ClareBears

Team Thursday - Etsy Kids Favourites

2011-09-01T11:00:00.000+01:00

It's been such a long time since I did one of these. I am totally out of the blogging swing :)

I just found this from fellow team member ChickadeeVinyl. It'd look cute in any nursery!

Check it out in their shop

June's Team Thursday: PuzzledOne

2011-06-09T11:00:00.000+01:00

I came across this jigsaw on Etsy today

How awesome is he?! And so colourful

You can see him here

May's Team Thursday - Etsy Kids Favourites

2011-05-12T11:00:00.001+01:00

I'm a washable nappy fan and Little Bear has his bum firmly wrapped in super soft and snuggly terry towelling, so these soakers would look so cute to cover them!

Get them here

Team Thursday - Etsy Kids Favourites

2011-04-07T11:00:00.000+01:00

Another of my favourites from the team!

Find it here!

Team Thursday - Etsy Kids Favourites

2011-03-31T11:00:00.000+01:00

Not a lot of people know, but I am a member of the Etsy Kids team. So here's something straight from my favourites. I really want to get these for Little Bear!

You can find them here!

Aaaaaand, we're back!!

2011-01-01T19:21:00.000Z

Well, not everywhere quite yet. I have reopened my Etsy shop this evening and to thank all of my customers I have created a special coupon code for January.

Enter THANKS2010 at the checkout to receive 25% off.

Here's to a creative and prosperous new year! xx

44 of 52 - An Enforced Break

2010-12-22T18:28:00.000Z

Baby Bears safely arrived on the 21st of November in the shape of a gorgeous (and heavy) little boy.

He was delivered by emergency caesarean section so there was a necessary period of recovery for me, so ClareBears and LittleGreyClouds have remained closed. However, they will reopen in the new year after our first Christmas with our little boy.

Thanks to all my customers this year. Have a great Christmas and New Year

Clare
xx

43 of 52 - The Mini Bear Army is not all about world domination you know.....

2010-11-16T11:00:00.000Z

Every so often, I get a photo of one of my bears getting it's fair share of love in it's new home. But this one has extra cuteness built right in there for you.

Maisy of OneLittleHouse is a big fan of cats. Some would say a crazy cat lady but not me, nope, not a bit ;-) Recently she has been volunteering at a cat foster home and making lots of new furry friends and blogging about them here. Needless to say, it didn't take her long to start fostering herself and she gave a home to Pip just last week. Maisy is also a regular bear adopter and one of the mini bears met Pip yesterday. And I think you'll agree, they get on well!

All together now...... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

42 of 52 - Christmas Shipping Reminder

2010-11-11T12:27:00.000Z

At the moment, all of my stores are still open for business and shipping is continuing within 24 hours of purchase (except on a weekend, items are posted on a Monday).

My stores are on Etsy (dollars), Folksy (pounds), Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous (pounds) and Dawanda (euros).

If you don't already know, we're expecting our very own Baby Bear at the end of November. Right in the middle of prime Christmas shopping time for all my lovely customers.

This means that my postage schedule will not be it's normal turn around. I also plan to close the shops for two weeks when the baby does arrive. I think I'll have my hands full enough! So, you need to get your orders in early. I will advise on when your bear is on it's way on an order by order basis.

If you're purchasing in the UK, the last postage date is Tuesday 21st December but don't leave it that date as your bear may have already gone to a good home and I don't know how well I'll be able to keep up with any that I have to make to order.

If you're purchasing in the US or other worldwide destination, you need to order by Monday 6th December. Now this is where the dates prove tricky. If Baby turns up on time (like that's ever going to happen) I'll be closed on this date. So, if you're not in the UK, please order by Mid November. If you miss these dates, please do drop me a convo or message via Etsy or Folksy and I will do my best to arrange something. But I really don't want to let anyone down so order early is my advice to you.

I will also not be taking any more custom orders until January 2011.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you during the festive period! Have a good one everyone!

41 of 52 - And the winner is......

2010-11-03T18:49:00.000Z

There were 37 entries for the little giveaway! And there was a great selection of names for my poor sad sock bear.

And the winner is (randomly picked using Random.org) .......

Tia!! (who apparently is a Rottweiler) and she said:

I think you should call him Edward Sockbear... after Edward Scissorhands, who was a scarred gentle soul who just wanted to be loved... also he said "I am not complete" and the sock he was made from was flawed... besides the movie makes me cry and Sockbear deserves his happy ending :)

So Edward Sockbear it is!! Check your emails Tia and send me your address :)

Thanks to everyone who entered and shared the blog post.

40 of 52 - GIVEAWAY! He's the bear with no name....

2010-10-29T11:00:00.004+01:00

Poor chap. He has no name at all

See, he's all sad

Now, he's not going in my shop at all. There was a fault in the sock that I didn't notice until I'd nearly finished him so after fixing that which left him with a rather fetching scar across his head, I decided he wasn't going in the shop. But, I have plans for him. He's going to have some adventures along with us and I'm sure he will get acquainted with Baby Bears in the coming weeks but he doesn't have a name! And our naming efforts are exhausted by trying to come up with names for Baby Bears.

So, drop your comments here before Wednesday 3rd November at 5pm and tell me what you think I should call him. And if your name is chosen, you can choose a mini sock bear from my Etsy shop to be all yours!

39 of 52 - WIP busting continued

2010-10-26T11:30:00.000+01:00

So yesterday I showed you my WIP bucket and my mission to clear as much of it as I can. Well, I have success to report!

Not only did I finish a number of WIPs but I also found some finished things that needed photographing for listing! WIN!!

The pile of finished things looks like this:

So 4 bears, 1 waterproof bag and 4 waterproof lined purses, a pile of padded hexagons for baby spills etc, 3 gonks, an embroidered bag (I found this finished but it needs ironing today) and a sale!! Oh and I should have added a pair of gloves that i've finished for my Father-In-Law's Christmas present, but I'd hate to spoil the surprise ;-)

I call that a very productive day.

So the remaining WIPs look like this:

So that's the Pooh kit (GAAAAAHHHHHH!!!) the dress (in the Fenwick's bag) and the embroidered shopping bag to be ironed. That means that the ironing board will be out and I'll probably end up tackling the ironing pile as well. This morning has mostly involved preparing this blog, doing some work for UK Handmade and trying to work out what socks to knit my Dad for Christmas.

So keep an eye out in my ClareBears shop for those new things coming soon!

38 of 52 - WIP busting

2010-10-25T10:34:00.000+01:00

I have had the worst case of start-itis just recently. Too many ideas, with too few chances to do them. As a result my WIP bucket is looking like this

And it's not a great picture but there is a waterproof lined bag for things like wet baby clothes etc there, some quilt wadding (which will be used along with the rest of the pile of hexagons from this post) and there are some bears, gonks and a dress to complete. And with Baby Bears' arrival now imminent (less than a month to due date - eep!) I really think now is my best chance!

The dress has been there the longest and will likely be the last thing finished. I cut it out in January (yes really) but it kind of got a bit put aside in my eventful year. So the first job is to add a handle to the bag (like a wrist handle thing), hand sew some bears (there's a Winnie the Pooh in there that needs finishing but it's an awful pattern/kit and I don't wanna!) and then onto a couple of gonks that need finishing.

And i'm not letting myself start anything new until its clear. You have to hold me to that!

37 of 52 - The Stash Busting Soft Furnishings for Baby Bears

2010-10-21T11:09:00.001+01:00

Let me admit to it now. I have a lot of crafting supplies. My husband will be very pleased to hear me admit to that. When it became obvious that I wasn't going to be going back to a day job for a while, or the salary that goes along with it, I knew that my plan of buying the ENTIRE Zeddy and Parsnip range from Mamas and Papas just wasn't going to happen. I should mention I fell in love with that range when I worked there, please don't judge me :). This meant that I was either going to have to look for a cheaper range, or come up with an alternative.

Fortunately I am fortunate to call some very creative people my colleagues now and I figured that I could just make some of it myself. Not only that, but since my crafting space was destined to become the, as yet infinished, nursery I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use up some of my stash. I refer here to two stashes, my yarn stash (which is getting a bit silly but I do love yarn) and my fabric stash which was made up of left overs, scraps and generally acquired fabrics that I was loathed to throw away.

So the fabric stash was the first to get hit. As a lot of it was small pieces, I decided (in my infinite wisdom) that a hexagonal patchwork quilt was the way to go. So I cut out this pile of hexagons.

Well, this is just the first pile of hexagons because I still have boat loads left! Hexagon swap anyone?

But I am pleased with them because they have turned into a cushion.

There is some lovely fabric in there from Lu Summers and some Liberty fabric from ScarlettRose. And just at the bottom is some fabric that was sent to me in the most awesome scrap bag from Julie of Moaning Minnie Designs.

And the back I added some lovely buttons which were sent when I bought some felt from The Fuzzy Fish

Then I spotted some off cuts that were big enough to do stripes so I made curtain tie backs (can you see where my little brain got a bit out of control?).

Then it was the big things. The cot bumper and the quilt. Both were going to take some time and I have actually never completed a quilt of any size before.

But, I think they came out looking good myself.

This is the cot bumper. The gorgeous handmade binding is from Caro at Overspill and the backing is white with a white floral print on it which I got from a local craft shop. It's very pretty.

And then the quilt! I am very pleased to see this finished. It has pretty binding from Overspill again and the same backing as the bumper. Now, it's not quite square, and some of my stitching is a tad wonky (fur fabric is very forgiving!) but it was handmade by me and nobody has one like it in the whole wide world. I kind of like that.

And my last stashbust effort was focused on my yarn. I had lots of baby colours but with no idea of what the sex is so I decided that a mixed bag was fair game. So a striped square blanket with a ruffled edge was created.

There maybe a few more things to come but one thing is for sure. I've enjoyed making all of this and I can't wait to see it all in the cot next week (I promise i'll share a photo!)

36 of 52 - New Papercrafts Store!

2010-10-14T11:00:00.002+01:00

My other shop, LittleGreyClouds, has been around for a long time now but it is getting a makeover. Once it was a shop for my destash items and the stamps I happened to make. Now it's going to be a bone fide papercrafts store.

So not only can you get my stamps there but now there are journals and notebooks too!

LittleGreyClouds in on Etsy and Folksy!

35 of 52 - New ClareBears stockists

2010-10-12T11:00:00.003+01:00

Just recently, some fabulous new places have started showing off my bears. All the traditional bears are available through some new outlets.

Firstly, Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous have added me as a designer and I am slowly adding more products to that site.

Then my first specialist bear retailer has added me so you can now find me at Bramhope Bears. Stay tuned for more bears arriving there soon.

34 of 52 - Silly Sockbear Sale on Etsy!!

2010-10-08T18:00:00.000+01:00

For 24 hours I'm taking part in the Etsy UK Silly Sale. That means that all of my sock bears (and other selected bears) are 50% off!!

So if you want to give one of these little bears a good home for Christmas (a sock bear is for life you know...) then grab a bargain while you can.

Offer applies to all sock bears in my Etsy shop only. Go and check it out!!

33 of 52 - Automatically tweeting shop listings and blog posts

2010-10-05T11:00:00.043+01:00

Now this is one of the best tools I found for making twitter (and Facebook) nice and bearable. We all want to use these gadgets for making our lives easier, but what is the best system to use.

I know of two systems that take your RSS feed in your shop and then feed it into Twitter or Facebook.

There is TwitterFeed and Dlvr.it. I have used both and I prefer Dlvr.it. It has been more reliable but both work in very similar ways.

In order for both to work you need to sign up to an account with them. I'm going to show you how to setup dlvr.it but Twitterfeed is similar and you should be able to set that one up in a similar way.

First you need to locate your shop RSS feeds.

On Etsy, it's here

and on Folksy it's here

This will give you a webpage covered in text and numbers that apparently makes no sense. The important part you need is the URL or web address at the top of the screen. Once you have that, you can add the feed to dlvr.it.

Click 'add route'and it will be added to the main screen.

You have two things to do next, set up the source (so where your feed is coming from) and set up the destination (where the information is going to). Click the add button next to 'Sources' and select 'New' for the feed. Paste your feed into the Feed URL box. Then click 'save source'.

To add a destination, click the add button next to 'Destinations' and you can select the various accounts you want to feed into. To set up Twitter, select 'new' next to the twitter icon. This will then prompt you to log in and authorise your twitter account. Then click 'Save'. This will do the basics of sending your URL and title to Twitter. To add your Facebook (or other accounts) click 'Add' next to 'Destinations' again and add the next account. You can add to Tumblr or multiple twitter accounts or any number of social networking sites.

There are some options that you can do to add text to each tweet but the amount you can add is limited.

To edit a Source or Destination, click on the pencil icon next to each item. As you can see from the above image, I send my shop feed to Facebook and Twitter. I also have specified that I want it to go to my Facebook fan page rather than my personal page.

So, when you list or relist on Etsy or Folksy, it will automatically tweet your listing. You need to set up a route for each shop and I have even got it set up for my blog. So when this publishes, you may just have read it, because of this tool.

Thanks for reading and if you have some questions about Dlvr.it, ask me in the comments!

32 of 52 - Christmas Orders for ClareBears

2010-10-01T11:00:00.029+01:00

Yes, yes, yes, it's only just turned October but in the world of retail that firmly makes it Christmas.

So I need to make you all aware of my Christmas schedule. If you don't already know, we're expecting our very own Baby Bear at the end of November. Right in the middle of prime Christmas shopping time for all my lovely customers.

I will also not be taking any more custom orders until January 2011.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you during the festive period! Have a good one everyone!

31 of 52 - Using Tweetdeck

2010-09-28T12:55:00.001+01:00

I've been using TweetDeck for a while now and find it does all the things I want it to do and a bit more. After doing a post last week on Google Analytics I was asked to do a little post about TweetDeck and the fancy stuff it does. So, here goes....

You can download TweetDeck from here. It's a quick and simple download and doesn't actually steal too much of your computers power while it's running either so it makes it good if you're on a lower spec machine like mine (I use a little netbook most of the time).

When you first run it you'll be asked to enter all of your twitter account details. So this is benefit number one, you can add more than one twitter account to it. As well as Facebook, MySpace, foursquare and LinkedIn accounts. And you can update all of those accounts from one tweet.

When you install it and set up your one twitter account then you can see all your friends, your mentions and your direct messages. I also have a 'New Followers' column so I can see straight away who is following me and when they start.

The bar along the top is where you tweet from and has some handy things on it.

(click on the image to see larger)

You can also shorten a tweet, translate a tweet and use recent hashtags from it.

Above the bar, there is a + symbol, use this to add a column. I tend to have a number of columns for different categories. I follow a lot of people and it's useful to categorise them (like twitter lists).

I think the best features are the scheduling feature (so you can schedule a product listing tweet for a time you won't be there), and the ability to add different columns and accounts.

This is just the beginnings of Tweetdeck and where to go to do different things. If you have any burning questions about how to do something, ask me in the comments!

30 of 52 - A diversion into Google Analytics

2010-09-22T11:00:00.000+01:00

When I first joined Etsy i'd never heard about Google Analytics (GA) before and had no idea how it works. But, I have learned a little bit now and then just by clicking about so I thought i'd share some of the things i'd found.

The first thing i'm going to start with is something that was posted on a forum thread I was on recently. How do you find out where traffic to a specific page comes from?

So, you're checking you views and an item has shot up without any intervention from you. You've probably checked Craftopolis and Craftcult and they don't show you as being featured anywhere on Etsy*. Where do you look in GA to find out?

If you go to the dashboard for the site you're looking at (I'm assuming you know how to get to the first page here. You have, after all, managed to install the tracking code already so that's a start. Then look in the bottom right hand corner there is a box called 'Content Overview' (shown below).

Click the 'view report' link at the bottom of that box.

This will show you the full content overview. In the bottom left hand corner of the new screen has a table of your 'Top Content' or the pages that are looked at the most.

If the item you want to see is in the top five most viewed pages, then select it (just click on the blue link) from the table you can see above. If you can't see it, click 'view full report' again and you should find the page you want on that list.

So I want to look at my second most viewed pages which is for my new Caramel Long Fur Bear and when I click on it, I see a page like this

I have marked the 'Entrance Sources' link as that's the bit you need to click next. This tells you exactly where all of the traffic comes from. You will now see a table breakdown of the top ten traffic sources for that specific page.

So for my item, most of my traffic is direct (which I expected for this item as it was recently on the Etsy Front Page) but I can see that I get traffic from Google, Bronto (the system that Etsy uses for it's emails), Facebook and an interesting site called Demonkidz.com (a site which freaks me out but they regularly link to their Etsy shop so I figure they're coming to me afterwards).

So, now you know! It's pretty straight forward but the links are a bit hidden.

If there's another thing you'd like to know about Google Analytics, let me know in the comments and i'll find out.

*I use Etsy as an example here, the same applies to Folksy, your blog, or website. Anywhere you have Analytics tracking installed.

29 of 52 - A busy week gone and another to come

2010-09-06T11:00:00.000+01:00

Since the Bank Holiday I have been super busy. We had some good friends visiting my parents for the Bank Holiday so we spent a lot of time there. The four day week meant that I ended up with a shorter week to get things done and on top of that my laptop broke (woe is me!). AND this week, my husband is off work and we are decorating the Nursery ready for the new arrival.

That has meant the horror of trying to find space for all my materials and stock! Like this new guy:

My new bear design is available in my Etsy shop and with my new stockist Bramhope Bears. And this guy made me laugh so much that there will be many more like him!

I also want to give everyone a little bit of a heads up. The shops WILL be closed for at least two weeks in November when the baby arrives. This means that it's going to be tight come the Christmas posting deadlines to get your orders in. Please order early to avoid disappointment. Especially if you're not in the UK as extended delivery times mean you will have to order early. I will also not be taking any special orders after the 1st of October. So if there is something special you want then please contact me now!

So i'll catch you next week when i'll be covered in paint and wondering where the hell everything has been put!

Have a good week all x

28 of 52 - My process (and some entertainment)

2010-08-24T10:54:00.000+01:00

Bleurgh! That sounds way to grand but I suppose the way in which I design a toy is a process. Even though it sounds a bit pretentious to call it that.

So, if I have an idea in my head, I'll often drag out a few old patterns to get shape comparisons for various parts. I then start drawing out the pattern pieces to try and get the desired size/shape of bear. And often, I end up making the pieces out of construction paper to make sure I have the scale and fit right. This part is a bit fuzzy. I'm still not even sure how I do it myself.

But eventually, we get a toy made from fabric. Sometimes they work well first time. Sometimes they don't. Here's a couple of examples that worked:

The first patchwork bear came out well. His ears are a bit big but the basics are there.

And the first sock bear came out quite well too. Although they look a lot different now and look lots different in colour. But you can see that they change slightly along the way, I develop better shapes for parts, I reposition features slightly and, in the case of socks, each material can be different so you just have to see how they turn out sometimes.

Now these guys have been sitting looking forlorn for many months on my desk while I kept thinking 'What is wrong with you two?' Well, they were sitting on my shelf and I managed to throw some fabric over them, obscuring their ears. Without the ears I could see the problem. They weren't bears at all!! They were dogs!

So a bit of minor adjusting and some new ears and they look better. But you'll see that i'm not entirely thrilled with them.

So, neither are perfect yet, but I have refined the pattern to have shorter arms like the one on the left. I'll do a nose like the one on the left (only straight) and eyes and ears like the ones on the right! Now I just have to work out what to do with the two not so perfect ones.... Tell me in the comments what you think and i'll entertain you with this musical interlude:

(I totally have this stuck in my head now.....)

27 of 52 - Bears in the news!!

2010-08-17T11:00:00.001+01:00

Well that doesn't happen very often! Bears are hardly the most controversial of subjects but just look at this!

Yep, you read it correctly, a third of adults still take a teddy to bed. Phew, now I don't feel so bad for it. Though mine strictly isn't a teddy but a rather well loved dog.

Aww bless him! And according to that article, he's about average age too! And considering the survey was done by Travelodge, I'm glad I'm not the only one that worries about leaving a beloved toy in a hotel room!

So, which bear would you take on a trip with you to snuggle up in a hotel with? Go on, I won't tell :-D

26 of 52 - The Gonk Tales

2010-08-13T15:34:00.000+01:00

A few Gonks have ventured out into the big wide world. And a few of them are having adventures along the way!

The first one I heard back from was Diego, who went on a walking holiday up in Scotland!

And he sent us back this postcard from John O'Groats. I did hear that Diego tried to jump into the sea at John O'Groats but he was held back by his heroic owner. Diego lives in Newcastle with my Father in Law and is often off on camping trips now. Diego's adventures will continue :)

The next adventures is from the laydee's man of the gonk family! The aptly named 'Bonk' (don't ask!).

(Click the image for a bigger version)
He got all spruced up for his date with a ClareBear! The ClareBear in the photos was made over 12 years ago for a special birthday present. Oh how they've change in all that time! You'll be glad to know that the Gonk and Bear are currently living happily together in Northumberland.

This blog post was brought to you with the help of the complete mentalists that are Malcolm Freemantle (My Father In Law) and Allen Hurst (My Dad). Thanks xx

25 of 52 - From my other handy crafts!

2010-08-10T10:01:00.000+01:00

As some of you may know, I don't just make bears. I have been known to wield a knitting needle, to joust with a crochet hook and thrust an embroidery needle.

When my husband and I got married 3 years ago, I made a lot of the stationery for the big day myself. From save the date cards to orders of service I made them all. But the thing I am most pleased with is the place cards for the tables. I saw the idea in a wedding album at a fair and couldn't resist making my own special cross stitched place cards. And I made one for every seated guest (about 60) and I made a couple a night as the RSVPs arrived. On the big day, they looked like this:

Aren't they pretty? And the best part is that every time I go to the house of one of the guests, the card is happily on display somewhere. Not tucked in a drawer or thrown away, cherished and admired even after the event. And that gives me a big old happy!

These cards have been selected to feature in the UK Handmade Wedding Gift guide this summer with some other gorgeous items to make your wedding perfect.

Just follow the link above to go and see them!

24 of 52 - Bags of Bears!

2010-07-26T14:36:00.000+01:00

And I don't just mean that I have bags of bears hanging around (though I do, it can get a bit scary round here sometimes). I mean that my bears now come with something comfy for them to travel in! And possibly live in, if you so choose.

Each of my bears will now come with it's very own printed (by me!) ClareBears drawstring gift bag.

And there will be a certificate of authenticity to confirm that your ClareBear is 100% original. Get you bears in bags from all of my stores!

23 of 52 - Last few days of sale!

2010-07-23T11:13:00.000+01:00

So last week I told you about my Christmas in July sale and it has been fun seeing all those bears go off to a good home. The sale will be on until Sunday 25th July!

There are still some bears waiting to go off to new homes....

Head over to my Etsy shop to grab your bear before the sale ends!

22 of 52 - It's Christmas!!!!! (In July)

2010-07-15T08:30:00.001+01:00

So this is a quiet time of year for retailers. There's nothing exciting happening, we're in a holiday lull and the schools are about to break up for six whole long weeks. So, in order to drag us all through the mid year slump (especially when it's raining cats and dogs like it is now!) Etsy sellers from all over the world have a Christmas In July sale. And well I decided to join in!

So, go to my shop and go and take 25% off everything there! That simple, i'll refund you via Paypal at the end (that's just cos I can't go through and edit all the prices, i'd go madder).

Head there right now and grab a bargain before anyone else does!

21 of 52 - Oh Blimey!! I didn't realise it had been that long!

2010-07-06T15:20:00.000+01:00

Oh dear, I neglected my blog again. It was the 9th of June when I blogged last. So I'd best tell you what I've been up to.

I've been knitting! I love to knit and I now have a really good excuse. My Twitter followers and friends around the interwebs are probably aware that we have a baby on the way due at the end of November. I mean that's pretty big news but time is marching on and now that 20 weeks is approaching, you sort of go 'eeep!' and get your butt into gear organising things that you need. So I started to knit.

And so far, I'm getting head start. As you might have noticed, we don't know what it is yet (and we don't intend to find out) so it's neutrals all the way. I've even got a mint green and a white cardigan that need buttons and little finishing touches before they can be photographed.

We also have had a holiday! woot! It was a lovely week in a caravan in Moffat, Scotland. The caravan was kindly loaned by my in laws and we had a lovely chilled out week. We did go to Edinburgh Zoo and saw penguins and monkeys and lions (oh my!).

And of course there are some new things coming. Here's a sneaky peak of my latest work in progress.

Now I must go and write a note in my diary about doing a blog post every week. This Mummy brain is not doing me any good!

20 of 52 - It's not often I win something.....

2010-06-09T10:19:00.000+01:00

but sometimes when I do the item is generally awesome and this one is no exception. A few weeks ago I entered a give away run by Claire of Payne Design on her blog.

And I won!! Yahoo! So my prize was this fabulous turtle brooch!

And everyone knows I love turtles. Just look at the photo my husband took of a turtle when we were diving on our honeymoon. It's one of my favourites ever.

So if you like turtles too, head over to Claire's Etsy shop for more turtles and felty, geeky marvellousness.

19 of 52 - And the winner is.....

2010-06-01T10:10:00.001+01:00

The entries have been totted up and the names have been randomly drawn from the hat (er well, I wrote them all down, numbered them and used a random number generator...) and the winners are........................

Bear goes to ianH65 on Twitter!

Mouse goes to Alita Papier Beads on Facebook!

Koala goes to led48 on Twitter!

I'll be in touch soon to get email addresses and addresses to send the prizes to.

If you want one of your own then you need to buy the pattern and have fun messing around with fabric and thread :)

Thanks to all who entered and spread the word

18 of 52 - The pattern is ready to go!

2010-05-26T19:55:00.000+01:00

My lovely pattern testers got back to me on Friday with their suggestions and I spent a little while updating the pattern. Now it's ready to go. So you can get my pattern over here in my Etsy store.

To celebrate my very first pattern you can win one of the cover girls (or boys - it's your choice)!

There are four ways to enter.

1. Tweet this message: I am entering @clarebears coverbear giveaway at http://claresbears.blogspot.com/

2. Comment on this post

3. Become a fan on Facebook here

4. Buy a copy of the pattern!

Any of these will get you an entry, do all four, you get four entries! There will be three winners chosen at random from all entrants and the prize will be drawn on Sunday 30th May at 7pm (UK time).

Good Luck!

17 of 52 - It's Sale Time!!!

2010-05-14T12:37:00.000+01:00

Over in my Etsy shop, it's time for a little clear out so that I can make room for more bears and other animals so, I am offering 30% off selected items in my shop. And all the bears and bunnies have free shipping so what's not to love?

Here are a selection of the reduced items.

And you can find them all here!

16 of 52 - The Pattern is READY!!!!

2010-05-08T10:54:00.005+01:00

A few days ago I said that I was working on a pattern to go on sale in my shops. Well, this weeks news is that it's finished and ready to go to the testers! Here's a preview of what you can make with it.

I have about six testers at the moment but if there is anyone else who is interested, please leave me a comment and I'll get back to you or convo me via Etsy with your email address. Thanks!

PS. Keep your eyes peeled on my shop today. A little offer will follow :-)

An unscheduled interruption involving English Muffins

2010-05-05T19:46:00.002+01:00

I saw this recipe in a book some weeks ago and decided that I had to try it. So today I did and this is the recipe and the results.

Makes 10 muffins

500g (1lb 2oz) Strong White Flour

1 tsp Salt

250ml (12fl oz) milk

2 tsp Caster Sugar

1 1/2 tsp dried yeast or 15g (1/2 oz) of fresh yeast or 1 x 7g sachet of fast acting yeast

Ground Rice for dusting (or some more plain flour)

Sift the flour into a large bowl.

Heat the milk in a saucepan until it is warm, then stir in the sugar and the yeast. Allow to stand for 5 minutes until the mixture is frothy. If using fast acting yeast, there is no need to let the mixture stand.

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix to a soft but not wet dough. Knead for about 6-8 minutes by hand or in an electric food mixer with the dough hook until the the dough is smooth and slightly springy. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave for an hour or until doubled in size.

Knock back the risen dough and knead again for 2-3 minutes then cover again and leave for a further 30 minutes. Whilst it's rising, dust a baking tray with ground rice.

Without knocking back the dough, roll into a big sausage about 20cm long. Cut it into 10 slices about 2cm thick and place on the baking tray cut side down. Dust the tops with ground rice and then flatten the muffins down until they're 1.5cm thick. Cover again and leave for 30 minutes.

Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan on a medium heat until moderately hot then turn the heat down. Cook the muffins about 4 at a time without oil or butter for about 10 minutes per side.

When they're done they'll be golden brown on each side and sound hollow when tapped.

Once cool, split toast and enjoy with masses of butter.

ON NOM NOM

15 of 52 - New Items for patterns are turning out nice

2010-05-03T12:06:00.004+01:00

So last time I blogged I mentioned that a new pattern was coming. My first efforts at the items have turned out well (apart from one of them being a Koala and NOT a bear at all). There will be a bear version of this pattern but he is this afternoons mission after i've messed around on Dawanda a bit. And played Scrabble on Facebook. And procrastinated a little bit more......

So here are the first pictures of the toys!

More photos of these and the bear when I get to it can be found over at my Flickr photostream

Enjoy your Bank Holiday!

14 of 52 - All the days merge into one

2010-04-22T15:37:00.003+01:00

It's official, I've been out of work so long that I don't know what day of the week it is. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Anyway, that doesn't mean I haven't been busy but I haven't been getting as much done as I would like. So I took myself out yesterday for some fresh air and had a wander in town. I had to get some presents as apparently everyone I know has a birthday this weekend so after I did that I sat and had a cuppa and a bit of a brain storm. 2 pages of scribbles later and I came to conclusion that it's about time I made a pattern for a toy. A proper pattern that people can follow and make their own version of a new bear design.

This particular pattern will be a 4 in 1 so you'll be able to make variations on this item depending on your fabrics. It will also be more than one animal, but i'm not going to spoil the surprise yet.

So, if you would like to be a pattern tester please let me know. I'll be putting out a further call for testers closer to when it's finished but anyone who's interested, please let me know!

And for those of you who like a picture, here's a recent addition to my shop:

13 of 52 - New places to find me!

2010-04-05T13:07:00.005+01:00

It has been a good week again around this bears' house! The to do list has been massive but i'm slowly working through it.

I have a whole bunch of new bears coming soon

I have also started to appear in some new place. If you want to by in pounds then you can find me on WowThankYou! And if you want to buy in Euros, I can be found on DaWanda!

Items are added to both of these stores on a regular basis so keep checking back.

12 of 52 - A busy week

2010-03-30T10:01:00.005+01:00

I am very late on the blogging this week. But that's because last week was so busy! Lots of lovely things happened both on Etsy and off that I barely had time to stop and think.

The first exciting thing was that we were featured in the Storque! A bunch of friends all decided to go out to the lakes for a nice long weekend of making things and having a laugh. We had a fabulous time and all came away feeling refreshed and teeming with new ideas.

In the photo we have: (Back Row): Ali, Su, Caro, Moo, Me, Deepa (Front Row) Mel, Maisy, Sian

All these lovely peeps have shops on Etsy and I would be a bad blogger if I didn't link you up:

AliBaliJewellery
QuercusSilver
CarolineHardy
MooCowHandknits
LazyGiraffe
FeltMeUpDesigns
OneLittleHouse
Siansburys

Then, as if that wasn't enough I had a job interview on Friday (keep your fingers crossed folks) AND I found out I'm in the easter voter! The item featured is the bunny I made in the Lake District.

So, please go and vote for me!

Over the coming weeks there are lots of new sock bears and mini bears coming. And hopefully I'll have a brand new thing to show soon you which will be lots of fun.

Have a great week!

11 of 52 - Etsy Euro Week!

2010-03-22T08:35:00.005Z

This week is Euro Week on Etsy! It's the time to remind everyone in the Etsy community that we europeans are here too. We ship worldwide, we like to buy worldwide and you can buy unique and wonderful things from us!

You can read Etsy's blog post about Euro week here!

To celebrate, I thought i'd share some of my European Favourites

These items are:

Pomegranate Bag by iragrant

Phatt Grrl Squiggle Brooch by Phatgrrl

Cranberry Shrug by MooCowHandKnits

Biba Bloom Clutch by RedRubyRose

To shop Europe this week, use Etsy's 'Shop Local' Feature and search 'Europe' or search on Twitter for #EtsyEuroWeek.

I hope you uncover a Euro-treat this week!

10 of 52 - Quilt Voter

2010-03-20T10:00:00.003Z

Thanks to all the lovely people who voted for me! I came 3rd, which was fantastic (I managed 4th with Dracu-bear back in October so i'm really thrilled).

The prize for the voter was a front page that was up at 10pm (UK time) last night!

Thanks again to all who supported me. It means a lot.

9 of 52 - VOTE FOR BEARS!!

2010-03-16T08:20:00.003Z

To my great surprise, I found myself in this weeks Etsy voter! There are many beautiful quilted items in there, including my Green Bear.

I am woefully late in getting my campaign going but I need your votes! Thanks!

Go Vote!

8 of 52 - And the winner is.....

2010-03-09T15:30:00.007Z

My very first giveaway has been a huge success. There were lots of entries from all over the world which was very exciting!

So the winner is NorthStar (Jill), who left a comment on my blog. Jill has a fab blog and Etsy shop that you should all take a look at.

She's still new to Etsy but will have some fab new quilts in the future. Here are some of her past designs:

Look at how intricate they are!

The runners up prizes go to

Allan Middleton (a Facebook Fan)

SofiaSobeide (a Twitter Follower and fellow Etsian)

beckslayer (Rebecca Jackson, a Twitter follower)

I'll be in touch with the winners this evening to arrange the delivery of their prizes.

Congratulations to you all! I selected the winners using Random.Orgs number generator.

In celebration I am now offering free shipping on all items in the ClareBears shop (this is worth about 15% depending on where you live). Feel free to stop by and take advantage of the offer.

Thanks to all who entered!

7 of 52 - A Tough Week and a Giveaway!

2010-03-02T15:05:00.007Z

This week has been rubbish! Sadly, I was made redundant from my job. Ah well, hey ho, move on to bigger and brighter things. Lots of job applications are flying around and when I'm not applying for jobs, i'm adding new things to my shop!

And I figured that whilst this was dubious grounds for celebration, I figured I would do a giveaway!

So this is your opportunity to get your hands on one of my original sock bears.

AND, there are even runners up prizes!

Three runners up will get one of my tiny bears which are not available in any of my shops yet.

So, as there are four prizes, there are four ways to enter.

Leave a comment on my blog telling me which item from my shop is your favourite (click on the 'comments' link at the end of this post).
Buy an item from my shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ClareBears) - I know, i'm shameless!
Tweet the following message: RT @ClareBears I am entering the big bear giveaway at http://claresbears.blogspot.com/
Become a Fan on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ClareBears or ask your friends to become friends.

If you do all four, that's four entries and that's all you have to do.

The giveaway closes at 7pm (UK time) on the 8th March 2010. That gives you a whole week to enter. I choose winners randomly from a hat (or a random number generator if it's popular, who knows).

Entries open NOW!!

6 of 52 - Some New Things!

2010-02-20T11:41:00.005Z

Since I have been home and I can't sit still for five minutes without fidgeting, I have been making some new bears. At this exact moment I am sitting next to a pile of sock bears just awaiting their facial features and final finishing but before them, I have completed two new traditional bears.

You can find both bears available here:

Flower of Scotland Bear

Blue Steel Bear

5 of 52 - Ooops!

2010-02-08T10:29:00.003Z

Well my intentions went a bit awry

I have an excuse though because I have been poorly and I am now convalescing at home and keeping myself busy with a few little projects. So, I thought this might be a good time to share some of the blogs and podcasts I like and I hope you'll recommend a few to me in the comments below:

I just discovered this blog on the crafting community http://makeandmeaning.com/

And of course it wouldn't be right if I didn't include the Etsy blog http://www.etsy.com/storque/

Check out UK Handmade for all the UK crafting goings on http://ukhandmade.blogspot.com/

These are my favourite Knitting blogs (for when I need my yarn fix)

http://brooklyntweed.blogspot.com/

http://www.hoxtonhandmade.com/ Mostly I love Katie's podcast, even though she doesn't knit socks (she says) and plays the ukulele!

http://westknits.blogspot.com/ I only just found this one too. I seem to be a bit obsessed with boys who knit :)

And these are a few of other great crafters:

http://alibalijewellery.blogspot.com/ A maker of beautiful silver jewellery

http://feltmeupdesigns.blogspot.com/ A maker of cute tweets and gorgeous prints

http://cowislandblogspot.blogspot.com/ Simply because it makes me laugh!

So, these are a few of my favourites. What are yours?

4 of 52 - Not a lot of people know this.....

2010-01-27T18:43:00.005Z

I am one of the few people (i'm pretty sure this isn't exclusive) that make custom stamps in the UK. I can make them from just about any artwork and I currently make them in two sizes. It's a bit hard to show you what it'll look like with your artwork, so, here are (in true Blue Peter style) a few I made earlier!

The stamps were for:

1. Me for the ClareBears shop

2. A Moo *stamp* for MooCowHandKnits

3. A Cyril *stamp* for CowIsland (I actually got an envelope with this stamp on the other day and I had a major happy!)

4. A web address stamp for Ryujin Swords

The stamps are available in dollars at LittleGreyClouds on Etsy and in Pounds Sterling at LittleGreyClouds on Folksy. See you there soon!

3 of 52 - A few favourites

2010-01-18T19:01:00.004Z

There are lots and lots of amazing sellers in the UK so I thought i'd share a few of my favourites.

The sellers are (from the top!)

AliBaliJewellery who made an amazing ring for my sister for her birthday

MooCowHandknits who made those gorgeous elbow length gloves for the same sister for Christmas

QuercusSilver who made a gorgeous pendant that I received for Christmas (I say received, I bought it and gave it my husband and said 'you can give me that for christmas....')

I hope you enjoy them too!

2 of 52 - Interesting weather

2010-01-08T18:20:00.006Z

yes, yes, it's snowing here

I'm sure some countries get worse but we just don't deal with it well. However, I have taken some nice pictures so I thought i'd share!

For god's sake don't stand under this icicle. It'll kill you! And this indicates that we need our gutters clearing - grrr!

And we've had more since this one. So we've not gone out to work for two days because we've been able to work from home and the roads are awful!

So you'd think I'd have had plenty of time for crafting wouldn't you. Yeah, me too! Except.......

That's a nice start to the new year!

2010-01-03T16:15:00.003Z

I was featured in the Storque over on Etsy!

They added my Neon sock bear and showed it to everyone (how nice!)

I think he's pleased :)

Happy New Year - 1 of 52

2009-12-31T11:24:00.006Z

There's an ominous title!

Yes I plan to blog once a week for the next year. This goes completely against my resolution to NEVER make a resolution but if this is one small thing I can do on the way to world bear domination it's a good thing, right? I even have a calender of things I plan to write about and everything! Now, just to write about something every week! I suspect some entries will be cop-outs and just be some pictures of things I've made or new things I've found that I like. So in that vain, here are some things I made for the delightful Miss Maisy!

This cute guy was made from one of the pairs of socks she sent me! This is the other:

I hope she likes them!

New for Halloween

2009-09-11T15:43:00.004+01:00

Recent new creations have been all made from socks. My most recent creation is for halloween. Introducing COUNT DRACU-BEAR! MWAH HA HA!!

Beware, he's dangerously cute.

Find him here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30660680

Apple Crumble Semifreddo

2009-07-27T11:34:00.005+01:00

I mentioned this recipe to some UK etsians yesterday and was a little surprised at the number of requests for the recipe. Therefore, a blog post shares it with the most people so here we go.

Makes 2 litres
Semifreddo
340g grated Granny Smith Apple
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice (this stops the apple going brown)
3 eggs
2 egg yolks, extra
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
220g caster sugar
500ml double cream or whipping cream (the original recipe calls for single cream but then tells you to whip it which doesn't work - trust me!)
Crumble
150g plain flour
75g caster sugar
80g butter, melted

Combine the apple, cinnamon, lemon peel and juice in a non-metallic bowl. Set aside. Place the eggs, extra yolks, vanilla and sugar in a heat proof bowl. Place over a suacepan of simmering water and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat for 6-8 minutes or until think and pale. Remove from the heat, set aside and allow to cool slightly. Whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the egg mixture until combined (a metal spoon is best here so you don't knock all the air out), then fold in the apple mixture. Pour into a 2l capacity metal tin and freeze for six hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade/Gas mark 4. To make the crumble, place the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix Spread out on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. Scoop semifreddo into waffle cones and coat with crumble to serve.

I mixed the apple with the crumble and put it in in lumps kind of like Ben and Jerry's so you get lumps of crumble mix and it worked quite well I thought. It certainly tasted like ice cream!!

How to add an Etsy Mini to your blog post

2009-07-27T10:58:00.008+01:00

This is to see if you can add an Etsy Mini to a blog post.

And it would appear that you can, except Etsy is not working well right now!

Here are some instructions on how to do it:

1. Go to your blogger dashboard and creat a post (I figure you all know how to do this and don't need me to tell you how.)
2. The go to your 'Posting' tab.
3. Begin to write your post about your Etsy seller of choice!!
4. In the screen where you're editing you will have two tabs (see below)

Select the circled option.

5. You'll then see the non-fancy version of your blog post with all the code and what-not in it too. Once you've found the spot in the text that you want to put it, copy the code provided by Etsy (Java/HTML version - not the FLASH version) and paste it where you want to see it.

6. Then go back to the 'Compose' tab. You won't see the Etsy mini until you publish the post, so you will see a blank space at first. Now, finish writing your article, save and publish and then go view your blog.

It'll take a second or two to load, but it will give you all of the shop items for the person you're looking to promote.

Voila!! Happy promoting!!

The Reasons I have neglected The Blog

2009-07-11T01:47:00.009+01:00

I am a lousy blogger.

There, I said it. I finally decided to give this some love and attention after spending seven weeks stressed out of my head because of the 'DAY JOB'.

So, in case anyone doesn't know where i've been, I shall enlighten you.

I am currently here:

View Larger Map

Now this is for a very good reason that has nothing to do with bears and a lot to do with computers.

I have taken quite a few photos while i've been here and it has been a long and eventful trip. That being said, I am coming home soon and will try and tell everyone who reads this blog (all five of you) what i've been upto while i've been here.

All of this is more than one post so for now I shall say, it has been fun. But after 8 weeks, and one more to go, in hotel rooms I am ready to sleep in my own bed. And see my husband. And eat my dad's Sunday dinner. And see my husband. And make a bear. And see my husband.

AND it's my wedding anniversary on Monday and I shall not be spending it with said husband. However, I will say this. After ten years with him and two years married to him, I wouldn't change a day. So while this is a bad place to say it, 'I love you Honey and I can't wait to get home and see you'.

ClareBears

My Front Page

2009-04-09T21:19:00.000+01:00

So you know how it goes... You're in the middle of making dinner, ok tomorrows lunch for my best friend from uni and her husband and my gorgeous god-daughter, and you've barely eaten youself. Reheated fish pie from last night hasn't quite hit the spot so you're feeling a bit woosy. You log onto Etsy for a bit of chat with the UK'ers, ok to talk about cake, and BAM! your own treasury looking back at you!
So after shouting at the OH to come and look and then reading all of the nice things that people said about it, I finally remembered that there was a curry merrily simmering away and a bakewell tart to check on! Well, nothing burnt and i've had a little more time to reply to the convo I received, check out my new hearts and go back to talking about cake.

Thanks to Etsy for making my bank holiday weekend!

Happy Easter everyone x

My Bear Obsession

2009-03-29T21:22:00.001+01:00

People often ask me just how I got into making bears in the first place. Well, you know, it's not something you just wake up one day and can do!

So there were a number of things that got me that way:

1. Bonzo

So, this sorry looking knitted toy was the first cuddly toy I owned. Dad bought him on the day I was born and he was given to me when I as still in hospital. He's now 28 years old(!) and has been with me through everything.

He was there at my wedding and my honeymoon (yes the OH understands I'm a bit weird!) and has travelled all over the world in my suitcase.

I didn't sleep if he had to be washed and if I left him at somebody's house then we just had to go back and get him. He's also been repaired countless times as those aren't his original ears, or his original body and that eye is the only one he's got!

So if anyone thinks I have a slight obsession with cuddly toys then Bonzo is probably the reason why.

2. This Pooh Bear

Now this toy is looking a little sorry for himself too but he's also over twenty years old.

He was given to me in kit form as a Christmas present when I was seven or eight. It took me a while to get round to making him with Mam but when I did we spent many hours putting him together. The only bit that I didn't do was his bum. Well it was complicated and I was only little.

Not long after I made him, I was at Brownies and was doing my craft badge so I decided I'd put him in as something I'd made. He wasn't allowed as Brown Owl said I couldn't possibly have made him myself. She thought Mam had made him instead. Cheers Brown Owl! So I made something suitably crap and submitted that instead.

So after that I always kind of enjoyed making things anyway but over the years I was bought various toy kits for Christmas and as treats and it was my Auntie Mavis who had the patience to help me make most of them (she was a talented bear maker herself before the arthritis got the better of her).

So after years of filling my house to the rafters with toys and deciding that I had to either give them away (most of my friends now have them!) or sell the odd one or two here and there, I finally discovered Etsy and now have an avenue for my bear madness (w00p!).

www.ClareBears.Etsy.Com