New Members saying hello!

[Biscuit the Bear]

Hi everyone
Just like to say hello to fellow bearmakers and enthusiasts out there from a bear from Bath, UK. Look forward to meeting you all and taking part in this great new forum.

[elize]

Hi, welcome to the forum, I hope you will spend many beary hours here.

[Izzy Bear]

:oRather remiss of me for not reporting here first, but I came onto the forum and started posting replies to alsorts of threads. So sorry.

My name is Izzy Shaw,I am 50 this year. I live in Skipton at the foot of the Yorksire Dales in England, with my husband and two sons. I have been a Teddy Bear restorer for over 30 years and have been making one-of-a-kind bears for around 20 years. I love all things Beary and especially the lovely people I meet through them.

Thank you for having me here and I look forward to many happy hours on the forum.

Lotsaluv Izzy x
www.izzyscubs.com (http://www.izzyscubs.com)

[elize]

Izzy
Welcome to the forum. On our honeymoon my husband and myself hired a car and traveled from London to Inverness and we stopped in Skipton where we bought pies. Elize

[LittleHandfuls]

Hi there,

My name is Liza Adams, I'm the creator of Little Handfuls. I make needle felted mini bears and sometimes the odd sculpt or larger creation.

I have been needle felting for over 4 years now and I also teach night classes in the craft. I show my work at local bear shows and recently won a few blue ribbons in my first competition! :)

I am prepping for a BIG show this week, my first time at this one, lots of work to do with a large site to fill. Really looking forward to it tho.

You can see my work on my website (which seriously needs updating) or on my blog which has my newer work.

I look forward to using this forum more, it certainly has promise.

Happy to hear from other bear lovers,

Liza

[elize]

Liza
Welcome to the forum. Can you show us your bears that won the blue ribbons in the competition - when you have time.:)

[LadyEva]

I just joined today so it is going to be a bit before I get around to everything on the forum.

I live in a small community in Arizona, USA and have been married for 50 years. I have been designing and making teddy bears for 30 years. It doesn't seem that long before I am addicted to making bears. I only make child safe bears made of faux furs. I make a lot of of things to but the bears are my passion.

[DebbieD]

I'm another new member! I've been creating bears from real fur since 2001. Gosh...that long? :rolleye: But its all good :)

I've lived in Guatemala, on the Oregon Coast and am currenly in the middle of Missouri...for how long, I'm not certain. My bears have been flung across the US and also all over the UK and one bear to France and several have 'emigrated' to Australia recently. As the summers are very hot in Missouri, I tend to hibernate with my cubs for the summer. So I don't have any new ones planned til Fall. Roll on Autumn...

[elize]

Eva welcome to the forum. I love the boy cow on your web page, he is very cute.

[Memorymaker]

Hello everyone...I see this is a very new site. I haven't even seen everyone's bears yet. I will in southern IL. Have lived in many states as a child and in Germany for a few years as well. I have been making bears for over 20 years and I definitely stuck in a rut...looking forward to being inspired by all of you ! Happy bearmaking !

[jigpaws]

Hi all,

Just joined today and thought I'd introduce myself!!!

My name's Janice and I'm from Edinburgh, Scotland :)

I've only been making bears for a year and I make them under the name Jigpaws as all my bears have a little red jigsaw piece embroidered onto their right paw.

I'm looking forward to chatting to you all and getting to know you all a bit better :D:D:D

Hugs
Janice

[elize]

Hi Memorymaker , welcome to the forum. I love the idea of the memory bears, I think it is a wonderful way to treasure a memory. (the army bear is my favorite).;)

[elize]

Welcome to the forum, I would like to see your bears.:)

[bobbybaer]

Hi to all !

My name is Barbara - I'm 52 and bear maker since 1999.
I'm German,married to an Italian but living in France since 32 years.
Pretty international, isn't it?:D
I've 2 boys and 1 girl and 2 grand children .
I love bears and critters , reading , e-mails and all kind of art.
Just hope to have interesting exchanges on this forum and, one never knows, learn some new and exciting about people, bear making and life in other areas of this world.
Already posted some comments and only saw this "introducing rubric" today.

[Angela]

Hi, I just joined and would like to say HELLO to everyone. I am 49 years young :D and I´ve been sewing bears since 2000 and since 2005 I am an independent bear creator working under the name Baerenbaude (meaning "bears shelter").

