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shantell Nov 18, 2005

Does anyone beside me have these?  I just am bored with ribbons & bows, bells, keys, etc...any other ideas that are simple...I want the focus to stay on the bear.

Shantell

  I'd take them shoe shopping which always makes me feel better but somehow I don't think I'd get the same rush.

Tammy Nov 18, 2005

Shantell I was having the same dilema today actually.  Since I make real fur bears I want the fur to show, not be covered with much.  I too am trying to find other ideas besides, ribbon, bows, keys.  Sometimes I use simple bracelets as necklaces on my girls 6-8 ".  Wish I could be more help.  :doh:

jazzyrags Nov 18, 2005

Shantell     How about hats i made this hat from a sheet of A4  paper and i think it is alright  .    what you do is find a web site with lots of good pics {i like old maps } print it out on your paper rub lemon juice over it ,cook in oven till it goes brownish than burn the sides till you get the look that you want .Fran or  a nice hat like this

Roxanne Nov 18, 2005

Oh Fran! I just LOVE the sailor bear!  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:
He is very cool! His long nose, the freckles, his mohair. The pose you have him set in is great!
Excellent work.
Oh, his hat is awesome too  Great tecnique!

Daphne Nov 18, 2005

I just started making vests... I'm not into dressing my bears but was also getting bored as you are Shantell.

I designed a vest pattern, having no idea what I was doing! I made it out of hand dyed wool, did a blanket stitch around the edges and appliqued a few felt shapes on. It's cute, easy and the sky is the limit with colors, fabrics, etc. AND it doesn't cover up the bear!

I haven't taken a picture yet.....but will post one when I do.

kbonsall Nov 18, 2005

I am running into this as well..... I had so much trouble trying to accessorize my purple felted monkey (I will add pics tonight or so)....

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorNov 18, 2005

Kim, I think I might have some trouble accessorizing a purple felted monkey, too.  That one doesn't have a lot of historical example, from which to draw ideas and inspiration. 

I have an accessory crisis every day; it's called HAIR.

kbonsall Nov 18, 2005

LOL  - nothing looked right with him/her... so this big fun beads around his/her neck and it looks like a fun necklace.. they kind of look like what an oil puddle looks like all shiny with neat color swirls... I will post a pic.. I do crazy animals and colors and stuff with my felted creatures, I feel that I get to be more creative with them

shantell Nov 18, 2005

Oh...don't even get me started on the HAIR.  I use to have cute hair...or so everyone told me but I've let it grown long out of boredom...stopped coloring it (out of cash flow reasons), am now growing pretty angel hairs  ...and all in all have no clue want I want to do with it anymore...I'm in a hair funk!!!

Oh...now I'm really having an accessory crisis... HA!!!      

Dilu Nov 18, 2005

Ahhh Shantell-  I do understand   :)

I was once( many years ago) caught by the hubs with his FLOWBEE       ( remember those) { for our international friends- a Flowbee was this gizmo you hooked up to your vacumme- it would cut your hair at the same time sucking the hair into the tube and what was cut off went into the vacuumes tummy.}

I was going to do my whole head about 2 inchs long......

he didn't let me....

I was a crazed  :twisted: woman looking for scissors while he made an appointment for me.....for that day.....don't know what he said that got me in.

I ended up having about 2 FEET cut off.  {I could sit on it.  but when I washed it it took a whole day to air dry} ok in the summer but icky in the winter.

Great way to loose weight!  Hair is heavy!   :lol:

Now?  I can't handle the thought of it ever getting so long again.

Although he did make me promise no TRENT-DO's

Trent was a hairdresser where we lived who specialized in little old blue hair ladies and on Sunday every single one of them would have the same hair style.

It was pretty hysterical.....and hard not to giggle.....that was many many years ago.......and I am getting to the little old blue hair lady stage....

my hairdresser says I won't need to worry- that they do that with their hair because it has gotton so thin and mine isn't going to thin.

how does she know this?

The great thing about hair?  No matter what we do to it it does grow back.  Usually.

Shanttel, darlin, good luck with your hair dillema.....dont do a DILU! 

shantell Nov 18, 2005

Not to worry Dilu...I'm not letting anyone come near me with a Flowbee...I do have some sense of vanity....noting I have yet to post a photo in the gallery for obvious reasons.   I see my hairdresser next week...I'm sure she'll be giving me grief for not being in since like July...and she won't let me get to unruly.

Now...back to the real question at hand...bear accessories anyone...any ideas...just toss them my way...I'll take what I want...file the rest...   

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorNov 18, 2005

Check this accessory idea out.  http://www.bearpaths.com/jackiemelerski … erski.html

I just stumbled upon this multi-ribbon concept that Jackie Melerski is using today, while visiting BEAR PATHS.

I wouldn't recommend copying the exact ribbon ruffs she's done, per se, because that's so... copying.   And I REALLY wouldn't recommend copying her big-beaded pendants, because she's kinda known for that, and it may bring you more grief than customers.

Besides... Don't we all hate to be accused of copying ... or, maybe even worse, to be the victim of it (although there IS certainly enormous flattery in the latter)... ?

However, the idea behind using a multitude of ribbons and embellishments and accoutrements to make a crazy-quilt kind of neck ruf, or scarf, or head wrap -- instead of the tidy, single-ribbon, bow-tied ones we're used to -- is really intriguing.

I think I may adopt something like it for my next bear!

Have fun!

kbonsall Nov 18, 2005

I've recently been doing collars for my bears with of all things scrap book fibers (ribbons, yarns and such)!  Here are few of the bears with them

My Swap bears for Marie and Julia both have these kind of collars to... I guess it is kind of like another one of my trademarks

Deb Nov 18, 2005

I wouldn't recommend copying the exact ribbon ruffs she's done, per se, because that's so... copying.   And I REALLY wouldn't recommend copying her big-beaded pendants, because she's kinda known for that, and it may bring you more grief than customers.

I wouldn't either ... that is her exact color combo/ribbon, etc., but I've seen lots of these type collars/neck embellishments lately.  It's a pretty basic concept (multiple colors/ribbons used to make a bow/collar.  About anything that can be done with a scruncci <sp?> (you know ... for ponytails and such) ... could inspire a good bear collar.

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorNov 18, 2005

I found/was reminded of a few more ideas for you, while scouring my collection of NOV/DEC issues of old teddy bear magazines from the past ten years or so (I bought them on eBay, FYI, when I was a novice bearmaker, for tips & inspiration.  Great, cheap, source of know-how and ideas, for those interested!)

Anyhoos...

BANDANNAS!  You can buy them premade, or make them yourself from whatever strikes your fancy!  You can use precut quilt square packs so you don't even have to cut and measure the squares!

1.  Bandanna, tied at side of neck.  Maybe with some sort of flower or button or embellishment at the knot.  I actually did this on one bear a while back, and then promptly forgot to use it again as a finishing touch!  BABOO shown with this treatment, above.

2.  Bandanna, rolled into a tube shape, wrapped around head, and tied in front.

3.  Bandanna, tied on kerchief-style, like a little girl would wear it, with point sticking out at back.

4.  Bandanna, tied on kerchief-style, but with the point tucked in and secured, a la "Aunt Jemima." :)

5.  Wired flowers, used as neck ruffs or head wreaths.  These are actually very easy to make, although it does require a trip to the craft store for materials.

Just cut a piece of fairly stiff wire to size, circling the bear's neck to measure.  Then use dried or faux florals (I prefer faux because the dried ones can rub off color and are sometimes brittle), and beads on wires, to create tiny "bundles" or sprigs.  Make enough sprigs to cover the ring shape from end to end, wiring them individually to the base ring, and overlapping them to cover wrapped, bottom stem portions.  When finished, if things look particularly gross, use floral tape -- it comes in brown, white, greens -- to wrap around base wire and bring things up to snuff, aesthetically.  This isn't always necessary.

Am attaching photos of bears OCEANE (headwreath, which actually is made on a purchase bridal base of wired pearls; I just attached the sea-themes items, shells, buttons, coral sprigs, and glass beads) and FORREST (neckwreath, which I made as described above, and then added a wired ribbon bow) to illustrate.

Hope this helps!  These are relatively easy finishing touches, and just far enough out of the ordinary to make a nice impression!

kbonsall Nov 18, 2005

I have lots of faux flowers and such but I always thought my bears are too tiny for such big accessories.... hmmm...

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorNov 18, 2005

Kim, I'm sure you can use jeweler's tools, fine wire, tiny glass beads or pearls, and flowers, to suit almost any size bear.

kbonsall Nov 18, 2005

I have tons and tons of beads, mini flowers (the satiny ones that are ribbon), lots of sequins, swarovski crystals ribbons... just about everything... I am really in an imaginative mood right now which is going no where since I am at work (shhhhh!!)

Hey Shel, I noticed that you used a star fish... i had bought some star fish about 5-6 months ago and they are various colors. I wanted to use them but I noticed that they have a "funky" odor to them....

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorNov 18, 2005

Here's another idea.  I used a long, skinny, chunky-knit scarf, and simply threaded a piece of that same knitting yarn through one vertical side of the scarf, running-stitch style.  Then I gathered the running-stitched edge and tied it at the back, after placing it onto the bear (this particular method is not removable.)  Then I stitched the open edge closed with that same yarn.  This made a sorta rustic, fuzzy neck ruff out of a scarf I already had, but was uninspired to use.

Then I attached individual Swarovski crystal thingies (don't remember what they're called!) around the edges, for sparkle, and to make it extra feminine.  Thanks, Kim, for the memory jog; you mentioned Swarovski.

Picture of PEONY with this treatment, above.

I would have liked it better if the scarf had been even longer, making for a more ruffly final effect.  But this scarf was so chunky, I suppose this relatively flat, collar-like look was just as well!

kbonsall Nov 18, 2005

She is adorable!  You are really inspiring me today shel!  I wish that I could crochet and knit! I have so much expensive yarn at home and I cant do it... I mean I can but my tension is off so the end product is kinda wavy LOL  I was just saying last night that I wanted to be able to do scarves and hats and things for my bears

Deb Nov 18, 2005

Oooo ... love the tiara (or ty-ra-ra) as my niece calls them.

Be so cute with nuts and berries and such too.

kbonsall Nov 18, 2005

I have a candle "ring" that is sparkly berries in a cranberry color and I am just waiting for the right bear that I make to either plop it on its head or around its neck... I thought it would be a cute Christmas decoration for a bear (I never intended to use it for its actual purpose! LOL)

shantell Nov 18, 2005

Thanks for the great ideas.  I don't have a bear ready to accessorize yet I just have found myself finishing up a little darling and not having any clue how to dress him/her up a bit...and am just sick of every ribbon I own.  I did happen to go to the craft store yesterday and bought some yarn & silk flowers...even whipped up a cute little crocheted scarf for a yet unmade bear.

I find myself in a state of unoriginality lately...just a big blank nothing of creativity...so these gave me a bit of a boost.  And as far as copy...I'm good at copying...hate it though so I try to avoid it...and I get easily bored with the same ol' thing anyway.  I'm searching for my own...if you know what I mean.

Thanks again...