Giveaway - Win an Odd Owl!

Hurrah! It's GIVEAWAY time.

You'll get a chance to win an Odd Owl with a letter of your choice. Just follow the instructions below for 3 chances to win. The Giveaway is open for a week and closes next Sunday, 3 July. The winner will be chosen by random number generator, so make sure you use all 3 of your chances to win.

And here is how it goes:

1. For your first chance to win go to the Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltedBlissByNadine have a browse and then come back here to the blog and leave a comment to this post telling me which of the Odd Owls you like best.

2. For your second chance become a blog follower and then leave a comment telling me you're a follower. (of course if you're already a follower just leave a comment telling me so.)

3. And for your third chance to win an Odd Owl go to the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Quilted-Bliss-by-Nadine/204707436234824)
and Like it (the button is a the top next to the page name). Then come back here and leave a comment telling me you're a 'fan' on Facebook.

Good luck everyone. And maybe very soon you'll give an Odd Owl a new home.

Now ...



Love, Nadine xx

Meet the Odd Owls A to E

Hello everyone,

may I present to you the first 5 of my Odd Owl collection, personalized plush taggy toys for babies now available on Etsy. I absolutely adore them, all of them. Each one is unique and different. They are a bit creepy, a bit odd, but also cute and cuddly.

I used zigzag stitches everywhere to give the illusion of little feathers and to give them a sort of rugged look.



They are all stuffed with polyester filling and I have made sure they are safe for kids who PULL. I stitched all the seams three times and backstitched several times over the ribbons and I also used a zigzag stich on the seams to make sure the 3 layers are tight.



I have researched all the safety regulations for toys both for the UK and EU, but I also researched the CPSIA law for the US so I'll be able to sell to American buyers. It is classed as a low risk item because of the way it is made and the materials it contains, which means it is up to the maker to add the labels that contain all the information as stipulated by the law. Therefore, I have sewn a label into the bottom seam that complies with both legal regulations and that makes the toy trackable if a government agency ever picks it up. I hope that sorts all the legal requirements. I am having the toy tested by 2 very qualified babies, who can pull and grab all day long, so let's see whether the Odd Owls stand the test of time, the test of little baby hands rather.

Once I have finished the alphabet I am thinking of offering whole families of Odd Owls which will spell the baby's name. But there are only so many hours in a day and I will have to make those Odd Owls first.



I will also be moving on to Russian dolls, penguins, bunny rabbits and monsters. Can't wait.

I hope you like them.

Lots of love,

Nadine xxx







... and this was the first one I made:

Creepy Tim-Burtonesque Taggie Doll. Yay or nay?

Hey everyone,

I need your help with something today. I experimented a bit and made something new and really don't know what to think of it. All that talk about taggies and baby blankets and what sells on etsy and what doesn't made me think I need to come up with something different, something that I can make quicker and more reasonably priced, as quilts are obviously not the way to go.

So I made this.





Too creepy? Too Burtonesque? Or do you like it? Are you a mum or gran and do you think a baby would like it?

It's a plush taggie toy (something like an owl maybe? I think I could make all sorts of creepy animal thingies or Russian dolls maybe). It's about 12" tall with a monogram stitched to the belly.

I thought a baby might like the tactile nature of all the applique stitching and the taggies and having something personalized with monograms always seems to be popular on Etsy.

Maybe I could make one per letter of the alphabet?

I would love to hear/read what you think.
All comments welcome.

Love, Nadine