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You know what Melissa.... I have to sincerely applaud the folks who DO take the time, risk, money, tummy aches, thought, photos, etc...... that it takes when you enter these contests. Myself... I'm just too wimpy to do it! 
I've never entered the GT's or the TOBY's, and people are starting to wonder WHY I've never done it! 
I think that most of it is just that I don't have the confidence in my own work, and the emotional fortitude that it takes! 
Making a beautiful bear takes time and tallent, but entering a comnpetition takes oh so much more than that. :clap: 
Benson is simply gorgeous, are are ALL your bears, Melissa. And just having the guts to DO it, is something that I truly think completely deserves a round of applause!
:hug: :clap: :hug: :clap: :hug:
Kim Basta
That's awsome news Mikki! You know I love your felted work! Oh.... you new website is spectacular as well! You have to be doubly excited today! :hug: :dance:
Kim Basta
A BIG HUGE congratulations from me! Well done! :dance: :hug: :dance:
Kim Basta
Lisa.... I bet my kids would really LOVE that one! "Cheese Stick Chicken!" We always have a huge bag of cheese sticks around here.... gotta LOVE Costso!
I love to hear other people's chicken recipes! Especially ones you can make when there is like NOTHING in the house except frozen chicken breasts and condiments! That happens freqently around here! 
Kim Basta
Hi there! Another fairly clueless non meat eater here Heather.....! :hug:
If you just sprinkle them with some salt and pepper, then brown the breasts in a skillet with a little oil/butter/margarine (whatever you have).... maybe through in a little chopped onion and/or garlic for flavor... You could just make some rice, put it in a baking dish, then put the browned breasts on top.... pour the cream of brocolli over the top.... sprinkle with a few bread crumbs... bake it at 350 or so for a good 30-40 minutes.... cut into one of the breasts at the thickest part to make sure it's no longer pink at all.....
Really that's an easy, and totally acceptable chicken dish!
Kim Basta
Daph... you posted while I was writing! I think that would be totally good for hubs too! Just see whether you have rice or stuffing.... 
Lisa.... you have GOT to be knee deep in fairy dust at your house! Your girls are SO adorable.... having three kids myself... I KNOW what a handful it is..... but your's are so close in age... (I know 2 are twins!) I just can't imagine. I guess the blessing is that they are more likely to be entertained by the same things! 
Mine are almost 14 (boy), 6 (girl) and 4 (boy). I have the whole boy/girl issue going on with the youger two.... Will be be playing ballerina or Superman today? And NOBODY wants to do what the 14 year old wants to do and vice versa!
Don't you just want to assume that Sonya had her daughter at age 12 or something!? :crackup: Reality... that would be awful.... but Sonya just looks WAY to good to be a granma... doesn't she! I do hope I'm that lucky!!!!!
Lisa.... I just noticed your new picture! Oh... you look so cute in that one! Did you get a haircut? You are adorable!
Kim Basta
OOOHHHH Sonya!!!!! Tell me that you don't just want to kiss those little cheeks till your lips fall off each and every time you see her!!!!?????
So sweet! She looks desined to be an actress to me! That first pose looks like she's just seen a pumpkin turn into a magical carriage!
I just love that second picture! I have a particular fondness for that little crease that the very young have at the wrist! I LOVE that part of little ones! Just love it! And elbow dimples!!!! Mine have lost all those baby-specific little creases and dimples... and I MISS them! Awww....
Kim Basta
It's 12 degrees F this morning in Northern Ohio... in a lake effect snow belt! AND we have nearly a foot of snow to boot! A few miles from here there's no snow at all! I must admit to also being one who loves to look at the gorgeous falling, sparkling stuff from my cozy home! The roads have been awful here too! We have a beautiful blue sky today and sun... so maybe it will melt a bit.
Kim Basta
Yea you guys!!!!!! Now, THIS is what TT is supposed to be all about! :hug:
When I first started making mohair bears, my mind was literally swirling with all the choices! I had NO idea what it was going to look like, or feel like. Heck, I didn't even know what size my finished bear would be so I had no idea whether a 1/4 inch mohair would be more appropraite than lets say a 2 inch mohair! :doh: S/C, H finiah.. it just made no sence. A couple of ultra kind folks.... just like Aleta and Krista offered to send me a few scraps and little pieces labeled with the quality numbers, or description of the color or style. I've never forgotten that kindness, and have done my best to pass it on when I've been able to help out newer folks myself! SO nice to see that kind of genuine help and assisstance here on TT! I'm usually not the type to participate in group hugs, 'cause I'm more the shy type... but....
Group HUGS!
Kim Basta
Christine wrote:
My whole personal philosophy on swaps is that it is totally about friendship and sharing. It is about wanting to make something for someone else, perhaps someone in another country, purely as an act of friendship and giving.
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Right on sister!!!!!
Seriously..... and what ever happened to the flat out joy of giving! It's a little present to someone else, whom you might really enjoy getting to know! I mean, when you buy a present for someone don't you all really just enjoy selecting it, wrapping it to make it pretty and then sending it on it's way, knowing that you've taken the time to brighten someone's day!? I know I do! Nice to receive... sometimes FABULOUS to receive... but always a ton more joyous, to me at least, to give!
I know that's a completely PollyAnna point of view, but oh well. If someone wanted to organize a highly detailed swap... that would be fine with me.... I wouldn't want to do it... that's for sure. I would bet that there would be a whole lot of us that would just say, I'll take anything!
True... things do go wrong sometimes, and it's just downright RUDE not to send something without an understandable excuse.... LIFE happens sometimes and there's nothing you can do about it, but other than that.... if you are participating in a swap for some other reason besides the joy of giving, and getting to know someone a bit better.... you probably should hold yourself back when the word swap comes up!
:hug:
Kim Basta
Or plan not to do insurance , and just send it as a gift.
Oh defininitely, definitely....... in a swap situation, where you are sending to Canada or Europe or where ever... mark it a "Gift" on the customs form and place a low value on it. There is NO money exchanging hands, and if you list the full value of your bear... your partner might have to shell out quite a bit of cash just for the privelidge of getting your bear into the country....
I don't think that's even fudging the customs rules... or if it is, it doesn't run afoul by much..... I mean.... it IS a gift, and since you made it yourself you can decide it's "only worth" $12.00, right? Og gosh... please tell me there is no one here from customs lurking!
Kim Basta
OOpppsss.... I can't figure out how to "quote" Shelli's questions without making it appear as if Shelli posted these answers... I'm Sorry! I wouldn't want anyone thinking that my confused & full of typos ramblings :doh: are actually the product of Shelli's fablous mind! So.... the questions are Shelli's.... the answers are mine!
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1. YES or NO: Have you ever participated in a random teddy bear swap? By random teddy bear swap, I mean a swap where your name is placed among a pool of names of participating artists, and then you are paired up with another bear artist randomly by the swap coordinator.
YES.... but on a different board
2. AGREE or DISAGREE: All participants in random swaps must agree that they will accept, without public or private complaint, any bear that comes their way, as a condition of participation.
Absolutely!
3. YES or NO: Do you think swaps should be sub-organized into categories?
Not in "name out a hat" type swaps. I just think it's way too much to ask of a swap coordinator to do this. And honestly, to ask a single person to try to match people up by size, style, fabric, or value... well, I think that no matter how totally fair and objective that person truly is... someone is going to feel like they pulled the short straw when their dream bear doesn't arrive at their doorstep. Too often the person who takes the brunt of those feelings of disappointment is the swap coordinator who has spent countless hours on the floor with a pile of index cards just trying to do their very best! I think that's just not fair.
4. If swaps are sub-organized into categories, do you think, for example, that mini makers should swap with mini makers?
or....
Do you think each participant should be able to CHOOSE which category he/she wishes to trade with? For example, should a mini maker be able to specify that he/she wants to trade for a "biggun" bear?
I think that if someone really did want to coordinate a categorized swap, I think it would be better left to the participants themselves to decide what kind of bear they'd like to receive vs. what they make. I'm sure there are folks who make big bears but would be delighted to receive a mini and vice versa.
Plus, I honestly think there are quite a lot of us who would just put down something like..... I'd like to make a big bear of mohair, but I'd be happy to receive any bear!
4. If you answered YES to question (3.), which categories would you like to see used? Mark all that apply:
(a) Size (small, medium, large... or mini, medium, biggun.)
(b) Style (contemporary, traditional, distressed, anime)
(c) Skill level of bearmaker (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
(d) Medium (needlefelted, mohair, synthetic)Size, I think is very "doable."
Style ... I think that can be kind of subjective... and often bears can fall into a couple of categories! Example.... Shell.... your sweet little bear "Soot," I mean to me she was fairly contemporary, but with I thought she had some definite distressed, and even anime elements in there too... didn't she?
Skill level.... that's one I'd really prefer to NOT see used. I've seen some bears from TOTAL beginners that would kick MY beginning bears right in the seat of their pants!
Medium.... again, I think that one might be more doable, but what about bears that fall into a coupl eof categories..... mohair bears with felted faces, etc...5. If you marked "skill level of bearmaker" as a possible category, in question (4.), do you have any suggestions about the criteria a swap coordinator might use to determine the skill level of each participating artist? Years making bears? Price per bear? Awards and honors? Is this even a realistic option?
I said "NO" above... i just don't think it's a realistic option. I've seen first bears that are just outright gorgeous! There are some great artists who choose not to even enter competions.... there are fantastic artists who sell their bears for what I would consider "a song".... I think we've all seen at least a bear or two go for an insanely high price and we've said, "What!?"
6. How long should swap participants be given to complete and ship their swap bear?
I think that once definite pairs are made.... something like 60 days... especially if people might be paired with an overseas partner.
7. What, if any, should the consequences be for those who commit to a swap, but never send a bear to their partner, even after receiving one themselves?
I kind of like your idea Shelli of having a Showcase area... it would certainly encourage people to get those bears done and out to their intended recipient! It would be for me, since I am somewhat of a procrastinator!
However.... sometimes in swaps, a bear goes lost in the mail, or gets misaddressed, held by customs, etc.... and I would just HATE to see someone who hadn't done a thing intentionally "wrong" to sit there worring that all the teddy world things they are some sort of awful person or something!
8. AGREE or DISAGREE: The swap coordinate should not have to police swap participants. Any problems which arise are the responsibility of each swap pairing to resolve.
I would absolutely have to agree with this one!
_________________________________________________
I DO think that people should have the right to choose whether they wish to ship overseas or not.... I think that postage from the US is really quite reasonable (I ship a mini to Europe for about $12.00 and that's Priority... takes only about a week to arrive!) but I know that shipping costs are what I would consider outrageous in some other countries. I'd hate to see some people have to pay an arm and a leg to ship if they weren't prepared to do so.
Kim Basta
I'm gonna have to give you a GO WITH IT Krista, just like everyone else has! I'd puppy myself crazy if that's what I found inspiring at the moment! So... puppy till you're pooped!
Kim Basta
Hi Bobbie! I'm in the process of completing an auction under the new "system" ... I've left positive feedback for my buyer and my eBay Seller ID does appear in her feedback page along with a clickable item number link. Now... when you click on "Bids" on my auction page.... you or anyone else, sees the Bidder 1, Bidder 2 stuff.... I see the bidders, since it was my auction. When my buyer does leave feedback for me, it should appear on my feedback page with her eBay ID AND the clickable link.
As Laura Lynn said.... it's not about keeping the actual winner of the auction anonymous, it's about keeping the underbidders unreachable to the fraudsters out there who then send out the fake "second chance" offers. Presumably the winning bidder would obviously KNOW that a second chance offer is bogus since they have already purchased the real item.
If you are looking to avoid clickable item numbers on your feedback page, the private auction format is your bet.
Kim Basta
Kim... I don't think that you can change it "up above" once you have bids.... but I do believe that you can still add information into your description, even with bids, assuming that you have more than 24 hours to go. I'd try doing what Tammy said, and "add" a line stating that you will happily ship to Canada and Europe.
Kim Basta
If you wish to be absolutely CERTAIN that you are not violating any laws when you use a commercial pattern....
Use one that was copyright before 1923! Seriously! If the pattern was copyright before 1923, you can not only sell what you make from the pattern... but you can actually even distribute the pattern itself, as in make copies and give them to all your friends... or even SELL them to all your friends! You can even post the pattern on the internet! So.... there are tons of FREE for the looking vintage patterns out there on the web. Plus... I think it's kind of neat to know that you are using the same pattern that some sweet little lady was using back in 1890 or something! When I use patterns for my tatted edgings, crochet collars and the like... I use my Great-Grandmothers patterns (well... not designed by her... but they are the patterns she bought way long ago!!!)
That's one way to just avoid the worry entirely.
A different set of laws applies if it's 1923-1948.
Another set applies from 1948-1978.
And you guessed it... another set from 1978 on!
Many times when a pattern says, for "personal use only" they are referring to the fact that you can't distribute the pattern itself (as in you can't copy it for your friend, post it on the net, sell a copy of a pattern, etc....), not that you can't SELL things made from that pattern. But you absolutely DO have to write/call the company and ask for sure if you really wish to be "safe." There are companies that will let you sell the finished product outright, there are companies that will expect you to state the pattern name and designer if you wish to sell, and there are companies that actually mean that you can't sell anything that is completed using one of their patterns. Kelly is right on as far as this issue goes, sometimes "for personal use only" means you can't even legally sell what you yourself have made from that pattern.
To make it all the more confusing... sometimes when it says "not to be used for commercial purposes" they mean that a "big" company can't use the pattern to knit their sweaters... but can Kim knit 10 of them and sell them at a craft show or on her bears.... YES! But sometimes they mean "can not be sold." You know when you buy a coffee maker it says "not for commercial use," meaning that you can't open up your own coffee shop and start cranking out 200 cups a day with your Mr. Coffee 10 Cup pot!
It's a real quagmire, I tell you! Honestly, I think that the companies (or their attorneys!) leave things completely grey like that so that they CAN go after Prada when they use a commercial pattern to produce a $ 400.00, but they don't HAVE to go after Ms. Smith who used the pattern to make mittens for her church charity craft show!
Etiquette wise... assuming that you are out of the "deep, dark, & confusing woods of copyright" :crackup: I think that you can't go wrong when you do credit the designer of the pattern. As in, "Hand knit by me using a pattern designed by Susie KnitsAllDay, but with my own special little flourishes and modifications." Not that it's always required in every instance.
Kim Basta
Hi Brenda! Well, I have :
Beyond ADD by Thom Hartmann
Beyond Ritalin by Garber, Garber, and Spizman
Answers to Distraction by Hallowell & Ratey
All about Attention Deficit Disorder by Phelan
on my shelf at home..... let me know if you'd like me to mail out and or all of these. We also went through this with my oldest who is now almost 14. We started noticing that there were things that were definitely "different" about him when he was about a year old. In Kindergarten his teacher suggested that we have him evaluated for ADD/ADHD. He easily fit into almost all of the definitions for diagnosis. Then in second grade (about age 7) he had a teacher that suggested that he see the school psychologist for a bit of extra help in coping. Well, he psychologist did extensive testing on our little guy and as it turns out, he had a genius level IQ as well... something in the neighborhood of 140+ They suggested that he participate in the school's gifted education program. The funny thing is, when we filled out the questionnaires and paperwork regarding his characteristics and development .... many of the red flags for ADD are also red flags for giftedness! :doh:
Certainly, not all people with extremely high IQ's are ADD and not all folks with ADD are gifted, but it's a path that we are very glad that we pursued with Baxter.
Let me know if you'd like any of the books I have, I'm going to the post office later this week, and would be happy to send them to you if you don't already have them on your shelf Brenda.
Corson is so lucky to have a Grandma like you... looking out for him and loving him to bits!!!! :hug: :hug:
Kim Basta
Wonderful Nancy! I'd really like to see Bid4Bears do well......!!!!!! I'll see.... maybe I can squirl away a few in the next few months!
Kim Basta
Last year, I donated a bear for this very charity auction.... it was SO fun to watch it actually happen, almost "in the flesh!" So exciting. CAAF is a truly great foundation that really does some wonderful and much needed work.
I really wish I had been able to participate this year as well ... maybe again next year....
Since we have so many ladies here who are also interested in dolls..... there are some truly amazing pieces of doll art, in addition to teds! Really.... take a peek!
Here's a link to the IDEX page that lists the participating artsits/manufacturers... OHHHH.... I see a couple of folks we know!!!!!!
http://www.idexshows.com/orl.arte.htm
Kim Basta
This sounds like an absolutely great idea to me! I'll have to figure out if I can do one a week though.... I agree with the theory 100%.... absolutely. If there was a great selection of bears from a wide range of artists, available on a consistent basis... it would attract the same buyers that frequent eBay... because at that point it WOULD be just like eBay.... only with out all the poop that we all have to deal with on eBay! Now.... I have to admit, eBay has been rather good to me... certainly not customer service wise 
but sales wise for sure. I depend on that income to pay my son's school.
Might there be a way for those of us who might not be able to commit to selling 6-8 bears to at least show our support for Bid4Bears by listing every other week or something to that effect? I'd be willing to pay the listing fees since I wouldn't be 100% involved with meeting the criteria as laid out. Maybe something like that?
I was very happy with the ease of use that I experienced when listing on Bid4Bears during both of the Lemonade Bears Benefits. I DO need to figure out the time zone difference! My auctions ended at really weird times.... totally my own fault! 
I'd certainly be interested in being "in the loop" on this endeavor! I do have a BIG mailing list, and I know that many of my buyers are becoming "a bit disillusioned" with eBay!
Kim Basta
Oh Shantell... I'm right there with you on the new medical insurance thing!
Kim Basta
I'm nosey too Jane! 
I think most of us probably are! So, I'll miss that part as well... I've been debating switching over to private auctions though, as I hear from so many of the underbidders on my auctions that they get the fraudulent second chance offers... or that other sellers contact them and ask them to take a look at their listings, etc., etc..... And supposedly... this new system will eliminate that... at least for items that are selling at 200.00 and up.
There are a lot of extremely reputable sellers who DO use private auctions, but I was just so hesitant to use them because there are always people who assume that you must have something to hide if you list privately.
Oh yes Tracy... it does solve that problem too... I generally don't buy bears, but I do have bidders that know eachother and won't bid against eachother.... or bidders who won't bid against other bidders because they "know" they won't win... and that's certainly not always the case.
Kim Basta
Hi there! Have you guys noticed the new system eBay has in place for items that are listed at/reach $200.00 and up? I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I for one would be really happy if it DOES mean that my underbidders don't get phished/spammed/second chanced at every turn....
Here's the announcement....
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A couple of months ago, I told you about an important new initiative called Safeguarding Member IDs (read my announcement from November 2, 2006). Safeguarding Member IDs (SMI) is a significant step forward in protecting eBay's bidders, who have increasingly become targets for unwanted commercial and malicious spam, such as phishing, spoof, and fake Second Chance Offers.
SMI adds a new layer of privacy by replacing specific User IDs with aliases (bidder 1, bidder 2, bidder 3, etc.). To ensure buyers continue to feel trust in the bidding process, SMI also provides an updated Bid History page with aggregate information about the bidders involved in a given listing, as well as their other recent activity with the listing's seller.
Coming this week: eBay.com and eBay Canada to Launch SMI
Following SMI's introduction last fall on eBay Motors, our eBay sites in the United Kingdom and Australia also made the decision to launch SMI. The results we're seeing for all three launches indicate that these changes are having the impact we are striving for – in short, a reduction in unwanted commercial and malicious spam (including Fake Second Chance Offers) to bidders on higher-priced auction-style listings.
As a result eBay.com and eBay.ca will be launching SMI later this week. SMI will impact listings on eBay.com that start at or reach a bid level of $200 or greater. On eBay Canada, it will impact listings above the C$220 level. Please read our Safeguarding Member IDs Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Community Concerns
I'd like to acknowledge the concerns we've heard from some members who believe these changes may encourage shill bidding (the act of using friends or alias User IDs to bid on a seller's own listing to artificially increase the bidding level.) First, let me make it very clear that shill bidding is not tolerated on eBay. Not only is this activity prohibited by our policies (read our shill bidding policy), it is also a crime in many states.
In addition to the Bid History changes I've described above which are designed to give buyers the information they need to feel confident, it's important to know that over the years, eBay has invested heavily in shill detection systems. We can proactively detect and investigate possible shill bidding scenarios with a higher rate of accuracy than ever before. These backend systems collect more information on selling and bidding activity than our Community has access to, so we can detect patterns and ascertain identities much more accurately.
Be assured that we will continue to monitor the sites where SMI has launched to ensure that increased shill bidding does not become an unintended consequence of SMI.
I want to thank the Community for the support you've shown for these changes thus far. While reducing transparency on the site is understandably controversial, I believe these changes strike the right balance between the need for openness and the need to protect our members from online threats.
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And here's how it LOOKS... Judi, I hope you don't mind me posting a link to your auction... mine isn't at or above 200.00, or I would have posted my own as an example....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … 0065056758
What you y'all think about the new system?
I hope it does eliminate the aforementioned spamming problem... and like a private auction, it may eliminate some of the hesitance to bid when one's friend is also bidding.... but since it also pulls up some information about each bidder, there are still some real safeguards against shilling... assuming that a potential buyer knows what to look for in a typical shill bidding pattern. And thank GOODNESS it seems that eBay has "beefed up" their shill bidding detection. THAT'S good news!
Kim Basta
Oh that picture of an "actual" idiot stick is just a riot!!!! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
I had been on TT for MONTHS, when I started getting messages from people saying their PM's to me were bouncing back to them saying that there was insuffient room or something like that. I didn't even realize that you HAD to eventually empty your message box! So, I'd like a slightly larger idiot stick please! :crackup:
Kim Basta
