Hello again Everybody!
As Mascot to the ColdhamCuddlies, I get involved in a lot of the photographs taken by Isobel - especially when there are Cuddlies on their way to their individual Forever Homes. Here are a couple of recent examples of these - taken when one of our Black and White Plush Baby Bunnies (Etsy Listing #55187979) left for a new home in Cheyenne, Wyoming -
This little Black and White Plush Baby Bunny is destined to be a Forever Friend for a little baby girl called Isla - who is about five months' old and has been very ill in hospital with something called pneumonia - which sounds very nasty at any time, but particularly so, one would think, if you are as a small a Little Person as she is. However, Mother tells Isobel that she is now well on the way to recovery. As Bunny is meant to be an Easter Bunny present, we hope to have pictures of the two of them when they get together this week-end.
One of our Baby Koalas (Etsy Listing #55190188) also left on the same day en route to his new Forever Home in Columbia, MD, United States of America.
We've just heard earlier this week that both Cuddlies have arrived at their respective destinations and are looking forward to getting some pictures of them in due course. Koala's won't be taken until sometime next week, when his Forever Friend, MsAW gets out her camera so she can take photographs of her beautifully embroidered Totes - which can be seen at https://www.etsy.com/shop/StarLadyEmbroidery.
(Isobel got a convo message from MsAW yesterday that she has decided to call Koala, Kili - after some one in a book called "The Hobbit". Hope that means something to everyone - afraid neither Isobel nor I know too much about that subject!)
Now, it's been decided (I wasn't party to the decision, but as always I am willing to go along and help out when needed), that our Shop (www.etsy.com/shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES) is going to have a Spring Clean. This means that every one of the Toys are going to participate in a photo shoot. These will take place outdoors, when the weather is kind. Isobel has got bored with the same-look backgrounds that we inevitably end up when the pictures are taken in and around our flat here at the Hospital of St. John.
We took a lot of outdoor photographs when our shop was still quite small - say with about 20 Toys in all. Isobel believes those shots contributed to quite a lot of our original sales, so she's hoping the new ones - where she's had more experience of using her camera - will result in the same thing happening.
(We now have 75 Toys listed, with some more labelled "Inactive". That means they are waiting to be resewn and re-listed. Isobel has begun to make a spread sheet (don't know what that is - but doubtless our wonderful Followers will know what she's talking about!) with facts and figures about us Cuddlies, and she actually has 81 in all. Some are not likely to be re-introduced in exactly the same way they looked before, because the original fabric has been used up. (There is a proviso to that effect in our Shop Policies by the way!)
Isobel takes part in several Teams on Etsy (whatever they are!) As a Beaver Lamb Bear that doesn't mean much to me - except that it takes up an inordinate amount of her time, when I think she should be sitting in her work-room and making new Cuddlies for me to look after! However - apparently it is a well-discussed topic in those Teams that the more items one can have in one's Shops the more folks can come to have a look-see, and if those Buyers enjoy their visit, there is more likelihood that they'll adopt a Cuddly and make them their Forever Friends.
Also, the more one "renews" a shop item, the more the shop should get noticed by social media outlets who spend their lives looking out for such activities. And one of the ways that these outfits are attracted - is by constant movement within one's Shop. So, Isobel has decided to try to keep renewing one Cuddly every day (most of us are due for our four-monthly renewal, anyway), and she's also going to try and make some brand new Cuddlies along the way - to intersperse between the daily renewals. So my suggestion is - look out World!
Last week, the renewal programme began and I don't feature in them yet: think that will happen when some of the smaller Cuddlies are involved. I thought you'd like to see them, and I can tell you a little about them as they all go along. I'm happy to do so - as it can get a bit boring sitting all day long on Isobel's bed without anything else to do!
This is Nicholas Rabbit. He was originally made as a special Christmas Rabbit. However, he is just as appropriate as an All Year boy's or girl's gift. We don't favour gender-specific toys in the ColdhamCuddlies family - and you can find out a lot more about him by clicking on this link.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/86564271/toy-brown-bunny-rabbit-toy-brown-plush?
This picture shows Nicholas standing on a step outside the Residents' Hall at The Hospital of St. John, with some Forget-me-Not flowers and other plants in a nearby flower bed. He's leaning against another step - the front of which has been painted in white. That's to try to stop our elderly neighbours from missing the step as they go up and down them to reach the Hall - where they have things like Coffee mornings and where the Craft Fairs we've featured in take place. They have been posted about here on the blog too. (See our Post dated 03/11/2013 - The Poppy Appeal Craft Fair as an example).
We've managed to renew several Cuddlies already and I'm not necessarily going to include them in the order in which they have been re-listed. We've done several Rabbits as well as Foxes and begun to do the Teddy Bears as well. So, here's one of my Fox Friends, Miss Prim. Her initial photograph never really did her justice, and I think this one really shows her up well. Do hope you agree!
There's more information about Miss Prim to be seen if you click here https://www.etsy.com/listing/75340524/toy-lady-fox-chestnut-plush-stuffie-miss? Isobel posed her in the branch of a Mulberry Tree that is reputedly nearly 400 years old. Certainly it has some very broad branches and this is going to feature in several of the renewal photographs - thus keeping us in line with a recommendation that one should be consistent with our backgrounds when taking pictures for on-line marketing activities.
Right, I think this post has gone on long enough, so I'm going to close for tonight. As it's Holy Saturday as Isobel types in my words for me, I'll end by wishing everyone a very Happy and Blessed Easter. Hope you all have a great time, get lots of Easter Eggs (I'm not allowed those!) and I hope to back with some more pictures of my Cuddly Friends - old and new - soon.
Your Friend, Cy Bear
