Welcome to my blog. I am 'The Bunny Maker' - aka Anna, confuzzled mother of three boys, maker of sock bunnies for Widget and Friends, owner of The Warren Bunny Boarding and artist behind Half an Acre. Come on in and join the madness!


Thursday 31 December 2009

VALENTINE'S SNEEK PEAK.....

WHOOOOOOSH!
Straight out of Christmas, past New Year, zoooms The Bunny Maker, with hair flying out behind NEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW! .... Valentine's Day here we come!

Am I a bit early?

Anyway, I have a sneak peak of some of my Valentine's Rose Sockbunnies ..

Oh, okay, I'm too early? I'll come back later.

Wednesday 30 December 2009

NEW FOR 2010 - BUNNY VOUCHERS!

2010 is going to be a fandabadozie year at The Warren. Not only has everything been streamlined; domains matching up, banners matching, a new Facebook fan page, new website on the way but lots of other new thingies in the pipeline.
The first 'thingie' is a gift voucher - you buy, they choose.

You can either print the voucher off yourself or The Bunny Maker will print it on nice paper, make it look a bit special and gifty and send it directly to the person in need of a bunny. They can then choose whichever bun they like from the shop.
They are listed in the shop right now - bloomin' brilliant, even if I say so myself.

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Tally's Christmas in Alabama

Tally Sockbunny went to live all the way across the Atlantic in Alabama - she was a little nervous to go all that way but has settled in really well. The bunnies back here are veeeeery envious of her new bed though.

TJ's bed finally came in and she tried the bottom bunk first and we had to pry her from between the frames with butter. Apparently she has been sneaking into the Holiday goodies at night! She wanted to have her bed right in front of the tree so she could catch Santa Claws, but slept right through his visit.

She was awakened by Sam though just in time to open gifts!

TJ was so excited she had to wake the fish to tell them Merry Christmas too!

She checked several gifts looking for hers and finally found it. The bow was a little tight but she got it open.










Books! Now she can sit up and read at night instead of snacking, otherwise we would have send her back overseas to be refitted for a new sleeping bag!

Happy Holidays everyone!
Rhonda Smith

P.S. In case you wondered, Tally got a middle name so she would fit in with the rest of the Southerner's here! She loves it!

Monday 28 December 2009

NEWS FROM THE NETHERLANDS: Albert Barkley joins Little Spotty in the snow


Hello Widget,
Since a couple of weeks ago we have a new friend: Albert Barkley. He is a dog made of a sock, just like us! It's really nice to have a new friend. Since last Wednesday it's been snowing.
We never have seen real snow, so Tessa took us out and let us play in the snow.
It was nice and we had a lot of fun, but it was also very cold. We hope we don't get sick, because we're going away with Christmas. Hopefully we get a nice, warm scarf for Christmas.
A lot of love and a merry Christmas to every bun!
Little Spotty and Maureen

Tuesday 22 December 2009

MORE CHRISTMAS NEWS FROM LITTLE SPOTTY

Hello bunnies back at The Warren.
Is there a Christmas atmosphere at The Warren?
Here in Shiedam there is!
Tessa has decorated the whole house, it is really lovely.
















We helped Tessa with the decoration and we had a lot of fun and Tessa took some pictures of us.
We heard Tessa talking about going away for Christmas and we are going with her!
Hopefully we will get a lot of presents and perhaps it will be snowing for Christmas - we hope so!



Merry Christmas to everybun at The Warren!
Greetings and lots of love,

Little Spotty and Maureen.

CHRISTMAS NEWS FROM HOLLAND

Hello Widget and friends!
A couple of days ago I got a little surprise! There was a card for me in the mailbox and it was from the U.K!
Happy I hopped around the house. Tessa helped me opening the envelope. She was afraid that I would hurt myself with the very sharp letter opener.
When she pull out the card, I even hopped faster around then I all ready did because I got a beautiful Christmas card from you all!

Thank you so much!
I put the card next to my sleeping space, so I can take a look at the card every night when I go to bed.
Maureen likes the card too.
Lots of love,
Little Spotty and Maureen.

Friday 18 December 2009

THE BUNNY HOSPITAL OPENS IT'S DOORS.

I had a message last week from Twiglet Bunny. He has spent the last year being loved and loved, loved and loved and now his ear was very sore. Could he come and be mended at The Bunny Hospital? Of course!
He arrived .... a little worse for wear, I have to say. In fact he was squashed. Not squashed a little bit but squashed flat! Oh perish the thought of sorting office rollers and heavy stacked parcels!

We brought him round with a little dash of JD. He'd had such a traumatic journey.

After he'd come round and had a little snooze Widget showed him round the 'Mending Room'.

Twiglet was quite scared of the sewing machine but Widget told him that his ear didn't need to be sewn using it. The Bunny Maker would be 'very gentle' and sew him by hand. Twiglet wanted more whiskey. The Bunny Maker said No.



Widget decided that he was to choose 'the new sleeping bag' for Twiglet who had arrived without one and was shivering a little. Unfortunately Widget is a messy little bunny and threw sock bits this way and that until The Bunny Maker got fed up and shut him out of the way.














Below is Twiglet just after having his ear fixed, he was a little woozy and passed out shortly afterwards. He was put to bed.













Twiglet is all fixed now, parcelled up, ready to be sent back home for Christmas.
He has with him:
A fixed ear, a new cosy sleeping bag, two carrots, a bag of chocolate, a mended sleeping bag and a new sleeping bag for Spotty Bunny who also lives with him.

Widget was going to take him to the post office today but he seems to have gone missing. Widget, that is. The Bunny Maker looked out his hat, made by Sock Monkey Gang, but can't find him anywhere. Perhaps he has gone Christmas shopping?

Friday 11 December 2009

ALASKA HO! (Or is it Yukon Ho?)

These three christmassy bunnies are on their way to Alaska right now - to the Farthest Most Northern Division of The Warren, home to many of Widget's friends.

They looked so cute - I hope I left enough air pockets for them for their long journey and I'm sure those carrots won't be there when the parcel arrives in Alaska!!

Wednesday 9 December 2009

The Bunny Maker falls in love ....

Widget and his bunny friends started being made sold in November 2008. To date I have made and sold roughly 500 bunnies and I am happy to see them packed up and off to start their new lives. But last week I made a little bunny who just looked up at me and I knew that I could never, ever part with him. He is the only bunny I have known that I could never sell.
I can't put my finger on it ...

but, to me, he is perfect. *sniff*

The Spike

Something arrived in the post today that will change my life.
Dun dun duuuuuuuuun! It is ......... The Spike.

It even has a little rubber cap on it to de-spike the spike when it is not spiking.
No more slipping-around piles of receipts toppling off the desk and wafting to the floor. No more 'Mind my paperwork' shouts when the kids 'borrow' my laptop. All will be spiked. Pinned. I'm trying this one out but I envisage a blissful row of spikes all controlling my papers, all in date order ready for my seamless accounting *chokes on mincepie*.
It's the simple things in life - and don't you forget it. Now, back to what you were doing ....

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Tally Bun heads out for the day ....

We have had some more news and photos from Tally in Alabama, it seems that she has been out and about lately and has been given her own special carseat. An imaginative adaption of the mobile holder.















She has also been busy choosing her new bed!

It looks like she is having much better weather over there in Alabama than the bunnies back here at The Warren!

Wednesday 2 December 2009

Tally Bun finds a new home

How exciting! The bunnies here at The Warren have heard from Tally Bunny who has gone to live in Alabama, USA. She sent us lots of lovely pictures and news of her arrival in her new home.










It was Pretty chilly in my new location in USA, but I was greeted with a hot cup of tea right away! Next, I was greeted by the elder bun of the house, Daisy, who was very thoughtful not to chew my ears. He seems sweet though.

















I also met a couple of puppies who looked at me like I was dinner, so I scurried off quickly!
I just had to see the front garden. It was a cold, rainy day, and unfortunately the flowers have gone for now, but looks like we have a great starter garden. I understand there will be another made in the spring just for wild flowers! How wonderful!
















I noticed my new family has all the decorations up for the Holidays, and I insisted that my picture be made in front of the "fancy tree!." It was so pretty!
Well, I'm taking a nap now. I think I may have jet-lag! These are my friends Bun and Henryetta keeping me company so I don't fall off the big bed! I heard a new one just my size is on the way!

Ah ha! I found the cookie jar, so all is well!

Thank you, Tally! We are all so pleased that you have a great home to explore - send us more news soon....

Friday 27 November 2009

FRESHLY BAKED SNAKES - GET 'EM WHILST THEY'RE HOT!

I've been a-snakin'.
Makin' and a-snakin'.
Making snakes.
'Widget and Friends' has finally got some friends - snakey friends. I always planned for it to be more than bunnies but hadn't got around to thinking what that more might be. Then one day a snake happened. Actually I saw a pair of tights hanging up in our local shop and though - hmmmm those would make a great snake.
That's how it happened.















There are four new ones in The Warren Sockbunny shop on Folksy - the last load sold right away so hurry if you want one!

Thursday 26 November 2009

A cry for help.

Hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me?
I'm down here ...... on the floor, under all the mess.
Please can someone come and get me out?


*several hours pass*

Help!
Please ...... is anyone out there? I'm surrounded by threads and paper and wooden bits and spilt paint and socks and
sandpaper and brushes and dust and apple cores .........

Is anyone out there?
Does anyone have a hoover? or a pitchfork?

Tuesday 17 November 2009

ARGGGGGHHHHHH ..... CAUGHT ON CAMERA!

Look! A rare sight .... Me!

And, yes, that is all my own hair .... before you ask.

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS TREAT

I did a swap last week with Helen from Helen Jane's Designs on Folksy. I sent her some wooden stars and she sent me ..... this gorgeous linen, embroidered heart.

It was beautifully wrapped and makes a great gift for when you go a-visiting at Christmas.

I might have to have one every year!

Helen Jane's Designs shop on Folksy

Friday 13 November 2009

SNAKES!!!!

EEEEK! The snakes seem to be arriving, a sure sign of autumn. It's getting a bit parky out at night now so they have slithered and slipped in to curl up in front of The Warren fire. Cheeky things!

This is Slipper. He looks like he's just had a very hot chilli but he really only eats Oreos dipped in milk. He arrived this morning - I opened the front door and there he was, trembling. The poor thing got lost in the dark and it was the only safe, high spot he could find. He said he didn't like the big shiny cheese thing shining in the sky but he couldn't close his eyes, to shut it out, as he doesn't have any eyelids!! Since then he's been sleeping on top of the hot water tank.


Rumple Snake Skin is a sock snake who feels he is misunderstood. He is a big softy even though he looks a little fierce.
The bunnies have been mesmerized by his swirly whirly eyes and whole groups of them keep shuffling infront of him whispering. Rumple finds this VERY irritating.
His favourite food is a jolly nice bit of Brie.


This is Rose. She would love to come and live with you. She enjoys hanging around but is very good at pretending to be a draft-excluder although she does worry about getting dusty or stepped on.
Rose is a quiet snake, prone to sleeping for hours on end, only waking for a warm cup of green tea. She says that coffee makes her stripes go wiggly!


All three have posed for their 'Selling Picture', a name made up by the bunnies, and are ready to go off to new homes for Christmas. Everyone's home should have one!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE BUNNY SHOP...

Wednesday 11 November 2009

HOW MUCH STUFFING IS STUFFING TOO MUCH?

Our new bunny filling arrived today. We have graduated from buying one bag, at the local fabric shop, to three bags to 1kg from ebay to ....... 10kg of bunny innards!
It arrived just a minute ago.

Pretty big, huh? And heavy too. So we opened it.

Wooooooof! Look what it did! Like when you add sulphuric acid to sugar. (Son No.1 is into this at the moment). Everytime we touch it is gets higher and higher, so we've stopped er ....touching it. Now the problem is this: more and more people are buying bunnies and the stock needed is getting bigger and bigger. Boxes of boxes, 12' high bags of filling, 200 socks waiting to be bunnified. The Bunny Makers room is JUST NOT BIG ENOUGH. The bunnies are offering to build an extension out of old copies of Country Life (Murky and Issabow are using them to house hunt and I haven't the heart to tell them that they won't have enough money for any of them).

But, aside from all this these questions have popped into the Bunny Makers head this morning:

1. Just how many bunnies will all that stuffing make?
2. How high will it get if we 'touch it' again?
3. How scary will it be to realise that I have used up ALL that stuffing?
4. Would it be more amusing if it was pink?
5. Will a nice, strong, hot cup of coffee help?

Tuesday 10 November 2009

UPDATES FROM LITTLE SPOTTY AND CO.

The Warren is always very happy to hear from their friends in Holland, Tessa and Little Spotty. A while ago Maureen Sockbunny travelled to live with them ....

Hello

A while ago Maureen arrived in Sheidam.
They're as happy as bunnies can be.
Both of them are hopping around the house
Little Spotty and Maureen both typed an email to you and the other bunnies
They also wanted me to send some pictures with this email.
So I did!
Greetings
Tessa

Hello Bunnies,
A while ago the mailman delivered a package from the U.K.
As a as curious I was, I hopped around the package hoping that Tessa will open it.
And she did.
She slowly opened the package and then, a sockbunny hopped out!
It was Maureen!
Tessa bought her as a present for me, so that I have a bunny friend.
Maureen and I, we immediately hopped around the house looking for Tuc Sandwich biscuits.
Greetings,
Little Spotty

Hello little bunny friends of mine,

As my new friend already e-mailed, I'm living in Holland now with Little Spotty and a her nice friends.
I was very happy when the travelbox was opened.
Immediately I hopped out of the box and saw Little Spotty. I was very happy to see a bunny.
The long journey made me very hungry, so we hopped around the house looking for Tuc Sandwich biscuits. "But there aren't any Tuc Sandwich biscuits", said Tessa.
I think she hid them from me! So, when she leaves the house, I'm going to sneak around looking for some Tuc Sandwich biscuits.
Lots of love,
Maureen

Monday 9 November 2009

Do you need a Norwegian Lurgle?

Well, out from the Sock Toy kit from Hotdogandme a Norwegian Lurgle was born....

These are funny little creatures, designed to clean up after biscuit eating. Usually only found lurking at the edges of Fjords this one seems to have left it's native habitat probably due to the Great Norwegian Biscuit Crisis. In case you are wondering if those are teeth, or tongues you'd be wrong. They are 'sweepers' and perfectly adapted for clearing up crumbs.

He is annoying the bunnies at The Warren with his tickly biscuit sweepers so has been put for sale in the Crafteroo Children In Need shop on Folksy to raise money for the charity.
Do you need any help around the house?