I always loved vintage teddy bears and my favourite bear style is creating the classic look, but every now and then a whimsical looking creature will arouse too. Next to my classic creations I also started designing nature bears and other wildlife animals, as they give me the opportunity to try new techniques and I truly enjoy the creative process.

I was born in England, but since a very young child living in Germany. More information about me and my bears can be found on my homepage (we moved 4 weeks ago to Rheinland-Pfalz and therefore the introduction page is not up-to-date yet *sorry*).

Looking forward meeting you all. :)

[Tatjana]

Thank you Elize for the invitation for this forum.

Hello to everyone at this community!:)

So here I am with a very broken English , an open heart for bear making and trying to get a part of this community.
I was born in the Czech Republic but since a very young child I live in Germany .

I love to make bears and sometimes I try pattern from other artists.
But my heart belongs to the classic style bears which I also create by myself.
If you have got any questions - feel free to ask.

[ursaminorminiatures]

My name is Shelley K. Bossert, a.k.a. the NCTeddyBearLady. I have been making teddy bears since 1998. My specialty is miniature recycled real fur bears ranging in size from 2.5" to 6.5". I know several of the members of this group. I hope to be able to offer something of interest to this group and to gain from knowing the rest of you.
Shelley K. Bossert
the NCTeddyBearLady
of Ursa Minor Miniatures
www.ursaminorminiatures.com (http://www.ursaminorminiatures.com)

[elize]

Thank you Elize for the invitation for this forum.

Hello to everyone at this community!:)

So here I am with a very broken English , an open heart for bear making and trying to get a part of this community.
I was born in the Czech Republic but since a very young child I live in Germany .

I love to make bears and sometimes I try pattern from other artists.
But my heart belongs to the classic style bears which I also create by myself.
If you have got any questions - feel free to ask.
Tatjana, welcome to the Forum. I love looking at other Artists bears, because every artist creates his own unique bears. Maybe we can have a section in the forum where artists can exchange teddy bear patterns?

[Danie]

Althought I joined more than a month ago I think it is time also to say hallo to all the members. I hva been reading msot of the threads and must confess that I already have learned quite a lot. My prized bear is Fritz (see the thumbnail photo). :happy3:

[elize]

My name is Shelley K. Bossert, a.k.a. the NCTeddyBearLady. I have been making teddy bears since 1998. My specialty is miniature recycled real fur bears ranging in size from 2.5" to 6.5". I know several of the members of this group. I hope to be able to offer something of interest to this group and to gain from knowing the rest of you.
Shelley K. Bossert
the NCTeddyBearLady
of Ursa Minor Miniatures
www.ursaminorminiatures.com (http://www.ursaminorminiatures.com)

Welcome to the forum Shelly. Where do you get the "recycled real fur" from for your bears?:puzzled:

[elize]

Althought I joined more than a month ago I think it is time also to say hallo to all the members. I hva been reading msot of the threads and must confess that I already have learned quite a lot. My prized bear is Fritz (see the thumbnail photo). :happy3:
Welcome to the forum Danie. Hope you are going to learn much more on this forum;)

[cloe.f]

Hello, I am Danielle, I am 11 years old and love teddybears. I sold my first bear at a fleamarket when I was only five years old. Here I am at a teddy fair. I am the one with the green jersey. Danielle

[bearbottomsoriginals]

Hello everyone! My name is Kimberly W. of 'Bear' Bottoms Originals. I have been creating Artist Bears etc. since 2003. I'm always challenging myself to create something new, or design a new pattern. My family of five (plus two dogs, a hamster, and fish) live in north central Indiana. I really look forward to getting to know you all! It's great to see another Teddy Bear forum up and running!!

Cheers,
Kimberly W.

[elize]

Hello, I am Danielle, I am 11 years old and love teddybears. I sold my first bear at a fleamarket when I was only five years old. Here I am at a teddy fair. I am the one with the green jersey. Danielle Welcome to the forum Danielle, love your jersey:Winking:

[elize]

Hello everyone! My name is Kimberly W. of 'Bear' Bottoms Originals. I have been creating Artist Bears etc. since 2003. I'm always challenging myself to create something new, or design a new pattern. My family of five (plus two dogs, a hamster, and fish) live in north central Indiana. I really look forward to getting to know you all! It's great to see another Teddy Bear forum up and running!!

