Personalized and customized teddy bear gifts and keepsakes for all occasions,Alternative to Flowers

Coupons for Christmas Shopping!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:35:00 +0000

It's been a beautiful November so far in Kansas. We're not used to 70 degrees in November, but then we weren't used to 30 degrees in October either! Maybe it all balances out in the end.

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but I do have to slip in a few things about Christmas shopping. My deadline for Christmas orders is now set at December 1st. I'm offering some great coupon opportunities,and ordering early using those coupons is the best way to get what you want when you want it. You will find lots of gift ideas on my Christmas Gift Ideas page. Custom orders are always welcome and make great Christmas gifts, but they do take more time. If you're thinking "custom" this Christmas, let's start talking soon! You can contact me through the form on my site, that is the best way to get in touch with me. Click here to e-mail me.

Still lots to choose from on my Sample Sale page. Some of these samples are priced at 40% to 50% off the retail price. It's a great opportunity to try one of my bears (or bunnies) and see if you like them for further purchases if you have not purchased any yet. Use code "twit" to get an additional 15% off these already discounted prices. These sweet teddy bears (and bunnies) are in need of a new home. Much too crowded around here, they can't get the special attention they deserve!!

I also have a coupon listed on this page,

http://www.mypreciouskid.com/black-friday.html , along with
other small businesses that are offering Black Friday Specials. (the day after Thanksgiving, in case you are not familiar with that term).

Another website listing some sales, as well as my own is
Unique Crafters Club Christmas Fair:

http://www.uniquecrafters.net/craftfair.html

So,arm yourselves with some fantastic coupons and enjoy shopping this Christmas season!

Fall Back Sale Continued

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:37:00 +0000

I have decided to continue the Fall Back Sale for awhile. That means you can order anything on my site, including my samples (that are already deeply discounted) at 15% off. See coupon code below.

This is a GREAT opportunity to try one of my teddy bear gifts for your holiday decor, or Christmas gifts, and see how you like it.

COUPON CODE: use "twit" in the text box in my shopping cart.

Start Shopping Now

Sample Sale Page

Christmas Gift Ideas

Holiday Teddy Bear Decor

Ordering DEADLINES:

For Thanksgiving and Fall Decor, order by November 15th to receive before Thanksgiving.

For Christmas gifts and decor, order by December 1st.

FALL Back Sale - 15% Off Anything!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:32:00 +0000

In honor of getting an extra hour of sleep this Sunday, I am offering a sale (any reason for a sale, right!) From now thru midnight October 31st, you can take 15% off any product on my site. This would be a great time to start Christmas shopping, or purchase for any other gifting need you have. Or maybe this is an opportunity to buy something for yourself. I am including my samples in this discount, so this is an excellent time to try one of my bears if you haven't already.To get the discount, use code "qflea" in the shopping cart (discount voucher box) and 15% will be taken off the price of the products.

Click Here to Start Shopping Now!

Pretty In Pink and SOS

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:14:00 +0000

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am making a donation to the American Cancer Society of 20% of the purchase price of any bear from my Pretty in Pink Bears page, or any bear (or bunny) dressed in pink, from now through October 22nd.

Columbus Day Sale - SOS! Selling Our Samples alert!
Go to the sample sale page and order any item shown on that page on October 12th, and take an additional 10% off the already discounted prices.
To get the additional 10% off, use code "tenoff" in the voucher box on the shopping cart screen. This is a great opportunity to try one of my teddy bears and see if you'd like to order more in the future for your gift giving occasions.

Pretty in Pink newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:19:00 +0000

This week's newsletter is online. Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am featuring my Pretty in Pink Bears

Read Newsletter

New Items, New Sale Page

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:44:00 +0000

The first day of October already! The fall colors, the fall weather, a wonderful time of year!! I always think of fall as a time when families gather together more because the weather is cooler and it's more comfortable inside. It is one of the reasons why I
like this time of year the best.

Lots of holidays to look forward to, and we have teddy bears for most of them. We still have time to order for Bosses' Day on October 16th. There are only 85 days until Christmas, and only about 60 shopping days on my website until the Christmas cut off.

What's New on my Site:

I've added two more new items since my last blog post. I think you'll like them! The Harvest Angel Bear displays the beautiful colors of fall and would look great on your mantle with other fall decorations. The Tennis Bear is another in the cute sporting bears. We do our best to make the teddy bear's uniform as much like the uniform of the recipient as possible. It is challenging and fun!
I've also added a Sample Sale page to my site. This will be where I offer my samples at discounted prices. There will only be one of each item available at these prices. This will give you a great opportunity to sample one of my teddy bear gifts at a low price. Try one, and you just might like to try some more!

Happy Fall and What's New

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:58:00 +0000

Happy Fall!! I really love this time of year, a little cooler, full of beautiful colors, and my favorite holidays getting closer.

What's New on my Site:
I've made several changes, lately, so there is quite a bit new on my site this week. First, I added two products to the Clearance page as a Sample Sale. These were the samples I made to take a picture and add to my site. I will still be selling these products in the future , but I am offering these samples at a discounted price. I have one of each available. Then, I added two new products, the Paramedic Bear, and the Teacher Angel Bear. I have many more angels to come in the next few weeks, so stay tuned. One angel will be Harvest Angel, her dress will show off all of those rich colors of fall.

As I was looking through my category pages, some of them looked, quite frankly, like a jumbled mess. So I reorganized 3 of my category pages. I hope this makes items on those pages easier to find. I have a few more to do, but these were what I deemed the messiest. The newly organized category pages are: Professional Bears, Wedding Bears, and Angel Bears . Take a look and see if there are any bears there you hadn't noticed before, simply because of placement. I have to admit, I found a few I had forgotten about.

When you have a website, the most difficult and important thing is making sure people can find your products. Some websites have a search/find feature, but I've never really known how to install that on my site. So I try to organize my products into categories that I think people would look for, and now I am organizing within the categories for the same purpose. Think of it like the aisles in a grocery store where they have the signs hanging above the aisles so you have an idea where to start looking for what you want. Some stores also have smaller flag signs within the aisle, further tagging the different groupings. That is what I am trying to do. I'd love to know if you think it is helpful or not.

I strive always to make my site easy to navigate and understandable in description. Should you ever have any problems finding anything, please let me know and I will be more than happy to help you.

Teddy Bears and Holidays - A Perfect Match

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:52:00 +0000

Teddy bears make great gifts or decor items for many holidays throughout the year. Here are just a few appropriate teddy bears that we offer for some upcoming holidays.

Trick or Treat Bear

Holiday Sweater Bear

Scarecrow Bear

Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Teddy Bears

All of our holiday teddy bears can be found at Holiday Teddy Bears and Bunnies

Featured Product - New Easter Bunny Arrangements

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:44:00 +0000

Just in time for Easter gift giving or decorating your home, I offer these two new Easter Bunny arrangements. Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny are dressed in shades of purple, which goes really well with their pink noses and undersides of their ears. Mr. Bunny holds a carrot, Mrs. Bunny has a pail of Easter eggs, probably in readiness for the Easter egg hunt with all the little neighborhood bunnies! I also have bunny ornaments for an Easter tree. I have dressed them in shades of purple as well, but could be dressed in other colors. The male holds a small carrot, the female an Easter egg. See all of my Easter products on my website, including some teddy bears dressed for Easter. Last date to order for Easter is April 3rd. Easter is April 12th.

Featured New Product - Good Patient Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Good Patient Bear is one of our newer products, and has already become a popular way to send "Get Well" greetings. The teddy bear comes dressed in a hospital gown (shown in blue, but can be done in other colors as well) and you can choose some different options. One of the cute features of this bear is the "open air" back to the hospital gown. If you've been in the hospital, you know about dealing with that gown that doesn't quite meet in the back. Some of the options include an eye patch, crutch, knee or arm wrap, slippers, and the personalized ID bracelet. You can see pictures of these options on the Good Patient Bear options page.

The School Year is Almost Over - WHAT?

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:25:00 +0000

Here in the mid-west, the school year is almost over. I don't know how this happened already! It seems like we just started. Maybe I'm feeling a bit sentimental, since next year I will have my first senior in high school. I will be sending my first child off to college about a year from now. That's sort of exciting and definitely scary!

In any case, if you are also nearing the end of the school year and need a special gift for a teacher - guess what, we've got some teacher teddy bears that would make a great gift.

The picture above is designed for a female teacher, probably of elementary age students. The bear sits about 9" high, she comes dressed in school motif fabric, pillow that reads "Time spent teaching is time well spent", and a pencil holder with a painted apple attached to the front. She is simply called Teacher Bear.

This is Mr. Teacher Bear. We didn't want to leave out the male teachers, so we created a bear with the male teacher in mind. Comes in a vest make from school motif fabric and bowtie. Glasses are optional. Bear is approx. 9" high in sitting position.

We can also do teddy bear gifts for specific areas of teaching, like this Music Teacher Bear. This bear is shown in standing position (though it would need a stand to remain in standing position without falling), and stands about 12" tall. The shirt the bear is wearing is a music motif and we've added black pants to coordinate. We can also make a black skirt. The heart shaped pillow reads "Music Teachers are Noteworthy".

