Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi everyone,

The Etsy seller, AlteredArtifacts contacted me again, so I did as Etsy advised me to do. I asked her not to contact me any more. So what do you suppose she did? She emailed me back. She wrote me 11 emails total. Etsy emailed me and said that they blocked her from contacting me. Yay! But her last email states that she filed a copyright complaint to Etsy and she will contact her lawyer. Geesh! She has a huge mental problem!

Thanks for all your support!
hugs,
Sheila

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me your advice and for your quick wit! I haven't contacted her or even looked at her ETSY shop. I don't have anything to worry about, she can have her little temper tantrum! I did contact ETSY and they said that if she contacts me again, they will block her convos for me.

It's actually really funny! She states that she has my contact information but she hasn't even called me by my name in any of her emails. She's just trying to scare me! I'm not scared of her!

If I have any new emails from her again, I'll post them so that you guys can have a good laugh!

hugs,
Sheila

Thank you everyone for your support. And thank you Karen for making me feel much better. That lady emailed me again today with a huge threat of handing over my contact information to a lawyer. What contact information? My shop name? I don't understand how she can say that my images are hers. I used old photos of little girls and kittens and placed wings on them. Does she think she has the right to placing wings on little girls? I don't understand what she is thinking. The concept of placing wings on little girls is every where you look. Fairies have been around for centuries. I wrote ETSY and they told me to ask her to stop emailing me. I haven't wrote her back yet cause I don't know what to say to her. 

Hugs, Sheila

Here is what she wrote to me today:

If I don't hear from you soon I will be handing over your contact information to my lawyer. You may think that these are vintage images however my artwork has been created with vintage images and have been changed the percentage to qualify for there own copyright. On most I have major changes for instance, I have used a person from one image a background from another, changed faces, changed colors, changed clothing, bodies, arms and legs. Many hours have gone into producing them, these images are my own and I do maintain my copyright rights. If I let you get away with it then others will see and think they can. Therefor I do intend to take legal action if you do not remove them and pay me for what you have earned from them. I am offering a very reasonable settlement since I can prove they are my images and would win much more in court.
Inka

Hi everybody,

I know that I havn't posted for a long time now.  I've been busy making vintage style paper christmas ornaments. I had so much fun creating digital art with Shelli's challenges that last summer in 2010, I made some digital collage images and have sold a few on ETSY. I haven't been making new images for almost a year now. But a few sell once in a while on etsy.  I just sell them for fun. I'm disabled and can't work.

My problem this evening is that a lady who sells digital images on etsy wrote me 10 nasty emails stating that these are her images and that I need to pay her the profit that I've earn from selling them or she will sue me.  I don't know how to respond to her. I have created all my collage sheet & images from bits and pieces of free images online. Some from dover publications and some from free images from public libraries. I've tried to respect copyright issues so I use free images. What do I do? Is she allowed to treat me this way?

Here is one of her emails to me:

I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt that this was done in error. I will settle for removal of all sheets with my images and payment for the items sold. Copyright laws are very clear and if you do not comply then I will pursue this in court and for much more than just the profits you have made. After looking through your sold you owe me $24.43 and you can send it to alteredartifacts@gmail.com
Inka

Hi,

I haven't posted for such a long time. So first, I want to tell everyone Hi and you have been in my thoughts.

My problem: This morning I woke up and read my emails. I had an email which stated my mini bear fabric didn't sell last night. And then the next email states that it had been a SCHEDULED and RELISTED.  I didn't even re-list my item. So I went to my account on ebay and it had not been re-listed.  I chatted with one of ebay techs. I told her that I was confused on what happened and if she could explain it to me.  She was no help! She just kept saying I don't know what you want me to do. She actually said to me, Do you think you might have re-listed it yourself??

The only proof I had was that it had not been re-listed but I was charged. My account activity shows that I schedule and re-listed it but in my selling list, it wasn't re-listed. Am I making any since?

Has this happened to anyone before?

hugs,
Sheila

Hi everyone,

I feel really down today. You might think I'm crazy, but last night I bidded on an ebay auction. I waited all week for it to end. I just wasn't fast enough with my bidding. So I lost. Now I want to find this vintage elf doll.

I was wondering if anyone knows what company made this doll? I want to search the internet to find one.  I couldn't sleep last night cause I was thinking about this doll.

bear hugs,
Sheila

Hi Gail,

Please include me.  Where do I send my address?

hugs,
Sheila

Hi everyone,

When I was young, my mom always made christmas decorations with old Christmas and holidays cards.  I was wondering if anyone has some that they are looking to get rid of.

I would be happy to cover the postage cost. I'm trying to use my time creating while I recover from Bell's Palsy.  It looks like it's going to take quite a while to get better.

p.s. Please send me a private email at minibearlover@aol.com

bear hugs,
Sheila
Nebraska

Dean,

Gunther is great!  I love how you can bring critters to life!

CONGRATULATIONS to all my bear friends!

bear hugs,
Sheila

Hi Jo,

It's been 2 weeks.  My left eye is starting to close halfway.  My mouth moving yet. I'm trying to be positive.  I'm off to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist this morning. 

p.s. you are so right about being hungry.  I've been craving donuts so I bought some yesterday.  I had one yesterday and one this morning.  I have to be careful.  I don't want to gain.  I had just lost 10 pounds.  But the donuts SURE hit the SHOT! YUMMY!

bear hugs,
Sheila

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your kind words and get well wishes.  It's been 1 week today since this horrible condition began.  I'm trying very hard to hang in there.  I've been trying to sew.  I'm having problems with my vision in my left eye so the sewing is very slow. 

It's comforting to know that some of you have gone through this or know of friends and family who have recovered from Bell's Palsy.  It is something that I never thought would happen to me.  It's a wake up call.  It's time to de-stress my life.  I think that was the cause.  The doctor doesn't know why it happened.

big bear hugs to you all,
Sheila Leigh

Thank you for your warm well wishes! I knew my bear friends could make me feel better. 

I had always wondered what happened to Nancy Zieman.  I have watched her for so many years. I will let everyone know when I'm better.  Today I'm just very tired. I tried to sew but my left eye isn't making any tears so it was difficult to sew.  I'll try again later this evening.

bear hugs,
Sheila

Hi everyone,

I was taken to the emergency room on wednesday night.  My family thought that I had a stroke but I have Bell's Palsy.  My left side of my face from my forehead to my chin is paralyzed.  I can't smile, move my eyebrow, or close my eyelid.  I can't even taste food. I can't even taste chocolate ... that's cruel, cause I love chocolate.

Has anyone ever had this condition and how did the doctor treat you.  The hospital gave me prednisone.  They told me that it might take 2 to 4 weeks to get better.

I was preparing for a craft fair that will be next saturday.  I won't going now. 

bear hugs,
Sheila

Yesterday, on the radio I heard that a man was stopped for running a red light or speeding so they pulled him over.  The officer heard a cat crying inside the car.  The sound was coming from the trunk.  So when the officer opened the trunk, he found a cat marinating in oil, garlic and hot peppers.  The man said that he had planned to eat the cat because the cat was such a horrible cat.  (I don't remember the exact excuse that the man used) But I was so sick to my stomach to hear this on the news, that I had to change the channel.  The Sicko! I can't believe the things that people do to animals.  I was just so disgusted. 

Thank goodness that all my teddy bear friends are animal lovers!

hugs,
Sheila

Wow, so they are handmade?  They look really nice.

hugs,
Sheila

Hi Daphne,

Thank you for your tips! I like the idea of using black.  I'll have to go to the fabric store and check out polyester or microsuede.

How have you been?  I haven't talk to you for quite some time now. 

hugs,
Sheila

Where are people buying those cylinder risers?   They look really nice to sit teddy bears on.

hugs, Sheila

Hi,

What color of a backdrop/table cover should I use since my wee caboodles are all bright colors?

hugs,
Sheila

Hi,

I need ideas on how to display my "Wee Caboodles" at our high school craft bazaar.  I would appreciate photos? or websites as reference?

hugs,
Sheila

Melisa, Thank you.  That's what I was wondering.  How big are the payments and how long do I have to pay it off.

Gail, I read that you would get your item right away and then pay it off.

bear hugs,
Sheila

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how Bill-Me-Later works?  If I bought something, how much would I have to pay every month?  And how long do I have to pay for it?

bear hugs,
Sheila

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has a yarn ball winder for sale?  I'm unable to afford a new one.

bear hugs
Sheila

I appreciate everyone suggestions.  I tried the dryer sheets last week and it didn't help.  It just added to the smell.  My basement has lots of moisture. and I'm always running a dehumidifier.  But when I turn my dehumidifier off at night, the smell is back in the morning.  It's really bad. 

My basement is the only space I have in the house.  Okay, I just went to smell all my fabrics and they seem to be fine.  I guess the smell must be the plastic tote so I'm going to take all my critters outside to air out for a few days.  I will let you know if the smell goes away.

bear hugs, Sheila

Hi everybody,

I have a problem.  I sew in my basement so I keep all my fabric and my handmade dolls downstairs.  I placed my finished handmade dolls in a plastic tote.  Now they smell like plastic and my basement.  How do I get rid of this smell??  I don't want someone to buy one of my handmade dolls and then when they open the box, they smell.  It would be so embarrassing.

hugs,
Sheila

Hi everyone,

I've been using old velvet bedspreads to make my Wee Caboodles.  I've gotten some from EBAY, but I was wondering if anyone has some for sale. 

I've attached a photo so that you can see what they look like.

hugs, Sheila