Cheers,
Kimberly W.
Welcome to the forum Kimberley, hope we are going to hear lots more from you and see some of your bears:)

[ursaminorminiatures]

Most of my fur comes from garage sales, thrift shops and my customers. They bring me an old fur garment, mostly stoles, coats and collars from cloth coats. I make them one or more bears from the garment and then barter with them for the scraps if they are of good quality or an interesting color. Then I use them to make stock bears for sale at shows or my web site.
Shelley
UrsaMinorMiniatures
the NCTeddyBearLady

[minkbears]

Hello! I see that there are already some artists here who also work with vintage real furs. I'm Kathy Myers and I have been a teddy bear artist who has specialized in creating with vintage mink since 1988.

I can sew a teddy but I'm not very good or patient with computers so I'm trying to figure out how to load a photo onto this (for those of you who don't know my work)....

If that doesn't work my website is:
http://web.mac.com/designedbykm

[elize]

Hello! I see that there are already some artists here who also work with vintage real furs. I'm Kathy Myers and I have been a teddy bear artist who has specialized in creating with vintage mink since 1988.

I can sew a teddy but I'm not very good or patient with computers so I'm trying to figure out how to load a photo onto this (for those of you who don't know my work)....

If that doesn't work my website is:
http://web.mac.com/designedbykm
Kathy welcome to the forum. Your Mink bears are beautiful.:happy3:

[bobbybaer]

Hi there,

My name is Liza Adams, I'm the creator of Little Handfuls. I make needle felted mini bears and sometimes the odd sculpt or larger creation.

I have been needle felting for over 4 years now and I also teach night classes in the craft. I show my work at local bear shows and recently won a few blue ribbons in my first competition! :)

I am prepping for a BIG show this week, my first time at this one, lots of work to do with a large site to fill. Really looking forward to it tho.

You can see my work on my website (which seriously needs updating) or on my blog which has my newer work.

I look forward to using this forum more, it certainly has promise.

Happy to hear from other bear lovers,

Liza


Needle felting can be so useful even to change a bears look.........
a "normal" bear with felted face becomes very special one....
Felting paw pads of bears , cats and dogs is cute.
I just wonder how to make articulation to a felted bear?
Up to now my felted animals only have thread articulations:ashamed:

[lapousmor]

Hi!
I am Sophie, I am French an live in France with my boyfriend and kitty.
I already registered to a few forums and met there a wide bunch of other teddy bear artists!
Always a pleasure to be given an opportunity to make more friends!

I began making bears at the end of 2004 and make them as a hooby. I work at my own slow speed, depending on my mood.
Currently, I am in a mood of making ATC/ACEO, which I sell on Bid4Bears (a site for auctions of teddy bears and friends and dollies).

My first show was two years ago in France and I will keep doing that only show each year (because the venue is not too far from home...).
I am goin to try online shows too.

I have a website : http://www.freewebs.com/sophiezours

On my website, you will see that i also collect Merrythought Cheeky bears. I began collecting artist bears too (mostly from swaps).

Beary hugs,
Sophie.

[bobbybaer]

Hi!
I am Sophie, I am French an live in France with my boyfriend and kitty.
I already registered to a few forums and met there a wide bunch of other teddy bear artists!
Always a pleasure to be given an opportunity to make more friends!

I began making bears at the end of 2004 and make them as a hooby. I work at my own slow speed, depending on my mood.
Currently, I am in a mood of making ATC/ACEO, which I sell on Bid4Bears (a site for auctions of teddy bears and friends and dollies).

My first show was two years ago in France and I will keep doing that only show each year (because the venue is not too far from home...).
I am goin to try online shows too.

I have a website : http://www.freewebs.com/sophiezours

On my website, you will see that i also collect Merrythought Cheeky bears. I began collecting artist bears too (mostly from swaps).

Beary hugs,
Sophie.



Hi Sophie!
Maybe you can switch on my lights..........
what are "online-shows" ????

[elize]

Sophie, welcome to the forum. What exactly is "swaps"? I tried to look on a website but could not get access to that section on "swaps":puzzled:

[bobbybaer]

Sophie, welcome to the forum. What exactly is "swaps"? I tried to look on a website but could not get access to that section on "swaps":puzzled:


"Swap" is a kind of exchange.........
Between a brunch bear makers (almost here in Europe- for others I don't know)
you can propose one of your bears or critters to an other bear maker and exchange it instead of selling/buying for money.
You also can "swap" against bargain or whatever the other would agree to give or to deal.:happy3:
It's simply great for someone who loves artist bears and doesn't have money to buy f.ex.;)
Just try and if it works, it's great for both but you never should feel offense if it doesn't work.

