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Hello all,
This is perhaps a week old [1], but I couldn't believe just how stupid this airline worker has been. The article pretty much sums up my own feelings -- and I think "jobs worth" is the right term to use. Or, as I prefer to read it, "bloody idiot". Fancy denying a little girl her teddy bear. :(
It gets worse of course. I perhaps had no idea just how bad things are, since I have only flown once, but I did take two of my most prized teddies with me -- one of whom [2] has been a travelling companion with me for years, the other [3] likewise -- and whilst Stacey bear is subtle, I have no doubt in retrospect she could have been subject to confiscation. :(
So how do all you teddy bear artists and collectors handle the situation of transporting a teddy bear through airports? I've seen and read of many sites on the Internet where teddy bears have passports, etc., what the hell would happen if the poor teddy was defluffed. :(
This really worries me -- I know in the past teddy bears have had a reputation for concealing drugs because of their cute nature, but I would actually be really distraught if something like that were to happen to one of my teddies or one I had ordered who was travelling through the airport to reach his new home; my hug. :(
Are there any guarantees or assurances about teddy bears who have been mistreated by silly airport staff? I hope no one here has had any bad experiences as a result.
Hugs,
-- Thomas Adam
[1] http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scott … -21335568/
[2] http://xteddy.org/teddies/xteddy.png
[3] http://xteddy.org/~n6tadam/carly_visit/stacey_teddy.jpg
Susan --
hi guys
i was hoping for some advice (again) i am still trying to get my name out there and sell from my web site, i was thinking of putting an ad in the teddie guide for the 2010 addition, what do you think?
Well, I think this is certainly a good start, and it has been things like the Hugglets guide which I turn to each time I need to know anything teddy bear related -- such as where the nearest teddy bear fairs are going to be to me, who's exhibiting and from there, teddy bear artists/makers near to me.
As a collector, it's a resource no teddy bear maker who's wanting to reach more than a local audience of "word by mouth" should be in.
also do i put in just a line for a few pounds or is it worth going the whole way and putting in a line, the gallery & a small square add. would be great to know anyones experience out there, to help me make decide.
Not only this, but attending local teddy bear fairs yourself will help get you noticed - even if you branch out from that, and sneak into places such as craft fairs -- teddies often have a place there too. So you can always try pushing the boundaries to see where you can blur the lines. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Thanks Thomas. I have been following your quest for a teddy bear sweater and I have been looking out for something for you. Have you found anything yet?
Aww, that's very kind of you, thanks. No, not yet -- I know what I am after too, I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it's not popular enough, or I am just not looking in the right places.
Unless you have any ideas? :)
-- Thomas Adam
Awww. :)
What are his eyes made out of? They give him such a cute character. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Jane --
Thanks everyone for the ideas so far. I have two huge piles of magazines and I really need to use the space for bear fabric storage.
Thomas I have Teddy Bear Times, Teddy Bear club International, Teddy Bear Scene and a few Teddy Bear Review (American ) magazines. These all go back over some years, many have patterns.
Send me an email or a private message -- I'd be beary (sic) interested. :)
-- Thomas Adam
I have loads of teddy bear magazines that I wish to get rid of...any suggestions? Most have one or two patterns inside, there's no way I would just throw them out.
Hugs, Jane. :thumbsup: :rose: :thumbsup:
What do you have, and going back how far? I'd be interested in possibly buying some or all off you depending on how many you have, of course -- there will come a point (since you're also in the UK) where the postage outstrips the contents of what you're sending, otherwise. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Unfortunately I've spent a fortune on teddy bears this month -- but wow! She's wonderful. I would buy her for my hug for sure if I could. :)
Very well done indeed!
-- Thomas Adam
Aww, what lovely teddies. :)
I really like this one: http://www.c-svenstrup.dk/images/galler … laa1th.jpg
:) What a lovely site -- thanks for sharing.
-- Thomas Adam
Thanks all. I think Dorian does have many stories to tell. Maybe he looks sad because I keep saying he looks old. That would do it for me. Maybe I could come up with a better description.
Oh I don't think you need to -- he speaks for himself rather well. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Aww, he's so cute. He has the sort of character which would make the other teddies of a hug pay attention to him as he told his life history. :D
-- Thomas Adam
Hi Thomas, why not try your local wool shop, they often have knitters who will knit up patterns for the shop. Back in the 80's each shop had an army of knitters who would knit on commission. That way you could buy the pattern and then choose the wool from the shop :thumbsup:
Hey Sue --
That's not a bad idea -- I would need to hunt around for such a place in Southampton though, I just hope such shops exist still. :) Thanks. :)
-- Thomas Adam
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EMU-Teddy-Bear-Sw … 1|294%3A50
This one looks great, its only the pattern though, but if you know any knitters?
Ah -- now that's more or less exactly what I am after -- just, err, yes... need to find some knitters. Heh.
-- Thomas Adam
Hi Thomas, heres one i saw on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-80s-Mondi … 2|294%3A50
This is close to what I had in mind, but rather a single teddy bear only.
