Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

It's been a while since I've been around.  Hopefully everyone is doing well.  Finally got a moment to stop by and say hello to everyone.  I've had my hands full for the last year.  Last October we brought home a rescue, a 5 week old border collie X that we named Abbey.  Abbey is 75% border, the rest is lab and Sheppard.  We lovingly say she is 75% brillance 25% stupid enough to try everything she figures out.  She is a minick.  She's learned how to open and close doors.  Turn on the bathroom cold water tap if her water bowl is empty.  Yes she knows the difference between hot and cold taps. She has even learned how to stand on her head from watching a little kid around the building do it.  All of this plus more she had learned by the age of 6 months.  Then she starting try to play with our holland lop bunny.  They would both be out together and she'd bring him her toys, then she would try to herd him and next thing you know...bunny is kicking Abbey in the face.  My husband and I figured it was only a matter of time till that went really wrong.  Either Abbey was going to have a broken jaw or there would be no more bunny. So we did want any non sane border collie owner would do and brought home another border. Abbey had just turned 8 months old and we thought bringing 7 week old Gwynnevere into the home was a wonderful idea.  I know a lot of multi border homes, while, I should say we've gotten to know a bunch, and most of those owners think we are nuts.  We've been told it's one thing to have an older dog, but 2 puppies of different ages in the home together, when they are that smart.  It's been fun.  Gywnnevere is now 7 months old and I feel like I'm just starting to gain some sense of order in my life again.  I've patched up all the walls, Gwynn had a bad teething moment and decided that chewing through the wall was a great idea and not a corner either she just shoved her little face against the wall and chewed her heart out.  Left a hole about 7 inches wide and 5 inches deep. And trying to find time to make bears just wasn't going to happen.
Everytime I'd start something would go crash. Even now after 30mins of quite I'm waiting to hear the bang that will bring things back into normal for the night.  My poor neighbours downstairs.  It's a good thing they are dog people.

So anyway looks like I'll be able to stop by more often again.  I have pictures of the girls but haven't taken them off my camera yet.  When I do I will post them.

So what has everyone been up to?

Amber

Well this game with the water dish is now taken to a new level.  I think we need to get her a smaller dish.  Tonight I walked by and she was getting a drink.  She was sitting in her water dish.  I've been trying to figure out all day why her little bum is always wet.  Now I know.  On the plus side she's getting over her water issues.  Just got to keep hubby calm and keep reminding him she's a baby. 

My old dog would have probably loved diving with your lab.  I miss her.  Funny seeing things that Abbey does, it reminds me a lot of the things that my old dog did at her age.  I guess that is why I'm calm about it.  I realize it will pass one day and the funny things will be fewer and far between instead of hourly.

My husband got really frustrated last night with her.  He filled her water dish, she had a little drink then started dragging it around th room and into the bedroom.  Water went everywhere she was so proud of herself. It didn't help that I was trying not to laugh.  All my dogs in the past have done this it is just a faze in puppy play. Jay has never had a puppy though.  Went out yesterday and came home with the book puppies for dummies.  He was thrilled.

Thank you Everyone

She snuggled up beside me in bed this morning and was nudging me with her nose.  I missed the suttle hint that was mommy get up and play with me and was just enjoying the cuddles.  She pounced in my face and that was the end of that for me I was up and she was ready to go.  I aslo swear that I left a pair of underwear on the bed this morning with my socks, I turned around and they were gone.  Still didn't find them when I went to leave for work.  Probably go home and find them in her hiding place.  Its funny she has a place where she hides all her toys and sometimes food.  I'm hoping that she out grows the need to feel that she has to do that.

Gabrielle its hard o lose them. I think if I looked at everything over the last 3 years I probably grieved more for the dog then the people I've lost over the same time.  It is not an easy thing to to go through. I fact I think it is the hardest. My boss would agree he lost both of his goldens in one year. And one of them at the same time that I was off for a family loss, he was in worse shape than I was. Animals touch us in a different way than people do. They give love that no person could ever match.  When it is gone it hits us pretty hard and leaves an empty space that is hard to fill.  But when the time is right you'll get other and that space will be filled but in a different way. 

