Sewing Club

Clare, one of my customers, runs a sewing club for kids who are aged from 5 years+ and the other day I was super-proud to see this photo ::

15 pretty felt butterflies made by Clare's sewing club kids....Clare cuts out all the pieces and the children sew them together...aren't they amazing?  Clare is also amazing because she funds these classes herself  so that everyone is able to attend (once I found that out I promptly filled a BiG BoX with my felt-y off-cuts and sent it off)
I love this photo...I've printed out a copy and stuck it on my wall because it's so inspiring!
For more sewing club tales you can visit Clare and her blog here.

And The Winners Are.....

Hooray it's winners time!
19 winners have been picked......and 19 winners means the longest blog post ever, please read through and see if your name & comment is listed as a winner...and then wait for an email from me with instructions on how to claim your prize :-)
(and I know that I sound bossy but this is getting complicated!!)

Freebie Extravaganza Part One:
Prize: set of 5 mini rolls - winner picks the colours
Number of Winners: 1
Winning Comment #:54
sarah said...oh this is so lovely! thanks for all the hard work you have done!!!


Freebie Extravaganza Part Two:
Prize:  6" rainbow
Number of Winners: 1
Winning Comment #: 56 
Fluffybunnyhead said... Whoops in the excitement got my email wrong it's eg*pl*nt1*7*@g*ail.c*m

Freebie Extravaganza Part Three:
Prize: Loyalty card kit - winner picks the colour
Number of Winners: 1
Winning Comment #: 37 
chrissie said...If I were lucky enough to win, I would love the Pastels pack... gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
CHRISSIE I CAN NOT CONTACT YOU please email me mail{at}paper-and-string{dot}co{dot}uk
if I don't hear from you by Thursday I shall draw another winner


Freebie Extravaganza Part Four:
Prize: mini Christmas Kit - winner picks which kit
Number of Winners: 4
Winning Comment #: 40Mrs Pixie said...Oh it would definitely be the penguin for me! He is so cute :)
Winning Comment #: 39 
Anonymous said...The penguin or the reindeer, the penguin or the reindeer......I think I will go with the reindeer this time. Lovely kits as usual. pa*u*ar*yn*s*@ya**o.*s
Winning Comment #: 89
Anonymous said...i love the gingerbread man. it's lovely.iolanda. iol***nes@g***l.com
Winning Comment #: 115
Almu said...My favourite one is the Gingerbread Man!! :D

Freebie Extravaganza Part Five:
Prize:  mini Christmas Kit - winner picks which kit
Number of Winners: 4
Winning Comment #: 20 
Anonymous said...Hi.My favourite is definitely the robin, very cute. P*ula_a****d@ho**ail.com
Winning Comment #: 4 
The Krafty Cupcake said...I would love to win the Father Christmas Kit. susan.vaughan4@hotmail.co.uk Sue x
Winning Comment #: 53 
Manu said...I LOVE your Pom Pom Snowman!!! =^__^=Thanks!!!Manu  manu@artecuore.it
Winning Comment #: 5
Jessica said... I think your Christmas pudding is the cutest but it is very difficult to choose between them - so much felt Christmas goodness :-)

Freebie Extravaganza Part Six:
Prize: swatch in a box
Number of Winners: 1
Winning Comment #: 31
Sally said...Flipping heck - I have only just bought one of your old swatches.......... :-) Like that this one comes in a box. w***o@dav**sally.c*.uk

Freebie Extravaganza Part Seven:
Prize:  ready-made Christmas decoration - winner picks design
Number of Winners: 3
Winning Comment #: 30 
aminah said...I love to see your handstitch and I choose to see a surprise prize! :) cahaya(dot)nor(at)gmail(dot)com
Winning Comment #: 20 
Pickle Lily said...Surprise, surprise please! Have a good week-end. Jo x
Winning Comment #: 46
Rachel Hey said... I love all of them! SUPRISE ME!! :) theartbunny@yahoo.co.uk

Freebie Extravaganza Part Eight:
Prize: Garland Kits
Number of Winners: 2
Winning Comment #: 3 
Glamorgan Glamping said...Wow! They are lovely! I would love one!!cherylbell906@btinternet.com
Winning Comment #: 78 
Anna Cleridou said...Love them both!!  annacleridou(at)yahoo(dot)com

Freebie Extravaganza Part Nine:
Prize: Win your Wish List (upto £20)
Number of Winners:  2
Winning Comment #: 54 
Mandy said...Such a fabulous 9 days of sharing Sarah. It has been such fun. I have added the Cupcakes Sew your own Kit to my wishlist.  http://paper-and-string.co.uk/wishlist.aspx?CustomerGUID=01762da2-05d0-42c8-9a4c-a6b126d70626  amandajgill@hotmail.com
Winning Comment #: 9 
Louise B said...Filled my wish list up. So many lovely colours, didn't want to stop. Thanks for the chance to win.

phew-ee, what a long list!
I shall start to email you all now...CONGRATULATIONS everyone!

freebie extravaganza : part 9

It's the last day of my Freebie Extravaganza .....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE WINNERS ARE DRAWN
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 It's the final day of the Freebie Extravaganza!
And what kind of an extravaganza would it be if it didn't end with a bang?
I hope you think this is a good ending!!
Today's prize lets 2 lucky winners win their Website Wish List! (upto a value of £20)
Anything and everything that's for sale can be added to your website wish list so shop, shop, shop!!!

 How To:
Log into your paper-and-string account and add items to your wish list
Come back to this blog post and leave me a comment telling me you've done it, if your name is picked your wish list will be yours!
Or:  type your wish list within your comment
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Today's freebie gives the chance to win your website wish list!
RULES
Fill your wish list up
Leave a comment on this post
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
max wish list value is £20
Number of Winners to be announced:  2
Quick Links
website: Click here
account log in/ registration page:  Click Here
Good Luck !
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 64 

freebie extravaganza : part 8

The Freebie Extravaganza is under way.....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE FREEBIES ARE DRAWN
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Alongside my new Mini Kits I have also designed two new Large Boxed Kits....and both of them make a different Garland Decoration, hooray!

The Star Garland Kit makes a Garland with 6 stars (there are 3 different sized stars).  The stars are decorated with bright Christmas Coloured patchwork-inspired diamonds and finished with Big Bright Buttons.

 

 The Merry Christmas Garland spells out the Christmas Greeting in Bright Christmas Colours, and there are tonnes of ribbons and buttons to construct & decorate the letters with

Last Year I saw a lot of finished Christmas Tree Garlands and I hope to see a lot of these garlands finished too,  I love how each finished Garland is different to the next, and can't wait to see the end results!
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Today's freebie gives the chance to win a large Christmas Garland Kit!
RULES
Leave a comment on this post
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  2
Quick Links
Christmas garland Kits: Click here

Good Luck !
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 102 

freebie extravaganza : part 7

The Freebie Extravaganza is under way.....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE FREEBIES ARE DRAWN
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It's time for a hand made prize!

I often get asked if I sell the items that are in my kits ready-made....and the answer is Yes!  I do!
So this is a freebie for ready made fans....simply choose which decoration you'd like and if your name is picked that's the decoration you'd win...and if you can't decide I'll send you a surprise!

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Today's freebie gives the chance to win a ready made Christmas Decoration!
RULES
Leave a comment on this post (telling me which decoration you'd like to win, or asking for a surprise prize) 
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  3
Quick Links
  Ready Made decorations: Click here

Good Luck !
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 104

freebie extravaganza : part 6

The Freebie Extravaganza is under way.....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE FREEBIES ARE DRAWN
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 Day 6 already!
The results from yesterday: 91 comments: 44 snowman, 20 robin, 15 puddings & 9 Father Christmas
yes! I thought it would be Pom Pom Snowman, he's my favourite too! :-)
On to today...the most useful freebie of all :: Swatch In A Box!

Bigger Swatch samples

On 9 separate cards

 With 2 info sheets AND a 'my favourite colours' check list

 All stored in a box (because I love boxes!)


 ************************************************************
Today's freebie gives the chance to win a Swatch In A Box!
RULES
Leave a comment on this post (no hard questions today) 
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  1
Quick Links
Swatch In A Box : Click here

Good Luck !
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 81

freebie extravaganza : part 5

The Freebie Extravaganza is under way.....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE FREEBIES ARE DRAWN
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 Today it's Christmas Mini Kits (part 2)...thanks for all the lovely comments yesterday, I'm glad you like the new kits!  It's fun to find out which your favourites are....at the last count there were 88 comments split as 35 Christmas Trees, 23 Penguins, 16 Gingerbread Men and 11 Reindeer....and I thought Gingerbead Man would be the favourite!...I wonder which of these last four will be the favourite??

 Will it be my modern little Robin?...

 Happy Smiley Christmas Pudding?

 Jolly Father Christmas?

 Or Pom Pom Snowman???
I can't wait to find out!!!!
Like yesterday leave a comment saying which kit you would like to win (Robin, Christmas Pudding, Father Christmas or Snowman)
************************************************************
Today's freebie gives the chance to win a Mini Christmas Kit of your choice!
RULES
Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the 4 kits you would like to win 
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  4
Quick Links
Mini Kits : Click here

Good Luck !
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 126

freebie extravaganza : part 4

The Freebie Extravaganza is under way.....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE FREEBIES ARE DRAWN
*********************************************************************
Working on projects (like the new felt) and designing new things (like the new kits) and not being able to share them for months and months is torture....but being able to share them all in one week is so fantastic that's it's nearly worth enduring the waiting... I still have so many new things to share that it's hard to pick which ones for each day!
Today I've decided to share Christmas Mini Kits (part 1)

Each Mini Kit comes with everything you need to make one decoration....a cute Happy Christmas Tree...

 

...or .a roly-poly penguin....

...a yummy Gingerbread Man....

....or the ever popular happy Reindeer.
I added them to my shops over the weekend and quite a few of these cuties are already on their way to new homes...and now 4 more are looking for new homes .... leave a comment to say which kit you would love to win (Christmas Tree, Penguin, Gingerbread Man or Reindeer) and if your name is picked that's the prize you'll receive!
**************************************************************
Today's freebie gives the chance to win a Mini Christmas Kit of your choice!
RULES
Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the 4 kits you would like to win 
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  4
Quick Links
Mini Kits : Click here

Good Luck !
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 127

freebie extravaganza : part 3

The Freebie Extravaganza is under way.....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE FREEBIES ARE DRAWN
****************************************************************

 

The other day I gave you a sneak preview of my new  Loyalty Card and today I am showing you the Free Craft Kit that you receive once you have filled your Loyalty Card (I won't go into all the details of how it works on the blog, but if you want to find out more you can on the website). 

 

Each Free Craft Kit has one 10 square pack of Premium Wool Blend Felt (6" x 6")

2x three yard spools of American Crafts Ribbon (which, as you know, is my favourite make of ribbon of all time)

 AND a GREAT BIG bag of glorious buttons & findings

 The colours vary with every pack, and I for one love the brightness and variety in the New and Improved Free Craft Kit....and  I hope you do too!
***************************************************************
Today's freebie gives the chance to win a Loyalty Card Kit, without having to wait to fill your card up!
RULES
Leave a comment on this post telling me which felt pack you would prefer your kit to contain  for your chance to win a Loyalty Card Kit
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  1
Quick Links
Loyalty Card info : Click here
Felt Packs : Click here
Good Luck !
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 151

freebie extravaganza : part 2

The Freebie Extravaganza is under way.....here's the deal:  every day I will blog about a different new item or range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners. 
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner....and you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
PLEASE READ THE INDIVIDUAL RULES FOR EACH FREEBIE CAREFULLY, ANY INCOMPLETE ENTRIES WILL BE DELETED BEFORE THE FREEBIES ARE DRAWN
*************************************************************

Today's freebie is for my new size of Felt Rainbow....a 6" rainbow.

Rainbows now come in four sizes: 4", 6", 9" and 12",  all have 45 pieces of Premium Wool Blend Felt - one square of every colour...

...and all of them have new packaging!  A polka dot cardboard band with all the necessary info AND a removable mini postcard to finish it off.

I have spent most of this morning re-opening and filling my etsy/ebay & folksy shops with the new felt  rainbows...they have always been best-sellers, here's hoping the new size will be too!
Good Luck!
RULES
Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win a  6" felt rainbow stack
One entry per person
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  1
Quick Links
Rainbows on my website : click here
Rainbows on NOTHS : click here
Rainbows on eBay : click here
Rainbows on etsy : click here
Rainbows on folksy : click here
Freebie Extravaganza Part 1 : click here
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 149

My New Felt Project is finished!

hooray!!!
after a crazy amount of hours sat in front of the computer I am Amzagingly excited to finally spill the beans about my New Felt Project.....

 

....this, my lovely customers, is my new range of felt!  Just look at those colours!!

When I started selling felt about 6 years ago the felt I chose to sell was hard to find, it was a new product that no one had used very much and it was really good quality combined with value for money...over the years the amount of felt sellers has increased (a lot!) and so has the price of felt...a while back I did a deal with my supplier to be able to offer the same low prices by ordering in large quantities...but I needed something new.....

 And after 11 months of searching, planning, having meetings and sending a billion emails I finally found it!

This is Premium Wool Blend Felt.  It is 40% wool & 60% Viscose....Not only has it got 10% more wool than my original felt, it's also softer, stronger and MUCH better quality.  It's still a natural product and there will always be slight differences in weight per colour BUT Premium Wool Blend Felt is much more consistent, and the colours...they are amazing!...and the best bit?  The prices have stayed exactly the same!  Better Felt & Better Colours all for the exact same price....can you tell why I'm so excited!

 The manufacturer is dyeing my felt to order .... it took me FoReVeR to finalise my 45 colours....some of the original colours have been bid a fond farewell....some have been reproduced because I love them, and there are NEW colours too!

I *think* my favourite new colour is *Sea Green*....

 ...but it could also be *dark thistle*.....

 ...I am rather fickle!
 All the same felt sizes are still available....the ever popular Mini Rolls are cut and rolled....

 12" and 24" squares are available individually like before

 and there are new colour packs too...10x colours in different sizes

the rainbows are all cut and stacked ...and now come in 4 sizes: 4", 6", 9" and 12"

Yay! The Fantastic New Felt has Landed!!
oh and the original felt?  that's all been popped in the sale section with 10% off, and once it's gone it is gone for good!
*************************************************************
In other paper-and-string news I have also added all my new Christmas Mini Kits to the website, updated the free craft kit & loyalty card offering AND added two new BIG Christmas kits too!
*************************************************************
The Freebie Extravaganza starts today.....here's the deal:  every day I shall blog about a different new item/range in detail...if you like it and would like to win it, you leave a comment on that blog post...and on Bank Holiday Monday (27th August 2012) I will draw all the winners.
How exciting is that?
9 days , 9 chances to be a winner.... you can enter all 9 freebies if you like!
*************************************************************
Today's freebie is for a set of 5 Mini Rolls.....To enter leave a comment and list your favourite 5 colours in your comment, and if your comment is the winning comment that's the colours you will receive!
RULES
One entry per person
Your comment must contain your list of 5 felt colours
I MUST be able to contact you via your comment
I will post worldwide
Number of Winners to be announced:  1
See you tomorrow for The Freebie Extravaganza: Part 2
FREEBIE HAS CLOSED AT COMMENT 114

so far so good....

It's a weird feeling to know that all my online shops are closed!
It is making it easier though, which must make it faster in the long run....and I'm still on track to get them open again tomorrow....this morning I took the last photos that I need...and I've been at the computer ever since...a lot of the New Project is already online....but there's still a lot to do so I'd best go and get on with it - I'll see you on the other side :-)

New Felt Project Update

In preparation for the launch of my New Felt Project today I have:
shut my eBay shop
shut my Etsy shop
shut my Folksy Shop
shut my Wholesale Shop...but don't panic, it's only temporary so I can keep check on things.
BIG NEWS: the website will also be closed from tomorrow lunch time (Friday 17th August 2012) for approx. 24 hours (could be faster, could be slower...sometimes website work takes longer than I think it will!)

oh, and I've planned a freebie extravaganza, you'll want to keep coming back for that, it's going to be good AmAzInG!!!

*photos are of my newly designed and printed Loyalty Card, thanks again to my Sister :-)

new project = new packaging

from the very beginning of paper-and-string I have designed, printed, cut & folded all my own packaging...but all that had to change when I designed the first kits for John Lewis...either that or I'd have to buy a lot of printers & a LOT of ink (which is much-o expensive)  It's a terrifying step to take because anything that's slightly different to standard sizes needs to be ordered in big numbers to get them to be cost effective, and that plays havoc with the cash flow!
For my New Felt Project I needed some non-standard sized packaging, so my sister got cracking (again, thanks lovely sister!) with the designing, and I got cracking with the money shuffling and hey presto!  Stage one of the New Felt Project packaging is here...the second lot is coming from a different printer and should be here tomorrow, fingers crossed!

my felt project

I've been working on a new felt project.
All the pieces are now coming together and all shall be revealed at the end of the week....but for now here's a photo that was taken at the end of June...45 huge bolts of felt that had just been delivered and temporarily stored in the garage (they weren't there long!)

In no particular order, this weekend I...

• Decided I simply must watch as much Olympic goodness as I could
• Baked Cheese Straws 

•  Plonked myself on the sofa and watched and worked** and cried and cheered.

• Spent time with friends in the pub Garden
• Felt so proud of our amazing country and all the amazing people in it
• Chatted on the phone with my lovely family
• Positively revelled in the Olympic Team GB feel good factor*

* I also spent time wondering why we were introduced to Prince HENRY at the closing ceremony, I had imbibed some celebratory wine and wondered if I was going loopy.  Good Old Wikipedia helped me out, and taught me something new!
**work that I finished:  
600 little bags with pom poms and things in for a new kit.
100 little bags with star buttons and things in for another new kit
500 other little bags with jingle bells and things in for a different new kit
1500 pieces of ribbon measured and cut for other kits!