Bella the Butterfly

So the website is live 🙌🏻 (link in bio) it’s incredibly nerve wracking! So much has gone into it, over 4 years of development creating Bella and getting her to be who she is, along with the illustrations and music.

And now she’s out there, ✨ a soft launch whilst we get the last of the elements delivered and photographed for the site (ie her branded box she ‘sleeps’ in) Then in August when it’s all arrived in, I will go forth with bigger marketing.

Feel elegantly and deliciously relieved and exhausted! 🦋

The Bella soft toy production is nearly completed and the website goes live tmrw (Tues) for pre-orders, with delivery at the beginning of August ready for the new School term. ✨
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I travelled to the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2 years ago to research butterfly soft toys, do you know there are hardly any, I think maybe to do with the wings. However Bella’s, after many tweaks, stand outright and she is recognisable to her illustration, no mean feat in toy production. The children really love her and I think she’ll be on some Christmas lists this year!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Bella the Butterfly isn’t just for girls, the boys love it too! Bella takes the children to the Circus, into Space, to the Pirate party, just some of the themes that really appeal to boys. 🙌🏻 ✨

Ooof, Bella is just about to launch, 🤩 Autumn timetables have kept me from documenting much but everything is in production and the website is in test mode! 👏🏻
I reckon we will launch it for pre orders next week, with delivery being the end of July, ready for the new School year.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Exciting and nerve wracking in one!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

This email came in the other week, totally unprompted and it was so lovely to receive. 😊

Bella appears on the first page of every adventure, here she is on our Space adventure. 🚀 When doing a reprint I may get her to feature on every page as they just love seeing her and I’m often asked ‘Where’s Bella ?” on pages 2&3!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s a bit like a simple version of ‘Where’s Wally’ every week but has to be said she’s a far more attractive find! 🥰
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

With time ticking on, trying to get these antenna sorted has been stressing me. However all it called for, in the absence of suitable other options, was the humble scissors ✂️ to lop them shorter and suddenly there she is! 💫
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Now with a label on her like a proper toy and one last tweak of her hoop, we are so close to signing this off as finished and sending her into production! 🤞🏻💫 🎉
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Lost in the world of Bella... 💫

Has this little character contributed to the busiest start of term ever?! Not sure, but either way it has been overwhelmingly full on with my School with lots of new trials. It’s amazing and a huge relief but I feel the pace has gone from one end of the spectrum to totally the other literally overnight. 🤪

Bella however just flies into class without a care in the World, thrilling all those little children she meets. So far this term we have been Under the Sea 🧜‍♀️ to the jungle 🐒 and this week to the Pirate party pirate 🏴‍☠️

The focus group are testing her out and I’ll get feedback in half term. 💫

Yes, that's you, with me here, right at the beginning of this journey! 🌟
Have a great day and a wonderful weekend. ✨

One of my favourite illustrations 😍
The little Church Mouse who isn’t feeling very well, however a basket full of cheeses, (which brilliantly rhymes with sneezes! 🤧) always makes things feel better!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