Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

She is beautiful Kathy. And the story is so moving.  :hug:  :hug:

I love your site. I always tell my hubby I have "treasures"when  I find good stuff like fabric or beads. He gets it now. What better treasures than bears. Was going to say I love Scout, then looked at your gallery and have to say I love all your bears. I love traditional looking bears, personally. :clap:  :clap:  :clap:   

I have to change mine at some stage and cannot for the life of me remember how, or find the bits of paper with my notes....  :redface:  One day when I feel brave and strong

i does has a grumpy, and sore teeths. And he looks happier than I do    

Wow Daphne that sounds interesting. Would love to share some of the stuff I picked up.

Firstly I haven't sold yet. For lots of reasons. But the ones pertinent to you are that there is a lot you have to know before you do. So hats of to you for putting this together.

The obvious thing is to make sure your bears are up to scratch. I did not initially realize there were criteria for size for example.Durability of things like dye and shading. I think in the interest of the craft all artists should ensure that their bears are very good quality and don't disappoint a collector.

A business name is the next obvious. Make sure no one else has it and make it short and catchy. Mine is too long and is a pain to type all the time and difficult to put onto tags. 

With the name comes branding. Your style, choosing a font for instance that you stick with and a theme. Vintage, modern that kind of thing.

The financial side of things. When you start out it isn't too important, but tax implications, Paypal, bank accounts.
Keep records of everything from the start. Easier than trying to figure it out years later.

Customs in various countries. No good putting wood shavings into a bear going to Australia etc. I really mean the customs and excise type thing, not customs of tribes of people.... know what I mean.

Pricing. Very difficult. Cant go by the price per inch on minis, and cant base yourself on more established artists. But also don't under value.

Postage. Not only the price of various options but reliability.

Packaging. Safe and pretty.

Tush tags, hang tags, cards.

Website, service provider, blog. All the internet stuff. Very important, and I think important that you can control it yourself.

Camera and a good place to take pics of the bears. Something in the Pic to show the scale of the bear. I use a ruler and it works. Still trying to find a prettier one though. But not something that you only find in your country. I used to use a coin. But no one else knows the size. A box of matches, penlight battery.....

A system of keeping track of bears, patterns and what sold. Good for marketing but also to make sure you don't reproduce things in error.

Finding a place to sell. Either in shops, shows or internet.

A sense of humor and thick skin.

Ok, my brain gone soggy. Just been back to the dentist and pain pills kicked in..... will see what else I come up with. Otherwise pm if you want me to explain anything. I think this is a very important topic.

I Know..... its a bull massive :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

That is wonderful. I love it when guys do craft. My son used to love cross stitch. He got mocked when anyone found out and stopped. I think that is so sad. I know there are very talented guys here who sew, and personally I think my hubby gets a bit envious at times that I make stuff. My Grandfather used to do tapestry and ice the most stunning cakes. Funny my son was also interested in sugar art for a while. Tell your son to keep up the good work.  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

I love "Simon's cat" wish there were more. I think there are only 3.  There is also one... "Simon's sister's dog". Very cute. Thanks for posting that Michelle

hmmmmmm, a valid reason to buy more wine????

yip, would rather drink it, but interesting. Would just worry that it would turn grey after a while. I have had stains that I tried to treat and they went a sludgy color. Ok that is after having some chemical like peroxide or bleach on them, but there is a reaction. So would worry that over time it is exposed to stuff in the air and .... you know what I mean. My brain is not here today. Could be worth a try. Please let us know.

I just went to have a quick look at your site, and have been there for ages.... you have the most beautiful happy cats. I love your bears too. The site is comfortable and friendly. A nice place to visit. Well done  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Thanks girls. Funny though, those pics do nothing justice. Was too stunning to see. Jane they coped ok. The bubble things worked well. My tomato seedlings are fine and I only lost 1 basil plant that was looking a bit ill anyway. Sophie I don't have a blog. But I really think I should start one for this trip especially. I did loads of research before we went but found out so much more. Important stuff, like where to find cash machines. One of the couples had to travel 3 hours to draw more cash. We almost had enough but also have local bank accounts so we were fine. I have put some more pics on Facebook. I must admit I am feeling a bit lost today. Never thought I was cut out for the back packing thing. But I obviously am.

Hi all, I am the Grump. Would like a chance to explain as this is the kind of thing that happens so easily and ends up (with miss understanding and miss communication) having bad feelings. I really did not think I had caused any but is seems I have. So please hear my side and perhaps it will put an end to this.

As usual, If it wasn't for the last minute I wouldn't do anything. I had not decided whether to do the swap for various reasons, and decided I would like to. But was on my way to Batad etc. (just posted some pics) So sent a mail to Tanni to say I would love to join but would only be back on "next Friday" I meant today, 8th. She thought I meant last week. (miss communication)

Have had dodgy communication if any for the last 2 weeks and did not have the mailing address with me. So fully understood when she said she could not include me. I did not think that the mailing address was that important at this stage. And that I why I said she should do what she felt necessary. I meant she could either exclude me or wait for the address. That is all. It is her swap and her rules. I was happy with that.

I feel very sad that I have been portrayed as an unhappy person out to cause problems. It was never the intention. I have merely been out of communication. If this has left a bitter taste in anyone's mouth I apologize. I know it has hurt me. I finally get to check TT today after a long absence and find I have been labeled as someone I never want to be.

I am finally home after the most exciting time.

We took a 9 hour bus drive (220 miles) from Manila to Banaue.

The rice terraces there are a UNESCO heritage site, and they blow your mind. All made by hand, every rock carried for miles. From Banaue we did a "gentle" 5 hour hike into Batad village and down to the water fall. Quite frankly my legs could have done without the water fall bit, but Batad is very beautiful. The top of the terraces is narrow and that is what the local people use as a "road". Everything is carried into the village along them.
 

We met a lovely couple and decided to go on to Bontoc with them. About 45 mins in a Jeepney.The purpose was a traditional market. But the only thing traditional was all the "made in China" stuff. Anyhow.
 

Next day off to Sagada. 2 Hours in a very packed Jeepney, which was a good thing, you don't roll around so much. Sagada is renowned for hanging coffins. Traditionally people were smoked for a few days in a chair and then put into a coffin and either put into a cave or hung on the side of a cliff, depending on their status.

Those little brown log like things are small coffins.. There are 100's packed into one cave. They kind of fold the person up to fit into that tiny coffin.

My hubby and the other couple wanted to go potholing. I opted for what I thought was a gentle stroll which turned into a full scale caving expedition. I cannot walk on slippery stuff and had a bag of our things so chickened out of one stretch of the cave, and was left in the dark with a tiny torch. I would do that again if I ever had the opportunity. I lay on a rock in the absolute dark with the gentle sound of water (and some bats). It was pure bliss.
I am in that blob of people, at least I have proof I was there :crackup:  :crackup:

The trip home was long. It took us just over 36 hours and included, jeepneys, taxis, busses and planes. One part of the road had a huge landslide and we had to wait while they cleared it.

Aside from being exhausted and having a pile of toxic washing, (bat poo does not smell good) I am in absolute awe of what I have seen. And totally gobsmacked at the things I have achieved in the last while. I even went over a suspension bridge which for me was a big "no no".

Cyndee, I think he is a cross "ohhh cute" and " there go your shoes and garden" ????? But what a sweetie. Can just imagine the cuddles.... I want another animal. Having HUGE withdrawal symptoms. And you right Jane, he does look a bit bunny ish.

Congratulations Jane. He is beautiful. You should be very proud  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

I have a dear friend in South Africa who has been selling paintings through galleries for a few years. But she really needs more income and I suggested the internet. Bravely told her I would let her have a few sites that I found and then discovered I have lost the bookmarked links I had. All my soggy brain can come up with now aside from Ebay is Etsy.

I would really appreciate any suggestions I could pass on to her. In the meantime I am going to google and see what I can come up with too.

The same sort of thing happened here, turns out the common denominator was a forum I belong to of Expats living here. One of the members got a mail from "another member" saying he was stuck in some country and needed money to return. Firstly the money was not even remotely the right amount. Secondly the two members had had coffee two days before. My personal theory is that someone is going into forums etc to find people who know each other. Funny thing with the internet. I didnt realise I had such a big family, pity they dying like flies. Just about every day I get a message about some "relative" that died and left me millions, and if I just send $100 they will process the papers.

I have been looking for work that I can do online. One of the sites was real. You wrote web content and got paid per assignment. I have done a few. Some of the others were setting up email addresses and sending spam. ( I left in a hurry) They even gave you ways of finding people. So yes it is out there.

please send some. The airport weather today says "feels like"  97 with humidity of 84%. And I thought today felt a bit cooler.   

I found this link interesting and have spent some time digging around on the web, but nothing comes up that is remotely better. Would do the markers myself. Now if I had only bought the markers when I was in SA in December....  :doh:

They are all very pretty. absolutely perfect.  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

That is stunning. Used to have "Christmas in July" In South Africa just so we could have a hot meal and enjoy it, instead of the sweltering heat of December. Ok did December too, but 2 Christmases isn't bad. So I don't see why we cant add another.... Here in Phils they leave up all the decorations and just keep adding. So a house may have Frosty the Snowman, a collection of pumpkins, some flashy lights, a Easter bunny, a collection of hearts.... you know, just to cover everything. i certainly would hate to take that down, it is so pretty.

I have to share a story. Does prove that I am slightly around the bend, but we between friends, right??? I had my two horses (previous post) and was going through a really tough time with ex husband and had to return to court. Was a horrible day but during the lunch break I went down to the street and there was a police man on a horse. I stopped him. Now this poor man being confronted with a sniveling red eyed mad woman had no idea what was coming and looked understandably worried. i just wanted to smell his horse..... That done I could go back and face the rest of the day. I think perfume manufacturers have missed out on the therapeutic qualities of "eau de equine"

Oh Jenny, she is so beautiful. I got tears in my eyes when I saw her. You just want to gently hold her. Too precious.     

This made me happy, Nice to see that although they are in a zoo they are looked after.

http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoI … Channel=76

ohhh , I just want to rub that tummy