Well, my third rabbit was going the same way as the second one. I think his head is slightly too small in proportion to his body. The self-standing body is quite tall - so I had this long slim body with a tiny head on top - not a good look. Also, being all-white, he looked quite plain. I have the same problem with realistic polar bears - they tend to look very blank, and any feature added to the face stands out like a sore thumb.
Anyway, I couldn't face the idea of a tall, thin, white rabbit with a white sandwich board, so I decided (in a rare pragmatic moment) that the obvious thing to do would be to cover the foam board that I was using to make the sandwich board in a colourful, jazzy fabric. That would put some colour in his cheeks!
Somehow it all came together: I made little cases for the two pieces of foam board - like pillow cases - but sewed red ribbons into the side and top seams of one. Then a snapper at the end of each ribbon, and corresponding snappers on the inside of the rear board, and presto!
Sorry, it's not a great photo. You can see the red ribbons running over his shoulders, though, and there are two more ribbons round his waist - one on each side. The photo pinned to the board is Clarissa - pictured in my last post - with a 'Happy Mother's Day' message (I'm always late with these things).
My little rabbit messenger is called Horatio, and he looks lovely on the top shelf of the unit. The only slight problem is that I'm not sure people notice him up there. I've read that you sell more if you display things at eye-level - maybe he is a little out of range. I did point him out to one lady, and she looked up with a surprised-sounding 'Oh!'. Maybe the board should say "Big Brother is watching you!"
I do like displaying things on the top shelf - it looks great - even though it really is high (a step ladder job) and it puts things out of people's reach. The unit has a cosy feel with lots of bears around the top edges, looking down on you.
I was worried about Horatio in particular though. Customers do tend to rearrange the bears - or just pick them up to look and then drop them back on the shelf any-old-how. Horatio stands independently due to the steel shot in his feet. Even with that though, it's still something of a balancing act. He needs to be arranged with his body aligned vertically to his legs. If he is put on the shelf with body and legs angled, he will fall over. This makes him rather delicate in retail terms - although it is a shame because, when posed properly, he stands absolutely fine.
If someone were to knock him over when he was wearing his sandwich board though, the foam board might snap (particularly if one of his ultra-heavy feet landed on it).
So, better on the top shelf.
When I mentioned new lingerie in the title, I wasn't about to flash my knickers at you. In addition to making and selling teddy bears, I also sell vintage lingerie and nightwear. This is something which started as a hobby - buying and selling on Ebay. I have recently moved off Ebay to an independent website though, and I have just updated it!
Here are some of the new items listed:
I love these things - especially the sets. I find it difficult to understand why people don't snap them up, for you so rarely ever see nightwear like this in the shops now. You see the occasional red chiffon babydoll in Ann Summers... complete with maribou feather trim, strategic cut-outs and matching thong (bleurgh!). And of course, there are some beautiful couture designer items reminiscent of vintage lingerie. I did go into Monsoon the other day and saw a lovely nightdress with crystal pleats to the hemline - how often do you see crystal pleats today?
Anyway, do have a look at the new stuff sometime.
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