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Donna's Duin BruinsOur local libraries have a section for local artists etc. See if your library will put your work in one of their display cases. Hair salons are another good direction. In the old days our local beauty shop had one section devoted to crafts for sale by the patrons. Other places that I had success were in a local flower shop that was more upscale and in an antique mall. The bears look really good sitting in an antique chair. When I knew they were going to the antique mall I tried for a more vintage look and would use the old shoe buttons etc. You can't be shy about getting your bears out there for the rest of the world to see. Many of the newer bear makers here in CA are also doing craft shows and are having success there.
Donna
Mark's BearsHi all,
Thank you for the votes on the website. I know I got us off the subject of generating a following, sorry about that. I do want to thank Quy for his help with getting my website setup. Thank you very much!
I thought of a few other things after my reply last night. My wife has spoken with several of the people she comes in contact with about my bears. To date several of our librarians have seen them, since she almost lives at the library. Several of her doctors, our dentist, several of my crafty friends at church. (Doctors and dentists are good, they usually have lots of money:)) I don't expect to sell but just getting them out of the house may generate something sometime.
Dilu
3. I think your idea of a stamp for the back of your business cards is quite interesting; and now has me wondering if it would be possible to print on both sides of the card, rather than use a rubber stamp-I am going to play with this idea; which i would never have had without you.
I'm not planning on stamping on the back of my business card. I am thinking of having prints of either indivudual bears or my bear family and putting the stamp on there. I will pass the prints out to those that seem interested either one-on-one wherever that may be or those that sign my gust book at a show. A gentle reminder.
Mark
Posts: 1,153I am just going to address everyone who has written since my post and to those who have emailed me personally.
I do appreciate all the wonderful suggestions and the time it has taken to share them.
It is wonderful to bring 'brilliant minds' 
together, to garner so many wonderful ideas.
My reason for sharing my thoughts, was two fold actually.
First I was feeling very frustrated and wanted to hear the comments from dear friends such as yourselves. Sometimes, my 'ole mind plays tricks on me and I don't see things in the proper perspective, so it is a good thing to hear varying opinions on a subject.
Second, from another chat group and other friends outside of TT...I keep hearing the same things about ebay that I was discussing...the confusion about the what and whys the bidding seems to be so one sided in many instances.
I wanted others who may be of like mind, to know they are not alone. Ebay can be very frustrating and it is very easy to take it personal, when in actuality it may be many many things that make it APPEAR to be what we think we are feeling or seeing.
I was not trying to execrate ebay in any way...just trying to understand the mindset of the inner workings and to hear other opinions of other ways to market our work.
I have purchased a beautiful new digital camera in order take it a step farther than I have (which so far has only been ebay). I now have the camera that can give me the resolutions needed to place an ad in a magazine, or submit work...in other words, start to market myself.
The one thing I realized from this chat is to get yourself out there!!!
I think it was Sue Ann who said she decided to get into the business aspect of it.
Well, I am going to treat myself and my little 'friends' as a business and see what I can accomplish from that standpoint.
A huge heartfelt THANK YOU for all the suggestions and support. This thread has turned out to be a true panacea for me.
Nanc.......
Winneybears and FriendsWhew Scott ! At first I thought you were going to stamp your bears ! All good ideas yall....
....Winney
Posts: 8,574Congrats Nanc on the new camera! That is great and I am tickeled pink for you. You were gonna have to do it eventually anyway- you and your bears deserve the best possible!
Dilu
Rufnut Teddy'sNanc , thought I would add my 2 cents worth to this comment that you made early.
By cliquey, I mean there are groups that seem to stay together...if Mary Jane is bidding on Smoochie Woochie Bears...then Suzie Q and Polly run right over and bid too.
Ebay calls this Shill Bidding - Shill bidding is the deliberate use of secondary registrations, aliases, family members, friends, or associates to artificially drive up the bid price of an item. (This is also known as "bid padding.")
Shill bidding is strictly forbidden on eBay. eBay members found shill bidding may receive warnings or indefinite suspensions of their accounts.
I have followed this thread with much interest, I am new too, and can relate to this topic, but I will not be giving up without trying every possible thing. So keep trying everyone. 
Kim-Bee BearsHow do I know if my camera is "good" or not.. It cost me enough! here is the info
Samsung 5 MP Digimax 530 Digital Camera
This feature-packed digital camera boasts a generous 5 MP resolution coupled with a 12x zoom (3x optical, 4x digital), delivering high-quality images even when taken from quite a distance. And if it's a super close-up picture you want, then simply switch into the macro mode for capturing images just inches away.
Product Information
Camera Style: Compact
MegaPixels - Total: 5.1 MP
MegaPixels - Effective: 5 MP
Optical Zoom: 3X
Digital Zoom: 5X
LCD Display: 1.5"
Optical Viewfinder: Yes
Battery Type: AA
Battery Quantity: 2
Battery Charger: None
Max. Resolution: 2592 x 1944
Memory Type: Secure Digital/MultiMedia
Memory Included: 32 MB
Built-in Flash: Yes
Hot Shoe: No
Tripod Mount: Yes
USB: Yes
IEEE 1394 (Firewire): No
Movie Mode: Yes
Max. Shutter Speed: 1/2 second
Min. Shutter Speed: 1/2000 second
Manual Focus: Yes
Manual White Balance: Yes
Aperture Priority: Yes
Shutter Priority: Yes
ISO: 100-400
PC Compatible: Yes
Size & Weight (LxHxW): 4.3" x 2.3" x 1.6", 6.9 oz
Description
5.0 MP (megapixel) digital camera
12x zoom (3x optical, 4x digital)
VGA 30 frames-per-second movie clip with audio
Manual exposure mode
Night scene, continuous and auto bracketing shooting helps get the right exposure
6cm super macro mode for close-up subjects
Creative color effects
Voice memo and recording on still images
Optical viewfinder
1.5-inch color TFT LCD monitor
Date imprinting
Self-timer
Image play: single image/thumbnails/slide show/movie clip
Storage driver
32 MB internal memory
SD card expansion slot
Multiple language support
Video out (NTSC/PAL)
Kim, that's a good one. Hard part is learning how to use it. At the start, I'd recommend focusing your attention on: learning how to shut the flash OFF, learning how to use the MACRO feature, and learning how to manually measure WHITE BALANCE.
Kim-Bee BearsI know how to shut flash off dont know the other two.... the booklet is like a novel!
Kim-Bee BearsI wish the clique would come over and bid on my bears.... 
Kim-Bee BearsI GIVE UP! If one of my bears doesnt sell on ebay (i have three of four that I have listed left), I wont list there again.... :(:( Lil wooh didnt sell AGAIN!
