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How do I order a Beyond Basic Bears creation?
Please refer to our How to Order section on this website for detailed information on how to order, payment methods accepted etc.  For a quote on the shipping and insurance cost please  contact us.

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What is the Hibernation Plan?
This is our Lay Away system. Payments are non-refundable.  (see Lay Away terms directly below)

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Lay Away/Lay-by Terms & Conditions
Lay Away/Lay-by  terms are available to suit your needs. Normally we require a thirty percent (30%) deposit on initial order, and completion within three (3) months would be appreciated.
 We invite you to e-mail us to discuss your order and terms. We will be happy to tailor the layby/lay away payments to suit your needs.

International orders will be charged in United States dollar and payments can be made by credit card, cheque, Internet banking/SWIFT transfer, or money order.  All amounts must be in US dollar. Refunds are not available on the layby/lay away plan, however, we would be happy to give you a credit towards any other available Beyond Basic Bears teddy bear.  Shipping and insurance costs are payable once the item is ready to be shipped. Please contact us for further details. 

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How is my Beyond Basic Bears creation shipped?
Your delivery will be your choice: fast or economical! The actual shipping & insurance fees will be charged. Please e-mail us for a quote according to your delivery choice, location, small handling fee for packaging costs and the package's weight.

United States: USPS, shipped priority, insured, with a tracking code (so we can keep track of it!)  No COD. If you would rather use another carrier we would be happy to make arrangements.
International: Parcel Post, Airmail, insured, and of course in accordance with Customs Regulations. Taxes and duty to be paid by the customer.

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Are all bears immediately available?
All Creations posted on this site are immediately available, pending information on shipping choices from you.

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What guarantees do you offer?
All Beyond Basic Bears creations are guaranteed; as a subscriber to the worldwide Bears-Direct Guarantee of Satisfaction Assurance, and we offer a full, money back guarantee (less shipping and insurance costs) if you are not satisfied that your creation.  Please note that the item should be returned within 4 business days in the original condition as it has been sent, otherwise no refund will be given.

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Return Policy
Upon receipt of your bear, please open and inspect it. If you are not completely satisfied with your bear, please contact us immediately.  Should you decide to return the item, you must do so within four (4) business days of receipt. As soon as we receive the item back and made sure the item is in its original condition (including no cigarette odor and/or pet 'contact') we will notify you and happily refund the cost of the bear less shipping/handling/insurance costs.

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Are your bears suitable for children?
No. All creations are Fiber Art Collectibles and as such are not suitable for children.

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What is Needle Felting?
Needle Felting uses an industrial Needle, some Wool and your Imagination!

The work also known as Dry Felting, is a wonderfully freeing Fiber Art element, and utilized just within the past 2 decades. All design work must be thought out in advance and designed into the bear during the pattern-making process with fabric bears, and this imposes restrictions on the final results.

When using Needle Felting, a core or base is built (skeleton/spine) and added wool Patches© are layered on (Muscles) until the final (Skin layer) creation becomes what only your Imagination could see!

 
In Needle Felting I've developed 3 principles:

* Everything is changeable.

* Everything is fixable.

* There is no waste in Needle Felting.
 
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Beyond Basic Bears Kits

My Kits are designed to teach Needle Felting in a manner that has not been used before: building a very firmly needled base (not rolled up into shape)and adding Patches© of wool, much like modeling with Clay, except Wool is the modeling medium.

Wool Needle Felts best when it is pre-carded. Instructions how to do this are included. Even factory-processed carding needs to be re-fluffed due to compacting during shipping.

* Everything is changeable: I demonstrate how to easily change the implied movement in each body.

* Everything is fixable: how to shorten & lengthen any part, how to fix the 'Tennis Ball' syndrome (my original term for hollow sculptures) and many other situations.

* There is no waste in Needle Felting: Bear fabric remnants become scrap - money thrown away. In Needle Felting, all scrap wool goes into the core of the next piece worked - Nothing is wasted!!

 All wool in Kits is New Zealand Romney, an unusually adaptable Medium grade wool for beginners and those with more experience. It has been processed and dyed in the States and is 'almost' Vegetable Matter-free. There are only a few bits of dried vegetation occasionally found in it. Most of the wool I purchase, for my own work, from other sources has a 'lot' of VM in it, most of which I leave in place until the top outermost layer, as it has all been chemically- and heat-sterilized. These last few bits of VM on the surface are meticulously picked out so as to not spoil the look of my finished project. Most Real animals have loads of VM in their coats!

A few kits will also include a finer fiber (Polwoth, Cormo, Rambouillet x Merino) for a finishing layer.

As my Patch© work techniques are done differently from previously/currently taught methods, it is recommended that at least one kit from each level is worked before moving to the next level, unless one has MUCH previous needle felting experience.

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© Copyright by Roberta Kasnick Ripperger
Web design by Ilzé Linssen.
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