Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I Love it! sent it to my daughter...... :dance:

thanks for the smile...... :hug:
Ellen

intersting subject.....the suggestions are wonderful. I especially like the idea of sitting a kid in front of the booth  I have had a very difficult time with this problem. If someone comes into my booth, I try to sit to the side in the front, I say hello....sometimes they respond, other times they immediately leave!  At one show, I sat at the end of the table with the stuff your own bears next to me. As I said hello to a person, she was startled.....told me she didn't see me sitting among the bears....... but she was very friendly and we started talking about bears. I have a craft show locally this weekend, I'll have to really concentrate and see what I do! I think I try to greet every customer, and I also enjoy talking with my neighbors (especially since I am ususally alone and need someone to watch the booth while I take a bathroom break  :redface:)

Good luck on your show, don't get too intimidated by how to act, just act yourself and see how things go. The worst thing to do at a show is to worry, relax and be yourself is what I find works best.       Ellen  :hug:

love the big bear...he is gorgeous. My biggest bear was made for my brother-in-law about 36 inches complete with joints, kilt and tam. I don't think I have pictures, actually I made him 2, one with the dress tartan, the other with the hunter. My brother-in-law did research on the MacMaster family name in Scotland, then registered the tartan, had some made and asked for a bear to wear the kilt I made. My Mac Bear on my website wears the tartan sash with a celtic pin. If I can get pictures at Thanksgiving, I will post them.  He paid for the materials only.

I regularly make a 26 inch baby-safe bear for shows. He gets tired of sitting, so He will walk up and down the aisles with me......gets lots of laughs, but not much in sales.
Ellen

I don't have a picture of my first....someone at work saw me making it, and offered to buy it, so she was sold. At the time, I never intented to do this full time. :|

Shelli, I love your first bear...he can have a nice home here with me  :rose:
Ellen

:lol:I was at a craft show this weekend at Clarkson University, 5 miles from my house. 2 days of standing and freezing on the ice in the arena paid off. ( the ice was covered with boards) I put my Moon Bear up intending to take orders and just in general to get information out about their plight. As I returned from the bathroom, my friend who was watching the booth, was talking to a woman, and holding the Moon Bear. Moon Bear sold, without a second thought!!!!! I was soooo happy! Later in the afternoon, this same woman came back and wanted one of my "fur" bears (from vintage fur coats). She was looking at 4 bears, finally deciding on my Persian Lamb Lamb!!!!!!  Other things I sold were incidental, but my Life-size Penguin went!  I think that all that went will have good homes........one Clarkson student stood and stuffed a penguin for her mother for Christmas!  :dance: Just wanted to share my joy,,,,,but now I have to get a Moon bear made for next weekend when I have a craft show in another town about 40 miles from me.........all this with the right arm in a splint with acute tendonitis!  When it rains, it pours!

I wish all luck who have shows coming up.....
Ellen

The most favorite place I have visited is Antarctica......such peace and beauty! I would love to return, but the cost is way too much.

Since I enjoy travelling, my favorite place is where I am at the moment. I love here where I live, with the mountains, lakes and rivers, lots of outside activities. Then I also love my camp about 1 hour from the house, on the lake (a very small one) with a cabin we built ourselves, no phone, tv, computer, or electricity. a nice peaceful place to relax.
Ellen

Last year I got interested in needlefelting. Gave these bears to Mom and saw them when I visited, so took a picture of them. Have another one started, but it has been so long.........

My Moon Bear travelled to Florida with us, and decided to climb the palm tree in Mom's front yard......I hope to get many orders for these bears and send part of the proceeds to Animals Asia.....

Kathy and I have been in touch. Question about the pics......do we post a pic of the bear we are sending, or the bear we receive?????? I get sooo confused  :redface: Ellen

What a variety of homes.....love them all. I will need to get outside and get pics. of mine. If the wind dies down and the rain doesn't start, maybe I will get out there today.
Ellen

Don't know if I responded, since I am in Sunny Florida on vacation, but wherever I need to ship is okiedokie with me.......just tell me when and where....... :hug: Ellen

So many ideas. :whistle:..thanks for them all.. :thumbsup:....keep them coming... :teddybear:....I have another workshop in Dec. 

Love the idea of the Tea Party. But with the kids I had today.....17, 8 boys, I'm not sure it would go over.....but I like it.  :bday: As for chocolate, I make chocolate teddy bears that I hand out, to the kids at the workshops and to anyone who buys a bear, so the chocolate is there....yummy treat! :hug:

Thanks for the ideas.....keep 'em coming! :dance: :teddybear:
Ellen

I have started doing Teddy Bear Workshops for children ages 8 to 12. Does anyone have any suggestions of games or other activities I can do with them once their bears are done? Something simple that doesn't require a lot of 'stuff' to do... I have Teddy Bear songs that I play during the workshop, and I have a couple of stories to read.......just looking for other possibilities.
Thanks, Ellen 

Totally awesome! Maybe I should start making stuffed platypus........... :)
Ellen

Join me in congratulating this class of Nurse Bears who graduated today from 'EmBears U. The 6 bears are all members of the Adirondack Family. Each bear started as pieces of Imitation fur and grew to be about 12 inches tall. Each bear choose the material for the nurse scrubs that were handmade. The bears will carry a copy of the Nurse's Prayer as they go out into the world to find new places to live. I hope you will join me in wishing them good luck in their new life.

Hi Deb, The last person I had make changes to my web site submitted me to google, yahoo and vxbox. These were free locations. I have no idea how to do it, I leave it to the person taking care of the web page......Hope it helps! Ellen

:teddybear:Welcome Ginny! I see you are from Vermont, where? I am about 2 hours from Burlington in Northern NY. I have learned a bit since I joined this page last week.....fun group to be involved with.

I can hear my husband saying something like that.....we have an old wooden boat that he has had a lot of trouble with.......(he never has trouble with me!)

Got my Teddy Bear Review 2 days ago, saw the wreath and plan to make at least 1 for me! Looks wonderful Susan, can't wait to get it started (and finished)

Just checked my plastic eyes...they all have a hole in the shank already. Never thought about why it was there, I guess I will try to sink the eyes in by using this hole. Glad I read this topic.

I didn't realize that the plastic eyes and joints were baby-safe. I make my baby safe animals with no joints and I embroider the eyes and noses......Except for bears made from Vintage Fur Coats, mine are all made from imitation fur which I recommend surface washing, but no heat to dry them. I also use shaggy plush felt for some baby-safe which is machine wash and dry, but no joints in them.  maybe I will re-consider as I make baby-safe......

Who says you can't teach an old dog (or bear) new tricks????

Wow! I just read through all 3 pages of this post. I would like to be involved in this swap......I would love a bear from somewhere else...hopefully that person would like one of mine!  :teddybear:

Count me in...sounds like fun :hug:

About a shirt......he's a boxer, and they don't wear shirts (at least that's what I think) Teens in NNY wear, generally, short sleeve shirts and shorts all year long...even when it is -20 degrees F!!!!! (I usually bundle up like a bear when it gets that cold!)

Here is a picture of a Boxing Koala Bear I made as a special order. Hope it comes up!