BESTeam Feature for March 25

 The Boosting Etsy Shops Team's goal is to offer support
and promotion of one another's Etsy shops primarily through our
personal Blogs, and also through our Twitter Accounts and Facebook Fanpages.
Commitment to this common goal is what makes our team the BEST!

To celebrate nearly three months’ membership of the BESTeam, I’ve finally been let into  behind the scenes secrets of how it operates.  What with our Glorious Leader’s recent computer travails and my total “cack-handedness” (an expression used by our family to describe total ignorance of the right way of doing things on the internet!) my previous attempts at blogging have borne no relation to being the “right way”.  However, this week, Debbi Huntington (see my previous reference) has taken me in hand and I discovered that although my chosen shop features were perfectly acceptable ones, they did  not match her BESTeam schedule!

 Now I know how to access this document, I find that while I have featured some of her suggested targets, there are others that have been unintentionally left out.   So, I am rapidly setting out to rectify this omission   and in my next two posts for the BESTeam, will be including the missing shops.  My apologies to their Principals, and I hope my contributions will be acceptable to them.  By the end of March, I should be in sync with the Team!  Better late than never, methinks!

AbsolutelyKismet is my first inclusion today.  It’s a shop that offers spectacular collection of jewellery designs for necklaces, bracelets and earrings, but has a special item to offer which I’ve previously not come across - WINE CHARMS.  What a lovely way to describe wine-glass labels and the finished articles are as pretty as the name implies.  They are the answer to a hostess’ prayers (or for a guest who just happens to have forgotten where their drink is!) and in particular, if someone caters for large parties, such a practical way of directing guests to their particular seat! 

The set I’ve chosen for this feature is called  The Alphabet Wine Glass Charms, includes all 26 letters of the alphabet, and a multitude of colour combination choices.

Just some of the letters available in multiple colours

You can see more charms, bracelets, necklaces etc at Absolutely Kismet’s shop - www.etsy.com/people/AbsolutelyKismet.  The Facebook  contact address is www.facebook.com/AbsolutelyKismet and there is also a Blog at http://www.absolutelykismet.blogspot.com.

 Why not visit all of them and learn some more, as well as finding about the discounts available for Wine Charm bulk orders ?

Next to be featured is BeaderBubbe, the shop owned and operated by Agnes which is an Aladdin’s Cave of choice jewellery items.  Agnes loves to create in any medium - be it crystal, paper beads, polymer clay, stamping - when she’s not fulfilling her maternal duties towards five children and 7 grandchildren (all boys).  Her ultimate intention is to retire, so enabling her to concentrate on her jewellery creating.

My favourite from her current shop’s collection is her Green Bracelet, using Unakite accent beads.  That’s a semi precious stone with which I have been unacquainted, but they contain a wonderful mix of colours behind the overall green colouration which results in a most attractive combination.

Showing all the pretty colours behind the Green

They also happen to be “my colours”:   so now - off to find the right outfit so that I can indulge myself.

The BeaderBubbe contact details are:

Shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/BeaderBubbe
Blog:  www.beaderbubbe.blogspot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/beaderbubbe

Then there’s Riorita - the shop front for beautiful jewellery created  in Israel by Irith Mashiah,  a gold and silversmith by training and vocation.  Her creations use a combination of semi-precious stones, ancient glass and beach glass, as well as pebbles from the Sea of Galilee (isn’t that an exotic location for the source of one’s designs?)  Her workshop is “not far away from the Mediterranean” and Irith describes her workshop as being a “small paradise” which includes peacocks and geese strutting their stuff amid a lawn with trees and sculpture.  What a picture that conjures up!

One of my favourite colour combinations is green and gold:  indeed, those colours provide important family memories, so I’ve really fallen for the earrings made with Gold Plated Brass and hand cut Emerald Mediterranean Sea Glass.

An unusual shaped earring in beautiful warm colours

Just wish I could actually wear them - but I don’t have pierced ears!

See more of Irith’s work in her shop at www.riorita.etsy.com.  Her Blog can be found at www.rioritajewellry.blogspot.com or you can visit her website  at http://www. irithbzjewellry.net

As part of my BESTeam commitment, throughout the coming months I hope to  be posting short features of each of the fabulous shops and talented crafts persons representing the team.  What is BESTeam?  It's The Boosting Etsy Shops Team and our goal is to give support to each other and to help promote each others' Etsy shops through blogging, Facebook and other social networks.  If you are an Etsy shopowner and are interested in learning more about BESTeam, please visit the team page on Etsy or have a look at the BESTeam blog.

Further Bits and Pieces

Hello again everyone!  As promised in my last post, this is Cy Bear signing on once more, this time to tell you something about the new members of the Coldham Cuddlies family.

First I'd like to introduce you to my new Bear friend, Silvery Brown Furry Bear.  We'll have to think of another title for him, but for the moment that is how he is listed on our shop site at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com.

Etsy Listing #95205668

 He's the first toy that Isobel has made with the new furry fabric sourced from our polyester fibre/plush fabric supplier in Frome, Somerset - the Fine Quality Feather Company.  We've got lots more of it, so there will be some more Bears like him, but the fabric is also great to use for the body of Badgers as and when they join us in the shop at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com.

A full frontal of Silvery Brown Bear

On the Badger theme, we've got the patterns enlarged by 400% (as described in an earlier post)  but Isobel thinks they are just a little too big for what she wants to do with them.  She thinks initially Badgers will make great Hand/Glove Puppets, and thus the head we've now got is going to overwhelm the hand/body part of the toy.  She's got some other things to do before experimenting by decreasing the enlarged patterns - if you follow my "Irish" as the saying goes, I'm told - but be reassured, Badgers are definitely part of the future plans for the Cuddlies Family.

Meanwhile, Isobel has completed, delivered and received payment for Barry, the Beaver - who has been listed at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com as Etsy Listing #95363559.  He was delivered to MrsM from near-by Warminster last week-end and we now look forward to hearing how Astrid from Denmark likes him.  Given her obsession with the animal, Isobel is hoping she'll really love him.  Here's his picture for the blog record:

Etsy Listing #95363559

Then, earlier this week, Isobel listed the Hedgehog Family in the shop - having replaced the original Baby, which went to his Forever Home during the recent Spring Sales Day here in Heytesbury, with two more.  She also did another Mother Hedgehog because one of our neighbours here had fallen in love with her.  It was Mother's Day here in the UK last week-end, and MrsES - the neighbour in question - was given both Mom and Baby as a present from her daughter!  So, instead of two babies, as originally planned, we are now back to a full Hedgehog family who do seem to be attracting quite a lot of attention on the Etsy Activity site.  Isobel finds they are quite easy to make - and actually did the two babies and Mom in two long sessions.  (For your information a "long session" means she was able to sew all afternoon and evening:  a "normal" session usually means it's evenings only.  The longer events take place at week-ends, while the others are week-day one).

Here are their pictures, and the Listing numbers in the shop at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com for those of you who want to have a look at them.

Etsy Listing #95652141

Etsy Listing #95653310

Etsy Listing #95653745

Daddy Hedgehog (they all have their own names in the shop) is probably going to also have a counterpart soon - looking like Mom and Baby in a prone position.  This is because MrsES does not approve of Hedgehogs that stand up and has asked to have one done especially for her.  In so doing, Isobel is going to offer that option to anyone else who might have a similar feeling about Hedgehogs who are upright - but not till she has made Cy Bear II for Mrs. IM in France (the Forever Friend of Mons. Reynard and Mme.Lapin - who are on their way to Normandy), completed Rusty Bear's treatment.  That began at the week-end and should soon be completed by this week-end.   (A step-by-step report will follow in due course, we promise!) and also the commission for 10 more Baby Koalas from Mr.RFE in Sequals, Italy!

A further point:  regular followers of our blog here at www.ColdhamCuddliescalling.blogspot.com may recognise the Hedgehog furry fabric.  It has appeared in our shop before as the five different versions of Hairy Bear, as well as Hairy Bear with a Brown  Felt Muzzle.  As supplies of this fabric are becoming scarcer, with little prospect of renewed supplies, Isobel has decided to stop producing Hairy Bears - they were produced as a limited edition in any case - altogether so that she can make more Hedgehogs.  They don't use up so much fabric!

That is all for me to tell you for the time being.  Isobel will be back soon with the news on Rusty and other information.  Meanwhile, enjoy the Spring weather that seems to be occurring and take good care of yourselves.  Cy Bear