Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Karon,
FUnNy! I have my computer in an alcove by my bedroom and my cat has figured out that if he hits the ON switch I have to get up to turn off the computer. He wants me up at 6:00 am every morning (cats like schedules ;-) If I don't get up after his meowing he goes over and slams the computer ON button 
Karen

Happy Valentine's to ALL TTers 

I remember! The kitty I dreamed about and made a kitten.

Isabelle,
Merci a l'amour! Je vous souhaite une bonne fête ainsi.
Wonderful, sweet Polar bears!
Karen

NOW that's a face! He's a real character and He is wonderful! Congratulations!
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Great Beaver face  Wonderful character. Congratulations!

What artistic markings. True work of art.

For me it depends on the show. When I invite collectors, and I know that several of my collectors are coming to the show, I will bring more of my special pieces. I am very careful about which shows I attend and I try to find shows that my collectors are interested in attending. First, I always bring enough pieces to cover my expenses with a little extra leftover. My guys start at $300 and some are as much as $800, so for me 10 pieces could be enough for a show. I'm not saying this is the way to go! IT is not easy to sell such complicated characters and sometimes I wish I could design less labor intensive pieces. I think a lot depends on your market. There are many shows I just can't attend because of my market niche. It's important to decide where you want to be and who your customers are?

SueAnn,
Flying Fox bats are fruit eaters so I think these babies have a better chance of surviving than our North American bats would.

Actually, not mice at all    These are baby Flying Fox Bats in Australia. They are not sure if it's the floods or other factors but rescue groups have been finding many abandoned baby bats. THey hang them in these blanket pockets and care for them until they are old enough to survive on their own.

Ellen,
Are you sure they meant liability insurance for the bears? Or did they just mean business liability insurance? You could talk to other shops selling children's items and see who they use for insurance. Product testing is extremely expensive even for a larger company. And there are special exceptions for art pieces and small sellers in the new toy regulations. THere were a couple of years when the Disney Invitational Teddy Bear Show required artists to carry liability insurance. It costs each of us over $300 for just a couple of days and the insurance only applied to that one show.
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Fur is so expensive. I keep all the pieces of fur left over from creating big cats in the bins of a laundry cart, separating them by style/length (I only use white fur that I then color). Most pieces go into one of my kittens ~ 8 week kitten, 12 day kitten, and a tiny newborn. Looks like your bears are fairly small? So I don't know if you would create smaller bears or animals? I have heard of artists making patch style bears with leftover fur and they can be very beautiful.
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Sue Ann,
That's what I do with the Cat ears (although they are not always placed on the seam). I, also, measure from the same point on the eye, mine is the inside corner, to the bottom of the ears. A-C. I sew about a third of the ear at the top ~ the turn of the ear, then skip down to the bottom point and sew up the the turn of the ear. That seems to keep everything in control and even.
See, I'm even deeper in mud 
Karen

Kellydean!
He's so beautiful. I just want to hug him. Amazing detail inside and out 

THis was a fun character. I usually don't tell a story with my auctions but this guy just seemed to need to tell his  ;)
http://tinyurl.com/467n8dj

Can't wait to see the pieces! Especially the category I am in this year~Large Artist Friends. I think we might have 4 cats, but VERY different styles and types of cats?! Many new artists this year. Congratulations, everyone  :thumbsup:
Chaucer, a young Tiger

Patricia,
In the second photo, where he has his paws turned up, I did think he looked like he was weighing two different thoughts with his paws 
Karen

Interesting! I have just finished a kitten that looks a little like Mimozas Not trying to sell, just thought it was surprising how close he looks to your Mimozas.

This is my first design for 2011. HE was supposed to be a smiling, lighthearted bear, but Augustus had different ideas. He decided he was a serious, thoughtful bear and there was nothing I could do about it. He's 20" with a double joined neck and loosely jointed back legs. His glass eyes are slate blue. He is modeled after a young Golden Kodiak.
Karen
http://cgi.ebay.com/Karen-Lyons-Present … 103wt_1029

Just getting some of the news stories about the floods in Australia. So sad. How is everyone doing?

Jane,
That was absolutely correct. IT may be that the person is running around doing Holiday things. I would resend the message and say, Hello! (person's name) Could you please let me know if you are still interested in _______? Thank you

Joanne,
Thanks! I'm pretty good with Photoshop but the site, picnik, has a lot of cool special features that I have been looking for!
Karen

THis is when it gets tricky and why you should negotiate all this at the beginning. They could just take the prototypes, send them to Asia, and let them create the pattern from your pieces. Hopefully they are honorable and will include you in this process.
Karen

Melisa,
Just amazing! Those little toes take Soooo much work but they really add to his character!  :clap:
Congrats!
Karen

Really cute! THose eyes look like my eyes after working all night