Kindness and generosity abounds on Artfire

Last week I lost almost $500 to Tonya Pendley from Jasper Alabama.  Apparently this woman preys on online artists, sending bad checks for handcrafted goods which she probably re-sells.  After I posted on the Artfire forums about what happened- mainly just to warn others about her, I got a huge response.  RockyCreekGems told me exactly what I needed to do in order to file charges, which I did, as well as posting on all my blogs and forums about this woman.  A few days later (my birthday, actually) when I went to check the Artfire forums I discovered that a Pass the Hat for Michelle campaign had been started.  OK, I admit it, I cried at the generosity of these wonderful artists.  Many of them aren't much better off than I am, financially, but they're willing to donate money from their sales to make up for what I lost.  Because of their generosity, the bills I mailed out right before receiving the returned check from the bank won't bounce.  Plus hopefully I'll be able to make enough new items to replace the one Tonya Pendley stole from me.  Now I want to do what I can to thank the people who have so selflessly helped me out.  These are wonderful people and amazing artists.  CCTexan3 along with RockyCreekGems (AKA CalicoCat) were the ones who got the Pass the Hat thing started (leave it to those Texans!).  So here are a few items from CCTexan3: Stop by and show her some love!

And a few pieces from RockyCreekGems: Gorgeous pieces from a wonderful individual!

ExquisiteStudios has also been incredibly supportive. Here's a taste of what she does. Pay her a visit and see everything she has to offer! So pretty, and VERY resonably priced!

This is only the beginning of my "thank yous".  I hope everyone who reads this will pay a visit to these shops and show these wonderful artists some love, cuz they sure do give it back!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

It's my birthday!

So today I turned 34, but that's OK, because a few days ago I got carded buying alcohol. And the cashier was really surprised when she saw how old I was. So I'm OK with 34. I'm also feeling incredibly thankful. If you read my last post, you know about the whole Tonya Pendley scam thing. I'm still working very hard to gather evidence against her and file charges with the Attorney Generals, FBI, and Post Office. I made sure she couldn't pass any more checks through any of the branches of my bank today. They said they couldn't do anything to get my money back, but hopefully I can protect others from her. I'm trying to notify every place I can think of. The administration on ArtFire has blocked her IP address and warned all the artists with pending sales from her, so ArtFire artists should be safer now. Anyway, since this all started I have received a phenomenal amount of support from my fellow artists. Joanne, of PurpleLilyDesigns, was also hit by Tonya Pendley. She was kind enough to send me copies of evidence against her. Lisa of Accesorizmecrafty, started a Pass the Hat sale to raise money for me (tears of gratitude in my eyes). Gayle, of ArtisanGoodsbyGayle, submitted an article to Handmade News about what happened, and about artists helping artists. I got a preview, and it's a very well written piece. Pink Clouds and Angels bought an item from my studio (my Melting Snowman Pen) in order to help me out. Exquisite Studios just made a very nice donation as well (more tears of gratitude!). To each of you I say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And to every single person who has offered their kind thoughts, sympathy, and suggestions, I thank you as well. You really have re-affirmed my belief in human kindness. I never expected any of this. I just wanted to warn everyone about this thief, so they wouldn't fall prey to her as I did. And thanks to those who donated and purchased items, the checks I just wrote for my bills won't bounce. No seriously, right before I got the notice in the mail about Tonya's bad check I mailed out all my bills (hey, I figured I had an extra $500 in my account). Now I can breathe a little easier thanks to the generosity of some truly wonderful people. I knew joining Artfire was a good move, but I had no idea how many wonderful people I would find there. Thank you for making this a very happy birthday for me. Mere words can't express the depth of my gratitude for all your kindness.
-Michelle of CreativeCritters