So, stop by and see if we have a teacher's gift that will work for you. We offer several different styles and sizes. You can see them all on my Teacher's Gifts page. Last date to order your teacher's gift is May 20th.

Featured Teddy Bear of the Week - Anyone a Basketball Fan??

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:26:00 +0000

If you are a college basketball fan, you've probably been enjoying the NCAA post season tournament these past two weekends. We watch it very closely in our house, at least some of us do. It is my favorite sporting event of all time. This year, I am fortunate to have the team that I cheer for in the Final Four. My Kansas Jayhawks made it by the skin of their teeth, but they made it!! That is a BIG deal in the world of college basektball.

So, with basketball on my mind, I thought I would feature our Basketball Bear this week. This is our latest uniform, fashioned after the actual uniform of the recipient. We have a small space to work with, but can still get quite a few details in. In this case, the stripes at the bottom of the shorts, as well as along the sides of the shirt and shorts, which doesn't show in this picture. We do the lettering on the front and back by hand and attach to the shirt. The front shows the name of the school, with the player's last name and uniform number on the back. We do what we can to make a miniature version of the actual uniform. This makes a fun gift.

Our customer who ordered this product said, "You had her (customer's daughter) email you pictures of the sport uniform, took a detailed description of the colors and design, and from that created a masterful, beautifully handcrafted bear* in the St. Brendan b-ball uniform, complete with the boy's name!!!"

If you are looking for a special, personalized gift for a basketball player, I think that person would enjoy this keepsake from their days on the basketball court.

*Please note that only the uniform is handcrafted by us, not the actual bear.

How about an online craft fair?

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:39:00 +0000

Do you like to go to craft fairs in your local area? You get to walk down the aisles and see all these great looking handmade craft items. But, what if you could stay home and "walk down the aisles" from your computer? Does that sound like fun? No gas expense, no tired feet from all that walking, you can do a load of laundry while you're shopping.... There are lots of advantages to shopping online. So, all that being said, take a look at the Spring Fling Craft Fair put on by the Unique Crafters Club. It will be well worth the time to look at the merchants who offer a variety of handcrafted items. For example, you will find poetry angels, woven baskets, painted items, wood items, teddy bears, stuffed dolls and animals, and more. The merchants are offering discounts when you shop from the main craft fair page. The fair runs from March 1 through May 31st, just in time for your spring occasion shopping - Mother's Day, Graduation, birthdays, sprucing up the house.

Come join me in a game of tag!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:25:00 +0000

Oh my goodness, my blog has been tagged! A blogging friend of mine is involved in a game of blog tag. I have to tell you 5 things about myself and then tag 5 friends. So here goes....

1) The name of my business is Bear Family Gifts. Do you know why?? I suppose because I sell teddy bears and it is a family friendly business with gifts for the whole family would be a good guess. But, actually, it is because I was once a member of a Bear Family! My maiden name was Bear! Can you believe it? I wanted to incorporate my maiden name into my teddy bear business and came up with Bear Family Gifts. I couldn't resist that little play on words.

2)I am a sports junkie! I can't play any sport worth a lick, but I love to watch or listen on the radio to football, basketball, and sometimes baseball. I am enjoying watching basketball almost all day long right now with the NCAA tournament. My favorite team is the KU Jayhawks. Go Hawks!!

3)At one time in my life, I left a job because they were getting a computer!! Now that was back in the "old" days, when we did our bookkeeping by hand, I was so afraid of computers that I left that job for another. A few years later, that business also incorporated a computer, but I was ready to tackle the challenge by then. And look at me now, can't stand to go a day without doing something on my computer. My kids don't believe me when I tell them how afraid I once was of a computer.

4)I enjoy writing poetry and singing in the church choir. Some of my poems are featured with my teddy bear angels, as well as I have some of my longer poems on my website, http://www.bearfamilygifts.com/poetry.html.

5)Last, and most importantly I am a Christian, a breast cancer survivor, a wife and mother of 3 teenagers. Life is full and always interesting.

Here are my friends that I am tagging:
Crystal Creates
Cinna-Minnies
Handmade Doll Clothes
Ragtree Funky Sculpture
Crafters BS

Tag - you're it!

Have fun!

Bunny or Bear??

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:08:00 +0000

This turned out too cute not to share. It is the only new Easter gift I will be adding this year as I am running out of time. But, I did think my Happy Easter Bear turned out very cute.

So what do you think? Is this a bear or a bunny? Does it really matter??? If it's too cute for you to resist buying, visit the link and purchase today! Last day to order for Easter gifts is March 14th. This gift comes with a chocolate bunny and a miniature basket of Easter eggs with a little yellow chick just "peeping" over the rim of the basket.

Easter is March 23 this year - seems very early!!

It's Graduation Time - Here are some Fun Gift Ideas!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:49:00 +0000

With the hope of spring dawning (we in the mid west pray that it dawns SOON!), comes the thought that school will be ending soon. I have a junior in high school, so next year at this time, we will be nearing a frenzy of activity surrounding her graduation. What a momentous occasion, what a milestone in her life! Such occasions always make me think of gift giving, and what would be the perfect gift to capture this moment. There are some wonderful graduation gifts that can be given - cash is always good, luggage, other items needed in college, there are lots of things to choose from. My niece is graduating from high school and I have already purchased a special picture frame and a book, but she will also be receiving a special Graduation Teddy Bear.

We offer several teddy bears dressed in a robe with a traditional cap and tassel. If you want the robe in the same color as the graduate's, we will do that if we can - and we usually can. That goes for the tassel, too. We try to make the teddy bear's clothing match the graduate's as much as possible.

There are variations on this basic design. We have done doctorate's robes with beret type hats instead of traditional caps, and stoles. Again, we try to make the clothing match the graduate's as much as possible. We always include a pseudo diploma and you can add shoes if you want.

We did a custom doctorate bear that is not on my website yet, but is something we can do for you. The customer chose her degree colors for the stole and chevrons, we added a personalized cross-stitch heart, shoes, a stand, even some eyelashes and a bit of blush to make it very female.

Maybe the graduate you are buying for is graduating from medical school. We can do traditional robe with cap or beret, etc, and add a stethoscope. You have just made a very personal graduation gift!

There's another way to approach a graduation gift for someone graduating from college with a professional degree. We offer a variety of Professional Teddy Bears that would make great gifts to acknowledge all that hard work and the wonderful results! For instance, we offer several from the medical field - Doctor, Eye Doctor, Surgeon, Dentist, Nurse, Dental Hygienist and Veterinarian.

We also offer some other graduation gifts that you might not find anywhere else. How about a Hair Stylist Bear, Chef, Police Officer, Business Executive, Teacher, Computer Analyst, Realtor, Aerobics Instructor, or Car Mechanic? Have some fun with your graduation gifts and let us dress a teddy bear that fits the occasion. We are always open to your ideas, too.

The Grand Finale of the Teddy Bear Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:45:00 +0000

We have finally reached the last week of the Teddy Bear Challenge, I am referring to this week's new items as the Grand Finale. Check out our special celebration page and enjoy the fun.

For the ten weeks of the Teddy Bear Challenge, I added a total of 33 new products. What started out as a goal to add 10 new products over a 10 week period grew considerably. For the final week, I added a total of 5 new products, including the last two of my holiday items. Let's start with those.

Choco-Latta Bear is designed to be given as a gift with that ultimate special gift - Chocolate! He gets his name both from the bag of chocolate that he comes with, and because of the color of his fur.

Snow
Angel Bear is an elegant decor item. Dressed in a light blue dress with silver snowflakes and silver trim, she gives the hint of winter and cold weather, yet brings the warmth associated with the good things of Christmas and winter holidays.

The
Angel Bear Family is a sentimental display, or maybe a gift of encouragement to someone. Shown with Mama Angel, 2 young son angels, and 1 baby daughter angel, it comes with my original poem about mothers and children. The great thing about this gift arrangement is that you choose the family members you want.

Computer Geek Bear is quite a nerd! Does he look just like some loveable nerd you know? He comes with a bowtie that is askew, a yellow pocket protector, glasses that have been broken and fixed with white tape, and his very own miniature laptop. He'd never be caught without a computer of some kind!!

Last, but not least, we have Realtor Bear, the very successful Real Estate Agent. In her very large
bag, she carries her "Home for Sale" sign, and the last home has been "SOLD". Included is her ever present calculator for figuring out those mortgage payments. This bear comes with a stand for easy display.

If you have come along on this journey of new products, I hope you have enjoyed the ride as much as I have enjoyed the "driving". I have accomplished a goal that I set, I have added items that were waiting to be finished for over a year, I have discovered the joys of sticking with something even when it was hard. We will be taking a break from creating new products and adding them to our site while we help our customers with their Christmas Shopping. If I don't post again until after the new year, have a wonderful Thanksgivng, Christmas, and holiday season with family and friends.

Santa's Reindeer and the Three Bears!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:37:00 +0000

The holidays are fast approaching and I am busily trying to get ready
in one way or another. That means the blog gets left behind.
So, I will just talk about 4 of my new bears from the last two weeks
in this posting, and one of those is really a reindeer!!