If you want to talk just send me a pm.

Thank you everyone.  Tiny I will look at the sites thank you for finding them for me. I've noticed one big thing about Abbey the level of intelligence  is amazing she's picking up things in short order at 7 weeks she has learned to sit on command in 2 tries.  She thrives on praise.  We will have to be careful with her though shes proving the statement " once for a boarder collie is habit" to be very true. I've had 3 dogs before her in my life and I don't think they've had her level of intelligence. It's going to be a challenge.  She heards me out the door now in the morning because my mom comes to visit and feed and play with her in the early afternoon.  It's like go away so grandma can come.  Then she heards my mom out as if o say go away mommy and daddy are coming home. lol

Thank you

Gabrielle its taken me over 3 years to get Abbey after losing my last dog. It was always going to take a special puppy. When I heard what her life had been like I jut melted and couldn't help myself. I wanted all 4 of them I felt sorry or them but old only take one. She's learning quickly and I'm amazed by it.  What does break my heart though is she seems to have horrible puppymares she shakes so badly and sometimes shrieks in her sleep. But they are getting further apart it used to happen all the time when she slept unless I was holding her, and when I was holding her she kept waking up and touching my face with her paws like she was just checking to see if someone was really there.  It's only been 5 days and she's settling in well.

And I'm not sure that we are the bestest Becky but we will give it our best shot to make her as happy as possible.

Amber

Hi Everyone

I'd like to introduce you to Abbey. She is a 7 week old Lab/Boarder Collie X.  We brought her home from a private shelter on Saturday at 6 weeks old.  She was left in a farmers field along with her brothers and sisters.  The people that left her there called the shelter a while after the left them.  The shelter only found 4 puppies they don't know how many there were.  Poor Abbey's had a rough start, but is settling in just fine now.  She has her issues but is learning to trust and love and let us love her.  I don't think she was really showed any attention till the shelter took her in and they only had her for a couple of days.

My hug keeps growing.  Or should I say my husbands hug keeps growing.  I don't know how many bears I've made that he has decide he was keeping for himself.  He tells me that if I take it to a couple of shows and I haven't sold it he gets to keep it.  He once told me he didn't care if I sold any bears that I made to just keep making them he wanted them all.  I shouldn't take him to shows with me I think he scares people off so he can have them. LOL.  Most times if I tell him that he can't keep them all.  I have to have money to make new bears and it has to come from somewhere, he gives in.  But there have been a few that he just fights for, he won't let them leave the house.  My first swap bear last year with Linda, he claimed.  Thankfully Linda was understanding when I emailed her and told her I had a problem my husband didn't want to part with the bear and if it would be okay to let him have it and make her a new one.  As a result Linda got my first ever mohair bear and I sent along my first ever bear to her as well.  Good thing my husband didn't know about that one until well after the fact. LOL

I had the same thing.  I thought it was strange.  I didn't know anyone named Eddy that I had talked to.  At least not that would send me a private message.

Seemed weird.

I too love Denise Reply to this.  Perfect.  And I agree with Bobbie.  Just because she took other peoples artwork and cut and paste it together to make her own doesn't mean she really owns it.  She took someone elses work and has done the exact same thing that she is claiming you have done.  All she has done has altered someone elses work to make it hers. Well to claim it is hers after hours of work from something she didn't own.  So tell her to shove it where the sun doesn't shine.  Keep that email where she tells you how she put the images together and to go ahead and call her lawyer, you have proof with her email that she has done the same thing to others and maybe the other people should all be contacted and informed of her stealing their work and she should have to pay all of them for everything she has sold from it.

Them tell her to shove off before you send her information to the police for harassment and running a scam.

Then just ignore her.

Hi Jane

Check out this website http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/1006/

We used a ton of stuff from this for our wedding a couple of years ago.  I still have the bride and groom bears.  Really easy to put together.  I did cheat with the boxes though, I made boxes for chocolates that my mom made.  But as I am a graphic designer I just took the shape of one of the boxes and put my own design on it.  But we did everything as a paper theme.

Congrats!

Amber

I'm willing to give it a shot.  Most times I'm paying attention to something else so I don't always pay attention to my sewing.  One time I sewed my finger to the bear. I didn't realize it till I went to pull the next stitch tight.  That was not a fun day.  But then I needle felt as well and anyone that does needle felting will understand what I mean when I say you grow immune to the stabs.  They happen.  I think to make sure that I do this only by feel I am going to work with my hands under a piece of cotton.  Light enough so it won't make it hard to move my hands but dark enough so that I can't see through it to what I am doing. Might be an idea for anyone that wants to peek. LOL

Hi Karon

Susie and I both sent our bears off on the same day.  Luna has arrived safely with Susie, which I'm thrilled to hear.  And I'm sure my bear from Susie is almost here if not here already.  Work was crazy and we didn't get to sort the mail bag out today.  Which I've got to admit was hard, because I was thinking about the bears today and hoping that Luna would arrive with Susie soon and wondering if my poor little bear was being left alone in the dark mail bag sitting a few feet away.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow.  Can hardly wait.

Amber

Try turning the bear so he is sitting the opposite way.  I find I end up doing that naturally.  If I'm doing one leg the bear will be upside down but face towards me when I do the other he is upside town face away from me.  It seems to help.

I think it mostly has to do with the way the leg is stuffed.  Somehow the fabric is getting just twisted a little at a time and isn't really noticed till the end.  I had this happen to a dogs body. It was perfect until I stuffed it then it all went wrong.  I took it apart and took special care and it came out fine.

I use a bonded Nylon thread that I got from Disco Joints and Teddies.  I find it is the best.  I used to complain that my thread always knotted and I hated Gutterman thread for that reason. This stuff doesn't knot often, if it does it comes out easy.  And I find it doesn't fray like some others.  I sew everything by hand so that is probably why I have a problem with most threads.

And I'll pass on a tip I got from the Bears Guys.  Always knot the end that you cut if you are hand sewing.  The thread doesn't knot in the middle when working with it so much.

Crystal

I draw my cutlines with marker I found this happened as well, I don't see it where I outlined the pieces because I sew away from them.  But I tend to mark my reverse pieces with an "x" so that I know I've done every piece and don't get confused.  That is where my problem is so I don't have lines showing through at the seems my marks are right in the middle of the piece.  Only with the white and light colours.  Just figure this out.

Maybe you can shade around the seams to cover the gel pen.  That won't work for mine, but if I had the problem at the seems it is probably how I would deal with it, and learn from my mistake.

Amber

oh I love him.  So sweet.

oh I love the bunny.  The expression is perfect.  I look at it and it is the same look that my bunny gives me all the time.  Perfect.

Susan

I'm sure I'll love it.  I've started on yours as well.  Got a fairly good start.  Probably not as far along as you are.  But getting there.  I'm excited about this one, I want to try something new with it. I hope you will enjoy it when it arrives.  I will keep you posted.

And I take back what I said earlier about I'm sure I'll love it.  I know I'll love it.

Amber

Ariane

Try making the arm thicker in places rounder at the top tapering in and back out again towards the elbow and again between the elbow and the paw. This might help rather than making it completly straight. 

Amber

Oh that was priceless.  That totally just made my day.  I just called my husband in from the other room to see it. 

My dog used to howl at firetrucks.  They didn't even have to have the siren going she just saw them and mimicked the siren, if I was walking her down the street she would just stop throw her head back and howl her heart out.  Infact all she had to do was see someone in a firefighter uniform and she would howl at them, just like their siren.  It's funny what animals learn.  If only we could figure out what they were really thinking....

Thanks for sharing

Amazing.  Mine is still in the works, started but now where near done.  You are quick.  Can't wait to see pictures of it posted.  Hope it has a safe journey

Hi Karon

I agree with Andrea.  I did send you a message saying the userID didn't work, but I figured it out on my own right afterwards and had already made contact with Susan before you probably even read the message.  We'll figure it out.

Hugs
Amber