High quality materials, fine workmanship, and high levels of care are intertwined into each and every bear. The mini bears are often made with difficult-to-find, vintage velvet upholstery fabrics and are sometimes created with mohair. Larger bears are usually created with mohair or alpaca. Mohair is goat hair, alpaca is hair from alpaca animals (close relatives to llamas), and the fabrics are made by weaving sheared-off fur into cotton so no animals are killed for the creation of bears on this site. It is not uncommon for bears to be dressed with silk garments, have silk paw pads, or have silk embroidered onto them. Many other materials and fabrics are used, and they are all selected with care to make the best possible bears for teddy bear lovers and collectors.

While most of Stacey's miniature bears are either functional or mechanical, most of the larger bears are more traditional and made for hugging or displaying. Bears under 4" tall almost always have functions or mechanics worked into them, but bears larger than 4" tall usually do not. For descriptions and examples of functional and mechanical bears, see the Mini Bear Gallery section on this site. For examples of the more traditional, larger bears, see the Big Bear Gallery section on this site.

Unless otherwise noted, bears are one of a kind and each bear comes with a tush tag and hang tag. If a bear is labeled one of a kind, another will not be made with the same pattern and materials. The collectability of each bear is treated with respect. As bears are created, they are assigned a number, from #1 for the first bear created to whatever number of bear is currently being created. In the fall of 2002, bear #94 was being developed. Bears range from about 2" to 36" tall.

While orders are not taken for bears, requests are taken. Examples include "I'd love to see a brown purse necklace bear," "Please make a bear named Ricardo," "If you ever make a black bear in a dress that's about 11 inches tall, please let me know." A list of requests is kept. Sometimes it takes up to a year, but eventually bears are created around most requests. All bears, even those created around requests, are auctioned on eBay. Requestees need not feel pressure to bid, but are welcome too.

Articles Published About These Bears
Bears-Direct.com Artist Spotlights -- Stacey Alvarado
http://www.bears-direct.com/artist%20spotlights/Stacey/profile.html
Photos include bears #23 (Andrew), #12 (Alfred), #65 (tattered mini), #58 (Micah), #41 (Whisper), #51 (mini drawer belly bear with pull toy), #39 (mini no-no bear).

Teddy Bear Times Japan, 2002, Month 3/4
Photos include bears #55 (Pistachio), #50 (mini purse bear), #57 (mini sewing functions bear), #49 (mini fairy bear).

All bears are designed and crafted by Stacey. Bears are only sold through E-bay. If you'd like to receive e-mail each time new bears are posted on E-bay, just enter your e-mail address below and click the OK button.