Are you ready for some bunny love?

The Valentine's bunnies have already been selected.  Widget organized some kind of wierd selection process involving carrots, spreadsheets and questionaires.  Whilst he was amusing himself I chose THE perfect socks for the occasion.

I chose a pink, slightly fuzzy one, for people who like pink, fuzzy things and a very smart black and white stripy one for those not so keen on the pink side of things.

These are super special limited edition bunnies and are only available from my Half an Acre shop on Not On The High Street.com

It's a bit worrying that January is nearly half over.  Better get on with the tax return!

BUNNY NEWS: Christmas in Oregon.

Yippeeee!  How pleased were we to here from all the bunnies in Oregon?  Very indeed.  It has been a while and the bunnies here at The Warren were wondering how everything was 'across the pond'.

Apparently they inspected the tree for a very long time before it was decided that something was missing.

Hmmm, yes.  Typical.

There are 17 bunnies on that tree but they weren't the only ones to enter into the festive spirit!

Thank you Monkeybun for the wonderful pictures.  I've saved the other two pictures and put them over The Handmade Bunny Blog.

Wee Widget arrives at The Warren.

At last, Widget is home for Christmas aaaaaand someone came with him!  'Wee Widget', created by Kirsten at Quernus Crafts is here!

Wee Widget is quite small .. 'wee' in fact.  Widget is most impressed.  He feels famous.

Widget keeps insisting on getting in the pictures, in case 'people think I've frozen'.  Odd bunny.

You will be able to own your own Widget now too!  They will be for sale from January.

December at The Warren

The run-up to Christmas is always fun at The Warren, but this year there is something missing!  Widget, the bun himself, is away being modelled by Kirsten at Quernus Crafts.  There is no one to keep the other bunnies under control and it has all gone a bit pear-shaped.  Nosy has been trying to help ...

We have had a big whoofle of snow here too, meaning that Nosy and Spike get to stay in The Burrow workroom a good while longer. 

 They now have a semi-permenant structure taking shape.  This must be alarming Mr Bunny Maker somewhat, although he hasn't said anything. Yet.

Nosy and Spike have been getting into a whole heap of their own trouble. Left alone at night, not content with chewing the back out of the cardboard box house, they can't resist LIVE power cables.  I forgot to hook up my sewing machine one the other night ....

They killed it!  I'm suprised they didn't kill themselves!  Faced with bunny orders and no means to sew them I employed by Girl Guide knowledge and cut, spliced and re- wired the cable.  The sewing machine even works again.  I am smug.

In spite of the lack of Widget and the freezing weather, lots of new snow bunnies have arrived and are now waiting for you in the bunny shop.

By the way, If you give the bunnies a dedicated power cable, just for them, one you have no need of anymore, they won't touch it. It has to be plugged in!  I think they get a kick out of setting their teeth on edge!  Odd bunnies.

(I never was a Girl Guide).

Halloween at The Warren

So, what goes on here at Halloween?  All sorts of things.  I found myself in a rather strange, very appropriate and not at all contrived, position last night - on the very eve of Halloween itself ...

Is this some sadistic ritual?  Is The Bunny Maker not all that she seems?  What on earth is she doing?
Yup - sorry folks, its just a custom order for a Skelly Bun in progress.  Off to France no less!

And as for this lot, I've not idea who they are or what they are doing .....

A few Thock Thakes insisted on posing for the picture too, before they were shooed back to The Burrow workroom.   Just for the record - we did eat the kids.

Widget, money-raising ambassador!

The other day Widget was packaged up and sent off to stay with Kirsten at Quernus Crafts.  She is going to measure him and squint at him and make a wee widget out of polymer clay.  It seems that he has been out and about.  Kirsten took him to met everyone at Ilkley Arts Market and Widget persuaded just about everyone to have their photo taken with him, for a small donation to the Rabbit Welfare Association.  Go Widget!
So, for your delectation and amusement, Widget, The Bunny Maker and all the other assorted sock things at The Warren presents .......

'Widget goes to Ilkley and raises money'.  

A slideshow, created on a steep learning curve in Google Docs by The Bunny Maker herself (who has had to have a little lie down).  Click on play (of course).

Thank you to Jo Whitehead who let a small bunny run wild at her event, and thank you to everyone who PAID to have a piccy taken with Widget.  A total of £20.00 was raised for the RWAF.  Woooo wooo!

Widget SockBunny: Super Model

Widget! Wake up!  You're going in the post today!

You are being posted off to Kirsten, of Quernus Crafts, she is going to make a little model of you.  A bit like this ...

and this ......

Only Widget shaped.  She might be making lots of you, and lots of you might be for sale.

So, if you wouldn't mind, could you just snuggle in this padded envelope?  Don't look so worried, Widge, it'll be okay, it's only a short trip!  When you get there you will have to sit very still whilst she models you.  Then, if it all goes well, and you don't twitch your ears too much, she might give you a nice carroty treat!

Halloween Sock Bunny takes to the skies...

Widget and the bunnies are getting ready for Halloween.  This pleases The Bunny Maker as she is getting tired to Christmas lists being left on her workroom desk.  A welcome diversion from the long, long haul of day counting until the festive event.

Halloween Bunny has arrived - he came last night, flying in on the cold night air.  His cloak is rather marvelous and shimmers in the light....

Some of The Warren bunnies think its a bit show-offy and flashy, but its only because they are jealous!  The cloak is magic (apparently) and means that he can fly (apparently), although no one has seen him do it in the daylight yet.

Widget is muttering about 'smoke and mirrors'.  The Bunny Maker is tired of all this harumphing but is just glad that there is a respite from the Christmas present demands for a while!

Skelly Bun rides again.

Woooooooooooo woooooooooo.  (That's my scary Halloween noise).  One of those yearly events is coming this a-way and at least I can say that it isn't Christmas.  Phew!  The Skelly Buns are on the march, looking for new homes.

They may be half-dead but they are all bunny.  There is still a lot of bounce left in them, you know, don't be a-thinkin' they are all still and lifeless.  They love cabbage fried with crispy bacon too, and will eat bowlfulls if you cook it for them.
Here's the recipe:

Cabbage
Bacon

Steam cabbage.  Fry bacon until crispy.  Drain cabbage.  Add bacon.  Give to bunny.

They don't call me Jamie Oliver for nothing.  They don't call me that?  Oh. Okay.

Each bunny is made to order, so will have a little personality of his/her own.  You can find them in the Etsy shop and on Folksy - so, er, go there .......

A Bunny Family in need: Can you help?

A terrible thing has happened.  An incident with an over-filled water-butt meant a total washout for parts of The Warren.  This little family have lost their Daddy Bun and are in need of a new home.  Their burrow was totally washed away, along with the carrot stores they were laying down for the winter.

Is there anyone out there who can look after them?  Anyone who might have a Daddy Bunny?  Those two little girls are going to need a father in the future, Mini Bun is already wanting her ears pierced and needs a firm hand in these matters.
You can find them the bunny shop on Folksy.... HERE

The Bitty Bunnies have arrived!

Widget is not amused.  The Bitty Bunnies have just arrived and he has been told to keep an eye on them.  Harumph.  There are the smallest of the bunnies, bar the baby buns who haven't got their sleeping bags yet.  These perfectly formed and extremely pocket-sized because, after all, everyone needs a bunny in their pocket, right?

As you can see from the picture they are about to exit right, having caught sight of The Warren vegetable patch.  Widget has to tag along behind muttering, 'Hey, no touching!' and other bossinesses.  He really would like them in the shop sharpish, or for another bunny to take on the responsibility but The Bunny Maker has given him a very firm 'No'.
So, to relieve poor Widget of his baby-sitting, and spare The Bunny Maker listening to his relentless tutting and grumbling, please give some of these little ones a home!  Hop to the shop HERE!

A Bunny Family in need: Can you help?

A terrible thing has happened.  An incident with an over-filled water-butt meant a total washout for parts of The Warren.  This little family have lost their Daddy Bun and are in need of a new home.  Their burrow was totally washed away, along with the carrot stores they were laying down for the winter.

Is there anyone out there who can look after them?  Anyone who might have a Daddy Bunny?  Those two little girls are going to need a father in the future, Mini Bun is already wanting her ears pierced and needs a firm hand in these matters.
You can find them the bunny shop on Folksy.... HERE

The Bitty Bunnies have arrived!

Widget is not amused.  The Bitty Bunnies have just arrived and he has been told to keep an eye on them.  Harumph.  There are the smallest of the bunnies, bar the baby buns who haven't got their sleeping bags yet.  These perfectly formed and extremely pocket-sized because, after all, everyone needs a bunny in their pocket, right?

As you can see from the picture they are about to exit right, having caught sight of The Warren vegetable patch.  Widget has to tag along behind muttering, 'Hey, no touching!' and other bossinesses.  He really would like them in the shop sharpish, or for another bunny to take on the responsibility but The Bunny Maker has given him a very firm 'No'.
So, to relieve poor Widget of his baby-sitting, and spare The Bunny Maker listening to his relentless tutting and grumbling, please give some of these little ones a home!  Hop to the shop HERE!

WAKE UP SOCK BUNNIES!

Where have you been? The blog is all silent! Summer? Oh okay. You sold out? You did? Wow, Bunny Maker, that's amazing!

The summer is over now and the bunny shop is empty - ish. Time to fill it back up again and what better way than with some deeply cute Hello Kitty Soc Bunnies.

Three cute little ones, waiting for homes.  You know you want them!

Click here to go to the shop via teleportation unit.

Sock Bunny Selling at Winchester Handm@de

 Yesterday we all trollied off to Winchester Handm@de to set up the Movable Meadow to find some very excited bunnies new homes.
I have a new top.  It's a very nice top and I have worn it three times.  It is white and linen.  You know what's going to happen.  First wearing, at a lovely summer party, I slopped red wine down it whilst demonstrating how the 'Bucking Sheep' operator was flicking the controls to buck people off.  Second wearing, bolognaise.  Third wearing, yesterday, coffee, all down the front.  It is now my 'Accident Top'.  So, looking stained, I self-consciously worried that people thought I was scummy .
I met lots of nice people who said they knew me 'online'.  I'm terrible with faces and names so I apologise if I had that blank yet flustered look.  Out of my comfort zone and stained does not make for good, confident first impression giving!
I made some carrots....

The Thnakes got accused of being draft excluders. Can you imagine?!  They were very indignant and started to get a bit rude to some customers.  I had to tell them off and tie a couple of their tongues together to stop them hissing (sorry, hithing) at people.

I bought three Bandit Bunnies from Flora's Hen House ...

 ..and sold lots and lots of sock bunnies.  I had a Tub Trug full, now it is half full.
I was also given a very lovely picture, drawn by a very pretty girl in lovely, summery dress. It was the nicest thing.

Due to lots of bunnies sales Widget got to put quite a lot of money into the Rabbit Welfare Association pot - 10% goes to them.  Lots of people picked up leaflets and I met a very nice lady, with her own bunnies, and we had a long chat about bunniness.

All in all I had fun, the snakes sulked (as usual), my top was dirty (again), I mumbled apologies for not recognizing people and my copious hair got in the way (ho hum)  but lots of sock bunnies round new homes, and that, basically is what it is all about.

Sock Bunny News: The Oregon 12.

The largest number of bunnies from The Warren are living in Alaska, 33 in total have winged their way across the Atlantic to live there.  Second to this are the Oregon Bunnies and we have have just had some news in from them! 

 "It has been a long time since the latest bunny arrived here in Oregon, by the little sillies kept hiding the camera! There are now 12, yes 12, bunnies living here full time, with 2 here temporarily before they head off to a new home. There have been 16 little Sock Bunnies through this house now, and the bunch keeps begging me for more of their friends to come to stay. We shall see... their basket is getting full! 

The bunnies all say hi to you and their friends back in the UK. 

Best wishes overseas!"

I'm sure there is a little more room in that basket!  The Bunny Maker has just add some new bunnies to the shop too today .... Have a little visit to the Widget and Friends Sock Bunny Shop. 

Don't forget that the bunnies are on Etsy too, right here >>> Sock Bunnies on Etsy 

Sock Bunny News: We love Cosmos!

I have moved! It took a long time but I now live in Scotland near the sea and it is very beautiful! I love going to the beach and helping to collect stuff, the shells are my favourite, they make great sun hats and sunglasses.

Hope you are all well,

Love,

Little Cosmos Sockbunny XO

CE Testing and the 'The Sock Problem': PART TWO

So, continuing the saga - if you haven't read part one click here.

What do I do now?  Its a very good question and it is not good news really either.

SOLUTION 1
I find a sock I like and try and buy as many pairs as I can.  I then have this sock design tested for compliance with the EN71.  I think this is around £80 (please correct me if I am wrong) each for flammability and heavy metals.
PROBLEM:
If I bought 40 pairs of socks the test would put £2.00 onto the cost of each sock.
When have you ever seen 40 pairs of the same sock in a retail shop anyway?  This means I will have issues with the retailer over why I want these socks and what I am doing with them.
Part of the charm of the bunnies is all the different designs.  The test would have to be done for EACH design of sock costing said amount each time.
SOLUTION:
I could contact the retailer (I use Top Shop and Next socks alot) and ask them about their socks and get them to provide me with documentation.
PROBLEM:
Socks do not need to conform to CE testing standards for toys therefore they will not have been tested and there is no documentation.  I know this because I found a sock factory in China to produce the socks and have them made into bunnies for me but they said they could not guarantee that their socks would pass the EN71 test. This is the same with most sock factories because they have nothing to comply too apart from their own self-imposed standards.
SOLUTION:
Find a factory that does know about their socks and know that they pass the test.

SOLUTION 2:
I have the bunnies mass-produced.  This would change the way I sell them and I would be attending trade fairs to take wholesale orders from retailers.  I have looked into this last year and found a factory who would make them and the CE testing would be done by them.  I would be selling them at a wholesale price and the RRP would have to be a much lower price point than they are already because they lose their handmade appeal.  I needed to get the cost down another £1.00 but the factory could not make their price any lower and it is now on the back-burner.  I also needed to buy 3,000 bunnies as a minimum.  Luckily I have a contact who has a good relationship with the factory and they agreed to produce 3 different designs, 1,000 of each.  It is still a whole loada bunnies.
WHY NOT:
They won't be handmade and there are only three designs.  I don't have the money to pay for 3,000 bunnies.  To make it achievable I would have to have sold a chunk of the bunnies, from working samples, whilst the 3,000 are in production so I know I have money to pay for them.  3,000 bunnies in my garage, unsold, is very, very scary indeed.  I would need to pay around £2500 to attend a trade fair such as Top Drawer.
This ties in with me expanding Widget and Friends too.  I have reached a time when I need to expand 'off the kitchen table' but no retailer will buy my bunnies wholesale because they do not conform with the CE mark and they, themselves, could face a fine for selling them.  Dead end.
The above changes Widget and Friends totally and I am unsure of the appeal of a mass-produced sock bunny - hence the back-burner status.

SOLUTION 3:
I have my own socks manufactured that conform to the EN71 tests.
As it stands I am in talks with a UK sock manufacturer (yay uk!) who is looking into the situation for me. Their minimum is 600 pairs in my design.  That's pretty exciting but still a whole lot of socks/money.
PROBLEM:
They think flammability is a problem as fabrics are usually pretreated and socks aren't.  I still don't have the money for 600 pairs. That's 1200 socks and I use one sock per bunny.  Which design do I choose? I would need THE most appealing design - but which is it?
Even if the socks conform I will still have to have a made up (1200 sewn by me GULP) bunny CE tested and the stitching etc many not stand up to their rhino-pulling techniques.  By nature socks are stretchy and the sewing threads don't stretch as far as the sock fibres - therefore 'riiiiiiip'.

SOLUTION 4:
I start a company supplying EN71 conforming socks to everyone who makes toys from them.
PROBLEM:
Its a great idea but ..... money/knowledge/blahblah and the rest of it.  There are not really enough people out there to buy them to really make much money.

AS IT STANDS:
I should not be selling the sock bunnies at all nor anyone else be selling toys made from socks either for that matter - but because I'm selling small numbers (relative to the volume toy market) it is not a 'remove those from the market now' situation.  The Trading Standards officer said that I must state 'Not for anyone under the age of 14' as a temporary statement whilst I sort out what to do for the long term.  I am now a 'reference number' with Trading Standards which means it is documented that I am selling 'non-conformist bunnies'.  I have had to be removed from one website that was selling the bunnies (amicably of course!) - the rest will follow eventually.  Boooo.

Some interesting reading The Laboratory at The Birmingham Assay Office.

For now ........

CE Testing and 'The Sock Problem' - PART ONE

Its a problem indeed and one that A LOT of you are asking about.  Could this be curtains for the bunnies?  The best way to answer all these things is to do a blog post - otherwise i'm typing the same thing 84 times whenever anyone asks!
I'm going to do a two-parter - otherwise it's too long.

So.  I will mush it all down here - in layman's terms- so don't expect any technical terms - but, who needs those anyway - that's why everyone is confused in the first place!
The following is how I understand it - Please, if I have got it wrong, or you have any other insights, please let me know, I'm still finding out about it all and need all the information I can get.

PART ONE:  SORTING OUT THE INFORMATION

The Sock Bunnies are toys.  I cannot call them 'Collectables'. Well, I can, but it won't hold much truck.  You cannot omit the title 'toy' or get away with refuting the title 'toy' if the item is displayed with, tagged or associated with toys. If you make an item that is appealing to children the it is a 'toy' and needs to be tested. Period.  Listing it under 'Accessories' on Folksy won't do either!

Stating they are 'Not suitable for children under 36 months' doesn't cover it either.  That statement is for toys that have passed the test but may have small parts which come with it.  EG. You make a teddy bear who wears a waistcoat with buttons.  The teddy passes the CE test but to cover themselves the company might choose to state - 'Please remove the waistcoat before giving to children under 36 months.'  Or they can just say 'Not suitable for under 36 months due to small parts).  The crux is that the toy still passed the test.

To sell toys, handmade or otherwise, in the UK they, legally, need to comply to DTI Production Standards UK Toys (safety) Regulations 1995 and  and pass the CE test.  This is changing in 2011 but remains pretty much the same really,

The test is pretty much as follows: Pulling all seams and bits to see if they come off. (Mechanical/physical properties).  Burning it to see if it ..er .. burns (flammawotsit test) and lastly (the problem for socks) testing it for heavy metals in the dyes.

 Hold still Widget!

 Before I carry on I need to interject; You can self-certify your toys.  To do this you need to keep a record of where all the parts of that toy have come from.  Take a photo of the label that came with the toy filling, for example.
Toy filling already complies, so you are off to a good start.
Toy fabric manufacturers tend to test their fabrics so you will be able to get documentation. Keep a record of where you sourced your fabrics from, contact the company to ask them for any documentation showing that it is safe.
A fire test certificate from a fabric manufacturer will not do as flammawotsit can also depend on the shape of the toy.  You will need to have it tested (yup you have to sacrifice a toy up for burning). Ouch!

Widget, that is NOT what I had in mind.  Put that match away!

Now, this is important:  You cannot self-certify a toy made from a sock that you have bought from a retailer - and, come on, Top Shop do have some great designs!
BECAUSE: Socks do not have to conform to any safety standards, even children's socks, because they are just that, socks. Socks are for feet and not for making into things to play with.
The sock bunnies: I can safely say that the stuffing is safe because it says so on the bag.  I cannot, however, safely say that the socks are safe.  Most high-street bought socks are manufactured abroad and the factory/company do not need to comply with toy safety regulations. The socks are probably safe but that is not enough, you need a piece of paper saying so.  Damnations.

Now is a good time to call your local Trading Standards office.  They are astoundingly helpful.  Just google your local council and there will be a link there.  Find the phone number and give them a call.
The one problem I now have is that I have 'A reference number'.  I am documented as selling un-safe rabbit.
THE PROBLEM:  The nice TS officer was relieved to hear that I wasn't shifting thousands of unsafe bunny toys.  He said that it was something I will have to sort out for the long term but for now I need to say 'Not suitable for anyone under the age of 14 years'.  This is a short-term safeguard that will not hold a lot of water in court but is better than nothing whilst I 'sort out what to do'.  The long and short of it is, if I want to sell these bunnies they are going to have to pass the CE test.
 

WHAT CAN I DO NOW?  Read Part two of my CE nightmare

Sock Bunny News: Lawrence and Barnaby Bunny check in!

Lawrence and Barnaby Bunnies went to live with Clare in London, but it looks like they have been having some lovely countryside adventures....

'Lawrence and Barnaby have settled in nicely and are best bunny buddies.'

'One morning, the bunnies noticd that it was nice and sunny outside, so they asked the 'Ooman' if they could go for a day trip. Two little bunnies can be quite difficult to resist.'

'Yes, the Ooman had made them a bunny hammock!  The Ooman may or may not have issues with a misplaced maternal instinct.  Turns out the Ooman is also pretty handy when it comes to bunny-based transport solutions.'

'Everyone piled into the car and off they went.'

'It was a lovely day for a walk in the country. Whilst the Ooman wrestled with a map, the bunnies hopped off to find the best bouncing, snoozing and snacking spots.  The Ooman couldn't work out how they knew where to go - perhaps they've been here before?'

'They were especially delighted to see so much lush green grass.  There was a lot of munching, nibbling and chomping.  A few happy hours ticked by in the sunshine.'

'Then the Ooman realised that she couldn't see the bunnies anywhere.  A frantic search ensued.'

'Thankfully the bunnies had climbed into a tree and waited in a convenient hollow until the handbag-transport could come and pick them up.  How sensible.'

'Just in the nick of time too - a hungry owl was on the prowl!'

'Lawrence and Barnaby wasted no time in climbing aboard.'

'Not wanting to be out late with a hungry owl on the loose, everyone decided they'd had a lovely day in the sum and it was time to go home.  The Ooman noticed that the bunnies were quick to snuggle back into their sleeping bags and hop into the bunny hammock.  It wasn't long before she heard the sound of little bunny snores.'