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