New designs and packaging

I can't believe it's almost July already, it feels like I was just flying out to California for the Craft & Hobby Association show in January last week! Since then, I've been getting the new packaging for all the kits ready, filling orders, and creating some new designs for the shop.

I have five new animal patterns available, which are currently available in the store.

New packaging on the left, old design on the right.

The crochet kits still contain everything you need for the project, and they are now packaged in a sleeker box that is sealed shut without the gable handle and tabs that were a bit delicate when it came to shipping.

I also updated the label to include an actual photo of the project along with the dimensions of the finished piece. I made these changes based on feedback I had received at the National Stationery Show in 2015 and hope these tweaks will make the boxes more retail friendly as I work to get my kits into more shops.

This set of new designs are animal based and include a fox, pug, hippo, whale, and koala. Right now, only the full kits are available, but in the near future, the separate patterns for each animal will be released for digital download in the shop as well.

I always have a running list of designs I'm working on and if there's something you would like to see added to the shop, let me know!

Hellloooooo 2015!

Happy first week of 2015! Or really happy second week, because I'm late in posting this. Geez, time flies! Anyway, I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing time during the holidays. Per usual, I got a cold, ate way too much, got a cold again, and caught up with friends and family. Aside from getting sick, I had a really great time!

While 2014 was a pretty good, I'm really looking forward to this year. I have a couple of big things coming up that will hopefully lead to even bigger opportunities for The Pudgy Rabbit!

First up is my crochet book, Happy-Gurumi! I can't believe that it's coming out in just a couple of months, on March 10th. It seems nuts that just a year ago, I was crocheting like crazy, turning my sketches into working patterns and somehow a book came out of the mess of yarn that covered my desk. Big thank you to my editors at Martingale for all their hard work and pulling everything together. You can pre-order the book right now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

And if you don't know how to crochet, not to worry, there are detailed instructions with plenty of pictures that will teach you the all basics. A new year, a new craft, that's what I always say! ;)



Then in May, I'm going to be exhibiting at the National Stationery Show! This is my first trade show and I'm really excited to be doing such a big fair. There's going to be thousands of attendees along with some really major retailers and lots of press. I'm actually a bit nervous because I've only exhibited at much smaller craft fairs so far and I haven't even done that many fairs in general. It's kind of a big leap to do such a major show and I have so many things that I need to prepare that it makes me panic a little. But I figure it's good to take some risks and this would be great exposure for the shop, so out of my comfort zone I go!

On the plus side, my crochet kits have already been highlighted by the NSS and they're currently a part of their favorite things for the 2015 show! Whoo hoo!





In other news, I'm also working on some new things for the shop, developing patterns, and planning out some new products. The next few months are going to be really busy, but I'm coming out of my cookie and fatty food induced holiday haze and super excited to get started!

So I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year and hope that the next twelve months are great! Cheers to 2015!

Holiday Weekend Sale!

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving filled with plenty of turkey!



Holiday shopping is full swing and The Pudgy Rabbit is having a sale on all crochet kits and patterns!  Get 25% off your entire purchase this weekend through Monday, December 1st. Just enter code HOLIDAY at checkout. Happy shopping!

New Patterns and Kits!

I can't believe how fast the holidays are coming up! With a couple of craft shows on the way, I've been getting ready with a bunch of new items in the shop.



I've been toying around with different designs other than the usual animals I create, so I came up with this goofy coffee mug. I love coffee and I love yarn, seemed like a perfect fit!







Also new to the shop, a chill polar bear, penguin, and panda. And if you're looking for something to hang on the tree, the snowman ornament is back!



All the kits and patterns are available in my Etsy shop. I also have a kit combo, where you can get two crochet kits for $48. So if you're looking for fun and creative gift ideas, be sure to check out all the designs!

In other news, I'm starting up a shop newsletter, where you can receive the latest updates about new items, sales and promotions, and any upcoming craft fairs. Join the mailing list here or you can use the sign up tab on the right side of the blog.

Hope everyone's holiday planning is going well and stress free!

I Wrote A Book!

After working through a mountain of yarn, bits of felt, and stuffing, I'm proud to announce that I've completed my first crochet book! Actually, it was completed earlier this year, but it didn't feel official to me until all the editing was done, a title was picked, and the final cover finished. And I guess now it's super official because the book is available for pre-order online! Hooray!!



Happy-Gurumi is filled with a fun mix of projects, ranging from goofy animals, to smiling daisies, to a happy birthday cake. For those that have never crocheted before, there are basic crochet instructions included with lots of step by step photos. There's also more advanced patterns for those looking for a challenge!

I had so much fun creating all the patterns for the book, especially making all the puppet style mouths, and figuring out how to turn my drawings into actual projects. I have a whole drawer stuffed with various animal parts and test samples from each pattern, it's amazing that the book came out of that mess of crochet!

The release date is set for next year, March 10th, 2015. You can pre-order it now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble at a discounted price, so check it out!

Thank you for voting!

So voting for the Martha Stewart American Made Awards ended this past Monday. A HUGE thank you to everyone who voted over the past few weeks! The final count for The Pudgy Rabbit ended up being around 2,500, and I know that the voting process was a bit tedious, so thank you all so much for taking the time to show your support!!

Winners will be announced in a couple of days, so hopefully I'll have some good news by the end of the week! And even if The Pudgy Rabbit doesn't win one of the grand prizes, it was still some great exposure for the shop. I've been getting more requests for wholesale orders, so the crochet kits are finding their way into stores. I'm also happy to announce that I was approached by the American Made team to sell the kits in their Ebay store, so in a few weeks, you'll be able to shop Pudgy Rabbit products in the official Martha Stewart American Made Market!

Again, I can't thank you guys enough for all the encouragement and support as I build and grow my little business. It means a lot and I'm looking forward to what's next for the shop!

Vote for The Pudgy Rabbit!

I'm very excited to announce that The Pudgy Rabbit is a finalist for the 2014 Martha Stewart American Made Awards! Yay!!  A big thank you to everyone for their support so far! The American Made Awards is a program that honors American makers and small businesses across several fields such as crafts, design, food, and style. The Pudgy Rabbit was entered into the Crafts category under fiber crafts. There are ten award winners to be named, nine of them will be chosen by the judges and one by the audience!

Voting for the Audience Choice Award begins today and continues until October 13th. The registration process to vote is a bit tricky, so I've outlined the steps below. Once you've registered, you can vote up to six times a day, every day until the 13th!

1. Visit my American Made profile page on the Martha Stewart website here or you can click on the American Made badge on the upper right of this site. Once on my profile page, click on the vote button underneath my profile picture.

2. You'll then be prompted to register either through Facebook or email. The Facebook verification doesn't appear to be working currently, the site is a bit buggy, probably because today is the first day for voting. It should be resolved soon!

3. If registering through email, you'll enter your name and email address, then you'll receive a verification email shortly.

4. After verifying your email, you can start voting! You can vote up to six times a day every day until voting closes on October 13th.

After voting, please don't forget to share to Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word! All of your support has been really great and I can't thank you enough. Here's to taking The Pudgy Rabbit all the way!

American Made Awards

So I entered this year's Martha Stewart American Made Awards, whoooo! It's a contest that highlights small businesses and local, handmade products here in the U.S. Besides a lot of great exposure, there's a chance to win some prize money and tickets to the American Made summit. The summit will be a big networking event with Martha Stewart and her team, featuring talks by industry experts and a chance to meet with other creative entrepreneurs.



As the Pudgy Rabbit is in its baby stage, I thought that this contest would be a great opportunity to help move the shop forward, hopefully getting my crochet kits into some brick and mortar stores and branching out into other crafts such as sewing and needle felting!

To check out my profile and share my nomination, you can click here or click the American Made badge on the upper right of this site. The more shares I receive over Facebook and Twitter, the better my chances are of winning a wild-card finalist spot for grand prize consideration.

Thank you and here's to getting The Pudgy Rabbit out there! =)

Ice cream and a Labor Day sale

So I have a new kit up in the shop, mini ice cream key chains! I know the summer is just about over, but you can hold onto some of that summertime goodness with this cute pattern!





Each kit makes two double scoop cone key chains in strawberry, vanilla or chocolate with a cherry on top. Mix up the colors, do a single scoop, or leave off the cherry, whatever floats your boat!

And as a bonus, I'm having a Labor Day sale over at my Etsy shop. Just enter the coupon code LBRDAY14 at checkout to receive 20% off your purchase! If the ice cream cone kit doesn't strike your fancy, I have eight other designs ranging from cats and dogs to owls and bears, so come check it out! Sale ends at midnight, September 1st, 2014 and does not apply to shipping or taxes.

www.thepudgyrabbit.etsy.com