Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

GOOD LUCK to all participants at the Stratford fair: I hope many of your lovely creations will find wonderful loving new homes.

Thank you JANE for taking the pictures and sharing them with us poor folks who can't go  . 

You are absolutely right : no self-conscious artist is allowed to hide under the table or behind a big teddy  :crackup:  (if the shoe fits wear it) .

I'm sure you will all have a ball and I look forward to seeing the photos.

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter

Dear Marilyn,

You know how I feel about your teddies : they are absotely gorgeous and if I could go to Stratford, I would want to adopt them all (so it's best for my bank account that I can't go  :crackup: ).

I recommended everybody to take a peek at Marilyn's website (http://www.barlingbears.co.uk/Preview.html)  :clap: .

I'm certain they will be a great success at the Stratford show and several lucky people will go home with a big big smile on their face  .

Hope you have a great time and that you will feel somewhat better on the day itself.  My Barling rascals and I will think of you on Sunday and I look forward to hearing all about it when you have settled down after the show.

Hugs,    :hug:

Peter

What a magnificent animal ! 

I'm so glad that you rescued him from the dog shelter; well done Melissa .

As long as I have to work full time, I don't want to adopt a dog, because I can't give him the attention and exercise he needs (especially such a large animal);
but one of the first things I'll do when I can retire, will be to go down to our animal rescue shelter and adopt one (or more) of these unfortunate animals.

Hugs,   :hug:

Peter

Hi Jane,

You must be a very proud grandmother  ; he looks so adorable.

I'm always so pleased when someone adopts a pet from an animal rescue center : give Eve a big hug from me  :hug: !

Hugs,

Peter

He looks so comfortable, lying there on your printer; but I wonder : what do you do when you want to print something ?

Or does Mutt first check to see if it's any good and if it's not, tear it to shreds with his claws  ???

Hugs,   :hug:

Peter

Hi Becky,

That's a very difficult question you ask and I'm afraid that if you ask 10 arctophiles, you'll get 10 different replies.

If you are thinking of selling your teddy bears, here's an idea that Paula Carter thought of, during her last teddy web-show.

She asked the people who visited her site to vote which bear they found the most appealing.

So maybe you could post some photos of yours bears on this site and ask people to choose one (or a top 3).  That way you will know what bears appeal most to the good people on this forum  .

The most important thing though is that you make teddies you like yourself.  I don't think that there are many artists here who make bears that they don't like
themselves, but that sell well.  (Correct me if I'm wrong, artists  :doh: ) 

Good luck,

Hugs,

Peter 

Mandy,

What a great family of teddies you have there; I suppose they have pretty much taken over your entire home    !

As Thomas already asked; I was wondering as well how long you have been collecting these wonderful teddies?

Is the hug still growing and growing and growing and growing...    ?

Hugs,

Peter

P.S. I love the Merrythought teddy with the clay pipe (I have one as well  :dance: )

The lovely Bashful has joined my hug here in Belgium and I think it is safe to say that she has settled in very well and is enjoying herself very much.
She is so lovely and not nearly as shy anymore as when she arrived.

I would like to share these pics of her with you all, so you can see for yourselves she is one happy bear !

  :dance:

Thank you Sue !

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter

If you need any help with the repairs, just let me know and I will come round with my two sturdy helpers, Lewis & Bailey and we'll have your house fixed in no time ! 

Hugs,  :hug:

Peter and these two chaps :

Perhaps you ladies would like a good laugh with a boy pretending to be a bit macho ?

Yes that's me on the left; it must have been around '75 at my uncle's wedding.  The guy with the glasses is my older brother.  The lovely lady is my aunt (now aged 78).  And what happened to all that hair ???

Marilyn,

if your reading this, I hope you have a good laugh; that will teach me being a rascal !  :dance:

Hugs,

Peter  :hug:

Hi Catherine,

So sorry to hear about all the damage to your house and garden.

I must admit that I was pretty scared last night as well.  I woke at 3.15 AM and started pacing around the house to check if there was any damage or flooding of the basement.   Luckily we didn't get the hail stones like you did, but the lightning bolts were very frightening : it seemed as though someone was flicking a light switch on and off constantly; I have never seen anything like it.

This morning, before going to work I checked to see how bad the damage was and it doesn't seem too bad, although all the garden plants and flowers are down.  It's still very grey and threatening here, but I hope the worst is over.

Thank heavens you and your loved ones (cats and fiancé, not necessarily in that order) are alright; the rest can be fixed.

Hugs,   :hug:

PS. Catherine wasn't exaggerating : these are some of the hail stones that fell last night :

I'm very happy to report that the lovely "Bashful" is on her way to Belgium as we speak (or as I write this).

