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Luxembears...your own personal collection?
As bear artists many, or most of, us are also collectors. It seems I am always on the look out for just one more......etc.
I have not counted my entire collection but I did count the bears I place on my bed each morning after I make my bed. 
42 mohair bears. I guess that is one for ever year I am alive.
I have Merrythought, Steiff, and artist bears. Then each of my children have mohair bears on thier beds. THEN I have two curio cabinets, bears high on a plant shelf and a few in my kitchen. I am almost afraid to count them all, but I can say that it is a happy place around here to see a cute furry face everywhere I look. 
Have any of you counted how many you have? 
Swan Valley BearsOh my, Judi. 42 bears on your bed ! ! ! Hubby goes to bed about 2 hours before I do and he would never take 42 bears off the bed to get into it. He would probably sleep with them.
I'd love to see pics of your collection.
I don't have that many but I bought an adorable little tattered teddy from Sonya Shaw this weekend at the Nevada City show and swapped one of my bears for her adorable bunny. Then I have 3 Zucker Bears from Barbara Sixby, one from Jodi Falk, one from Pearl Hamilton and another mohair artist bunny and a bear I bought in the 80's at a bear show (don't remember the artists). That's it but I hope to start building my collection.
What? You place 42 bears on your bed each morning and you make your bed? ......... hmm.... if I make the bed instead of just straightening things... and I actually place the pillow shams and 3 cushions...that is a big deal. Of course...most of my bears are tiny..so it would look silly putting them on my bed..lol
I have about 30 bears (mostly my own as I hate to part with lots of them) scattered here and there in a curio cabinet and a barrister (bearister?) bookcase... have a dozen on a bench in the foyer..another 6 in a basket. Most of mine are not artist bears..but store bought that I think are pretty darn cute....just had to have.. years before I began to make my own. A few bunnies and tiger and lion tossed in for good measure...
Posts: 1,836Not counting little random store bought teds my hub has bought for me over the years I have 28 bears that I display in different curios, hoosier cabinets and on shelves. A few are my own from earlier years the rest are artist bears and heirloom manufactured bears.
I think it's so nice that you have your collection in your sight and hands each day, must be very inspiring! Having big dogs that like to jump up on the bed keeps me to using tall cabinets and shelves for teddy bears right now! I do bring a different artist teddy bear to my work table when I'm doing all work after sewing...it's like having a teddy inspector there ensuring things go smoothly
Patty, you lucky girl to have a tattered ted by Sonya! I spotted one on her show table pics and had to check him out on her site...Palmer. I think he's lovely 
:hug:
~Chrissi
Pumpkin & Pickle BearsWow Judi, I too would love to see your collection!!
I have about 18 bears - all Artist bears. Some have been from swaps but many of them are ones I've bought.
Posts: 535I am a photographer and a teddy bear collector - I have 85 artist bears!! BUT... I use the bears for greeting cards that I sell on my site.
Hugs,
Julie
Storytime Bears
, Ohhhh this is a great topic
I have several artists bears and Johni Jacobsen mice, which I LOVE!!!!!
but my all time favorite is a bear my son's friend's bought me for my birthday as a thank you for letting them hang out here all the time, I put my oldest son's baby sweater on it, it's real fluffy and huggable. I cried when they gave it to me , which completely threw them for a loop, because that was about the only time I didn't act like one of the guys and showed my girlie side
Bears by EdieWell, I just did a quick count of my bears and got to 400 and then realized I missed the cabinet in the living room - and there 30 in there so I guess around 430 give or take a few! (and I've always thought it was around 200!!! - and that's not counting the dogs and cats - at least 50 of those - or the various other animals!) I have a mixture of vintage bears, artists bears and a few manufactured, mostly Steiff and Merrythought - at least 100 must be miniatures, maybe a bit more. I have them scattered through the house and several cabinets in my doll and bear room as well. None on my bed though Judi - making the bed is enough work each morning without adding on moving 42 bears back and forth! Then again maybe that would make it FUN not WORK!
Posts: 535WOW Edie... I don't think I'd have the room for 400 bears!!
Teddy Bear and FriendsI thought I had about 100, but there are 72 in my office alone... The total is 160, counting everything: artist bears, manufactured bears, my childhood bear, two Hansa giraffes, various animals (lion, chicken, mouse, llama), miniatures, Christmas themed...
But not counting my latest acquisition, a complete set of the McDonald's/Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz Happy Meal dolls. Shirley Praytor deserves most of the credit; she heard I was collecting them and sent me the ones I had already missed. Am I'm allowed to unwrap and display them? I just wanted them because I love the W of O and Madame A dolls, not to fund Jack's college education 10 years hence. They're so cute!
Mindy
Just having spent the last little while counting, I have exactly 201 bears, bunnies, cats and elephants combined. Not as many as I suspected!! That must mean I need more!!
:crackup:
Warmest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
BruinwerksUmmm...hardly any really...maybe 10 
not many at all... and I have hardly spent any money on them at all...they were...ummmm..gifts.....really... 
(In case my DH should read this :crackup: :crackup: )
Bears by EdieI would unwrap the McDonald's/Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz Happy Meal dolls, Mindy - how can you enjoy them if they stay in those bags, you can't even really see through them! I have most of the earlier McDonald's/Madame Alexander dolls but didn't even know about this set! I bet they are cute! (No McDonald's near me anymore so hard to keep up on these things - I still have vivid memories of driving all over Edmonton in a mad panic to collect all the mini beanie babies when they were doing those and I have hundreds of them all packed away that I didn't even think of counting in my bear count! ) I just love all the dolls that I have and I have taken them out of the packages - except for a few extra of the ones with the teddy bear theme - not that I ever expect them to make me rich either!
Bears by JodiOh my I am
to count !!! I collect bears AND dolls !!! it is toy land here !!!! My husband collects model cars, but they are mostly down stairs ... so really it is a toy store here !!!!
Wazza Bears AustraliaI love Ganz bears and I have about 10 scattered around the lounge room. I have been very close to purchasing some artist bears. Properly won't be long
Dolls N DreamsI have about 7 and they are in a book case in my studio!
What I have and what I would like are two different things :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
I have mostly Australian artist bears...I've bought or swapped them when I've been over there for shows. I guess I have maybe 10-15 artist bears and then some manufactured hangers on.
Bearz by IlzeI have over 80 bears in my collection....I have Vintage Hermann bears, Vintage Steiff bears and old 1950's polish teddy as well as a whole buch of artist bears and miniatures teddies. Of the oldies my most favourite would probably be my white tag Steiff bear that has been signed by Hans Otto Steiff (grand nephew of Margaret Steiff ) and his wife Bridget in 1986. (Hans-Otto Steiff passed away in Dec 1994.)
Bears by Jodi
Strange BearsMy husbands collection is about 1000 bears but if I added up my daughters collection of Beanie Bears and others I would have to add another 200 or so I think. Plus do you want to count bear ornaments and stuff.....well I give up!! We have teddy bear curtains in our bedroom let alone my daughters.
Our house is very bear related.
Garth and I even had bears in our wedding vows......actually as this was my second wedding the invitations went out from our teddy bears not my parents........they started off.........
.........Mummy (Sandra) and Daddy (Garth) are finally making us legitimate, you are invited to their wedding......
at the end was a paw print and signed The Bears.
And you don't want to know what the rest of the wedding was like!!!!
ToadBriarZero.
Not one.
If I spend money, it's on bear or art supplies!
I did keep back my first bear, but I sent him to someone who seemed to need a bear.
(I ended up a lil bummed cos I never actually heard that they got it)
Storytime BearsKim I seriously love the pirate flag you have, is that a state / town flag??????
You don't have one bear, I feel bad for you that you didn't even get to know if they got the bear.
I too have collected all the Micky D's Madame Alex dolls and I got all of this new set, I found out they were out over spring break and I made my husband stop during our vacation at all the Micky Ds to see which one they had, boy which he was thrilled to death to do, I completed the set in a week, but Mindy you have to open them, they are too cute to stay in the bag. But the only one I didn't like, was the wicked witch of the east doll , it was kind of a weird choice for a doll, "Oh look sweetie you got the dead witch doll in your Happy Meal" I thought the wizard would have been better, but I have them all in a book case and I laid a book on her so just her legs stuck out and it looked pretty cute.
Kim I just realized who you are, I LOVE your work!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wazza Bears AustraliaHAHAHAHA
JODI
It won't be long, There is allot of good artist out there that have tempted me big time.
WienJudi,oh wow! 42 on your be alone!...do you get done with replacing them from getting up till going to be? :crackup:
But as mentioned above: please show us your wonderful collection!
I have teddy all over the house and if I head-count correctly they should be about 40 plus 70 of mine.
...but I guess: one can never have enough teddies :)
Gaby
Luxembears
It is so funny to hear you mention my hubby. He is the most tolerant person I have ever known. He puts up with not only my bears but the mess I leave everywhere. He never gets mad at me.....except when I try to take his photo while he is taking a nap on the bed surrounded by all me bears!!
I always leave an area for Mark to sleep so he will not disturb my bears. In the morning after my son Joey gets up we always have t start our day playing, "Burs" [Bears] Our bed looks so funny with 42 bears all on one side. I will take a photo in the next couple of days.
Jodi, you are so right about men being allergic to picking up...anything.
I never get on my husband about helping out around the house simply becasue he is a dairy farmer and works seven days a week with his day starting at 5:30 and ending around 9:30. He does try to come in a take a nap during the day.
He is actually much more organized than I am. He organized all my furs and stuff in the basement just beautifully. ( Why can't I keep things like that) I get too fouced on a project and never notice the trail of desctruction I leave in my wake....and hubby never complains....bless his neart.
When the postman or USP comes up the driveway I cringe when hubby pokes his head in the door and say," What did Santr bring?" Um.......I reply..."mohair "....then he responds..."...already made up into a bear?"
I am going to count my collection...but I am not telling hubby. He tolerates my collection but does not understand why I need to buy bears when I make them.
