After the Royal Wedding - what next?

We've spent practically all day glued to the television - watching the crowds in London watching the Royal Wedding.  Was very restrained and did not switch the television when I first got up (the broadcasts began at 0600 BST) but waited till my husband got up and allowed him to put it on instead (that was about 0800 BST) and it stayed on .... and on..... and on. Very moving and thoroughly enjoyable:  makes one proud to be British again.

However, am pleased to say that it did enable me to finally repair the damage to Big Red Ted.  The interrupted photoshoot will thus take place tomorrow, and then I will be in a position to blog about the production of both Red Bears (Little Red Ted's rejuvenation as well as the production of Big Red Ted).

The rejuvenation process was indeed a challenge, but it's given me an idea:  to broaden the Coldham Cuddlies shopping experience (visible by visiting http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/)  by offering to rejuvenate the beloved Teds of everyone else.  There are few households around I suspect that does not hold a beloved soft toy (not necessarily just Bears) that is in need of some TLC. Some folks might say the tattered toy has "character"  and it would be shame to lose it - but how about prolonging its existence for a few more years instead?   If I did proceed, dolls would not be included - have never been a "doll person" and I'm not planning on becoming one now!  Have nothing agin them:  just prefer cuddly, furry animals instead.

It needs thinking about - but meanwhile, wonder what the great big Etsy (and others) world might have to say?  While I await - with bated breath - any comments on this idea, I'll end for today with a picture of Cy Bear with all the new Baby Rabbits, four of whom were included in yesterday's post.

New Listing on Etsy as part of the Social Media Blitz e-course

 

www.etsy.com/listing/01234567/light-brown-baby-rabbits is the actual Etsy.com listing (further information regarding these new members of the ColdhamCuddlies family can be found on my shop site at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com). These little guys replace the former Brown Rabbit who recently left the ColdhamCuddlies family for a Canadian home They are made from the same pattern but look smaller than the original Brown Baby Rabbit because the plush fur fabric from which they are made is thinner overall Also when making them I inadvertently left out a pattern piece However I think they have a better overall appearance than the original Brown Baby Rabbit and will be selling them at a slightly lower price with the pattern piece missing They measure 6" (10.5 cms) from tip of their ears to their sitting position and can be made with a white front or be completely self coloured They come with their own ribbon enabling them to be used as pram or cot toys This ribbon can be easily taken off if needed All baby rabbit toys are made in a smoke free and animal free environment and can be machine washed to 40 degrees Personally I would stick to 30 degrees just in case the dyes in the plush fabric are not fast ones Hang by ribbon to dry although they probably would survive a short tumble drying session

Re-opening the blogging posts

Blogging regularly is about to re-start - in a day or so.  However, yesterday, I began to follow the latest offering from Tim Adams, leader of the Handmadeology Team on Etsy.com which is designed to help those of us who are clueless about Social Media - full-stop!  Believe me - I'm the original  in that department.  Know that there is something called Facebook, have used it to post photographs of my toys being offered in my Etsy shop (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/) but am still not sure that either of the sites talk to each other or how to correct the fault if they do not.  Am a Twitterer, and tweet occasionally (when I remember) and yesterday registered with Digg, Stumbleupon and a couple of other sites recommended by the Social Media Blitz course. 

Was supposed to blog about it yesterday, but I find myself doing all this internet stuff quite late at night, and being a Silver Surfer, can get in a bit of a muddle at times as a result.  Doing it during the day doesn't always work - husband, Peter, often comes in and wants to know what is happening, without really being that interested.  However, he can have a malign influence on my computer - so his enquiries are not always appreciated!

So, having discovered Handmadeology, following my interview on the http://www.insideetsy.blogspot.com/. site earlier in April, I've been trying to keep up with all the helpful hints being provided.  They are wonderfully helpful, but they don't seem to be doing much to assist my problem in making sure that folks are actually reading the blog.  However, now I think about it, I was warned by a fellow Etsian (Yenbo), who was kind enought to create the Shop banner for me,  that it could take 6 months before I began to get regular comments on the blog.  SundayAfternoonHousewife has also been most helpful, and I hope soon to be able to follow her helpful hints too.

This may explain the lack of blogging from me in the last couple of weeks - and I've also been up to my eyes in Red Teds.  Little Red Ted is now fully rejuvenated - and will form at least a couple of future blogs (stage by stage pics will be included) and so, too, is Big Red Ted.  However, this afternoon, the latter suffered an unexpected injury by losing his left arm while involved in a photoshoot.  Until I've re-joined that to his torso, photography has had to be suspended (much to Cy Bear's annoyance - he rather likes his involvement as the ColdhamCuddlies mascot!).  However, it's not such a big deal, and I hope to resume progress in that matter tomorrow - as well as find out a bit more on how to make Facebook and Twitter work for the ColdhamCuddlies product and myself  - from the Social Media Blitz e-course being provided via Tim Adams.

Till then - bye for now.Isobel

News from Nottinghamshire

Hello again:  Cy Bear calling!

Isobel has just had the following message regarding the reception given to the Little Black Bunny that was sent to Nottinghamshire earlier this month.

"Thought you would want to know... Laura's Bunny (the black and white one) was hand delivered on Saturday. She LOVED it. Put it on her wrist right away and danced around the house with it! :) After much debate we decided it was a girl rabbit, and we decided that it would be nice if it were to be called Isobel! :) Sam's rabbit has also been delivered... I think he is going to get his bunny on Easter day though! I shall report back when I know how he liked it! :)"

Isobel tells me that "Laura" is something called a God-Daughter to one of Isobel's own daughters and Sam is her God-son!  We're looking forward to hearing about Sam's reaction to his Easter present:  somehow we don't think it will be to dance around the house:  but you never know! Not much has happened today on the ColdhamCuddlies Etsy site (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/) because it was the  annual clothing changeover (from winterweight gear to their summer wear for Isobel and Peter.  That means ironing shirts, dresses etc. so it may mean there won't be a post tomorrow. Meanwhile, to end today's input, here's  another picture of me and the newest Little Rabbits - Grey, Brown and Black/White.  It was taken with some of us balancing on the trunk of a very old Mulberry Tree in our garden here at the Hospital of St. John - which may (or may not) be nearly 400 years' old.  Certainly, Isobel says the trunk seems to be  made of metal, not wood! Bye for now - Cy Bear

ColdhamCuddliescalling: Further look at the new Baby Rabbits - as promised...

ColdhamCuddliescalling: Further look at the new Baby Rabbits - as promised...: "Hello there - Cy Bear back again! Isobel is really getting going with the Rejuvenation of Little RedTed - and she'll be telling ..."

Further look at the new Baby Rabbits - as promised!

Hello there - Cy Bear back again!

Isobel is really getting going with the Rejuvenation of Little RedTed - and she'll be telling you all about it next time she gets in front of her computer.  She's been taking pictures as she's gone along - she'll include them in her post - so she can remind herself how she did the job.  However,  she's been thinking!  (Always a dangerous sign, her family members might say at this point!)  If Little RedTed's owner is happy with the result, Isobel is thinking of going into a new sideline - setting up a ColdhamCuddlies' Soft Toy Hospital!  Seemingly everyone she talks to has (or knows someone who has) an old bear (or other cuddly toy) that has loved to bits (many times, quite literally) that  could well be made to look young again.  She's thinking about it anyway....

Meanwhile, whilst working on Little RedTed she's been trying to find time to do the other pictures of the Baby Bunnies in their individual colour groups - so they can ben listed on our Etsy site (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/).  Unfortunately, either the sunlight has not be in the right spot, or when it was, the batteries in her camera were too low!  However, she's hoping that everything will be in place tomorrow, so that she can complete the job and concentrate on finishing Little RedTed and then cut out and starting sewing Big Red Ted!

In the interim, I did promise to include more pictures of me with the pesky little rabbits - and here they are!   Until next time......

Unexpected contact - needing information

As a relative newbie to Etsy, I was amazed to get an e-mail a few weeks ago, from a lady living in California.   Now I don't know many people who live there and the enquiry related to the foxes in my shop (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/.).  (I was very encouraged that I could be reached in this way!)  ValerieW is her name and the message read "...I was just looking on the Internet for information on some old toy foxes that I have.  I found your web page with Ferdinand and Freda  and Freddy Fox (illustrated below)  .

Fred and Freda Boss Fox were made as Mascots



Ferdinand, a Hunting Gentleman Fox

Valerie went on to say that she also has a fourth fox - "named Flossy."  She wanted to know a bit more about their background.

Having replied, I got another message saying that she reckons her foxes were sent to her "in Texas, from my auntie living in Manchester, probably around 1953.  They have travelled with me to Oklahoma, South Carolina, back to Texas, to Turkey, back to England and then to California...."  Now apart from being well travelled, they are also long-lasting! 

One of the tags I use in all my toys' listings is just that - "long-lasting".  The longest lasting Fox that I have been responsible for is now over 35 and still going strong!  Think on.....as "they" say" and the Cuddlies look forward to welcoming you for a visit sometime soon!