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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Judi -
What a beautiful snow you got. Was that your alls first snow? Send it my way to Tennessee!! We haven't had a good snow in forever. It would be nice to have a white Christmas this year. You almost forgot to mention the hot cocoa and the smell of fresh baked cookies coming out of the oven.
How is your little dog doing since the accident? I hope her little body has healed!! Me and Caitlin my daughter prayed for you and your family during that time.
Sounds fun count me in Shelli!! Can't wait for this one!! E-mail coming through!! 
My husband went to the bank today 11/16/06 and some of the bank clerks were reading the Bradley News. With the name Zemeski being rare they showed him the paper and asked if the article was about me, his wife. I didn't even know it had been printed. I know one thing the Museum Center has really pushed my teddy bears in newspapers everywhere. If nothing comes of this at least I got free and wonderful advertisement out of it.
Thanks again for everyones help and suggestions!! I would have been a little lost without your help and support!! I truly believe this was a helpful resource to the people here in this area. I had fun meeting people and talking to them.
:dance: I'm going to start my project today 10/30 so wish me luck or say a prayer for me. I've spent all weekend writing down all my ideas and the ideas you all have given me. If I can get focused I'll be doing good. I'll be back to chat after this project is finished. For now good bye and have a safe and wonderful next couple of weeks. I can't thank you enough for all the help and support in trying to get motivated to get ready for this Open House. When I come back I promise I'll have pictures listed here at TT under Travel and Show.
:hug: :hug: Marie - I know this must be hard for you to deal with. My heart goes out to you. I will pray for you and your family. Just take it one day at a time and know that your Mom will always hold a very special place in your heart. I'm glad you had 10 years to spend with her and not 6 months. That was a wonderful thing. Your mom was a trooper!! :hug: :hug:
Patty Wrote:
Melissa, what shop sells your bears? I live in Tennessee, and my sister lives right outside of Chattanooga.
The Museum Center At 5ive Points 
Location:
200 Inman Street East
Cleveland, TN 37311
423-339-5745
http://www.museumcenter.org/index.html
Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Closed Sunday, Monday & Holidays
This is my two bears the Museum is offering...
Sebastian
Jingle
How sweet
I went to Hobby Lobby tonight and bought some fabric to make a table covering. It was upolstery fabric at 80% off. I don't know if everyone has a Hobby Lobby close by, but I love that store. I get soooo off focus when I go into that store for anything. I never come out with one thing. As a matter of fact I have to send my husband to shop for me sometimes so I don't buy things I don't need. I also bought my paper supplies tonight and two presentation boards. I only spent $100.00 total. So, that is good I think. I'll probably have to go get printer ink next week. It's been three months since it was replaced and I know it's getting low.
I went digging in my odds and ends and found some bears cut out and ready to be put together. That will save me time. I have one bear that has been jointed, but not stuffed. I have several bears cut out and ready to put together. I feel better now that I'm finding things I didn't even know or remember having.
Thanks again for the support, great information, and ideas. I feel better now that I got some input from you all!! Hugs to you all!! :hug: :hug:
Goody! Goody! Goody! I'm ready for it!! I've been craving Chocolate anyway. I'm about to have that time of the month again!! Chocolate cravings is the only thing I like about that time of the month!! :crackup:
:dance: Way to go Aleta!! I need to subscribe to TBCI magazine. I'm missing out on so many wonderful artist I'm ashamed to say. I Love reading the articles of all the fabulous artist here at TT and the out skirts of TT also. Ha! Ha! Party on with those Silly Old Bears!! :clap:
Melissa,
How wonderful for you!! What an honor to be asked! You go girl!! :dance:I like Patty's idea of having bears in different stages of completion. Most people have no idea what goes into designing and making a bear. Don't forget to take along a half drawn pattern. That way the collector/admirer/customer/patron of the arts can see that your bears are from artist conception to a final peice of art.
Your bears are really stunning. You are thoughtful about the whole process and it shows. Show 'em your stuff girlie!!
I wish you all the very best. Please let us know how it goes!
Warmest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
Aleta - Thanks for the suggestion!! I'll be sure to take my drawings and sketches of how it all starts before I start. When you stop to think about teddy bear designing and making the bear you begin to realize how much that does go into one bear. I feel like I'm back in my school days preparing for a book report. Maybe I need this more than the viewers. I guess I've never stopped and really had to look at everything step by step. I just do it. I think I'll be overwhelmed myself when I go to prepare this for the viewers. Mainly because I'll have to take time stop and think about it. I guess for me that goes back to the old saying, "Take time to SLOW down and smell the roses." Ha! Ha!
This is neat, Melissa! It gives you the opportunity to make yourself known to a new group of people, and it can help advance the collectible teddy bear industry by making more people aware of it. Great! :hug: And yes, take your time and enjoy yourself! Maybe some pictures if you're not too busy while there. :photo:
Hugs,
Debora
Debora - Yes, I'll take pictures and post them after November 11th for TT to see. I'll relax and enjoy this experience even if it is a learning one. Which most of mine are. :crackup:
It's sounds like great exposure and something you can add to your resume on your website. I wouldn't kill yourself over trying to get a lot of bears done but I bet you can get e few done by then...just remember to get enough sleep and eat properly. :hug: :hug: :hug:
Thanks Judi!! Your right its not a teddy bear show. It is an artist demonstration show. I need to focus more on the skill of putting a bear together for the viewers to appreciate the work behind making a bear. That is why they are doing this. So, people can appreciate the time that goes into each detail of the art work. :hug:
Melissa, how about making two or three bears to a certain stage, like you could have the mohair with the pattern drawn on it or the pieces cut out, then another with the head and limbs jointed to the body and the body open, not stuffed, to demonstrate the process, sort of. Then you could be working on a third and maybe a couple finished bears for display and pictures of your adopted bears and business cards.
Patty - That's a great idea!! Then I wouldn't have to finish all of them. I could do stages... pattern pieces, stitched bear, bear five way jointed, half stuffed bear, stuffed and ready for grooming, clipped bear, etc... The list goes on so we teddy artist all know. Thanks for the advise!! Great suggestion!!! :dance:
First thing I would do is refuse to stress. There's no point. You can only do what you can do and there's no point killing yourself with worry to achieve it.
If you have fourteen days and can free yourself from other commitments to work on bears for this then great; if not, then say thanks but no thanks. I would think that perhaps 4/5 bears are achievable in a clear fourteen day period, so don't promise more than is completely feasible.
By the way, the work you've done for them so far is absolutely stunning ... no wonder they want you as their featured artist! :clap: :clap: :clap:
Paula - Yes, I agree stress makes a mess for sure!! I will set a goal of 3 to 4 bears. Then, they can use the other teddy bears in the gift shop as well. THANKS!!
Why can't you use the bears the museum already has in the gift shop?
Penny:hug:
Penny - They probably will use them. They just would like a few extra for this "Open House."
For some time we all have had eBay questions, problems, fake e-mails etc.. I found this letter in "My eBay Messages". I know everyone probably received it, but I wanted to make sure everyone reads it to help us all understand more on safety issues. If you go into your "My eBay" you can read more about it. This wasn't an e-mail directly to me. It would be found on eBay in your "My eBay" page. I found it useful for myself and just wanted to make everyone aware to read it. Stay safe!!!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
***Online Safety: Protect Yourself from Spoof (Phishing) Email and Web sites & Fake Second Chance Offers***
Hi, this is Matt Halprin again, and I manage the Global Trust and Safety Policy team at eBay. One of my team's core responsibilities is to help you better understand how to stay safe when buying and selling online. With the busy holiday season upon us, we think it's an important time to remind everyone of the safe practices and good judgment that you should use all year round.
All of us at eBay are committed to preserving the safety of our marketplace and rely on you, the community, to help in this regard. As the Internet has evolved and grown so have the trading opportunities for all of us. Unfortunately, this success has also attracted a number of bad players who prey on unsuspecting Internet users. We don't want that to happen to you.
Below are important safety tips that can help keep your accounts and personal information more secure and help guard against fraud, including spoof (also called phishing) emails and websites, and fake second chance offers.
Never pay with Western Union or Money Gram. eBay strongly encourages its members to avoid using instant cash wire transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. It's against eBay's Safe Payments Policy for a seller to request payment via these methods as they've proven to be unsafe when paying someone the buyer doesn't know.
Check My Messages to verify the authenticity of eBay emails. Any email eBay sends you about your account or requesting personal information will also be in My Messages. Before responding to an eBay email asking for information about your account or requesting personal information, verify it's authentic by checking My Messages. If it's not in My Messages, it's a fake email. If you receive a suspicious email that looks like it's from eBay or PayPal, please forward it to spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com. We will respond (usually within minutes) to tell you whether or not the email is authentic.
Always verify Second Chance Offers. Sending fake Second Chance Offers is a common trick used by fraudsters. If you receive an email with a Second Chance Offer for an item you recently bid on, please check your My Messages inbox (located in My eBay) on the eBay site to make sure the offer is authentic. If it appears in My Messages with the title "eBay Second Chance Offer for Item...," it's authentic. If the Second Chance Offer does not appear in My Messages, or appears with a different title, it is not legitimate and should be ignored. Help us fight this, by reporting these fakes to spoof@ebay.com.