Week #8 of the Teddy Bear Challenge brought 2 new baby
boy gifts , 1 reindeer and 1 thoughtful bear.

Let's start with the reindeer. This is Santa's Reindeer and first rate helper. His name is Rudi, the Reindeer Dude. He helps Santa deliver packages all over the world on Christmas Eve, and boy is he tired! When they get to a house where Santa has lots of packages to unload, Rudi takes some time to sit down and relax. He sees some reindeer food and is enjoying that, when he spies the mug of chocolate left for Santa! What a treat!! Now if he could just find that glass of milk or cup of cocoa, life would be perfect.

Someone is Thinking of You Bear lets you send a thoughtful, personal message across the miles. I designed this one to be sent by someone living in Kansas to someone living in a different state. The message on the t-shirt says "Someone in Kansas is thinking of You". I added some colorful sunflowers in her hand and sunflower fabric pants to complete the "Kansas" theme. This can be done in other colors with other flowers to create your own personal gift.

Week #9 brought another 4 new bears, 2 are described below. The other two are a Male Music Teacher Bear and a Singing Cowgirl Bear.

Pass the dice, this bear is ready to roll!! That's the fun message that the Pass The Dice Bear is ready to send to someone who loves to play dice games. This bear was designed with Bunco players in mind, but could be adapted to other dice games such as Yahtzee and Farkel. She comes with 3 di in her hand, showing a Bunco, and the bell to ring to start the game. There are also 3 tiny di on the ribbon in her hair. She is just for fun, a gift that recognizes someone's special interest in a dice game.

Last, but certainly not least, is one of my favorite new bears, Good Mornin' Mama Bear! Does this look like you in the mornings? Or maybe your mom or grandmother? This is a "just for fun" bear that I really enjoyed putting together. She comes dressed in a colorful housedress, teddy bear slippers (I also have bunny slippers and chickie slippers available at this time), glasses and 3 curlers in her hair. Her cup is filled with her morning coffee and she is ready to sit down and read her newspaper. This bear makes me smile, maybe it would someone on your gift list smile, too!

Next week is my last week of the Teddy Bear Challenge and I am planning a Grand Finale!! Stay tuned and then get ready to shop. Get your Christmas gift list out and start thinking about who might like one of these fine teddy bears (or other animals). Don't forget to read about my early shopper discount!

Holiday Teddy Bears on Parade!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 01:31:00 +0000

Here it is Week #7 of the Teddy Bear Challenge, and I haven't even posted about Week #6 yet! Sometimes life just gets in the way....

I wanted to feature the new bears from Week #6 because they are my new holiday bears. I also have 3 new Professional Bears that I added just this week. You can always find my newest bears on my What's New page.

For Week #6, I decided to add 6 new holiday bears. Many of these were supposed to have been done for 2006 holidays, but I repeat, sometimes life just gets in the way.....

I have 4 new bears that I call the Mr. Bears. There were 3 of these on my site for other holidays, now there is one for the fall season, one for the winter, and 2 for Christmas. Mr. Fall Bear is dressed in a vest with matching bow tie and top hat, and comes with 3 pumpkins. His vest is made of blue fabric with scarecrows on it. He makes a very nice fall decor item.

Mr. Christmas Bear is a jaunty fellow in his bright, cheery vest and matching bowtie. He wears a Santa hat and has lots of presents that he is bringing to your house. This would be a cute gift to send to someone that you will not be seeing this Christmas.

The second style of Mr. Christmas Bear is a more elegant version. His vest has
"Season's Greetings" written in gold on it and he wears a black top hat. He is also delivering a poinsettia to your home as jesture of appreciation and to wish you Merry Christmas.

The last of the new Mr. Bears is Mr. Snow Bear. He comes in white, appropriate for a snow bear I would think, and is dressed in a fun vest with snowmen on it. He wears a black floppy hat that keeps his ears warm as he shovels the snow. He makes cute winter or Christmas decor, or a fun gift, maybe for someone who loves snow but lives in a warmer climate where they don't get much snow.

Another fun snow gift for someone who loves the snow and just can't get enough of it is the Let It Snow Bear. He is dressed in some cute red pants with snowmen, a red sweater with snowflakes, and his red ear muffs. He's got 3 snowballs all ready for a good snowball fight.

The Reindeer Sweater Bear is a bit of whimsy for the Christmas season. I always laugh just a little everytime I look at his picture. Whimsy is something that is just for fun, maybe a little out of the ordinary, and definitely not something of logic! I think that describes this teddy bear to a "T"! The sweater has a hood with antlers that the teddy bear's face just peeks through. I have added a little jingle bell to the sweater just for fun. The pants have pictures of Santa and gifts on it. If you know someone who needs a little "pick-me-up" this holiday season, this guy just might be the thing to do that.

