Just some Ramblings.....

Today I wanted to stop by and write a little, but really didn't have anything specific to say.  I thought I'd share a photo of my Aunt and I taken last March when I took a spur of the  moment road trip to visit her down in Florida.  Yes, she looks young - cause she is!  All of my aunts are not that much older than I am.  And yes, she could pass as my sister!  I look more like her than I do my Mom.  In fact, you couldn't tell our baby pictures apart :)


I know I owe a few of you some emails and I apologize.  I am trying to catch up on that right after this post ;)  My back had been bothering me a LOT more than usual these last 2 weeks and on Saturday night - when even muscle relaxers and hydrocodone didn't stop the pain, I knew I had to get to the ER.  (THANK you to my friend Jeanna!!!! - who drove me and stayed with me!)


3 pain shots later and still in pain... I had the thought to ask for an anti-inflammatory shot.  That did the trick!  This has been going on for so very long (since Jan) that I desperately wanted an MRI done right away.  They kept telling me to have my pc do it, but my dear friend Jeanna stood up for me and they did it for me during that ER visit.  A badly herniated disc.  We'll see what treatment program to go with next week.  For now, being VERY careful and taking RX anti-inflammatories. 


Today is a HOT and humid one here in the Kentucky Bluegrass!  In fact, it will be that way all this week.  Thank goodness for a brand new air conditioner!! (Thanks again Jeanna!!!)  It's a good day to stay inside and finally work on that mini bear for the website.  


Don't forget about the Bears on Parade show starting Friday at 4pm New York Time -  visitwww.teddiesworldwide.com to see previews and vote for your favorite bear.  If you liked my preview bear - he is the orange and yellow clown bear holding balloons.....

See my bears in the Online Blooming Bears Show next weekend!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  I wanted to let you know that I will be participating in the online international "Blooming Bears Show" next weekend (March 12 & 13)!   

The virtual doors open at 8am (New York time) on Sat, March 12th  www.TeddiesWorldWide.com 

Here is a "Sneak Preview" of one of my bears named Carmello

Thank you for your interest in my "fur kids" & I hope to "see" you there!

Laura Lynn

www.TeddiesbyLauraLynn.com 

www.FreeTeddyBearPatterns.NET 

Bear Show Sneak Preview

Don't fall over now, but I actually found time to finish and photograph my 5 large (14") bears for the show this weekend!

All bears are available on a first come basis when the doors open at the show this Saturday.  However, if you see a bear that you like and are not able to attend, drop me an email.  If that bear is still available after the show, then I will contact you first before putting him up on the website.

If still available after the show, the adoption fee for most these bears is $165 including US shipping.  (add $10 for shipping out of the US)  Happy is an open mouth bear, and his adoption fee will be $180.

I hope you enjoy the preview!
Hugs,

Benji

 

Pudge

 

Amethyst

 

Magic

 

Happy

 

Laura Lynn

Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show THIS Weekend!

I know how close the show is because I'm having dreams about it now LOL!  If all goes well, I hope to have a sneak preview of the show bears here on my blog.  Stay tuned!  If you are in the Chicago area, I hope you can meet the bears in person - www.ChicagolandTeddyBearShow.com

Saturday Oct 23 - 9:30 - 3

Embassy Suites Hotel

1939 North Meacham Road

Schaumburg, IL 60173

Admission:  $8 for adults/ 12 & under free

Back from the Bear Show!

I am back from the teddy bear show in New Hampshire and boy am I tired! I had a GREAT time! I only brought back 3 bears and hope to get them listed on my website on Wednesday. (2 - 14" bears: the polar and grey & black bear and the 10" class prototype)

If you'd like to see more show photos and a couple of videos of the show, hop over to my Facebook page and take a look right here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teddies-by-Laura-Lynns-Teddy-Bears/190754508657?v=wall

New England Teddy Bear Gathering - April 17 & 18

My gosh the month has almost flown by again! I know you haven't seen many bears from me lately. I've been getting ready for the New England Teddy Bear Gathering! It's going to be a wonderful show in New Hampshire. I'll be teaching a workshop on Saturday (the 17th) and the show is on Sunday the 18th. There are still some seats left in the workshop if you are interested :)

Hopefully I'll be able to take some photos of the bears I'll be bringing to the show. At the moment, however, I have lots of them drawn out or cut out... but not many finished. I'd better stop getting more bears "ready to cut out" and finish the ones I have LOL!

