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After posting a picture of my three newest bears on the Bears For Sale page I received questions regarding the clothing and accessories I use. I hope you don't mind my answering here in General Discussion. My thinking is that the answer would reach more of you here. 
After designing bears for five years I have a pretty good sense of the bear to child size ratio. I collect antique and vintage children's clothing. Maybe collecting isn't quite the right word.....it's more like hoarding. I also collect what I call "Bearaphernalia". I have cabinets and drawers full of old silk and satin ribbons, old toys, marble bags, little books, silver cups......Oh gosh, the list goes on and on. It's all child, baby and doll size and it's all, at the very least, vintage. Thank heavens I have a large studio and a walk in closet! Needless to say, my bears are quite spoiled indeed. If I can't find an outfit for a bear then I'll make it out of vintage fabric. Yes, I collect (hoard) that too. 
Where do I find it all? There are specific antique shows and shops I always frequent. Dealers know me as the "Teddy Bear Lady". They know what I like to buy so they hold things aside for me now. They're so sweet! I also buy occassionally on eBay....if the price is right. The only way for that to be cost effective though is to buy multiple items from a seller to save on shipping. I'm a bargain shopper. I like to keep clothing and accessory costs to a minimum. There is no mark-up on these items when I put a bear up for adoption. Exactly what I pay is added to the cost of the bear. So if two bears are the same size and one is a lot more expensive than the other it is due to the cost of clothing the bear......and some of my bears have very expensive taste! 
One more thing I'd like to say......Thank you for all the kind and generous compliments about my bears. It really means the world to me. I love what I do and I love to share what I do with others. I'm very blessed in this life.
Warmest hugs, :hug:
Aleta
Wild Thyme OriginalsAleta,
Oh, those are DARLING outfits on DARLING bears!
Beary Truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Patsy Lake BearsBeautiful bears and clothes ....... Aleta you are very talented
Apple Dumpling DesignsI have to completely agree with a few other comments made in another post...your site is absolutely wonderful. It truly seems to reflect the inner soul of your bears...or at least what I intepret to be their inner soul. They just cry out to be cuddled, snuggled and adopted.
Awwwwwwwwww...
Posts: 8,574Beautifully done, Aleta, I wish I could dress up that nicely once in a while.....pampered little critters.....
'Bear' Bottoms OriginalsAleta,
Your bears are simply wonderful! They have sweet, warm faces!!
I am seriously eyeing that blue jacket on the middle bear... Ooooo I likey!!!!! I want!!!! lol 
Kimberly W.
Aleta - well you know already that I love your vintage look :redface: but I want to thank you for sharing - I wish I could come and play in your studio for a day!! Hmm...I wish that there had once been midget 4 inch children, then my bears could wear some vintage clothes too!
Jellybelly BearsAleta, beautiful, beautiful bears!!! I love the pink one the best...simply stunning
xox sarah
Baird'sBears
Your bears are irresistable, Aleta--those faces
Thanks for the info on bearwear.
I've been collecting bits of vintage lace and the odd piece of children's clothing too. If you can find it on eBay, the lace is a real bargain, one of the few varieties of antique that you can buy for virtually nothing!
We've got a few very good-though-pricy resale shops here in Toronto, and the usual GoodWill outlets which require a lot of scrounging through junk. Sometimes you can find things that would cost a fortune to buy new, or older things that are far better quality than what's made now. Some of the children's clothing was never worn, because the little luvs outgrew it so fast!
Eileen
