Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

That is too funny.
We ran into to a collector who live the next town over from us at Schaumburg one time.  We have kept in touch with her over the years, but we only see her at Schaumburg, even though we only live about 17 miles apart.

I just learned that collector Carol Nichols has passed.  I recieved a phone call from her husband who was trying to reach Teddy Bear Review.
My deepest sympathy to her family.

Click the link below to see all of the Nominees.
Congrats to all of the Nominees!!!

http://www.jonespublishing.com/jphome/j … nteddy.asp

Well you can tell him that I have been doing this since 1990 and my mom has been at this since 1982.  Last year was her 25th Anniversary.  There are artists who come and go, but there are many of us who have been at this for a long time.

Maybe this advice would help some of you.
Mom and I make a line of bears that we wholesale to the trade.  These are pieces that are only availble through the shoppes that carry our pieces.  We do not sell these bears/bunnies at retail ourselves.  If we are at a retail/collector show then what we have on the table is available to anyone.  If a shoppe wants to buy a piece off the table, then they do so knowing that we retail those pieces as well.  We offer discount to the shoppes at shows, but they are less than the discounts of our wholesale line.  I like making bears and would like to continue to do so for many years.
If you want to wholesale then do it, but then remember that you need to have a business mind set.  That means that you need to get pieces to the shoppes in a timely fashion, not 6 years from now.  I work closely with my shoppes to provide them with what they need for their collectors.  I still maintain the creative control and am able to make the pieces that I want.
I might not make as much per piece, but by working with the shoppes and offering bears that they can sell, I make up the difference or more in the end.  By turning over my money I end up better off in the end.
This is not something for everyone.
Wholesale is not a 4 letter word.

Ok all since it has been ages since I have been out here I figured that it was time for a post again.
School, work, and bears have been keeping me busy.  For those of you who are wondering IDEX was great.

Congrats are due to mom (Jane Monroe/C. Riffenberg Bear Co.) for her Punpkin' Panda.  Here's his picture.

Once again Jane you have out done yourself!  Kudos!  I can't wait till next year.  I can only imagine what the New Year's Party will be like.
Take lots of  :photo:  :photo:  :photo:  :photo: .
:hug:

Hoppy Holidays All!

And while Jared brought his camera to the show, he forgot to take pictures...

I know that I had a nice time.  Tami did a wonderful job organizing the event.  It is always nice to see everyone in person.  I am looking forward to doing something like this again at other shows...

He turned out cute.  A very dapper bunny.
I like how you airbrushed the nose.
Wood wool (excelsior) can be messy, but it is best if you cut it into smaller pieces to stuff.
What mohair did you use?

My best advice would be to look at old bears and see how they are worn.  I have never had a problem with coffee or tea.  I prefer coffee, but you need to use vanilla and cinnamon to help cut the oder.  Airbrushing can help you age your pieces too.

Mom and I use basic colours for our displays.  Black table covers have worked the best for us.  I have found that while I like reds and burgundies then tend to make it hard to see the bears.  Depending on the colours of the bears you are displaying will dictate the colours of your backgrounds.  Stay away from busy patterns they will detract from your bears.  My best advice is to keep it simple and make your bears stand out.  People are there to see your bears not your stand.

We found some cardboard risers from a company have worked out great for us when traveling by plane.  Otherwise stop by our booth in Schuamburg to see what we use.  We make more traditional bears and have used orange boxes, wire display racks, and many other items to show off our bears.

We also have also found that grouping like bears together works best.  Keep all of your holiday bears and winter bears together, traditionally coloured bears together, and so on.  Usually, our display starts with traditionally coloured bears, then patriotic bears, then fall, then holiday.  This does change from show to show, depending on the time of the year.  But that basic formula works for us.

The use of light is very important.  At Schaumburg I have found that the use of 3 to 6 lights makes all the difference in the world.  Place them in key spots to provide overall light and a few more to highlight selected spaces on your table.

Let's see I hit the sewing machine repair shoppes and look for unclaimed repairs.  Where I live after 30 - 90 days any repairs that are not picked up are considered the property of the repair shoppe and they can sell them for the cost of the repairs.  I picked up an old Dressmaker from the 50s/60s.  I have had it for nearly ten years.  As long as I keep the fuzzies under control I don't have any problems.  I have small attachments that I use on my vaccum cleaner to clean up the dust every so often.  I have only taken it in once to have a repair done.  That was to replace the bobbin shuttle, because the orginial worn out from use.

But I recommend getting an older machine with straight stitch, backtac (reverse), and a zig-zag.  Other than that I don't recommend getting anything too fancy.  If you need more stitches or fancy stitches, I suggest getting a second machine and only use it for the fancy stitches.
I do have an inexpensive Singer ($100) that I use as a back up when I need to take mine in for repairs.  I like it better than the Brother machines, but it is too lightweight.  I found that it would "walk" across the table as I was sewing, not good.  It needs more weight.  It is also smaller than my other machine and I found that I didn't have enough sewing room.  But I would still recommend it over a Brother any day.
I bought mom an old machine, which has worked out just great for her.  Before that every 12 to 18 months she was going to Wal-Mart to buy another Brother.  They just weren't worth fixing.  For about $50.00 I picked up a unclaimed repaired machine and saved her $100 every 12 to 18 months.

If you are going to sew leather or real fur then you need to get a leather needle, the sewing shoppe should have them on hand or should be able to order them for you.  A leather needle has a triangluar shaped point which allows you to sew through leather and real fur.

You also need to make sure that you are using the right gauge needle.  I use a ~ 14, sometimes heavier sometimes lighter.  It all depends upon the weight of the fabrics that you are sewing.

I also recommend taking some samples of the fabrics that you are working with on a regular basis.  Just make sure the samples are big enough that you can try sewing on them with a several different machines.

Basically, I recommend finding an older machine with fewer stitch options for your everyday bear sewing.  And if you need fancy stitches then buy a second machine with all the fancy stitches, but for most of us a basic machine will work great.

Lisa -
I saw the replacement program at Staples the other day, I just can't remember what it is called.

Kelly -
I use homestead to create and maintin our web sites.  The benefits and features outweigh the time it would take me to do everything on my own.  There are somethings that I don't like, but for now the web sites are basically image sites and not really stores.  It works for me.

Shelli -
I tried coffee cup and I really liked the program.  I just need to take the time and buy it.  I used the trial verison to make some auction templates for mom and it was easy to use.

Well,
I managed to get all of my reading for Econ in the airport and then I got most of my reading for Humanities done on the plane, which I finished in the hotel room on Friday night.  Like I said, I had to do it with one eye open.  I even managed to take a quiz in Econ and passed it.  Oh, well just a few more quarters to go and I'll be done.

On a sad note... 
Teddy Bear Artist, Nancy Dane learned of her brother's sudden passing on Sunday.  I contacted and asked her if it would be ok to let you all know and to post her e-mail.  So if you would please keep her in your thoughts and prayers I know that would mean a great deal to her.  If you would like to drop her a line you may do so by contacting her @ BENTBEARS@aol.com.

We had an excellent show and would encourage more artists (teddy bear & doll) to attend this event.  The crowd was steady all day Friday and Saturday, at some points it was hard to move about the floor, that is a good thing!  Sunday was slow, but Sundays usually are, but even at that we had a good day.  Many of the artists I talked with said that they had a good time as well as good sales.  That is what we all like to hear.

Yes, it was hot and sticky, but there is an upside to doing a show at a hotel.  We avoided most of that by staying in the hotel.  There is a CVS Pharmacy down the block from the hotel where I grabbed some pop and a small fan.  And there is also a small grocery store, local resturants, and McDonald's where you can get food too.  So you are not limited to the hotel's restaurants.  All of this within walking distance.

Twins Cubs - Lisa

Look at these adorable creatures!

Here's a picture from the Toy Shoppe Booth.
This is the lion that didn't come home with me... 

Bears of the Abbey

This is Susan's new line of dolls.  This guy is having the same kind of hair day that I am.

And now we come to Good Bears of The World.
Here is Terrie Strong on the left and two local GB members

Picture of the GBTW Booth

Joe Jones presenting mum (Jane Monroe) with her Theodore Society Ambassador Award! :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  (ok so I am a little biased)

Here is our very own Samantha Potter with her Golden Teddy!  Way to go Samantha!

Industry trend setter, Michelle Lamb, with her Golden Teddy.  Many congrats to Michelle!

Teddy Kingdom - Bears By Lena Volkova

My computer is giving me fits, give me a few minutes and I will have more pics posted

Here is TonniBears from The Netherlands

Beckner Bears

Mac Pohlen

Mill Creek Creations

I am currently working on the rest of the photos.
I got my homework done Saturday night with one eye open.
Then I crawled into bed.
Sunday after the show was over, we packed and left for the airport.  We were home by 12:00 am.  Talk about a quick trip.

When I get home I will post the remainder of the pictures.

Canna Bears

Special Canna Bears

Nancy Dane

More of Nancy's table

Fool's Gold Bears

Two very cute bears

Ok I got more photos today, but I had to get my homework done tonight.  It is hard to post homework when I don't have an internet connection and I don't get an internet connection on the airplane.
Mum was awarded a Theodore Society Ambassdor Award this evening before the Golden Teddies.  Talk about a shock to the system...  But I am so proud of my mum!
Samantha Potter, she won a Golden Teddy, and her husband sat next to us during the awards and we chatted for a bit.  It is always fun to meet fellow TTers, but even more fun when they are from another country.

Here's the pictures that I promised.
Most of them are pictures of our booth.  My batteries died before I could get around to take more pictures.

My sister is making the dolls and they have been popular at this show.

Pictured here is Maemie and Her dove along with several of her frends.

TTer Karen Lyons

Candi Taylor's Snow White and the Seven Drawfs

And her Puss-in-Boots

And I promise more pictures tomorrow.  Yes, I have fresh batteries.
Don't forget we will find out who has won the Golden Teddies.  And there is another surprise in store!

Today was the first day.  We opened at 1:00 pm and closed at 5:00 pm and was opened to trade only.  Saturday and Sunday we are open to collectors and the public.  We have had a great show so far.
I'll post pictures after I get them re-sized.
That's all for now.

Enjoy the nice weather. It is hot and humid in DC.  I am staying in the hotel I have only ventured out to get a case of pop and a small fan.

If they buy at shows they usually don't buy on eBay and if they buy on eBay thaty don't a thing about Teddy Bear Shows.  That is the general rule of thumb.

There was an industry standard that is good to use as a starting point.  $10.00 per inch.  So a 10 inch bear should be somewhere around $100.  You can go up or down from there as you figure your other costs.  Some artists sell 10" bears for 95 and other $150.  It all depends upon your material costs, your time, your name (recognition/reputation), and what the market will bear (no pun intended).