January updates on new bears and old favorites in the making

I'ts hard to believe that we are approaching the middle of the month already.....where in the world does the time go?!It has been a long road of recovery for me but I am soooo happy to say I am feeling better and am now on my LAST week of antibiotic.One more doctor visit in two weeks and that should be it,what a relief!In the meantime I have been getting my Ecrater store spruced up for the grand opening of new bears and kitties.I have so many in progress from before the holidays,12 in all that I could not complete and will be listing them as they become available.I also look forword to offering some of my old designs,(and there are many as I discovered from sorting through all of my patterns today lol!)some felt styles and some mohair but especially the old antique and primitive styles that I love so much.I really miss creating them!One of my most favorite bears I created was Dexter,created from felt in the very first(top) pic above.I just loved his sweet expression and would like to created him again,but in a smaller size as he was 15in tall.Next pic(middle) is a ted that I created from vintage handyed mohair.He had that wonderful steiff appearance that made him look old and loved.Then the last pic(bottom)is a sweet old looking bear,made from felt with that well loved appearance.I also want to get started on my new pattern line very soon to be able to have ready by spring.I hope to get on the ball now and have some new creations available next week.xxxxxSharie

Paypal holds may be affecting your account soon!

I thought I should take the time to post about this very important issue that is now beginning to affect many sellers with paypal accounts.This is impacting more than ebay sellers as many who sell on etsy are also being placed on 21 day holds.There also have been talks that it will even affect small business owners who sell on their websites.I am not writing this to cause a scare,just for everyone to be prepared and have a back-up plan if necessary.I myself am on the hold,getting my notice on Christmas eve.Sure enough when I logged into my paypal act in big bold letters I was told future payments WOULD be on hold.I have set up my new ecrater store that supports google checkout and this is where I will be offering a majority of my bears and friends very soon.It is a very nice website in which you recieve your very own store free of any charges.The only setback is the shipping matrix and if it doesn't drive you insane before you finally figure it out its great...lol!Anyway I am going to post several links to discussions on the paypal holds from auctionbytes,ebay and etsy some very lengthy but full of information.I do hope you will find the chance to read up on all of them.You will find all the links above.I would love to hear if you too have been affected by this underhanded policy and what your plans might be if you would care to share.~~~Sharie.

****Happy New Year****

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish everyone a very happy new year!Also a very big thank you for the get well posts,it was so nice of you to take the time to write and I appreciate it very much.It is taking longer than I expected,but I am getting better day by day.I have been taking a high dose of antibiotics daily,(3,600 mgs)and it makes me a bit drained out.The pnuemonia has cleared but I am still dealing with the staph infection that caused three abcesses on my leg, one being severe with cellulitus.I also have issues to work out for my teddy business due to paypals latest 21 day hold period that will apply to more than ebay transactions.If you are a seller with a paypal account for your website,etsy,ebay or other venue you may want to check your paypal account to see if you will also be placed on a hold to recieve your funds.I am trying to avoid too much stress at this time but I must say paypal and ebay are really making me loathe them more each day.Of course ebay owns paypal so they assume they can run all businesses as they do on ebay.As for the new bears and kitties they should be listed within a couple of weeks.I will update when they are completed.Have a wonderful New Year!~~~~Sharie