Saturday 26 October 2013

Some additional details - and the promised photograph

Hello everyone!

In his last post, Cy Bear promised you a photograph of our Jubilee Rabbit with her new Forever Friend.  When I was listing the Baby Bunnies who also featured in Cy's narrative, I suddenly discovered the missing picture of MrsCD's little Grandaughter J and here it is!  Jubilee Rabbit has been re-named, I think -Elizabeth (because 2013 is our Queen Elizabeth's 60th Jubilee Year) - and although she's a bit more of a handful than J can accommodate at the moment, am sure it won't be long before they are difficult to part!


And now, here are the newly listed Baby Bunnies - not necessarily in the same order as they appeared in Cy Bear's Post.  However, they do show each one with their specific Etsy Listing.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166959760/baby-bunny-toys-baby-rabbit-purple?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166949424/baby-bunny-toys-blue-fleece-boy-or-girl?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166947912/baby-bunny-toys-pink-fleece-washable?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166974565/baby-bunny-toys-white-fleece-washable?

Am now off to get on with the replacement Slippers that are required for the upcoming Craft Shows, as well as complete the cutting out and sewing of the three further Baby Koalas that I deem to be required for the forthcoming Coldham Cuddlies' outings.

Until then, here's to the next time!  Isobel

Thursday 24 October 2013

Getting back to Normal - with some way to go!

Good evening, Everyone!

This is Cy Bear signing in once again, because Isobel feels it is time that I did.  She's been back home for nearly two weeks, now, and what with one thing and another, blogging has had to take a back seat.  She's been sewing madly to make up replacements for the sales we were fortunate enough to make while she was staying in Nottinghamshire (plus all those that happened while she was busy creating the 2013 Slipper Collection).  All this while keeping up with all the internet activity that selling from our shop at www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies requires, she's got herself involved even more with Teams.  That  in turn means she gets chatting to one and all, which then means less time for the Cuddlies - and so on......ad infinitum.

However, just after we returned, Isobel renewed contact with one of our Heytesbury friends, MrsCB who had mentioned that she would like to have some Koala Slippers made for her little grand daughter's Christmas Present.  This Little Person is actually now the Forever Friend of our Jubilee Rabbit and we've been given a photograph of her sitting on Granny's lap on her first birthday.  For some reason, Isobel has been unable to transfer it to the blog, and she'll have to see if we can get another one.  If we're successful, we'll include it in a future blog, but meanwhile, where are some photographs of what Isobel has been able to do since getting home.


However in the past few days, progress into the backlog of replacements has been made.  All the fleece Baby Bunnies have been replaced, and we now have four representatives of each of the colours we previously sold under the one listing - Etsy #89020911.  The Baby Bunnies are going to be listed separately this time - rather than being just collected into one single mention in our shop, and you can see the Pink collection above.  The original Etsy number will therefore be deactivated, once the new listings have been published.

Apart from the Pink bunch, we also have four Blue Bunnies


Four more White ones


And, finally, four Purple ones - even though they look like dark blue ones in the photograph!  Apparently, this can happen when some versions of Purple are printed from digiial camera shots.


The Purple Bunnies here are actually showing their "ColdhamCuddlies" printed labels in this picture, which makes at least one of them look a little wobbly.  When they are listed, these will be hidden, but every toy leaving our Shop these days carries his or her tag.

The original collection Fleece Bunnies all had green holly leaf collars on and then had red ribbons attached (they were one of our original Christmas time offerings).  This bunch of pesky critturs (believe me when they are let loose, they can be handful!) are presented collarless, but should anyone want to have ribbons attached - so they can become Pram or Cot Toys - they only have to mention it to Isobel when ordering, and she will endeavour to fulfill their request.  They are also all washable.

Isobel has also been able to finish three (of the six she plans) more Baby Koalas.  Our last one found its Forever Home via MrsPL (Clare's mother-in-law) who in 2012 was the source of several of our Cuddlies, who were originally Patients in our Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic (Etsy Listing#79124185).  She's hoping to have the other three ready in time for our first upcoming Craft Fair, which is due to take place on Saturday, November 2 in the Residents' Hall here at The Hospital of St. John.

Etsy Listing 55190188
These little fellows always make popular Stocking Stuffers, and with Christmas coming up, Isobel was anxious to ensure we had supplies ready for the three Fairs we have coming up in the next five weeks.

Replacements for the Tiger Head Slippers (Etsy Listing #156629069) are almost complete.   (Thereby hangs an interesting tale - which will be told shortly!) and there are Frogs Head Slippers (Etsy Listing #16076058) to be done before November 2 as well.