I have one more holiday item to talk about, but he is already on my site with my other new items for Week #8. Wow, two more weeks to go to complete the 10 week Teddy Bear Challenge! What else will I add? I don't even know the answer to that question. I've added a total of 24 new bears to my site during this challenge. Originally I wanted to get up 1 new item per week. These teddy bears are multiplying like - bunnies!! Did you know I also have bunnies on my site? They are as cute as can be and available in several sizes.

For your holiday gift giving convenience, there are a couple of pages you might want to visit:

*Christmas Gift Ideas - just a few ideas for various groups of people you might be buying gifts for

*Christmas Ordering - I'm offering a discount for any Christmas orders entered before November 15th. Order early and save some money!

Until next time, I remain your personal Teddy Bear Clothier!

Week #5 is Live!!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:06:00 +0000

Another week, more new items for my Teddy Bear Challenge. This week, I only added 3 new items, with 2 of those being Christmas Teddy Bears. I know it seems early, but....

I was in a store this weekend that was all decked out in their Christmas decor for sale, but they also had a big digital countdown sign. Only 80 days until Christmas. Maybe that seems like alot of time to you, but if your life is busy with work, lots of family activities, and so on, the time will fly by. Don't let your shopping fall through the cracks. Hint, hint!

Let's look at the non-Christmas bear first, this is the Wizard of Bearz. He was ordered as a gift for a friend's birthday and was used as a centerpiece for the wizard themed party. You can buy a stand from me to hold the bear in standing position. He would look great on the shelf or dresser of a collector of fun and fanciful things. He is dressed in blue and gold, but you can choose different colors if you like.

Now for the Christmas bears, first is Christmas Sweater Bear. I use a white bear for this piece, as I love the contrast between the white bear and the red sweater. Some of my bears hold a rose, but this one has a poinsettia. That seemed the appropriate flower for a bear to hold. The Christmas sweater style can vary, but this one has NOEL in white knitted into the sweater. She's got a cute red bow in her "hair" as well.

The last piece added this week is the Christmas Joy Angel Bear. She is a smaller bear, only 6" high in sitting position. She comes with 3 blocks that spell out JOY. I am offering her in 2 styles, one with small blocks as shown here, or with larger blocks. She is dressed in a dark red fabric with gold swirls, and then trimmed in gold an white. Small, but very cute decor item or gift.

I have more Christmas teddy bears to come in the next few weeks. Some are rather serious - at least as serious as a teddy bear can be! And some are rather whimsical and comical. You may also see a reindeer in the midst of all these teddy bears. Stay tuned!

The Great Teddy Bear Challenge Continues!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:53:00 +0000

This week I challenged myself to add 4 new bears, as I wanted to get some new bears for the holidays on my website. So, 1 Halloween Bear, plus 1 Thanksgiving Bear, plus 1 Snowman Bear, plus 1 Futuristic Warrior Bear = 4 new bears. The Futuristic Warrior was a custom order for a science fiction fan, specifically a fan of a certain science fiction movie series. I thought it turned out very well. Custom orders are always challenges in their own right, but I believe we've always been able to accomodate a customer's desire. I appreciate the opportunity to take on the challenge, and enjoy the ideas presented by my customers.

The Trick or Treat Bear is a remake of an older design, as the style of sweater has changed. This would make a really cute Halloween party centerpiece, especially if you are wanting to stay away from the really scary stuff. Young children would really enjoy this cute bear along with other fun items being the center of a refreshment table. Maybe the bear could even be a door prize at the end of the evening.

Thanksgiving Bear would make a nice decor item, surrounded by other fall decor, like leaves, small squash and pumpkings, etc. I added some wooden blocks that spell out GIVE THANKS, to focus on the holiday. Or it could be used to send a Happy Thanksgiving greeting to someone you are missing at Thanksgiving. I'm always happy to enclose a gift card with any purchase at no extra charge. Your gift would come in a clear plastic bag, which protects it from any moisture or dirt it might encouter on the way to it's destination. I close the bag with ribbons that coordinate with the colors of the clothing, and attach the gift card to the ribbons. It makes an attractive presentation, and your personalized gift card will make it a very special gift from you.