[elize]

Thanks , I have learned something today. :ashamed: We do not have anything like that in South-Africa, and the teddy bears forum just got a "swap" section.:happy3:

[bobbybaer]

Thanks , I have learned something today. :ashamed: We do not have anything like that in South-Africa, and the teddy bears forum just got a "swap" section.:happy3:


:Dgreat idea and maybe it works this way!
When everybody in this forum (by the way: you did a great work to build it up, Elize!!:happy3:) gets a bit closer one to the other and we know each other better- there is a chance!
Hopefully it will become more popular all over the international teddy bear world .
Normally artists swap if they know each other as it's rather unusual to say: Yeah - this is a "swap bear".......is there anybody who want's him:Winking:.
Mostly you see a bear from an artist you know on his/her HP or an exhibiton and you go asking: I would like this one from you - is there anything I have that worth a swap for you?

[lapousmor]

Hi!

To answer your questions:
Concerning online shows : the one i am thinking about is organized by North Country Teddy Bear : http://www.northcountryteddybears.com/main.htm
For detailed info : http://www.northcountryteddybears.com/OBearZ/index.htm

Instead of going physically to a special venue to exhibit your bears, you post photos and they are put online a given periode of time (one or two days for a few hours) when you try to stay closeby your computer.
The person who organises it on its webstite set up your "stall" etc.

You usually have to pay to show your bears, like every usual show.

It gives people like me who have not the money to travel opportunities to exhibit in international shows!!!! i have not tried yet. I will try the Ho ho oh BearZ one in november.


Concerning swaps : I made some bear swaps with other artists on two different forums. On both forums, partners were attributed randomly to each person after all volounters gave their names. I had a lot of fun doing them. I did another swap with a friend artist after mutual wish to do it. For such swap, you have to know well enough the artist you want to ask to swap with : you need to be sure that artist loves your bears!!!!
For random swap, before editing pairs of swap partners, the person who organises the swap checks the pairs to get sure the random choices will make eveybody happy : she can decide to rearrange some pairs if she thinks the partners will not match. That means that person needs to know enough about all participating people (their styles of bears, skill level, favourite styles of bears to collect).
Does that make sense?

This could be a great idea to organise swaps on this forum after people can get to know each other well enough for it.

Beary hugs,
Sophie.

[gizmobears]

Gdday to all
Just wanted to say hi and great to be here where us bearlovers can chat.
My name is Di Bester and live in Durban, South Africa.
Have two beautiful Siamese cat boys a Staffy and a little Jack Russell that keeps me company during the day when sewing!
Have been makaing bears and critters since January 1995 and enjoy every minute of it.
Nice to meet all and hope to have lots of fun here!
Bear hugs
Di

[elize]

Gdday to all
Just wanted to say hi and great to be here where us bearlovers can chat.
My name is Di Bester and live in Durban, South Africa.
Have two beautiful Siamese cat boys a Staffy and a little Jack Russell that keeps me company during the day when sewing!
Have been makaing bears and critters since January 1995 and enjoy every minute of it.
Nice to meet all and hope to have lots of fun here!
Bear hugs
Di
Di welcome to the Forum. My husband bought me one of your bears from " The Bear Collection" called "Baby Pete":)

[gizmobears]

Hello Elize,
Thanks for the welcome and nice to hear that you have one of my little critters in your collection!!!
Big bear hugs
Di

[elize]

:Dgreat idea and maybe it works this way!
When everybody in this forum (by the way: you did a great work to build it up, Elize!!:happy3:) gets a bit closer one to the other and we know each other better- there is a chance!
Hopefully it will become more popular all over the international teddy bear world .
Normally artists swap if they know each other as it's rather unusual to say: Yeah - this is a "swap bear".......is there anybody who want's him:Winking:.
Mostly you see a bear from an artist you know on his/her HP or an exhibiton and you go asking: I would like this one from you - is there anything I have that worth a swap for you?
Thanks for the compliment, it took a couple of months to set it up and to work through the "manuals":)
Once we get to know each other we can try the "swapping" of bears. That sounds like a lot of fun.

[elize]

Sophie, Yes I understand now that the artists involved in swapping bears must know each others work, but I can image it must be fun.:)

[Draffin Bears]

Hi there,

I have been invited to join this new Teddy Bear forum site - thank you.
My name is Carolyn Green and I have been making bears ( Draffin Bears ) for about 19 years.

I look forward to meeting you and seeing all of your bears.

Hugs
Carolyn

[Bearly Sane]

Hi Everyone...took me a while to get round to registering.

It's great to see so many familiar faces here...and some very new ones too!

My name is Sandi Smith and I have been making bears since 1996 under the name of Bearly Sane - Teddies for the Young at Heart.

Good luck with the forum!

[elize]

Hi there,

I have been invited to join this new Teddy Bear forum site - thank you.
My name is Carolyn Green and I have been making bears ( Draffin Bears ) for about 19 years.

I look forward to meeting you and seeing all of your bears.

Hugs
Carolyn
Carolyn, Welcome to the Teddybearsforum. I love you bear "Aramis & the Gingerbread man" it is very original.
Elize

[elize]

Hi Everyone...took me a while to get round to registering.

It's great to see so many familiar faces here...and some very new ones too!

My name is Sandi Smith and I have been making bears since 1996 under the name of Bearly Sane - Teddies for the Young at Heart.

Good luck with the forum!

Sandi, Welcome to the forum. A bit of luck is always welcome, thanks. Elize

[Draffin Bears]

Many thanks Elize, for commenting on my bear Aramis.

I look forward to finding my way around this forum.
Good luck with it.

Hugs Carolyn

[austrobear]

:new:,hi, my name is Ingrid I live in the UK and have just registered on the forum though an email received from Elize on my website guestbook. I am an avid collector of old bears soft toys and dolls and was lucky enough to live in austria for 4 years where I managed to learn a lot about Austrian bears, information on these can be found on my website at www.austrobear.co.uk
austrobear is also the name I use to sell on ebay which I do occasionally. I started out by making bears and other toys over 30 years ago for my daughter and her friends and then collected seriously after she left home[ I could then afford to!!] I also repair bears and dolls and find that work most rewarding my skills improving all the time.I hope to make many new friends here and exchange ideas.

[bearlyunique]

Hi all
I joined yesterday and have just noticed this thread so - Hello!
My name is Janet. I live in Lyme Regis in Dorset and have been making and restoring bears as a sort of self-financing hobby for the past seven years.
I love collecting old bears.
My other hobbies include making ceramic puppets, card-making, other crafts, walking and gardening ( of necessity!).
I also volunteer regularly at the Marine Theatre in Lyme which is run on a shoestring as a charitable trust. It great fun and I get to see some very good entertainment for free in return for box office or coffee-making duties.
I look forward to picking up tips and chatting to other bear-makers from around the world.

[elize]

:new:,hi, my name is Ingrid I live in the UK and have just registered on the forum though an email received from Elize on my website guestbook. I am an avid collector of old bears soft toys and dolls and was lucky enough to live in austria for 4 years where I managed to learn a lot about Austrian bears, information on these can be found on my website at www.austrobear.co.uk (http://www.austrobear.co.uk)
austrobear is also the name I use to sell on ebay which I do occasionally. I started out by making bears and other toys over 30 years ago for my daughter and her friends and then collected seriously after she left home[ I could then afford to!!] I also repair bears and dolls and find that work most rewarding my skills improving all the time.I hope to make many new friends here and exchange ideas.

Hi all
I joined yesterday and have just noticed this thread so - Hello!
My name is Janet. I live in Lyme Regis in Dorset and have been making and restoring bears as a sort of self-financing hobby for the past seven years.
I love collecting old bears.
My other hobbies include making ceramic puppets, card-making, other crafts, walking and gardening ( of necessity!).
I also volunteer regularly at the Marine Theatre in Lyme which is run on a shoestring as a charitable trust. It great fun and I get to see some very good entertainment for free in return for box office or coffee-making duties.
I look forward to picking up tips and chatting to other bear-makers from around the world.

Welcome to the forum Ingrid and I hope you are going to give us some tips on restoring bears.;)

Janet welcome to the forum. I would love to see your old bears and ceramic puppets.:Winking:

[Honeysuckle Bears]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Helen and I live in Wiltshire, in England, (about six miles from Avebury stone circle) with my husband, Steve and three cats. We have two 2CVs and regularly 'raid' parts of England and France with them!

I've only been making bears since January and they've become so popular I've created a website and I exhibited at my first teddy bear fair in July. Trouble is I'm now struggling to keep up with demand, a full time job and a naughty kitten who tries to 'help!'

I'm looking forward to being a member of this site.

Helen
Honeysuckle Bears

[elize]

Helen, it is great you welcome you to the forum.:welcome:

[PeachtreeCottage]

Hi Everyone!!

I made it! :new: but not new to making bears. I've been crocheting and sewing little bears and their friends for nearly 6 years now and have no plans to stop! I love making the little miniature ones. I can't seem to get into making anything larger than 6 inches tall lol.

For those who don't already know me, I'm a thread crochet bear artist that is probably better known for my bunnies than my bears lol. I'm also the founder of the Thread Artist Guild (R) and the publisher/editor of Mini Teddy Hugs (tm), an online magazine for miniature and small bears and friends. Links to all that for anyone interested, along with a link to my own website are in my signature line.

I look forward to being an active member here and getting to know all of you that I don't already know.

Oh and for all those (so many) people that emailed me and told me about this place... :thanks:

/bearhugs,

Mary Robinson - Artist Bears & Friends, Patterns, and More!
Master Artist, Thread Artist Guild (R) Founder, Mini Teddy Hugs (tm) Publisher & Editor
www.PeachtreeCottage.com (http://www.teddybearsforum.com/www.PeachtreeCottage.com) - www.ThreadArtistGuild.org (http://www.teddybearsforum.com/www.ThreadArtistGuild.org) - www.MiniTeddyHugs.com (http://www.teddybearsforum.com/www.MiniTeddyHugs.com)
Etsy & Ebay ID: PeachtreeCottage

[elize]

:welcome:Glad you joined the forum. I had a look at the Thread Artist Guild (R) page and spesifically "Adventures In Wonderland" and all I can say is "WOW"

[Marianne Loyd]

Hello Elize and everyone!

:new:


My name is Marianne Loyd I am an author and a teddy bear artist.
I have been making teddy bears for ten years now, making them only
in a limited number or mostly as one-of-a-kind. My signature marks is
the heart on the belly and the use of beads and sequins.
Each bear has its own personality with heart and soul.
Every bear is made with TLC and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

I want my bears to bring Bear Awareness to the real bears in this world,
the torture the bears have to endure like fighting-bears in Pakistan, the
torture in Japans bear parks, Bear hunting, Bears in the circus, Bear farming,
the horrific and inhumane methods of bile extraction and body parts, Dancing
bears etc.

I also make miniature teddy bears.
My teddy bear Snowflake Bearina is featured in the May/June 2008 issue of
Teddy Bear and Friends Magazine. The magazine was celebrating their 13th
year tribute to Tiny Teddies.


Have a great day everyone :very happy:



http://www.marianneloyd.com

[elize]

:welcome:
Marianne it must take you some time to sew those beads & sequins ( 1000 +) onto a bear?
We need Bear awareness in this world, it is heart breaking to see those pictures of the bears that had to fight against dogs, and their claws have been removed.
Crystal the Polar Bear is so cute and she even has her own ice-skates:)

[Bears and Beads]

:new:Hello All
Just to inroduce myself - I am Carol Du Toit, presently running a bear making stuido from home, namely Bears and Beads. I live in Plumstead Cape Town in South Africa. I have been making bears since 1999, and last year decided to give up a full time job to run my stuido. Here you will find everything you need to make your own bear. Lessons are also offered. I would love to hear from other bear makers, especially those living in Cape Town.

[elize]

Carol welcome to the forum. I am going to the Honeydew Teddy Bear Fair on 6 September and will look out for more Bear makers from Cape Town.:Winking:

[debbittybears]

I probably should have started here but I jumped right into the conversation about miniatures! Miniature Thread and Fiber Bears have been my main hobby/interest since around 2001. I say hobby because I see others who are truly artists in this particular field, and I just get the pleasure of learning from them.

In 2003 I created a threadanimals yahoo group that has grown to over 1200 people in 5 years. Most of whom are interested in crocheting the small bears, but also a lot of those who are needle felters and want to try making the bears. We have had lots of fun activities.

I am also a SAHM with eight children, the oldest will be a senior in high school, and my youngest just turned two.

I hate housework and only like to clean if I can rearrange the entire room in the process...in other words I can clean if it is a creative endeavor...otherwise...HATE it!

I enjoy baking (if someone else cleans the kitchen) and make KILLER chocolate chip craisin cookies and really good bread. Or so I am told.

Today I went to pick my daughter up from a friend and came home with two kittens as well!! We might name them Edward and Alice. If you know why than you know another of my favorite hobbies.

I enjoy meeting other bear artists and have made some great friends through the groups. If everyone could be as nice as their bears....the online bear world would be a better place.

-deBBie
www.debbittybears.com (http://www.debbittybears.com)
Delsie, a crocheted bear with a wobble head joint.http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii199/debbittybears/threadanimals/DSCN2048.jpg

[elize]

:welcome: to the forum. deBBie your crocheted bear (Delsie) looks like a mohair bear at first glance. Great work:Winking:
Do you perhaps have a good "cup cake" recipe as I need to bake some for my son's 6 birthday? "happy6:

[slillicrap]

Hi Everyone

I am Susan Lillicrap and very new to bear making with having been making bears for about a year. I like making minatures the best and am now trying to improve my quality and begining to design my own bears. One day I would love to become good enough to begin selling them.

I live and work in Sudan. Bear making is my big de stresser. I have lived and worked in many countries of the world, mainly countries that you see on the news with wars or disasters! Certianly been interesting life.

Hoping to learn from all you expert bear makers on this forum

Hugs
Susan

[elize]

Susan :welcome: to the forum. I agree making teddies is a stress reliever. We would love to see your bears. :mamabear:

[LadyEva]

Welcome to the forum Susan. We all started somewhere with bear making. I have been doing it for 30 years so if you need any help, please feel free to ask and if I can't answer, I know someone else will. I have just started needle felting and this is quite different from sewing bears so I am a beginner too.

[oldbearsandfriends]

A very BIG WELCOME to you all!!:dance1:

[kitty]

Welcome to the board Susan! I would love to see your bears' pics. :)

~Kitty.

[nikita angelina]

hi there,
im a new member, great website, ive been collecting for about three years, anything from new to old, i have about 150 bears and love them all, i look forward to browsing the site and meeting new people as i dont no anyone else near me who collects bears.:new::3bears:

[bobbybaer]

Hi Nikita..............
welcome among the bear - freaks from all over the world !
Where are you from that you live in an area without bear collectors arround?:Winking:

[bobbybaer]

Hi Susan!

We are still waiting you post pics from your bears !
Taking pleasure and get off the stress is much more important than selling.
Just fancy to how many people you can give a smile when they look at your creations and if you receive smiles, ovations and encouragement from people who look at your bears you just have done the half of your way ....... the selling comes often when you don't expect it at all.
Only trust in yourself and go on.
Happy bearmaking !

[LadyEva]

Welcome Nikita to the website. Look forward to hearing more about you and your collection.

[elize]

Nikita :welcome: to the forum. Post us some pics of your bears.

[Pietero]

Welcome to the forum Nikita.

[Mandicrafts]

Hi All
I have neglected to introduce myself, though I've done some postings. After reading all the "Hi I'm new" posts I feel sorely inadequate as I am an avid collector (as you will see if you look at my post on photos of my Hug), however, I don't make anything! I used to make Raggedy Anne & Andy dolls and haunted craft shows with them, and afghans I crocheted and baby clothes I painted with textile paint, but no bears and I became too busy to continue with my crafts. I now sell collectibles and bears on eBay to enable me to collect my REAL bears - artist, Steiff, Schuco, etc etc. I also love "treasure hunting" AKA shopping....to find my unique items to sell and maybe add to my own collection.
I LOVE bears and have hundreds of my own, besides the hundreds that inhabit my house til they find their forever home at new eBay customer houses!!
I've learned a lot but still have a lot to learn! I find some some vintage bears that I cannot ID with my reference books and the internet and have posted a few for help already!! Elize is amazing with her knowledge! One day I hope to be as good as she is!! :)
I particularly love koala bears. I saw a few of you make real fur bears. If you ever make a koala bear I would be interested!! I have a few artist koala bears now along with the vintage kangaroo fur ones, and Steiff ones in my collection (Hug).
I lived in Australia and England as a child but now reside in Canada where I was born. Its good to see that all the folks on this site are from all over the world!!!!

[LadyEva]

Welcome Mandy, You sound like a very busy person. Eliza is great with her knowledge of bears. I am a maker of child safe bears and have been for 30 years. I design them all too. I collect bears like everyone else I know who makes bears. We are just addicted to huggables, I guess. Enjoy.

[elize]

Mandy, :thanks: for the compliment. I enjoy doing research on teddy bears but sometimes I wish they can give us a clue or two to help identify them :Winking:

[teddybearfriends]

Hello all, just joined. :new:

I sell mostly new teddy bears and baby gifts with teddy bear themes.

We have been selling a limited number of collectible bears but are starting to expand this with additions from Steiff, Clemens Spieltiere and Teddy Hermann already with us but not yet live on our website.

I haven't had many dealings with individual artist bears but am hoping to keep abreast of this area by joining here and checking out the posts, and hopefully contributing something to the wonderful world of teddy bears.

Thanks
Kevin
www.TeddyBearFriends.co.uk

[elize]

Kevin :welcome: to the forum. I never knew you get Asthma friendly bears :redface1:

You have a great website with lots of interesting goodies:cute:

[LadyEva]

Welcome Kevin to the site. This site has people from all over the world and I hope you enjoy it.

[teddybearfriends]

Eva - I have a lot to hug! Some need an especially big hug after being stowed away in a dark box for ages.

Elize - we do sell asthma friendly bears (and dogs - although not yet live), however, it looks as if these are being discontinued without replacements coming on stream.

[elize]

I have never heard of asthma friendly bears, dogs, cats (pity real dogs and cats are not asthma friendly - yet):rolleye2:

[jenhanjac]

hello!
I'm new here and not even sure how the site works yet, so I hope I don't mess up somebeary else's thread!
My life-long friend Growley Bear, and I have opened a new retirement home for elderly bears. This is the Welsh branch - my son runs the London branch, which he opened when he was about 4 years old. The only requirement for moving in is that that you must be at least slightly 'thread-bear' and be homeless or in temporary accomodation with a bear dealer.
Some exceptions have been made and a few artists bears or new-made bears have been taken in, but they must be able to prove that they were sitting on a shelf waiting for adoption for a substantial period of time and that no other home had been offered.
Charm and sweet-nature is more important than beauty here. Some of our residents are very elderly and have had to have life-saving ops after a bad attack of moth, dog or over-enthusiastic-child-hugs disease. We are a happy crew and hope to make more new friends on this site.
Hi to evertbody there from everybeary here.
Jenni and hug:papabear::mamabear::panda:

[elize]

Jenni :welcome: to the forum.
Do not worry about posting in the wrong thread, we'll move the posts for you if necessary.:Winking:

So basically you take in old bears that have retired, need love or have bear waiting very long on a shelf for someone to adopt them?
That sound very interesting, :cute:can you post us pictures of some of your bears?

[Belani]

Hello,

I'm French in Québec, Canada. I'm new to your forum and I'm an artist who creates Teddy Bears in crochet, knitting and, recently, sewing. I love creating toys for children, but Teddy Bears are my passion. I simply adore.

Thank you for welcoming me :papabear:

Sorry for my very bad English (I'm French, but I practice :ashamed:)

See my creations to :

http://belani7.multiply.com/photos/album/58/Les_Belanours://

[elize]

Belani, your creations are very cute:cute: How long does it take you to crochet a bear? :paw:paw:paw:paw

[BearWatch]

I am so happy to have found such a nice teddy bear forum. I have been an avid bear collector for decades. Over 16 years ago I opened a teddy bear gift shop in Myrtle Creek, Oregon. It was a dream come true.

I still have my shop and an eBay store.

I am a mother of 4 and grandmother of 2. My husband and I enjoy cards with friends, cooking and large family gatherings and travel. Some of our funnest trips were when we would travel to the Steiff factory and museum. We have done this several times.

We have also enjoyed time with my dear friend and bear artist, Lorraine Chien.

I look forward to getting to know other teddy bear enthusiasts here.

Bear Hugs
Patricia Twitchell
The Teddy Bear Lady of Myrtle Creek :3bears:

[elize]

Patricia :welcome: to the forum.
The Steiff factory and museum sounds like a lot of fun"happy6: