Step-by-Step ....

Watching my creative process

Would you like to see how I make my bears? I've just added a Step-by-Step page that shows me making these polar bears. 

Open letter to the person who sent me a hateful email:

 UPDATE (Jan 9, 2013) ... note to all "animal rights activists" who have decided to target me and torment me with your own personal email views of the work that I have chosen to do with old vintage furs. AS SOON AS I SEE THAT THE EMAIL IS FROM AN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO IS TELLING ME THAT I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON FOR TRANSFORMING THESE OLD VINTAGE FURS INTO TEDDY BEARS I WILL IMMEDIATELY DELETE AND BLOCK YOUR EMAIL!  Stop tormenting me with your views and focus your hate on the NEW fur industry and NOT on individual artists who choose to use OLD furs. I WILL NOT READ YOUR EMAILS SO DO NOT BOTHER SENDING ME YOUR  OPINIONS.

 I couldn't believe that I got this email  ...  and just 2 days before Christmas! This email was sent though my website contact page ... so I know all the information about my background was there for her to see ... but instead this person chose to attack my work. Read it for  yourself:

         *************************************************************

Name
gracie wagg
Email
crazygracie07@XXXXX.com
Comment
What about leaving the fur on the minks instead of profiting from such a cruel industry! So very sad and DISGUSTING!

Whoa!!!!  Seriously ... who takes the time to send this horrible email to someone about their work??? 

This was my answer to Gracie:

Well, Gracie, if you had bothered to read about my work (work that I have been 
nationally and internationally recognized for over the past 24 years) ... you 
would have found out that I have been a vegetarian for my entire adult life. You 
would have found out that I have supported many animal rescue organizations, 
such as the reintroduction of wolves into the wild. And I have supported various 
dog rescue organizations for decades. I do NOT use NEW mink pelts!!! I only use 
VINTAGE mink stoles that are typically from the 1940s through the 1960s. These 
are furs that are sitting in the backs of closets because they used to belong to 
Mom or Grandma. So apparently you think that it is better that these furs are 
tossed into the trash to add to our over-filled landfills???  rather than have 
me use my skills to turn these old mink stoles into beautiful heirloom teddy 
bears and other animals that many times become loving mementos of Mom or Grandma 
to be shared with children, grandchilden and even great-grandchildren. I create 
these little works of mink "art" that already have a family history and are 
destined to be loved and treasured for many generations to come. I have always 
felt that the spirit of the creature that was sacrificed for fashion is still in 
the pelt and that "spirit" remains with the pelt as it becomes a teddy bear that 
is "adopted" into the loving homes of my collectors. 
 
I found your email to me to be ignorant and rude. I thought of reminding you of 
the old saying: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at 
all." But while this is a nice sentiment, and many people live by it. I doubt 
that you could be bothered with such as simple and kind thought since you never 
bothered to take the time to read about my work ... but you did take the time to 
send me a rude email. Sadly the reality is that people who don't have anything 
nice to say don't really care about morals, being understanding of other people, 
or caring about other people's feelings. So it's wasted breath to suggest this 
to them. I hope that you are not one of these people but for you to take the 
time to send me an unkind email just 2 days before Christmas has not impressed 
me very favorably. I think if we want to see an improvement in our society it is 
much better to be kind to one another. From now on, Gracie, I suggest that until 
you are sure of all of the facts it is best to keep your opinions to yourself. 
 
Merry Christmas~ Kathy Myers 

UPDATE : 

Well, for some reason this Gracie person has decided to continue to torment me with her 

high and mighty opinions by email. Lucky me. Of course, I'm blocking her from my email.

 I guess she has nothing better to do than to seek out complete strangers to try to 

make their lives a living hell with her endlessly long emails about the cruelty to long dead 

animal pelts. Obviously her email ID says it all "Crazy Gracie". 

She also accused me of being a "Cyber Bully" by listing her name and email on this post. 

Of course, since she is a REAL Cyber Bully I have gladly blocked part of her email address

 since she fears that some of my collectors might actually try to contact her (I doubt that 

anyone I know would waste their time contacting an obvious nut case). But I have left her 

name and part of her email because I would not be surprised if she also started 

sending hateful emails to anyone who collects real fur teddy bears. 

So this is a warning to my collectors: if you receive any emails from this Gracie person 

just DELETE them without reading them ... her emails are just filled with hateful words. 

Yes ... ANOTHER update (Jan 9, 2013):

Oh my gosh !!! I've become a TARGET ! I've just received another email, obviously 

from one of Crazy Gracie's friends. This one WANTED me to post her email

on my blog because she WANTS my collectors to contact her ... apparently 

to tell you what horrible people you are for collecting my work. I've deleted

and blocked her email.

 Another warning to my collectors:  now others have 

joined Crazy Gracie to torment me. I'm sure this must meet the definition of 

Cyber Bullying ... and they think they are such "good people" because

they love animals ... too bad they do not have the same respect for people

who do not want to engage them in discussion. 

To all "animal rights activists"  : LEAVE ME ALONE ... STOP EMAILING ME !!!

Online Show Dec 8 ... coming soon!

Next weekend, Dec 8 and 9, 

is the Who is Who in Bear Making online Teddy Bear show.

 Please mark your calendar ... I will be sending out reminder emails this week.

This week before the show you can vote for your favorite artist creation. The piece that I submitted was my FIRST Baby Mink Dragon. Yes, it is available for creation in the show. If you are not a dragon-lover I also created one of my large mink teddy bears that will also be available for adoption in this show. Sorry, I only had time to create these two for the show but they are both very special !!!

Please go to the show website to vote and to see a photo of my dragon:
http://www.whoiswho-in-bearmaking.com

On my worktable: 

Sorry, my blog has been very quiet lately because I have been busy working on Custom Orders that I promised before Christmas. 

Of course, as luck would have it, just when I am working on "deadlines" we have had a respiratory virus that has been taking turns with each member of my family (including me). So that got me off schedule and I'm running a bit behind. But this is one of the Custom Orders that I have just completed... a family of 4-12 inch teddies, created from two family heirloom mink stoles.