Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Ok Girls...I just bought Elements 3 and the book 'The Missing Manual' because everyone says they crop their photos.  I have been reading about cropping and wonder why you crop?  If you are using Elements or similar can you tell me what this feature is used for.  I think I have just shown how little I know about all this. :lol:
Any help would be greatly appreicated....even if it is not about crop work.
Nanc..........

Thank you so much Sue Ann for the " welcome back"  (and Shelli too, on another thread)...I really was here everyday reading and just can't seem to stay away....Oh, and thanks to the gals who emailed me personally.  Love 'ya all! :D
On this topic of fur, I would like to see more information on the lining aspect....what others use and how they attach it to the fur. 
I know there are some brilliant ideas on this subject if you would care to share.
Nanc....

I used to make a lot of mink bears and bunnies.  Still have many mink stoles around.
To address Eileen's comment about the nap of the fur... I found a solution that worked for me.
I would shake the pelt so the fur would lay the way it wanted to naturally and then take my pattern piece (one at a time) and lay it on TOP of the fur...to see which way the fur was going to play out for that particular piece.  Then I would carefully pick up the pattern piece and slip it under the fur in the exact same position...hold it tight, flip the whole thing over and trace the pattern piece onto the back of the pelt.
Another thing I found important...I generally used the very edge of the pelt for the muzzle and inner ears (if the edge went into the belly part.  The fur is alway shorter there and sometime lighter in color.
Hope this makes sense. :/
Nanc.......

Hi Shelli....and EVERYONE!!

I think you will really enjoy this site.  Grab a cup of tea and enjoy.

http://www.barbspencerdolls.com/lace_and_trim.htm

Nanc........

well...I just sent some pics off to shelli.  YEH, for me!!! I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with, in her spare time..:lol::lol::lol:

Finger nails are a 'tappin on the table...tick tock tick tock!!!   Opps, hope she didn't go to SF again....I'll be 'tappin for quite a while.

I will get the software tho.  I think this all looks like fun.
nanc.....

Thank you Kirsten for those sites.  I appreciate your time in sending them.  I need to get some tea and sit down and visit them....oh, but first I need to pot some baby african violets.  Poor little guys have been 'screaming' at me for over a week now.  Off to the basement!
hugs,
nanc...........

That sure does Kirsten...thank you soooo much.
I knew someone said they used Jasc...I just couldn't remember who.  I get lost in these chats very easily and forget who said what, where!!! :rolleyes:
I just have one other queston if you don't mind.
The ones that are selling on ebay, they are for real...right?  I mean I don't want a bootleg copy or something or does it matter.  I have no idea what I am doing, but I want to try.
Where would I try a free trial?  would you know that Kirsten?
Thanks so much...I greatly appreciate your info.
Nanc.....

Wow...Shelli.  I have to get busy and send a photo. That is beautiful that you did for Rita.
  I just don't know what to use ...bear, yorkie, etc?
I need to quite procrastinating and send one.
You did a fabulous job.
I looked on ebay for different 'pros' and there are a lot of them for sale.  I saw the jacs one...I am just confused.  I don't want to buy the wrong one.
Any advice?
Nanc........

Yes, Eileen...look at it this way.
If you have an existing account and you change your name, everything stays the same...your feedback follows you.  Ebay does put a little image with arrows indicating a switch beside your new name.
If, however you establish a new account, then you start at zero.
I have two different ID's...one I use to buy with and the other I use to sell with.  So each has it's own feedback.

I work a lot with the elderly people and I have encouraged 2 ladies to make miniature bears and I sell them for them on the other ID.  It gives me great pleasure and they are just astounded that they can make money at it.
Too fun!
nanc.......

Rita...that bear just makes you want to take him home and cuddle him.  He is absolutely adorable.  You have captured the essence of innocence in this one.  Are you ging to list him on ebay?
nanc........

Well...I just want a name that does not set limits on what I am selling anymore.
Something generic, but personal and warm.
yes, your feedback does go with you.  When I was making thread bears (opps, sorry Sue...but Sue and I go way back so I don't think she will send her lawyers after me for using that term ) one day, I decided to use a different kind of thread...mohair ( you all should know by now that I like 'fluffy') and then took a wire brush to it. Well, the little guy was an instant hit...so I decided to change my name to 'Wooley Bears' because they looked so fuzzy.
Within 2 days I recevied a very sweet email from Pam Wooley (who I had no idea who she was but quickly found out)...asking me politely if I would change my id because it was causing confusion for her customers.
The mistake was clearly mine!  Nancy spelled wooley wrong...:rolleyes:  It should have been woolly.  I wrote Pam back apologizing all over myself and said it would be no problem for me to change it again ... I had to wait 30 days to change it and I changed it to nanc*e*bears.
You can imagine the confusion for my customers! :lol:
After a year I decided I wanted to sculpt fairies ...in the doll world, my original dolls became quite well known and I did extremely well until my precious mother passed away and I never made another doll again (that's another story).  Well the ebayers didn't like my faeries (I don't do [INVALID] and I do not mean that in a malicious way...I just like to put clothes on my creations)...so here I am with a name that does not apply.
There's the story in a nutshell...I just want a happy name that does not designate any particular item.
Put on your thinking caps girls....I need H-E-L-P :mad:
nancy

