goodbye 2010

John and I had a great Christmas time!

We had a quiet Christmas day together at home, then drove to Suffolk for Christmas with John's family, then later onto Surrey for Christmas with my family...I'm shattered, but it was brilliant!

Today I jumped back into work bright and early....I had lots of orders to make and pack and it was fun to get them on their way and be back in the swing of things...

...tonight we're off to our local to see the New Year in with a bunch of friends, Happy New Year everyone - lets hope it's a good one!

Merry Christmas!

We're ready...all the food is bought, presents are wrapped, laundry/housework is done...and today will be a day of feet up, Christmas TV and lots of food to nibble on!

A BIG thank you for visiting my blog, the comments and support I receive from this little corner of the Internet is phenomenal and I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful Christmas Holiday.

today I hired a solicitor.

I have been asked (very nicely) to vacate my workshop.

It wasn't a surprise and I don't have to rush....it was always a temporary arrangement made through friends, but now the arrangement needs to end.

So I have been viewing premises (so much fun!) and today I got absolute confirmation that the offer I made has been accepted and it was time to put the matter in the hands of my solicitor. (I don't normally have the need for a solicitor) but I have now found a solicitor and instructed him (well, I don't quite frankly know what he has to do so so he actually gave me instructions!!) and the ball is rolling!

I have no idea how long it will take, especially as everyone will stop working over the Christmas period...once I have the keys there is decorating to do so I think I will be moving in in February!

I am so excited....my current workshop is lovely but I always felt a little like I was in Limbo because I knew it wasn't a permanent arrangement....but soon I will be signing a 5 year lease and that feels great!

It's a little smaller than where I am now, in fact it's completely different, very cosy and cute...I hope to have enough room for classes and crafty get togethers....but there will be more news on that once I've actually moved in!

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Somehow the photos make all the rooms seem tiny...but I can't take anymore so they will have to do!!

picture 1 :: the front office ... shall be turned into the 'packing room'

picture 2 :: the small office ... will be a room full of sewing machines

picture 3 :: the back office ... will be for making and computering and classes and everything else!

phew! there's a lot of moving to do but it is going to be a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

I changed my mind

I didn't carry on stock taking today

Instead I stayed home in the warm and finished my WIP's!

stock taking

These shelves are now super-tidy. I have been through everything...filling up where I can and counting and stock taking the website. I'm trying to get all the jobs on my list done so I can relax over Christmas...tomorrow I shall stock take all my made items...and next week I still have a felt delivery to put away, more rainbows to make, and a sewing room with felt everywhere that felt shouldn't be...but I am determined that I will have a tidy workshop to return to after the holidays!

last minute rush

it seems as though it's not just me leaving Christmas shopping until the last week before Christmas...if you are still shopping for gifts here are some important bits of info about shopping with paper-and-string (all this info will be added to the shops over the weekend)

I am filling orders quickly and posting either same or next day depending on the time of day the order is placed ... I am posting ::

Friday 17th December

Monday 20th December

Tuesday 21st December

Wednesday 22nd December

Orders from outside of the UK will still be posted but won't be with you until after Christmas.

I send all UK orders 1st Class and the last recommended day for posting is Tuesday 21st December. I will still post on Wednesday but recommend adding Special Delivery to your order to hopefully guarantee delivery before Christmas.

Over Christmas all my shops will remain open and I will be posting orders on Friday 31st December and the everything will be back to normal on Tuesday 4th January.

*photos are of my work tray...lots of little wip's!!!

perfect Christmas ribbon

I just had a delivery of red gingham ribbon...perfect timing!

I've added it to the shop and if it takes your fancy you can find it here!

5 reasons I should know it's nearly Christmas

1. I started making Christmas stock in June

2. I've been on a complete Christmas-rush fueled whirlwind for the past few weeks, making lots of lovely custom items for gifts for loved ones

3. I've planned (but not yet shared) the days I will and will not visit the Post Office over Christmas

4. I've started planning what I and paper-and-string will be doing in 2011....in the New Year....you know...after Christmas

5. Today I opened window number 14 on my daily countdown to Christmas advent calender

and despite all that I have bought zero gifts :: zero cards :: put up zero decorations ...

