All Pink ~ All Month!

Squeeeee!!  Etsy Peeps!!  Thank you so much!!

As many Etsy sellers and followers do, I receive an email with featured themes on Etsy every day.  They are always so cleverly put together and feature incredible products ~ I am usually tempted to buy at least a couple of things!  So today when I received the October Shopping Guide and scrolled down thru the delicious temptations, I was thrilled to see my knit hat featured!

Breast Cancer Awareness has long been a cause near and dear to me.  Two maternal aunts suffered for years with the disease and the miserable, painful side effects from treatment (they have both since passed).  A few years ago my Mom (who luckily has remained disease-free) volunteered to be part of a clinical study for some experimental drugs ~ hoping to help her sisters.  I've had my own scares (and scars) over the years and I'm one of the lucky ones ~ so far I've dodged the bullet.

So when I started my Etsy shop 2.5 years ago, I knew I wanted to do something to support the cause.  The main focus of my shop are my Wee Ones and Liten Venns - little stuffed animals.  So every September and October a lot of pink pops up in my shop with my BC Buddies.  I also do consignment with seven stores across the country and am so happy that five of them partner with me in this effort every year.

Last year I discovered knitting looms and got slightly addicted.  So, although I have yet to figure out how to fashion a stuffed animal on one, I do enjoy making knit hats.  It's a perfect pastime for those long winter nights by the fire.  I decided to add a few BC Beanies to my shop, with a focus on breast cancer patients who often need something warm for their sweet heads.  (I plan to add more in just a few days.)

10% of the sale of each BC Beanie and BC Buddy goes to Susan G Komen for the Cure.  I look forward to the day when that organization will no longer be needed... because we've found a cure.

Hi Kim!

Cookie the Wee Puppy is on her way to our friend Kim @ 9News - the Denver NBC Affiliate.  Breast Cancer Awareness is near and dear to her heart, as it is to mine.  For the past two years Kim has been so generous to share my BC Buddies on her 4 O'clock news broadcast.

We're hoping Cookie makes the cut, too.  :)

It's That Time of Year Again!

Tomorrow I begin production on my BC Buddies and thus the roll out of my 3rd Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign!  Yay!  I will be featuring favorites from years past (in my Etsy shop now) and creating new fun and whimsical critters as well.

Having a family history of breast cancer (and a couple of scares myself) it is an important issue to me.  I'm one of the lucky ones though so I want to do all I can to give back and support finding a cure.

Adopt any of my BC Buddies between now and the end of October and 10% of each sale will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You can find them in my Etsy Shop and, starting in September, in any of the fabulous stores that carry my Wee Ones, et al and have generously offered to partner with me in my campaign:

Stoopher & Boots in New York City

hanger 18 in Chicago

A Show of Hands Gallery in Denver

Modern Mouse in Alameda/East San Francisco Bay

Hapa Collective in Seal Beach, California

I send {{hugs}} and a huge thank you to them for their support!  Plan to be seeing a lot of pink around here in the next couple of months!  I think I'll be seeing it  in my sleep.  *wink*

Wee Travelers are Here!

The next idea...

Voilà! Introducing "Wee Travelers" ~ little travel bags for kids! Something I've been thinking about for awhile and finally had time to work up a prototype. Mind you, these aren't the best images; I found it difficult to find the proper lighting for this particular item, but you get the idea.

"Wee Travelers" will be offered in a couple of sizes ~ this particular cupcake version is larger ~ about 12 inches high and 28 inches in diameter. It sports a cupcake appliqued pocket on the front and another pocket on the inside in the pink and white striped lining. Both fabrics on this model are flannel - super soft and completely washable ~ and the bag has a Velcro closure (easy for little hands to manipulate). A coordinating ribbon on the 18 inch handles and a cute pink heart button on the outer pocket complete the bag.

Of course there will be "manly" bags for boys as well; and I will be making a smaller version, too. The bags are perfect for overnights at Grandmas; play dates with friends; traveling on an airplane (they'll make it thru security just fine!); going to the beach, the lake, the mountains; going to the market with Mom or on a camping trip with Dad.

OR ~ the bags will be perfect for carrying a Wee One (or two!) along on all those adventures!!

More to come. This cupcake bag may or may not show up in my Etsy shop ~ I haven't decided yet. It may be going to a special little girl... Stay tuned for all kinds of bags and especially the "Wee Travelers" for guys coming soon, too!

And The BC Awareness Beat Goes On!

I love to gather ideas - ideas and inspiration from people, places, experiences... I am basically a shy person and many years behind a camera lens taught me the power of observation.

The idea I am writing about today was inspired by Stephanie, the owner of Stoopher & Boots in New York City. In late August I asked Stephanie if she would be interested in carrying a few of my little BC Buddies (a variety of pink BC Awareness inspired Wee Ones) ~ with 10% of each sale going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure ~ she enthusiastically said, "Yes! How soon can you send them?"

In the past I had only run my BC Awareness Campaign during the month of October. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in New York City took place in early September so I extended my campaign to two months. At the end of October I asked Stephanie if she would like to pull the BC Buddies from the shelf until next year. She responded,"I'd like to keep them ~it is always a good time to support such a good cause!"

So thank you, Stephanie! You inspired me to keep the BC Buddies in my Etsy shop year 'round. Because I totally agree ~ it is always a good time to support a good cause! Thinking about it, I realized women (and men!) don't just get breast cancer in September or October. It is estimated that in 2010 about 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women* ~ and that's just women. That is day after day after day after day...

And proof positive of that ~ I have sold three BC Buddies in the last two days. I am thinking they will make dandy Hanukkah and Christmas pressies...

Yay!

*American Cancer Society

An Homage to Mom

My Mom had three sisters; two of them were stricken with breast cancer. One passed away a few years ago; the other has suffered with complications and side effects for more than 40 years. The up-side is she survived; the down side is her quality of life hasn't been that great.

When the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen was in clinical trials a few years ago, my Mom felt a responsibility to participate. She volunteered to be a part of the study for a couple of years. So, she's kind of my breast cancer hero, too. She took a chance ~ not knowing what the drug may do. Fortunately she didn't experience any side effects and is still healthy as can be.

Mom turns 92 on Friday. One of the gifts I'm giving her is this super soft (think angora/cashmere) pink hat I knit for her, with a special little note from me. ;-)

It Doesn't Discriminate.

Proof positive that Breast Cancer is a widespread disease. Lil' Bess here will be on her way to Germany on Monday. Sweet Anna has purchased her to give to a friend suffering with the nasty disease.

Breast Cancer Awareness started early with cmh design this year ~ we expanded our campaign to include both the months of September and October. You can purchase BC Buddies here thru October, with 10% of each purchase going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Think Pink!

BC Awareness is the name of the game for September and October!

It is that time of year again when seasons change and everything turns... PINK!

September and October bring Breast Cancer Awareness to cmh design! Once again we are donating 10% of the sale of any BC Buddy to Susan G. Koman for the Cure! Check my Etsy shop often because new buddies are added daily! You can also find my BC Buddies at Stoopher & Boots in New York City and [soon] Caboodle in Denver!

And thank you for your support! :)

A Fall Preview ~ BC Comfort Friends Make a Return!

Just as last year this October cmh design will focus on Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a cause near and dear to my heart.

This year I am featuring a family of Wee Ones ~ The BC Comfort Friends. A cat, a dog, a bear and a bunny (and probably more!) can be found in my Etsy shop in just a couple of days. If you would like to purchase one ~ or order several, 10% of all sales will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

So this is just a little preview of what is to come in the Fall! Can Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah be far behind??

Looking Back on a Year.

I just happened upon this while opening my photo archives tonight - one year ago today I made my first stuffed plushie/stuffie. Dotty was sent to a dear friend in San Francisco for her daughter (then about 9-10 months old) to "baby test." Fortunately Dotty passed the test and the little one adopted her with hugs (as well as Dotty standing up to a washing and drying!).

When I originally opened my Etsy shop a year ago I tried offering an eclectic mix of things I love to do - photography, knitting, stuffies. Eclectic - yes; but more so, I had begun to feel, confusing. During a trip to Berkeley/San Francisco in June of last year I spent one very early cool morning walking along the East Bay thinking about what direction I should take. I made a decision. I returned home, reorganized my shop and dedicated it to stuffies exclusively.

Over the past year I have been so grateful to see my customer base grow ~ and wow, what a banner month in March! I think I made the right decision. I woke up Easter morning and - with no little ones in my house any longer - told my husband, "Oh! There are children across the country waking up to my bunnies this morning!" The only thing that would make me happier would be seeing their faces. :)

I know I'm having fun and I've been fortunate to receive encouraging feedback; I've made good sales and am more excited than ever about what I am doing. I am now migrating into my own original designs ~ finding that challenging, but oh so fun.

So thank you Joo and Lena for being there at the beginning ~ and to all of my wonderful, beautiful, generous friends and customers on Etsy who have followed. You make me smile every day.

Sweet as Sugar

Sometimes the things you least expect turn out to be the happiest.

While doing an early Spring Cleaning of my fabric closet I came across pink chenille fabric that I had cut out for a bunny. And for whatever reason, I had only part of the bunny. I looked thru my newly organized (by color) fabrics I discovered I was out of pink chenille, but I did have white. Since my Mom always taught me to be frugal and make the most of whatever I had, I decided to make a multi-colored bunny and see how it would turn out.

The finished product, little Sugar, made me smile. Big. And I haven't stopped smiling yet. :)

You can find Sugar and other Easter critters in my shop freckles & friends Thanks for taking a peek and have a terrific Thursday!

She Was Worth It.

I've always said I really dislike working with chenille because it is so messy ~ it sheds so there is lint everywhere when working with it. (I'd post a pic of the floor of my studio, but it's embarrassing!) Lint in my eyes. Lint in my nose - a lot of sneezing ensues. Lint all over my black knit pants. I know. Don't wear black knit pants when working with pink chenille. Duh.

So I had sworn off chenille until I got two special requests for chenille dogs. A sale is a sale, so I although I left them till the very end of the large order, I forged ahead ~ lint and all. A baby blue chenille dog came to life and then came this little sweet pink one. Too much cuteness. I can't stand it. She's in her gift bag here, waiting to be shipped off.

Once I surrendered to the lint and just ignored it, well, it wasn't so painful after all. Next on tap ~ I'm going to make a chenille puppy (or bunny) for myself! I realized the other day I don't have any of my own animals and these chenille ones just call to me!

Too

Much

Cuteness. :)

Suki

Not all my "Breast Cancer Comfort Friends" are obvious. Take Suki here. She's a little more subtle in her support. She sports cheerful polka dots with a pink background, but she also wears an understated breast cancer pink ribbon around her heart.

But she is full of love and support; comfort and hugs, too. She and many like her are available in

my shop.

Thank You 9News!

Hope, a Breast Cancer Comfort Bunny, was

featured on 9News NBC Denver yesterday! (Video to follow!) Pretty cool seeing one of my little guys on TV ~ and they were very generous to post my Etsy shop address, too! Thank you, 9News!

Hope is part of my month-long campaign to raise awareness (and a couple of buckaroos) for breast cancer. 20% of each sale of one of my breast cancer comfort friends will go to Susan G Komen for the Cure.

Many of these little guys are highlighted in my showcase today in the gift guide, so stop on by and get a hug. :)

Ella the Elephant

Ella is going to be joining her Breast Cancer Comfort Sistahs in the shop on Saturday. freckles & friends is taking part in a gift guide showcase on Etsy then ~ stop by and see who else may be joining her!

For A Cure...

My little family of Breast Cancer Comfort Friends is growing! (These are only a few in the group.) I'm doing a big push in the next couple of weeks to get these guys out in the community ~ actually across the country ~ and literally into the hands of people I know are committed to Breast Cancer Awareness and finding a cure. It means quite a few "freebies" but if it can help anyone in anyway, it's worth it!

Coming up soon ~ why the issue of Breast Cancer Awareness is important to me personally.

Happy Travels, Rebecca and Fifi!

Today I learned that Rebecca the Breast Cancer Comfort Bear and her little compadre, Fifi the Bunny will be leaving the shop. I am sending them off with a hug and a kiss ~ I always do that... Wishing them safe journeys and may the love they were created with go with them and embrace their new families...

'bye 'becca. 'bye fifi. god speed...

Pardon My Back...

I'm trying to decide if I want to put her in the shop or not... she's not perfect, but what in life is?

'Bye Lulu!

Lulu has found a home! She will be leaving me tomorrow and, as always, I'm a bit sad to see her go. She's the last of my bunnies currently in existence in the ol' shop here. And here's something strange...

Over the weekend my son sent me a link to a really touching song and video, much of which included a whimsical artist's rendition of little bunnies. Of course it brought a tear (I can be a soft touch sometimes...) and as I watched these little bunnies I made a mental note to myself to bring a few more to life and get them in my shop. Because I do love me a cute bunny.

And then today, Lulu, the last remaining bunny leaves me. Coincidence? I think not.

Especially since I've spent the last week away from my studio with other activities and am slowly regaining energy, the timing was perfect. Yay.

Two Down; Seven To Go :)

No, the hats aren't really for them; I just decided to get everything in one shot. My friend ordered a pink hat, a "blue/white" hat - for the actual babies, a pink polka dot bear and a blue polka dot dog for twin babies in their family who will be making their appearance soon.

So now before moving on to the rest of the special orders, I think I'll experiment with something I've been thinking about. If it turns out, pix to follow. And it may even end up in the shop. ;-)