Having talked about the likelihood of opening the ColdhamCuddlies Soft Toy Clinic, I finally took the step yesterday and listed the Clinic on the ColdhamCuddlies shop site on Etsy (Etsy Listing # 79124185 - www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com) and backed it up by announcing it on both Twitter and Facebook. Decided it would do no harm to copy the description of how the service will work as a separate post - so here goes.
"Description of Service:
Offering a new service to all Buyers on Etsy who have elderly toys in need of some TLC and or a complete makeover. Prospective Patients may be any stuffed animal toy. Bears have so far been featured, but I am
prepared to assess Foxes, Rabbits, Coyotes, and any other Etsy toys - EXCEPT Dolls. Afraid I am not into THEM - and never have been.
HOW WILL IT WORK? Buyers may send the Patient to the contact address featured at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com site at their expense. Once the assessment has been completed, Buyers will be notified of what I can do to help restore the Patient to as near it’s former appearance as is currently possible.
You will then be asked to order the work by using the Etsy Purchasing process and including the Consultancy Fee which will always be 40.00 USD plus the current cost in the Coldham Cuddly Shop for Bears, Rabbits, Foxes/Coyotes and other animals that may feature in future. If Buyers need more information about the probable cost, please convo or e mail me - details are contained in my Etsy Profile and I will be happy to clarify the position.
Price differentials will also be in place if only partial repairs are required: the cost of these procedures will also be discussed with the Buyer prior to any permanent action being undertaken.
If the animal presented for assessment is a newbie (i.e. does not currently feature in our shop) or differs markedly in size and shape from our existing models, a special price will be quoted and no action will be taken regarding the purchasing process until all parties are satisfied. The information will be conveyed to you via Etsy Convo and/or e-mail - Buyers’ choice.
The Patient will be returned to the Buyer following the procedures already outlined in the Shipping section of the ColdhamCuddlies shop and will be at ColdhamCuddlies’ expense - using the most appropriate first class mail rates in operation to the Patient’s home address. Shipping details will be conveyed to the Buyer once the journey has commenced. THIS APPLIES IF IT IS DECIDED NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE PROJECT as well as when a project is completed to the satisfaction of all parties. Progress will explained on our blog at www.ColdhamCuddliescalling.blogspot.com.
If Buyers would like a video of the entire treatment process (which may incorporate photos already used on the blog), there will be an additional charge of 10.00USD.
Customers should bear in mind - depending on the Patient’s origins and age:
Dyes can be different, and therefore an exact match may not be possible. You will be consulted before any further action is taken;
He/She will probably be bigger than remembered - please see note on my modus operandi .
It is difficult, if not impossible, to provide an exact replica of the original: however, you can rest assured, every effort will be made to render one that gives the best outcome.
MODUS OPERANDI:
Every project is likely to be different. However, potential Buyers of the service can refer to the various posts contained in my blog at www.ColdhamCuddliescalling.blogspot.com/Rejuvenation of Little Red Ted/Treatment of Ed Ted. The posts can be found in the Blog Archives (March/April 2011 for the former: July 2011 in the case of the latter)
TOYS FEATURED: Little Red Ted is a Plush Fabric Toy, originally a former Army Bear who travelled everywhere his family had been posted with the British Army. Middle East, and Germany featured prominently in his former travels and his adventures included run ins with family dogs. He now lives peacefully with his Best Friend, who admits to being "nearly 80" here in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England, UK.
Ed Ted Bear arrived in the Clinic at the beginning of July and was the constant companion of a young Boy, going everywhere together. He had spent the last 20-25 years wrapped in two plastic bags in the attic of the family home. He only appeared when the attic was being cleared after the death of Ed Ted's Best Friend's Mother in December 2010 and was sent to the Clinic to see if he could be helped back to health. He faces an exciting future, travelling to live in Italy with his Best Friend in the very near future and meeting a white cat named SNOW, who adopted the Best Friend in 2010."
Hello there Followers, Readers and everyone else: Cy Bear here just to keep you informed about what is happening in the Clinic (www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies - #79124185) and regarding the Cuddlies who are preparing to be adopted shortly.
Isobel has cut out three new Baby White Rabbits and has sewn one. It is now ready for stuffing and putting together. MrsC from Beecroft, New South Wales, Australia has asked that one Bunny has a yellow ribbon and the other a turqoise one. They are intended as "welcome to the world" gifts for twins who are expected shortly. Mum apparently knows that one is a boy: the other is going to be "a surprise" and everyone agrees that these two colours are properly neutral for whatever joins its brother!
Panda is ready to go and his replacement is cut out and ready to be sewn together once all the Bunnies are complete. Isobel will get down to stuffing and sewing the other two cut out Bunnies just as soon as she's finished this post.
Meanwhile, the patients in the Clinic are continuing their treatment. Tommy Teddy survived his wash, having spent the whole night in a cool bath, and apparently the water was quite dark when he was extracted. He spent yesterday and this morning in the Laundry area of The Hospital of St. John, where we all live, and is now back home waiting to be ironed out so that Isobel can make the cardboard pattern pieces from which he will be cut out - once we've got the fabric sorted. A request for a prices and suggested materials has been sent.
Brr Bear, meanwhile, is lying down on his back - resting, before his treatment begins. He looks very comfortable.
I'll bring this post to an end so Goodnight for now and we both hope that you'll remember the Clinic if you come across a stuffed animal toy who needs help to look better. Isobel does enjoy doing them: and I like to see them get better looking as the days go by.
Friday, 5 August 2011
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Latest ColdhamCuddlies update
My word - what a day this has been! Things seem to have happened thick and fast today - not that either Cy Bear nor I are complaining.
So, let me (Isobel) begin with an update on the two new ColdhamCuddlies patients: Brr Bear is waiting to be deconstructed, but has an ear missing (more information on that matter in a minute). Tommy Teddy has been completely taken to bits and is now wallowing in a basin full of cool water in which he will be all night. He's had the first layer of three decade's plus worth of dust, wear and tear removed: the soaking in cold water will, hopefully, remove another layer. He will then be dried out naturally and ironed out. He really is the most odd shape and I shall be having nightmares about getting him back together again - until I actually sit down and do it. That's my modus operandi, I fear. He, too, is missing an ear as well as a paw pad.** His stuffing turned out to be foam rubber which had been cut up from whatever sources it had originated from - and I dread to think what could have happened had he been anywhere near a live flame. The foam was certainly not fireproof! It has been deposited at the Warminster Dump!
**This is because I've sent them to Susan at Bear Basics to see if she can match them up with her impressive stock of bear-making fabrics. She not only has the Steiff Shulte fabrics, but a whole lot more as well, and I am confident that she will not let Coldham Cuddlies (www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies) down. Put it this way: if she cannot help, am not quite sure where I'll be able to find anything remotely like Tommy Teddy now, given that dyes and materials have changed so much since he arrived to live with the Morrells in the early 1970's.
Cy Bear interrupting here: Isobel has learned that we have received orders for three Cuddlies, so she's going to be busy on these while she waits to hear from her fabric supplier. Two Baby White Rabbits like the one shown below are off to New South Wales, Australia (which I understand is the other side of the world away from here).
And then we've received another order from Mrs B-P from Saudi Arabia for one of our Panda Bears. (She was the person who ordered Hairy Bear some weeks' ago - and we hear that he's had an accident with one of his legs. So, we're expecting him to become a patient in the ColdhamCuddlies Soft Toy Clinic soon, too.) Panda Bear will be going to Saudi Arabia, which I'm told is about half the world away from England, UK, so all three of them have got long air journeys ahead of them. Panda's photo is coming up now.
Now it's Isobel back again to take up the final bit of the latest ColdhamCuddlies update story. We've got back in touch with Annie from EmptyontheInside, and I'll be copying and sending off all the items related to the Ed Ted treatment history for her to use in her blog at www.doughdirtdye.blogspot.com. Poor lass - they're suffering a heatwave in her part of the USA (think it's Okalahoma) where temperatures are forecast to reach 116 degrees Fahrenheit, for Heaven's sake! Apparently, they've not seen temperatures like it since the 1980's. Now we've been groaning at 90 degrees, although we've been promised more reasonable temperatures after a day of rain tomorrow, so we've got few reasons to complain, methinks.
Thus, one way or another, I'm going to be busy, busy, busy.... and neither Cy Bear or I would have it any other way. Until we meet again......Cy Bear and Isobel
So, let me (Isobel) begin with an update on the two new ColdhamCuddlies patients: Brr Bear is waiting to be deconstructed, but has an ear missing (more information on that matter in a minute). Tommy Teddy has been completely taken to bits and is now wallowing in a basin full of cool water in which he will be all night. He's had the first layer of three decade's plus worth of dust, wear and tear removed: the soaking in cold water will, hopefully, remove another layer. He will then be dried out naturally and ironed out. He really is the most odd shape and I shall be having nightmares about getting him back together again - until I actually sit down and do it. That's my modus operandi, I fear. He, too, is missing an ear as well as a paw pad.** His stuffing turned out to be foam rubber which had been cut up from whatever sources it had originated from - and I dread to think what could have happened had he been anywhere near a live flame. The foam was certainly not fireproof! It has been deposited at the Warminster Dump!
**This is because I've sent them to Susan at Bear Basics to see if she can match them up with her impressive stock of bear-making fabrics. She not only has the Steiff Shulte fabrics, but a whole lot more as well, and I am confident that she will not let Coldham Cuddlies (www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies) down. Put it this way: if she cannot help, am not quite sure where I'll be able to find anything remotely like Tommy Teddy now, given that dyes and materials have changed so much since he arrived to live with the Morrells in the early 1970's.
Cy Bear interrupting here: Isobel has learned that we have received orders for three Cuddlies, so she's going to be busy on these while she waits to hear from her fabric supplier. Two Baby White Rabbits like the one shown below are off to New South Wales, Australia (which I understand is the other side of the world away from here).
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Baby White Rabbit - Etsy Listing # 55036116 |
And then we've received another order from Mrs B-P from Saudi Arabia for one of our Panda Bears. (She was the person who ordered Hairy Bear some weeks' ago - and we hear that he's had an accident with one of his legs. So, we're expecting him to become a patient in the ColdhamCuddlies Soft Toy Clinic soon, too.) Panda Bear will be going to Saudi Arabia, which I'm told is about half the world away from England, UK, so all three of them have got long air journeys ahead of them. Panda's photo is coming up now.
![]() | |
Panda Bear - Etsy Listing #55047110 |
Thus, one way or another, I'm going to be busy, busy, busy.... and neither Cy Bear or I would have it any other way. Until we meet again......Cy Bear and Isobel
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Ed Ted - Treatment complete
Cy Bear and Isobel are both pleased (and not a little relieved, respectively) to announce that Ed Ted's rejuvenating treatment is satisfactorily completed. Here he is - NOW!
And just to remind you all, because it is nearly a month since the therapy began, here he was when he arrived early in July:
The final stage was not without some excitement. Once the head was attached, Isobel stuffed Ed Ted really firmly, only to find that the left arm did not lie right. So, she unstuffed him, and after a bit of difficulty managed to fit the arm in the correct position. Now, he's a very proud Associate Member of the Coldham Cuddlies family, and whilst not able - yet - to feature in the shop at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com, he soon will be, as Isobel intends to officially announce the opening of the ColdhamCuddlies Soft Toy Clinic sometime this coming week. She intends to use similar pictures of both Ed Ted and Little Red Ted to illustrate how the Soft Toy Clinic will operate.
The Clinic's impending opening has been bought forward, as we now have two more patients awaiting treatment. We'll introduce them here in this post and talk about them at greater length in forthcoming posts. Their names are Brr Bear, whose best friends are Mrs. DK and Mrs. HR (the latter being the daughter of the former).
Tommy Teddy is one of the Morrell Family Bears - currently in elder daughter, Philippa's, collection and has been with us since the early 1970's. He was originally pink and blue in colour: he's faded somewhat, so Isobel is going to give him a new coat - hopefully in similar colours, and re-stuff him with safe polyester fibre as he's currently stuffed with rubber foam, that could be dangerously inflammable. Foam rubber in the 1970's here in the UK was not treated and was often used to stuff cushions (and toys) before it was found to be so dangerous when involved in fires.
With that, we'll both end our updates from the Coldham Cuddlies fold for today. Good night all - Cy Bear and Isobel
Taken in a neighbour's garden |
And just to remind you all, because it is nearly a month since the therapy began, here he was when he arrived early in July:
Ed Ted - first glimpse |
The Clinic's impending opening has been bought forward, as we now have two more patients awaiting treatment. We'll introduce them here in this post and talk about them at greater length in forthcoming posts. Their names are Brr Bear, whose best friends are Mrs. DK and Mrs. HR (the latter being the daughter of the former).
Brr Bear in front of Tommy Teddy |
With that, we'll both end our updates from the Coldham Cuddlies fold for today. Good night all - Cy Bear and Isobel
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