Build-A-Country-Bear Decorating
Begin with ANY teddy bear, seriously. You can pick up little straw hats or even baby clothes to dress him up. if your kids don't have ten thousand teddy bears in their closet or toy box, then you can get them from yard sales, thrift shops and even estate sales. The uglier the better, to some extent. Dress them up in baby clothes. For the girls, you can stitch up little calico dresses. For the boys, overalls or plaid shirts work well.
Decorating with Country Bears
Now the fun begins, put your country bears on every shelf and vertical surface in the house. I've rarely seen just ONE country bear in someone's house. This is a theme that just begs for overkill. If you've got dust allergies, or asthma then you may want to limit the amount of stuffed bears you're using in your house, or just toss them in the dryer periodically. Be careful with synthetic fur- you can spot-check for dryer safety by holding a blow dryer on one spot continuously for several minutes. If the animal isn't dryer-safe, the fur will actually melt. In that case, you can spritz weekly with tea tree or lavender linen spray to kill mites.
