Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Phew...glad I only entered the Friends!
So darling and I love those ballet slippers!
Where in the world did you find the time to make three adorable creations?
Love them all Shelli,
Nancy

You're going to ' knock em dead' when they see your entries, shelli.
Absolutely adorable!  What else can one say?
Hugs,
Nancy

She is just SHELLI-ADORABLE...!!  Over the top Shel...I am sure she will get a nomination and if not, then there is something wrong with those judges 
I know you have hours upon hours in her, but it is well worth it and it certainly shows.
Wish she wasn't in the 'Friends' category... maybe they could make a new category, you know, like PIGS. :dance:
Best of luck.
Nanc.......

Yikes, no the mail isn't mailed on MLK day.  Good thing you thought about that Shel...it may make a difference for late mailers.

Ok here is my sneek peek and then you can tell what I have been talking about.

I didn't want to be accused of temporizing, if everyone else held back...but now I see it is just Shelli's superstitions. hahahaha

Shelli, superstitious?  I dare not imagine. 

Nancy

Ok, I posted it but it was so huge, it would have knocked you over....so I deleted it 

Oh Daphne, that was beautiful too.
It is funny about hands...and when you mentioned about your grandfather telling about his scars, I have a rather silly reminder of Grandpa on my hand.  I was 5 and curled up on his lap.  He was lighted his pipe and just as he blew out the match and was getting ready to put it in the ashtray, I moved my hand right in thepath and I got burnt.  Well, Grandpa was crushed of course, but I have this little scar that is the perfect shape of a match head on my hand that is a constant reminder of the day I got smothered in kisses and hugs to try to make up for it (even tho it wasn't his fault) !
As far as 'Daddy's' hands...for me they were never there.  My father was hardly ever home and was not much of a father (he was a provider and that is all)...but boy did my grandpa's make up for it.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful song...I loved it.
Nancy

Kim and Wanda...I think I really messed up, but live and learn. Hubby was pressuring me to get the pics in the mail for fear they wouldn't arrive on time...plus he really didn't like the pics, so I just sent them off.  The problem is he is always right on the money, as far as pictures and colors.  So, I really don't have a good feeling about this now anyway.

But it is a good experience and I am sure next year I will do things a whole lot different.  I do believe this was a learning process.

Is it wrong to show the pictures?  Everyone seems to treat it like your entry is a supposed to be a big secret, far be it from me to break tradition 

Thank you for your advice, but it is all over with now.

My pictures that came back from Walmart had their matte finish on them and I really liked that.  It isn't really matte, it is 'matty-shiny'. 

Next year, knowing what I know now, I will start a lot earlier and hopefully will have an elaborate critter to enter as well.  I think my little gal is way too simple.

Nancy

Glad you came back Kim...the more the merrier!  What do you make or do you collect?
Kim-B...I wonder if all you Kim's are around the same age.  Names are generally age related.

Nancy

:clap:  :clap:  :dance:
I bet you are just busting at the seams (pardon the pun) and rightly so !!!
A great big congratulations Paula. A beautiful magazine to be included in too. Wish we could all see it.
Can you post a picture?

Nancy

I am glad you enjoyed it Brenda...I did too.
My maternal grandfather lived to be 1 month shy of being a centurion.  This sounds so much like him, it really spooked me.  I loved him dearly...well, both my grandfathers.  They were wonderful men.
Nancy

GRANDPA'S HANDS
>
>      Grandpa, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.  He
> didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands.
> When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the
> longer I sat there I wondered if he was OK.
>
>      Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on
> him   at the same time, I asked him if he was OK.He raised his head and
> looked   at me and smiled.
>
>      "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," he said in a clear strong voice.
>
>      "I didn't mean to disturb you, Grandpa, but you were just sitting
> here   staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I
> explained to him.
>
>      "Have you ever looked at your hands?" he asked.  "I mean really
> looked  at your hands?"
>
>      I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them.  I turned them
> over,   palms up and then palms down.  No, I guess I had never really
> looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.
>
> Grandpa smiled and related this story:
>
>      "Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they
> have  served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled,
> shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out
> and grab and embrace life.
>
>      They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the
> floor.They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.  As a child
> my    mother taught me to fold them in prayer.They tied my shoes and
> pulled on my boots.
>
>      They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life.
>
>      They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war.They
> have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
>
>      They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
>
>      Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was
> married and loved someone special.  They wrote the letters home and
> trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked
> my daughter down the aisle.
>
>      Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole
> and   lifted a plow off of my best friends foot.  They have held
> children,  consoled
> neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.They have
> covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.
> They have been sticky and wet, bent and  broken, dried and raw. And
> to this day
> when not much of anything else of  me works real well these hands
> hold me up, lay
> me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the
> mark of where
> I've been and the ruggedness of my life.
>
>      But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out
> and  take when He leads me home.  And with my hands He will lift me to
> His  side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."
>
>      I will never look at my hands the same again.  But I remember God
> reached out and took my Grandpa's hands and led him home.
>
>      When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my
> children and wife I thank Grandpa.  I know he has been stroked and
> caressed and  held by the hands of God.  I, too, want to touch the face of God
> and feel His hands upon my face.
>
>

