Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Oh Yes Laura Lynn... I just double checked and you are absolutely 100% flat out right!  The subtitle key word do only show up in a search when a person is doing a search in title & description.  I stand corrected!  See... e Bay REALLY is a learning experience!

Beary truly yours,
Kim basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Yes, the lady at Sassy Bears & Fabrics is a real angel!  I paid in the morning and she e mailed me to let me know that my fabric had shipped out Priority Mail that very afternoon.  Her shop auctomatically sends out "form e Mails" when your order goes through etc... but she also actually ANSWERS private e Mails as well!  I highly recomend her!

Kim Basta

Oh... and the words in your subtitle DO get 'read' when someone does a "title search."  Not just when they search in titles and descriptions.

Beary truly yours,
Kim basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh... now that IS funny!  My boys are destined to be just horrible people when they grow up then.... I had a heck of a time weaning them!  They just wouldn't stop! :lol:

Beary truly your,
Kim basta
Wild Thyme Originals

That title & the subtitle option (Do you folks have that option?--- it's an extra 50 cents or something here) is what gets your bear viewed by folks who are putting terms in search boxes rather than browsing by category....  If I have a mini I always have in there 'mini' 'miniature' 'artist' 'bear' and sometimes 'teddy' if I can find the room!  Those are all in the top 10 search terms in the category.  You are right... it's frequently much more important then even the name of your bear.  Not many people have the time to manually scroll through 600 artist bears, they do a search in the category and if you are included in their now scaled down list, then they can find your bear.  If I just have :

Sabina by Kim Basta Wild Thyme Originals

Only those specifically looking for MY bears or people specifically looking for bears named 'Sabina' are going to find her!   :(

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi Daphne!!! I think we are all applauding you for this undertaking.   I think that collectively (I know I was)  many of us were just saying tread carefully with your wording....  Not that you'd intentionally put down the manufactured types....
I guess I'm saying that the carefully worded paragraphs I read were enough to make a "convert" out of me, certainly enough to rouse my interest in this fascinating pursuit we call artist bears.  I think that you are right on target!  I know that in the doll artist world there are many folks who place such educational phamphlets on their tables..... there are actually societies that further education concerning doll art.... The artist teds deserve their time in the sun too, and I for one applaud your efforts wholeheartedly! :D

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi there!  You may have already seem this site, I don't know, but she may be able to cut you something bigger than the 9x9 square.... I just ordered a few small pieces through this site and the customer service was fantastic!

http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.c … atch=exact

Beary truly yours,
Kim basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh... this is just absolutely insane!  Aren't the premies the ones who stand to benefit the most from human contact and voice!  My girlfriend has a baby born quite early not too long ago, and she was ORDERED by the NICU nurses to hold that tiny little baby on her naked chest covered by a warm blanket, and softly sing..... Haven't "they" done studies that show that skin to skin contact and soothing sounds are practically necessary for the tiniest ones to  thrive!!!???

Beary truly yours,
Kim basta
Wild Thyme Originals

You know... there was a bear store in Medina, Ohio that was near the city I just moved from.. unfortunately it closed just a couple of months into my bear making career, so I never really got to make a habit of hanging out there or talking to the owner.  Anyway, the first time I went in there, I was EXTREMELY unknowledgeable about mohair & artist bears at the time, I saw some of the prices on the artist bears and thought to myself... "GOOD GOD, WHY!!?"  Then I looked above the display case where there was hung a framed paragraph that said "YOU PAID HOW MUCH!?"  Then it said, "...The next time you tell someone how much you spent for your new artist bear friend... just let them now the following...."essentially, it went on to describe the mohair making process in brief, explained how much the mohair costs per yard for the artist to buy, then another brief paragraph describing the basic steps in bear artistry.... pattern design, mockup bear, cutting, sewing, picking seams, jointing.... etc, etc.... After reading that paragraph, I realized that many of the bears in the case were bargain priced!  I was absolutely wowed!  Maybe something similar to that might be appropriate?  I don't know, but boy did I look at artist bears & mohair in general differently after that, so it worked on this potential customer! I always thought I'd buy an antique Steiff if I ever had enough money to purchase something on the pricey side!
  I would be careful when wording your handout that you don't sound like you are putting down the manufactured teds... so many collectors have both, and if it were me I wouldn't want want to put off those folks, or sound like I'm telling them that they've spent their money poorly.  The other thing I liked was the basic wording, like it was a justification that one could give to one's husband for best friend, as well as a quick education about the general gist of bear artistry rather than an in your face... "here's why my bear is best", or "Let me tell you why I expect you to dig deep into your pockets..."  It was subtle, but like I said, it really worked on me and I was in that same position that many people are... interested in bears, but assuming that the most sought after and expensive & valuable kind would certainly be something Very old and Very Steiff! 
     

Good luck with the flyer and with your show!!!! 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi Nanc.... not to change the subject, but I must firmly disagree with you on the whole Keebler thing... EVERYONE knows that Keebler cookies are made by red capped elves that live in a tree.... they are just busy little fellows!  :P

Beary truly yours,
Kim basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Not jealous in the "mean" type of way... I think he was a bit embarrassed to have his "30 something" wife clamoring with the 5 year olds to hug a person dressed up like a bear.  I was the only Mom in line!   The kid in the suit didn't seem to mind!   

Beary truly,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh I do hope so... There were kids carrying armfuls of them at the "Picnic."  I'd think it would give them a good appreciation of a bit of the design process as well, since with BAB, you get to pick out body, your stuffing, your nose, your clothes, all that.  The kids really do seem to cherish them, especially since they have "customized" them to a certain degree.  My little ones haven't asked to do one yet, but in my mind its a whole lot sweeter than a mass produced manufactured ted!  Not that I really have a problem or anything with mass produced manufactured teds..... I've certainly seen some cute ones out there, and a teddy is a teddy in my book, so long as it's LOVED! 
 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I DID go give him a big hug!!!! There was a high school boy inside all that fur!  I'm sure there were those that thought I was a bit nuts.... but oh well... they don't know what they were missing!  Of course my husband, who has a serious jealous streak (NOT the biggest bear lover in the world, but sweet and supportive nonetheless), said, "I bet that guy is gonna get the WRONG impression from that, Kim!"  To which I replied (very under my breath and completely out of ear shot of any of the young guests) "I don't think that many teddies are truly anatomically correct .... you really DON'T have any thing to worry about here!"

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I had never heard the trem 'foo foo' used in that manner either!  the only Foo-Foo is know of is "Little Bunny Foo-Foo"

Little Bunny Foo-Foo,
Hoppin' through the forest,
Pickin' up the field mice,
And boppin' em on the head...

That's just a really weird song to begin with... never really liked it when kids sang it, because it's just so mean to the poor little mice!  But now... well, now it just has a whole new strange set of connotations for me! 

I tried waxing a few times as well.... with horrific results!  The wax was either too hot (burns, ouch! )    or just left me a sticky mess.... and still with stubble!    Yep, it's the ol' rasor for me!  Maybe someday I'll try that lazer hair removal thing.. isn't that supposed to be permanent?  Anyone heard any horrific tales about that?

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

That is just absolutely terrible!  Is there a way to make it "private" so that you receive the messages that people post, but they aren't there for the world to see?

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I'm so sorry to hear this Carolyn.... Sounds like Hyacinth had a wonderful life though!  And a beautiful name!  Sending some warm thoughts and bear hugs your way!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

With all the talk of declining attendance at shows and low eBay sales, etc... I just thought I'd post something that might make your gals smile with a bit of teddy love!  As many of you know I just moved to a new community and we are settling in, STILL unpacking, etc... I am just in love with the new community I am in, and here's something really nice that the community orchestra does once a year.  The music was animal related... "Flight of the Bumblebee," Carnival of the Animals," and of course "Teddy Bear Picnic!"  Lots of other bear and animal songs as well.  The kids were allowed to bring their teddies too, and they all marched around and played instruments.   I brought a bear along to work on before the show started and the organizers came up to me and sort of recruited me to do spot repairs on some of the kids bears!  I sewed up plenty of ripped seams, stitched a new nose for a little girl's ted, and made a new ear for another little one.  He was so sweet!  His teddy was "just" a drug store cheapy, but he was so in love with him!  He was a dark brown synthetic little guy, so the beige mohair I had with me really didn't match very well, but he and his mom were so happy to at least have an "anatomically correct" teddy!  She had tried to buy another of the same teddy for him a couple of weeks ago and his answer was a resounding "NO! That's not my bear!" 
It did make me think about the absolute love many of us feel for these sweet little teddy-souls... and it also made me think about the next generation of teddy collectors, and teddy artists!  With the "Build A Bear" phenomenon taking hold so strongly... I imagine that when these little ones do grow up, we might have a whole new revival of teddy bear collecting and teddy artistry! 
This pic appeared in our local paper.  I hope it doesn't come out too grainy to see!  Oh... the little guy in the sandals is Ben, my youngest, and the little one next to him with the bear is Miranda my 5 year old.   She's holding "Patina,"  the first bear I ever made from mohair.  She was sort of a "test bear" and Miranda just fell in love with her.   It's nice to see that in a day and age where almost every toy is some sort of talking, moving, battery eating monstrosity... the teddy is still near and dear to the hearts of the young!

That's great!!!! I especially like the hairy legs part!  I just hate shaving!  I mean, I do it ALL the time because stubble just really grosses me out....

Though I do admit...
Remember in the late 80's (maybe early 1990's--- I can't really remember!) when opaque black hose were really, really fashionable....?  I must say, I thought that was great because you could get away with going an extra day & no one was the wiser! 

Thanks for the smile!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Dilu--- you are too funny! 

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

He's gorgeous Shari... you silly one... ANYONE would be pleased as punch to own such a looker!  Love the fur, love the mouth, love the eyes!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh Dilu!!!! Well, at least nothing but the quilt was damaged beyond repair!  We have one of those ranges too... with the glass top.  You have to be careful with 'em, huh?  I melted a plastic spatula on our not too long ago.....

Beary truly yours,
Kim basta
Wild thyme Originals

Hi Danni!  You know that I LOVE pink bears!  She's beautiful!

Kim Basta
Wild THyme Originals

That wasn't so bad Sarah!  Sounds like she had fun with it, and sounds like you have nailed down some fabric/size choices that will work for both of you!  YEA!!!! Yes... you must CERTAINLY post pics for us when you are done!  Congratulations again on the custom order!

Beary trul yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

My, but teddies ARE powerful little beings, aren't they?  Thanks for sharing the photo Roxanne!

Beary trul yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi there Carrie!  Good to see you here!  Truly wonderful.... I bet that when you have one of those little scenes in front of you you find something new everytime you look!  So detailed and fanciful!

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals