final website touches and the end of an era !

This is my 99th post! Can you believe it?

I've started to get a bit bored with my blog, all I seem to do is 'show-off' all the things I have made and I really am not good at showing off things I have made myself, so I tend to put off blogging more often than not! Which is a shame because I like Blog World!

So the 99th post seems to be well timed. This blog is having a shake up! Starting from the next post (that will be post 100) I will be changing things around here.

What can you expect? well, I'm not sure as yet! Definitely more craft, more inspiration, more links to other great blogs, more free stuff ... things are on the up!!

And because this blog will no longer be solely for self-promotion let me take this (last) opportunity to point out that my website is live, is full of goodies (some of which are pictured here) and is waiting for visitors!

Also I have added a flick:r link over there on the right so I can still have a log of the new things I make :-)

If you have any great ideas about what you would like to see here then please feel free to share them via the comment link below!

I'll be back soon xxx

What are rainy Sundays good for?

Putting the finishing touches to my new website, that's what!
There is a link over there on the right......
or you can click here: www.paper-and-string.co.uk

I'll be back tomorrow with pictures and fun things but for now I am computer-ed out!!! 8 hours solid with only breaks to take photos is surely enough for anyone :-)
cheerio xxx

Twit-Twoo Squeak-Squeak

I hope everyone is out and about and enjoying the sunshine we have here?

I spent yesterday sewing in the garden and popping back inside to use the sewing machine, such a gorgeous day!

I had fun making two new softies, owl and mouse. They are both quite small, the mouse is about 5" long and the owl only 6" tall.

I found it quite scary cutting into my new fabric but I really REALLY enjoyed sewing with it.

Plenty more softies coming from me I think !!!

Amy Butler + Chocolate Lollipop

An early morning post to show you what the postman bought for me:

Believe it or not I actually took these photos outside, where is the sunshine ?

More importantly, how am I supposed to concentrate at work today, knowing this is all at home waiting for me???

a new employee

Today is a day where everything seems to be coming together. I have the day off from the day job so got up bright and early and was on the computer at 8am.

I needed to design a flyer to spread the word about my upcoming website and to print out a whole heap of packaging supplies.
The Postman came and I remembered just in time to take photos.....

and look who was inside....

He is called Cecil and he makes me so happy ... just look at the grin !!!

wait, there is more....

all wrapped up in pink crepe paper :-)

I LOVE these flowers !!!!

and look...a pink flamingo card. No prizes for guessing my friends favourite colour !!!!

Cecil certainly has an eye for design so we discussed terms and, for a very reasonable fee, he has agreed to come and work for me :-)

He certainly knows his mind and was very helpful when I needed to finalise the flyer design.

This one it is then !!!

Cecil, though, can't resist a bit of naughtiness!! It took a while to find him :-)

I think he will be an excellent addition to the workforce. If other busy crafters out there need some help and extra man hours I would highly recommend some of Cecil's friends!!!

finished projects...time to start a new list !

I've had a fun week, finishing off projects, making and receiving gifts and goodies and managing to cross EVERYTHING off my to-do list !! Of course, I will be writing a new to-do list as soon as this post is posted !

Here starts the show and tell:



This is the picture collage I have used for my up-coming advert in Crafts Beautiful Magazine !!

My friend Sarah was offered an advert but it was too large so we have split it in two and both are running our first adverts!! It's very exciting!!


Next up is a softie I made, he started in my felt picture and now he is 3d and 20cm tall. I have named him Peter.



He is sitting on my new bargain eBay purchase, 1m of vintage pink paisley cotton for 99p ... yippee bargains are great!




Sarah, who I am sharing the advert with, has recently been to America and look what she bought back for me ! I got the parcel at work and it's safe to say that they all know I am mad already, but I was skipping round showing everyone my new ribbon and giant buttons and the looks they gave me! hilarious!



Remember this pile? Ready to become boxes to tidy my sewing area?



This is the sewing box (and I actually tidied it a bit before I took this photo!)

I couldn't shut the lid and every time we drew the curtains the lid would fall down and squash everything. I don't like squashed stuff. The simple answer? tidy up! My answer? spend all week making boxes to tidy it up properly :-)



Nice and empty ( i couldn't bring myself to take a photo of the floor behind me where I dumped it all)

AND tra la la SUPER tidy :-)



A box for everything, and space in some of them to add more stuff!!

I won't bore you with photos of all the boxes but that yellow one is my favourite one.

And this is one I made for my friend last night:
Today I am making cupcakes for a big shop update out of some new GORGEOUS felt I bought this week, watch out for that!!
Have a lovely Sunday :-)

random Thursday

This week is flying by! I have done lots of pottering jobs (of the sewing variety) but nothing much to share here!!

I received a parcel from my friend and finally got around to taking photos to show you all how generous she is :-) Look what I got:

Gorgeous card making and scrapbooking goodies

A lovely rubber stamp, trillions of sequins, embroidery floss and LOOK AT THE BUTTON, it's got ants on :-)

Super bright papers that make me happy just to look at them

and last but not least some fun fabrics...pink cotton 2 shades of pink netting and some stretchy scrunchy blue and white fabric (John says it looks like boob tube fabric...boys!!!)

All my loveliness is piled on my craft table, waiting to tell me what it would like to become......

I have SO MANY things I want to crack on with at the moment but I seem to have caught the instead-of-doing-important-things-tidy-up-instead-bug !!!

My sewing 'area' is a mess. So much so I can no longer find stuff easily so, of course, rather than just tidy up I NEED, NEED to make 8 fabric boxes to hold all my things !

Here are some of the pieces tacked together:

And here they are (Neat and tidy, it's working already !!) ready to be sewn together

I have finished 3 now but no photos yet, I want to wait until it's all done and then I can do before and after shots of the BIG mess / super tidy sewing area :-)

I also have another pack of goodies that were sent to me to show you, and an owl I made and some new supplies I bought....I'm slowly catching up. Tomorrow I am off to the post office so everyone who won a freebie can expect their package soon :-)

That's all for now xxx

and the winners are......

I wrote all your names on pieces of paper and here they are, waiting to be picked

Drum roll please...................................................

Here we go...........................................................

(the numbers are the comment number)

Each of you wins one of these goodie bags, I hope you enjoy using them :-)

Please can Kristen, Letty, NYC Girl and Jennifer send me an email with their address so I can post them their prizes, thanks!

Sorry to those who didn't have their names drawn, next freebie I am going to come up with something so EVERYONE gets a prize!!!

May Freebie

Yippee it's freebie time !!

Today there are 4 freebies up for grabs.

EVERYONE (especially those who have won before and who feel guilty trying again!) is more than welcome to enter.

All you need to do is leave a comment on this blog between now and the next post and the four winning names will be drawn from a hat.

Please leave contact details with your comment, or send them separately via email (the address is over there, on the right)

Each freebie goodie bag contains: a paper-and-string cupcake topper, an embroidered flower topper and a small felt flower. Pink Ric Rac, 4 pink buttons, 2 green buttons and a selection of summery card stocks in various sizes.

Plenty to make a few cards, decorate a scrapbook page or whatever else you clever blog readers can come up with!!

I would love to see what the winners make from their freebie goodie bags!

Good Luck, now go and leave a comment....

little peeps house

Last night I was a pub-widow !! I was invited to join Big J and everyone else but didn't feel like it so what did I do? I made a little tiny house for my little peep :-)

Unfortunately our camera has gone crazy and is 'stuck' on night mode which means a flash every time and no view on the screen so it is a bit like taking photos with your eyes shut!!

aaahhhh a little bit of cute silliness :-)

Tomorrow is freebie day (Thursday 3rd May) but I am working so I won't post details until this kind of time (around 6pm ish)

See you tomorrow :-)