Getting Taken (Almost)

I should have known first by the fact that I couldn't find their seller name in Etsy anywhere. But the email came from Etsy and had the seller's name in the message so I thought it was okay, a little odd but okay. They said they wanted to purchase one of my large pieces but that they needed to first make sure I was an "honest and trustworthy" person. Then they said they had their own shipping co. so they would include some extra $$ on the check for shipping and would have the piece picked up from my house. They were sending me a cashier's check that I would need to cash immediately and then pay the excess to their shipper. Fast forward 3 days--the cashier's check arrives at my door via FedEx however the sum on the check is about 4 times what my artwork price is....I should have stopped there I know but I went to my bank, cashed it and was on my way to wire the overage when I thought I'd stop in at a local gallery that carries my work. Started chatting with the girl who works there about my weird sale and she said that had happened to them too---very similar circumstances. After that, I made a beeline back home and called the bank that the check had been drawn from (I did think to scan the check in before I cashed it.) There the woman told me that no account under that name existed and that the check would indeed bounce. Lesson learned!

I feel a bit stupid that I fell for this at all but so glad it didn't go further...I hope this helps any other internet sellers out there. Remember: a cashier's check still takes at least one day to clear and CAN be fraudulent so check it out first.

The "Reveal" Lamps

Had to show you 2 more new lovebird lamps that I've just completed...and as for where the inspiration came for these? I don't really know, all I know is that I wanted these lamps to each have a small "reveal". With the polka dot lamp, when the light is off you just see white dots on black background but when the light turns on, TADA--there are small stars that appear behind some of the dots. With the curly leaf lamp, I made 2 layers of leaves-smaller ones that are made from sheet music and larger light brown ones that cover the others. You can see the outline of the smaller leaves but they really show up when the light is on. Click on this link to see more photos or info on them in my Etsy shop.