Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Way to go Marion! :dance: Big congratulations to you and Matilda! :clap: :clap: :clap:
Congratulations Maria and Mikki!! Woohoo!!
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
:hug: :hug:
I had no doubt Musa would be nominated and I'm not at all surprised that Opie and Tom Thumb were nominated too. they're all amazing! Well done! 
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Yay! What a delightful bear, 
well deserving of a nomination! Congratulations Laraine!!
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Well done Christine! CONGRATULATIONS!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Hurray! Big congratulations Terrie!! Snazzy is really cool! :clap: :clap: :clap:
No surprise here, Mr Sandman is awesome. Well done Shelli, Big CONGRATULATIONS!! :clap: :clap:
Big congratulations Louise!! Well deserved, Harley is adorable! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Aw, Aleta! :hug: I'm completely thrilled for you!! :dance: You and your GORGEOUS bear certainly deserve the nomination. Giant panda hugs and CONGRATULATIONS!! :clap: 
Best of luck to you Tami! :hug: Enjoy it! It is easy to tell from your posts that you are very intelligent and personable. 
I'm sure you will excell in everything and when your finished, make an awesome art teacher. I'm envious! 
I loved college. I would love to go back and take more classes.
I hope you still can find some time to make some of you gorgeous bears!
Keep us posted and know that you have a cheering section here!
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
If we're asking people to refer back to a list within a thread it might be nice to search and find it with ease.
I see what you mean, Chrissie. It wouldn't do much good to have a list of asterisked and non-asterisked names if you can't find them later.
Maybe we could have a 'Swap' topic in the library where all future swaps could be easily pulled up for reference?
Here's my 2 cents on your questions Lady Oracle :
1. YES or NO: Have you ever participated in a random teddy bear swap? By random teddy bear swap, I mean a swap where your name is placed among a pool of names of participating artists, and then you are paired up with another bear artist randomly by the swap coordinator.
Yes, and I enjoyed them!
2. AGREE or DISAGREE: All participants in random swaps must agree that they will accept, without public or private complaint, any bear that comes their way, as a condition of participation.
Absolutely. If you can't do this, stick to private swaps.
3. YES or NO: Do you think swaps should be sub-organized into categories?
Possibly, but only if the coordinator chooses to and sets out the guidelines clearly.
4. If swaps are sub-organized into categories, do you think, for example, that mini makers should swap with mini makers?
or....
Do you think each participant should be able to CHOOSE which category he/she wishes to trade with? For example, should a mini maker be able to specify that he/she wants to trade for a "biggun" bear?
Again, I think this should be up to the discretion of the coordinator. I can see how trying to satisfy everyone's wants could be a headache at the least and impossible at the worst. An extreme example: What if there were 10 mini artists and only two biggun artists but everybody wanted a biggun? Or the other way around? Personally, I think the surprise of not knowing what you're going to get is part of the fun.
4. If you answered YES to question (3.), which categories would you like to see used? Mark all that apply:
(a) Size (small, medium, large... or mini, medium, biggun.)
(b) Style (contemporary, traditional, distressed, anime)
(c) Skill level of bearmaker (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
(d) Medium (needlefelted, mohair, synthetic)
I think (a) Size, (b) Style or (d) Medium would be the most viable options if the coordinator chose to do this.
5. If you marked "skill level of bearmaker" as a possible category, in question (4.), do you have any suggestions about the criteria a swap coordinator might use to determine the skill level of each participating artist? Years making bears? Price per bear? Awards and honors? Is this even a realistic option?
I don't think this is a realistic option. I agree with Chrissie on this one:
If persons REALLY want to control the "skill level" or "category" of a swap they should start private swaps. Purely Private Swaps. Email all of those you think fit the bill and host a private swap. BUT don't post a "look what I got from the highly skilled bear makers swap" so the rest of us can assume we're not "highly skilled"
6. How long should swap participants be given to complete and ship their swap bear?
Up to the coordinator. Some times of the year are busier than others and some themes may require more thought.
7. What, if any, should the consequences be for those who commit to a swap, but never send a bear to their partner, even after receiving one themselves?
I like Shelli's idea of making a list of participants in the swap thread and marking off those who complete their swap obligations. From there it should be up to the coordinator of any new swap to include or exclude people based on past swap performance. Life does throw us curve balls and sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that need to be considered.
8. AGREE or DISAGREE: The swap coordinate should not have to police swap participants. Any problems which arise are the responsibility of each swap pairing to resolve.
AGREE! The coordinator should lay down clear guidelines and criteria for the swap at the very beginning and (if we decide to do this) mark off completed swaps as they are reported. Those that wish to participate agree to follow the guidelines and criteria laid out. Coordinators cannot be responsible for the actions of individual participants.
P.S. Shelli, I think the boilerplate is an excellent idea.
My sentiments exactly Wendy! I'm trying to spend less time on the computer and more time on bears but I can't help peeking at everyone's beautiful creations! there is just so much talent here, it never ceases to amaze and delight me.
I feel guilty for 'cheating' like this. :redface: Everyone's creations truly deserve an individual comment but honestly, with my slow dial-up it would literally take hours. Sometimes I have to wait several minutes for a page to load especially if it has pictures. 
The price I pay for living in the peace and quiet of the boonies I guess.
Still I love checking out the galleries now and then and you people are doing some awesome work!!
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Looks great and everything worked fine for me even with my slow dial-up!
Well done and Congratulations! :clap:
Talk about mixed emotions! :hug: :hug: My goodness. Congratulations on your wee one! Sometimes these unexpected baby surprises are the greatest blessings. I'm glad you fianlly got a diagnosis so you can get proper treatment, but I'm sorry for all the stress and complications.
I came home last night in tears and stressed and I started to get contractions again.
If you explain this to your doctor I'm sure she will write you a letter. The health of you and your baby come first! Many prayers and wishes health and peace and wellbeing for you and you baby! :hug: :hug:
Ah you lucky girl! I'm excited for you! :clap: I wish I could join you. Have a great time and tell us all about it. Can't wait to see pictures of what you create!
Hi jane,
You and your family are in my prayers. I'm glad Sarah's results turned out well and I pray for the same for Eve and that your husband's surgery goes well too. :hug: :hug:
Hi Daphne, I see Bobbie has already answered your question which is good since she so much is more knowledgeable about this than I. Those lights are very similar to what I bought but I think those you found are better. Those stands are awesome! I have clip on reflectores which work well enough for now but those stands would be so handy.
Right now I'm dragging every moveable lamp, floor and tabletop, into my room to take pictures and it's still not enough!
Exactly what I was doing too! So frustrating! I predict you will be sooo happy with the results you get with the new lights.
Dilu, I think you do a great job with the gollies! I know how hard a color black is to photgraph well with any detail. I have a black dog and in photos she usually turns into just a sillouette or an unrecognizable black blob. The contrast of bright clothing on your gollies just adds to the challenge, but like I said I think you do an awesome job. Good luck with the "something new" you're trying! :hug:
Wow, great instructions everyone and as always, many different ways of doing the same thing! and all great ways!
Tami and Paula, You both make gorgeous open mouth bears that I have long admired! There is nothing like getting tips from the experts.
Tami, Your instructions are very clear. Isn't it amazing what solutions your brain can come with when you are sleeping?!
Everyone, please feel free to use this pattern for yourself or for bears for resale - all I ask is that you don't sell the actual pattern.
Thank you Jane! that is so generous. Your technique is different from what I've seen before and I'd love to try it. I'd also love to see one of your sweet bears with an open mouth. :photo: ~hint hint
~Sigh~ this thread gives me a yen to try an open mouth bear myself... along with all the other jillion things I want to try/do.... 
Maybe we need to do an open mouth bear Challenge soon?
I thought you were re-posting the originals as they still had the blue background!
LOL!
Nope, new pics! These are actually better than the originals colorwise. If you look closely you can see that the originals have a bit of a yellow cast to them. I'm sure its from the combination of the fluorescents with the daylight.
I've been dissatisfied with my digital pictures quite a while but now I'm doing the happy dance!
:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:
I'm personally going to put just plastic pellets in the body of my bear (I'll do the arms, legs and head as normal...probably!). I thought that if the head seems to flop forward too much that I'll put a little bit of polyester fibre fill in the top of the body (not firmly - just so that it supports the neck joint a little).
ah! Thanks Gemma. that was sort of what I imagined doing, so it's good to know I am on the right track.
Great bears Gladys and Kim! :clap:
Hi Kim, Welcome to Teddy Talk!
I haven't made an open mouth bear yet, but I can direct you to some threads with some instructions and tips.
Try this link:
http://www.teddy-talk.com/search.php?se … =883010373
Here is another link with some good info:
http://www.edinburghimports.com/articles/openmouth.html
Nancy Tillberg's book "101 Bears to Make" also has instructions on open mouths.
Hope this helps.
Jenny, Great idea with the grey card. I use one sometimes with my film camera but my digital doesn't like it.
Jared, Thanks for the additional tips. You brought up some very good points. My camera does have preset white balance settings but I always used the custom setting because I read somewhere else that was the best thing to do. However, your pictures always look great so you are definitely doing it right. I will experiment with the other settings. As for the background, I tried several with this bear and blue seemed to give the best results. With the white background, its ears practically disappeared! I do like white for darker subjects though.
Anyway, I finally found some time last night to take some pics with my new lights. I'm very pleased with the results. The color is spot on although the exposure on the deer is a bit off. (my fault)
In case anyone is interested, here is the lowdown on the lights I used:
GE 'energy saver' COOL DAYLIGHT bulbs. These are those new spiral fluorescent bulbs that you can screw into a regular light socket
6500K
1600 lumens
26 watts used with 100 watt output
8000 hour life
Purchased at Walmart, $6.44 for two bulbs. This may sound expensive but compared to regular GE 100 watt bulbs they use 1/4 the energy and last nearly 5 times as long.
I used 6 with my light tent. Overkill maybe, but it worked.
BIG thanks again to everyone who replied. I appreciate your help! :hug:
Hi Louise, Welcome to Teddy Talk! It's great to see you and your bears. :clap: I have to say little running bear is my fave. Well done you!
Congratulations Patty! :clap: It's great to learn a little more about you and your bears. good luck at Nevada City!
Hmm, This sounds like fun and I'd like to give it a go too... I'm not quite sure how to go about making a bear saggy without it it just being a big shlumpy lump. lol Do you just stuff the tummy with glass or plastic pellets?
I usually stuff my bears pretty firmly so this wll be different for me. It's good to stretch yourself!
I can't wait to see what everyone creates! :dance:
