Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Well done on Shamus Amanda.  My sister wants me to make her a bear with eyes like that lol....one day!
have fun on your holiday  :bday:

Anabella is beautiful Jenny and in no way scary lol...I don't think your bears are at all!  I think they are lovely and really cute...they have the awwww factor lol
I know what you mean about the starey look tho lol.  Don't think you have anything to worry about tho.  :thumbsup:
Love her blue eyes :)
Good Luck 

thankyou all so much girls    I will give some things a try before I send for a multitude of Kool Ade lol Dye is $7-8 here so not really bad.  Will look into the dyes they sell especially for fur too.
Anyway, thanks again and will be back in touch, I am astounded by the generosity and friendship here...lovely..thankyou  :rose:
big hug
sarah

I post mine in the sturdy post office boxes...I make them pretty inside, but never considered adding another box inside the sturdy box lol.
Will have to keep a look out...I suppose you could really make an impression with your own style box :)
thanks girls for the ideas 

Hi Susan
I love your site.  I've had it on my favourites list of bear artists since I first signed up on the net lol.  Was surprised when I clicked on it and you are Susan lol.
Love your new Bears  And I like the idea of the price showing straight away...The layout of your adopt page is wonderful and easy to read etc. All the details are there and that makes it easy to shop :)
Think your site is terrific  :love:
hugs sarah

Hi Peta and Welcome  So great to see you here.  Its a wonderful group and there is lots of good bear talk  :D
I used photoshop to create my avatar.  You can email me if you wish and I'll help you.  It's not too hard and considering you published your own website, think you'll have one up in a jiffy :)
Glad to see you back in the bear world :)
hugs sarah

I haven't read this whole subject yet (it's huge!) and I really need to get to bed coz it's past midnight...but just wanted to say that I know that dental floss disintegrates in time...maybe just the unwaxed one...thats what I've heard anyway...Jennifer Lainge had bears sent back falling apart coz the floss had broken....
Aghhhh!!!  I know...terrible news...don't take my word on it coz I'm not 100% certain...just what I've heard from someone else
I like to use beading thread...it is rot and fray proof and comes in all sorts of sizes...I used it all the time...very similar to floss but I think better ;)
good night all 

I use the 50/50 water and pva glue and it works really well.  Does take some drying time, but much cheaper and just as effective as fray stop.  I always fray check just after I cut...so its not harder to cut on my hands (arthritis) I find it better to do it before I sew as sometimes it will go past the seam and stain a little, or clump the fur...if you do it before you sew it doesn't get through and easier to wipe off if you go overboard...
I try and do this all but sometimes I forget in my rush and sew my bear up and then think...I forgot to fray check!!! lol.  Then I do it carefully lol
Oh and I've had that same thing happen with biro...yikes...not very happy with that.  Metallic gel pens rock  :dance:

Cool idea about the poly clay...have made noses but never eyelids and will have to try it out.. thanx  

I love that Daphne...great to remember

lol about the vegimite lol  horrid stuff    I think the best thing to try from here would be tim tams...lovely chocloate biscuits...one of the girls I sent them to wants another order lol
I checked the cordial isle today at the shops...no drink mix  and the only blue drink they had was gatoraide lol.  I looked at the dye packs and they are quite expensive... Does anyone know if food dyes work????
Got a huge 1 and a half meters of white mohair today and can't wait to dye in different colours...just don't want to spend heaps if I want to try 8 different shades....
thanks all  :hug: 

ohhh I hate them!  I try to bend them around and they end up in a huge mess or too long and too hard to pull into the head...argghhh lol
good luck if you try  :pray:

I've read this topic with much interest   I use pencils and markers but like the pencils the best.
I am yet to try dry brushing but that will be my next step. :angel:
And Judi...I've made that mistake before...painting the pads first and then sewing...doesn't work lol  :twisted:

thats what I use..my we service provider gives me 5MB
and the best thing is...no adds 

oh boy Deb..lol...I know that frustration.. :twisted:
Do you all know of the plastic eyelids?  They are made from soft plastic and look really good.  Don't know if Intercal has them but know Beary Cheap does (and i allowed to say that...)  :doh:
I have a pic on my website of Rufus...he has them in.
Hope it works for you Deb....otherwise big hug and feel better  :hug:

Oh and Daphne and Amanda I love green bears...My mums favourite colour so I make them for her.  I have one on my gallery and then willow flutter bear that I just made. 
Can't wait to see yours 

Thanks Denise  :thumbsup:
I think I will have fun looking at all the USA food  :angel:
I've had twinkies and I think ho hos sent here from an american friend and I sent over tim tams and cadbury chocolate.  It was fun

Thanks Gina and Heather for the offer...I will have a close look at the shops and see if we have an equivelent first...and maybe just using dye will work lol...probably be cheaper once you add postage etc lol...

Is that the only reason to use Kool Ade??? the price???
Very interesting lol

hugs sarah  (ooooo...I love the pretty rose  :dance::)

Hi Helena..I'm a bit late but I've just finished reading what ended up happening....glad Bluebell will stay and be loved, but I can't help feeling for you and your dissapointment with the whole thing too...such a shame that she had to say any of it, but like you said...circumstances may have blown things up and made her react badly when she wouldn't have normally...
Hope you are not taking any of this personally...your bears are beautiful and I know if I were wanting a bear if the shade was a little different i would fall in love with the face on arrival...I don't think people know how hard it is to match furs...
oh well..glad it is over for you and you are still on friendly terms...
at least you know about sending a sample for next time...I'm new to this too and am learning still and have learnt from your story....such a shame  ...
hugs and feel happier  :hug:
sarah

Thanks Heather...I've added them to favourites to read late...I've just bought a heap of white mohair to try dying on    Think it will be fun, but can imagine getting into a huge mess and wasting lots of money  :doh: lol
So what would Kool Ade be in australia?  Does anyone know if we have unsweetened cordial here in powder form????  hmmmm.....

Thanks Paula and everyone...this has been fun  :bday: :dance:

I use matching thread, but I choose myself if I don't have one already...I have sooo much cotton! 

So cute Laura and he looks so cuddly   Well done  :teddybear::)

He is wonderful Jody   Really love his face...and his paws look lovely too

Helena, I'm so sorry and feel your anger, sadness....I hope this lady thinks twice and writes back saying sorry or something...awful thing to do to you...
I hope it turns out okay...hope if she is really not happy you can sell him to someone who will be wrapt in him like he deserves to be treated :)
big hug and feel better
sarah

I'm a bit late to this discussion, but I keep my patterns even if they are OOAK and I only make one from that pattern and no more.  I don't know, but I would hate to throw it away after all that work ..and even tho I know I can't make aother, I hate to have that option taken away...know what I mean?

Also like someone mentioned, my patterns evolve too..I would probably use the same sort of pattern with differences to make the bear look like I imagine it too...does that make sense...They aren't all the same but still look the same...even when I set out with pencil and paper to draw my next design from scratch, it comes out similar to my others coz that is my own artistic personality showing through..so it is really hard to get bears all looking very different..

I used to be very strict on the only use one pattern and then change, but now I'm making more it's getting more difficult and I'm beginning to get to the stage where I like my patterns and don't see much that I want to change besides size or positioning of limbs etc.
I've made my flutter bears from the same pattern...I haven't called them OOAK coz I felt a bit funny doing it coz the pattern is the same...but I may add one of a kind in a series???  I don't know...  I've put them as an open edition at the moment coz I have been unsure of what to do...

All very interesting tho and is something I think about...I suppose everyone does what she believes is right and that should be okay with eveyone (without meaning any disrespect) Even bears that you can tell are exactly the same have different themes or fur and they look different...and like someone already mentioned, its hard enough making two identical bears lol

oh well, that is enough of my ramble lol

hugs sarah

lol that is too funny...have to remember to say teddy bear artist lol