April update

It's been a while between blogs. I was flat out all the way through March with a very successful Great Down Under Nappy Hunt. However, as March progressed and my pregnancy progressed, it became increasingly apparent that my intention of finishing up at the end of May had to happen sooner.

So I revised my plan and my intention has been to finish up at the end of this month. Again however, as April has progressed, my pain increased and while I'm doing my very best to stock up as much as possible for the time I'm taking off sewing, I've had to take a few breaks in between.

I have been diagnosed with SPD, which limits the amount of time I can stand/walk/sit...well, function really! So I've been taking it as easy as I can, and doing small bits of work in between. It's been difficult with a 2.5 and 4 year old running around my feet, but I'll get there.

I still hope to have as much completed as possible so you won't notice that I'm taking a sewing break. As far as you'll be aware, parcels/orders will still be going out, but I won't be taking any customs until August.

The plan is to make one last batch of night nappies, and add to the Minky Days stock that I have already. Fingers crossed I can get there before the end of the month, or before my body gives in entirely!

Lastly....

What's new

Really, something new when I'm taking time off sewing? Absolutely!!!

1. Side snapping Minky Days in AI2 and Velour Pockets are almost ready to be released. I hope to have them started this month and you may see them officially released towards the end of May.

2. 'Classic' OFSM no nonsense PUL nappies will be added to the range. These have touch tape fasteners so perfect for day care, dad's or other carers. They are different from many other touch tape nappies because there are NO scratchy bits to rub against bubs hips. Personally, I never came across a touch tape/velcro nappy that didn't scratch against either of my son's hips, and it didn't matter if they were 3 months old or 3 years old. It's taken 2 years for me to finally get to this stage as I wanted to make sure I found the right materials.

3. Fireflies...there seems to be quite a buzz around about fireflies. I wonder what it can be? Keep updated with the blog and Facebook. All will be revealed in due course.

Thanks everyone!

Busy busy but here are a few customs

I'm flat chat at the moment getting my new website right, due to be launched this Saturday! Eek!

In between I've been doing a few customs, so here are just a sample:

OK, now back to the website. So much to do in do little time!

What's next for Fluffy Bubs in February

Phew! What a crazy weekend. It's been great, but now to finalise all the nappies and have them sent out.

Next on the agenda is the website. Its very very close! We're looking at 2 weeks until its launching. Perhaps we'll make it Valentine's Day! I'm going to spend most of the month making stock for the Nappy Hunt, so there won't be too much on offer other than what's already left from this stocking.

Coming soon are gorgeous nappy and leather soft soled baby shoe sets. The shoes are 0-6 months although in my experience they tend to last longer than that. These will be a limited offer and once they are sold out, that'll be it in the short term :).

So, back to doing some customs from the stocking. As always, feel free to email me if you have any questions. I will always get back to you so if you don't hear from me, please give the mobile a go - details on the website. I have been having significant technology issues!

More on the dress sets

Above: Here's the Gracie set :).

And here's my 28 month old Luke. Not really his 'style' but hey, it fits :).

Nappy and Dress Sets

They're coming! I have a few pics and will upload more to the website in the coming days. I have thoroughly enjoyed naking these sets. I ordered these Robert Kaufman quilters cotton prints a few months ago and had no idea what I was going to do with them. I could have made panel nappies, but I wanted to go in a different direction.

So, in keeping with the versatility that Fluffy Bubs is known for, I came up with the dress/top. Sized to fit from 6 months to around 2 years, it is shirred and ties at the back. I was going to make them into straps and have them snap at different intervals for the sizes, but really, how uncomfortable would it have been for our little ones to have the snaps against your back.

Then came the nappy. I loved trolling through the embroidery sites looking for something to match. Loads of fun!

Last came the bib. They were an after thought actually. I'd been wanting to make function bibs for ages but never got around to it. These are microchamois backed. I hate when the moisture goes through all the layers of the bib and end up wetting the clothing anyway. The absorbency of the bibs of course are limited to the matching fabric, but I intend on making some super cute yet very functional bibs very soon.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings, here are some pics...

The 'Sunshine' set - this reminds me of tropical punch. Very summer!

'Tahitian Princess' - I think this is my favourite! The hibiscus reminded me of my trip to Tahiti when I was onboard the P&O cruise ship 'Tahitian Princess'.

Perhaps my next favourite, the 'Emily' set. Why Emily? My favourite colour combinations are Pink and Purple, and my favourite girls name growing up was Emily. Simple :).

There is one more set to add named the 'Gracie' set. White with cherries, this was named after the daughter of one of my good friends. My lovely friend adores cherries!

Now, if I had more time, I'd be uploading more pics of the boys PJ sets. Perhaps the weekend for those.

Coming soon....

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was nice and relaxing, as far as Christmas' go :). I'm supposed to be taking a break from Fluffy Bubs but it's never far from my mind! I'm gearing up for next year already, and have a special stocking planned for January.

Once again I have more new prints! These are just too gorgeous for words. Unfortunately they are girly prints, but there is a very cute penguin print that is so much cuter in real life.

Along with those, I had some gorgeous Robert Kaufman cotton prints arrive. After much to'ing and fro'ing as to what to do with them, I have decided to make some super cute nappy sets. For the boys, it will be summer PJ's and a Dreams night nappy (and maybe the girls too), and for the girls, it'll be a OS top/dress and nappy set (from 6 months to 2.5 years old). If you like them, then I'll add them as part of the Fluffy Bubs range, but for now, they are simply 'one off's'.

I'll also be making amazingly soft bamboo/cotton hodded towels. These can have custom embroideries on the hood, and you can add a matching embroidered nappy to create a fantastic newborn gift set.

Lastly, I'll be stocking the famous Soap Bricks! I'm finalising my exclusive collection, but there will be 3 types of soaps available at the next stocking to start with. If you have never tried one of these fantastic goats milk soaps with no nasties, then you simply MUST give it a go.

Well, that's it for now. My next post will be in the new year, and hopefully with some pics of the new products for the next stocking.

December Customs

Here's a sneak peak of some of the customs for December, including the winner of the free singlet/t-shirt this month :). All customs have now been sent.

Christmas and beyond

Now I never did finish my blog on my plans for next year. But firstly...

A huge thank you to everyone for making Fluffy Bubs so successful this year. I had my first ever stocking at the end of January this year and it's been non-stop ever since. On a personal level, it has been a difficult year for myself and my family, but having Fluffy Bubs has helped me keep on going. In fact, this year is ending with as much promise as it started with, so I'm hoping that 2010 is a great one for everyone.

Christmas - All the customs from the 1st have been sent out now and there are a few more lay-bys that need finalising. Everything is coming to an end for the year. I will be taking a much needed break. I won't be stocking the store until February....well, that's the plan anyway. The main reason for this is the change over to the new host and the new site. I'm not 100% sure when the new site will be 'live', but rest assured it is well and truly on it's way. Anyway, I'll be taking an official break from Monday 21st December until January 4th. I won't be sending parcels or responding to emails during this time. Orders may be placed and I will send them on the 4th.

Stocking - That's right, there's a stocking! I wasn't meant to have a stocking this month but there will be one on Friday 11th starting from midday. Now I know that time won't suit most, but maybe people who usually miss out will have a chance to get what they want. To coincide with the stocking, there will be a Minky Madness sale. I finally got around to listing some seconds (which are barely seconds). Minky cuts are $5 each or $28/yard....bargain!

What's happening in 2010?

My plan right now is to cease having 'custom stockings'. It's not all bad though. I actually hope to have the store stocked so there won't be times with nothing in store. For Minky Days I also hope to be able to offer you back order for prints that aren't seasonal - which in effect, is a 'custom order', except you won't have to wait until the 1st of every month to order. With Dreams nappies, again I hope to keep nappies in stock, but you will also be able to order whenever you want.

That's it for now. I hope everyone is well leading up to the Christmas rush :).

The Christmas period and plans for next year

Well I'm back from holidays, nice and relaxed, although very tired from the lack of sleep that comes with having toddlers in a different environment LOL.

I've worked through the emails and will be getting the orders that have been paid for, ready for posting by the end of the week.

Stocking update for December

The customs stocking is going ahead as scheduled for the 1st of December at 8pm (AEDT). There will only be Minky Days available for order.

Around the 9th, I will have a mini-stocking with a significant amount of Dreams nappies available, along with a few Minky Days as well. This is the last of the nappies that will be listed not only for this year, but also for January as well.

Future Stockings for 2010

More information coming!

November Christmas singlet winner

Here's the winning singlet for the month. Congratulations Amanda :).

November Customs

Here's a sneak peak at some of the customs that left yesterday and today...

I'm pretty much all caught up on the customs for this month :).

I'm off on holidays for 2 weeks starting Saturday, back just in time for December customs. It'll be a small amount offered (only Minky Days, embroidered and plain).

I actually have a batch of Dreams nappies in the works so you won't have to wait until next year if you're hanging out for one. I'll announce when they have been uploaded via the newsletter.

An update on Fluffy Bubs

What a week it's been for me on a personal level! While I didn't win at the Melbourne Cup (didn't even attempt that one), I certainly had my fair share of 'wins'.

My poor 3 year old came down with a terrible virus that kept his fever spiking for days. It finally broke during the week thank goodness, but he is still not quite himself so I'm hoping he will be in a few days time.

Along with that, our house hunting ventures are now over! I couldn't be happier to snap up the house before auction. It wasn't easy. There were a lot of games being played but ultimately I think we have come out well from it. Nothing will change with Fluffy Bubs. We won't be moving into the house as we plan on rebuilding in the near future (I hope!). That means my Fluffy Bubs 'work space' will continue to be confined to my dining room table. Frustrating but at least I can see a dedicated room in the future :).

So since we bought the house, it seemed the most sensible option was to shelve our holiday plans for the moment. However, we are still seeing if we can make it happen. If we can, then Fluffy Bubs will close as previously anticipated on the 14th November. I should be returning home around the 28th November.

Customs

I've just about finished all the nappies from the Customs on the 1st. I just need to make all the inserts and boosters for them all. Everything is on track to be sent by the end of the week.

The winner of the free Christmas singlet has been drawn too. This will be announced during the week.

Stocking update

The customs stocking on the 1st of December will continue as per normal. There will only be limited slots available for embroidered and plain Minky Days nappies. I am actually working on a stash of Dreams nappies in medium and large which will hopefully be ready at the end of this month/early next month. They won't be part of an official stocking, but I will send a newsletter out when they have been listed. I also have a small amount of Minky Days I'm working on too. These will all be the last nappies I list on my CongoCart site for the year.

A new web host has been chosen!

Yay for Fluffy Bubs. I have signed up with a new host. I'm totally over the search, and have finally gone with a complete custom made website. No more templates or just trying to make things work.

But, seeing as its a complete redesign of the site, it will take about 3 months before you see the change. I hope to launch the site early next year.

So, its CongoCart for now, and I think I've finally got the postage thing working to the best of its abilities. This new cart will mean at least 5 hours less admin to do each month, and 5 hours of more time to either spend with the family or making nappies.

How exciting!

I'm very excited to say, that I received my first exclusive to Fluffy Bubs embroidery design this week. This will form part of a new range to be released next year.

The designer is Sandra Fullerton, a well known embroidery designer amongst some of Australia's leading fashion designers. And where might you have seen some of her designs? Sandra has done costumes for Star Wars and even the Pope's Mitre in his recent visit to Australia in 2008. She has also designed a range of embroidery motifs that feature on gift cards.

I feel incredibly lucky to have her designs in my new range next year.

Previewing now!!!

It's late so I don't have much time to upload pics here. The site has been updated with products for the stocking on Sunday night. I still need to upload the Dreams nappy pics plus the info on the bamboo velour nappies but we're getting there.

I'm also very close to finding another cart system that gives you sooo much flexibility and much less admin intensive for me, but it is a 'first to checkout' cart.

New prints to be revealed soon

The new Minky Days prints will be revealed really soon...tomorrow actually. I had planned on doing it today but alas time has gotten away from me and bed is beckoning.

I'll also preview the appliques I have been working on too. Admittedly, there are more 'special' nappies in the AI2 range compared to the Bamboo Velour pockets, but until I know how popular they will be, it was the only thing I could do.

There is also a medium and large embroidered night nappy in the stocking as well. It'll be at a discounted price for no other reason then to introduce embroidery to Dreams nappies. I made this exact nappy for Luke to test the wicking and I love it. All embroidered Dreams nappies have a waterproof backing on the embroidered area. I'm not so sure how the fleece would stand up to more intricate designs, but it does work well for gorgeous, cute, simple designs :).

Hmmm, what else...

Cart and site update

The update is that there isn't an update at all. I still haven't found the cart and host to switch to yet but I have been talking to a few companies. I will stay with CongoCart until another one has been decided upon. Most likely though it will be a far more expensive option which may see a slight increase in nappy prices to help cover the costs.

Cart woes again

I can't believe it! I found THE perfect cart/host but after testing for next week it's not going to be so perfect, resulting in likely overselling. I'm madly looking for another host as I really don't want to delay my new site from opening but its not looking good. It's going to be a busy weekend!

And the winner of the free Chirstmas embroidered singlet is....

Here is the gorgeous nappy and singlet set going to one lucky little boy :).

Want to win a free matching singlet? All you have to do is place your order for your Christmas nappy on the 1st of November and December.

Winner is drawn at random and there is a winner each month.

October Customs

I had a great time with the embroideries this month. I got to see some new designs come to life. I particularly loved doing the Christmas ones!

Soooo, here is a sneak peak of the embroideries that left earlier this week and today. I'll put the winner of the Christmas singlet in a separate post.

Can't wait to see what you all choose in November :).

Out with the old and in with the new

It's been a while between blogs. There's a lot going on at the moment with Fluffy Bubs.

New site

I'm so happy to say that it really does look like I'll be able to get the new site up and running for the next stocking in October. It's a fresh look and I love it. The shopping cart system seems to be much more user friendly and hopefully it'll eliminate a lot of the admin that I do manually. The new logo is still in the works but I hope to have that ready in December.

New Minky Days AI2

This month spells the release of V2 of the Minky Days. It has a simplified snap rise adjustment and snap in booster system while maintaining the shape and measurements as V1.

Meanwhile V1 will remain at the discounted price. Grab a bargain! These are great nappies.

New Minky Days Velour Pocket

In response to a large number of people wanting a more natural inner, I have designed the 'Minky Days Velour Pocket'. It has a gorgeous soft bamboo velour inner and the pocket stuffs at the front rather than the back. It also has a panel of matching minky at the front on the inside to prevent potential wicking onto clothing.

This nappy has the same shape and measurements as the AI2 you know and love. At this stage I do hope to have some ready for the October stocking.

New prints!

Yep that's right!!! Gorgeous new prints at the next stocking for both boys and girls. Admitedly there's probably more for the girls than boys, but I love these prints. Bright, vibrant and bold colours, you're sure to love these. They will be previewing once the new site is up and running.

I still have some of the old favourites left in stock which will make an appearance every now and then at a stocking, or you can still order these as customs.

New embroideries and appliques

I have been working overtime with my embroidery machine since Friday...seriously I have. At least 8 hours a days. Yesterday and today I have been embroidering from 1:30pm until midnight (and cooking a meal and putting kids to sleep in between).

The results of this will be seen in October's stocking and the customs of course. I'm loving the Christmas designs and it's put me in the Christmas spirit :).

New giveaway!

As I mentioned, I'm loving this whole Christmas thing so much that I'm going to give away a free matching singlet to one lucky baby each month from Oct to Dec. This is just for those who order a Christmas nappy. A name will be drawn from a hat (ok, probably a bowl of some sort), and a matching singlet will be made to go with your nappy. It'll be a size 2, unless you specify in your order that you want a size 1.

What else is new?

Well, not too much else with Fluffy Bubs...I think the above is enough!

At the moment I plan on going away in November which means only the 1 custom stocking as I've mentioned before. We have been house hunting though so if we do end up buying a house, then my holiday will have to wait. What that does mean is Fluffy Bubs may be on hold at some stage while we declutter for open houses, pack for the move and unpack. For those who don't know, I live in a tiny 2 bedroom house where my dining room table is my work space (that gets cleared every day), and fabric is stored in almost every room in my house...plus my parents place too! We've definitely outgrown our place so hopefully that perfect house will come very soon.

Spring Customs

Here are just a few of the customs for this month. I can feel its spring, and I know you can too based on the embroideries that have been chosen :).

There will be more to add tomorrow :). Gotta love those monkeys and turtles!