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Hi Mad Hatter! Welcome! Youa re in the right place. Don't be embarrassed. Check out the quote in my signature!
Thank you!!!
Thank you both!
This is Otto, my preview bear for the Teddy Bear Extravaganza online show at www.teddiesworldwide.com I hope you like him!
Oh my goodness! I need to pop in more often! Thanks for all the comments on this fellow!
Hi Teddy Talkers! It has been a while since I have checked in and I just love to do pandas. I have just finished a brown and cream one for my Teddies Worldwide preview piece. I have been wanting to, for some time, create a more realistic panda design. I could use this challenge to motivate me to get him finished before the Philly show! THe panda baby photos are wonderful!!!
Cute cute cute!!! What a sweet little cutie!!!!
Hello,
I just thought I'd pop in to post my preview bear for the Teddy Bear's Tea Party at www.teddiesworldwide.com
This is Hatta
I hope you all will check out the preview, vote for your favorites and of course come back on Friday to visit the show!
I have to say I am really surprised at how small a reaction there was to this announcement. I know many of us expected some sort of announcement about at least one of the two major US Teddy Bear Magazines, and this one was a bit of a shocker. Teddy Bear and Friends had had the widest and largest circulation of any Teddy Bear Magazine through early 2000 (actually I'm sure longer than I remember). The magazine came out 12 months a year and each issue was over 70 pages! When I had my first article in TB&F they assigned me their professional writer and they photographed my pieces for the article. Times have changed, now almost all my sales are through the internet. I'll probably attend only one show this year. We're not even sure what is happening with the Awards. This year should be interesting as we follow what happens next. But I can't help feeling sorry for all the people who lost their jobs and wonder about where the rest of us are heading?
Perhaps the reaction is limited because it seems like it has been a long time in coming to this. I think it is better than both going belly up. Like you said, the magazines used to be full sized, lovely color photos, etc. but it has been years since issues like that were published. Then they went down to quarterly, I thought perhaps the magazine would be a bit bigger again, but it wasn't so. When I got my last one my husband joked, "that's not a magazine, it's a pamphlet!" I think a few years ago, some folks said wouldn't it be nice if bear artistry had a cool, book-sized quarterly magazine like Art Doll Quarterly? Of course it would be nice, but that magazine has TONS of advertising to support it because there are TONS of companies which make/sell supplies for "altered art" scrapbooking etc. which seems to somehow overlap the art doll genre. Since a huge proportion of our industry is made up of individual artists who do not have the advertising budgets of these big companies, I don't see how the publishers could get enough ad money to support something like that.
What does it say about our industry? It says things are changing, as they always do, and always will. The same week as I read about the magazine merger, I received news that the owners of 26 year old shop which has carried my work for more than ten years were retiring...The shop may be sold, and therefore continue to do business, but the news left me reeling anyway! I was sharing this with my mom last night asn she took a postive spin on it--a sort of "When one door closes, another opens." attitude. I think this is what I will do. I do hope that the magazine merger brings postive changes.
I think the magazine merger is good news too!
I am also thinking that there probably won't be both Golden Teddy Awards and Toby Awards, and since TOBY nominees have already been chosen, I'd guess the GTs won't happen this year. That is a bummer for those of us who were looking forward to entering. I have entered bears in both contests for ages, but have had much better luck with the GTs, and once again my bears didn't make the cut for Toby and so were looking forward to their second chance,...However if it is just one magazine, one awards contest really does make sense.
:clap: Congratulations to all the winners!!!! It's nice to see so many familiar names!!! :clap:
Yes, I haven't entered in a couple years, but this year I tried again. You can't win if you don't play, right? I entered two. Some kind person emailed me last night to tell me he heard my name, but which one? I would love to know.
Joanne
Well, that's good news, anyway, Joanne! :dance: I'd have been very surprised if you didn't get a nomination. Your work is wonderful!
I entered this year, but didn't the last two. I entered many times before those last two years though...I did win once and boy did that feel good, so I thought it was time for another go! Waiting to hear is the second hardest part (the hardest is hearing I didn't make the cut LOL)
Hello! I don't know who the Teddy Bear makers in Hawaii are, but as I was doing research for my first trip to Hawaii later this year, I ran across this!
http://www.teddybearworldhawaii.com/
Have a wonderful time! Our trip won't be until August---it's for our 20th anniversary.
Thye were very late with it last year....TOBY dealine for mail in entrires is this week though! 
It sounds like those are the fur strips and you will still need to line it. I am not an expert by any stretch in working with fur, although over the years I've been asked to make a few. I don't care for it. It is quite different from working with mohair, and now when folks ask---I refer them to artists who make real fur bears as a specialty! But if you have not done it before--you should try it for the experience.
I love this series of yours!!!
This is MY bear!!!! He arrived from Kelly last week! His photos are wonderful but he's even lovelier in person!
He came out perfect! I love his face, such a sweet expression! 
(waving)Hello, Mr. Poo!
I just got my latest magazine...apparently it will be done as an online webcast 
!?!
Does anyone know when and where the award winners will be announced? Has anyone received nominee ribbons?
This is fabulous!!! I have had it in my mind a long time to do a Goldilocks and the three bears set too. Maybe someday I will.
Yous is absolutely stunning!!!
I thought the newest TBR issue had quite a few nice artist profiles. There have always been the ads because the ads keeep the magazines in business...
Beside nominating one artist twice in the needlefelted category this year, I noticed they also did this in the "Artist Bear, Undressed, 14 inches & over" category.
Yep, it was me. But please, please note it is not me who ignored the rules; they state clearly that an artist may enter more than one piece in a catagory, so I did. . I entered two in the same catagory because I couldn't decide which I liked best, but knowing full well (at least I thought) that only one could be chosen. I had mixed feelings when I found out I had two nominations. I was thrilled of course that my work was chosen, but worried that other artists may think I bent the rules. and of course like Bobbie said, I am now in competition with myself. And now I still don't know which of my bears to vote for!
Your photos are beautiful! Those are lovely classic bears and that dense tipped fur is getting harder to come by. (At least in the states it is)
So cute!!! Love his name!
