Saturday, November 14, 2009

Bad Blogger, Bad Blogger!

At the last show I attended for 2009, I was informed that I was a bad blogger. This is something that I won't disagree with but I have been busy throughout the summer and fall with little time for writing. For those of you who don't know and who doesn't I have just about told everyone I know, this past June I completed by Bachelors degree in International Business. So, I am job hunting. I would like something which will make use of my college education.

The two shows I attended this fall were the new Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show hosted by Daphne Blau and the Hunt Valley Christmas Show hosted by Mark McKay and Alex Wilson. Both shows were successful ventures. The Chicagoland show was held at the Embassy Suites in Schaumburg. What an easy facility to find, to load/unload, and no long hallway. The show was packed with collectors, eager to get in, most stayed all day. It was wonderful seeing old friends, artists and collectors, but even more fun was seeing new collectors. Many had not been to a teddy bear show before. Few even knew that teddy bears like ours existed. So it was fun to teach people about artist teddy bears. I am looking forward to next year's show. For information on the 2010 show click here.

Now, we come to Hunt Valley. Mom had decided to stay home to get a jump on our holiday orders. So my brother-in-law, Tim, came with me. This was the first time I had ever flown on Southwest and the first time flying out of Midway; it was Tim's first flight, as well. I was pleased with the service from Southwest and will fly with them again. Hunt Valley was successful as well. Collectors were lined up and bustin' at the seams to get in. I had to change my clothes before the show opened was almost trampled on my way back in (it was a good thing). I saw old familiar faces, new collectors returning from last year, and new collectors. Most of the artists had dressed up in holiday costumes. Meg Jackson and her Husband were dressed as toy soldiers, Donna Neilson was a Christmas tree with lights and tree skirt, I think Shane and Steven were penguins, and there were a couple of sugar plum fairies flitting about. I enjoyed the show and look forward to next year. For information on the 2010 show click here.

Now ladies and gentlemen, here comes the fun part. We had boarded our plane at BWI (Baltimore airport) excited at the possibility of leaving a bit ahead of schedule. I just knew it was too good to be true. The pilot announced over the speaker that the ground crew had noticed a big dent, AKA bird strike, in the tail of the plane. They say dent, I wonder if it was a through and through? And what caused it? A sparrow or a hummingbird? I just wonder. Just gimme a hammer and I'll fix it. (Ha ha) So, we deplaned and moved over to the next gate and waited. It was announced that the plane had arrived. Everyone got in line with ID in hand to board. The operations manager, all smiles and sunshine, announced that this plane had mechanical issues therefore, we would be unable to use this plane. I was a bit tired and just wanted to get home, but why make a big deal out of it. At least safety was their top concern. I don't want to be on a plane that could fall out of the sky, when it could have been prevented. We then cross the hall to the next gate, did I mention that we had to walk around the moving sidewalk, and wait for 30 minutes for the plane to arrive. So 1 hour, 2 gates, and 2 planes later, our plane arrives and we board heading back to Midway. It was all the bird's fault, if it just had called into the tower, as it was suppose to none of this would have happened. A co-worker of mine would say, "Stupid bird."

Hoppy Hare & Bear Hugs,

Jared

Friday, April 3, 2009

Bernie Bunny on eBay

Hello Folks!

I hope that this post finds you well. After selling April on eBay I knew that I need to finish Bernie. Bernie has been successfully listed on eBay, even after trouble with the pictures.


Bernie is a 7" (9" if you count his ears) orginial design slightly big head rabbit. He has been carefully created from premium Schulte mohair hand dyed a lovely shade of soft pale blue. He is fully jointed and secured by the use of lock nuts, bolts, and discs. Paw and foots pads have been created from hand dyed merino wool. Bernie is filled with excelsior, fiberfill, and pellets for a nice weight and he has no trouble standing on his own. Those adorable ears are wired so you can pose them however you like. His sew-in tag is dated and has my signature.

Bernie comes with an oval paper mache' box that has been hand decorated and painted, featuring a copy of early 1900's postcard art of the most beautiful bunny faces. Shaded eggs and pussy willows are hand painted between the bunnies edged in gold, making it a really special container. It measures 6 1/8" tall and 7" long. It will come filled with yellow crinkled paper shreds - Bernie loves playing in them.

Bernie loves playing in his box, too.

Click here to view his auction on eBay.

Hoppy Hare & Bear Hugs,

Jared

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April OOAK

I made a new little bear named April and listed her late Sunday night on eBay. The next morning I got up and checked to see if I could find her in the listings on eBay. I was doing a slow burn as I was not able to find her out there and I checked every page. I understand that it can take a few hours for a listing to show up but this was pushing it a bit for me. Understand that I had shut my computer off and had not checked my e-mail. I was using mom's computer on my way out the door on my way to work.

Finally I logged into my eBay account to find the listing. Upon doing so I discovered that I sold April. I was a bit shocked that someone snapped her up so quickly, but I am glad that she did. April is on her way to live in Ohio.

Below are just a few pictures of April for your enjoyment.


April is a 7" orginial design mohair big head Teddy Bear. She has been carefully created from Schulte mohair hand dyed a creamy white. She is fully jointed and secured by the use of lock nuts, bolts, and discs. Paw and foots pads have been created from a hand dyed merino wool. April is filled with excelsior, fiberfill, and pellets for a nice weight. She can stand alone with a little help. Her sew-in tag is dated and has my signature.

Her flower is a hand made pale pink tissue chrysanthemum. Wrapped around the stem is a "Think Spring!" banner.


Her paper mache' box is hand decorated and painted, featuring a copy of early 1900's postcard art. It is oval, measuring 3 1/4" in length and 3" tall. It comes filled with pink & yellow crinkled paper shreds.


Click here to view the listing.

Hoppy Hare & Bear Hugs,

Jared

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Posey Panda - Mom's Newet Ebay Listing

Mom has been keeping busy as of late.
Posey Panda
16" Center-Seamed Bear

Posey Panda is an original design 16" center seam Teddy Bear made from soft Schulte mohair that has been hand dyed two different shades. Her arm, legs and ears are a pale blue with a creamy white body and face. She is fully jointed and secured by the use of lock nuts, bolts and discs. I have used a wobble joint technique to her head, arms and legs which gives her the feel and movement of an old bear. Paw and foot pads are from hand dyed merino wool. Posey Panda is filled with excelsior, fiberfill and pellets for a nice weight. She has been softly stuffed to give her a vintage look and feel, just ever so slightly slouchey. Her sew-in tag has my signature and date.

Please take a moment and stop by to see Posey Panda.

Thank you,

Jared

Thursday, March 12, 2009

New Items On Etsy

You all know that I have listed Waldon on Etsy. But what you may not know is that mom has opened an Etsy shoppe as well. She has listed several St. Patrick's Days ornaments and Vintage decorated Easter Eggs. She has also listed a special St. Patrick's Day bear, Patty. Please take a moment to check them out. Thank you.

Click on the pictures below to be taken to the listings on Etsy.




Wednesday, March 4, 2009

I Learned Something New Today!

I have always known tailors as men who make, repair, and alter men’s clothing. As a sewer I have never really considered myself a tailor, because I don’t make, repair, or alter men’s clothing. I did work at The Buckle for about 9 months doing minor and major alterations, but call myself a tailor? No. I considered myself a sewer, who just happened to be male.

I have been sewing since I was two. Mind you, I wasn’t making clothing or craft projects. According to my mother, I would sit with buttons, needle, thread, and a scrap of fabric and attach buttons to my heart’s delight. I don’t remember this as I was so very young, so I will take mom’s word for it. After all, she is a fairly reliable source…

I do remember that for a time in the early 80s I had a brown paper grocery bag filled with mom’s scraps and I was on a mission to make a crazy quilt. Did I know what I was doing? No. Mom would have scraps from seed sacks, broad cloth, velvet, seersucker, various cottons, and who-knows-what-else. I would gather together every piece I could find and with my needle and thread, red as I remember, sewing piece after piece together. I was going to make a crazy quilt. I used every stitch that I had ever seen and a few that I made up. It took me months to create a section that was roughly 12” wide and 14” tall and it was a huge triangle with tails hanging off all three corners. Of course I didn’t use a pattern, who needs patterns or directions? Not me. I had no idea what I had gotten into. Finally, one day I tired of the project declared it finished and promptly gave it to the dog to sleep on (I think).