It says womens but i would say its more unisex, you would maybe have to stretch it a bit! You could hang a tin of paint from it like my dad had to do when my mum shrunk his pringle golf jerseys! :)
Hehehe, what a novel idea. :)
Thanks for digging around, that's really kind of you.
-- Thomas Adam
Thomas Adam:
You can call me Thomas, I just put my full name at the end of my posts, for some odd habit. :)
Hmm...but i took a look at that info, and this seller apparently makes them, so they are probably better quality than the ones you would get in a fishing supply shop or something. the buyers ouviously seem to like them a lot...(i checked the feedback and ratings)
RIght -- I didn't realise you were going with those ones in particular -- yes, they are well-made. I was just generalising, since you won't necessarily find the same quality elsewhere.
-- Thomas Adam
hihi peoples
today i stumbled upon this at ebay. there so cheap..and they look so much better than other eyes, so i want to ask if they can be used as eyes. could you probably glue them in? if anyone knows anything about this, please tell me! probably the only difference is that they have no wire loops to be sewn in, but i really don't know...so i suppose at least ONE of you experts might know something. bibi for now. ;)
One of my hobbies is fishing, so I whilst I can't tell you anything about their suitability for eyes on bears, what I can tell you is that you have to be careful -- a lot of lures can be flimsy, by design, and I would question in that case their suitability on a teddy -- poor thing's going to have an eye missing a lot sooner into his life, rather than old age. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Hello all,
This is going to be a long-shot perhaps, but would anyone know where I would be able to get hold of a jumper (sweater to those not in the UK) -- knitted or otherwise -- with just a teddy bear on the front, a simple teddy, perhaps knitted as part of the pattern?
I would love to wear something like that. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Louise,
Whilst this rather defeats the point -- do you have a sample image, and a list of things you'd want doing to it? I am sure if I used the GIMP I would be able to do it for you.
-- Thomas Adam
Aww,
She's lovely -- such a vacant expression; a pensive teddy. I love her fur, it looks very soft. :) I hope she finds a deserving home and hug to join.
-- Thomas Adam
I cannot for the life of me figure out how to layer. I also cannot for the life of me figure out how to change the background on a picture. So we went out and bought a Photoshop Elements for Dummies book.
Hmm -- Photoshop is one of those applications which is really powerful -- and whilst it is capable of doing a lot of the simpler stuff, I can't help but wonder if there aren't more toned-down applications out there which:
* Don't cost the Earth
* Don't require a PhD in order to use them.
The application I use for editing photos (rare for me) is called "The GIMP". It's free, and aims to be a "Photoshop clone" although it's complexity is simpler than of Photoshop it's by no means any more intuitive than Photoshop, alas.
Have you had a read of this:
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basi … er-styles/
I've only looked at it briefly but it looks as though it covers more or less what you're asking above.
Does anyone here know of a book with step by step instructions on how a simpleton like me could follow to get the hang of it!
Hugs Louise
I can ask my colleagues at work; some of whom use Photoshop on a daily-basis what they might recommend, and get back to you.
-- Thomas Adam
Aww, I love their noses -- is that acheived by continually sewing over and over again the same spot until you amass enough wool (I assume it's wool :/)? The nose really complements those cow-like eyes. :)
-- Thomas Adam
Denise,
Awww, he's adorable. I find his eyes striking -- what are they made from? They remind me of boot buttons, but I am most likely wrong. :) I love the stitches on his paws where his claws are, hehe, so sweet. :)
Did he take long to make?
-- Thomas Adam
Do miniatures even rate as Teddy Bears or more as collectable/ornament.
I'd love also to hear off collectors. How do you feel about miniatures versus larger bears.
Well, I can answer this part at least. :) I was fortunate enough recently to have visited Teddy Bears of Witney -- a fantastic place, absolutely crammed with teddy bears of all shapes and sizes. What struck me most was the number of miniature teddies there -- they were tiny, some only a centimetre or so in length -- and yes, if one were to look closely there's any amount of detail put into them. To me, this is wonderful, the time and effort it must have taken that person to put that level of detail in is amazing -- and it's done in such a way that the teddy still has lots of character and charm.
I have absolutely no doubt that a collector would see miniature teddy bears as the same as larger teddies; I know I do. Just because the bear is small, doesn't mean to say he has any less a big hug to give as another larger teddy bear. :) Peter Bull must have thought the same thing with Theodore; perhaps now not the most smallest teddy, but still considered miniature. And having seen him recently, he's certainly a teddy full of charm. :)
I suppose though like anything, miniature teddy bears might well find a niche amongst collectors, I can well imagine certain collectors collecting nothing but miniature teddy bears. :)
But to me, they're just another teddy bear, deserving to be loved, regardless of their size. :) If anything, collectors should be appreciative of their intricacy and detail, it's what defines their charm, if only because in some ways, the level of detail is more obvious because of their size.
-- Thomas Adam
