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OK just went and changed my pants :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: that is just to funny. We also have joked about doing a bear like that but not sure if we ever would, but I guess I should never say never.
It will be very interesting to see how it sells that's for sure, it's certainly not artist material but it sure made my day.
Hugs
Shane
Hi Melanie,
Yep we stuff our bears like bricks, thats the way we have always done and we have tried to do a soft cuddly stuffed one but just can't seem to do it.
We have had people write to us about how hard the bear is stuffed once they received it, they just weren't expecting it but liked it non the less. I think with agreeing to take the bear back and refund their money is a good step, that way they can't complain. Just make sure to tell them you won't be refunding them the cost of them shipping the bear back to you.
big hugs
Shane
Tami that was a wonderful story about your son must have been on cloud nine. I do agree that there can be a mix like that, you know with Good Bears of the world and even some of the manufactured bears. I know Teddy Bears on Vacation does allow some manufactured items at their shows. I am kinda torn with that idea but I do look at it this way. New collectors come in and look at artist bears and they see the price, they do want to buy but some just don't have the money. So they can pick up a cheaper manufactured bear (gund or whatever), at least they can buy something.
We had one lady at one of the Toronto shows who wanted one of our bears but just didnt' have the money and she always bought a cheaper manufactured bear. Every show she would stop and look at our bears and she always wanted one, well one show she came up and bought one. She was so excited to be able to buy an artist bear, she explained to us that she had stopped buying the manufactured bears and had saved up her money to buy one of ours. I was so excited for her and she was just over the moon, I can only remember a couple of times seeing someone so excited like that.
As Tami said we have also strived to have a few pieces on our table that are lower priced and within reach for the not so average collector. This way everyone has a chance to go home with a bear. Every collector started off not buying artist bears, most started off buying a cheaper manufactured bear and they will eventually turn into a full fledged artist bear collector.
hugs
Shane
We have received a lot of comments from collectors that the price of the bears is really leaving them in the dust. They simply can't afford to pay some of the prices being placed on the bears. God only knows that most couldn't come close to producing some of the work they would love to buy, but I think some of the artist may have forgotten the shock they themselves felt when they first realized exactly what artist bears cost. Perhaps the artists could help bring some collectors into the fold by offering some less expensive pieces. I hope this doesn't come across as insulting or demeaning, but if all a person has on their table is a group of bears in the $250 - $300 range and nothing else, they simply can't complain if they can't sell to new collectors. I just don't think new collectors will jump in that deep the first time out.
Luann
Luann I have to agree with you regarding the price of bears at shows. I am finding that they are getting a bit out of hand, I have seen prices going up and up over the past few yrs with fewer collectors coming through the doors. With our supplier the prices of mohair in the past yr have dropped so much that it has allowed us to keep our prices constant and not having to increase them. Now I know not all artist can do this as they don't get the deals on the mohair as we do. We have a couple of bears that are higher priced but that is only because they take a lot more time to make as they are the largest bears. Now that said I don't begrudge anyone selling their bears for large dollars if they are able to do that. I think the artist need to listen to their collectors and the people coming to their table, if people are talking about your bear prices being to high and your not selling many bears then perphaps you need to take a closer look at your pricing.
Regarding your question about the mixed media (dolls, bears, folk art) I don't know how this is going to work. We are doing Schaumburg in April which has now become a Doll and Teddy Show. It will be interesting to see how that goes, I'm sure we will see more collectors coming through the doors but I do have to say that most doll collectors don't take a second look at the bears. I don't mean to lump everyone into one group as we have had people buy a bear from us to go with their dolls but not that often.
I think the show Luann should be juried, I know you don't like to do this but I think you don't then you will see people coming in who's work does not meet the standards of other bear artist and this can reflect on a show as well. Collectors want to see artist made bears and not "Home made" bears. The difference is a bear artist spends hours on their bears paying very particular attention to detail where a bear maker of home made bears will just sew them up, no needle sculpting, no attention to detail and will just pump out low quality bears.
It's a tough call, but all you can do it try and make some small changes and see how things go. If they don't work then change back and stick with what was working before.
big hugs
Shane
For the longest time we hand stiched all of our bears. Then when we started getting so many orders it was difficult to keep up with them. We bought an industrial sewing machine which is fantastic for sewing bears as it will sew through anything you can throw at it. We still do the heads and the gusset by hand along with the foot pads, like Chrissi I find it relaxing and I have more control over it and can make sure everything goes in just right.
