pain myself :lol:), or the soap issue but..............

After Ellen's post , I wanted to share my Caramilk bar with everyone. Hope your tummies aren't "growling" anymore for chocolate.  You dont' know what you are missing.  Maybe I'll have to mail one to each of you.   On that note. I mailed my bestest friend a 5 pound box of chocolates in June and when she received them ....they were a huge melted 5 pound lump .  She froze it, then took it to the curb and smashed  the box with a hammer to break it into peices.   What a hoot !!!!!  You can't waste good chocolate.

That is so nice.  What sweet bears and great collector !   

Sandy I love your avatar and your little bear. 
Well done Shelli ,as always.   

Kim , you will have to print that out and save it forever.  That is just precious ! 

Shantell your bear is adorable.  I am still trying to get up the nerve to buy mohair and chop it up !!!!  You are an inspiration, maybe I'll give it a try soon too.   Your son is a lucky guy to get your bear.

As for your eye, I cringed thinking about eye needles ...eeeeeewwww.     
Glad it went well though.

Dilu,
Yes it is Daphne.  She is a sweetie and is taking some of my bears too.  It's a huge help to me as there are NO show east of Toronto.  Even to go that distance is too expensive for me right now -2 hours to fly, 20 hour drive !

That is toooo cute.  Out of the mouths of babes !

A big congratulations to Danni, Rita and Michele !!!! It must be so exciting to see your name in a magazine !  Great articles Catherine.  You did an excellent job representing Delartful Bears and our great Canadian Black Bears.   I am so thrilled to have my bears at the same table as you and Danni this weekend -It's nice to "know" all of the famous people here

I wanted to share this funny "gasoline Song" link.  It's good for a laugh ! Be forwarned that there is a bit of adult content in the lyrics- nothing really bad though. So don't open it if you don't want to.   

http://toccionline.kizash.com/films/1001/178/index.php

That is so exciting and wonderful.  You must be so thrilled.  A huge congratulations on all of the ribbons and awards.  Well done too on the quilt patch.  Can you share pictures of these creations ?

After seeing Lynne's cat Benny I had to post a pic of my cat, who thinks she's a dog .  They look like twins !

Blackie ( a girl) is 2 1/2 now.  She was hit by a car last October ( the vet assumes) and spent 5 days in the hospital after having her ripped bladder sew back together.   She managed to drag herself home and when I found her on the deck she was in bad shape,swollen, staggering like she drank something she shouldn't have .  The vet didn't think she was going to pull thru.  But ,she is now crazier than ever (and we are $2000 poorer ) Gotta love those vet bills that add up slowly till you get the final total !  But, she is part of the family so we did what we could to save her.

That is sooooooo funny 

Hey Daphne, I vote for Riley.  Seeing as he arrived around the same time you got my bear "Riley".   Coincidence .....I think not  !

Oh thank you so much Deb......you are an angel  . 

The things you suggested are what I was trying.  I used a different site and for some reason the links just wouldn't work , but I am no HTML genius that's for sure.  I'm sooooo happy I can do this now !!!!!    Doesn't take much to amuse me I know 

Congratulations Lynn, you must be sooooo excited.  I am really thrilled for you.  What an honor.

Hi Helena,
I don't think we've met , so a big welcome !  Your bears are so absolutely beautiful.
I love the avatar bears, I could just give him a big hug.

Nancy , I totally agree with everything you said.  I've only sold a few bears on ebay, but I have watched other artists for a long time.  It also drives me crazy when wonderful bears sell for nothing and others go for high prices that are well......less than wonderful, or no better than another.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the bidding. :/

Your story about the elevator is bang on.   We humans are odd.   Just want to follow the crowd sometimes.

It is so discouraging when you spend so much time creating something beautiful and feel like no one wants it.  But, we have to keep trying and remain positive.  Negative thought gets us nowhere !! ( easier said than done some days I know)

Daphne your new puppy is precious.  What a sweet face he has.  He looks so tiny next to Tucker too !

Here are some names I came up with ( I'm terrible at names though :o)
Dawson
Darby
Amos
Ranger
Kibbles
Baxter
Snickers
Bently
Dodger
Waggs
Benji
Skippy
Cassidy
Or....how about naming him after some place in Iowa where he was born ???

Hi Shantell,
I know I've stuffed enough when my pants get too tight and I feel like I'm going to burst ( usually after a good meal of Chinese food )  :lol::lol::lol:  Sorry I couldn't resist.

As for my bears, I try to stuff firmly, but since I use real fur I am always afraid to put too much tension on the seams.  I stuff until it is popping out of the opening then try to sew it closed.  Usually I end up adding more stuffing as I stitch the opening to ensure it is packed in well. 

Since I don't use mohair, I don't know if it stretches or not ???

Hi Chrissie,
These are tough questions, but here goes :

1) I have always been into crafts , I'll try anything.  Sewing seems to have stuck with me the longest.  I got into bears by accident also.  In Jan. 2003 a friend showed me a fur bear that she made, and I instantly new that I had to try making a bear.    Within days I was at her house and we made a faux fur bear.  Well, I was hooked and we started making memory bears from fur coats.  But, I new I wanted to make artist bears on my own so here I am creating my own designs.

2)  That first bear took about a day to make, but it is a sad looking creature :P

3) I get my inspiration mainly from fur that I find, bear magazine, and looking at other artists bears.  I always want to try out the techniques that I learn to improve my bears.  Sometimes, I get in a slump but like someone else said, cleaning out my sewing room gets me inspired ;)

4) I currently don't collect bears, just make them. But, since I joined this board I see many artist whose bears I would love to have when I get more money.  There are truly talented artists here !!!  I think I like their bears , because I am getting to know the artist behind the bears and the time and love they spend on their art.  Makes them much more personal.

Jane, I wish you all the best on Tuesday.  Relax and put your faith in the hands of the doctors and God.  I'll be thinking about you and your family.

Garnet, I am so sorry to hear about Louise.  I pray that she will be well soon !
I hope all of our well wishes will cheer her up.

Danni, I just love, love, love  your new bears.   The faces are just beautiful.  Violet is a such an innocent, sweet bear with such nice color.  Well done