Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Chloe,
Don't worry! I've been doing shows, some very large shows, by myself for many years. I still get the weird dreams. Most of these dreams don't involve my cats, but I get to a place, everything is confused, no one knows what I'm talking about and they look at me like I have three heads    Wait, that sounds like what my waking life is like  Don't worry. I always tell myself "You're just excited about the show, you're not nervous."
Karen

Tami,
Just WONDERFUL  :clap:  Such expressive faces!
Thank you for creating them 
Karen

Tami  :doh:
Thank you! Thank you! and NEVER  But I do love the family dog!
Life is not so easy for any of us lately, but that's what I love about most of us at TT, we keep on going on  :dance:
Karen

Danni,
I try not to worry about what price a piece goes for. THere are sooo many really beautiful teddy bears that don't get the price they deserve!! I think that's one reason eBay can be so nerve wracking  It seems to have no rhyme or reason? I've tried to guess the ending of some auctions by the number of hits, ending time and all the other things that people suggest influence an auction. I haven't found one true indicator. I have found that you have to collect a loyal group of bidders. For me that's a group of about 5. I'm posting regularly and trying new cat styles to see if I can broaden that group. I guess if we could really predict the outcome we would all be millionaires :dance:  But I don't design for eBay, I design and create what I love and hope for the best.
Karen
P.S. I do think it helps that I love creating cats   I also create bears but I don't list them on eBay very often. Too much competition and pressure on me and my teddy!

My eBay auction of my TOBY cat is going to be over in 20 minutes.
How can 20 minutes seem like an hour  I think I'm OK with auctions but the last few minutes are really grueling. Any tips on how to stay calm through these last few minutes?
Thanks,
Karen

Tami,
I LOVE him! Every inch of his body shows purpose and action. He's one of nature's perfections  :clap:
Karen

Yes,
I do make my sole living from my art, and YES, it is a constant adventure?! Everyday "is a winding road" but I get to create what I love 
Karen

I meant all the compliments and be CAREFUL! Sloths ARE a bit wall-eyed. I think you intuitively picked up on that. I believe that look is part of his appeal. Sometimes we get ourselves into trouble when we over think something. Keep things as simple as you can and get the essence of the creature you're creating. Only add what is absolutely necessary 
Karen

Beautiful face!
Sloths are such ancient creatures and were so important on many Continents, including Western US. You've captured that wise ancient face. Congratulations!   :clap:
Karen
P.S. I really want one of your Sloths if you create more than one?

  Let's rethink this........
Did Dobbin the "Harry Potter" house elf have a wife? We are told this is a monkey? Hmmmm 
Karen

 
My fortune today said that Friday the 13th is not a day of death etc.    It symbolizes the end of the "old" ways and a new beginning 
Karen

  I can't wait!
I'm joining the modern age! I found out that I could get tickets, online, even for my little country movie house! I knew I wouldn't be able to get there in time to get the few available tickets, 6:50 Friday night. It's a small movie house and Harry Potter is no where else in traveling distance to our little town. I'm going to make a night of it  :dance:  Movie, dinner at a local Inn, out under the stars. I'm really excited! (I guess you can tell, I don't get out much. Usually I'm working seven days a week. But the flip side is I'm easy to please )
Karen

Thanks, Eileen and Debbie
Eileen, I like your sentiment. Dogs and my cats, I want to go where they go and I'm sure everyone I love will be there, too! Love is Love whatever the species    Debbie, thank you, I've always known that you are as mushy as I am (is that good?!). Just look at your baby from the horse tribe    But I will take everyone's advice, Thank you. We do have to protect ourselves if we want to continue!
Karen

:hug: Thank you all so much for your wise advice,
My crisis came a couple of weeks ago when I got a phone call from a collector friend in tears and very emotional. I love her dearly;  she's been with me from the start and has always supported me when I had doubts about my cats   We also talked about "life" stuff. She had been heroic in her support of her husband through a terminal illness. She gave up everything to be with him. I think I was one of the first people she called when he died  He had a deathbed confession that was truly horrible, right out of a Greek Tragedy. I've had tragedy in my life and I think I was able to give her some comfort?? I couldn't dismiss this, nothing in my life was this emotional and she needed support. I guess this is the flip side of getting to know people at a distance and through the internet. I think you truly can get to really know a person through conversations over the years, but in a situation such as this, you can't be there to hug them and comfort them in a physical way.
Karen

THIS IS the most wonderful collection of pieces I have EVER seen!
And I have been involved in many contests  :clap:  Valerie, thank you so MUCH for bringing this to us and Thank you to all the artists! It's mystical and magical! What wonderful pieces!
Karen
Yes, I voted.

This is so hard for me,
I guess because my whole life is my work    I have several collectors whom are very close to me in their life travels. When they have a life crisis it pulls me right in, I don't seem to have the ability to insulate myself    Believe me! My own life is VERy complicated at the moment. Is there a way to get to know your collectors and still separate yourself? I haven't found it  :doh:
Karen

Yes!
I know about this. I had a large long-hair black cat, Sammy, who used to use the toilet to pee. I never taught him. I had to go to Europe for a while and my cat stayed with my mother. My mother had my brother, Alan, (late life baby) and he was just learning to use the toilet. Apparently, my cat was watching and learned before my brother  . He would do it slightly different; he was a big cat and was able to straddle the toilet seat with his legs and he'd turn to face the back wall, privacy you know    Later I returned from Germany with a small grey tiger cat I acquired from a farmer there. This cat idolized Sammy and, soon after, tried to imitate Sammy's toilet bowl etiquette.
The poor guy Several times I had to rescue him from the bowl! He was too small to straddle the whole bowl and he kept falling into the water  . HE finally had to give up. This guy in the photo could have given him a lesson!
Karen

Cats are quick! I'm sure they knew he was a dog before he entered the room. He must be an exchange student 
Karen

Krista,
You forgot to mention that you are foster caring for, I think it's 3? abandoned infant kittens while working! I still feel that pressure getting ready for a show, sometimes it feels like you don't have time to breathe    But I always have a great time at a show. It seems like a vacation after ALL the hard work  :bday:
Karen
P.S. Unless you're like my teddy bear artist friend, Barbara Burke, we have to make fun of her :hug: she seems to bring half her table bears with her to finish at the show. I don't know how she does it. By the time I get to a show I just want to relax and enjoy talking to everyone 
Karen

WANDA,
Congratulations! I'm so happy for you! I waited for the call from Mindy before I could breathe, but you had to wait this whole time not knowing!! That's hard. Have a glass of champagne and breathe 
Karen

I have to admit, "the tables are turned"    Last year I announced the nominees and I can't remember which one of our TTer's it was? But they wouldn't believe it when I told them about their nomination until they heard it from Mindy. I thought;  Why wouldn't they believe me   Now I KNOW! IT is really hard to believe you are nominated or have won! There are so many great entries and you always see something in yours that you might have changed    I thought my photo was dark and not very clear.
Scott! Do you know how hard it was for me to miss this TOBY Awards Dinner!! This is the first TOBY Awards I have missed in seven years. IT really hurt! But this is my full-time job. I have no other income. I love the ART of teddy bears and when I go into my studio that is ALL I am concerned with, but when I come out I have to be very careful about shows. I have already attended two wholesale shows this year and that's my limit. I hope next year the situation will be kinder 
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

This is the first TOBY Awards I have missed in 7 years    I couldn't make it to Las Vegas this year. I've been checking everywhere and there is no News! What happened? Did anyone get, almost, arrested like I did last year . WHo won, what? How did it all go? The TOBY's are always exciting    My guess is that Judi won the one category that I was nominated for and I would be fine with that, but how did everyone else fare? I guess I'm sort of an awards show groupie. I love the excitement and congratulating the winners, and yes, I don't NEED to win to enjoy the Show  :dance:
Karen
KJ Lyons Design

Krista,
As I have said before; the more cats and kittens the Merrier ! There are many more cat collectors out there just waiting for new cat artists  :dance:
Good Luck with the Show,
Karen

KRISTA,
WE have to stop meeting like this    I was just going to list an Orange Tabby kitten on ebay. And YOU can verify; we haven't talked about what we were working on.  Maybe we are doppelgangers?
Go ahead with your guy, I know we have different styles  :clap:
Good Luck and Hugs For the Show!
Karen

Oh! Krista,
You count more than you know 
Karen