Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Psssst Miz Bears By Beesley, your private messages box is full 

this was sent to me by a friend:

"Be careful about going places alone........
WARNING TO ALL WOMEN!!

THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU..... IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR
MOTHER...YOUR SISTER OR YOUR DAUGHTER...

The strangest thing happened to me at lunch today. I was sitting at a
local outdoor cafe having lunch by myself and two men came and sat
down at my table... I gave them the death look, but they just casually
stayed at my table and wouldn't leave me alone. I shined up my ring
on my married finger, then placed my hand on the table and I hinted
to them that I was married and that I was not interested in them.

Luckily for me they got the hint and left, but thankfully the whole thing
was captured on the Cafe's camera. I'm sending you this picture as a
warning... just in case they try and pick you up too.
Honestly, some men think they are God's gift to women.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Then I fell out of bed and woke up!"

I got GOODIES! 
Thank you Louise!  :dance:    :dance: 

wonderful wonderful THANK YOU!!!!!        :dance:  :dance:  :dance:

oh she's hilarious awesome! I love her colors - & the insides
of the ears just makes me really happy.

Is there anything special tucked into her pouch?

Birgitte I would LOVE the pattern if it is an easily scannable thing!    :dance:

OOAK = One Of A Kind, like a bear not made from a kit, or one which
is not made from a pattern you re-use for other bears. But if it is only
his hat which is from a pattern, I think he is still OOAK. 
(if I'm wrong, someone speak up!)

the poor little muffin....it's so sad when they're sick, especially
someone as spunky as a terrier! I'll be wishing good health at her 

oh yah - the white one! 

I tried to make a sailor hat pattern "by eyeball" & it
didn't QUITE work (understatement) & I did get too mad at
it to continue beating my head against that wall. You know the
little white hats with the turned up brims? I searched for a pattern
but it seems like I'd have to get a whole little outfit - don't want that
particularly! I know I could probably buy one but I'd like to
choose my fabric or at least know for sure it's 100% cotton.

will he still count as an OOAK bear if I make his hat from a pattern? 

has anyone got such a pattern or a source for one? I hate to
'give up & cheat' but I reached my limit!

thanks 

ooo you all reminded me of so many I forgot!

Indiana Jones, yep. except the middle one. not as good, & that woman
drives me up the wall The last one with Sean Connery is my
favorite. I think they are making a 4th Indy movie! & the sick thing is...
Harrison Ford is OLDER NOW than Connery was when they made Last
Crusade. (again I need an 'eeeek!' smiley! lol)

& I forgot to mention one of my VERY favorites, Midnight In The Garden of Good & Evil.
(speaking of Kevin Spacey) & that one's got John Cusack too 

& I laughed to see Better Off Dead mentioned - that's a definite yes   

Morgan Freeman is awesome & he seems like such a kind man. Let me add to
the Easy Reader love! 

Stand By Me is another I forgot. Why do we all love Corey Feldman so frickin much? rofl

Back to the Future is my most favorite movie - but I don't watch it every time it
comes on. I don't wanna 'wear it out' ya know? I can do without the sequels entirely 

Best in Show & Waiting For Guffman 

Life Is Beautiful I can't believe this is a "new" movie. it feels so classic.

I love Audrey Hepburn & Cary Grant very much, so when Charade comes on I have
to watch it most times 

I LOVE scary movies - not so much Jason & Freddy, but Seven, The Ring, etc. My favorite
scary movie is The Changeling, with George C. Scott. Oh it's so good. I try to only watch
it with someone who hasn't seen it before - this is another I don't want to "wear out".

As for TV, I watch Monk, House, CSI, Daily Show & Colbert Report, L&O: SVU, Family Guy,
Little Britain, & Good Eats. Alton Brown is the bestestest   
I love the forensics & crime shows. We call them 'DGTV' - Dead Guy TV 
Cold Case Files, American Justice, FBI Files, Forensic Files etc. All you Princess Bride fans will
understand how creepy this was: last year A&E made a TV movie about the Green River Killer
in Seattle & how Ted Bundy helped the profilers understand the killer. Ya know who played Ted
Bundy? Cary Elwes - Westley from Princess Bride! He played Bundy really well, gained some weight
& looked a LOT like him, & freaked me the heck out because my brain couldn't simultaneously
love 'Westley' & be repulsed by Bundy. roflmao

I wish someone would broadcast the old Mystery Science Theater episodes with Joel. :pray:

Do you have a movie you've seen a zillion times, but when you
surf by it with the remote, you always end up watching it til the end?

mine:
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Shawshank Redemption
Goonies
The Princess Bride
Fargo

& worst of all..........

The Poseidon Adventure. :clap: but only til Shirley Winters kicks it. She's the best & it's nowhere as fun without her.
"there's got to be a morning aaaaafterrrr...." roflmao  (smileybear is singin, not whistlin)

so what are yours?

Sandra! think of it THIS way:
he's GOOD ENOUGH to take his place in Showcase  :dance:  :clap: 

we have Dark Crystal on DVD...Labyrinth is still on a moldy VHS somewhere
with the label scrawled in my terrible 8th grade handwriting  I loved those
movies...& Time Bandits, & Goonies...hmmm...might have to make a separate
post about movies...

a few thoughts came to mind & I see I am not alone in thinking some of them:

1. what's with the husband flaming people on her behalf? sheesh.

2. his wife is clearly Walt Disney. who else would get this bent out of shape over a mouse?

3. it's a good thing I make rats, so I slip under his radar!  :crackup:

4. I do really want to make a mouse now, to see if I get "The Email" too! :twisted:

he looks like David Bowie from Labyrinth   

my weaknesses are used books,  fabric/art supplies, & treats for the animals

but lately I've been lusting after a metal detector........

poor Cassie - glad it's only a sprain. It's the clumps of fur by the door that
I worry about - what was she tangling with?? I'm sure you have her up to
date on her shots though. I can't be smug, it is only luck that my cats don't WANT
to go outside. I know how determined they can be.

A trick my vet suggested has worked well for us, though it might not have
been good for you this time. My kitty gets upset & pees when he is in the car.
So instead of going into the crate, the vet suggested putting him in a big
laundry bag. Not being able to see stuff HAS in fact kept him calm enough to not
pee (he still yells & pants & gets sweaty paws, but lack of pee is awesome) I still
have the crate bottom (it's the top & bottom plastic kind) under him in case he
does leak. but the last 2 trips have been a lot better for him (& me)

woooow you were brave to use such a long luxurious plush for your first guy!
& he came out beautifully! I think he looks excellent, well done. I am a newbie too
with less than a dozen bears under my belt, & it's only the last couple in which
I've used longer, denser fur & boy it's not nearly as easy as the sparse curly
matted stuff I started off with! So I salute your gorgeous results on this guy!

Did the synthetic stretch when you stuffed him? I had that problem on one.
What was hard? Did you have to do any parts over? What did you learn, &
are there things you wanna try differently next time?

I'm just fascinated by the learning path of bearmaking. & it's a great treat to
have a community like this 

they definitely look like sisters, & if I was the client I admit
I'd be a little disappointed if they looked like exact twins. I think
they are both gorgeous -not VERY different, most certainly sisters!
I love your bears. The mohair color + backing fabric color really
are pretty together.

oooh Lisa what a cool effect! & you're SOAKING in vinegar...
I guess I don't have to worry about using too much 
thanks for the link - it's so liberating to play with this kitchen
stuff that is so safe.

AWESOME dreamcoat! were you listening to the soundtrack
as you worked on him?
boy I bet collecting the yummy batiks for that was fun!

oh dear lol....it sounds like you're having adventures! Did you have
all manner of household creatures getting underfoot & trying to "help" too?
I do not mean husbands....rofl

I am tempted to paint cheetah spots on the white greyhound....she is SO
certain that I cannot accomplish anything without her long pointy nose right
in the middle of everything (who knows, she might be right) but then she
gets offended when I trip over her.

are you doing water + koolaid, nuking, & then adding vinegar after? That
could be the problem. try instead to mix the vinegar into the water &
koolaid. it's the powder that hasn't got sugar in it right?

hahahahaha - you discovered why I put my bags into a tall mixing bowl or
a tupperware....it's cause I don't wanna move my frickin fridge! rofl 
if the bag leaks or falls over or whatever, it'll just dump out into the bowl.

it's pretty awesome being a grownup & making my own mess in my own
kitchen. If I messed with microwaving fabric & ziploc bags full of food dye
in the parental kitchen, mom would have totally pitched a wobbly. 

McCormick, the cheapo 4 droppers in the box from the spice aisle.
I did get an odd feel on some roving when I used kool aid -
a little crispier, almost sticky but not quite. could even have
been my imagination because it smelled fruity, it seemed like it
SHOULD be sticky! Or maybe washing it out stripped the lanolin
& made it feel more harsh? You might do a test on some roving
to see if food color + vinegar makes it feel less clumpy or changes
the texture.

ooo! looks like they've got neon colors too:

could get some nice pastels with those...

I doubt this is much useful if you're looking to dye like a yard of
mohair or something, but I tend to cut out my pieces first &
then dye, & I work pretty small.

I don't think vinegar can hurt!

....works as well for me with dyeing as kool aid, on wool & 100% wool felt!
enough water to cover some wool felt in a zipper baggie, a sploosh
(which is like a splash but a little more - prolly too much but hey
it's cheap right) of vinegar, & as many drops of food coloring as
looks right, in the water. put the bag in a tall bowl & nuke on high
for 2 mins. I rinsed the felt & there was not even any color bleed
when I blotted on white paper towels. the felt took the color perfectly
evenly & it's wonderfully vivid, & there's no weird feel to the wool.

cheaper than buying drink mix, just got to mix drops to make colors.
If I wanted a bright fuschia raspberry hot pink, or that special bright
kool aid blue, I'd still buy kool aid, but I think I can mix most of the
colors I'd use.

lol I'd be scared of anything that jumped out at me when I opened a bin!
Under different circumstances though, they are very loving little creatures.

Aleta wow - you know a lot of people really responded to that bunny!
I have her pictures up on flickr, they are here in my dolls group:

http://flickr.com/photos/kimhotep/sets/505322/

thanks again     

wow, other people with IBS. I don't feel barfy very often (thank you God) but
that's ok, the other stuff is fun enough. I do have panic attacks about having a
flare-up when I am out & about. Tummy troubles + anxiety is a fun combo
I'd get into, say, a traffic jam on an L.A. freeway & my mind just tortures me by coming
up with "wow, wouldn't it be a nightmare if you got crampy upset tummy bathroom necessity
stuff right now?" hooray for prozac, I tell ya.

Here is an old photo of Harper - she's still pretty much the same size. They grow
slowly once they're adults. I admit I'd be rather taken aback if I were to see
'someone' her size in the house uninvited, though!

& the obligatory kitty pics - mind you he's lost about 3 lbs since this photo,
& it's made a lot of difference:

Goblin loves all dogs. Tice the boxer knows all 3 cats by name & if I
scold one of them by name, he will go to that cat & stand too close/loom over
the kitty until said kitty is escorted out of the room. He's like the cat bouncer. 

No dignity: here Goblin wears a small animal cuddle bed as a hat.

Dilu, is Kwatzu like a very very dark siamese, or is it just the finer fur of his face
looks darker? They are both extraordinarily beautiful kitties. Ben & Walker are so
lovely, too. Aleta, remembering your lovely studio photos, Walker totally looks like
he belongs in that environment, taking up a convenient sunbeam!