BUT

...by the end of the night I will have a list.

A dedicated Christmas To-Do list....and do you know what?? If I've got a list I can do it!

How's your Christmas going?

a special ornament

Over the weekend I finished making a special owl ornament for a customer's Nan

it wasn't a whole new design, just a different way of making my existing owls (all the customer's idea, I take no credit!)

1m long owl ribbon! It's incredibly hard to photograph but I think you'll get the idea!

it's official. the felt has taken over!

I am knee deep in felt...

...which is just how I like to be!

all I have to do now is fold, unpack, make rainbows & put it all away :-)

skater dude bunny

Ewa left a comment on my freebie post inviting me to enter her blog freebie to win Skater Dude Bunny...and I only went and won!!!

How lucky am I???

I have named him Bert.

Thanks Ewa, He's amazing :-)

signed sealed & delivered

The freebies have been posted*

along with all my current orders and all the made-to-order items you can see in the photos...

thank goodness the Post Office now have a separate queue for express posting (it's worth paying for express delivery on one parcel just to skip the ordinary queue!!)

*I still need 2 address, if I haven't heard from them by the end of the week I will draw 2 more names out of the hat :-)

and the winners are....

1. (comment #115) BlackAntBeads
2. (comment #230) The Sparkle
3. (comment #252) Anna
4. (comment #247) joanne j4kidz@******.com
5. (comment #248) kirstin mcculloch
6. (comment #53) Marieke
7. (comment #180) Mae Belle Creations
8. (comment #174) paumareynoso@******.es
9. (comment #156) Rosa-Kreattiva
10. (comment #245) jessicayeong@******.com
11. (comment #85) Hanan
12. (comment # 114) Sarah

All the winners were picked with the help of the random number generator....I will email all the winners shortly, please look out for an email from me!

a place for everything

I'm busy making boxes...

...I finished 'Alice' yesterday and these other 3 were finished this morning...

...I've another 3 to machine sew and another 4 to make completely...I must have very tidy customers :-)

6 reasons why I love sewing

to the left ::

to the right ::

group hug!

a saturday catch up

I like to leave my freebie post up uninterrupted for a day or two and whilst I did here's what else happened ::

a 3am 'it's snowing' ... John and I stood on the doorstep to see the snow fall and turn the street all pretty

I received an order for findings

finished an order for 2 boxes

and another 2!! look how similar they are, weird huh?

December Freebie 2010

It's here...the last freebie of 2010!

For this freebie 12 (yes, twelve) freebie winners will be getting a present from me for under their tree!

they are all gift wrapped (and will be labeled once I know who has won!)

there's a little chocolate for each winner

and each gift wrapped parcel has one of these in them ::

bird brooch :: heart brooch :: reindeer decoration :: robot decoration :: penguin decoration :: another penguin decoration ::hexagon decoration :: pink happy tree :: red happy tree :: turquoise happy tree :: 3 rolls of christmas deco tape :: another 3 rolls of christmas deco tape

so to re-cap ::

there are 12 winners.

each prize is a gift wrapped parcel with a hand made goodie or deco tape in it PLUS a little christmas chocolate

RULES

to enter just leave a comment on this blog post

one comment per person please

I MUST be able to contact you via your comment...If a winner is drawn and I cannot contact them I will draw another winner

The winners will be announced on Tuesday 7th December and I will post the prizes really quickly so they will be with the winners in time for Christmas!

Every one from every where is welcome to enter
GOOD LUCK!

Christmas Freebie prep

oooohhhh it's December already...the first advent calender chocolate has been eaten and the first Thursday of the month is tomorrow, which means a day of freebie prep...All I can say is :: Tomorrow's Christmas Freebie is a good one!

box of bits

I've spent this afternoon cutting out lots of lovely things to make...the bits don't look exciting like this but they will soon!

twit twoo

These owls were finished yesterday and are already on their way to their new home.

I also tinkered with my website yesterday and I have updated my workshop page and added information about Christmas Posting Dates and added extra postage options for super-quick delivery.