It's really a personal preference, I love to hand stich and will do so as often as possible.
hugs
Shane
It is available through Edinburgh, just be preapred to pay dearly for it. When mohair gets that long it becomes very expensive (not that it isn't worth it cause it is) just don't be shocked at the price.
hugs
Shane
Hi Jennifer,
We do a lot of hand sewing (usually one of us on the couch and one of us on the loveseat). We each have a floor lamp that is pointed down onto us. We went out and bought these natural nights I think they are called, they are spiralled in shape. I have one 100 watt bulb but it only uses like 15-20 watts and is suppose to burn for 10,000 thousand hours. I could not believe how great they work, Steve does a lot of crocheting and with the old lamp he had a really hard time doing it at night or if he did after a short time his eyes would start to bother him. I think we paid about 10.00 for 2 of them and they are the best investment. They give off a great light but they do not cause any eyestrain at all, we can work for hours and hours without our eyes getting tired or sore.
big hugs
Shane
Interestingly, I find that people either use credit cards or pay with cash; I've rarely had a customer at a show use a check, which to me is odd, because I use them all the time, and rarely carry cash around with me.
We have a merchant account through our bank, we only pay a small monthly fee of about 10.00 and a very small commission to the card company. Each company is different and so are their rates.
Shelli I found it so funny when we went to the US for a show and just about everyone who bought a bear wanted to give us a cheque, unfortunatly we had to decline them. It takes about 30 days to get a US cheque to clear our bank, we have taken them on rare occasions but we don't make a habit of it. In Canada it's very rare to see someone write a cheque, we have cheques but I have not had to write one for a couple of yrs.
A lot of our stores here won't even take a personal cheque anymore, they will take cash, debit or cc but cheques are a no no. Most of our banking is done online , all bills are paid that way rarely even step foot inside a bank now adays. We also never carry cash we use are debit card to pay for everything.
I remember being in Michigan a couple of yrs ago for a show, Steve and I went to the local dollar store and I almost pee'd my pants when the lady in front of us was writing a cheque for like $4.00, it just seemed so alien to us.
Big Hugs
Shane
Ebay... a great source. One of my peeves is that some absolutely STINK when they arrive at your home. Moth balls is one thing but cigarette smoke, perfume, must.... I've gagged a couple of times! Just something to think about!
Good luck!
When we spoke to our furrier here in town, they said the only smell you can't get out of real fur is Cigarette smoke. I'm not sure why people store their fur coats with moth balls, moths won't touch fur. Musty smells are something difficult to get out of a coat as well.
hugs
Shane
Jane,
What type of fur are you looking for exactly? We can always have a look in our stash and see what we might have in there, I know we have gotten rid of some furs as we had just far to many. I can also check our stores around here and see what they have. Send me a PM and let me know, I know we have a fair amount of mink, so please let me know we'd be more than happy to help you out.
big hugs
Shane
Hi Jane,
We usually are able to get fur coats from Value Village, but you are right their prices keep going up and up. They usually have a 50% sale now and then and when they do we usually go in the day before and scope out the coats and see what they have. Then we go first thing in the morning on the day of the sale and try and scoop up what we can.
Also check with your local furrier, sometimes they get some old coats in on a trade in and will sell them to you sometimes at a really good price. Most furriers don't like to try and sell a used fur coat as there is not enough money in it for them.
Ebay is good, but just make sure you ask questions about the coat, whether the fur is soft and the backing is pliable and not stiff. You can get some good deals on ebay.
big hugs
Shane
oh gee thanks Shelli and Gail , rub those LCD screens in my face :crackup: , I will hopefully get a new one by the end of the yr I'm so looking forward to having more room on my desk.
big hug ladies
OH and Shelli did you hear anything from the GT people?
Shane
I have a big Clunky 17" old monitor, I'd certainly love one of the new LCD monitors though.
hugs
Shane
Mindy Steve and I have to agree with what everyone else has been saying. I think it's just sour grapes, I mean we entered but didn't get a nod in our direction. All that tells me is that next yr we try harder, we come up with something different and just work your butt off to impress the judges.
People have to remember that it's not always about the quality of the work, remember that you need to have excellent pictures as well. You can have the best bear in the world but if your have a crappy pic then it's not going to show off your work. Shelli I know you have wrote a couple of articles on this and they were very informative and helpful. Everyone on TT is there for the other person and if they are trying something new they ask, people respond with ideas to help them out. I think it's this friendship that bonds the TT's together and THATS why there are so many of them winning awards and getting the recognition.
I think it's an insult to Minday and TB&R and to all TT's, people just need to grow up and realize that not everyone can be nominated. There are tons of great artist out there who entered and didn't get a nomination, that doesn't mean their work wasn't good it just means that their bear did not catch the eye of the judges this time.
I'm sorry this has happened to you Mindy, you work so hard and do a fantastic job, you don't deserve to be treated like that. But on a hight note you do get to call a lot of the nominee's and hear them scream with joy.
big hugs
Shane
OH thank you so much Karen, it's nice to see who all the nominee's are, wow lots of nods for us Canadians in there that is so great
Congrats to everyone of you , well done.
Shane
Hmmmm Daphne, perhaps having a draw or something like that later in the afternoon like 2:00 or something but advising the collectors that they must be in attendance in order to win the draw. Sometimes having a special event in the early afternoon, some sort of seminar or perhaps even having some sort of show special, perhaps each artist could could come up with a show special but telling the collectors that won't unveil the show special until say 1:30 or something like that. This may keep collectors around if they are interested in purchasing a show special from the artist. Would entice them to stick around or to go and come back after lunch.
With the show special it could be a special bear at a special price or a reduced price from all their regular bears, perhaps it's a bear that they would normally sell for 150.00 but the show special could be 110.00 or something like that. You have to entice collectors and think how thrilled they would be if they could purchase a bear from their favourite artist at a discount.
Just a thought
Shane
Hi Heather,
I prefer a show opening at 10:00, this gives the artist lots of time to get their displays set up, usually set up starts around 7:00 or 7:30. I like a 4:00 closing but that's my preference.
We orangized a bear show in Kitchener a couple of yrs ago, it was a lot of hard work and a ton of planning. Doing lots of advertising is key, we weren't in it to make money we just wanted a bear show in the area. Any money that was made from show was donated to a local charity. Basically the table fee's covered the cost of the show, room rental , continental breakfast for the artist stuff like that. The proceeds from the entrance fee was all donated to a local charity. You can get a lot more free advertising if you involve a charity, TV, radio spots, are willing to advertise free because of what you are doing. We also provided free bottled water to all the artist, you have to treat your artist good as they are the ones that make the show. I do enjoy music at a show, nice soft background music not to loud but just enough so you can hear it.
Table set up is very important as well, ensure the tables are set up in such away that there is enough room in the ails and that everyone has comfortable room. Do as much for the artist that you can, if they are happy that's all that matters.
I am sure Daphne could jump in here and help out with some good suggestions, she is organizing another show I believe. She would have a lot more experience than I would about this, I have been to lots of shows and I know really good about a show when I'm treated well by the organizer.
big hugs and good luck
Shane
Oh Tracey, Spike is amazing. I love that really short mohair where in the world did you get it ?
hugs
Shane
No big deal Shane! :hug: But I will want to see your fast and easy method the next time I see you at a show
!
Stuffing the toes is relaxing, because you can do it while watching tv.
Not a problem, it's hard to desribe it , easier to show it that's for sure. Your bears have fantastic toes Tami and I know you put a lot of work into them. I wouldn't say by any means that my way is the right way, it's just the way that I do them .
Are you doing any of the Schaumburg shows this yr Tami? We are doing the April show plus we are teaching a half day class.
hugs
Shane
HAHA Judi good one :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: I thought to myself how the heck did Judi get hold of that list already haha
Shane
Don't fret Melissa, it's hit or miss it's like Brenda said it all depends on the judges that year. I think your bear is gorgeous and I can sit back and wonder why was it nominated. Well it's fate and everything happens for a reason, maybe he wasn't nominated for a Toby because he's been nominated for GT. Who knows and as Shelli said you likely will never know.
Chin up your bears are truly works of art , that's all that matters in the end.
hugs
Shane
??????
My paw pads are one of the most time consuming things I do on my bears.
Guess you just have faster fingers than I do!
Hmmmmmm I didn't mean for it sound like there was no work involved in trapunto toes, there is a lot of work but I don't find them tedious. I find sewing a mini bear tedious , but not trapunto toes. I guess we each may have something different from the other that we find tedious. I find trapunto toes to be relaxing , but everyone has their own techniques as well. If your cutting each toe and doing it as an applique and then stuffing them yep that would be time consuming and tedious, each technique is different and some will be more tedious, I only meant that the way we do trapunto is not tedious for me.
Hope I was able to clear that up, I don't want to make it sound like it's a walk in the park which it's not. (Shane now attempting to pull both of his feet out his mouth )
hugs
Shane
Way to go Maria very well deserved.
I'd like to add my congratulations to all of the other nominations, lots of talent on TT. Keep it up ladies, love seeing all the creations that everyone has made.
big hugs
Shane
Wow congrats Terrie, thats such great news.
Such a whimsical bear as well, something with colour and such different fur . It's great to finally see the judges choosing something that is actually different and unique. Congrats again it's great to see Canada being represented .
big hugs
Shane
