Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

You know what, in everyday conversation, I always compliment people on a "good use of a word."  I love that kind of stuff!  Sometimes people are speaking and they use a fascinating word in a very well thought way, I just HAVE to say something about it!  Some people seem truly complimented by such a remark, and other folks look at me like I've lost my mind! 

The favorite word, at the moment, to use around the Basta household is 'masticate!'  I am constantly having to remind my oldest son (12) to slow down and chew his food properly.  Ridiculous, I know, but the kid eats so fast that he nearly chokes.... Anyway, I say, "Baxter, please chew your food!"  The child looks at me like he has no idea what I am talking about.... "Chewing, do you not know what this means?"  (Me, loosing my patience & showing him the exaturated up and down motion of the lower jaw) "You know.... mastication!"  And now he's turning 6 shades of red!   :redface:   Sometimes interesting word choice is the only way to get my pre-teen to actually listen to what I am saying!  I guess it's now the BIG joke at lunch time though. 

"Hey what's up?"  "Oh, nothing, I'm just masticating!"

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Shelli, you have me dying here!  Sounds just like a Kinndergarten report card!

Though "the teacher" should add....

Shelli has helped our classroom to operate in a way that is agreeable to all the students.  Shelli H. also seems to make friends easily and plays well with the other students.  She is truly a joy to have in class!

:hug:

Donna... what a lovely and supportive friend you are, and Scott's bear is gorgeous!  Actually, before you posted, when I had checked out the whole list of fraudulent auctions being "sold" by the fraudulent seller... I saw this little girl's picture, and LOOKED!!!! Even though I knew it wasn't the real auction.  She just caught my eye!  Happy to take a peek at the REAL auction though! 

Here's a link for anyone who's interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … Track=true

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

You know what is even crazier girls.... all 37 of these teddies are listed in the "cross stitch" category. 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

i think this little guy is going to dogreat for you Kim!  that sassy fabric is so wonderful!  It really does make some sweet little ones, doesn't it!  I think the two tone, light fur with a dark back gives them so much depth and dimension!   

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Yes Anne, if the collector is not a lovely shade of bight pink... I think all the TT mini makers should go over there and tickle her 'till she is!  Seriously though Anne, i can't imagine that she wouldn't love her!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Thanks Winney!  She actually from quite a while back... living in a happy home in New Jersey! 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Anne!  This is so neat!  I remember your original posting regarding this little merbear, and I was hoping that you'd eventually show us how she turned out!  She's simply Lovely!
Really, she looks great, and the little scene is fabulous!   

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I couldn't live without my box!  Seriously, I love it!  Steal away Shantell!  You'll find it so helpful!  Mine is fairly well organized at this point... I am oh so proud of myself for having just a few organized things in my house!  My books and my box!  I have all kins of stuff in there, packed into manilla file folders... paint swatches, pictures of rooms that I really liked the color of, dolls, bridal boquet pictures, plus a lot of poems, stories, cool pictures of faeries that I've run across... just STUFF!  And, I find that if I haven't been inspired to do something from the box, at least i am in a much nicer and more inspired state of mind after rumaging through a bunch of lovely things!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Deb.. you make me LAUGH!      Yes, now that would be a good show, wouldn't it!  It just kills me when I finally do figure out the "best" way for me to do something like 40 minutes into the project and it's almost done at that point!  I tried to faux finish the walls in the bathroom at the old house... on the fourth wall, I finally figured out how to do it right!  I sometimes hesitate to post my solutions to bear related questions 'cause I figure the folks who really know how to do it simply will say, "Gosh, what is that girl DOING!"
I often fantasize that if I ever taught a class or seminar or something, I'd have all these frustrated people with cuts and bruises... swearing that they will never make another bear in their lives....

"Yes, that's it,  keep going... you are SUPPOSED to be bleeding!  Yes, you are supposed to hold the ribbon with your teeth, the wind it around your left big toe until it's just so.... Yes, that's exactly it!  Now, twirl around a couple of times, stick the needle into your thigh because you aren't supposed to have a free hand at this point... hold it there... YES!  You've done it! 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Can't wait to see Shantell!  You've got my curiosity peaked!  Something that I have been doing since way back when I was making dolls.... I have a whole file box filled with manilla file folders.... and everytime I see something that strikes my fancy, whether it's a cool technique, or a picture with gorgeous colors, a cute little baby face.... I tear it out and stick it into this box.  Then when I am having a moment of "lost inspiration".... I go to the box and peek around.... see what I can find that might work...

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi Patsy!  Yes, it is similar to making a pom-pom!  VERY similar, with that winding on to the cardboard!  YES!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi Shantell.... I think what you may be remembering is this ...... I gave some directions on how I did my collar for Ava.... That collar is a nice evenly looped ribbon collar and has a more tailored look to it.  It's made with satin ribbon.  On my miniatures, for those kinda crazy loopy collars that I do, my method is pretty much similar to what was already mentioned. I gather the silk ribbon every inch or so, for a 1/2 inch loop.  Do e Mail me if you have any questions.  I must say, I find making these collars seriously frutrating, and it doesn't really get any easier each time I do it.  By the time I really work out the technique, the darned thing is about done!

ellen wrote:
will you share how you made that collar?  please.

Sure.... I bet there is an easier way to do this.... I seem to have a knack for finding the most difficult, fiddly way to do things!  I took a whole spool of woven satin ribbon 3/8 inches wide and 18 ft. long..... cut off about a foot of it and set that aside.  Then I measured loosely around the neck of Ava (about 8 inches in circumference).... Next I cut a rectangle piece of cardboard (from a shoe box) to the length of 8 inches and a width of whatever I want the loop itself to be plus about 3/8 inches more.  For Ava that was about 3 inches.  Then I just started to wrap the ribbon around the rectangle, overlapping each successive wrap by about half..... all the way to the very end.  Then I sewed each of the overlapped ribbons to the next one with a tacking stitch all the way down the long side, then flipped it over and tacked all the way down the other side (about 3/8ths of an in from the long edge of the cardboard.)  Then I carefully slid the cardboard piece out.  I then sewed with the machine right over that line of tacking stitches.  Then I pulled the tacking stitches out.  Then I threaded the foot long leftover piece through the little loops that were made by the sewing line (kinda like a curtain rod going through the pocket.  Then I just tied it onto Miss Ava! 

I've also done them where I've taken a long strip of ribbon and make tiny marks about 6 inches apart all the way down the length of the ribbon......  Then take a little stitch at each of the marks... Then just pull up the thread to gather the ribbon into loops.  You kinda have to fluff it and play with it to get all the loops ti lie in the right direction.  Then you just tie the ends of the thread together around the neck of the bear.  It's a similar effect, but not quite as neat and tailored as Ava's collar, and it really isn't easily removable.  When possible, I think it's nice if you can remove the collar so that the collector can clean the bear easier if needed.... or change the collar out for a seasonal bow if they are the type that likes to do that kind of thing!

That was probably clear as mud, and I bet there is an easier way to do the same thing I've done.  I'm a glutton for punishment I guess!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Penny... what beautiful work!  I have a personal infatuation with the Green Man!

Beray truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I have to jump in here on this one.... It's our first year in a our new house... our living room, which is sort of the centraly located room in this house happens to have a 12 foot ceiling.  On Sunday, I sent my hubby and the two youngest out to buy a tree... we've had real trees, artificial trees-- either is fine with me, and they each have their goods and bads... They took the mini van, wutch to me means that they are comming back with something in a box or strapped to the roof... NO.  They come home empty handed and explain to me that the tree is being delivered Monday at 10am.  Well, in my mind, that's a huge waste of money, but okay.... Monday arrives, and I am greeted by four men carrying a 12 and 1/2 foot tall Christmas tree.  I can not tell you the shock I was in... the mixed emotions that accompanied this new arrival to the house!  I am still in a bit of shock tobe honest.  I went to the store and purchased an additional 15 boxes of lights.  I strung them up myself, it took the better part of 6 hours.  I don't know whether to laugh    cry    be raging mad    or to think this is the most wonderfully sweet thing my husband has ever done.      We have no ornaments on it yet... just the 1700 lights... and the lader, which I had to climb 10 feet into the air on is in the pic... (sorry about that) I have no idea what we are going to do with the furniture.  Our coffee table doesn't even fit into the room at this point.  I thought the height was crazy, but this tree is now taking up a full 1/3 of the floor space in the living room.  We don't even have any lamps in there yet.... I am just in shock still... can you tell?
the kids think it's wonderful... they think they are in their very own version of the Nutcracker.... It smells like we have spilled a gallon of Pine Sol on the carpet!  The mess of needles the delivery men made just getting it in actually broke the heavy duty shop vac.  And I have no idea how we are going to get it OUT or clean up the mess afterward..... Can you tell I'm still in a bit of shock!  Oh, please tell me that someone elses hubby has done this?

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Yea.... exactly Shelli!  We do sort of all get wrapped up in our European Renaisssance/Victorian England vision of what it's all supposed to be, and we forget that it really wasn't like that!  I know one year, my oldest asked me how Santa "got down the chimney" of the stable to visit the baby Jesus, since there wasn't a chimney on the stable...... Terribly funny in my book, but the whole thing is just really confusing...! 

I remember my first Christmas with a non-Santa believer.... Baxter really did enjoy "playing along" for the sake of the young ones anyway.... It does make it a little different, but your "big guy" will have just as much fun "believing" for the sake of his younger sibling! 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh I am insanely jealous!!!!! I loved the Tim Burton movie... HUGE fan of Tim Burton here!  I'd imagine that would be a fabulous story to adapt to ballet!  AND, I actually performed with Sadler's Wells when I was a youngster!  They did a USA tour when I was about 13 or 14, and I was allowed to perform as an extra in one of their ballets, simply because I fit into the costume!  It was such a great learning experience for me... ballet wise obviously, because they are such a wonderful company.... plus, I learned about such interesting things like British folks call bangs "fringes"... as in "Miss, you are going to have to hide those fringes before you put on this bonnet!"  Things like that!  Anyway, I'm sue it will be a great experience!  Green with envy here!

Beary truly,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

My hubby and I actually had a discussion about this the other day!!!!  We went to one of those living nativity scenes with the kids.... I LOVE those!  Anyway, it was 20 degrees here with snow falling down, and the donkey was there, a couple of gorgeous sheep, a cow, people dressed as shepards... Mary & Joseph the whole deal.. and my 5 year old said, "It looks just like the first Christmas with all this snow around the manger!"  And, my first reaction, was, YES, of course it does... then I really thought about it... I mean what WAS the weather really like in the Middle East area 2000 years ago?  HMMMM.... I'm sure there must be a website about that, huh?  Anyone know?
Anyway, I think it really is so easy to caught up in thinking that Christmas is supposed to be like the whole world lives in New Hampshire... chestnut roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose....and all that... but in so many areas of America as well as many other countries, it's so not that!  I mean, to me that all fits because I have always lived in north east Ohio, and it's like that all winter here, but that really is sort of a manufactured idea, isn't it!  I don't mean to sound cynical here, because like I said, I am so into the whole "traditional Christmas" thing, but when you really think about it, it's not all that traditional, is it!? I think it's nice to remember that all those outer trappings, as wonderfully fabulous as they may be for many of us (me included!) are not REALLY what it's all about anyway.... Maybe an Aussie Christmas is more on target with it!?  Though I do think it's pretty cold in the desert town at night... Anyone KNOW?

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Beary truly yours,

Marie!!!!! What a lovely picture of you with your bears!  WOW... you really were with an outstanding collection of artists... how wonderful to be considered for such a grouping!  Congratulations again !!!! I bet it was so much fun, and well worth it, even if you hadn't even sold a bear!  YEA!!!! that you did though!  You and your bears look so warm and friendly!     :hug:

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I think that's a lovely way to put it!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I saw him!  He's precious and so tiny!!!!! Love that little hat and the white backing for his eyes!   

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild tHyme Originals

That sounds neat Kimmy!  Could you use that technique they do where they sort of tie it up with cotton string, then dye, then undo the strings, then tie it up again and dye another color, etc.... I'm imagining that it would be pretty tough to actually knot the mohair itself, especially if you are just working with a fat quarter or something.....  I know very little about tie dye! 

Off topic... we just painted out library, and my husband went out and bought this enormous oak desk with a return that houses the computer.... it has one of those handy little pull out keyboard shelves and I am just NOT INTO it at all! I seem to be making twice as many typos than I usually do, just because of the angle of the keyboard, etc..... UGGGGG!   You are all going to have to forgive me a bit till I get this worked out!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild tHyme Originals

I use 100% nylon upholstery thread for sculpting stitches... and yes, it's an absolute killer to the hands, I sometimes feel as if I am usuing razor wire or something!  I'm always on the lookout for something different!    The "button & craft" thread always broke on me, though it appears that it would be stronger than the upholstery thread.  Heavy duty beading thread also works  nicely in a pinch.

Jenny, this whipping twine sounds like it might be interesting.  Yaught chandeliers?  What kind of a store could one go into and ask for whipping twine?  A boat supply place, a craft store, lighting shop?  I'm imagining me heading into JoAnne Fabrics with three kids in tow, asking for some whipping twine, and having the clerk call the police assuming that I mean to beat my kids with it, tie them up or something.... oh that's awful!   

Danni,  Only certain types of dental floss break down over time..... the biodegradable type will eventually break down if exposed to a degree of moisture over a period of time.... meant to save the tummies of marine mammals, birds, and other sea creatures who often accidentially consume our human produced garbage when it makes its way to the sea, oceans, lakes, etc....  I have numerous pairs of point shoes with the ribbons and elastics sewn on with non-biodegradable dental floss, still going strong after 15 years of true abuse.  Ordinarily a pair of point shoes lasts only a few wearings for a professional dancer.... but I ocassionallly slip a pair on one of my old pairs and prance around a bit, just to "remember when..." 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Janet,
If I weren't happily married, I'd have to say that I'd be head over heals for Garret!  But, they are all SOOO handsome!  I can tell you are one proud Mom!!!! And you absolutely should be!
All so handsome, and such interesting & unique professions!  Good job with them Janet!   
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh that's too bad Sophie....  :hug:

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals