A bit of catching up - A Cuddly and his new Forever Friend + some replacement Cuddlies

Good evening everyone!  Cy Bear signing in just to begin with.  It's going to be a joint effort - just for a change! At the very end of January, we received an order for  one of our Baby Koalas to travel to Hong Kong - at the specific request of MrGC.  When placing the order, he enquired if it would be possible for Koala to get to Hong Kong in time for February 14.  As Koala was already living in the Shop (actually in one of a series of plastic bags stacked in one of cupboards in Isobel's bedroom),  Isobel got him ready for his journey and he left the first time she could reach a Post Office capable of handling international postal packages.    When weighing the packet, she found that in fact MrGC had paid sufficient for Koala to be upgraded to an Airmail Small Parcel (which travels a lot faster - in fact, the journey only took 4 days!), so he arrived well in time for the decreed date. Alas, the fates intervened in MrGC's carefully laid plans, and prior to that date, he found himself recalled to U.S.A.  for a week or two. So it was only last week that Koala was finally introduced to his Forever Friend, MsSL - and as proof positive of this, here is a photograph of the new friends.

Baby Koala looks very comfortable, methinks!  Let's hope all goes well and they enjoy their future together. Now, Isobel is taking over.  While all this was happening, I've been busy getting on with replacements, learning how to do Treasuries (something I had not been able to fathom previously) and generally organising myself to spring clean the Shop (www.Etsy.com/shop.COLDHAMCUDDLIES)  for 2014.    Thanks to an amazing tutorial compilied by Marilyn Rush, Captain of the Golden Rose Crafters Team on Etsy I can now claim to be the Curator (doesn't that sound grand?) of six Treasuries, which I specifically dedicated to members of the 8 Teams I belong to on Etsy.  Two actually relate to this blog, so in fact it's only 6 that have Treasuries as part of their activities.  Until the beginning of March ( 4 years after first starting on Etsy) I  had become addicted to the pastime of Following and Faving the Curators of other Treasuries and the Shops they featured.  The Team Leaders all patiently allowed me to carry on, but it's only since I did my first one at the beginning of March, that I realise what a potentially good promoting tool I have been missing!  As ever, it takes time for the penny to drop - but when it does, well then - LOOK OUT!  Except, of course, I do still have to find time to sew Cuddlies and restore Patients who arrive in the Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic (Etsy Listing 79124186).  (Incidentally I am a Leader - in charge of the Private Chat Thread - on The Golden Rose Crafters Team - appointed early in the New Year.  I wonder where Marilyn got that idea?)
Now back to blogging matters:  the first replacements done were two Baby Hedgehogs.  They've proved to be quite popular toys for www.Etsy.com/shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES and the final ones were sold during our Christmas Present Bazaar which was held here at The Hospital of St. John at the end of October, 2013.  What with Wolf-creation (Etsy Listing #178799382 and #179170142) and Christmas, it's only been in the last two weeks that I've been able to replace them.

Etsy Listing 95653745

Baby Hedgehogs - rear view

New photographs replaced the original ones, and I'm intending to re-take every Toy's photographs as and when I have the time, and the weather/light etc. permits. Another popular pre-Christmas seller were the Small Sized Kids Novelty Slippers, with  Baby Fox Heads on them.  Last night - having cut out two pairs and spent the evenings last week sewing them together (and preparing a story about how they are made for a future blog or two), these two were completed - and I plan to re-list them in the shop once I've finished creating this post.  

Etsy Listing #156563936

My animal eye supply is in need  of  replenishment.  When you are doing four foxes at a time, that's eight eyes at the same time!  So, I'm investigating Etsy sources, as there appears to be a wider colour chart available than from my normal internet suppliers - starting with the source MrsKN used for the Gold and Blue eyes for Nick and Agatha Buchanan Wolf (see the post on 16/02/2014 ).  I confirmed yesterday that she does ship to the UK, and that the heavier the package is, the cheaper the shipping cost!  Sounds an interesting idea! 

 Just so the Foxes don't feel left out - here are rear views of the two pairs of slippers!  All have little bushy tails, some of which are visible in this picture.  One pair have my usual plastic eyes, and the other pair is supplied with brown glass eyes, which I just happened to have had in stock - waiting for a suitable toy to be fitted with them. (There were only two left in the brown plastic variety!)  Colourwise, there is very little difference, but the glass ones are sewn in, while the plastic ones have the usual metal safety washer.  

Finally, all my Followers are very observant people, and will no doubt have noticed the addition of two buttons to this Blog.  The one appearing in the right side-bar is the blog button, and the one at the bottom of each post have both been provided thanks to the good offices of Angelique Ouellette-Tower  of http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/ .  I've been participating in many blog hops arranged by her and her team for several months, and recently took ad space on her blog.  This required the creation of buttons, which I had not got the foggiest idea how to do!  Angelique obliged - and patiently  "held my hand" (over several attempts) before they appeared when/where they were supposed to!  While, so far, sales do not appear to have been affected,  the number of views for the Blog have increased to the point that we are now at 22,300+ when we were only scraping the 21,000 mark at the beginning of the year.  Thanks so much everyone for being such great Followers, and to Angelique for her superb help.

The button for the Clinic appears automatically on the blog when I begin to create every post. (It proceeds majestically down the page as I type.  The side-bar one seems to be a permanent feature.  Now, I've got to see how to properly capitalise on these new features - because, as ever, I've gone in for them without actually understanding what they are all about!!  (I think they are designed to make it easier for Followers and other Visitors to the Blog to reach it!)  One lives (dangerously at times I freely admit) and one LEARNS.  Which is really what LIFE itself is all about isn't it?

Until next time - Good night and God bless - from Cy Bear and Me!  (Isobel)