Download eBay Toolbar and PayPal SafetyBar. eBay Toolbar includes Account Guard which indicates when you are on a legitimate eBay or PayPal site, and alerts you when you are on a known fraudulent site. PayPal's SafetyBar detects fraudulent emails in your email program and puts them in the spam folder.
Monitor your account regularly for suspicious activity. Prevent problems by staying alert and catching any suspicious activity early. We recommend that you log into your eBay and PayPal accounts frequently to ensure that all the transactions listed are legitimate.
Be suspicious of any email that requests personal information. Be cautious of other emails that request you to click a link and submit your financial or personal information. If in doubt, call or contact the institution first to verify the authenticity of the email. Do not click on any links in this type of email if you cannot verify it is authentic. Only enter your financial information on secure Web sites. Check that a Web site is secure by looking for the closed lock symbol near the bottom of your browser window. And, of course, use a payment method such as PayPal, which lets you pay without sharing your financial information with the person receiving your money. PayPal also covers you 100% against unauthorized money sent from your account.
You can find out the latest information on safety, security and identity theft protection by visiting the PayPal Identity Protection pages and the eBay Security & Resolution Center.
We are always available for you if you have any questions or suggestions on how to make eBay safer.
Sincerely,
Matt Halprin
Vice President, eBay Global Trust & Safety Policy
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Judi - I'm so glad to see Mandi is home and on her way to a full recovery. I guess your family is thrilled she is home. I've been praying for Mandi and your family. God truly answered all those prayers last week that went out for little Mandi and your family. God bless and take care!!! Let us know how therapy goes for Mandi and I'll continue to pray.
:clap:
Good news Shelli!! I'm glad Sprite made it back around to you and isn't lost. I would hate to think all your hard work just went out the door. That would have stunk!!! I'm sure your customer will understand and is glad Sprite is going to finally make his way to her heart!!
:doh: Judi- I swear this is not your week at all. First your auction and now your poor dog. On top of it all your nine year old had to see the family pet hurt. Bless your heart!! I know your going to need a rest after this week!! Hang in their!! I'll be praying for your family!!! :hug: :hug: :hug:
o.k. As I have mentioned in many of my posts, I am not that computer savvy but I love ebay and buy things on there from time to time. So I have a question to help me understand what I should be doing:
1) Re ebay items: Only answer e-mails that is under "my e-bay"? - right?
2) Do not respond to any emails under my regular e-mail in outlook that pertains to an e-bay question? right?Now I am assuming this is if you are a seller (which I am not). But I buy off ebay and will e-mail questions to the sellers. Does all this still apply?
Thank you teddy bear friends...
Michelle
p.s. Judi, it is very sad that your good name and work is botched up by some criminal. I hope the culprit is caught and prosecuted!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Michelle & Lynn - When dealing with ebay for all your safety I would always go through ebays Web-site and go to your "MY EBAY" sign in through the Web-site (NEVER SIGN ON THROUGH AN E-MAIL OR LINK ON TO A LINK) go to "MESSAGES" to look for messages from ebay users. Respond in your message center in ebay.
If you have questions about an auction etc.. Always ask questions through the "ASK THE SELLER A QUESTION" located at the top of an auction page under "MEET THE SELLER." Don't give your e-mail address to people in the ebay message box. Always communicate through ebay for any ebay business. The seller or buyer will always answer you back the same way. If you get an e-mail from someone read it, but DON'T answer back through the e-mail. Go to ebay look and see if you have a message waiting in your message Center. If not the e-mail was a spoof. Even if you do have a message I would still respond in your ebay message center.
The ebay RULE is... NEVER RESPOND OR SIGN IN TO AN E-MAIL FROM EBAY, AN EBAY SELLER, OR BUYER!!! ALWAYS COMMUNICATE IN THE MESSAGE CENTER ON EBAY!!
(The same goes for second chance offers as well.) A good thing to know is when you bid make sure you know the username on the auction. You can compare the second chance offers with the username of the auction you bidded on.
I always save my auctions I have bidded on for refering to second chance offers.
If you do get a spoof e-mail try to always forward the e-mail to spoof@ebay.com
I hope this helps!! I have lived by this since I have gone through the same experience Judi did. This is the only way to protect yourself until ebay gets spoof and fraud police out their!! Ha! Ha!
Judi- I was wondering what was going on with your auction. I saw it was still listed in the ebay gallery. I also noticed that all the bids had been canceled. That is crazy!!! So, did the bear sale or did this scam mess up the auction all together? I hate ebay when this garbage happens to people. I wish ebay could find out some way to keep this from happening to people!!! Sorry Judi this happened to you!! :hug:
