Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thanks for all the positive comments everyone.  In my heart I have thoughts of being a doll artist as well as a bear artist, but with my limited multitasking  ability, there seems not enough time.  I hope there will be a place in heaven for personal creativity.  :pray: Please, Lord?

Hi. 
Unevenness can result from shifting seams or even slight variation in seam width.  The way I position limbs is when the body is inside out, I take a jointing disk that is the size I'll be using and I use it as a measuring device, noting how wide the neck will be and how close the arm joint should butt up to it. Do similarly for the leg placement.   I mark the center point of the disk placement on the inside then after reinforcing w/ fraycheck, I poke a hole w/ an awl.  I make placement markers for the joints out of yarn. ( double a length of yarn and tie an overhand knot, leaving a loop at one end and two short tails at the other).  The markers make it easy to find the joint placement when the body is RSO.  I use a crochet hook and pull the loop of the yarn through the placement hole til the knot snugs up against the hole.  The markers can easily be pulled out from the outside when you are ready. You can save them to use over again.  Hope this is helpful.

Interesting foot shape.  Looks good.

Darling bear.  Great looking fur.

A charming little fellow.  His body language is friendly and communicates his nature in spite of his serious face.

This crow cracks me up!  I made him from a pattern by the very talented Frowning Francis Folkart.[/url]http://frowningfrancisfolkart.com/

Meet Felicity - a refined lady of style and taste.  She left here for her new home in Virginia today.  We miss her already, but are happy that she will be in very good company.

Say ‘How-do’ to Augustus.  This bear was inspired by a character from the epic Western novel, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty.  He'd be much abliged if you paid him a visit on ebay.

http://tinyurl.com/3eh7qbh

Whew!  I feel better now, having deleted the personal info post. 

FYI, I received some unsolicited mail from a stranger, on subjects not clearly teddy bear related.  By the content of the letter, it seems he must have found my former address on the internet.  A word to the wise, your personal info my be in lists on the internet withought your knowledge.  Check the websites of any service organizations, etc. that you may belong to.

       Here's a fitting use for the deadpan (non)smiley
Laure

Laure Weltsch here.  Many months since any posting.  Big changes.  Some of you may recall a lost luggage mishap that happened to me on 9/11/07.  American Airlines wasn't too helpful in reimbursing my loss, but my homeowner's insurance came through a year later, just about the time I needed some cash to help me as I sallied forth upon a completely new life.

A month or so before I moved out, I came to realize I was like a frog in hot water.  Life had been far inferior to my expectations and my needs for a long, long time, but I hadn't noticed.  I have now jumped out of the kettle and landed in an artist studio in Old Town Eureka, CA.  I love it here.  The 1st Saturday of each month, all of the Old Town shops, and my whole building, are open to the public for a celebration called "Arts Alive".  Basically I get to have a "free" show every month.  Cool, Huh?

I'm still wearing my wedding ring, but if I am to continue doing so for much longer, it will be because a miracle has taken place in my marriage. ( I do believe in miracles)

I am looking forward to future website updates and more web presence as my life stabilizes.

Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.

Love,
Laure  :hug:

In fact, I can get so "deflected" that I take hours to respond to Shelli's original thoughts, missing a whole day's worth of responses and send one that is entirely irrelevant.   :redface:

Hope you find a good one, Shel.  Cheap and uninteresting could be a good choice, if the location is right.  Being that you are a genius at design, you could make it into a hidden sanctuary to delight your soul.

HI Shelli,
Well, how about making a large art studio in your back yard, and renting it out to compatability-screened applicants?  They will pay for the utilities and cleaning lady, and be available as social interactors at your whim.   :dance:

I came across a solution for preventing unwanted distractions that made me smile: One artist created a special hat which when worn, signalled to family and friends, "Do not disturb.".  :crackup:  I'm not sure how well it worked at allaying the calls of  bookkeeping duties, etc.  From "Living the Creative Life"by Rice Freeman-Zachery  North Light Books

Reality check here, I'm still working on this myself.  I have a wonderful light-filled studio attached to my home and office.  It's beautiful and seemingly perfect, yet my internal discipline factor is seriously in need of adjustment.

Hi Daphne,
Wow!  This really is a common situation!  Some 15 or so years ago my doctor assured me that my skip-a-beat/flip-flop experiences were common and harmless.  It didn't feel normal or right to me, so naturally, my health-related reading gravitated to the symptoms I was having.  I remember reading somewhere that although doctors say it is normal and harmless, it is actually related to a  mineral imbalance, particularly a lack of magnesium.  Stress and hormones and mineral balance are all interrelated, one affecting the others.  The suggestion was to increase magnesium intake.  It worked for me.  I would steer clear of Maalox, though.  It contains aluminum, which is found in elevated amounts in alsheimers patients. 

I try to employ preventive health measures whenever possible, but sometimes I'm a little slow, or maybe at times even in denial (like when it comes to exercise...AArgh!) but I hope to keep ahead of the game, and live to become very,very old....God willing.

Bear Hugs and Blessings to all, and especially you right now, Daphne. Keep us apprised of your progress.   :hug:  :hug:  :hug:       

When I signed up for Stamps.com they sent me a free digital scale.  I have since moved on to USPS online, but still use the scale.  I weigh the bear and all the packaging material at the same time, and then round up a bit for good measure when I pay the postage online.  The website enables me to print a postage paid label that the post office is happy with.  It can be printed on special form paper that is sticky-backed, or even plain paper is OK with the PO.  I don't leave packages in my mailbox because some of my neighbors have had packages stolen from their boxes during daylight hours (the audacity!) I could arrange for the mail carrier to pick up packages for free, but I have not been that organized yet.  it just seems easier for me to take the boxes to the PO.  I do have to stand in line, but the transaction is quick once I get service, and the online prices are a bit less than the PO charges.  I think it would work OK to use a bathroom scale if you were sure it was accurate.  You might want to round up to the next pound to avoid your collectors having to pay postage on your package.  If you have a food scale, that might work too.  I hope you find a good solution.  I also hope I have not supplied too much unnecessary info.  :redface:

Wow!! I knew it would be a blast.  Gotta see more pics!!!!  ...but I will be patient, as I know what it's like to have a lot on the plate.

Doggone it!  Just found this thread.  It woulda been so fun to play in this challenge, but it's probably a good thing I'm too late.  I have orders backed up, so I would have had to cheat on my collectors if I'd participated.  Have lots of fun with this, folks.  I'll keep checking back to see the results.  Gail, you are really quick on the draw.  cute bear!  Honeythorpe Bears (sorry, don't know your name), darling little pip of a thing!  Can't wait to see what others come up with.  Really fun.  Thanks for your initiative in starting the challenge, Paula.   :clap:  :clap:  :clap:   

Edit: fixed a typo, added thumbsup

Shelli, :hug:  :hug:  :hug:
YOU have been the Rock Starhere, a 100% giver of your efforts and astute insight - many hard calls I am certain, and always with wisdom and kindness.  Love you, Girl.  Glad you will still be around.  Many, many blessings to you as you move forward into the next season.  I'm dying to see what comes next.       

Whew! the report for my missing sewing bag is finally finished.  I Would very much appreciate your prayers for the return of my cute, new rolling backpack, containing lots of important bear making stuff, including mohair, indespensible tools, original patterns and my nice digital camera. 

I documented everything as best as I could, with receipts for high ticket items where possible.  Thanks, everyone, for your help in how to do it, especially your advice about the patterns.  I have enclosed copies of receipts for bear sales of the missing patterns as well as I could recall, with color pictures of each bear.  As for the estimated value, I counted the specific bears I could find sales receipts for, of the missing pattern bears, and totalled the sales amounts for those bears. then I divided by the number of those bears in the reciepts I sent, to get an average representative price.  I multiplied by 3 for an extremely conservative estimate of how much I might expect to earn from each pattern, and multiplied x 8 because I think there were about 8 patterns in the bag.  I was a bit surprised by the resulting total.  Gosh! those things really are valuable!

Tomorrow I will send the 11 page report to the airlines' Central Baggage Services by certified mail.
  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:  :pray:

Welcome to Teddy Talk, Linda, and thanks for pointing out the URSA imperfections.  As many others, I too am grateful for Valerie's efforts in making Bears and Buds a great showcase for artists.  I expect the problems with the voting will be given much consideration before next year's contest.  I hope a way will be found to showcase all of the entries, but where a professional panel will choose finalists that the public will be able to vote on.  Perhaps there will also be a public choice award or awards that are not determined by professionals.  At any rate, I think the contest is a wonderful opportunity for we artists to challenge ourselves and push the envelopes of our creativity and workmanship.

Hey! Have you seen Sandi's new website look?  It's really a WOWSER!   Great work, Sandi.  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

I'm on MySpace, but I don't do much in the way of sending cute pictures, sayings, etc. to people, I'm just too slow at it   :redface: .  I do answer messages, though  .  One thing I really like are their slide show tools  I had great fun putting together my slideshow and adding captions.  http//www.myspace.com/foolsgoldbears

Good for you, Sandi!  Making the cover is an event to treasure, and one that will bring collectors to your door.  Congratulations! :photo:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :photo:   

Thanks for your kind thoughts, Gaby, Andrea.  I will send in the report the airline is asking for.  They want an itemized accounting of all that was in the bag, and the bag itself, the cost and where I got each item from.  I'm trying to recall exactly which  patterns were in the bag, and what bears were made with them, so I can account for how much I might have gotten from their use in the future, had they been available to use.  It's a frustrating task, but I think that with work, I can approximate which patterns were lost and document them.  At least one of them, though, was a new pattern that I made while I was traveling.  I made a couple of bears from it, and took pictures, which are in my camera, which is in the lost bag.  Whaddaya do with that?  I still have one of the bears, so I can borrow my daughter's camera, but it is all such a hassle.     I will be really glad when it's over, no matter what the outcome may be.

Congratulations on winning the URSA Ed.  Well Done! 
Bear Hugs and Blessings to you!                 :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :dance:  :dance:  :hug:  :photo:

My heart goes out to you, Nina.  May you continue to sense God's presence in your life, and may he lead you into his perfect peace.