Finished Corsage & Spammy emails

Here's the finished corsage. I stiffened the flowers - that's what you saw in the last post. They really don't fit together all that neatly, at least for me. Even so, it was fun to make.

In this shot, I stuck them in an Avon bird candle holder. I got this sweet dove at Goodwill. I need to either scrub it or give it a coat of paint. I hadn't been sure what I would do with it since I knew I probably wouldn't use it for candles, but you never know. The little bunch fits in there nicely though.

I just finished checking my email and have been noticing a disturbing trend. The first few I got, I emailed back very nicely and said no. Then I just deleted them when I got them. Now I'm designating them as spam. What kind of emails am I talking about?

You know, tatters - or even creative people in general, are generous and eager to share. But be careful as there are those who take advantage of that cheery nature. What I've been getting are emails from people I've never heard of, asking if they can link to my site. Or they include a link to their site where they're selling something. Often it's not even tatting related. Usually it's a site that sells clothing or shoes or something totally unrelated to tatting, but sometimes it is tatting. In other words, it is unsolicited spam. Now everyone wants to help another tatter, but I'm not going to plug someones work I don't even know and never even heard of. Just because I'm a member of a group they're selling through doesn't mean I agree to advertise for them. What I've been noticing is that they are all worded the same. So - just be aware that the email you're getting telling you they admire your craft and want to link to your site may well be followed by the request that you show their link too. If you follow the link, you'll probably find it's not in your best interest to follow through. If it's someone you know and feel comfortable with, then go for it. Otherwise, check further.