Dwarf Hamsters

These little cuties are Campbell's Russian Dwarf hamsters, about 2 weeks old. Most don't understand why I raise these, but look into those tiny faces and ask again. Even adults retain their adorable features. Many, though not all, are very friendly. Plus they come in a wide array of colors for even the most discriminating of tastes.

Incidentally, this is not their home. Merely a holding pen while their cage is being cleaned. They seem to enjoy sniffing around.

Why I raise rabbits

'Nuff said. ;o)

New item

Tonight I designed a new item. The idea actually came from my mother as she watched me make a teddy bear. I had put the head of the bear on the body, but hadn't yet added limbs. A mini-bowling set! This first one will be a set of 3 pins and a weighted ball. I'm still refining how I want the pins to look, hence the small number of them. That and it has taken the better part of an hour and a half for a single pin! Multiply that out by 10 and add another hour for a ball. If I were to work only on this set, it would take me half a day. I'd likely only be able to charge about $20, or maybe $25 for a full set. Not worth it.

Most people just do not get the work involved with hand-crafted goods. Each stitch of every toy I make is done by me, not some machine. And every animal crafted must have every detail made independently and then sewn together. I put a great deal of care and attention to detail in every piece. So when I charge $25 for a large hand-made 'Real' rabbit, it's not just yarn and stuffing, it's 2 to 3 days of my life spent creating and putting it together!

Every piece I create is unique, I never use the same pattern in the exact way twice. I'm always tweaking and fine-tuning so as to improve every creation and give it a unique look. I have the talent and ability to make almost anything you can name (within reason... I doubt I could do an Eiffel Tower reproduction just yet *giggle*). And I am unique as there are not many artisans that will attempt some of the things I have. And yes, I refer to myself as an artisan. I have the expertise and knowledge of stitches to make them look the way I want them to look when I am finished. This was brought home to me recently when I created an item from a photo and then tonight when I created an item from nothing more than a picture in my head.

New Website

It's time I suppose. I've decided to go forward with the re-building of a new website. I will probably maintain my old color charts, perhaps see if I can improve them in layout. However, the rest of the site will be re-made in entirety. New photos of everything, a new layout, a new host. Yes, a fresh start will be good I think. Now if only there would come a clear, sunny day where I could attempt to get new photos of the rabbits.

Rabbits & Photos

It's official, as of October 28 I will no longer has a functioning website. It's rather disappointing really since I have so much more than just simple photos there. I have 3 color charts, one of which is utterly unique. So now I must make a decision whether to simply let my website go, or go to the trouble of creating a new one, finding a place to host it, etc. This would also require a lot of new photos of the rabbits, not my favorite past-time in recent years. It's easy to criticize others for sub-standard photos, but so difficult to get better yourself. I will though, as I really do need to try and get back to offering rabbits for sale.

Complicated

Well my life just got a whole lot more complicated than I'd like. I thought I had another month, but that time literally just vanished. So I've been feverishly working to make things better, different, changed, whatever phrase strikes you best. I will be getting my shop up and operational soon I hope, I'm running out of time and I need to try and make as many sales as I can. So please feel free to visit my shop and check out my hand-crafted soaps and children's toys, just in time for the coming winter holiday season!

A little politics

I was talking to my SO the other day and I pointed out that there have been a lot of great men throughout history that also promised their people 'change' and a better life. They were Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Castro, Mao... Do we really want our country following this particular avenue for 'change'?!

Pleased

I'm very pleased with myself. I managed to create a crochet toy item from a picture. I designed it, planned it out, and created it while writing down the pattern as I went. I feel that it marks an important stage for me. It means I know enough about my craft to be able to visualize the stitch type and quantity I would need to use to accomplish the desired effect. I made a toy water bottle, for anyone that was interested to know. I think it turned out rather well and I may add the item to a set I'm planning to offer in my shop. This particular 'prototype' already has a purpose and home.

Awhile

Wow, it's been a little while since I've written.

Yesterday we went to a 'poultry swap' and it was certainly interesting. It was a beautiful day for it. I took my handmade soaps and toys and some other miscellaneous items. I took 24 rabbits to sell. I sold 7 and gave 1 rabbit away and sold several items as well. Overall I considered the event to be a success. I may even try to do some others in the future.

The best part is that I did not come home with anything additional, though I was tempted by some chickens, quail, pheasants, and pigeons!