Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Ok here are a few of mine :

http://teddy-bear-artist.webs.com  : Lanie and Darren's new site is proving to be very popular (I just hope the dolls won't take over  )

http://www.bearpile.com : everyday new bears and all sorts of bears (classic, modern, vintage-style, weird, ...), but very tempting !  :crackup:

http://www.bearsonlocation.co.uk/index.html : Dale Reardon's magnificent photos of his bears in the Cornish landscape; I could watch them for hours! 

http://www.hugglets.co.uk/index.php : Hugh and Irene Jackman do a wonderful job : organizing Hugglets; compiling a database of all bear makers and bear businesses; just amazing 

http://www.abracadabra-teddies.com : I love the "orphans" page of this bear shop. 

http://www.steiff.de : no comment 

http://www.travellingbears.dk/bears/default.php : Danish bears travel around the world.

http://www.barlingbears.co.uk/index.html : one of my first teddy bear artist and still one of my all time favourites; I check this site at least twice a week to see if Marilyn has made any new bears ...  :)

http://www.hugsunlimited.co.uk/index.htm : just because I love these bears : an update of the site would not be a luxury, Dawn !   :crackup:

These are just a few of the many, many sites.  A lot of artists have great websites, but I really can't mention them all.   Sorry  :redface: .

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Hi Janet,

This made me curious, so I counted how many "teddy bear"-sites I have in my favourites : 161     You said it: "What an addiction" 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Hi Ariane,
I have two pieces of mohair left from a time when I thought I could be a bear-maker too (what was I thinking  :crackup: ).
If you PM me your address, I will send them to you.

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Many congratulations to both of you Nina & Karen !  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:
I can imagine how wonderful it must feel to see your own creations in a magazine.  Well done. 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Oh...my....goodness !  What amazing photos and videos. 

Check out the one where mother bear saves her cub who is stuck in a tree.     ... and the two polar bear cubs ... and the bear with the teddy bear ... 
I could watch this for hours.   

Thanks Linda !

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter, little Benson & the bears

Daphne, that is a wonderful creation !
How on earth you managed to turn Pippi into a teddy bear, I don't know, but the result is amazing.   :clap:
I love the ginger hair and the dress and the naughty look on her face. 

As a boy (a long long time ago) I -of course- didn't like Pippi, because she was so strong and confident and a lot smarter than the boys !   :crackup:

She will be a big succes at TBAI.   

Hugs,

Peter & the bears

What an adorable little girl, Catherine !     She looks soooo sweet and innocent and I love her big feet with sculpted toes. 

Oh, just noticed she has already been adopted ...    It makes me feel sorry for poor Beau, he still hasn't found a new home yet  .   Maybe he was destined to stay with you ! 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter, Lewis, Bailey, Winston & Crosby

Hi Amy,

I know that Catherine (from Bumpkin Bears) sells a lot of her beautiful cards and prints through her Etsy shop.
She is also a member of TT, so you can send her a PM or you can go to her website http://www.bumpkinbears.com/en/v3/index.php.

This is her Etsy shop : http://www.etsy.com/shop/bumpkin

I am sure she will be willing to give you some tips. 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Those children must have known you wouldn't say NO, Sophie.   

Well done; I am sure that the little kitten will have found a lovely home with you. 

(I wouldn't have been able to resist him myself  ).

Hugs,

Peter & the bears

He is absolutely adorable, Debora; I love his muzzle and his cute paw and foot pads.  So sweet !     

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Benjamin is adorable, Tami; such exquisite detail and expression in such a tiny bear. 

I can imagine you are dying to give him and his little dog a big hug (well maybe not such a big hug)! 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

"The Bear's room" ??? Randy, I think you have more than one bear room, I think you have a bear house !!  :crackup:

I love the three Brian Bears.   How come they came to live with you at three different times?  Why didn't you adopt all three at the same time (I think that is what I would have done  )?

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Dear Emmy,

I hear you loud and clear !

The advice that Randy, Ali and Julia gave you is very sound:
- for the time being bide your time, but take note of everything that is not correct according to you, so you will have evidence of her misconduct
- refuse to do anything that is not in your job description (I'm sure shopping is not in it  )
- do you know the superior of your boss or do you have a human resources department, where you can file a complaint ?
- if you send mails to your boss, regarding a problem that is her fault, put her superior or the human resources in CC or BCC or forward the message after
  you have sent it to your boss.  Put everything on paper or mail.

This is going to be tough for some time and relations will be more strained, but this way will surely lead to a solution, one way or the other.

