Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thank you people...you are all so sweet!
Renae, we used to have a gospel group in our nearest major city that did barbershop quartet gigs. They were sooooo cool!
The guy with the deepest voice of the four was HUGE as in like 6ft 5" and had the long moustache. The littlest guy with the higest voice was only about 5ft 2"...and at the end of the gig, the big guy used to carry the littlest guy off the stage like a piece of luggage! So funny! Gosh they sounded great!
Shelli  :hug:  thankyou.
Melissa  :hug:  thank you too. The one on the right is my favourite too...funny how you can make five or six of the same thing and they all have their own 'bear'sonalities. I will be making some of these for each show from now on as a friend pointed out to me that I need some smaller less expensive bears on my table because not everyone who is starting out with collecting can afford a larger more expensive one, but they still like to go home with a bear. True.
I so wish you were coming to the Gold Coast show too...it would have been lovely to catch up with you again. A grand is a bit over the top isn't it! Never mind, next time. And I'll try to take some photos for you. :photo:

Thanks alot Jane..that fixed it! Never would have worked it out. Thanks for your sweet words too.
Matilda..it's funny you say they look smaller than 7 inches...I think they look bigger!   Thanks to you, Jeannie and Sue Ann for your comments, it means alot.
Back to work...running out of days!

Sarah thank you for doing that, you are a sweetheart!
It was a real buzz to see my bear in print....first of many I hope! Congrats to all you others too....we OWN this issue!  :hug:
Thank you all for your wonderful and supportive comments...you're such a great bunch of friends!

Hi Friends,
I wanted to share some more of the little bears I've made for my upcoming show.
These little guys are 7 inches tall and are my first attempt at shading with oils as per Shelli's instructions awhile back.
I was impressed with how easy it was and will be doing more! I could have made the patches darker but thought they looked better with just a hint of colour.

I had a blast making smaller bears for a change as they are usually around the 12 inch mark. These guys went together way faster so I will definitely make more seeing I'm running out of time!

Just for the record...can anyone tell me the secret to getting the thumbnail of this pic to show up in the Showcase form?

Jennie,
I have used Copic markers in the past but I just find they go on too heavy and it's hard to build up the colour slowly. So on my larger bears, I use an airbrush and acrylic paints watered down. However I am still learning and tend not to use the airbrush for smaller accents as my hand is not yet steady enough.

I have just made four 7 inch pandas and wanted to subtly shade around their eyes and a little on the snout...I certainly didn't trust myself with the airbrush and may just have blasted their little heads off! :crackup:

I had been meaning to try the oil painting method that Shelli shared with us quite a while back and so I bit the bullet and did it. I was very pleased with the results as the paint is easy to build up SLOWLY.

If you go to the Tips nad Tricks archives and seach for painting bears, the threads are all there describing the process in detail...it really is very easy! Thank you Shelli!
There's a pic of my oil painted pandas in the showcase section.

Bobbie,
I know of people who use garnet in their bears. What is garnet is actually made of? Does anyone know? Perhaps I'll google it. I have seen it before as our panel beater uses it for sandblasting...it appears to have a residue and I wonder if it stains?

Garnet is sand like only finer and I would imagine it's more likely to be eyed suspiciously by customs because of this.

Thanks so much everyone! It's great to get such positive feedback! Now I just need to get some more bears on there....so busy making at the moment I haven't had a minute to photograph the latest ones.  :photo:

Shelli...thanks so much for pointing out that typo...hubby did all the text links and it was late at night so I'll excuse him for that reason.    But I hadn't noticed and usually things like that glare at me. Can't shoot you...there's no smiley for that!
Thanks for the great feedback. I agree about the tutorials too. And some web thingie I read lately says a great way to get people to come to your site is to offer something for free...so free tutorials are a good way to do that and are passed on via word of mouth.
I recently visited Jennie's website (fantastic site BTW!!!!, one of the nicest web designs I've seen  ) and she has a page on 'Making' which is a general overview of what goes into making a teddy bear. I thought it was a great idea as it must be of interest to collectors to know a bit about the 'mysterious' process of creating an artist bear. I may even steal that idea from you Jennie if she doesn't mind!
Patsy...which show is on September 24th???

We are going to but a new camera duty free when we go away in two weeks time. I have been eyeing off the Olympus SP500-UZ.
6.1 megapixels, 10 x optical zoom, macro and super macro down to 3cm. Great price at around $480 AUD.

Does anyone on the list have one of these to be able to give me feedback? There are plenty of good reviews on the net but there's nothing like getting a 'real' persons opinion!  :photo:

Thankyou people...you are all so kind! I really enjoyed making the site with my hubby but when all is done and dusted, it's nice to hear what others think. This is the first site I have designed using photoshop and it was so much better than trying to design in Dreamweaver. We are also learning to build sites using CSS which will make it baby stuff...after we actually work out HOW to do it. Does anyone else out there use CSS??

Jane, I'll do my best to take some photos.

Shantell...I should make a banner for the vendors forum so people remember about The Bear Cupboard. I guess I forget that people may forget I have it too. (*makes mental note to promote The Bear Cupboard more* :dance: )

Bonnie...yes we intend to enjoy this holiday to the max! We haven't had a decent holiday in 5 years and we are headed for the warmth and beauty of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. Mmmmm..sun! :dance:  I'm sure you guys have probably had about as much sun as you can handle given the temp reports I've heard lately...but here at the extreme south of Australia...we are gettin' our tushies frozen off!
Back to work.

Hi Friends,
I am not getting to TT very much as I have a show only 5 weeks away. Sounds like ages I know but two of those weeks will be spent on a much needed and long awaited holiday...so in actual fact I only have 3 weeks and I have hit panic stations!
I MISS TT!!!
Anyway...hubby and I have spent some hours lately re-designing my website so if you have time I'd love some feedback!

I went through all my links and deleted any 'dead' ones so it's looking a bit sparse compared to how it was...so after my show I'll be calling for link swaps! Can never have too many!

Sonya he is wonderful beyond words! I can see why you enjoyed making him! What a wonderful feeling for you that they are so pleased with him too....bet that's just the lift you needed huh?
Wonderful, wonderful bear. Well done you! :clap:

I'm with the silence crowd....have to be able to hear the clock ticking on the wall!!

Kim....I have proud mummy syndrome too! Anna is almost 13 and started learning tenor sax just this year and she is blitzing it. She has a real talent and has gone from Mary had a little Lamb (over...and over...and over.. ) to "Rock around the Clock' and "Crazy Cat" and performing with the school band. She just LOVES it which I think is half the battle of learning something new...she practices for ages each night. :rose:

Dliu..you crack me up with your golly antics. I can really picture them doing all those things! Eerie!

Jenny, your bears melt my heart....every single one of them.

I really like it Pen, very professional! I already have you on my site so would love you to put me on yours. I am flat chat for the next few weeks but when I have a free week I want to update my links page too as it's a long time since I did. I recently went through and checked all the links on my page and there are a lot that don't exist anymore. Must be a few artists leaving the bear scene.
Anyways...I've got lotsa room for more TT friends now and we have a lot of new members since I last updated.
Heres' my banner link:

Renae and Jane,
I want to thank you for sharing your stories....you may just have saved a few lives and improved many by doing so.

These days with so much c**p on the internet it's so hard to know what to believe and what not to believe. I too have had the Aspartame email maybe 18 months ago and although a lot of it made sense I guess I tended to think it was probably a load of rubbish seeing as there seem to be so many irregularities with what you read and hear via the net. Truth be known, it was easier to ignore.

But we can't hide from the fact that we are putting stuff into our bodies that is unnatural and that's not the way we were designed. Wouldn't it be great if the powers that be decided we could have the good stuff cheaper so people can actually afford to eat well.
I have been on a healthy eating plan for 12 weeks now and have dropped 8 kilos. I should be feeling great because I'm eating heaps of healthy fruit, vegies and home made whole grain bread...but I feel tired and a little depressed. Why? I'm eating well and exercising heaps.
I am wondering now if the culprit is Aspartame. I have been guzzling diet coke like it's going out of fashion purely because it stops me feeling deprived. I have also been eating diet yoghurt sweetened with Aspartame and low fat ice cream sweetened with same.
Thanks to you, I'm going cold turkey as of today and I will let you all know how I feel in a week or two.  

Incidently, I know that on nights in the past when I have made a meal using a bottled flavouring sauce or bought pre-flavoured chicken wings or eaten flavoured corn chips before bed....I can't sleep and neither can hubby. It's like everything is ultra sharp and you can't relax. It's the same with crumbed foods or basically anything with extras added.

So we stay right away from it all now. My kids take a home made bread salad sandwich to school with a piece of fruit and a dry bikkie with cheese. Their friends give them a hrad time because they are eating healthy food. Many of my 12 year old daughters friends skip breakfast, each chips for lunch followed by a soft drink (pop) and hate fruit and vegies.
I really have to wonder...there has to be a relationship here between all the junk kids today are eating and the increase in the number of kids with ADDH and ADHD and learning disabilities. I know that's a very general comment to make and I'm certainly not suggested this is the case for all kids with these problems...but I do wonder if some children exhibit similar symptoms and are therefore mis-diagnosed. After all if being on aspartame can mimick the symptoms of heart failure or M.S then why not? Who knows...glad I'm not and doctor!
My kids love their fruit and vegies...even the ones lots of kids won't eat like brocolli and cauliflower. I like to think it's because they've always been offered (but not forced) to them so they eventually learn to like it. One of Anna's friends had never tried an orange before coming to our place and she never eats veggies. When Anna stayed over at her house one night, her mum announced they were going to have something healthy for dinner for a change. Imagine Anna's confusion when the meal was crumbed chicken nuggets from a box and hot chips. Gotta wonder what they would classify an UN healthy meal!
Jane and Renae...I am sorry you suffer from long term after effects from Aspartame, but I am grateful you shared. :hug:

Ooh Melissa! I was just thinking about you yesterday and thinking I must email you....now I know why you've been so quiet! 24 bears! And you work full time too! You make me hang my head in shame.  The Gold Coast show is only 7 weeks away and I have only a handful of bears made.

I hope you have a wonderful show...best of luck but you won't need it if those samples are anything to go by! Love those pandies! Look forward to the pics..hope you get to take heaps! :photo:
Good luck to Mel too and the other 'anonymous' TT'ers!

Dilu..what a lovely thing for your man to do for you...our men love to show us how much they care in practical ways but yours takes the cake. You could probably sell him for a good price on The Great Big Garage Sale! :crackup:

I inherited my mother-in-laws Featherweight when she passed away a few years back but have been unable to use it because the belt has perished. It's a shame because apart from that it works great. We can't get parts in Australia for them...guess I should try the internet. I found a yahoo group for them a while back...with a whole 3 members!
I have seen the machines advertised for as much as $2000 AUD...ridiculous!

Karen..welcome to the group...your cats have been on my list of wonderful things for some time now. I sew most of my bear bits on the machine too...and I use stacks of extra reference points to make sure I don't get twisting, but even with pinning it's sometimes hard to get it exact. I have no idea how you manage without pinning...you're my new hero!

Thanks again ladies.   :hug:
I will be happy to scan the pages for you all but I feel it's the decent thing to do to wait until the magazine comes out in the newsagents so it doesn't spoil the surprise for anyone who may not have seen it yet, especially Patsy.  :rose:

It looks as though it will be very worthwhile...Sarah has had two orders since yesterday already so fingers crossed for the rest of us too! :clap:  :dance:

Thanks Karen and thankyou friends for your congrats. It's my first real experience with a magazine so it's been a real buzz to see my bear in print and I have learned plenty about what to do next time and what not to do.
I really enjoyed reading Sarah and Patsy's profiles and reading Lisa's section on how to develop your own look.
Susan, you may need to wait a bit for it to hit the newsagents..the subscribed ones come out a week earlier. It should be in the shops by mid next week though.

I guess in the past, Bear Creations has been focussed on the needs of the new bearmakers and not so much on the artists needs. But as more and more people venture into their own designs, the magazine needs to change with the times, which they are doing.

I have chosen to advertise with Bear Creations for the next 12 months and will evaluate at the end of that term whether it has been a worthwhile exercise or not. It sounds promising that it co-incides with the new changes in the magazine.

I think having a bear artist as editor can only be a good thing as the only problems I have had with the mag have been born from lack of understanding of the product.

Regarding subscriptions..I get very confused with their Volume numbers too and wish they would just put a month on them. I am a subscriber, but my biggest beef is that even though I get my mag a week earlier than it hits the newsagents and I get it cheaper, now that they put the second magazine in with the current issue...I can't help but feeling I'm being ripped off. You know...wait another week, get a free mag too. Doesn't matter if I already have that free mag...they sell well down the road on ebay!

I wanted to share Sarah's latest magazine project and profile from this months 'Australian Homespun' magazine.
She's too humble to blow her own trumpet so I'll gladly assist in blowing it for her!

I say 'latest' project because this is her second this year but she has another due to hit the stands soon in 'Australian Dolls, Bears and Collectibles' and a Christmas project in the works too for 'Australian Bear Creations'...this girl is in demand! :dance: :dance:  :clap: 
Congratulations to you Sarah. If anyone deserves recognition from the magazines it's you. Making these things happen when you are so ill is ten times harder for you than the majority of us, which makes it all the more satisfying seeing it all paying dividends for you....you are a truely an inspiration.
Way to go

!   :dance:  :clap:  :clap:   :bday:  :cake:

Sonya,
Just because your troubles are different to Gina's doesn't make them any less painful. I understand very well the pain of being apart from your honey...it hurts like the dickens.
For what it's worth, try to look forward to your retirment from your government job as an opportunity to make a real go of your beautiful bears. The days will probably drag a bit until you and your fiance are together fulltime, but the best you can do is to keep yourself busy. If you are really craving human company and your dad is otherwise occupied, maybe you might consider visiting your local older peoples home and chatting with some of the residents who don't get visitors. I can guarentee you will find at least one or two that fit into that category...and I can imagine their delight at seeing your bears too...which of course you should share with them!
Just a suggestion.
But no matter what, keep your chin up..better days are ahead. Buy yourself some chokkie and treat yourself to a nice hot bath...your friends here are with you in spirit even if not physically.
Big hugs to you, :hug:  :hug:

Shelli, at the risk of sounding like a broken record...it's all been said and I say hear hear to all these wonderful comments and words of encouragement. Bearmaking is supposed to be fun and enjoyable...and relaxing. I'd imagine with the popularity of your bears it's hard to feel you can slack off without the guilts attacking you. But maybe it's time....
Slow down, make the bears you want to make, when you want to make them. You have made a sensible decision in letting the retailers go...I can't see them bringing you the same exposure that ebay does anyway...but what do I know.

You are in the enviable position that you have a large audience of collectors just waiting for that next wonderful creation to become available...so you just take your time....take a step back and look at what REALLY matters. And most importantly, take care of yourself, because if you don't...Potbelly Bears will become a thing of the past. Only Shelli Heinemann can create Potbelly Bears. :dance:
Love and hugs to you :hug:

What WONDERFUL news Judi! And so deserved! CONGRATULATIONS!!
It seems like and eternity that we've had to wait to find out the winners. I am just so pleased for you. Cherish the moment and make it last! :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Jenny,
The only thing I'm wondering about is....if this lady didn't have a general idea of when the bear would be ready (as you said it was just a 'loose commission' ) then maybe she did go away on holidays and didn't give the bear a thought. She may have thought emailing you to ask if it was ready prior to going away would be like hassling you.

I'm thinking if this is the case, she'll be very disappointed to find that the bear happened to be ready when she wasn't around to claim it...and the fact that she is not answering her phone does suggest that she may be away. I would give her another week if you can stretch it, as some people do go away for that long.

I can see it's tough for you, especially when you have others interested. The only other option if you haven't heard from her by the weekend, may be to let the other people have this one and when you find out if the original lady did still want it, make it a priority to make another similar bear for her.
Feel like you're on a torture rack getting pulled too many ways????