Right now I'm trying to finish a lovely lavender bear for the challenge. Daphne Blau (the promoter and my friend) has sent a pattern to the artists who want to participate. We are all making bears from the same pattern. It's going to be so much fun to see how they all turn out!

The New Puppy ;)

I just love our Basset Hound puppy Stella (we got her the Sunday before Christmas) but boy I obviously had forgotten how much work puppies are!

We got our first puppy (Cleo our whippet) 10 years ago. Athena (another whippet) we got 9 years ago. Both of them were almost 3 months old when they came to us. The 3 dogs since then (Isis, Pandora - both whippets and our Chihuahua Sequoia) all came to us as adults.

So you can see... it's been a while since puppies LOL! That and we got Stella at around 7 weeks old instead of 11 or 12 weeks old ;)

I have a show and workshop to get ready for in New Hampshire this April. So.... what can I say.. all the Girls are in "their room" till this afternoon today... and we'll probably be doing it that way for most of the weekdays if I'm to get everything done in time LOL!!

So Much Has Gone On!!!

Oh my goodness, I had no idea how long it has been since I've posted anything!! I think I'll write backwards in time... ;)

Yesterday I finished that mint chocolate chip panda bear. He's 14" tall and I've named him Pistachio. He's currently available for adoption on my website: www.TeddiesbyLauraLynn.com



If you subscribe to Teddy Bear Review, you may see a familiar bear on the cover. Sweetheart was created last year as a pattern that I was going to have available for sale. TBR emailed to ask if I had any patterns they could include in their February issue, so I sent them Sweetheart. They later decided to use her for their cover as well!


As some of you know, we lost our whippet Isis last summer to heart disease. We knew it was coming for a couple of years, but it was hard none the less. We still had 4 dogs, so you'd think that would be enough. But her loss left such a big hole in our hearts.... that Christmas week we got a new puppy!




Nope, this does not look like either a Whippet or Chihuahua puppy... she's a Basset Hound! Hubby grew up with a Basset, and circumstances brought us to a wonderful local breeder. Her name is Stella and she's such a cutie (slightly biased opinion here!) Needless to say, she is taking up a bit of my time, but we are working out a work/play schedule ;)

Here's a video of her playing with our Chihuahua Sequoya




Teddy Bear Shows!! I still need to update my website, but I will be exhibiting at 2 shows this year. I'll be in New Hampshire in April and Chicago in October.

New England Teddy Bear Gathering - April 17 & 18th (Workshops Sat, Show Sun.) www.TeddyBearGathering.com
I will also be teaching a bear making workshop at this event. I'll post a photo of the sample bear as soon as he's done!

Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show - October 22 & 23 - Schaumburg, IL (Workshops & Dessert Reception on Fri, Show on Sat) www.ChicagolandTeddyBearShow.com

New Bears... FINALLY!!

Hi everyone!

Once more I appear to have fallen of the earth ;) But I'm here... really! The Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show as a huge success! You can see photos of it on our Facebook Fan page here ... and you don't need to be a member of Facebook to see the photos.

I finally have 2 new bears looking for homes! Please meet Blitzen and Vixen - 2 Half Pint Christmas Elf bears! They can be found on my website's Bears for Adoption page here.

Now... back to my studio and more mohair ;)

What I've been up to....

I had noticed... well, DAPHNE had noticed, that I was having some bad emotional side effects from my latest blood pressure medication... AGAIN! That's the 7th one gosh darn it!

It happens slowly so I don't notice right away. But my doctor said I could go a month without - I wanted to wait till after the big show before taking any more B/P medication - and boy does it feel nice to feel "normal" again. Well, normal for me LOL! This has been going on for a year - it's very tiring.

The show is in just 2 1/2 weeks! Yep, I'm still working on those souvenir bears, also my own bears for the show. We've got the buffet centerpieces worked out & the favors worked out. I wrote up the press release yesterday and Daphne tweaked it for me. (She's an AWESOME writer!) Now I just need to write up my cover letter and send them out!

I was working on getting a list of addresses of editors of newspapers and radio stations, when my darned email program had me re-log in again - ARGH! I lost all of them... and need to find them all over again today. Ah well....

Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show Souvenir Teddy Bear

Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show Souvenir Teddy Bear
Originally uploaded by Laura Lynn - Teddy Bear Artist

I know you haven't heard from me very often.... but that should end soon! the Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show is coming up so fast now! Daphne and I started working on putting this show together so long ago -- July of last year. Now it's almost here!

There are a lot of things yet to be done. One of those projects is to finish these little guys ;) There will be some like this, and some with black tips.

He is the FREE souvenir bear for the first 25 collectors to sign up for the Harvest Buffet on Saturday night. We'll also have a silent auction during the dinner to benefit the Good Bears of the World.

The teddy bear show itself is on Saturday, October 24th - in Schaumburg, IL (a Chicago suburb) We'll have over 45 international artists! For more info - www.ChicagolandTeddyBearShow.com

Finally... a day with no place to go! (and new Tag a Longs on my site!)

I was very surprised with myself! I managed to list these Teddy Tag-a-Longs on my website today before 9am LOL!

I've got some special order bears I've been working on, but have been able to fit these little guys in here and there.

Today I am thrilled that I have no place to go!! That means that hopefully I can have a marathon bear making day! As I mentioned, I have some special order bears that I'd really like to finish for their new owners :)

Yesterday was spent out at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Schaumburg, IL. Yep, the same place where Daphne Blau and myself are hosting the Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show this October 24th.

Yes, I know - the show is still 6 months away! There are still a lot of details to take care of and it is much easier to take care of a few at a time over time - than to try to do them ALL in October!

This hotel is just beautiful! It is going to be a lovely setting for this premier teddy bear event! Let me share just a couple of photos of the hotel...and now, I'd better get to making those bears!

My Bears at the Kohler Show

I'm a bit late in posting this I know... as the show was a month ago... but here's a photo of my table at Kohler. That sweet orange clown bear you see in the lower right hand corner is the Trick or Treat Teddy that is the workshop bear for the Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show 2009 being taught by Tami Eveslage. She graciously let him come with us to Kohler so everyone could see what he looks like in person :)

Remember I was talking about computer woes a little while ago? Seems it's catching (not really!) My doctor's computer's were down all day yesterday when I was trying to make an appointment. Because all the appointments are computerized now they could not make any new appointments till the computer was fixed. Thankfully that was this morning! Computers are great.... till they break! ;)

Show Coming Up Sunday November 23 in Lisle, IL!

I am hoping to get some postcards printed out (even if on my own printer this time) and mailed to collectors in the Chicago area about this upcoming show. I'm planning on having some wonderful bears... and Christmas bears too!

I'll also have some brand new Teddy Tag-a-Longs which can "tag-a-long" with you on your purse strap, key ring, or whatever! Of course they also make lovely Christmas Tree ornaments too! This is a new pattern I designed to be quick and easy for me to create so that I could offer them at the very affordable price of only $25. ... Edited to add... oh crud! I don't have enough time to get these finished for the show, I'm sorry! Stay tuned to my website though!

Here are the show details!

Sunday November 23, 2008
Illinois Doll, Toy, and Bear Show
The Hilton - Lisle/Naperville
3003 Corporate West Drive
Lisle, IL
9am - 3pm

Presented by Illinois Doll, Toy, and Bear Shows
For more info visit
www.IllinoisDollShows.com/

Countdown begins for the Kohler, WI Doll &Teddy Bear Show

As usual before a show, I am really busy trying to get bears ready for the show itself. I'll have an assortment of sizes in bears... some 13" bears like Travis, and some 10 & 12" bears...& I won't forget my Half Pint bears and Pocket Bears too!

I have some unexciting chores to get done for the show as well... I'm out of business cards, I need new bear adoption receipts, would like a new table cover... Thank goodness I already ordered and received my acrylic stands! I LOVE these!

Here's the show info:
Saturday, October 11 - The American Club, Kohler, WI from 9-3. Admission is $5. More info can be found on their website as well. I would LOVE to see you there!

2009 Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show moves to SCHAUMBURG!!!

We've had to move the 2009 Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show. It's now in Schaumburg at the beautiful Embassy Suites - just about 10 miles away from our original venue in Elgin. We think everyone will just love the move.

When we found out we had to find a new venue, Daphne called around different hotels to see who could meet our needs. She then gave me the list and i went around to visit these hotels in person. Appearances can be so different in person than what they show you on their websites!

The Embassy Suites Hotel in Schaumburg was even more beautiful than they led us to believe and very easy to get to.

We do think that both the artists and out of town collectors will enjoy having the show just "downstairs" from their rooms - and EVERYONE will love this fabulous new venue to look for that "special somebear" for their hugs!

We also have a new website for the show: www.ChicagolandTeddyBearShow.com

Artist Bear Show in Kohler, WI - October 2008

I am excited to be exhibiting at the Kohler, WI doll and teddy bear show this coming October and have already started on bears for the show.

You may laugh, but one of the things I agonize over when doing a show has been my display. I was looking back over my show table photos from the past several years, and although I feel the display has been getting better, I've still not been happy with it.

I've been wanting a table display to be attractive, but showcase my bears. I also want it easy to transport to the show! This October, I will be driving with fellow artist Daphne Blau to the Kohler show. That means we need to fit TWO artists' bears and display items in one car.

Actually, that is easier then when I fly to a show, but the same principles apply :)

I have finally "bitten the bullet" and purchased a set of wonderful clear acrylic displays such as this one.

The ones I purchased are larger of course, as the bears I am bringing to the show are larger than a baseball card :) And they are rectangular instead of oval - for more surface area for the bears. I can't wait till Kohler now! :)

Chicagoland Bear & Fiber Arts Show - Fall 2009

We finally have the contract signed!! It took more time than we anticipated as the contract needed some changes back and forth before we were happy with it.

Save the Date!!

Saturday, October 24th 2009 in Elgin, IL (a little west of Schaumburg - but still very close to a tollway exit & airport transportation.)

Much more info to come soon!

Schaumburg Show!

Yep, it's been a while again. I'm a bit behind on some special order bears... and I feel guilty if I spend time on my blog when I need to be making bears.

Last Saturday though was the ABC Teddy Bear Show in Schaumburg, IL (my back yard!) ABC has decided to cut down their Schaumburg shows to once a year instead of having a spring and fall show. I was not going to be in town this weekend so I didn't sign up for a table.

Then my out of town plans changed so I certainly attended as a collector! As usual, I was too busy looking at all the bears and chatting with everyone to remember to take photos... until near the end of the show! I was able to get a few photos and put them into my Flickr account. Just click on that show photo below to go to the rest of the pictures.

Schaumburg ABC OctoBear Faire was Wonderful

I know you haven't "seen" much of me lately. That is because I was doing very last minute prep and bear work for my last show of the year - the Schaumburg ABC OctoBear Faire.

This show is practically in my town... OK... so it is 40 minutes away. But it still means I get to sleep in my own bed :)

This year I had the wonderful pleasure to share our home with 2 other bear artist friends: Daphne Blau and Lisa Thoms My husband was the greatest :)

We three "girls" had a blast!! Friday morning we went to the Hobby Lobby near my house - it's only 2 miles away! Neither Daphne nor Lisa have one near their homes so it was a "must do"!

Friday afternoon we all attended Michelle Lamb's class at the show. I am always hungry to learn new things. If I only take away one item from a class - I consider it worthwhile. I took a lot more than just one new technique from Michelle's class ;)

For dinner, we were on our own - the Three Bearsketeers. Daphne and Lisa learned that we also have a Panera Bread nearby - and believe it or not, I've never eaten there! I'm glad they insisted - now I have a new favorite eatery!

Friday night was the 25th Birthday Party Gala for the magazine Teddy Bear & Friends. This was the only time I took pictures and I promise to get them up soon! Mindy (editor of TB&F and ABC did a wonderful job! Everyone had a great time and there were awesome prizes to boot!

The only problem with NOT staying at the hotel is Saturday morning. Show set up starts at 7am - early bird admission starts at 9. So you really need to get your table set up early - especially if you want a chance to walk around the showroom before the doors open! Needless to say, Daphne, Lisa and myself got a VERY early start on Saturday!

The show was wonderful!!!! There was a fantastic selection of artists and bears to choose from. Yes, I got my bear for the weekend too! Collector traffic was steady all the way up to 1:30... then seemed to be just a 1/2 hour lull for lunch and it started back up again. Sunday traffic was noticeably less, but those who came were there to adopt new friends!

Although finding new homes for my bears via the internet is "easier" - I just LOVE bear shows and can admit, I am addicted to them. There's just nothing like being together in a room full of other people who have the same love of collecting teddy bears. And you don't have to explain it to them LOL!!

Saturday night, Daphne, Lisa & myself dined at The Cheesecake Factory. It's located inside the Woodfield Mall which is just minutes away from the hotel where the show is held. The food was wonderful and the portions were amazing! Believe it or not, this was also my first time eating here.

Daphne and I almost fell asleep at dinner -- I LOVE shows but they are so exhausting! But we had a party to go to! At 7[m there was an informal get together of artists and collectors who happen to visit the discussion board Teddy Talk

It was a wonderful time of food (yep, more food!) and chat with bear people - and awesome time! Tami Eveslage organized the whole thing and did an awesome job! You can see some of the photos from that night here.

Although I am sad that the show is over, I am excited to finally start doing some regular website updates soon!