About Us
Welcome to my world of keepsake memory bears and more!
I'm Aleisha, proud mum to two incredible kids who inspire me every day. I pour my heart into meaningful keepsakes that bring joy to families, ensuring the highest quality so that your cherished memories come to life just like you imagined.
Based in the beautiful Wairarapa NZ, I’m thrilled to create special bears for customers both locally, nationwide as well as around the world.
Our Story
When people ask how my Onesie Bear journey began, I share that it all started with my two warrior babies and our time within the walls of NICU starting back in 2013. Both of my babies were born as micro prems and, between them, spent a total of a year in hospital. Much of that time was spent in the High Dependency area of NICU.
Near the end of their NICU journeys they wore the tiniest clothes imaginable. Size 000000, and even then they were still swimming in them. Those little garments became powerful reminders of just how small, yet incredibly strong, they were.
I wanted to turn those tiny clothes into something meaningful. Something that would represent their tough yet precious time spent fighting complications from being born extremely early. Creating my first Onesie Friend felt like the perfect way to honour their journey and preserve those memories in a tangible, heartfelt form.
Today, I am incredibly proud to share what my little business has grown into. It is a true privilege to create keepsakes for so many families.
Giving back
I am deeply grateful to be in a position where I can give back. Supporting The Little Miracles Trust, who help families navigating similar journeys to our own. This is something very close to my heart. By donating special keepsake toys through The Little Miracles Trust for them to gift to families, as well as passing on generous donations made by customers when placing their orders, I hope to help spread comfort, connection, and a little bit of joy to those families when they need it most.
Core memory Keepsakes
Over the past decade, I’ve had the honour of creating hundreds of keepsake toys, each one holding its own story. While every piece is meaningful, there have been moments along the way that became true core memories, moments that remind me why I do what I do.
One of those unforgettable milestones was creating Kelsey the Unicorn, who came along and partied with us at Ed Sheeran in 2023 for his Mathematics Tour. It was such a joy seeing people’s reactions to her as we stood in the crowd and wandered around the stadium. She quickly built her own little fan club along the way. This was the very first keepsake toy to fully immerse itself in the concert atmosphere, and it certainly wasn’t the last.
In 2024, my journey reached another incredible milestone when I became a multi award-winning keepsake artist, taking home three first-place awards across different sewing categories.
I created a beautiful Artist Bear for the “Something New from Something Old” category. This bear was made using a thrifted blanket that had been lovingly patched by its previous owner, creating the most stunning effect that I was able to carry throughout the entire piece.
Nigel the Unicorn was entered into the “Machine-Made Article” category. Nigel is a very handsome creation, made from a mix of felt and fabrics, and finished with a beautifully full mane crafted from a variety of yarns.
And last, but certainly not least, was the special toy that took countless hours to create—my Scrappy Dog, entered into the “Patchwork Article” category. This piece was created entirely from small patchwork squares, first joined into larger sections of fabric and then transformed into each pattern piece to form this stunning dog. It was an absolute journey to create and now takes pride of place in my workspace, watching over me as I create each day.
My Most Treasured Core Memory
My greatest core memory of all is creating a Kelsey Unicorn inspired by P!nk, in the hope of being able to gift her during the 2024 Summer Carnival Tour in Auckland. Creating this unicorn from the ground up was one of the most rewarding processes I’ve ever experienced.
Countless hours went into every step—sewing her body, stuffing and attaching her limbs, and designing her very own bodysuit and jacket inspired by outfits P!NK wears on stage, reimagined with a rainbow kiwi twist. Then came the rhinestones… so many rhinestones. Hours upon hours were spent adding every sparkle, but every single moment was worth it.
We arrived at the show early in the morning and camped out for the day, waiting for the gates to open. That decision became the heart of this core memory—being in the right place at exactly the right time. It led to meeting the most incredible fan club crew, Pinkiesfamily, whose kindness and support helped make something truly unforgettable happen. Without them, my work may never have been seen… and shared with the world.
During the show, P!nk's security were on the lookout for her special unicorn, and after spending half the concert dancing and singing my heart out while holding her, I was able to place Kelsey into P!nk’s gift box. Later, seeing our photo was shared by P!nk herself on Instagram was a moment I will treasure forever!!
It’s a memory I constantly look back on with so much joy, and as each year passes, I can only hope that wherever she may be, she’s being loved and enjoyed just as much as she was while being created.