Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Ohhhhhhh   I have seen the entry pic my friends  and wow, I knew she would get nominated.  Poor thing has been on pins and needles waiting to hear.    I'll let Christine post the pic though.

big hugs 

Congrats  Chris  you deserve it

Shane

What we have done in the past and I think is the easiest is very much like Shelli suggested and makes it nice and neat.  If  you want the foot pad to have the toes with the hair still around it (I think that's the look your after).  Firstly I cut out the paw pad from mohair and then a second paw pad out of felt or whatever will be on the underside of the foot.   Then with the moahair side I would plus or cut away the area where you want the toes and pad to have the puffiness.  Once that is done , then pin the two foot pad pieces together, by hand or machine then stich around the area's you want to stuff.  Once that is done, from the backside you will be able to see where the stiching is, make a small slit through the under fabric and stuff firmly using tweezers or hemostats. Then whip stitch the slits closed.  Once that is done then you an sew the foot pads on as you normally would.

I hope this makes sense,  it's pretty fast and easy to do it this way , and not very tedious at all.

bear hugs

Shane

My pleasure Lynette,  they work ok on some Markers but not all.  You just have to try it and see, I still prefer a blender pen for markers, but for paints they work great.  We take them with us to everyshow, just in case there is some sort of emergency.

hugs

Shane

You know Sonya, I think I have that kit somewhere haha.  The more I look at it the more familiar it looks to me, but that's what happends when you keep buying stuff when you are first starting out.  We have more books and tools then we will ever use. 

hugs

Shane

   good one Lynette.

I must agree that those nose templates are perfect for bear making, not sure where we would be without them.  They are worth their  weight in gold, they are a must have for any bear artist starting out.  I can't remember where I purchased mine from though,  I think it was Gerry's.

hugs

Shane

OH Daphne you have no idea  .  Steve tends to do a lot of the faces on our bears but I tend to supervise haha. We worked on one bear and Steve had needle felted on eyebrows and then turned it into an open mouth bear. That was ok,  then he started working on doing some shading and highlighting , well I wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing.  He walked into the room and showed me this bear (this was suppose to be a boy bear)  well it kinda looked a lot like Tammy Fay Baker, ok not kinda it was her to a T  :crackup: .   My draw dropped and and I couldn't even speak for about two minutes.  Well people have laughed at us when they come to our house and they see baby wipes on the counter or under the sink (needless to say we don't have any babies in the house) but believe you me they are the best things for removing booboo's from bears.  It will help remove airbrushing mistakes, acrylic paint, and some markers as well.  Now granted it may not remove all of it but it does help to blend and remove a lot of it.

It's also a good makeup tip for all the woman who use makeup,  if you want to remove all your makeup just use a baby wipe and just like that it's gone.  I learned this little tidbit from Mimi from the Drew Carey show,  she mentioned in an interview the one time that they use to have such a hard time removing her makeup but someone thought about using baby wipes.  She said it took off her makeup in less than a minute and doesn't hurt your face.  If it's ok for a baby's butt then it must be ok for your face  .

OH and the Tammy Fay bear turned out just fine haha,  we were able to blend and remove a lot of the excess face paint  :clap: .   We called him Buzz and he looked like a boy when all was said and done.

big hugs

Shane

Hi there,

I have never used this kit,  I have used a great book by Jennifer Laing when we were first starting out plus we also took a course from her on designing your own teddy bears.  Teddy Bear Art by Jennifer Laing.  It's available at Amazon.ca but they are asking 83.00 for it     I have sent the seller off an email asking them what they were smoking  :crackup:  cause it's a used book and even new it would never even come close to being that much.  I know you can get the book at other places.  It is a great book and very easy to follow.  I'm sure other people can tell you about some other books that would be good as well.

big hugs and good luck

Shane

That's the problem the industry is having right now is getting people to shows.  That's what we need to work on, consider how many people have never gotton off their butts to go to a show, they sit on their bums behind a computer and they have no idea how much fun a bear show is.   I think these collectors would be amazed walking through the door and seeing all the bears and the different artist.  Some have tunnel vision and believe that the only bear artist around are the ones who sell on ebay.  I prefer the show as I have said before, I have in my life bought 5 bears off of ebay, three of them were complete garbage and two were fantastic, once again it's amazing what you can hide with touch up's through photoshop ( and I paid artist prices for all the bears).  So at least at a show I can see what I am getting , I can check the quality of the work and most important I get to feel and hold the bear.

I know some venue's for bear shows are not the greatest and atmosphere is very important, but that has to mentioned to the show promotor.  If you don't like the venue then tell the promotor, remember the promotor does not have a crystal ball either  .   I know with ABC shows ,  Connie and Amber want the feed back they want to hear what you don't like or what you do like.   When collectors make comments to me about the show whether it's positive or negative I tell them to speak with the show promotor and tell them. 

I think the internet and shows could compliment one another,  I'm not sure how at this point but we have been involved in discussions with other people in the industry to figure something out.

I do remember hearing collectors saying that they were starting to feel ripped off and taken advantage of.  These collectors felt that the prices for artist bears were getting out of control and found some artist were pricing themselves out of the market.  This is something that has to be looked at as well, I see artist on ebay who are ripping themselves off as they are selling their bears for such low prices and then go to a show and can't understand why they don't sell a bear.  If you can buy it on ebay for half the price why would someone pay full price for it at a show.   Pricing is not easy but you have to be realistic with it, it's great that some people on ebay can get thousands for their bears , but can they charge the same price at a show and get it?

Ok  I"ve fallen off the soap box now

big hugs 

Shane

You are so right Daphne, being friendly is the easy part.  Artist just have to remember that when they are at a show they must talk to the collectors.  I see people all the time at bear shows, that sit behind their table all day long.  We rarely sit when we are at a show, it's best to be standing up behind the table or even move to the front of the table.  Artist will grumble that they don't sell at a bear show, well if your just gonna sit behind the table and put no effort into it then why would I buy from you.  If you look like your having a miserable time and are grumpy people notice that and you do give off certain vibes and it will push people away from your table.  Now that said we do have a friend who has leg problems and can't stand for long periods of time, we suggested to her to bring a chair that was a bit higher so she wasn't hiding behind her display and she could be seen.

We love to talk but not everyone is like that,  Steve is much more outgoing at shows than I am but I have gotten a lot better I just had to work through my shyness. (I can hear some people laughing about that comment  ) .  I look at it this way,  when people are buying one of our bears they are buying a memory.  They will look at that bear and they will remember us and will remember even at what show they bought it at.  People have come back and told us this time and time again, about a bear they bought and at what show.   

So as Daphne said, be kind and friendly to your collectors, even if you aren't in a good mood put on that fake smile and go for it.

But as for selling bears, you need to get yourself out there, the more people whosee you or hear about your bears the better sales will be.  Our sales have doubled in the last yr and that's because we have worked really hard at doing shows and being involved in different things that gets are name out there.  Send in photo's to magazines, attend shows.  Carry business cards with you so you have them on hand in case you are talking to someone and they seem interested hand them a card.  It's a lot of hard work, well I wouldn't say hard it's work but it's fun work or else we wouldn't being doing it.

big hugs

Shane

I know we have had this discussion with many bear artist over the last couple of yrs.  I think part of the problem is and I'm not putting anyone down here but I do see it all the time.  Some bear artist don't do anything to promote themselves or to drum up new business.  Some look at it as a hobby and not a business, if you want to be successful you have to think of it as a business.  It's fun to make and sell bears but there is a lot more that goes into it than just the bears themselves.  It's important to talk to collectors, when you have people at your table who are just looking then talk about your bears.  Now I'm not saying you should be pushy or in their face, just talk about the bears and what goes into it, I don't care if a person doesn't buy a bear from me but at least I met some new people and now they know about us.  The other thing is to appreciate your collectors, do special things for them.  Send out thank you cards (not an email as that is sooooo inpersonal).  Send out christmas cards to them every yr.  We also provide our collectors with Bear Guy Bucks, every bear they buy we give them $10.00 in Bear Guy Bucks that they can use when they purchase another bear.

We have taken magazines to our doctor's office and dropped them off,  dentist office as well.  People always pick up a magazine when they are in the waiting room, since a lot of people don't even realize there are bear magazines out there then this opens up a whole new  world to them and that is one way of getting new collectors. 

Doing small craft shows,  they don't usually cost a lot.  Don't expect to sell a lot of bears if any but again it's advertising and you are introducing people to artist bears, make sure you have information on hand about some bear shows in the area you would be surprised how many people will show up at the next bear show to snoop around and perhaps become hooked. 

It's important to get out and show off your work, ebay is nice and all these other online shows are nice but we need the bear shows if we are going to survive.  I don't normally buy a bear off of ebay or from an online show, I want to pick it up and feel it and see the quality of he bear.  Trust me I have seen some beautiful bears on ebay and then saw them in person and they were awlful and poorly made, and these people paid huge top dollar for the bear (it's amazing the flaws you can get rid of with photoshop).   

Also have your own show out of your home, this is something we will be doing this yr.  We plan on having a couple of other artist bring in some of their bears as well as our supplier.  Send out invitations to people in your area advertise in the local paper,  make it a fun time.  This isn't going to cost you a lot of money since it is out of your home, have some wine and cheese or punch and small sandwiches.  Introduce people to the world of artist teddy bears, they get to see finished bears and then you have the opportunity to show them how a bear is made and what goes into it.

We also have classes out of our house, almost everyone who has taken our classes have not made a bear before.  These people then started coming to the shows and seeing us and the other artist.  Some have become collectors, most have not turned into artist as they don't want to but they have turned into collectors.

Hmmmm have I rambled on enough,   I'm sorry for such a long post but just so many thoughts running through my head   

big hugs 

Shane

Jenny your bears are wonderful,  they are not crap.  Just look at their sweet adorable faces.  I have to agree with what a lot of people have said, don't judge it by ebay,  ebay is a finicky place.  I mean you see bears all the time on there that are selling for about a third of what they should, and then you see other bears that are selling for over a thousand dollars (and some of those I scratch my head at and wonder what I'm missing  .  It took us a long time to build up collectors.  We have only used ebay once or twice in our career and I'm not a fan of it.  If you can make it to a teddy bear show and show off your bears in the fur , well that's the best advertising you can do.  Even if you don't sell a bear it's ok,  people got to see your bears and touch them and feel and if you give out lots of business cards then it's all worth it.  Sometimes people don't buy at the show but may contact you later via your website. 

It's tough not to get down, but don't take it personally.  There are high's and lows with Teddy bears, again they are a luxury item.  I know I see lots of beautiful bears from Germany that I would love to have but the shipping cost is almost hhalf the cost of what the bear was.   Don't give up, your bears are adorable and it shows in them how much fun you have making them and designing them.

Big hugs

Shane

Not sure what has happened to him Bobbie, I know that he and Kim have seperated but don't know anything more than that.  Perhaps he is still making them but just not selling them at the moment.

hugs

Shane

I think it's a great idea.  This will stop the private auctions per say, but maybe not entirely.   I do know that a few artist do the private auctions becauseof what some other people have said.  Some people won't bid because they don't want other people knowing what they are bidding on, or they don't want other bidders knowing who they are.  Yes some people will not bid on an item when they see a certain person bidding on it because they know they don't stand a chance. 

Now if they would only do something about their fee's .  I mean here is a corporation that nets almost a billion dollars each quarter that's four billion dollars a yr net profit.  Yet they keep raising their fee's .  I do believe it's time to find another outlet. Possilby the Teddy Patch or something like that .  We really do need to start supporting the people who are running these alternate sites to ebay.

Now I'm stepping down off my soap box haha

big hugs

Shane

Thanks Lynette, this is a great source of information for dying.  We do a lot of dying ourselves and have so much fun with it,  tie dying mohair is a hoot.  Although we have always done it by fully emersing the fabric, this is going to be a lot of fun experimenting with this.

thanks again 

Shane

Kim - We have had persain lamb in a few colours, the most prominent is Black, but it does come in a smokey grey colour , we have had a beautiful chocolate colour and also in cream ( cream is very difficult to find)

Bobbie-  Yes we usually tell our customers to try and keep the bears in a cool area and out of the sun, since it is real fur and as you state usually is kept in cold storage during the summer months.   It is best to advise your clients of this so they are aware that hair loss can occur if not looked after carefully.  I think mink is usually the best to work with and does tend to stand the test of time. I actually ran across two mink bears in an antique store that were made sometime in the 40 or 50's and they were in great shape and not noticeable hair loss  and it wasn't shedding, that's what is so great about mink.

Thanks for reminding people Bobbie that clients do need to be informed about certain things when purchasing a bear.

big hugs

Shane

Hi Luann,

We have worked so much with persain lamb (I hate think how many we have done).  It is fabulous to work with as it hides a multitude of sins.  We have taken an entire coat before that had a smell to it , even after hanging it outside for a few hours in -30 winter weather and still had a smell.  What we wound up doing was going to the store and you use to be able to buy stuff called Dryell, it was a home dry cleaning kit.  It comes with a bag and a sheet almost like a bounce sheet.  You put the coat in the bag with one of the sheets and put it into the dryer, no heat just on the cool cycle for about half and hour and check it and see if you still have the smell if you do then just do it a bit longer.  It doesn't give it a perfume scent as I have problems with perfums, but it does give it a fresh smell . 

give it a try , I don't think the dryell kit was all that expensive maybe 10.00 but it can be used a few times .

Hope this helps, if you can't find it there Luann we can always look here and send it to you to try, thats what friends are for hon.

big hugs

Shane

Big Hugs to you Daphne,  will be thinking of you and your family over the holidays.

Hugs

Shane

If you choose to proceed with a business arrangement with this person, my advice to you would be the same as it would be for ANY business transaction.

1.  GET PAID, ALWAYS, before sending anything
2.  Don't give out your personal information, especially financial information
3.  Keep your hopes high and your expectations low to avoid disappointment
4.  Have a backup plan in mind, in case your sale falls through
5.  Be sure to take on zero-deposit commissions ONLY if you think you can re-sell the piece should the commission sale fail to complete.

That's good advice Shelly,  we have been burnt in the past on commissions where we put all the time and effort into it and then the collector would not answer emails or phone messages.  From then on we now request a 50% depost from people who we have not had many dealings with.  Most people would not have a problem with giving you a deposit , it shows good faith on their part and shows they are serious about the commission.  Now we do commissions all the time for other people who have purchased from us in the past but we know them and know they will follow through with the order. 

Just my two cents worth

bearhugs Shane

yes I'd like to know a bit more about those Lemon Martini's as well   :dance:

Hmmmmm  never really thought of myself as smooth, [INVALID] or a Diva    but lemon meringue would be my pick and trust me I like to speak anytime not just after dinner.

hugs

Shane

Well Andrea I think you should make the trip, I'm sure the weather will co-operate for us on Sunday.  Steve says he knows Erica she worked as a temp in his office at one time. 

Hi Marian, yes I remember you buying scooter.  We actually have a bear at the show this weekend made from the same fabric but a completly different style (this guy has toes )

Heather I will make sure to take lots and lots of photo's of the show and the tables.  I can't say what we are dressing up as cause it's a big secret but I'll have someone take a photot (trust me this photo will haunt me til the end of my days  :redface: )   In my opinion it's the best show and the most fun show Mark puts on.  There usually isn't anything that I don't like about his shows, they are well organized and usually a good turn out of collectors.  But with any show you can't predict , so I'll do a report when I get back.  It will likely be Monday sometime as we will be getting home late on Sunday, our friend Dianne will most likely force us into going out to dinner with her and her husband     actually we love her to bits and haven't seen in her a few months so it will be a lot of fun.

hugs

Shane

Well that's a bummer Brenda, I love doing the Christmas show it's the best show of the yr , so much fun and we are actually ahead of schedule lol, so we won't be up until 4 am trying to finish things off.

hugs

Shane

Hi Kathleen,

We will be at the show well actually in the show.  It won't be difficult to recognize us look for the table with all the candy on it.  Be sure to stop by and introduce yourself.  I'm really new to TT and this is my first post, I've been lurking for a few months, but when I saw your post I thought I should attempt to make a post to let you know we will be there and look forward to seeing you.

big hugs

Shane