Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Penny - I love your bear overboard 

I remember a collective group of artists way back in the early 90s doing collective ads - from memory it was a full page ad and each issue they'd have something new.

I would totally subscribe to a couple of mags if I could pay quarterly as $$ are the crucial factor for me in both subscribing and taking out advertising.  I did take out a sub to an overseas mag but got so frustrated at how long it took to ship (3 months!) and in no wrapper so by the time it travelled halfway round the world it was ripped.  As it cost me about $200 for one year, I was very disillusioned.

I agree with Daphne and Paula that we artists need to pull our socks up too (they said it a bit nicer than that  )   I for one have been pricing a new camera and seriously looking at what I can do to improve photos so I can have a remote chance of getting into the mags.  It's going to take me a few months and a few bear sales to save for it but it's at least a start....right off to make bears so it can happen sooner rather than later!

Everyone has had such good points to make and said it so thoughtfully. ..now you get my ramblings    I am a self-confessed magazine junky - I'm sure it's actually an inherited gene in my family   

There was a time when I used to buy all the bear magazines available here in NZ.   Now, I very rarely buy them at all.  There's no one reason - partly it's a cost factor, with a single issue of a bear mag costing $17 here.  Also, as others have commented, the magazines have got thinner and the quality of the pictures and articles so much poorer.  For me, there's no wow factor any more and I don't think that's because I'm jaded.  I still refer to some of my copies from 1999/2000 and reread the artist profiles and am wowed anew.  Those articles used to make me think- I'd look at the profile of an artists' work and it would make me reflect on my own bears and designs and how I could stop from stagnating. There seemed to be a depth to the articles that's  no longer apparent.

I don't want to lay blame on any one or any particular magazine - and I also think that I as an artist am a little to blame too.  I get too easily discouraged when a magazine doesn't publish photos that I send, or even respond to my email that I give up.  I get frustrated that artists outside of North America/Europe are given little recognition in magazines, but I don't do a lot to change that either (and some mags are actually focusing on more international artists so I shouldn't apply that as a generalisation).

I totally agree with all of you on the artist studio/display thing - I think part of the reasons why I enjoy my scrapbooking/Mary Engelbreit mags is that personal glimpse into an artist's studio. 

In the same vein, why not do a quality report on a show, instead of the teeny black and white picture (usually of people not bears) that we see at present.  With good reporting, good close-up photos this could be really interesting - and possibly a way of promoting shows as being something worth visiting too.

Yes, I would dearly love to see a high quality art-style magazine that truly represents bear making as an art form.  Not only would it give me something to show people when they look blankly at me when I tell them I'm a bear artist - but it would also give me nudge to be more creative and challenge myself to create pieces worthy of such a production...and I would so love to read about all the creative artsy people above me in this thread. 

I realise that the whole scrapbooking/paper arts industry is very different to bears and that there just aren't the sheer quantity of suppliers that advertise in those magazines.  But one of the mags I have bought a few issues of has very little advertising.  As Karen said, it's mostly self advertising.  It is expensive but it's a brand new magazine and seems to have taken off incredibly well.  It is essentially a showcase of cards that are contributed by readers - the photography is good - the mag does a mail call on a topic and those that are accepted send in the cards - I'm sure the stampington mags do it that way too.  Sometimes I wonder why on earth I buy it - but it's for the eye candy.  For a couple of hours I can wallow in other peoples' creativeness and when I'm having a creativity freeze I'll go and look at it.  Funnily enough, it's often when I'm finding a bear frustrating and I just like immersing myself in something so different.

anyway I've said far more than I intended   

Paula, this is a great challenge...I can't wait to shrink that head  have emailed you an alternative email addy.

I work in a library where we have over 300 mag subs...does that count??  Unfortunately they're mostly medical journals so don't make for light reading .

I do however have a serious magazine addiction and buy far too many than my budget allows....why oh why do I live in a country where the mags are 3 months behind and 3 times the price ($18 for a teddy bear and friends  )

The person below me has read the Anne of Green Gables series at least once since childhood

I'm too depressed to take a photo - I've just been flooded for the second time in three days - 

Hey Catherine

Kmart here in NZ have these little mini accordian files that are great for mini bear patterns.  They may have them in Aus too - actually,I'm sure I saw them in Kmart in the gold coast because I regretted not buying more.   They are a bit smaller than a5 cardboard - I put my patterns into little ziploc bags and then stick them in the accordian file - there's a little tag at the top of each pocket that you can name.  It's still small enough that I can slip the whole thing into my handbag if I am want to trace patterns out at work.   There's a slightly bigger size too and they were cheap as chips - maybe $2.   I find it better proportioned than a file folder for mini patterns and so compact.

I also bought a storage system at smiggle in melbourne - can't remember what the mall is now called but it's the one in central Melbourne that used to be Daimaru and has the big pocket watch that plays on the hour.  They have little diary type organisers that you can put together yourself - I bought 10 clear sturdy vinyl ziploc pockets, some diary pages and some pages I could use for designing - a great on the go, take anywhere thing.  Not sure if they still have them but you could check their website. www.smiggle.com.au

and you get our best apples...the ones we buy are generally the ones that aren't suitable for export.

Dance away Jane....   It is REM's The Great Beyond.  Obviously not obscure at all!

okey dokey....oh my...so many of my favourite songs have the title in the first line or are way to obscure.  I have rather eclectic taste in music...and I hope this doesn't prove too obscure. 

I've watched the stars fall silent from your eyes
All the sights that I have seen

Beaaaautiful song Brenda - Hallelujah ~ Leonard Cohen.  one of thoe songs that absolutely makes me cry if I'm in the right/wrong mood  :redface:

yup....Grease it is.

Actuallly Mel you're likely to be one of the few people who'd know one of my very favourite ever lines from a movie....."that's going straight to the pool room"  Far to obscure for the US/UK people here.

ok....this is an easy one. 

Men are rats, listen to me, they're fleas on rats, worse than that, they're amoebas on fleas on rats.

the just like a spider quote is from  Gone with the Wind I'm pretty sure

Kim - Ramen (or 2 minute noodles as they are called here  ) are pretty much what most students survive on here too.  But they are apparantly quite expensive in the UK - my sister has just been home for a visit and ate them whilst she was here.  Like nearly two pound each (that's $4US!!)   I have to confess I haven't eaten them since I was a student - I think I overdosed on them and had my life's worth of preservatives in a few short years.

Czech pancakes are an excellent and cheapo veggie meal - I still eat them and the nice thing is they can be as healthy or as unhealthy as you want them to be and as plain or as fancy as you can afford.  They're kind of fritata like but the proportion of egg to veggies is less.

I don't do measurements and I've been making versions of these since I was a kid so it's entirely a look and feel thing.  Traditionally we made them with one big potato per person.  But nowadays, I'll add in kumera (sweet potato), parsnip or even  broccoslaw (grated broccoli stalks, red cabbage, carrot).

So....scrub your potato(s), leave the skin on and grate into a large bowl (or other veges).  Grate a couple of tablespoons of cheese (or more if you like) over top.  Sprinkle on salt and pepper and whatever herbs (fresh or dried) you fancy.  Crack and egg into the bowl and add a small handful of flour - probably 2 T.  Mix together until just combined.   

Heat a little oil or butter in a large skillet and drop in your potato mixture - pressing down firmly until it forms a big pancake.  Turn down the heat to just below medium and allow to cook slowly until golden brown on one side.  About 7 or 8 minutes each side means the potato in the middle cooks and it crisps up really nicely on the outside.  Slide out on a plate and flip over to cook the other side.  Traditionally you would serve it with chopped lettuce salad and yogurt dressing (tzatziki style is good) on top but you can add whatever toppings you like. 

They're also good cooked as mini fritters but be warned my flatmates could eat them hot out of the pan with ketchup faster than I could make them.

but your table always looks stunning Karen!  I gave the little anime ballerina of yours from the Jupiter's show to my sister when she was over from the UK a couple of weeks ago    I miss that little bear 

I have tried several times working to a theme but I can never stick to my plan....  I find that the mini mini size I make somehow always looks messy on a table and also it's very easy for peoples' eyes to gloss over them - especially if one is surrounded by "big bear" artists whose bears catch the eye.  I totally noticed at the Jupiter's show this year that once I had sold my focal pieces ( a couple of bears in tea cups) there wasn't anything big to capture people's eye.  While those bears were still there I had very busy sales and as soon as they were gone you could see peoples' attention just wasn't captured.    A show is visually overwhelming for a buyer and I know myself my eyes tend to flit to whatever spangly sparkly thing captures my attention. 

However if I ever do get back to the bear making and make it to an aussie show next year I have a bit of a theme planned.

Hi Catherine

I haven't made wings - but with the wire edged wings I purchased I basically inserted them as I would a glass eye - I trimmed down the wire so it was relatively short - carefully inserted the threade and twisted the ends together - then entered the thread/wire in at the back -  and came out at the butt then repeated for the other wing coming out a couple of mm away from the first exit point - tied the two threads together and sunk the knot back into the body.  i can still move the wires around bit for posing but I know that they're not going to fall out as they're stitched in nice and firm.

does that make sense?  It's how I did the wings on Lulu below - but I don't have a shot of her back on this computer

well...I just tried the giving up the bear thing but it so didnt work  :redface:

I love to cook for other people - I used to bake every week for my friends when I was at university and I even got marriage proposals for my baking and home made icecream though sadly I know it was just the food they were interested in!! 

Even though I am pretty bad at it, I really enjoy cardmaking and plan to get back into it now that the bear show season is finally over here in the southern hemisphere.  I just bought myself a cuttlebug and am dying for my dies (ha! no pun intended) to arrive from the US so I can start playing.

I so wish I had the skills to be a kid lit writer - my sister is an illustrator and I've always dreamed of us producing a book together BUT kid lit is one of the hardest genres to master, especially picture books and so I've passed that dream up (for the time being!)

tee hee....If you live down under here in NZ or Aus  the end of the school year/major summer holidays are at Christmas time.  So not only is December fraught with all that Christmas stuff but umpteen dozen school/sports/work break ups too.

and omg your blog was one of the first bear blogs that I subscribed to and make sure I keep up with.  I love your style and  I know exactly where you are coming from with the 67 comments on a cup of coffee thing but putting my web2.0 educator hat on for a  moment here.  Remember that lots of those blogs are started and read by people who are "native" to the web2.0/blogging world.  They're    Many many people in the craft community are very new to collaborative technologies (and probably more so in the bear world than some of the other crafting areas) and just don't get or are not used to this new  interactive style of web. 

There is quite a culture and mind shift from the old static web to web2.0 and it's going to take people time (me included) to adapt to and get used to commenting and sharing.  It's something I have to remind myself too.  gotta run - teaching a class on this very stuff this afternoon.  Chin up and have a fabulous holiday!

Marlys - I immediately thought of that one two...

"Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German half Italian and half English. He was very large."

You can find that one online here
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnengl … -exams.htm

I also like this one
Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

what a sweet little group!  I like the littlest guy but the bunny is so sweet too - I like the way you've trimmed her chops - if she were mine, I'd call her Primrose!  I like your little green guy too....the name 'turtle' pops into my head.

tee hee too funny

Sadly "what the?..." is no longer  Rove said on an interview over here that they wouldn't be doing it any more 

Excellent news Maria!!  and well deserved too.  Look forward to hearing all about the show when you're recovered.  Have a good rest!

I find it interesting that they continually say things like " a very small percentage" and "small minority" but never actually state those percentages.  I would imagine that it's not as insignificant as they say.  If it really were 1 or 2 percent, surely stating those numbers would have greater impact??

I agree with you Shelli - it'll have significant impact on UK bear artists.  If someone's bears are selling in the under $150 price range, with the combination of ebay fees and UK/US currency differences they'd be mad to list in both places.  That accounts for a lot of artists, including those starting out and trying to grow there business.  It's such a shame for them and the collectors.

I also disagree with them when they imply that US customers will go looking for stuff on ebay.co.uk if they feel they're missing out.  So many people have commented in the past that they looked only in the artist one of a kind section and didn't realise that lots of UK/Aussie bears only showed up in the  "other" section. Now that they're not appearing there, it's going to be a very dedicated collector who has spare time in their day to trawl through 2 ebay sites.

Hmmmm....makes me even more determined to make a go of the etsy and bid4bears route.

Those links should work fine if you remove the names.

I've added almost everyone onto my blogroll - if I've missed anyone please let me know and I'll add you in.