Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

for Karen:

Jodi Your little Irish bear Brightened my day!

Susan

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
The praise is well deserved , I saw one of your rabbit s years back and fell in love!!!!!!!!
I am so glad you have joined.
Thanks so much Mindy for giving her a heads up!

Bear Hugs

Thanks for the kind words guys, more than happy to do it.
I love the issue, it has so many people I know and love.

Big Bear Hugs
Jodi

OK this is going to show my age but that little guy in my arms is now 20 years old, It was such a fun birthday, but as I said Pee Wee was a WONDERFUL show.  We bought the DVDs of the shows and my youngest who is 11 loves the show too. We still sometimes drive my husband crazy by having a secret word.     One time I got upset with a lady for screaming at a cashier at our local Meijer (like a walmart) ,  I told her to stop, that these cashiers didn't make enough to put up with that kind of treatment, she called me a Bit*h and I go "I know you are but what am I?" then I just walked her off.

Karen you sound like you have had such an interesting and fun life.  New York has to be my favorite place I have ever been, I can't imagine how cool it would have been to be young and living in that city.  And working on such a creative show , I bet for an artist like yourself, it was ideal.   I bet you do have a lot of stories to tell, you need to write a book and title it "My life With Pterrie"
Bear hugs
Jodi

I am so excited I ordered my Mimzy , I can't wait to see the movie.

Poor Froggy, but that was so funny.  :crackup:  :crackup:

Karen It's funny when my oldest was 3 we had a Pee Wee birthday party for him, and guess who was on the cake with Globey, conky  yep it was Pterrie, It is truely a small world. That party was so much fun, I had made out of cardboard lifesize cutouts of all the characters from the show and we even had a Jambi cut out where everyone could put there face thru and look like Jambi. And yes there was a Pterrie flying around.  I thought that show was so creative and fun. I know Pee Wee is gone forever but I still miss him.

Jodi
I LOVE your new picture,  when you look at it , it makes you smile.
I am so happy you are getting an article,  :clap: I am sad it's outside the US so I won't be able to read it.    Your work is so wonderful, it deserves a cover! With all the bright colors and happy faces wouldn't your bears on a cover just jump right off the newstands.  :dance:
Bear Hugs

Lisa I love that about stressed backwards.

When I am stressed I work less, I love mindless sewing but can't seem to produce much new when I am stressed. I really have to be in a happy place when I work.

Daphne , I am slow on the uptake, when I saw you were excited about Mimzy I thought you were just a big fan of the movie, Oh my goodness you created the bunny in the movie,
You Go Girl!!!!!!!!!!
that is so exciting!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited to take my son to the movie, if I buy a Mimzy will you sign it for me?

Karen I just found out you made Pterrie from the Pee Wee Herman show, my oldest son who was born in 1986 LOVED that show and so did I , it was one of the most clever shows on TV and as a person with an art background the puppets and set were so cool.  It was eye candy. 

I am kind of star struck now ladies!!!!!!!!!!!

to refresh everyones memory according to ebay here is what shill bidding is:

"Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item’s price or apparent desirability, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller’s item information not available to the general Community. Shill Bidding is prohibited on eBay.

Because family members, roommates and employees of sellers have a level of access to item information which is not available to the general Community, they are not permitted to bid on items offered by the seller – even if their sole intent is to purchase the item. Family members, roommates or employees may purchase items from a seller without violating this policy simply by using purchase options – such as Buy It Now – which do not involve bidding."

So when you see questionable auctions read the feedback , look at the peoples bidder ID history have they changed it a lot,  read the artists description, are people bidding on auctions they are a part of???????   If you see people violate the rules set by ebay , turn them in, that is the only way people who are involved in shill bidding will be off of ebay.

in a challenge it is OK and meant to be copied, challenges are wonderful ways to motivate and inspire people to maybe get out of their safety zone, and we all have started bear making because we saw some really great bear and wanted to try to make one like it, what is wrong is when someone spends years working on their craft to come up with a winning combo and then has someone new come along and use your winning idea, trying to take some of your business away by copying.

As I said I have had one of these ladies try to bid on my auction with the sole purpose to ruin my feedback and harass me. If they are willing to do that, what else are they willing to do?

I have had problems with a couple of people on ebay that I did absolutely nothing to, but they have copied my creative ideas and have now copied my childhood memories that I had published in a magazine.  One of these ladies even contacted collectors of other artists  to try to get business from them, which made the artist really, really mad. These woman have been involved in business together, then bid on each others work that has their own work in the auction their bidding on, I know if I was working with another artist I would NEVER, EVER bid on that item, it just is not right.   

One of these ladies have even read an article I did in TBR magazine and put it in their current auction almost verbatum, I have added a picture to my listing to show where I came up with the idea and the article they copied and the funny thing is I have copied their listing description , so even if they delete it, I still have it.  Please go check out my listing  #330096919472 to read what I had wrote in the article.

Also these woman have tried to place a bid on my auctions with the purpose to ruin my feedback.  They have tried to do it twice.  But you know what, what ever a person puts out, will come back to them ten fold, in the future when something goes bad for them, they will have to have it in the back of their minds, Hmmm is this because I harrassed another person.