Oh, and another thing - also time consuming:   Isobel's writers' block from which she has been suffering was broken earlier today when, after weeks of staring at a blank page and being unable to think of any story to tell, she woke this morning (at 0500 hours) with not just one, but two, possible story lines.  So, they have to be fitted in somewhere, and at least one sent off to the Academy of Childrens' Writers so that Assignment 3 can be judged, commented on and the next stage of  her writing course ticked off.

Time I closed this down, I think - so Good Night, and God Bless for now.  Cy Bear

Thursday 17 October 2013

Goodness, Gracious, Me - as the saying goes!

Good evening everyone.

It's great to be back here posting directly once more - although, don't get me wrong, it's been great to be able to do it when I was away from base as well.  Thanks to Clare and Alan for allowing me access via their wi-fi hub for hours of internet fun while I was with them for five weeks, which passed all too quickly.

Since returning home last Saturday, have been trying to get myself organised - what with the need for replacements for Cuddlies who have found their Forever Homes, picking up orders from where they were left before I went away (the Frog Slippers went to MrsJW - a.k.a. my Podiatrist, who keeps my feet in order!):


I've also received a custom order for a pair of Childrens Small Size Slippers - with Koala Heads.  This is for  a lady from Heytesbury, who is going to be in Australia for Christmas, but wants her London-based baby grand daughter to have some Australian-type slippers for her second Christmas!   Obviously, I cannot show those here yet, but this is what they could look like - but in a smaller size!


Since Monday, I've cut out and completed four replacement Purple Fleece Baby Bunnies (two with white chests, and two completely self colour) and today have managed to sew three all White Baby Bunnies needing to be replaced.  They are currently in their component pieces of ears, cotton-tails and body and will be put together tomorrow.  My fingers were complaining at the end of the afternoon sewing session, so decided to stop and go on line for my daily surfing session.

When all the replacements are finished, I am planning to list them separately by colour.  Not only will this increase the number of listings in our Etsy shop (www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies), but it will make it easier for buyers to find them when looking for Christmas Stocking stuffers (I hope!). Fellow members in the various Etsy Teams I have joined all keep saying that the more listings one has, the more folks will visit one's Shop.  So, that's what this is also all about.

After going on line, though, I am reeling with surprised shock.  I have just discovered that my Cuddlies have been featured in four different Treasuries today!! That's a first.  Am always being told that the more Treasuries one is featured in, the higher the chance of sales appearing - so, here's hoping!!!

www.etsy.com/treasury/MjcwMDExNzR8MjcyNTEyNjcxNg/the-richness-of-go...


www.etsy.com/treasury/MjM3NDMyOTd8MjcyNTEyOTczNg/kingtreasury-232


www.etsy.com/treasury/NjEwNzYyNHwyNzI1MTI4Njc2/kingtreasury-232

www.etsy.com/treasury/NjQ5OTMzNXwyNzI1MTI3ODE4/autumn-greens-kingtr...

If you feel like it my lovely Followers (all 349 of you, not to mention my Google+ ones as well) - and also if you have the time to spare - you may like to click on these Treasuries and see what clever folks we have on Etsy.

It's also a first that I've been able to figure out how to list more than one thing at a time.    It's only taken three years on Etsy to be able to figure it out and now I've finally done it.  Just you wait now, folks:  I'll be posting multiple listings till I'm blue in the face!  It's always been a complete mystery before, so don't ask me how I figured it out today.  St. Barbara (patron saint of computing, I believe) must have been watching out for me.

I'm a bit late today, what with the Treasuries action, as well as sewing three new White Baby Bunnies.  They are in their component bits, ready to be put together tomorrow.  My fingers were complaining of over work by the time I did them this afternoon.

Then, later, when checking another of my daily sites on Etsy, I discovered that the Cuddlies had been featured on yet another Treasury.  Don't exactly know what is happening, but it's not an unpleasant feeling! However, pride must be coming before a fall here;   because I've just tried to create a tab for this last  Treasury, but cannot seem to be able to do it!!!!  Anyway, suffice to say, that I'm chuffed to bits, and if you go through all these Treasuries and heart them (if you can from outside Etsy - not sure if that is possible, but hey - why not have a go!) that will just make my day.

