Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Is it possible that we're all long-lost cousins? :/

My condition was the result of my daughter's OCD. Massive stress over a long period of time. watching my child suffer, putting through her clinical behavioral therapy practice all day most days, and battling the school system tooth and nail = clinical depression. When our psychologist ordered me to do something I really enjoyed every day, I realized that I had no idea what that might be anymore.

My mind kept turning to "toys" of some sort. Since I'm an amateur cabinetmaker, I started with rocking horses of the classical English variety. I taught myself how to hand-carve wood and got to work with singing heart. But I still haven't finished my first horsie, because I soon afterward and all-of-a-heap discovered bears!!!!!!!

I can't tell you (probably don't need to) what fun I'm having, though I'm still so hopelessly disorganized that I can't get to the bears often enough. But I'm getting there day by day . . . I found that the depression made me so completely disorganized that it's been a real challenge getting hold of my life and time again.

My family was most skeptical until they saw my first attempt. Now they're completely beind me, which adds wings to the enterprise. I've got a long way to go but (as Dilu so wisely says) I've got to live long enough to use up my supplies!! Actually, it might be a good idea to add to my stash Just a little insurance, there.

Eileen

Sorry, folks :(

I can't seem to figure out how to upload the photo from my computer!

HEEEeeeelp, Judi!

Eileen

Great diagram, Shelli , Great instructions, Kelly

I hope Judi doesn't mind, but I'm posting one of the pictures she sent to the Edinburgh  thread.

For my poor problem Bear, I used linen-lined leather circles for both sides of the disk, the top of the body and the bottom of the head. They moved really well, but I'd made so many small trial/error changes to the pattern as I went along that by the time I was ready to join the pieces, they no longer fit!. Duh. It's fixed now, thanks to Judi. )

So Kelly's right--MEASURE as if your life depended on--and make sure you're measuring at the sewing line, not at the cut edge!

Eileen

I think she did, Shelli! :lol:

Nance, you clever girl!! Got a piccy??

I like spiders. Sorry, I can't seem to help it. As a fellow needleworker, I love to watch them weaving their webs. Of course up here in the Great White we have very few that are dangerous. There have been reports of brown recluses here, so I'm a lot more careful than I used to be.

Every member of my family is severely arachnophobic. It's not unusual around here to hear a piercing shreik, followed by a wet, mostly naked person fleeing the bathroom! So I'm the official spider wrangler. Outside in nice weather, down the toilet in the winter.

My youngest went through some therapy for extreme arachnophobia several years ago. The psychologist brought in a box full of the critters. At first Alex couldn't stay in the same room with them. After 90 minutes, she was dangling them from her fingers on their little threads. Neat? She's relapsed, since we never practiced at home. I bought her a humane spider-catcher from
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.as … at=2,51555, which she can almost use without screaming.

I was attacked by a horde of fire ants in Houston one July 4th, and my whole leg was swollen and painful for weeks. But the only buggy thing that really scares me is the Preying Mantis. I never liked the way they  look at you (shiver to think about it )While I was living in Virginia, we had a plague of 7-year locusts--I lost count of the number I had shoved down my back. For years I kept a collection of their discarded exoskeletons, but I guess my mom threw it out with my bear!

Eileen

Awwwww, Sue Ann :D

What a darling little cub!

Eileen

Aaargh, Shelli :(

It's happened to me, but in my case my MacAfee Spamkiller was the culprit.

Eileen

Welcome Kim! :D

Thanks for the great info!

Eileen

Great news, Rita :D

Just don't be tempted to overdo, OK?

You're right--rest is only fun when you should be doing something else!

Eileen

Daphne, I love love love color and the toes, and what expressive ears. A winner, this one.

Marie, I hope you mean $150 each?

Eileen

Thanks, Dilu & SueAnn

I really feel in need of some encouragement right now! You're so sweet to listen to my RANT! :rolleyes:

Ah, but my two afternoon students cancelled, pleading heavy commitments in their other courses. I'm out $50 but up by about 5 hour of unexpected bear-time!!

Eileen

Dilu,

I'm no expert, but I do know that no fixative (except maybe varnish) seals oil pastel comletely. The oil in the pastel never really dries, unlike the oil in oil paint. There's a special fixative for oil pastels, but it changes the color and only minimizes ruboff. Steam sets oil pastels colors without changing them, but won't keep them from rubbing off either. Maybe a really well thinned oil pastel would be more permanent? Don't know.

Eileen

Louise, of course I'm working too hard! :(

I keep trying to be businesslike, but hubby has to remind me that "you're not their MOM". Actually, in some cases I think I am. Several of my Asian kids are here with few friends, no family, and not enough English or money. A few of them are in way over their heads. My fees are on the low side for what I offer--$25/hour or $40/week for unlimited help, but it's still a stretch for many of them. That said, I get results and I'm worth it.

Not to toot my own trumpet, but . . .My Korean sweetie couldn't pass a course 6 months ago at York U. (which stinks), and now she's getting A's and transferring to U. of Toronto. My OCD boy, once a quivering silent mess who froze up when he tried to write and thought he had no future outside a  mental institution, is now taking a summer course in English mostly on his own (92% midterm!!) , and looking forward to a math major at U. of Toronto--he'll now talk your ear off, he stands taller and I could swear his voice is deeper. Others ditto.

Jane, don't tell us anything, but tell us everything!!

Gotta get that book. :D

I usually wait until the rabid hordes of kiddies have cleared out before hitting the bookstores for the latest Potter. Our Chapters is notorious among publishers for over-buying titles and having to send them back, so I know I'll find it there.

But I haven't always been immune to the frenzy . . . [picture gets wavy and fades]

I remember when I discovered The Lord of the Rings, sometime in the late 60s. I was living in Baltimore about half a block from a disco establishment known as The Pink Pussykat. Anyway, I finished the second volume sometime past midnight and set out right away to roam the mean streets in search of the third. I was lucky  to find it in a 24-hour convenience store around the corner and even luckier to get home without being mugged! To tell the truth, those books left me in such a state of righteous valor that I think I could have fought off a dozen muggers.

Eileen

Danni, He's Scrumptious! :D

Eileen

That's for sure, Louise. It's very expensive. But I think hubby's impressed with my bears so far, and I've sent him a few links to succesful eBay auctions.

My tutoring income (when they pay me!) helps a lot with the bills, which is why I'm reluctant to give it up. On the other hand, I work such long hours that it doesn't leave enough time for bears.
:(:(:(

I think I need to be better organized. First step is to sort out my post-deluvian mess and clear some working space . . .

Eileen

Drat, Dilu :/

I wish my husband did things like that! I need all the handles I can grab.

Although  . . .  he did suggest that I drop the tutoring to work on bears fulltime.
I can  refuse new students, but I don't see how I can drop my current chicks.

I guess this is one of those milestones in a bear-makers life. It certainly felt that way! :D

So who's read the new Harry Potter? I'm going to start looking for Stephen Fry's reading. I love hiim to bits.

Eileen

Cindy,

It sounds as if you're well on your way to a fresh new start! You'll be back in business in no time. Hang in there Moving stinks, but it'll be over soon.
I'll be cheering you on from over the border!

Eileen

Dilu,

I just sent a message from your website--I hope it works.

I love your website, by the way. It's full of jazzy personality One day I'll get mine going   .. . . need more bears!

Eileen

Well, actually . . .  :D

Check out this page

http://www.thegreatmagnet.com/dtf/master1.cfm

(Thought you had me there, didn't you, Daph? :lol::lol::lol:)

Eileen

You know, I'm sure I read on some show website that exhibitors were not allowed to exhibit bears for "sale prices".

Duct tape is great stuff!! Did you know it comes in colors? :lol:

Eileen

Daphne--

Glue?:D

Eileen

Jane

If you open your SpamKiller program and click on Settings, you'll see a section called Advanced Settings, which includes a Backup/Restore option. I got a list of dates, and could either "restore" or "delete" the file for that date. You have to restart your computer before it takes effect.

I hope this brings your lost emails back!

Eileen

I'm glad it worked . . or didn't? :/

Jane, I've disabled my spamkiller. I'd rather delete a little [INVALID] from time to time than lose the good stuff!

Same thing happened to me when I tried to recover some emails--I got a message saying that it couldn't be done, aaargh. But they've got to be somewhere. Let me explore my SpamKiller and see if I can figure it out . . .

McAfee does give good customer service . . . it might be worth getting a phone number from their site and call ing.

Eileen

Jane,

Do you have a separate spam-killer installed as part of a security system? It might have held back some of your messages. If so, you can find them in its file of intercepts. McAfee's SpamKiller emptied my mailbox once after it installed an over-enthusiastic update.

Come to think of it though, this wouldn't account for the loss of messages already in your inbox.

Otherwise, I'm stumped! Hotmail has given me trouble from time to time too, but never this kind.

Eileen

Thanks, Sue Ann :D

I suspect that the postage on those crates would just about feed my family for a year!! I was thinking of making my own, maybe something collapsible.

I LOVE your daughter's decoupage letters! She could probably sell people their initials, though the stock this would require might be much more than she has time for.

Your table and Shelli's are so full of inspiring touches. Yummy.

Daphne,

To cover a 3 x 8 table, you could certainly use a single piece of fabric on the top, then sew flaps on each side of the rectangle to cover the empty space below.

One solution to wiggly seams is to cover them with a nice trim--flat braid or ribbon or something. It's easier to sew straight on the edges of the trim, because the line is right there. You could even zigzag with matching thread.

Eileen

Ah, that's the dude. What a sweetie. Thanks, Shelli

Eileen