Shelli...Janice is one of the sweetest ladies and you are right, she would wonderful in this group.
I will write her and suggest it.
She suffers from MS, so we shall see.
I met her a few years ago...I made a miniature bear and crocheted this darling little outfit for it.  Janice contacted me and asked me if I would consider crocheting her a little outfit.  I was happy to but I was concerned that what I made her would not fit her bear.  She wrote and said, you crochet the outfit and I will make the bear to fit it.  It did extremely well!!!
nanc...

I know what you are saying Judi and that is very good advice...but a friend of mine, Janice Woodard of Boohbears changed hers and she did it by listing it in her auctions that she would be changing it to such and such.
That way they got familar with it before the actual change.
I really don't think I am all that well known. 
Thank you for the advice...now watch, I will change it and my bidding will drop!
Nanc..
Am I right in thinking that if you change your id...ebay will forward them to the new id for 30 days?

It was definately a manipulated hairball...but somebody loved it. :lol:

Shelli, I am making bears of course, yorkies...faeries and sculpting miniature replicas of antique dolls.
I would also like to introduce my handmade jewelry...being made of fine silver and gold.  So that makes quite a diverse grouping.
Nanc.....

Now that I have your full attention.... :D

I want to change my ebay Id.  I hate the one I have, it was made a few years ago when I was going to do fairies...WAIT...when I was going to make fairies....WAIT...what do I want to say? this isn't coming our right!

Anyway I was thinking of:  Nancy'sCottage.  because I am making so many different things.
What do you think and do you have any 'greater' ideas?
I am open for any suggestions at this particular time.

Nanc......

Well Shelli...that would be absolutely wonderful.
Now :rolleyes:...the pressure!! What picture do I use? hummmm, it will take a bit of thinking.  Should I go with yorkies or bears?
I love Scriptina...do you have that font?

AND Kirsten, I will look into the paint shop pro you bought on ebay.  Geez, I never thought of ebay for something like that.
You would think I would learn!
I mean if someone could sell their cats up-chucked hairball that they said looked like Elvis for over a grand...then I should look to ebay for my every need!
Nanc.......

Ok, Ok...you're probably all thinking...."Oh, these new kids, they always want to be big right away"...but everyone has such pretty avatars, they look like posters for a movie and mine is...wellllll...NOT!!! :(
Can someone give me a brief idea of how y'all did this?
nanc....

Hi Judi...

I didn't know you could dye, let alone airbrush real fur and have it stick (and NO, I wasn't the one who said you shouldn't  air brush fur, just for the records for anyone who may be thinking this )
I have wanted to airbrush some mink.  I have some dynaflow (wasn't that the new transmission that Buick came out with in 1955?)  and just ordered Cushings...would either of these work, Judi?
Nanc........

Eileen...I need my bifocals and then some...:lol:
He looks adorable from faaarrrr away!  The mink bears are so popular.
Will you put some larger pics on?  Pleeeeezzz?
Weren't we in a discussion on the other site about Tibetan lamb...you wanted some.
I have some I would be happy to share with you if you would like it.  You could play around with it.
Let me know.
Nanc........

Hi Shelli...I can't imagine anyone being able to teach you anything...we all rely on you for so many wonderful ideas.  I may have some ideas that I will learn at a class I am going to attend shortly...not sure if it will relate to this or not. 
I have some fabulous family artifacts that I would like to incorporate into 'scrap-booking'.  I have never done scrap booking, but we have a wonderful little shop near us and one of the classes she is about to offer is called "Distressing Anything".
I called her and asked her if this process or technique could be used on fabric, because I wanted to make a group of distressed mini's (boy does that sound funny) and she said...absolutely!
To the extreme, I have a friend in Missouri who makes aged beauties and she washes the fabric, drives over it with her SUV, dyes it in a tie dye technique and starts all over again.  By the time she is done with this fabric, it looks like it has been around the block a few times!!!:D
If I learn anything in the distressing class, I will certainly share it with everyone.
Shelli, did you get my email that I sent in reply?  I never know if they go thru or not because it doesn't say it went thru.
Hope I will finally be able  to find something out to return all the help you have given each of us.
You are a treasure, for sure!
Nanc.......