My Pet Peeves

Some of the questions I get are, well, not cool—and here are my answers to them.

Give me the information on making (fill in the blank)!

If I know how to make it, it’s probably already posted. Please use the search box at the top of any page on this site to find it.

If it’s not posted, I don’t have it hidden away anywhere—either I don’t know how to do it (yet), or I haven’t gotten around to it (yet), or I’m not interested in it.

Oh, and for those of you who send this demand via email, expecting me to tutor you privately: I don’t have the time or the energy to give free private lessons. I do write how-to books, a montly how-to ‘zine, and how-to CDs which you can purchase at Ten Two Studios that might have the information you need.

Where can I purchase (fill in the blank)?

Please learn to use a search engine to find the products I mention. I cannot be your personal shopper.

Give me the name of the manufacturer of a rubber stamp you used in this project!

If I know the manufacturer is still in business, and still making the stamp, I do try to mention the name.

If the name is missing, it’s probably because the stamp isn’t available to the public. I’ve been stamping for quite a long time, and have quite a few stamps that are no loger being made, or that were never made available to the public. Most projects do not require the exact stamp I use in the sample to achieve a finished project.

In short, get over it—you really don’t need that exact stamp.

You mention something that’s available from Ten Two Studios. Can’t you just post it here for free?

I find this particularly offensive, because seriously, I give away a ton of stuff for free. Why should I also give away the stuff I sell to make a living, too? Buy it from me! Feed the kitty! Keep me in dog chow and DSL, and I’ll keep writing—and some of that writing will end up posted on this site for free. Won’t you feel wonderful knowing you’ve contributed to the greater good?

Now, if you’re too damned cheap to spend a few dollars to purchase a product I mention, at least don’t be stupid enough to suggest that I should give it to you for free. You’ve already raked in quite enough free stuff from me, thanks—and I’ve gotta feed the dog somehow.

Jeez…

I made three changes to your pattern, so now it’s my original work, right?

Oh, don’t be an idiot—the whole three changes thing is an urban legend, created by some poor talentless fool who felt she had to justify stealing someone else’s pattern.

If you started with a blank piece of paper, and drew the pattern, it’s your original work. If you didn’t, it’s not. End of discussion.

Why are your answers to these questions so rude?

If you think the answers are rude, well, you should read the emails I get. They’re mean and nasty, and I get tired of dealing with them—especially since I don’t ask for a single dime from anyone for using all this lovely information.

Here’s the deal: access to this site is not your constitutional right. It’s a gift, given out of the goodness of my tiny little heart. A heart which is stomped on with monotonous regularity by people who generally don’t even bother to say hello or thank you—they just go directly to the complaining and the name calling.

Try putting up with that for the nine years I’ve been writing online, and see if your answers are all sweetness and light!