Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Laura isn't it gret to see your wee souls in somebody's house being appreciated.Yours look so sweet altogether.
Diane xxx

I am cheered by the fact that some of you feel the same way.I hope the magazine gets letters form more people.I cannot imagine many people would read that and not be outraged.
Diane xxx

She is so beautiful.What a lovely colour and her face is perfect!!!
Diane xxx

Well said Gaby,
I have been enraged all day and cannot put it out of my mind.Ignorance it is I agree .I sent an e-mail to the magazine just to make me feel better.I am perhaps thinking most bear artists are like minded.I do feel a magazine that exhists purely to satisfy bear collectors and artists should show the animal they are based on the respect it deserves.It distresses me to see any animal in captivity let alone degraded.Maybe one day everyone will feel this way,we can but hope.Your response has made me feel a bit better thanks.
Diane xxx

It has been ten years for me and I am still not always sure I have a style.Customers say I have though.
I have made 3 inch bears then three foot bears ,contempory,anime,you name it.I am happest making traditional germanic bears so maybe that is my style.Good luck it will arrive one day.The ones you enjoy making the best will win.
Diane xxx

I am sitting here enraged and wanted to know if I am alone in this .My best friend Mary Dowd posted me a copy of Teddy Bear and friends as there was an article on her bears in it(very nice I might add).
I came across an article by Dee Hockenberry on a visit to Russia.
Firstly I was horrified to see her pictured with an ape sitting in a party frock on her knee???!!!As an animal lover  I find this deeply offensive.
I read her article and could not believe she recommends a visit to The Moscow circus to see "dancing bears".She adds they are adorable and well cared for.!!!I think the only well cared for bears are in the forrest roaming free or in sanctuaries.Let me say I am in no way condemning Russia's animal welfare.In the U.K we have not got a perfect record but have abolished almost all performing wild animals in circuses.I just feel as people who love ,collect and make bears we owe it to the real bears not to condone this kind of treatment.No animal deserves this degredation!!!dancing for our amusement or wearing human clothes.
I am also disgusted at the magazine publishing this.Bears have given us so much as collectors and artists and the magazine exists because of peoples love for them.Sorry I had to vent !!!I feel so sickened by this.
Almost every teddy bear artist I know strives to give something back to the real bears .Thousands of pounds have been raised by the shop Abracadabra by auctioning off artist bears and customers have donated some of their collections.These same people will buy this magazine !!1It just does not seem right.
I am sorry for ranting on it has upset me so much.Sorry to0 angry for spellcheck tonight
Diane

Hi Gaby,
I am sure you too will have customers soon!!!
A scone is like a cake and you have it with cream and jam.Mt Granny always called me a wee scone as I am small compared to the rest of us.I thought it would make a good name for my bears.
Diane xxx

I agree with everyone and like Judi I have bears in 14 countries now via ebay mostly.Yesterday I became a power seller on purely bears(don't mean to blow my own trumpet just showing what is possible).Give it a go.Start with your minimum price and avoid paying reserve fees,stick to the free pictures and your outlay will be low till you see how it goes.Nothing ventured nothing gained!!!
Good luck
Diane xxxx

Hi ,
One of my customers jus sent me a nice picture of some of her scones.I love to get these.I forget how many hundreds I have made and wee groups like this are great to see.She has loads of my bears and has them in wee groups round the house.I find it amaing to think of all my little creations out there !!!
Diane xxx
doses anyone else have customers pics???

I don't think kids here get pressies for Easter Brenda but they do get loads of eggs.I have a huge cadburys one to eat tonight.We will be rolling boiled ones in the morning if the rain goes off!!!
Hope you are all having fun and lots of chocolate.
Dianexxx

Happy easter to you too.
I have made a good start by eating the whole easter nest my daughter made me in one go.She used a whole big bar of galaxy and a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes.!!!!Piggo or what.
We have bought each other a huge egg each too so it will be a very fattening weekend.
Saturday night we will paint our eggs and roll them sunday while walking the dogs.They tend to catch them before us and have lovely wind later!!!
I love the wee fluffy chennile chicks.I have a collection now and fancy buying some vintage ones.
What do you all do for easter????

I don't have the answer to this one.I think your bears look very skillfully made and have great faces.I think the main thing is to stick to making what you like not what you think will sell.Your heart has to be in it to make beautiful bears.I have no idea if ebay is a good judge or not.I am often surprised by what sells and waht does not!!!Spread yourself about and get more exposure.I think your idea about making the eyes etc unlike anyone elses is the way to go as long as you are making them as you want them to be.
Best of luck and don;t give up
Diane xxx

I like Bournville,greenand blacks ,galaxy ,but most of all cadbury's.I have tasted the peanut butter cups but I just don't like peanut butter mixed with anything.A long long time agoin a place faraway my ex husband made pasta with a green pepper and peanut butter sauce!!!!???since then I hate it with anything but toast.
The worst thing I ever tasted was a slice of toast(I thought it was buttered) with dairylee and syrup!!!yuk ,mind you once we were having an outdoor birthday party in the sunshine.I was whipping cream on a huge garden table,Isplashed some on my finger and sucked it off,it was in fact bird********it.That takes a lot of beating!!!!
Sorry I spoiled the lovely chocolate thread!!!
Diane xxx

Your weather can be really scary!!!I am glad you are all okay and hope your neighbours get over their fire.
Diane xxx

I like the idea of the forsythia,I have yellow and white forsythia in the garden.Natural decor is so much nicer.
I don't follow any faith so I never go in for the holidays big style but have always done the egg rolling et cand explained to my daughter the meanings behind it.We celebrate christmas big style as most Scottish people were originall pagan and it is a pagan festival hijaked way back.The yule log and tree all date back centuries so I do like to have all of that.Any excuse for more food and time off I suppose.
Have a happy easter whatever your denomination.

After looking at Aleta's lovely bear listed I had a look at ebay, listing easter tree.I could not believe how many were listed.We don't have easter trees and easter ornaments over here in the U.K (NOT SCOTLAND ANYWAY).
All my easter memories are hiding eggs in the garden,the easter church service,boiling eggs ,painting them and then rolling them down a hill at the easter picknic and lots ofchocolate  easter eggs.Is there far more to it abroad.?It seems like we are very conservative in all our holidays.

I still collect trolls Danni.I am trying to replace all the sixties dam trollsI had as a child.I must be at that weird age????
Diane xxx

I just wanted to say now that  I have a fribble how  impressed I am with Amelia's work.This wee Twigger is for my daughter but she will have to share him.
He is fabulous and looks almost alive!!!
Diane xxx

I chop it like SueAnn then make it into wee hard balls.I use a mix of woodwool and sand for a crunchy heavy bear.I haven't tried misting.It does give an authentic feel but what a mess!!!
Diane xx

All the wee scone say see you soon!!!Take care and be nice to yourself.
Diane xxx

It was great to see the bears.Yours are lovely,So are Mary's and I love the tree house bears.I also loved the animals the lady in the second picture had.Wish I had been there
Diane xxx

I love bats.I had a few encounters at school camp many moonlings ago.I have books on all the different species.Fruit bats are my favourite.I think they are really beautiful.
I would like to see a bat you make ,youmake such cute critters.
Diane x

Me again,I just re read my last post and though what an old boot I sound!!!I just want you to get success and hapiness from your bears.If it is not a hobby and you need to sell then perhaps I was right about honing your own look.There is sooo much competition out there !!!The ways of the bear world are different outwith the U.K and reading other posts perhaps advertising is not a waste of money in the u.s.Sorry if I am harsh I am scottish and we speak as we find.
Soemtimes making really nice bears is not enough.
Diane xxxx

I left a 20 year old well paid job in the bank after making bears for eight weeks and have done it full time ever since.When I look back I scare myself.I was desperate to be a stay at home mum once I became a separated parent(I prefer to call myself that to single as I started off double if you catch my drift)and jumped at the chance.I did my first show after making only six bears!!!t was in the hilton hotel glasgow and I sold almost everybody.I laugh when I think about all those little mutants!!!If you are not planning to go full time for a while you can just enjoy the experience of getting better and better.Put aside plenty time for designing.I was guilty of making something quite nice and thinking it was better than it was and churning out more.I wish I had time to improve more.Like Brenda I feel at the start of it and I have been making bears full time for ten years now.I am blessed with many regular customers but still strive to get nearer my ideal.I often find being a mum,being the only person to do the d.i.y and garden and all the animals to care for gets in the way!!!
Diane xxx

I am quite organised really.I get up at 5.50 ,feed the cat and fish,take the dogs to the beach for an hour and a half,come home and drive my daughter to school ten miles away.Back at 8.45 do e-mails and tt then make up parcels.
Start sewing at 10 till 1 then lunch and feed the pond fish and hang out washing.
1.30 till 4.30 sewing away merrily.then make tea for my daughter and I then sew till 8 then do my workout then an hour of t.v hot chocolate bath and bedzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzthen all over again.
I do this most days but if it is sunny I have an hour off for gardening and at the weekend I have two hours sat and sun for shopping and cleaning. (oh and I go for wee wee every two hours on average)
Diane xxx