All this has been on top of the unusual, but very pleasant, feeling of being able to pay in a goodly sum into the Cuddlies bank account - which includes the sales made while I was in Nottinghamshire, and about which Cy Bear posted last week.  Cy did a great job over-seeing the empty cupboard while the Cuddlies and I were in Nottinghamshire!  We're glad to be back together again - and all the travelling Cuddlies are back in their accustomed plastic bags - waiting their next appearance at the next Craft Fair (on November 2).!

So, all in all a great day.  Wonder what will happen next?  Until the next time.    Isobel

Friday 11 October 2013

News from Nottinghamshire - Holiday is almost over!

Hello Everyone!  Cy Bear signing in again, with the latest bulletin from Isobel.

She is getting ready to return home again.  All things being equal, ColdhamCuddlies's life will revert to normal with effect from mid-day(ish) Saturday, October 12.  In the interim, Isobel has deigned to let me (earlier today) that she's had the time of her life with daughter, Clare  and her husband, Alan, and given me some other things to tell you before she gets back to Heytesbury.


While Isobel is away, I thought I'd just slip this one in!  This picture was taken of me just before my friend Bernard Bear left for (his Forever Home (I wrote about him in my last post on September 20, 2013) , and shows me sitting in my flat-guarding position while Isobel has been away for the last five weeks.

 I can tell you that she is returning having sold our Tiger Slippers to MrsPL (Clare's mother-in-law) who wants them for her great nephew, who is awaiting the arrival of his baby sister - expected any day now.


While making replacements for these slippers (Etsy Listing #156629069 - and the largest size for the Childrens' Slippers in the 2013 ColdhamCuddlies Slipper Sales Campaign), there are going to be two more Tigers' Heads made to make Golf Club Head Covers as well.

We've had a request for one of those, for a golfing friend of MrsHJ.   (She is the House Supervisor at The Hospital of St. John (where you will remember Isobel and I live).  MrsHJ has a friend with the surname of "Wood".   One of the Tiger's Heads is destined to be a Christmas present for this young man,  While she has been away in Nottinghamshire,  Isobel has knitted three different versions of a black golf club handle cover, with a choice of orange spots and two different orange or black stripey offerings. When MrsHJ has chosen the one she wants, the other one will be listed in the shop at www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies as another Golf Club Head Cover offering.  The spotted version will likely end up as a Leopard Head Golf Club cover - and both these versions will form a future post here on this blog.


Also, one Baby  Koala has also gone to MrsPL as a "Welcome to the World" gift for her new great neice.  (He's the one on the right of this picture - the one with a very determined look on his face!)  That means some replacements will have to be produced in very short order to re-stock our shop at www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies.  We've almost run out of our Koalas in the Shop!   There is another Craft Bazaar opportunity scheduled for early November and these little fellows do make great Christmas Stocking Stuffers, as well as ideal Baby Shower and First Toy gifts!  They have also been one of our best sellers since ColdhamCuddlies began in 2010.

While she has been in Nottinghamshire, Isobel was also able to visit a long-time family friend who lives in the vicinity.  MrsPC - who was the originator of the Pig Twins (about whom I wrote in our last post) who are now in their Forever Home in Italy.  MrsPC was also the source of the pattern template for our Snowy March Hares (Etsy Listing #125962011) and just happened to be celebrating her birthday earlier in October.  The visit took place the week before the actual date, because Clare and Alan had other family commitments on the actual date.  MrsPC's birthday present from Isobel was a pair of Grey Furry Rabbit Slippers (her choice) -  it's nice to know that they fit like a glove and

The first  photo we've been able to show of ColdhamCuddlies Slippers doing what they are made for!
when MrsPC telephoned to wish Isobel  Happy Birthday earlier this week (the actual date was Ocober 8 for any of our Followers who might like to know!) she said that for the first time, she was "actually looking forward to the cold weather"!  They have been listed in our shop under Etsy Listing  #162884385, and when she has time, Isobel plans to make another pair (although the ribbon might be changed, as we're getting short on the mauve ribbon).

MrsPC just might be getting her wish, because believe me, it's got very cold over  here in  the last few days in the UK as a whole.  I'm unable to comment on what it's actually like down here in Wiltshire , because in our home, Isobel and I are always warm as toast - and in the  bad weather, I don't go out!

I'll end this post now - and doubtless Isobel will be back doing it herself early next week, or maybe, even later in the week-end.  Here is another photo of the latest Slippers - another UK Ladies' Size 5 pair.  I should imagine there will be a blog about them. to back up the listing in our Etsy Shop - to give potential buyers an idea of all the Slipper choices now available in our Shop.


Good night and good bye for the time being.  Cy Bear