Sending you big bear hugs and lots of positive thoughts.  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Great idea Dawn !  I would love to hear Eric's comments.     
I think that the French teddy bear lovers are not very familiar with English or American artists and that they have the wrong idea of teddy bear artists generally (at least that's my first impression of the comments on the French forum), but you will be pleased that I have been praising the Hugglets show on their forum and they are trying to organise a group trip to the Winter BearFest ... with me as translator  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup: .  Oh my, what I have gotten myself into this time ??? 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

He is magnificent, Kimi; I love his sweet face.   
And the vintage look is just right (not too tattered and still very huggable).  :clap:

Wonderful work !

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

It seems that there has been a lot of "jaw-dropping"    .  I started drooling when I saw him: what magnificent fur and amazing face. 

How on earth do you do it ?  :clap:

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Very original, Denise, or is Skeeter having a "bad hair day"  :crackup:

No seriously, I love him and his haircut; it makes him look like a bit of rascal. 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

I wonder how come the little duckling inside and the cat is outside ?    :lol:
The duckling certainly doesn't seem bothered.

Hi everyone,

I would just like to say CONGRATULATIONS and WELL DONE to Tatyane Shayko (better known under her username Bakerina78) for having her bears featured in the Dutch magazine "Poppen & Teddy Beer".  Not many of you will know this magazine, because it is the only one left in the Dutch speaking countries, but I think it's great that Tatyana is making a name for herself in the low countries.   :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Thanks for letting us know, Maria !     I ordered my copy straight away.

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Yes, my dear teddy friends, someone compared TT to a cage of wild beasts. I was a little upset when I first read this, but now I think it’s more due to ignorance than malice. 

So what happened ?  Quite by chance I discovered a web forum which –at first sight- seems to be the French equivalent of TT : http://nounourscie.forumactif.net/forum.htm

Since I have a few French bears in my hug and there are several very good French artists, I decided to join the site and see what was being said.
In the general section someone posted the following question “Does anybody know the site Teddy Talk?” 

There was a response from Eric Petit, who was active on TT for some time, but who hasn’t posted anything since the end of last year.  This is what Eric wrote.  I will give you the exact French text with my translation, just to make sure that I am not making this up:

"Par contre, ce n'est pas un forum tendre, la sympathie c'est juste du superficiel. Ce forum est une place qui sert "à flasher" son savoir faire à la face des autres. Ne demandez pas de conseils, les réponses qui vous y seront fournies ne dévoileront rien du tout.
Attention, en entrant dedans vous vous jetez dans la cage aux fauves mais pas celle des ours.... Le business rode dans tous les coins.
Par contre les images sont jolies à regarder.
Dommage que les gens ne disent pas ce qu'ils pensent. Perso, j'ai toujours pris position, et les créateurs de ce forum le savent bien."

However, it is not a gentle forum ; the sympathy is only skin deep.  This forum is a place to show off your skills in front of others.
Don’t ask for advice, the answers you will get won’t reveal anything.
Beware, when you enter there you will throw yourself into a cage of wild beasts, not bears …  Business lurks in every corner.
The photos however are nice to look at.
It’s a shame that the people don’t say what they think.  Personally, I have always made my position clear and the administrators of this forum know it well.

"Nombreux d'entres eux ne voudraient pas prendre le risque de présenter leur travail en France puisque la plupart des artistes se disant "haut de gamme" pensent qu'il n'y a pas assez de collectionneur en France."

Many of them don’t want to take the risk of presenting their work in France, because the majority of the artists call themselves « top of the bill « and think that there aren’t enough collectors in France.

"Elles aiment beaucoup plus l'argent qu'elles se font par la vente des ours que les créations qu'elles réalisent. C'est le résumé de la situation."

They much more love the money they make by the sales than the creations themselves.  That’s it in a nutshell.

Luckily at this point in the discussion an intelligent lady intervenes and points out that Eric might be painting too bleak a picture and Eric backs down a bit. 
Nevertheless at first I did feel somewhat hurt about what he wrote, but now that I have thought about it for a few days, I can have a good laugh at it.     
Or maybe you think what Eric writes is true ??? 

I would love to hear your comments (I like a bit of drama now and then  ).

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

It looks great, Janice. 

Your new bears and bunny are lovely, but I especially like Sherry. 
Your greeting cards are beautiful as well.   Lovely work !  :clap:

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

Many congratulations, Marg, well done !!  :clap:

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears

I can't make up my mind who is the cutest : Hannah or Imogen ?? 

Oh what the heck : they are both equally adorable; I love them both.     

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter, Treacle & Kai

Many congratulations, Sheryl !! Your first award and many more to come ...  :clap:   

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter & the bears