These woman were turned in for shilling , and it wasn't even me, but I sure wish I had, so many artists were watching their bidding habits and were upset by it, I just found out about them thru a collector of mine a couple weeks back,  these are the type of women that have made eBay a really bad place at times.  If they are willing to copy someones work, and copy someones childhood memories , and try to ruin someones feedback,  really just think what else they would be willing to do.  Just think you may be their next target.

I am sooo glad this topic was brought up again, it was almost off the TT radar, with ebays new private bidder system it has made shill bidding a hot button issue.

I love her Rabbits the most, can you imagine if the Easter Bunny looked like her rabbits, I think it would be so much more fun, hmmmmmm I could picture telling our children about "Gunther the Easter Bunny"    Her Gunther I could relate to more, he most likely eats more Chocolate then he gives away.

Bear Hugs
Jodi Moisan

I always think that people who do the really creative pieces must have some really great views on things, because if their wonderful creations are swimming around in their brains , what else may come out.  I think Jody Battaglia is really interesting too, I love her work as well, it really makes me smile when I see it. Her work always seems to bring out that inner little girl in me.  When I go to her website I always have an urge to pull out a coloring book and crayons and spend a sunny day laying out in the yard on a blanket and just color my little heart out.

Eliza, Your bears are wonderful!!!!!!!!!!! do not get discouraged, yes I know easier said than done.
I have  love/hate relationship with ebay, it is really slow right now,  (except for a certain person that is shilling and copying others and who will remain nameless),  even Michelle Lambs prices have come down, which, OK I will admit it, I am the president of the Michelle Lamb fan club, I believe her to be a Bear Making God. 

So many artists that I think are just outstanding are having a tough time right now on ebay. I really believe the hidden bidder system is running off collectors.  I really hope Bid4bears just takes off and we leave ebay behind.  I know I have refused to spend one dime buying anything from ebay until they remove the hidden stuff, so maybe collectors feel the same way.

But Eliza keep plugging away, you have so much talent and your work is so great I have no doubt, one day in the near future you will start selling again.

Bear Hugs :hug:
Jodi Moisan

Danni I love your little saying:

I have PMS and ESP - I'm a b**ch who knows everything!! :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Isn't her work really great, I went to a bear show and saw her fat rabbits and I was in love,  she is just so clever and creative.
 
That is the problem with going to bear shows, I am such a fan, I end up spending more then I can make, at about 6 to 1.  I did the kohler show a little while back, it was a great show, tons of artists, not a great turn out where I was at, I signed up late, got a bad location, sold one bear and bought 3.  But Kohler Wis. is beautiful. Had a great family weekend, met some wonderful artists, bought some really cute mice by an artist named Johni of J & J studios, they are about 10 inch tall and the cutest felted face.

I am looking forward to my next show, I am going to see if I can sell some  bears, but I need to start saving some money so I can afford to do that

Yes Yes yes, Thank you shelli, you are a doll!!!!!!!!!! this has been driving me crazy.
Bear Hugs
Jodi

OK I am getting so forgetful and am needing some help , I can not think of the name of the wonderful artist that makes these whimsical fat rabbits and bulldogs I think she is from Canada but am not sure, and I think her first name is Sue. I love her wrok and was telling another artist about her and for the life of me, I can not remember her name.  Please help it is driving me crazy trying to think of it. 

I stinks getting old , my memory is getting horrible.

Bear Hugs
Jodi

Eliza :I used to have a nasty mean cat named Romeo who would chase me and attack me...one day he fell out of a tree and broke his leg. He had to have a cast put on his back leg. But did that stop him from chasing me and trying to kill me? No, it did not. I could always hear him coming from behind faster and faster, his cast hitting the floor...Kerplunk! Kerplunk! Kerplunk! I knew then to run! From then on we called him Peg Leg Romeo.

OK that is the funniest thing I have heard of
:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!for being in Jammies at 1:00 pm.that's the best.

OMG this is so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the nuts story
:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

I bet you are over the moon, I am so happy for you :dance:  :dance:  :dance:

Shelli:"What we found was this really yukky gaping one inch wound with all sorts of gooey blobby grossness gurgling out along with the blood.  Truly, it was like a FANGORA cover, only it was happening in real time."

I love this description

"PS  Knives break when they contact hard surfaces."  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

I am seeing LAWSUIT, how dare their knife break when you are doing your psycho imitation, shouldn't they have tested their product for that, come on, we all have picked up a big knife and made the "eee...eee....eee.... " sound that was in the movie Psycho.  Shelli you crack me up!!!!!! What a great story as to why your hand got cut.

Oh Shelli Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What happened? Man that looks so sore!!!!!!

Bear Hugs
Jodi

That would be perfect because the weather here in Indiana is sometimes so bad and I am afraid once I skip a day I will just stop doing it. I am going on amazon to see if they have it and if they do I am going to order it, thanks so much for the tip , I am really excited

Edie glad to see you back
Bear Hugs
Jodi

He is so cute, did you name him?

I know what you mean about the drink I was thinking because the hot choc. was sugar free it was OK but then one day I was looking at the whipped cream can, because when I would make these for myself and son I would use a ton of whipped cream, I almost fainted when I saw there was 80 servings in one can, well it was lasting us about 3 drinks apiece.  It really makes my head spin when I think of the calories I drank with my sugar free drink.

For a treat it is really good and if you go to starbucks they have the same drink but they charge 5.00 for it.

I am going to get that walking DVD , not that the ice is off the road I could see doing it.