I really enjoy looking at snowman crafts. There is something about a snowman that makes me smile. Maybe because I always think of kids going outside in the cold and the pure joy they have in making a snowman. To them, the snow and cold is something to enjoy and experience. Teddy bears evoke some of the same thoughts of childhood joys and carefree times, so why not take a teddy bear and dress it like a snowman? I really enjoyed putting this design together, it appealed to the whimsical, fun side of my personality. The Snowman Bear would make a great gift for someone who collects snowmen, or a fun piece of winter decor for your home.

Next week, I won't be adding 4 bears, but possibly 3, as I have 2 more holiday bears I want to add to the Christmas Teddy Bears, as teddy bears always make great Christmas decor or gifts. You just can't go wrong with a teddy bear gift! My Christmas cut-off for taking orders is not firm yet, but in the past has been around December 1st. That's only about 2 months away, so I encourage you to not delay in ordering your teddy bear gifts for Christmas!

See you next week!

Two New Bears this Week!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:17:00 +0000

For Week #3 of the Teddy Bear Challenge, I have added 2 new bears. I have so many new items to add, some dating back to 2005, that I may just have to add 2 every week from now on. And you wouldn't believe all the ideas I have started and not finished, not the mention the ones that are just in my head!

The first new item is Lexi's Little Angel Bear, named for my great neice born in July. I haven't seen her yet in person, but I'm sure she's even cuter than this little angel bear. This is a small angel, as it is only about 3" high in sitting position.

The second new item is called Bling Queen Bear, she is a hoot! Lots of color, lots of jewelry, sunglasses, cell phone - she's got it all! The Bling Queen can be customized with different color clothing and accessories, as well as choosing different accessories. She's a lot of fun and would be a welcome gift, I'm sure.

It is officially fall now, and with that change in seasons, we allergy suffers are anticipating the freeze that takes away whatever makes us sneeze and itch. With the coming of fall, we can also look ahead to upcoming holidays. I don't offer much in the way of fall decor, but I do have a few things. I offer a Trick or Treat Bear, which would be very cute for a Halloween party that you don't want to be super scary, like for younger children.

I also have an interesting Scarecrow Bear, which could be left out for the entire fall season.

I try to offer a variety of teddy bears, as well as a few bunnies, to appeal to wide variety of interests and gift giving occasions. But, I believe it is much like all the new cereals or ice creams you see in the store, some items remain your best sellers, no matter how many new things you add. I enjoy doing new things, and I hope you enjoy seeing the new things. I always find it interesting to browse the flavors of ice cream whether in the freezer section of my grocery store, or at an ice cream specialty fast food restaurant. But you know what? I still usually get vanilla or chocolate! Why? Sometimes I just want the comfort and confidence of the familiar.

In some ways, no matter how a teddy bear is dressed, it is always the "familiar" because of the teddy bears we had in our childhood. Or, if you're like me, as an adult, you still have a few teddy bears around. Maybe the next time you need to give a gift, you'll want something both familiar and different. My teddy bear gifts offer both of those aspects. If you ever have any questions, you can always contact me using my contact form on my website.

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:34:00 +0000

Week #2 of the Teddy Bear Challenge is here, and so is the newest teddy bear gift to hit the internet. Anniversary Bears are just the sweetest couple! It looks like the male is whispering something in the female's ear - maybe a tender "I love you - thanks for all the wonderful years together." A return customer asked me to make something special for his friends that were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. What you see is what we came up with. Gold roses, gold writing and trim on the personalized heart to represent 50 years together.

This type of representation can be done with any year and appropriate color.The great thing about a gift like this is that it can be personalized with names, date, personal message,colors, etc. I'm sure you can find other anniversary gifts for specific years of marriage, and probably even in teddy bears, but can you have it "say" what you want? We can do that for you with the way we personalize our gifts.

Speaking of Christmas...oh, you weren't? Hmm, maybe it's time to start thinking about who is on your Christmas list this year. I know it seems early, but these months will go by very quickly. I have two pages on my website that you might find helpful in thinking about Christmas gifts and decor, Christmas Gift Ideas and Christmas Teddy Bears. Teddy bears and Christmas just seem to go together naturally, maybe there's a teddy bear gift that would be perfect for someone on your gift list.

These two pages are only suggestions, of course, any of our teddy bears would make a great gift. A Pirate Bear for a pirate collector, a Doctor Bear for your favorite doctor or someone who aspires to be a doctor, a Graduate Bear for a December college graduate, a Cowboy Bear for someone who loves the western look, a Teacher Bear for your favorite teacher. The possibilities are almost endless!

Let me introduce you to the Bear Family -Momma Bear, Son Jack, Son Bill, Daughter Mary, Grandson Jake, Granddaughter Jill. This is a great way to represent each member of the family. Papa Bear is available, too, as well as a fourth generation, smaller than the grandchildren shown. If your mother or grandmother loves teddy bears, wouldn't she just love this? Each bear comes with a name tag and can be dressed in a variety of colors, or matching clothing. All males are shown in blue denim overalls, but other clothing can be used.