Ok, that was a nice trip down memory lane but back to my main point. I was reading a friend’s blog yesterday and she referred to her dad as a seamster, which I felt it was my duty to point out was not a correct term, but rather it would more correct to refer to him as a tailor. Boy was I wrong! I got an e-mail about a follow up comment. Below is a copy of the comment from Chrissi:

"Well, um errr not to get too technical but you weren't really totally brain cramped Daph :D
A tailor, a seamster, and a sartor are correct terms. Funny thing is "tailor" is defined as "a person" and not specifically a gal or guy. It appears only seamstress is gender specific, so go figure! lol :)"

So now my curiosity got the better of me. I had to check this out. I logged on to google and to dictionary.com. I typed in the words tailor, seamster, and sartor. These are actual words and they are correct to use.



  • Tailor – a person whose occupation is the making, mending, or altering of clothes, esp. suits, coats, and other outer garments.

  • Seamster – a person whose occupation is sewing; tailor. (This one really blew my mind. I still haven't collected all the pieces yet. Oops! There's another piece.)

  • Sartor - a person whos occupation is making and altering garments. (I had never heard of this one.)


Definitions from dictionary.com accessed on 03/04/2009.


Notice each definition is gender neutral. The only one that I found that referred to a gender was seamstress. Other than that every other term could be used for either male or female.

Interesting...

Several years ago while cutting fabric for a high school girl, she referred to me as a seamster. I corrected her. A man should be called a tailor. I was thinking to myself, “Seamster!? That’s not even a word.” Wrong again, but hey those are the only two times in my life that I have ever been wrong. (LOL)

According to further information given in the definitions the term seamster is a Middle English word. Translation – the term seamster has been in use for a very long time.

So Daphne, I do apologize. You were correct to call your father a seamster. But I think that I would call your father a universal man given the list of things that he can do.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Waldon 20” Mohair Teddy Bear

This is what you all have been waiting for…


Waldon is an original design crafted from two tone mohair. He stands 20" tall and is fully jointed. He has been stuffed with a mix of excelsior, polyfil, and copper BBs. His black glass eyes are backed by felt patches.

Waldon has been highlighted with air brushed accents. His neck is adorned with a bow created from fabric and wired ribbon and a floral accent.

Waldon has been signed and dated.

He is looking for a home and would love to come live with you.

$435.00 USD plus shipping.

You can view him in my etsy shop by clicking here.

Thanks for stopping by and check back soon.

Jared

Monday, March 2, 2009

I Am Going To Try Something New…

Well at least for me it is something new.

I have noticed in the past year that more artists are using blogs to sell their work. I have seen that many are successful. I am planning on listing a few items on my blog in the next few weeks. Be sure to subscribe to my blog to get the updates.

Until the next post thank you for stopping by.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Theodore Society Bears

I am so excited mom & I were asked to design the Theodore Society Bears for this year. Below is the information about the bears.

“Gemma” and “Goldie”2008/2009 Theodore Society Bears



Commissioned EXCLUSIVELY FOR YOU! The Theodore Society celebrates its fifth anniversary with member bears designed by Jane Monroe of C. Riffenberg Bear Co. and Jared Monroe of Jare Hares and Bears! For the first time in Theodore Society history, each limited-edition bear will be handmade, hand-signed and numbered by the artists.

Club Bear

The club member bear, fully jointed 12-inch “Genna” by Jane Monroe, features hand-dyed mohair in cream, burgundy and mauve, air-brushed accents, hand-dyed wool felt paw and foot pads, hand-painted amber glass eyes with felt patches, a custom Theodore Society anniversary ribbon and a striped cloth bow. Genna is priced at $155.

Gold-Member Bonus!

In addition to the club bear, Gold-level members are entitled to purchase the gold member bear. Jared Monroe’s fully jointed 9-inch “Goldie” sports hand-dyed mohair in shades of gold, air-brushed accents, hand-dyed wool felt paw and foot pads, black glass eyes with felt patches and a custom-made “Celebrate” wooden bead necklace with a Theodore Society pendant and gold bells. Goldie is priced at $145.


Call (800) 331-0038, ext. 129, to order (be sure to have your membership number handy), or download the order form here and mail it to Theodore Society, P.O. Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945-5000. Order early to ensure you receive a low edition number!