Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

How exciting, Kim ! ! !  What a charming home and a pond to boot.  It looks beautiful with the snow.  I'd love to see pictures of your progress too.   :photo:   Look forward to seeing more of your incredible bears too.

Eeeek, cold, cold, cold for you Canadians ! ! !   I've never experienced weather that cold.  Sounds painful.  It's rainy here in northern California but in the warm 40's.

Thanks, Jane, those were great ! ! !  I emailed the first one to my daughter, who just had a baby in December.  I told her to start helping him study because I'll be giving him this exam next time I see him.   :crackup:  :crackup:

What a beautiful harp he's sitting on.

So, so true . . . and beautiful ! ! !

Thank you Lanie.

Hello . . . The book, "Creating Miniature Teddy Bears" by Linda Mullins has mini patterns and some of them have clothes patterns.  There's another book that I have in storage now so I can't tell you the exact name or author, but it's something like "Making and Dressing Miniature Teddy Bears".

I also make 10 to 16 inch bears and I make clothes for a lot of my bears.  I have a book called "2 Hour Doll Clothes".  I look at the pattern pieces, then design my bears clothes based on the basic shapes of the patterns in the book to fit what ever bear I'm making.  So I guess you could do the same with any patterns for clothes for a small doll like Barbie or Ginny.

Yep, Buster's feet smell more corny than Bear's and Buster has a lot of allergies.  Bear's feet smell more like "dog" but Buster's . . . definitely Doritos.  Both dogs had a bath yesterday and I clean their feet every time they come in from outdoors.

How cool is that ! ! !

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Waaaayyyyyyy cute ! ! !

It's always fun to see our "firsts", Denise.  Kind of embarassing though.  Here's mine.  I made him in 1986 out of cheap synthetic.  I'd never heard of mohair at that time.  Quite a fat funny looking fellow. 

Hi Marlys.  I'd be happy to swap links with you.  I'm taking your banner off of The Rabbit Maker's link page.  My banner is there too, or you can get it from my links page at http://www.swanvalleybears.com/

Oh, lucky, lucky Debbie ! ! !  Chauncy is toooooo precious Louise.      

Ever so cute, Amanda ! ! !        

Well, I was so happy to come home from Tennessee to find a bundle of Christmas cards from my Teddy Talk friends.  Thank you so much to Pat Hage, Ellen Pandamac, Daphne, Aerianna (such a cute photo of you, Mike and critters!), Dilu, Krista Griffiths, Jane of Doodlebears, Ellen Borgreve (beautiful handmade card) and Tami Lahey.

What fun this was.  I look forward to next year's card exchange ! ! !

Hi Sophie,  Here in California, we have Italian sourdough bread.  The best is made in San Francisco.  My daughter who lives in Tennessee always wants me to bring her some when I visit because you can't get it there. 

My aunt used to live in Napa and made her own sourdough bread.  She recently moved to Kentucky and complained that she couldn't get it there and when she tried to make some, it just didn't turn out right.  I'll be curious to find out if anyone else in the US outside of California has Italian sourdough.

We love to buy the round loaves, cut the top off, scoop the insides out and use it as a bowl for stew or clam chowder.  Yum.

These pictures are from the Boudin Bakery in San Francisco.

Here's a picture of my "gorgeous lump of cuddle" (as Clare so aptly put it).  My little grandson, Sullivan, who was born December 15th ! ! !  Sully and his mommy are doing great.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it this year to the Nevada City show since we just finalized a contract on a home in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.  As soon as our home sells in Penn Valley (about 10 miles from Nevada City) we'll be off to Tennessee.  Hopefully that will be before April.  I'll miss the show this year but I hope to do it the following years since I'll be visiting my parents who live near there often.

I haven't been home since December 14th, so I'll see all my cards when I get home on the 7th.

A new picture of the gorgeous babe:

Here's a picture of the adorable ornament I received from Carolyn Green.  Thank you so much, Carolyn ! ! !  Sorry for taking so long to post the picture.  I've been quite busy ooohing and aaahing over my new grandbaby.  Not much access to the computer either.

I received my ornament from Carolyn Green.  Thank you, Carolyn ! ! !  I've been so busy with all the excitement of the new grandbaby, I haven't had time to take pictures of it yet. 

Tracy (my daughter) said she didn't want to put up a tree this year, being in the hospital having a baby and all, so before she came home, I bought a small 4' tree and ornaments and decorated it and bought a wreath for the door and other various decorations. (All her Christmas stuff was in the attic where I couldn't get to it.)   She was quite pleased and surprised to find it when she got home.  My ornament is on the tree.  I figured that after Christmas, I would give the decorations and tree to my other daughter, Paige, who hasn't collected her own Christmas things yet.

Day two, still on cloud nine ! ! !  Thank you everyone.

Clare, I love that you called him a "gorgeous lump of cuddle".  That's so funny, I'm calling him that from now on.

Cathie, I'm right there with you.  This is just the BEST ! ! !

Thank you everyone, I'm on cloud nine ! ! !

My first grandchild, Sullivan Shawn, was born this morning at 8:26 am, 9 pounds, 2 ounces, 20 inches long and THE most beautiful baby ever.  (Sorry, it's true.)

Proud papa, Tyson with Sullivan

New mom, Tracy and Sullivan

The pout

Sweet baby