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Our featured artist this month is Barbara Choo of Merry-Go-Bears. Barbara lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Barbara and her Mother, Sharon, are business partners and are relatively new to the bear making world. Barbara and Sharon started out as passionate collectors and share each other's creative dream.
Although they are new to the business, their newly found talent is evident in their wonderful little creations. Sharon contributes her design ideas as well as helps Barbara with her bears. This talented Mother and daughter team is basically self-taught and, since bear making is relatively new in Malaysia, they are on the leading edge of the business. Their enthusiasm will most certainly guide the future of bear making in Asia.
Merry-Go-Bears are one-of-a-kind, unique little individuals, created from original designs and handmade with great care and details using traditional methods. Most of them are made from mohair, alpaca, or selected quality faux fur and are 5-way fully jointed with embroidered waxed noses. Each is firmly stuffed with poly fill and weighted on their tummies with poly pellets. They are also carefully accented with hand painted details to bring out the different personality and character in each and everyone of them.
In addition to her own creations, Barbara offers workshops and bear making kits to those interested in bear making in her area. She also offers them on her website and at auction.
We asked Barbara if she felt her business was affected by the economonic down-turn and if she had scaled back on her efforts in any way. She was very positive about her business and still makes a bear every three days! She told us she was looking at getting more exposure for her bears in addition to marketing on the internet. She now has set up a little shop to have them sold locally plus she markets them to all her friends. She has also adjusted her pricing to keep her bears within reach of her collectors' budgets and she is determined to continue improving her skills.
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Karin Jehle, Loveable Fellows
Our featured artist this month is Karin Jehle of Loveable Fellows. Karen lives in Stuttgart, Germany with her husband, two cats, and her teddy bears. Karin began creating her Lovable Fellows bears fifteen years ago and is still an active artist and collector. Karin tells us that teddy bears have always had a special place in her life. As a child, she had an old Herman bear which was a gift from her Mother - which she still keeps by her bedside. She feels she keeps that part of her childhood with her teddy bears. "They are the best remedy against stress and trouble and they give comfort as they are good listeners and faithful companions," says Karin.
Karin has won numerous awards and has been featured in many International magazines. Her awards include 2008 URSA Awards Competion, Ted Worldwide Awards 2008 and 2005/2006, Tokoyo International Teddy Awards 2007, and 2004 Golden Teddy Award Nominee - just to name a few!
Karin's bears range from 1.5 to 27-inches in size. She loves trying new designs and ideas, and loves experimenting with new materials, patterns and techniques such as needle sculpting, needle felting, eye lids, airbrushing and jointing. She loves to create a large variety of styles and most of her bears are one-of-a-kind. Her talent and creativity is evident in the wonderful variety of bears she produces. Karin spends hours creating her bear's faces and wants every bear to have its own personality and "just be a true fellow." 
Bears and Buds also featured Karin in Feb 08, Click the link to view her feature article.
