and the winners are ::

Freebie Day :: Part One
The Prize :: Huge Jar of Buttons

we had 110 guesses and the guessed weights varied between 750g - 5600g

the jar and buttons actually weighed :: 3110g
and the Best guess was :: 3141g .... only 31g difference!
The Winner ::

oh blimey - numbers! will try 3141g thanks. nice to see some pics of you too!!Juliexoxo
joycers86(at)hotmail(dot)com

Freebie Day :: Part Two
The Prize :: 10x Felt Packs (1 prize)

 

151 comments and random number generator picked ::

Winning Comment Number 68 ::  
Moni said...
Very generous of you, love to win pack of felt. Happy Easter! Hugs, Moni

Freebie Day :: Part Three
The Prize :: Flower Craft Packs (3 prizes)

117 comments and random number generator picked ::

Winning Comment Number 50 ::  
 Manu said...
I love your new craft packs!!!
I cross my fingers!!!
Thanks!!!
Manu manu@artecuore.it
Winning Comment Number 113 :: 
  Jessie May said...
I am impressed by your cutting skills! I cut by hand and it's not always easy, especially teeny things. I love the colour combinations you've put together. Thanks for another chance to win.
Margaret at ellemorescott@tiscali.co.uk
Winning Comment Number 70 :: 
Anonymous said...
Lovely, just lovely.
Paula
paumareynoso(at)yahoo(dot)es

Freebie Day :: Part Four
The Prize :: Ribbon Lucky Dip Bags (4 prizes)

49 comments and random number generator picked ::

Winning Comment Number  24 :: 
Silvia Galloni said...
Soooo beautiful!!!
Winning Comment Number  42 :: 
Emilie's Craft's said...
My ribbon stash is rather large but like buttons you can never have too many.
Emily
Winning Comment Number  29 ::  
Teasel said...
Another fantastic freebie!
Winning Comment Number  39 :: 
Harrysmum said...
Hope you've enjoyed your day off, thanks for another great give away!

******************************************************
Thanks to everyone who took part - It was fun!
If you are a winner (hooray!!)  please email  me your address (and the name on your comment) and I will start packing all the prizes :-)
 
sepoulton{at}btopenworld{dot}com

New Postage

Today Royal mail have put their prices up and so my P&P options are changing - I have a lot of shops and online things to update but I am aiming to have them all done by the end of tomorrow!
I love Flat Rate Postage.  As a shopper I think it's great - you always know how much it will be and that there won't be any nasty surprises at checkout time!  As a seller it's hard to get right - too high and your small order customers will not be happy, too low and then I go bust!
So I have been on the phone with Royal Mail & Parcel Force a few times over the past few weeks, got my posting history figures in order - attacked the calculator and here they are:
my *new* Flat Rate Postage prices....

UK deliveries:
1st class :  £2.50
Recorded : £3.50
Next Day : £8.50
(order by 12noon for next day - non hand made items only)

Europe deliveries:
Airmail : £4.75
Courier : £19

Rest of the World :
Airmail : £6.75
Courier : £29

As always we are always striving to send orders out the day they are received - and now we have a secret weapon to help us do it - Becky

Today was Becky's first day here at paper-and-string and boy did she pick a busy day to start!!
Her main task is to do everything and more to help prepare and pick orders, so now there are three of us your orders will be processed even quicker!

Freebie Day :: Part Four

It's the final day of Easter Weekend freebies today...and today it's freebies with a twist!

Today I am offering a freebie to anyone who places an order in any of my shops  BUT DON'T PANIC!  All orders placed from Good Friday (29thMarch) until the end of tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd April) are included

 I have chosen a huge pile of ribbons, all inspired by the lovely sunshine that we are all hoping for ... it's bright, pretty and fun, some new designs, some ribbon must-haves and some old favourites!

 and I have cut, cut, cut them all into 1m lengths and will randomly pick 5 different ribbons, pop them in a polka dot gift bag and send them out to you all

 So the Freebie is a lucky dip of sorts - and a fun way to include as many people as possible - of course - if you aren't planing on ordering (or even if you are!) please leave a comment and  4 Ribbon Lucky Dip Bags will be sent out to the winners :-)

 Here are the rules:
To enter the prize draw just leave a comment on this blog post
You can leave one comment, and one comment only
I will post these prizes anywhere in the world  (4 prizes, 4 winners)
*orders over £10 before p&p will receive a Lucky Dip Ribbon Bag in their parcel
**all of my shops are included except NotOnTheHighStreet (they have strict rules about this kind of thing)
CLOSING DATE:
all comments must be entered by the end of Wednesday 3rd April
the winners will be picked by The Magic Number Generator and announced on Thursday 4th April
Offer runs on orders placed between Friday 29th March and Tuesday 2nd April - even orders already placed.
GOOD LUCK !
PS I scheduled this post yesterday - today I am having the day off!

Freebie Day :: Part Three

wheeeeeeeeeee!
This Freebie weekend is fun, isn't it?
Today I am launching my new Craft Packs ::

 Little Packets full of crafting possibilities :: there are 3 different colour ways - Pastel, Muted & Brights - they are based on the colours in my felt packs so it's easy for you to co-ordinate with all sorts of different craft projects

each pack has 10 hand cut flowers and 10 hand cut flower centres - I love hand cutting, die cut machines are very clever and have their place, but for me - I love to cut with scissors!

There are also 20+ buttons - small ones and larger ones, in a mix of 2 hole and 4 hole designs, all dyed to match the felt perfectly... plus a polka dot and extra large button too.

there's also a postcard in each pack with a photo of some flowers that I have stitched together - no instructions, but lots of ideas!

If you would like to win one of my new craft Packs then please leave a comment and keep your fingers crossed!

 Here are the rules:
To enter just leave a comment on this blog post
You can leave one comment, and one comment only
I will post these prizes anywhere in the world  (3 prizes, 3 winners)
CLOSING DATE:
all comments must be entered by the end of Wednesday 3rd April
the winner will be picked by The Magic Number Generator and announced on Thursday 4th April
GOOD LUCK !

Happy Easter everyone!

Freebie Day :: Part Two

I can't have a freebie weekend without a felt prize can I?

I love my felt - changing my felt range to my new premium wool felt (which has a higher wool content) last August was the best thing I have ever done...the colours still make me smile - and one of my favourite jobs is packaging up my colour packs....which is why I have picked them for today's freebie prize ::

One person will win 10 felt packs (6"x6") one of each pack that I sell, and today there's no tricky guessing involved ... just leave a comment and the winner will be picked at random.

Here are the rules:
To enter just leave a comment on this blog post
You can leave one comment, and one comment only
I will post this prize anywhere in the world  
CLOSING DATE:
all comments must be entered by the end of Wednesday 3rd April
the winner will be picked by The Magic Number Generator and announced on Thursday 4th April
GOOD LUCK !

Freebie Day :: Part One

 I've been sorting out my button stock.

All of the buttons I sell by weight are now stored in Sweetie Jars - and don't they look FAB?
They are also very practical and super tidy - but did I also mention that they look FAB?

The new storage also comes hand in hand with new prices - oh yes I have buttony bargains galore!
Colour mixes are now only £1.25 for 50g (or £2 for 100g)
Shaped mixes are now only £2.00 for 50g (or £3.50 for 100g)

 

You can see all the buttons on my website by clicking here and here
But Wait, don't go yet - look at this Jar ::

This Jar is today's Freebie prize!  Oh yes, I couldn't keep all this buttony-amazingness to myself now could I?

 If you would like to win your very own Button Filled Sweetie Jar then look closely at these photos ::

 ...and get your weight guessing head on...

...because the person who guesses how much this Sweetie Jar and all the buttons weighs will win it!

 I've added a few items for a sense of scale

 and nearly broke my arm holding it up like this for the photo! (that's a clue)
I tried to get a photo of me and the jar so you could see how large it is, but the self timer on my camera & I didn't quite nail it:

Haha!
Here are the rules:
To enter just leave a comment on this blog post with your guess at how much the jar and all the buttons weighs (the jar is plastic by the way)
Your guess must be in whole grams
You can have one guess, and one guess only
If more than one person guesses the exact weight the person who commented first will win
If no one guesses the exact weight the next nearest guess will win
If by some crazy chance there is a tie I will split the prize equally (I have more jars, you wouldn't get half a jar!)
I will post this prize anywhere in the world  
CLOSING DATE:
all guesses must be entered by the end of Wednesday 3rd April
The Jar & Buttons will be weighed and the winner will be announced on Thursday 4th April
GOOD LUCK GUESSERS!

plans are afoot

new packaging bags - the purpose?  'tis a freebie day secret!

new storage - the purpose?  'tis a freebie day secret!

freebie day?
oh no my friends - not a freebie day but a freebie holiday weekend!...it starts on Friday, but you'll need to come back on Saturday, Sunday AND Monday!

Oh yes, freebies are back!

chevrons

 Chevrons on grosgrain ribbon - I think it's ribbon heaven!

Wide
Bright
& Bold

 and available by the metre in my shop here

lets talk pom pom trim

Pom Pom trim is FAB - I must have it in my shop, and in my own sewing stash too.
My original Teeny Tiny Pom Pom Trim comes from America - it's supplied to me on big spools and the colours are gorgeous, but I can't get enough of it!  I just re-stocked and again didn't receive my whole order...it's not through lack of trying on anyones behalf - just that they sell out a lot because it's so popular.

So I have hunted down another Teeny Tiny Pom Pom Trim supplier ... but the colours are completely different...what to do???  stock both, obviously!!

The two trims are very similar ... the orange one up there is from America and the pale mint one is from  the new selection, I think you'd be hard pushed to tell them apart!!

My new trims are supplied on big cards rather than spools, which will help a lot when it comes to order picking!!
I still haven't solved the 'getting hold of stock' problem - but at least with two different ranges I will always have some Teeny Tiny Pom Pom Trim in the shop!
Quick Links:
All my pom pom trim can be seen here, and if you're quick my larger pom pom trim has been popped into the sale because I can't get it at all anymore!

hello bunny!

 This little bunny has been made from my newest mini kit - and the kits are now my shop - just in time for some Easter crafting!

 Eagle-eyed shoppers will have seen Bunny in John Lewis for the past month or so, but the crazy busy-ness over the past few weeks saw me drop the ball on this one!

But Bunny is here ... along with his pom pom tail which you can't see from these photos but is really cute :-)
Click here to hop over to the Bunny page (c'mon, one bunny hopping pun is allowed, surely!?)