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Shelli, 
My dictionary says in part that a guild is an association of paying members. I'm not quite comfortable with paying members at this point. I'm still thinking through all the facets of this little brainstorm! 
Donna,
I'd like some more information on how your club is run if you'd care to share it with me. Thank you so much for your positive input!! 
To the whole TT audience,
I'd really love to share this budding group with you. If you're not West Coast but would like to keep informed on how things are going please let me know. If you are willing to travel I'd sure love to have you join in! 
Warmest and biggest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
Canna Bear PaintLove the name, though 'guild society' sounds a little redundant. Would making it a club instead of a guild, society, or association give the impression that it is a little more informal / open? If so, how about TLC... the Teddy Lovers Club. I can see the t-shirts now... "Everybody needs a little TLC" or "Put some TLC in your hug". OK, I'll stop now. I like the TBAGS name, too.
Kelly
Past Time BearsKelly, you're priceless!! Love TLC!
Donna's Duin BruinsAleta,
If you come down for the San Jose Convention in July you will get to meet the Bruin Sisterhood personally. We are really loose, I can't think of any hard and fast rules. If one of us comes up with an idea we all bounce it around and make a decision. The group calls me Bossy Donna because I am usually the one trying to get things rolling. I have found over the years that left alone to do things and take steps forward in the bear world I tend not to get them done but if I put it out to the group and each one of us does a little bit we all move forward. We all started out together in Scott's store in Sacramento and became friends over the years going to the Christmas parties etc. at the store. Scott was (and still is) fantastic and was constantly encouraging us to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zones. We pretty much just plan a weekend that we are all free and go to one of the gals house. If any of us have taken a bear class we share what new techniques we learned. One year we brought in Armella Dana to do a class with us. There are no fees or anything like that we just all chip in for any of the expenses. There were a couple of times that we went together for magazine ads. Since I do a couple of shows a month, generally, selling bear making supplies, if the group wants me to take their bears to the shows I am doing we all split the cost of the bear table and I take everyones bears. This would be something that you would not want to do right at the beginning. You need to know your group and your group needs to know you before embarking on this venture. We usually do the big shows like Nevada City (You should come down for that one!) and San Jose Convention as a group. Shows are so much more fun when you have friends there to back you up and support you.
There is another group in San Jose who are known as the Tiny Teddies. They meet once a month and do a project. Each member is responsible for a project. Their dues are $10 a year. If you want to join the group you go and visit to see if it is something you want to join. Then you ask to join the group and they vote on if you can join. They have a limit on number of members so sometimes you can not join because it is full. I have not asked to join this group because it seems that I always have a show when they have their meetings.
I don't think I have been any help for you but you have several up there in Oregon and some here in CA that have expressed interest. Just plan an idea of what you would like to do for your first get together and set a date and go from there. I think our first one was different ways to do noses and add on mouths. Let me know if I can be of any help. Scott is really good at herding cats (that's what we call trying to get artists all headed in the same direction) if you want some input from him.
Donna
Oh my!! I'm overwhelmed, literally, after reading the link Deb posted. Yikes!! Deep breath here. Okay then. I'm going to approach this with BABY STEPS. I'm not looking to set up a world association. Not yet anyway. Charters and lawyers and such......whew! Perhaps I should find another "g" word besides guild that would fill out TBAGS!!
Oh Aleta, I think you misunderstood my post. I'm in now way wanting to make you responsible for a worldwide thing....not at all! Oh my goodness, how stressful would that be!! And, I think your idea of a west coast group is fantastic - you girls will have a blast and it's a very generous offer on your behalf.
Rather than thinking of it as a social group I was more thinking along the lines of what I understood from your original posting on the other thread that the TBAG name could have been similar to the miniature/polymer doll ones that I had seen where they have something on their ebay auctions in regards to their belonging to it, being a symbol of integrity etc. They have been discussed a couple of times here on TT and I thought that's what you meant I'm not aware of the primitive art ones that you mentioned so maybe they are an entirely different thing and I think it was my lack of understanding at the heart of the problem. I definitely didn't envision it as a big international shebang community type thing - I think TT serves our purposes quite well for that!!
Whew - did that make sense? So while I was thinking of it in those terms (and not as a group that physically met together for fun and good times) and I was wondering if we started all sorts of little groups and used all sorts of names on our auctions that possibly it would dilute the meaning of the name and just confuse collectors even more as to validity and trusworthiness in auctions (which seems to be at a all time low after recent ebay thefts)
Hmmm....I was also thinking about legal issues and ramifications and all that too. I know that the word "guild" has a very strong associaition with training, particularly in the UK and Europe where there are still professional and craft guilds - take the embroiderers guild for example http://www.embroiderersguild.com/
and I love the fact that the G could mean gollies which could include Dilu's little pals.
So...by no way was I meaning to rain on your parade or scare you - I was just kind of thinking through the two aspects of the TBAG which seemed to be floating around! I truly hope that you guys can get together and have fun - just don't let Dilu's gollies corrupt your bears!
bears by beesley TMAleta!!! I live on the WEST COAST Of Canada! How COOL!
Many Hugs Louise
Sweet Melissa,
Honestly, no harm done. I fly by the seat of my pants and sometimes I get all excited about an idea and then the magnitude of it hits me over the head and I see signs that say "Reality Check Ahead". I AM excited with the prospect of starting an artists group. I just know there are other wildly creative women and men out there who would love to get together with other wildly creative women and men who really "get" them. I can't be the only one on the planet. Could I? 
Kelly,
TLC....I love it!! Now see, you could rank right up there with wildly creative too!! I'll keep the TBAGS though. I think it fits me and my bears if it turns out that I'm the only member. 
And you're right, guild and society is rather redundant so guild is out but the "G" still stands because TBAS really doesn't sound very nice. (giggling here!)
Okay, that's it. It's time for bed. I'm getting a little rummy and the computer screen is beginning to swirl. Before you know it my wordswillallstartrunningtogether.
Warmestbearhugs, :hug:
Aleta
Posts: 8,574
gollies?
Aleta, darling lady,
How about just figuring out a time, convenient for you, perhaps a weekend retreat like you mentioned.....and then delegate chores to those of us who can/will help.
Then when you finally get everyone together part of the time is to be spent actually working out how it goes together, as a Teddy Bear (and golly) Guild or society or whatever.
The task for those attending would to be to come armed ready to work, with research found, with ideas written down and fleshed out.....with pens, notebooks, laptops........
but most importantly
with open minds that are ready to hear everyone's ideas and then figure out how to mesh as much of it into a cohesive unit as possible?
just a thought so you don't sink under the weight of the ideas coming at you fast and furious!
one step at a time, meanwhile everyone can research how things are done in other societies and then we can pick and choose what we want to do in this society, because, after all, Teddy people will do it their own way....but we can borrow from the quilters, embroiderers, doll-ers, carclubbers, etc.
It is far too soon to be thinking about dues etc....until it has been decided how to save it, who's responsible and what exactly does anyone get for their dues?
A paying membership deserves a product or service for the payment.
Breaking it down into baby steps will alleviate the stress that just might be building in Aleta
at this point.
Also if people from farther away are able to come then they can take home the information and begin to think (and plan )about chapters closer to home.....And those over seas can have info faxed/e-mail and they can also fax/email their ideas ahead of time so that those can be considered and incorporated....
There are more than enough active willing enthusiastic TeddyTalkers here who will not only be willing to help, but, will be hurt if you don't delegate tasks, research, chores to them.
I'll be happy to bring the peppermint, chamomile, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Earl Gray, Chinese Green and of course my favorite peach and schnaps tea, and biscotti, to the meeting.
Aleta, dear lady, you are the earthquake that started this tidal wave, now sit back, put your feet up and relax, there is plenty of time, and you are an absolute doll for deciding to do this, but you don't have to bear the whole weight on your shoulders....
just a thought.....
but please don't leave out Teddy's best friend or I will be feeling like I am living with 50 little 'Chucky's looking for ways to wreak havoc and mayhem.....
worried in the forest because the gollies are thinking of starting their own society....uh oh.....
Lemmon BearsOh I would love to join TBAG's too. I'm on the west coast!!
Joan
Lemmon Bears
Dear Worried in the Forest,
I couldn't possibly leave out Teddy's best friend!! There would be mayhem across the land to be sure!
I'll work on getting a date set for a first meeting and let everyone know.
Warmest and biggest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
Storytime BearsAleta, I want to move to the west coast, I love your idea.
Hugs
Jodi
Posts: 8,574Jodi,
good for you, thats why we have faxes and e-mail. Maybe you can't actually physically come to the first meeting, but thats no reason why you can't be included and start your own chapter...right?
Aleta When too much comes at me in a topic, like this one is coming at you, I wait until no one posts any more....then print the whole thing up....then I can cut and paste....with scissors and tape the important salient points into a a smaller set of papers that are more easily managed.
just a thought.
dilu,
who finally got them all down to sleep.....