Thank you Sue for giving her up for adoption; I'm certain she will be much loved and adored in my hug.
Because I'm a bit bashful myself  :redface: , we will the best of friends    .

I can't wait till she gets here and I can give her a big cuddle   :hug: .

Hugs,

Peter

Hi Andrea,

I think she is adorable, with her little suitcase (very handy) and the rose flowers in her hair  .

She isn't going to San Francisco is she : "... if you're going to San Francisco,  be sure to wear some flowers in your hair... "   :crackup:

Wherever she is going, I'm sure she will find a lot of loving there !

Hugs,  :clap:

Peter

Carolynn, how lovely to hear that you used to be fluent in Dutch.  That is my native tongue, but I'm quite fluent in English and French (which is practically mandatory here if you work in the financial world, like I do).  My German isn't what it used to be; I haven't spoken German since high school.  It is actually quite funny when I have to attend meetings in Brussels in the centre of Belgium : the presentations are often in English and then the participants start discussing in different languages    When everybody is in a good mood they make an effort to speak the language of the other party, but when the discussion heats up, everybody immediately switches to their own language  .

Groetjes en een dikke berenknuffel,

Peter

Hi Sue,

"Bashful" is adorable, I also like the contrasting paw pads; she looks sooooooo huggable  :hug: .

Is she by any chance looking for a new home ???? 

Hugs,

Peter

Yes Carolynn you are absolutely right : it is all in Dutch (the North of Belgium is Dutch speaking, the South is French speaking and a very small minority speaks German !  Can you imagine a teeny tiny country like ours with barely 10 million inhabitants speaking three different languages  ).

Thank you everyone for all your great feedback : I was certain that you not only liked bears, but "all creatures great and small".

Hugs, :hug:

Peter

Great news: after a pregnancy of 22 months (!) the Asian elephant Phyo Phyo has given birth to the first baby elephant born in Belgium. 
The little girl weighs about 100 kilos and both mother and daughter are doing fine.  She was born yesterday morning at 8.45 local time.
People have been following the pregnancy for months and everybody was praying that there would be no complications with the birth (which unfortunately often
happens with elephants).
The zoo had installed a webcam in Phyo Phyo, but the birth happened so sudden that they couldn't capture the actual birth.  You can see a video and some lovely photos of the little baby elephant on : www.baby-olifant.be.

It feels so good that have some positive news in the media, doesn't it?

Hugs,

Peter

Hi Jane,

At the local bears & dolls fairs we have here in Belgium, there is always one stand that only sells old issues of local (Dutch) teddy bear magazines and I think they sell quite well.

However I'm also interested in older issues of TBT and all issues of Teddy Bear Scene and Teddy Bear Review (I haven't got any of those) : if you're interested, send me a mail and I'm sure we"ll come to some arrangement (peter.masscharis@telenet.be).

Hugs,

Peter

Hi Becky,

What a wonderful large bear !  Are you sure you've only been making bears for six months (six years more likely)  ?

You have certainly done a great job with this one : he's beautiful   :clap: !

Hugs,

Peter

Hi Susan,

As a bear lover and not an artist, I always look forward to the new Teddy Bear Guide.  I have no idea how expensive the advertisements are, but the square adds really do attract the attention of the reader and they can give you an immediate idea of the kind of bear you make (traditional, miniature, whacky, etc...).
I also read all the small print about the artists as well, but only if they mention their website.  If I'm interested in the type of bear the artist makes, then I check out their website and see if I like it.  But I doubt if everyone looks at the small print.

As the teddy bear guide is a kind of Bible for the arctophile (I have got three copies : one at home, one for on the road and one at work  ), I think it's worth the investment to get you on the teddy bear map.

Hugs,

Peter 

Well done Sarah !!!!     :clap:  :dance:

A big hug from George, Peter and his teddies.  :hug:

Dear Jane,

Can you let us know how Sarah's Race for Life went ?  I'm sure you took some pictures as well, no?  :photo:

If the weather was a bit like here in Belgium, she couldn't have picked a better day : glorious sunshine all day long!

No matter how it turned out, you can very proud of your daughter.   :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Hugs,

Peter

Oh Kay,

He looks wonderful and so wise !
I'm soooo tempted  .

Hugs,

Peter

Catherine,

It's great to see that your cards and prints will be displayed in the States. 
They are so beautiful that you truly deserve international fame  :clap:

What would your granny say of the succes of a simple "country bumpkin" ?? 

Hugs from,

Bailey, Lewis & Peter   :hug: