Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Try using cubes.

Build some wooden cubes out of 3/8" thick plywood.  But only build them with 4 out of 6 sides.  (Leave the front and back open.)  Sand them and paint them any color you like.  Now you have stackable "Bear condos."

Build a bunch of them and stack them up like building blocks.  The Bears can go in the empty spaces in between.  You can make pyramids and all sorts of arrangements.  Whenever the Bears get tired of living in one arrangement you can restack them and build a whole new Bear condo.

(Click the picture!)

If you build them as 5-sided boxes instead of 4-sided boxes you can have crates for the Bears to ride in while they travel to shows.  Cut holes in the sides of them for handles if you like.

I suppose you could use plastic milk crates and accomplish the same thing but it wouldn't be as stylish.

You could encase one bug in a block of clear plastic resin and make a pendant out of it.

Sacrifice the bug by placing it into a jar full of ammonia.
Soak some cloth in pure household ammonia, put it into the jar, drop in a bug and seal the lid.  The bug will succumb to the ammonia fumes after a while.

You can also sacrifice insects by putting them into the freezer for several hours.  Make sure it's the deep freeze and not just the fridge.  You don't want them to simply go into torpor then wake up when they get warm!  It must be sub-zero cold.  Probably keep them frozen for a couple of days just to be sure.
Of course, you put them into a jar first!  ;)

Take the bug out of the sacrificing jar and let it come to room temperature or air out from the ammonia fumes.
Prepare your mold.  (They are usually silicone rubber.)  Mix your plastic resin and fill the mold half way.    Embed your bug into the plastic and arrange it the way you think is best.  Tap out any bubbles then fill the mold the rest of the way.
The plastic resin should harden in 20-30 minutes.  Unmold and let cure overnight or longer.
Polish it up, hang it on a chain and give it to your Bear to use as jewelery or to study.  (Many of our Bears are quite studious!)

It shouldn't cost you more than $20 or $30 to make resin castings out of your garden bugs.

Besides...  It's pest control AND it's art both at the same time!     

Those bugs do feed on hibiscus plants.  They suck the sap from the stems and shoots.  If there are too many of them they can damage your plants.
They do the same on cotton plants, too.  Cotton farmers consider them a minor pest.

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane … lequin.htm

You should decide whether or not you want them around your plants.
If you don't want to use insecticide (I would not) you can simply find and destroy their eggs and that should keep their numbers in check.
You can also pick the beetles off your plants and drop them into a bucket of soapy water until they expire.

The idea being that you don't want wholesale destruction of every bug in your garden but you also don't want them to overrun the place and kill all your plants.  You should do what's necessary to keep them from over populating the area but still keep a few of them around for aesthetic reasons.

To everything, there must be a balance.

It might also have a lot to do with the weave of the fabric.

Aren't the stripes aligned with the weft axis of the fabric?
If you align the warp axis of the fabric with the pattern, the weft axis will automatically come out at 90º to the pattern.  Since the stripes are made in the weft threads, they just come out right almost automatically.

You're just so good at it, you do this without even thinking about it.   

"You made a whole dozen chocolate, chocolate-chip cookies just for ME?!"   

Tough call, isn't it?   

Your work your fingers to the bone to produce just one Bear but everybody seems to want one.  What do you do?  Make more and be miserable or pass up an almost sure sale?  Not an enviable position to be in!

Is it possible that you can change your technique or use different equipment (an awl?) to make it easier to sew the Bear?  Just asking...

Maybe Winston is grumpy, as you said, because you were so grumpy making him.  You know... the emotional surrogate thing.  Whatever the reason, I think Winston is so popular because he is a non-typical Bear.  You see "happy-happy" Bears every day of the week but a grumpy looking Bear is a rarity.

Novelty sells. 

That is so true!  When I go to Bear shows, it is very hard to pick out that "One" Bear who should go home with you.  There could be HUNDREDS of Bears to visit with.  How can you pick just one?

We often visit Bear shows and make mental notes on the ones who caught out attention then wait until we are home before we decide.

Sometimes, if we find that "extra special" bear we might go back and get him just before we leave to go home.

So I bet somebody thought Winston was an extra special Bear if they took him home right then and there!   

Don't you think Winston is the kind of Bear who could be grumpy for you?  He could be the kind of Bear who is grumpy so his human doesn't have to be.  ;)

I believe the one big myth about Teddy Bears is that everybody thinks they are happy-happy all the time.  Well, as the keeper of a Bear den of 1,000 members strong, let me tell you:  Bears are not all "sunshine and lollypops" all the time!

A Teddy Bear's main job is to make his human feel better in times of trouble, to share in his human's happiness and, sometimes, if the situation calls for it, to be grumpy.

The short answer:  A Bear is an emotional surrogate.  Something to focus your emotions on when you can't express them by yourself.

So...  Don't you think a grumpy Bear can be good for some people?

I'll bet you Winston and Oscar the Grouch could be good friends!   

Photography is a strange hobby.  The physical manifestations of photography are cameras, lenses and equipment but, in truth, they have little to do with what photography is all about.  Photography is about control of light, not about cameras and lenses.

The word "Photographer" means, "One who paints with light."

While it is important to know how to operate your equipment, it is more important to understand how light can be used to create an image, regardless of the equipment used to make it.

I can show you how to make great photographs with noting more than an empty package of Quaker Oats, a beer can and some duct tape.  ;)

Whether you take classes, read books or study on the internet, the MOST important thing to do is to get out and take pictures!   

That's because they haven't gotten into the root beer yet! 

Just go out and shoot!   

You can't make photographs until you get out there and click that shutter button.  Just do it!

If you want to learn photography the right way, I suggest you find a place that teaches traditional photography... with FILM.  People can tell you all these great things about digital photos and you can learn how to process them on your computer in all sorts of different ways but, unless you get out there and see how light reacts on film, it will be very difficult to understand the basics of photography.  It virtually can not be done without hands-on experience.

People talk about "megapixels," "bits," "color gamuts" and all sorts of things all day long but the one thing that is important in photography, digital or traditional, is dynamic range. 

How dark is the darkest part of your image?
How bright is the brightest part of your image?
How evenly spaced are all the levels of brightness in between?

Have you ever seen a picture that is nicely composed, has great colors, is focused to a "T" but the light and dark areas are all "blocked up?"  I see it quite frequently.  It happens because the person making the photo did not understand dynamic range and how to control it.

In digital photography, dynamic range is often managed automatically by the computer.  Most of the time, the computer does it right.  But there are many times when the computer guesses wrong.  That's when you get those blocked up blacks and those blown out highlights.  With traditional photography, YOU have to control your dynamic range and there is no computer to do it for you.  It is hard to do at first but, if you learn it, you will benefit greatly.

I'm sure you take some really nice photos.  But if you take just one course in traditional photography, even if it is just an introductory course, I can virtually guarantee the quality of your work will improve exponentially!  :cool:

I have seen this happen dozens of times with students at the school where I work.  :)

But, regardless of how you choose to learn photography, the number one thing is to just get out there and shoot some pictures! 

Subjective concerns aside, how many people who design Bears consider the Golden Ratio when placing eyes, ears, nose and mouth?

I suppose the Golden Ratio could be used for body proportions too but I don't think it would apply so well because a Bear's proportions are a little "pudgier" than a human's.  But, still, if you correct for the "pudge factor" the Golden Ratio could still be made to apply to the body.

I think the Golden Ratio applies more to the head and face than to the body.  You can make a Bears arms a bit longer.  (Better for hugging!  )  You can make a Bears middle a bit thinner or pudgier.  (More room for cookies!  )  But, if a Bear's eyes aren't in just the right spot they can throw off his expression and make him look sad    or mad  or even a little bit drunk.  :wacko:

Almost all humans intuitively recognize the Golden Ratio in art, photographs and design because we are so used to seeing it in virtually EVERYTHING we look at.  Most people don't even know what the Golden Ratio is but they still get that sneaking feeling that "something isn't quite right" when they look at a work of art that doesn't obey the rule.

Not to say that the Golden Ratio can't be bent a little bit to achieve an effect you desire.  That's probably what you refer to when you say that the ears convey emotion.  If you move them just a little bit off the mark, it can make a happy Bear look sad or angry or it can make a boring Bear look perky.

A dog's ears tell you about its personality or emotion.  Don't they?  What makes a Teddy Bear any different? 

People sometimes use the excuse, "Well only 5% of the people on the web use iPhones or iPads."

I don't know about you but I know a lot of people who would climb Mount Everest to get a 5% increase in their customer base.  All you have to do to get it is NOT use Flash.

It's a no-brainer! 

If you have an iPad or an iPhone, you will not be able to see that site.
The entire website is based on Flash.  iPads and iPhones will not access websites which use Flash.

In terms of graphic design, it is a very nice website.  But, in terms of technical design, the site leaves a lot to be desired.

They should give the graphics designers a raise and fire the programmers. 

Us Bears will be retuning their radar to target the new location!  Please make sure your receiver Bear is set up and ready to direct the signal.

The Bears tell me this is important.  They say it has something to do with the phase cancellation frequency or something like that.  I don't understand it.  It's all very technical.   

We're all very glad to hear Roger is up and around!  We all hope he'll be well enough to go home soon! 

I only keep a nominal amount of money in my PayPal account at any given time.  If, on the outside chance, somebody is able to break in, they would only get $20.00 if they are lucky.

If I need more money in the account to make a payment on some goods or services, I transfer only the amount of money needed into my account.

I have a separate ATM/Debit card on a separate bank account which I use only for internet transactions.  I do NOT use my main bank account for any electronic or internet transactions not directly related to my personal finances.  Again, I only keep a nominal amount of money (approx. $50.00) in that account.

Somebody could break in to my PayPal and or debit accounts and take all the money there but they would get less than $100.  Right now, they might be lucky to get $50.

Even if they did get that money, the Bears would put a great, big "Bear Wammy" on them!
You all know how powerful Bear Power is.  Right?  Well, let me tell you...  You do NOT want to get on the bad side of 1,000 Teddy Bears!  Bear Power works both ways! 

Pass the cookies and root beer!  Time to celebrate again!  :lol:

Bears like to celebrate any chance they get.  They don't need much excuse to have cookies and root beer!  ;)

(P.S. - The Bears' radar is still on at full power.     )

Chocolate milk!  We like chocolate milk best.   

White milk is okay too, as long as it is used to make pancakes and waffles and stuff like that.  :D

But we s'pose if we ate a chocolate chip cookie we would need something to wash it down with.

What color is the fabric?

What kind of ink?

If it is water soluble ink, soap and water might get it out.

If the fabric is white it MIGHT be able to withstand judicious application of hydrogen peroxide or a dilute solution of "Oxy Clean."

Be careful or you can affect the color of the dye or you can affect the long-term stability of the fabric, itself.

The best thing to do is to test for colorfastness on a scrap piece of fabric or in an inconspicuous place on the piece.  If it affects your test piece in a negative way, do not proceed to the real piece until you have a workable solution.

In any case, whether you use peroxide, "Oxy Clean" or any other solution, it is always best to use the minimum amount of substance necessary to do the job and no more.  Work slowly and in one area at a time until you complete the job.  The worst thing you can do is go too fast or use too much cleaner.  That will surely do more harm than good.

That's about all I can think of.

Whip up a batch of cookies!
Break out the root beer!
It's time for more cele-bear-ation!

Major good news!! 
Excellent!!   :cool:

This is good progress.  Next thing you know he'll be asking for pizza and root beer! 

It could have been a gift.  The person might not want to admit that they got the wrong thing or something like that.

People can be idiots...

I worked in retail stores for nearly 10 years.  I worked in hotels for 4 years.  I worked in theaters for nearly 15 years.  Every time I think to myself, "I've seen everything!" somebody comes along with another doozie!

I was in the box office of a 30-plex movie theater when a guy walks up to the window and says, "One, please!"
"Which one?", the cashier asks.
"Star Wars!", comes the impatient reply.
"Star Wars plays on three different screens at three different times.  Which one do you want?"
The guy cusses, "F- you!" and walks away in disgust.

The girl was perfectly polite and smiled the whole time.  Some people just make up their minds that they will not be satisfied, no matter what you do.  It is best not to try to tangle with them.  Just appease them any way you reasonably can.

You're not bending over.  You're not kissing butt.  You're just trying to get it over as soon as possible so you can get them out of your hair and be done with them.  If you try to tangle with an unreasonable customer you're just begging for trouble.

Go ahead.  Take the Bear back.  (Let them pay the postage.  )

Do you have a picture of the Bear?  I'd like to see him.  (Or is it a her?)