Judi, I just wanted to add how sorry I am to hear about your Tigger.  I dread the day our Bootsie Boy will leave us.  It is just so hard!
When I was growing up, we always had a Boston Terrier.  Our first one had to be put down because of cancer and my mother immediately bought a new pup.  I know it sounds bad, but it really helped.  We never had a void, Mickey was gone and Bootsie arrived 2 days later.  The puppy was so full of mischief, it just kept our minds (my sister and me) from dwelling on the loss.
I don't knowif you want to consider doing that but from my experience, it did a world of good.
Hugs to you and your children,
Nancy

I KNOW, Roxanne...it really freaked me out too.  I have to go check my email and see if I have heard anything.
It does seem that the spoofs are on the rise.
These people need to get a real job...like making teddy bears !!!
nancy

Oh my gosh, Kim that is so funny...bubble gummy.
My little critters nose in the far pictures looks just fine...but the close one, welllllllllll...it is a bit bubble gummy.
I couldn't have picked a more perfect description.
David looked at it and said, I think the nose looks pinker.
I am so tired of getting pictures printed, I just packed them up and let them go....I'll just pray about it and not worry!  :pray:
I really don't think the pictures I sent were that good (photography wise)...I had better pics but they were taken with my Sony and it didn't have the resolutions, so what do you do?  Just DO IT !!

You are so right about who helps you.  That really does make a big difference.  Like Jared said, they should give good customer service at all times.
Thanks Kim, for adding your insight.
Nancy

Holy Smokes Tami....6100.00?  How many 'real' Westies could you buy for that?  You know the kind that jump up, give you a kiss and wag their tails and give you their undying love for eternity !
It is cute for sure but nothing compares to your Tiffani, she is just a little love...you can see it in her eyes!
Thanks for sharing.
Nancy

Roxanne, mine seem to have slacked off, but I did have a very strange thing happen.
On one of my other ebay ID's I started to get questions from buyers about a Ski Doo and a Yamaha, asking me what size engine (motor? does anyone know the difference?)  anyway, when I clicked on the auction it wasn't there, but obviously the questions came thru an auction using my id.
So I sent them to ebay and they took it very seriously.  I don't know what happened, they said they would let me know.
I will have to wait and see.  This is the first time that has ever happened to me.
Nancy

For those of us who didn't know....we are 'in the know' now.... :dance:

Tami, I am so glad you shared the picture of Tiffani ( who by the way looks like she deserves to be spoiled, what  a doll)....because that was my next question.  Do Westie owners dress their doggies up and obviously they do.  I am making a bride dress for my westie (stuffed of course) auction. 
I hope I can make it the way I see her in my mind.

Nancy

This morning I was talking with a friend on the phone (yes, a real conversation, not email  ) and I was saying I needed to find a picture of a West Highland Terrier.
She told me to go to Yahoo.com and then in the search box, put in "Image Search"...click GO
Then put in whatever I want to see pictures of and THERE IT IS !

Wow, instead of looking at every Westie website, I just got all these glorious pictures of Westies.
When I have more time, I am going to do a 'whole lotta searching'...what fun!

This is for you FIY folder!
nanc........

Deb, the pictures that were full length from Walmart, I felt were fine...but the close up was really bad.  I tried twice.  Jared had suggested getting their CD to download their software, which I was going to try...but the Winkflash pics came back and I felt they were good and time is running out...so I sent them in.
Plus in another thread, I mentioned that I changed the nose because it was closest to the camera and kept coming out huge.  So the pictures from Winkflash had the new nose.

Anyway, Gail, thank you for your best wishes.  I have never entered anything like this before...so I have no idea if the pictures are good enough or not.  Heck, when I see Shelly's little piggy (so adorable by the way)...I wonder what in the world I am doing anyway? 
Oh well, the pics are off in the mail today...it is fun to try!
Nanc.......

Jared...I think this young man was 'puffin the goods' 

That happens when someone wants everyone to know that they are 'knowledgable' about a certain subject.  When he saw my questiion about photo developing, it was his que to jump in and let the world know he was a 'tech' !  So take it with a grain of salt.  I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers...so sorry.

I agree about the help...in fact I have found that when you help people with their questions and problems, YOU actually end up learning.  That was certainly the case in my antique shop.  I learned so much from the questions of my customers. 
My pictures came back from Winkflash good enough ( I guess, I really have no idea what quality others submit to the Toby) so I won't have to try the CD from Walmart...otherwise I would have given it one more go.  I had heard from someone else NOT to send them in on-line, but to get the CD, it makes a difference.

Nanc.......

I just wanted to tell everyone that WinkFlash  (A Sue Ann recommendation) did a wonderful job developing my Toby pictures.
I am very pleased with the job they did...no intelligence imaging...they are just as I sent them.

Thank you Sue Ann :hug: , I was getting so frustrated and now I am getting them ready to mail off.

Thank you Shelli for your help too, you always come to the rescue!
Nancy

VERY NICE Sophie.  If you did this, you are not only a wonderful bear artist, but talented computer techie as well.
I enjoyed everything.
Good luck with your new site.
Nancy

Just wanted to let you know that I did finally hear back and she has been corresponding quite well now.
Of all the fabric that I ordered, only 2 fat quarters were available...so I don't know what I will do, but at least I am glad to know that.  I really dislike placing an order and then receiveing only part of it with 3/4 marked 'not in stock'.
But, I wanted to say, I did hear back from her.
Nancy

Thanks you Wanda and Jared...I did the online ordering twice but they came back awful...nothing like what I sent.  Way too much contrast.
I will see how they come back from Winkflash and if bad, I will try the disc.  Maybe that will make a difference.   
I really got a chuckle out of the gum snapping Jared!  Boy did you hit that on the nail head.
The last batch I sent in, I called the photo dept and told them I had just placed an on-line order, gave her the trans number and asked her if they would not do their Inteli-imaging.  She said they didn't do anything to the photos at all.  I told her the last lady I talked to told me  that when I ordered on-line again ,to be sure that I clicked the box designating that I did not want any altering....only I never say that box.  She basically said, duh...I don't think we do that.  so I said, 'well, would you just mark the the order to do no altering for me...she put me on hold and came back and told me the pictures looked just fine.  I said, "they are printed already?  I just put them in online about 2 minutes ago?'  Well no, she said I am looking at them on the computer and they look fine.  :doh:   I gave up!

I belong to another chat group that includes photography.  I found this post rather interesting...others may find it interesting as well.

Walmart is never really a good idea for quality beacause they cut back on cost to make the prices cheaper. So they use crappy equipment, chemicals/ink, and paper. As for drugstores......I am the lead tech at an Eckerds so I can give a recomendation from experience on this. Do not use a kiosk to often. And check the machine digital prints will be printed on and who will do the printing. At my store many people deal only with me because I am the most experienced there with the machine. Right aid and cvs aren't usually a good choice because the equipment usually isn't good and they are manned by the manager on duty usually. But make sure the primary printer used in the lab is digital capable and that they will be printed on it. A photo store that does prints is usually a very good choice. That means a store that specifically sells photo equipment and not a kmart.

File prep is also important. Make sure the file is at the correct proportions for what you want printed. I get that problem often. Someone wants a 4x6 and the file they give me is the wrong size. If I crop it to fit they have white bars on the sides they don't want......but if I print at the proportion they give me something gets cut off. Also make sure the resolution is good with the file since if it is too small res any prints made are going to be blurry. Try all the sharpening you want but it won't fix that. And if you want no color corrections or such made........put that in the special instructions box of the order form/envelope. That's why it's there. You can never be too specific with instructions. Also feel free to ask the techs questions if they aren't busy. It's why we're here.

Nancy

Dilu...I have known a 'whole lotta' friends who had the replacement and were thrilled they had it.  The recovery was very rapid (but you have to do your therapy excercises) and made a world of difference in their lives.
Why, it was as if they had new knees !!  :dance:   :doh:

I wish I could tell you about the shots.  Have you googled it to see what others have to say about the shots?
Actually, when I was a dental assistant, the Dr. I worked for got really upset if someone called it a shot...(we don't shoot people here, we give them an injection!!!)

Nancy

Wanda...that is so good to know. 
How do you get that software from Wally World?  Can I download it from home?
I really like the finish that is on the one hour developing, it is sort of a cross between glossy and matte.  A soft glossy, so to speak.

I sent two batches of pics to winkflash, but do not have them back yet....so it is good to know that you were happy with your Walmart pictures.  Time is getting close and I may have to use Walmart after all.
Your bears are just gorgeous Wanda...Geez, I hope you aren't entering the friends category too!  Yikes !!!

Nancy