A little cotton rabbits calendar

November 5, 2008May 5, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)41 Comments

I’ve been keen on doing a calendar since last year but the thought of being stuck with boxes full of printed calendars that hadn’t sold put me off a bit. Then I came across Lulu. They make it easy for you to create your own calendar – you just upload your images and completely customise the design from the templates provided (even down to memorable personal dates). It’s a very nifty bit of software and well worth a look, as making a calendar with your own pictures could make great Christmas pressies for relatives and you can make any number that you like – even just one. You could even do as I have and make them available for anyone to buy with your own little store front (though Lulu take a 20% commission on top of their manufacturing cost). With their set-up I’m able to offer a calendar for sale without the hassle and expense of large print runs so if only 3 people buy a copy it doesn’t matter!

I’ve published 2 versions of the same calendar design, a standard version or a premium version (they both have the same images but are just different sizes and paper stock – the premium one is larger with thicker paper). I’ve also done a standard pink version with the same images. You can preview all three here in my Lulu shop (please be patient as the previews take a while to load) and if you like what you see you can click to buy and pay via credit card or paypal. Lulu then print off a copy and send it out to you. They’re based in the USA so if you’re in the UK allow around 10 days for postage. Mine arrived yesterday very well protected in stong packaging and I’m really pleased with the quality. Mum, I hope you’re not reading this as you’ll be getting one for christmas!!

Edited on November 7th to add quick note about Lulu.

Hmm, maybe Lulu wasn’t such a good idea? My order has come through fine and so did a couple of others that I’ve heard from but some people have experienced problems with postage. Also a week after I listed the calendars I noticed that the original price I had set was increased by around £4 each as Lulu had almost doubled their production costs overnight (my cut on the calendars is around £2.80 each). I wasn’t sure whether to keep them in print but I will keep them live for now as I don’t have any other available options at the moment. I will however scout around before doing something like this again.

Further edited, November 8th: I’ve decided to take my calendars off the market, the postage costs are now around £50 per item to the UK!! Lulu has really messed this up and I won’t be using them again! It’s a shame as I was really pleased with my copies and I’m sorry to everyone for the inconvenience!

I’m yours!

October 22, 2008May 5, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)56 Comments

I often think about how incredibly lucky I am to be able to knit and to make a little money from it too, which means that I can do it each and every day. It’s really not exaggerating to say that making the toys helps keep me sane. If you live with a special needs child you’ll know how little time you get to yourself and how hard it can be at times to keep positive. That’s why I was so pleased to be involved in Yours magazine’s article about the positive benefits of knitting. It talks a little about me and how knitting helps me cope with Toby and about another lady who has found that knitting helps alleviate her fibromyalgia pain. It also talks of Betsan Corkill and her wonderful work in promoting knitting as therapy – she has a website full of information. If you get a chance, pick up a copy – Yours magazine, issue 48 (Oct 21st-Nov 3rd) page 36.

I’m chuffed to have been featured and it would be nice to think that my story might encourage someone else with stressful circumstances to take up knitting and find a bit of peace and relaxation. It’s also nice to lay claim to being between the sheets with 007 Daniel Craig, though admittedly they’re sheets of paper as opposed to the slippery satin kind and he is 16 pages away from me, but let’s face it – that’s the closest I’m going to get!

crafts & knitting · general stuff

Me time

October 20, 2008May 5, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)33 Comments

Once, long, long ago in what seems like a different lifetime I used to go out lots. Lunches, meals, drinks, trips to cinemas, galleries and extended shopping trips – the world was my oyster whenever I fancied it. But these days, what with balancing the various needs of my family, going anywhere without a nappy bag is rare occurance. Which is why I had such a nice time last friday. Off I set on a trip into the countryside with the colours of autumn whizzing past the car windows and singing at the top of my voice (because the sun was shining and Amy wasn’t in the car to tell me off). First I stopped off at Jolie for a browse among beautiful things and to stock up on some knitting supplies (it’s the best stocked wool shop for miles and miles!) and bought some lovely things courtesy of Mary who had sent me a voucher (thanks so much Mary). After much deliberation I chose some kidsilk haze for a simple scarf and an irresistible new mug for tea.

Then it was off to Westmill and the sweetest little tearoom with tablecloths, proper pots of tea and homemade cake and as if that wasn’t enough I was meeting a special person too. Well two special people actually – Dotty Cookie and her daughter Tiny Small. We had a lovely elevensies together followed by a wander around the pretty village and the ancient church.

To top it all off there were pressies too: the tiniest pair of rabbit sized knitting needles with a project ready on the go (there’s even a perfect weenie ball of wool on the end) and also a me-sized set of beautiful stitch markers. It was lovely to meet you Val, thanks for taking the time to drive down and for the very cute pressie!