Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thanks Gaby!
Sorry to hear you're not so well.................
oh, and thanks for posting the cheezburger link - love it!
big huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:

What an amazing story...........it says a lot for the phlegmatic character of the bear that he was sound asleep on the ledge the next morning - maybe he knew someone would rescue him!
Thanks for sharing, Bobbie
huggies
Maria

Many thanks, Tina, Gijzette and Marion! :hug:  :hug:

And MARION - I have a spare copy, thanks to Teddys(!) - can send it to you..........do I have the right address......
St Andrews bvd???

When are you back over here?

huggies
Maria

I'll second that, Paula!
huggies
Maria

Thanks again, everyone.....it is such a thrill to see your own bears in print!
SHELLI - yes it is a German magazine - they have FOUR here! Teddys is one I don't actually subscribe to, but often buy...........I went foraging for it this morning (we live in a village, and it's not easy to come by here!) - got home, and lo and behold, they had sent me a free copy - really nice of them!
It's nice to see them covering international artists - an article in this issue about an Irish lady....next issue, our very own Tina (Tiny Bears), and Jennie Sandahl told me that she has also been approached, so she should appear some time next year.
I'll get the article scanned in over the weekend and post it
big huggies all round
Maria

Thanks, folks!
And Jodi - I'll get the pages scanned in at the weekend...... Jeremy (he who knows how to work the scanner) is away, working in Italy (lucky him!)........me - I'm the great luddite......proud that I can DO emails and such, but hopeless when it comes to anything technical.
Having said that, my achievement of the week.......I managed to work the VCR...........don't laugh!!!!!

big huggies
Maria

Aaaawww, thanks Lisa! Actually, I was thinking of you this morning, while leafing through the magazine - remember Harvey the moon(ing) bear  - the one you liked so much?...he got a whole page pic to himself!
I was a bit gob-smacked tho - the list of my "artistic endeavours" seems to have grown.... now including carpet knotting and furniture upholstery...WHAT??????????????????  STRANGE........
big huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:

Oh I am SO enjoying all these tales................
reminded me of our (now departed) Bloodhound, Sir Humphrey. He was a thief par excellence - nothing was safe.
We had to fed our cats on a high shelf in the kitchen, and he would still manage to get hold of their bowls......
he could eat his way through a six-pack of cans (ring-pull) of Whiskas, without doing himself any damage. and once, coming into the house I was greeted by the most amazing and somewhat horrific sight.....he had found a 2-kilo bag of puffed rice (a "new" dog food mixer we were trying") -  a heap of rice, soaking in the contents of a couple of plastic bottles of mineral water, and garnished with a chewed up LIGHTBULB .......and again - not any sign of injury to himself!!!! - just a touch of heart-failure on my part!
Oh and I just LOVE the pics of the "weird" cat - priceless! :crackup:  :crackup:
huggies
Maria

What a lovely idea!
Congratulations ladies - you thoroughly deserve this :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:
big huggies
Maria

You and I posted at the same time Paula - I noticed it too..........
great - well done, Yvonne!! :dance:  :dance:  :dance:
huggies
Maria

Doing a bit of a happy dance here - the new Teddys  Kreativ has a (long-awaited) article about me!
I was first approached about the article late last year, and it finally made it......
There's also a pic of Marion's TOBY winner, and I noticed that the next issue will carry a feature about Tina's Tinybears...... a bit of a long wait though - won't be out till next January
And while on the magazine topic - I noticed the pic of the cover of the new Teddybear & Friends on one of Mindy's posts - isn't that a gorgeous Bebbins bear ??? Yay, Yvonne - nice one!!!
big huggies
Maria

O.K. - for those who wanted to see the article.....

