Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Cathrine...

They are really cute... seems to add a special something when they are together.....

Hahahahahahahhahah .... BIG MOTHER was watching....

OMG..her stuff is hilarious!!   Love the poodles and bunnies..... and those cat portraits...hahahhahahah too funny!...tx for the site addy.

First thing I noticed ..same as Edie...no sizes.......I think it is important.

I like DMC Perle cotton ... number 12 or 8  ..... also some embroidery threads ..even some of the metallics... whatever feels right and is light for the little noses..  put a selection beside the mini...and choose the best one.  good luck and looking forward to seeing when done...

Tami...I am on my knees doing tiles with my guy.... my hands feel like Velcro..ick.

In between that I am stitching on a doll that needs to be done for our April meeting.... Raggedy Ann with a Twist...she will be a ballerina....(this is plan D....or maybe even double DD...... anyway....  here is a leg....   

hmmm.... this feels like Alice in Wonderland... weird.... the first one I made was waaaaay too big...now this one is toooooo tiny....magnifying glass anyone??.... , well... better than huge..u get the picture

Have a great day everybody....whatever u are doing....

Our Dad was a barber, so we had the real thing.... clippers!  My sisters did their Punkin Head bears.... good and bald...... and their tummies were scraped clean enough for major surgery....arrgghhhh........

Jodi.... first of all..... don't diet.  Did you notice the first 3 letters of diet are die?....  dieting will lose some weight..for a while...but if you don't change things..it will just re-appear.

Honestly, it is just a difference in life style that is important.  What goes in goes on.......    so...you must change some of the things that go into your mouth as well as making sure you utilize the same amount of calories as you put in.  If you don't burn off enough of the caloric intake...then it adds up each day...... and just desposits as fat and excess weight....... check out labels... see how much actual fat and caloric value is in everything.....and I mean EVERYTHING (every teaspoon full) that goes into your mouth.   I can almost guarantee ...you wil be horribly shocked!!

Use less salt... eat less fat .. less prepared foods..... and especially, eat smaller portions, but, do enjoy a bit of everything... sometimes we just neeeeeeed a piece of carrot cake with real cream chese icing and dammit we should have it!!   But....in reality....  a tiny piece is enough to say we had it; savour each tiny bite and really enjoy it, isn't it?

     Somewhere in your day make time for a good 30 minutes of pretty vigorous exercise... as well as just trying to keep more active overall.  Use stairs..... park you vehicle on the perimeter of lots (not next to the door... make yourself walk as far as possible to the shop) saves dings in your vehicle too..... 

  I always recommend a good treadmill so that you can exercise year round.   Cold and icy conditions make for no exercise at all...and truly...walking is the best exercise of all.  It utilizes every bone and muscle in our bodies.  It also aids in the digestion and elimination process.... which will also do more in the weight control department than you could ever believe possible.   Don't waste money on one that is difficult or painful to use....  spend serious time to try them out before you make your investment choice and get a good one with a nice comfy tread.  I use mine almost every day...love it.  It is easy to do while watching tv or listening to music... I also like to do some arm exercises while walking a good clip... it gets easier with practice.    The time absolutly flies by and then it is on to the stetching.  Oh, yes... stretching.... don't forget ...a long muscle is a strong muscle.... please do that too...it is easier to injure tight muscles and fibres than it is elongated and elastic muscles......

okay...'nuff ....off my soap box for now...  except to say...don't diet.  Just change a few things...and you will be pleasantly surprised with your results....

Awwwww... Ann......he is so cute!!   I think he is great.!!   

If you feel the need for accessory for his feet... try a snowshoe....but, really,  non-skid pads are perfect as they are.

that's so great it looks like heavy burlap or something!    hahahha

looks great Kim

abominable snow man.

Hahahahahhaa exactly what I thought when I saw it.... keep going !!  lol what hve u go to lose? the parts are all done right?  or are they?  I could never do a head last...I need to see the head first.....  to make the rest of the body

No way!!  no laying off with pics!   They are wonderful for a good laugh....a pick me up or whatever.....some of us have no pets and wish we did...I love seeing them.!!  Animals are so cute....

Me again...

Kim... may I ask what your "mounted fairie specimens" are made from?  I love the look of them....

Kim ...I am sure no expert on machine sewing as I do mine by hand.....but just a thought...

Perhaps you could stitch up a couple of scrap bits... with different settings on the tension.... you won't need much to test what you want to see...   then just stretch it quite tight around something like a good size dowel (to simulate stuffed) and see if there is any difference? 

also... hard to tell what size things are...but the thread appears fairly thick, like maybe a button craft thread....are you using the same thickness of thread in the bobbin? ..

Hahahahahha .... can I have a magnifying glass please?  I have a 24 inch monitor and he is still tiiiiiinnnyyyy !!  Use your softest cashmere, ultra suedes or velvety fabrics... easier to turn and makes it less stiff working on those tiny ears...    great job!

Yes Ellen ... they would be stiff with the Apoxie Sculpt....

Krista ...there are different colours of Apoxy Sculpt too.... not sure what colours you would use.  I like a light colour so that I can paint it any colour I want.  But there is black for sure ... gray... and not sure of others...perhaps they even have a pink, like noses. not sure what the taxidermists actually use it for.

Krista  .... I get mine locally from the taxidermy shop.  The only supplier for Alberta from what I have seen.   ...  you could check under Aves and see if there is a supplier near you.  If not..I can always get some and send it to you as well.   

Amelia..... keep your fingers wet, or at least a bit damp... ..a little bowl of water right beside you and then just dab them a bit on a towel...and it should be fine.   Moist...but not too wet..  I love this stuff.  I use it for doll shoes too.  It sticks perfectly right onto the cloth feet and then I just begin to build it up to what I want them to  look like..

Haven't tried the method...but am assuming the bird will not be used as a toy?  so ... shoud be pretty durable.  You could dab a bit of glu on the wire prior to the wrapping and it will hold on better than if you just wrap it.

Have you tried Aves Apoxie Sculpt at all?  It is a 2 part clay that is air dry.... I use it for all sorts of things.   You can paint it when it is wet or dry.  It is easy to use and sticks to anything and everything.... (and I do  mean anything..so be tidy with it..)   but you could put some over the wires and make some nice feet.  Shape the wire first and then add the AS   ....         Then add some texture .. paint them or stick on some feathers..or bits of mohair plucked from fabric...or yarn ..etc...

Here is a little walking staff that I did with Apoxie Sculpt...   then painted with several colours of acrylics...and buffed on a bit of gold with a fingertip

Shantell....
so, do you just put food out for them?  bring them in to eat or what? ... why don't you bring in the others and feed them but not give her any for a while.....I am sure she will come around when she is hungry.

Tom Peter’s Story:

This is what happens when, say, a hotel housekeeper, sees her purpose as ‘enlivening the senses’ rather than simply clearing up a room. It’s a story that Tom Peters loves to tell. A customer wrote to the Ritz-Carlton expressing his astonishment at the behaviour of the housekeeper during a stay in New York with his wife and daughter. After a day sight-seeing in the city, they returned to their room, only for their daughter to complain that her teddy bear was missing. After a quick search, they found it hidden in the towelling cupboard, with a foil-wrapped chocolate clasped in its paws. The next day, the bear had disappeared again; the daughter found it under the bed with another chocolate in its paws. At the end of each day, for the duration of their stay, their daughter couldn’t wait to get back to the room to play ‘find the teddy’ with a housekeeping maid she never actually met. “It was the best part of her stay,” wrote the customer. ******************************************

don't worry Aleta.....we all call the postal people lazy... it is a joke here about any government employees....you know.. ....4 guys leaning on their brooms and one guys working.... lol

Wahtever you do just don't send it UPS (the Brown Guys)!   Cuz then we pay twice as much to get it....   

I think u hve done all that u can in hopes of it getting here as soon as possible Aleta.  Let your buyer know that u hv been following it with your tracking number and where it is etc.   I am sure they will understand if they use the post office for much at all.

Also..if the postal van tries to deliver it to her door...and any money is owing...they won't leave it if she is not home; they leave a tiny notice in the mailbox telling her which post office to pick it up at.    However, if there is no customs charge  ...and they do leave it.....and it is too big for her mail box... sometimes they hide it around the side of the house or somewhere handy.. so tell her to keep her eyes peeled.   My delivery lady does that so that I don't have to go to the post office later to pick it up...sometimes she leaves me a note and sometimes she just dumps it and runs.... we keep checking around the side of the house if we are expecting things.....

Aleta

.... Depending on what time of day u got it mailed...it may be only 7 actual working days today.  And then..sometimes stuff sits in Customs...it sits til they say it moves...that is it.  Not much happening with postal employees in the parcel end of things Sat or Sun here..so that is 4 full days when nothing would have moved.   do u have a tracking number with Global Express?  cuz if u do ..u may be able to see where it is.

Kim

here is a little guy I made from a mix of alpaca and Romney.  I then plucked some fibres from some half inch mohair..and just carefully poked them with my needles into the bear ...some further into the bear to make them different lengths to obtain a scruffy look. It sounds a bit fiddly...but it won't be too much for a mohawk.  Perhaps you could use some longer stringy type of mohair to pluck it from.  Maybe even use some spray or paint on a bit of some sort to stiffen it after needling it in.  I am not sure if something like Stiffy fabric stiffener might not work...   try it on a bit of practice piece first to check how it goes.

how mini is mini in this case? cuz I hve a square of purple..a fairly dark purple .... that is roughly 9 X 9.5 inches.  U are welcome to it if u want it.   could u get one out of that?   Or u could always use it for the foot pads...   It is a short pile soft vevlvet with a nice backing although it is not the hard white grid backing.   

I have purchased from a girl called melsbears in the UK.. ever heard of her? I bought a whole bundle in '05 for only 12.50 GBP   
I am not sure if this is her email...but u could give it a try..

   oldnall6@blueyonder.co.uk       

maybe it is still viable.