Come by our website and look at all the different styles of teddy bear gifts. If you don't see what you're looking for, contact me, we love to do custom orders!

The Teddy Bear Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:04:00 +0000

Here's something kind of fun if you like teddy bears. I'm having a Teddy Bear Challenge on my website. For the next 10 weeks, I will be adding one new product per week and announcing this on my What's New page. This is a fun and motivational way for me to add these products that have been website ready for quite some time.

I hope you will come and join in the fun of the mystery and discovery of each new teddy bear gift.

If you haven't checked our my site in awhile, there have been a few additions in the last months. You might notice a certain Mother Theadora Bear, a great gift for a nun or Catholic teacher. I have also recently added a Dentist Bear. People have purchased this one for some very different reasons. One was actually for a dentist as a "thank you" for a great job on some "involved" dentistry. Another purpose was to give as a gift to someone recovering from dental surgery.

I had a customer write a note to me recently about his choosing of teddy bears to give as gifts: "I think that I am hooked on teddy bears as a future way of showing my appreciation of friendship towards those who have more than been kind and in their showing concern for me. The feeling of knowing that someone cares for another is overwhelming and priceless. I am sure that our Heavenly Father recognizes this obedience of his commandment that we love one another as He loves us. Thanks for your part in helping me to come to this realization and in showing my gratitude to others.".. I thought that was very kind of him, as well as one of the very reasons that I like to offer my teddy bears as gifts - to show people that they are appreciated, cared about, and thought of.

Here's another great reason to give a teddy bear gift, this was a way to use a teddy bear that I would never have dreamt: "Rev. Robak of New Jersey bought a Priest Bear for one of his parishoners who resides in a nursing home. He said, "I recently visited her and gave her this PRIEST TEDDY BEAR and told her that, through it, I was always with her. This woman, who is over 90 years of age, smiled and hugged that Teddy-Bear like a little child. Needless to say, I am in her good graces again. GOD IS GOOD! THE BIBLE SAYS THAT, 'HE RESTORES THE JOY OF OUR YOUTH!' AND SOMETIMES HE EVEN DOES THAT THROUGH A 'TEDDY-BEAR'! Thank you for your wonderful product."

I think teddy bears represent the innocence of youth, good memories, a sentimental all-over good feeling that brings a smile to everyone's face. They can be used for just about any occasion - who can you you present with a smile today?

It's HOW MANY Days Until Christmas??

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie Garrett, Teddy Bear Clothier) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:57:00 +0000

Whether we want to think about it or not, Christmas will be here in 76 days!! If you want to buy unique, personalized, handcrafted items, there's even less time left. For myself, the cut off date to order for Christmas is December 1st. There are others who offer unique items whose cut off date is closer to mid-November. What does this tell you??? It's time to look over that Christmas gift list and consider what you might buy for each one. Who would like something out of the ordinary? Who would like something personalized? Who would like something cute? Who would like a keepsake for a first Christmas? Who collects teddy bears, who collects bunnies, who likes unique ornaments for their tree?

I, personally, like all of those things!! But you have to think about who you're giving to and what they would like. Give yourself some time to really think about the people on your list. If you find that a teddy bear or bunny (or cat, lamb, or cow) would be a good gift for someone, check out my site. I have my monthly specials going on, holiday specials (which will change as each holiday comes up), and you can always join my mailing list to get 10% off of anything you buy, everytime you buy. For the month of October, you can help fund mammograms for women who can't afford them by buying from my Pink Bears category. I will give a portion of each sale from this page to help fund mammograms. And I still have some really good deals on my clearance page.

Now, maybe no one on your list needs or wants a teddy bear, bunny, cat, lamb, or cow. I understand that, my gifts aren't for everyone. But maybe there is another type of unique gift they would like. Maybe something in a country decor style, http://www.bearfarmwoodcrafts.com/ , or maybe some other type of handcrafted item, http://www.uniquecrafters.net/ . Check out these other sites and see what they have to offer to bring something unique to your Christmas gift giving experience this year. People love to know that a gift for them has been well thought out with their needs and wants in mind.

If you don't buy much for Christmas, I understand that too. Neither do I. Everyone has to do what is right for their families and friends. Sometimes the best gifts are gifts of time or just a hug and an "I love you." Above all, Christmas should be about considering what is best for someone else and doing it! After all, that is what God did and He started this whole Christmas gift-giving thing by sending His Son, Jesus to us as a baby.