Well summed up Shelli - there is NOTHING quite like having someone fall in love with one of your bears......the biggest reward of all. And the knowledge that what we strive to do brings smiles and happiness......not a bad thing in this frequently screwed-up world. I think we are ALL pretty special

huggies
Maria

Oh Michelle.... that just cracked me up - the idea of the cat grooming herself on your toothbrush.......
and Lisa - the part dog, part beaver - wonderful..........
When our Leonberger was a pup, I had to be SOOOO careful, making sure (I thought) that all bear parts were out of her reach............imagine my horror when I spied her thoughtfully chewing on...........an unfinished bear leg, with needle and thread still attached, which I had left on the table "out of her reach"!
And then the little set piece I finished - the Old Woman who lived in a shoe - left overnight on the table.....next morning, the Old Woman had disappeared. Finally found in a corner, thankfully none the worse for  being played with by the cats. I could visualise it....."oh look - a mouse in a dress"

huggies
Maria

Good point, Jenny - yes, an impartial jury is always best. But however it's done, it will never be a perfect system - however impartial the jury is, they are bound to have likes and dislikes.
As you said tho' - at best , the competitions are a showcase and celebration of some incredible art
huggies
Maria

I talked about last year's competition to several friends, and we all agreed that it was TOO big. In all other competitions I know of, the initial selection is done by an "expert" jury.......then the public are invited to vote on the nominated bears. Personally, I didn't go canvassing for votes thisyear, partly because I felt it would have been something of an imposition on people who just didn't have the time to trawl through pages and pages of bears.......yes - those of us who LOVE the bears will spend forever drooling (not literally ) over them.
I wondered if perhaps the initial selection should be done by the B&B members? Just my two cents worth....
Having said that, I would hate any of the winners to feel upset by the comments on this thread - I was thrilled for all of them. And yes, Valerie does a sterling job, and exposure on B&B is only GOOD!
I must admit to being a bit of a competition addict, and I've learnt that the one thing you can be sure of is that you NEVER know how they will go...it's very interesting to enter the same bear in a couple of competitions, as I did last year - total ZERO in the first, and awards in the second.
So I continue to enter...it's fun, a challenge to myself.........and hugely exciting if you are lucky enough to win....
and I'm SURE that luck plays a big part in it
huggies
Maria

OOOOHHHH Well done Jane!!! Your little bear is just SO sweet . I'm feeling quite chuffed with myself - I actually guessed all the winners this time!!!
huge congratulations :dance:  :dance:  :dance:  :dance:  :dance:  :dance:
huggies
Maria

Hi Samantha
Huge congratulations...I KNEW you'd win too!!!!! :dance:  :dance:  :dance:
So sorry to hear you've lost your job.......it's a horrible thing to happen - hopefully something will come up for you soon
huggies
Maria

Hi Chjristine
sympathy/empathy over your experience.............the only time I tried using a tracking number was on a parcel from here (Germany) to Paris - the purchaser insisted on using a number, and having the parcel "to be signed for" delivery............it took an inordinately long time, and when I tried tracking it, all the Deutsche post could tell me was that it had crossed the border..........and as for the "signed for"? - recipient found the parcel shoved in her letter box................
All I can say, is DON'T panic....
huggies
Maria

Humungous congratulations. Jane .......I KNEW you'd win!!! :dance:  :dance:  :dance:  :dance:
And I also KNEW that my Bluebottle would be runner-up (my fifth in this comp!) - right again!
big huggies
Maria

Astounding, and quite glorious!!!!
Thanks so much for sharing, Sandra
huggies
Maria

JENNIE and PENNY (how poetic!) - love your bears!!!!
Now all we need is LOTs of patience - ho hum.........
huggies
Maria :hug:

Yay, Sandi - congratulations :dance:  :dance:  :dance:
Tremayne looks GREAT - good on ya!
huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:

Big thanks, Mikki! Did you have a peek at Jeremy's animation? A couple of friends have said the polars look like ice-skaters - which has sent me off at a tangent, thinking "tableau"...and I'm working on a "falling down" third bear - FUN!
big huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:  :hug:
p.s. -- Gemma - your bears are GORGEOUS!!!

Well - the URSA results are out.......time for all you shy, retiring persons to step up and pass on your happy tidings...........CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners!!!
big huggies
Maria :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Thankyou, Lisa - glad you like them. And I'm glad I'm not just starting out - my early attempts wouldn't have stood a chance against your little beauty!
huggies
Maria :hug: