Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

These are beautiful! I'd hate to use them.

There is a lady that makes and sells these (not as pretty as y'alls) in Backpacker magazine. Since the materials are all natural, the wool can be left behind in the wilderness when the soap is gone.

I actually clenched when I saw that photo. Yikes!

My niece, Kristen McNamara, is opening for Rod Stewart and Aerosmith in June at the Rose Bowl in California. I would love to see it. Should be spectacular!

http://www.myspace.com/KristenMcNamara

For my bear faces I use a couple strands of fiber for the mouth and nose area. Amazing the detail you can achieve with just a few strands of wool. Just a couple strands will highlight cheeks. I would use wool instead of paint if possible.

Ginghers (3.5"). Sadly I dropped mine and they won't cut the last 1/4 inch of the blade. You can't even see the bend with your naked eye. I am sure a knife place could sharpen them and fix the tip.

I have Fiskers for cutting large pieces of fabric.

I treat myself to a magazine for inspiration. My favorite is Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion. I love that it always has a focus on an artist or artists. I always get motivated after I look at the magazine. The February issue is great.

I also like the idea of cleaning up and reorganizing the workspace. I forget what kinds of fabrics and trinkets I have crammed in my desk.

I am loving the little scrapbook or frame idea.  I definitely don't want to publish them publicly but only wanted to save them for myself. Since I photograph each bear maybe I can put the thank-you/comment printout in the sleeve next to the bear photo. I can shrink the note to fit 4x6. Thanks!!!

I have gotten some lovely responses to bears I have sold to customers. They have sent me such nice thank you's via email. Obviously I cherish these comments and would like to keep/remember them somehow. What should I do with them? Any creative ideas? Do y'all keep yours or delete them?

I use it when I don't feel like using ebay. Cheap and easy and it's linked to my blog. Plus people can leave nice feedback.

Very very cool stuff on etsy. I like you can also buy and sell supplies.

Lucky you! Finds like that are incredible, you feel like you hit the lottery.  :dance:

Lots of ways to answer really. I really think it's time invested plus the cost of supplies. I would expect a tiny bear with excruciating detail would take a bit longer than a larger bear with less detail, or vice versa. However the larger bear will incur more supply cost. Something with a "wow" factor obviously took more time so you could definitely charge for that. I think you have to account for everything, even reputation. Obviously somebody more well known (published, established, awards, etc) can pull more money than a new kid on the block, like myself. Also a "wow" factor and well deserved.

Sad. One of my favorite actors.

I don't know if I count since I needlefelt and only make bears smaller than 4 inches. BUT, I do collect and I collect very small things. I am attracted to small items. I think because I have a place to display lots of small items behind glass. I have never been attracted to large toys or collectibles. I even DRAW small. I took my first knitting class a couple weeks ago and bought size ONE needles and I am knitting Perle cotton thread. I think size TOTALLY depends on the personality of the collector. Heck, I even want a smaller house.

I am not interested in making larger bears. I love making small bears and creating lots of tiny detail. When I made my first mohair I drew the pattern to FIT on a 12x12 piece because I wanted a small bear. I would be totally overwhelmed at making a large bear and have no interest in making one. Am I strange? Getting anxiety over a big piece of fabric. Geez.  :doh:

LMAO!!!

I am home with the flu, but could NOT resist smelling my dogs feet! My toy poodle has not left my side since I got sick. But he did look at me funny when I grabbed his paw for a smell. And YES they do smell like corn. He just had a bath and is a house dog with a strict diet (no table scraps). He doesn't have any allergies. So maybe it's just a dog thing. Funny.

Wow. thank you. I just cleaned mine.

I had a friend whose duplex burned down because the lady next door accidently tossed a beanie baby in the dryer. As you can imagine it disintegrated and the little "beanies" (puffs) backed up the exhaust in the dryer and caught fire.

I was wondering this...

When you google a topic, like say, handmade bears...how do you get your website to pop-up first? Is it something you add when you purchase your domain? For instance, when I google "needle felted bears" I am pages and pages deep. But if I type in "needlefelted bears" I am on the first page. A whole different slew of artists pop up for the different words. I just want to know how to get successfully googled.

Like I tell my kindergarteners through 5th graders...IGNORE IT!!!! It has nothing to do with you Clare. But still, crummy things like this still sting a little bit.

It makes me so mad when I hear stuff like this. We had a problem with another kid doing this to my daughter through email. We printed out the emails and gave it to the kids parents. You know what happened? The parents got mad at US. When we see them at the school they ignore us. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I truly believe it's the parents fault not teaching their kid proper values, respect, dignity, etc.

And you're right, it's sad. Look what those kids have to look up to for a life guide...dumb parents.

Yep you guys are right. Global is $23 insured, 6-10 days. They re-designed the USPS website and it's great.

I have a BA in Graphic Design and was a designer for many years. I have two huge portfolios and lugged them around to many interviews. One is large for the posters and fold out pieces. The smaller is for logos and smaller printed pieces. My background is design and print, not web. So everything I have is either a photograph or an actual printed piece. I was an Art Director for many years and interviewed people based on their portfolio. Your portfolio will make or break you in one second.

Get a black portfolio with handles, the leather-ette type ones with removable black pages. Mount samples of your work on those pages so they are easily removed for looking at, such as a fold-out brochure. Or if it's just a photo of a piece you've designed, use spray mount so it won't slip. You can also get the huge pages that have clear sleeves so you can remove printed pieces from it.

Your logos should work in black and white as well as color. Have them together with the pieces they have appeared on; such as stationery, promo pieces, letterhead, forms, etc. You can have a page dedicated to just logos then have their sets following on separate pages.

For dimensional objects have them professionally photographed and mounted in the portfolio. Have the oil paintings professionally photographed. And I mean somebody that knows how to shoot products, not just take a nice photo.

If you have something that is web based, burn it on a CD and include a nice pocket in the portfolio so it can easily be loaded on a laptop.

Each page or your portfolio should be a work of art and your absolute best. If you aren't sure about it, leave it out. You should be able to take one page out of your portfolio and be able to represent your skills, creativity and professionalism.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help!

Do it!

I had a bear on ebay about this time last year that didn't sell. It was a bear in a heart pillow for Valentine's Day. Thought people didn't like it. So I added a baby bear and made them holding hands. Re-listed about a week later and it sold.

I agree, people are holding onto their money. The economy is horrible right now, at least in the states. Don't take it personally. January is a tough month on the heels of Christmas.

Any last minute tips before I do this? I've sent to Italy but it was via another sender in the states. So I've never actually shipped overseas. I am doing Priority USPS insured.

Oooh those are totally cute! I love them all and the sandbox is great!

If our power goes out it's usually because of rain, thunder, lightening, or high wind. We open all the blinds (not windows) and watch the lightening. That might sound lame but our storms around here can be pretty spectacular. We all sit on the couch with blankets over ourselves and watch the storm. It usually ends up a fun family time because we sit around and tell fun stories about past events or vacations.

I can cursive write completely backwards non-stop, not even having to think about it.

The person below me has a collection of something odd...