Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Hi, Kody! 
I'm happy to hear that you want to get your girlfriend a Teddy for Christmas.
Every Christmas tree should have a Teddy Bear under it on Christmas morning!
I have had a few Bears made on commission or have ordered existing Bears from bearmakes on Teddy-Talk.
I'll give you some of my pointers.
First step is to go to the "Showcase" forum on this website: http://teddy-talk.com/viewforum.php?id=10
Look at the pictures and descriptions of the Bears that have been posted in that forum. Do you see any Bears that you like?
Look at the style of the Bear. Do you like a traditional Teddy Bear? Do you want a modern Bear? Do you want a fantasy Bear? Etc...
Do you like happy Bears? Do you like pensive looking Bears? Maybe even a macabre Bear?
Make a list of your most favorite Bears and note who the bearmakers are. Let's say, your top three or your top five.
Now, look at the place above each post where the poster's username and avatar are located. You'll probably see a link to the person's website. Go to those websites and look around. Make sure that the person's website looks good and compares to the other Bear(s) that you have already liked.
Check on their website. Check to see if they have an eBay or an Etsy page. Go to those places and look around, too.
You might also see some links to a site called "Bear Pile" Do check it out!
One thing to keep in mind... Not all the bearmakers are full-time sellers. Some of the people are part-time sellers. Others are hobbyists.
You need to find out if the bearmaker you are looking at actually MAKES Bears for sale. Also, even if the bearmaker is in full-time business, they might be booked up or otherwise busy. People have lives! ;)
Look at their site, their eBay, BearPile, Etsy or other pages to see if they are actually making Bears.
Also look to see if the bearmaker does work on commission. Some do. Some don't.
Once you have done your research, start sending e-mails!
Get in contact with those people and see if you can come to an arrangement.
One last thing... As you are looking on websites and browsing pictures, you might find a Bear who looks just like the one you have in mind. Or, maybe, you'll see a Bear who inspires you even better!
Don't be afraid to buy (adopt) a Teddy Bear that is already made.
It will save you money and it will come even faster because you don't have to wait for it to be made. (born) ;)
Good luck!
I hope you find a Bear who is "just right" to sit under your tree on Christmas morning! 
There was an odd moment of silence when three friends realized that they had come to the party wearing the same clothes. 
Did you know that baby dolphins have mustaches?
Look closely at the top of its nose.
Oops! Somebody forgot to put in the fabric softener! 
"Oh! You sunk my battleship!"
The cat's meow! 
Wellington boots ARE named after the Duke of Wellington because he's the guy who is credited with inventing them. :)
So, then... Yeah! :)
I guess he DOES look like a duke!
Scary but not too scary, I hope. ;)
Anybody know why we carve Jack O Lanterns?
No, not the folk tale of "Jack" who put an ember of coal in a carved out turnip. I mean why we have Halloween and why we carve pumpkins.
It starts with All Saints Day, which comes on November the first.
All Saints Day is when we honor the spirits of our relatives and loved ones who have passed on during the year. In some countries like Spain and in South America, it is tradition to clean the headstones on the graves to pay homage to our ancestors. This has been a tradition in some places since medieval times.
In medieval times, the new day started at sundown, the previous evening, not at midnight as we do it today. Remember! Clocks weren't common until the Industrial Revolution! In fact, the Spanish term for Halloween is "Vispera de Todos los Santos." ("Eve of All Saints.")
On the evening before All Saints Day, the spirits of our loved ones have one last opportunity to return to the homes of their families to say goodbye before passing on to the afterlife. This is why we clean the graves. To show our relatives that they will be remembered in the afterlife.
The placing of pumpkins on our doorsteps comes from the tradition of keeping a lantern on our doorsteps to light the way for our deceased relatives to find their way home. If you want to uphold the real tradition of Halloween, you need to use a real candle in your pumpkin, not a battery operated light. Spirits are drawn to fire. That is what attracts our relatives home: the flame. Without that flame and the pumpkin to protect it from "evil influences," our relatives might not find their way home and be able to pass on to the afterlife. We're supposed to carve a distinctive design into our pumpkins so that our relatives can recognize their homes. The design of your pumpkin should be a family tradition, sort of like your family crest or coat of arms.
That's why we carve pumpkins on Halloween! :)
We dress up like ghosts and goblins to symbolize the spirits that roam the countryside, looking for their homes. As everybody knows, we give out treats in order to appease the "evil" spirits who would hinder the passage of our loved ones to the afterlife.
I have always been a little bit disappointed to hear that people think Halloween is a "blasphemous, Pagan ritual" because, in reality it a solemn occasion.
So... If you want to celebrate Halloween the way it is "supposed" to be celebrated, get out your pumpkins!
Show us your Jack O Lanterns!
A guy walks into a tattoo parlor and he sees a woman with a dolphin on her back.
He says, "Does it hurt?"
The woman replies, "No, but it is really heavy!"
Baby polar bear: "Daddy, are you 100% polar bear?"
Daddy polar bear: "Yes, son. My mother is a polar bear. My father is a polar bear. That makes me 100% polar bear."
Baby polar bear: "Mommy, are you 100% polar bear?"
Mommy polar bear: "Yes, my little one, my mother is a polar bear. My father is a polar bear. That makes me 100% polar bear."
Baby polar bear: "If you are 100% polar bear and Daddy is 100% polar bear then I must be 100% polar bear, too."
Mommy polar bear: "That's true! You are 100% polar bear!... Why do you ask?"
Baby polar bear: "Because I'm freakin' COLD!"
Steiff Trampili Elephant:
Being Belgian Bears, they don't mess around when it comes to beer! Do they?
Hoegaarden! Nice!
My Bears never drank wine, whiskey or beer because it pretty much just put them to sleep but if they got a snoot full of root beer or ginger ale, you'd better watch out!
They got into the root beer, once, on Mardi Growl (Mardi Gras ) and, I tell you, there was a lot of hootin' an' a-hollerin' that night!
But, then, the next morning...
...that was a different story! 
My Bears never smoked, though. Not a moral thing. They just didn't want to get ashes or smoke in their fur.
In fact, they made me go out to the garage if I wanted to have a smoke.
A lot of furriers make Bears and other animals out of leftover fur scraps from garment production.
Go to any fur salon and you're likely to find at least one fur Teddy Bear.
They are usually made by the workers in the shop on an ad-hoc basis.
Bear making and garment making are similar enough that a person skilled in one craft can make things from the other craft but this is the reason why you might find your Bear to be a little out of proportion or lopsided. Garment makers just don't have the experience to make a "perfect" looking Bear.
(Then, again, a Bearmaker probably wouldn't have the experience to make a "perfect" looking fur coat. )
He's a very nice looking and well made Bear but, unless you can trace him back to a particular furrier, you might not be able to get much information on who his maker is.
How did you come to have this Bear?
Was he passed through family or friends?
If somebody in your family or circle of friends is known to have bought fur goods from a local furrier, it might be possible to trace his provenance that way.
A good, traditional furrier who makes his own goods will be able to recognize his own work just by the stitching and other small details.
Measure from the inside crook of the elbow to the crown of the shoulder bone of the person who you are making the Bear for and you will have a perfect, custom fit.
You might want to have the Bear be just a bit taller than that so his chin rests on his human's shoulder. That would be the perfect size for hugging!
Louis? Marie? 
Reminds me of the French Revolution.
Part of the reason that camera is so valuable is because only a couple thousand were made and most of them got broken, lost or were tossed in the trash.
So... Yeah... Go ahead and toss those cameras in the bin! It makes my cameras worth more! 
I don't think she will levitate after she has eaten that whole chocolate egg. :D
Mine would be stuck to the ceiling if they ate that much chocolate!
Yeah, Bears do that.
I'm not sure why but I think it has something to do with the chocolate.
I've asked several times but I have yet to get an answer.
Bears can be very quiet, sometimes.
I've got an awesome camera collection. I've got cameras that most people haven't seen before. Yes, most of them still work! Yes, you can still get film for many of them.
I have several of those "Instamatic" cameras. Kodak doesn't make film for them anymore but I think that there are companies in Europe who still make it. Even if you can't get preloaded cartridges, it is possible to carefully split the cartridges open and reload them with new film.
The camera in the picture, above, is a Kodak Ektra, made in 1942. It uses 35mm film and it is still in working condition. In fact, I occasionally take it out and use it.
It cost more than $500 when it was new in 1942 and, now, in the condition it is in, it is worth $2,000 to $3,000 if you find the right buyer.
So, I only take it out once in a while. Like cars, cameras need to be used every so often or else they stop working. On the other hand, I don't want to wear it out or break it.
The reason I showed you a picture is because that camera is completely manual. It doesn't even use batteries. Completely "clockwork."
So many people are used to having automatic cameras and they don't understand that those automatic things don't work flawlessly every time. There are conditions that automatic systems can't handle. Sometimes, you need to take the camera out of automatic mode and use it manually.
Showing you a completely manual camera was kind of a joke... Here! Try this camera!
