Christmas Ribbons in May
28/05/2015
Hello ribbon friends
This is a very first for me. I am about to mention the “Christmas” word in May.
We have always tried to keep it at bay until well into August.
If I told you I designed these NEW Christmas ribbons in early December last year, well before we had actually had the pleasure of Christmas!
You loved our Advent numbers and wanted more colours to decorate your calendars, so I added some sparkle and glitz to our 2015 ribbons.
We had to have a Santa Red with bold gold foil numbers. The numbers are slightly raised for added impact.
Pure Snow White with red glitter sparkles on the red numbers, adds that extra little bit of magic.
How about our Nordic Scarlet? The numbers are printed in white with an iridescent finish, just a hint of sparkle!
We took delivery of these ribbons in January so they have been on our exhibition stand all season.
I made this Advent Cushion, the Nordic Scarlet works so well with our Happy Christmas Heart ribbon
I also added the new Handmade sew in labels, maybe a bit over the top adding both!
But it will be on display in France in the Autumn.
Find our New Advent Number ribbons HERE
Have fun with ribbons.
Ali x
Golden Hours
20/05/2015
![golden hours 3_thumb[2]](/docs/blogfiles/golden_hours_3_thumb%5B2%5D_thumb.jpg "golden hours 3_thumb[2]")
We do like playing with our ribbons and coming up with different collections.
We have a complete shelving unit in the warehouse of ribbons (and now lace) that are not on the website.
It is the part of the warehouse that I try not to pass that often.
I always feel guilty that these wonderful goodies are just shelf sitters and I have not put them on the website.
Yesterday, Rachie and I had a little play and came up with Golden Hours.
This is a fun collection of mainly ribbons that are NOT on the website.
Three different bags of scrummy ribbons.
All bags contain 10mtrs of ribbons and lace
![sunrise_thumb[2]](/docs/blogfiles/sunrise_thumb%5B2%5D_thumb.jpg "sunrise_thumb[2]")
Sunrise – is a splash of red, orange and yellow
![midday_thumb[2]](/docs/blogfiles/midday_thumb%5B2%5D_thumb.jpg "midday_thumb[2]")
Midday – is an injection of purple and lilacs
![dusk_thumb[2]](/docs/blogfiles/dusk_thumb%5B2%5D_thumb.jpg "dusk_thumb[2]")
Dusk – is a blanket of black, grey and silver
Each bag is only £5.00 (remember there are 10mtrs per bag)
BUT……
You can buy ALL 3 bags for £10………..that’s 30mts, less then 34p per mtr
You can them HERE
Enjoy our Golden Hours – round the clock ribbons!
Ali x
Mobile Friendly
11/05/2015
Did you look at our website or blog over the weekend and it looked a bit…….weird!
We have been becoming Mobile Friendly!!
You navigate around the website in the normal way by either pressing the photos or touching the MENU blue bar.
The MENU blue bar will then drop down to give you the main categories.
This will then drop down to give you a further choice.
The blog also has a new layout if viewed on a mobile device.
It just lists everything and you click to view.
HOWEVER if this is not what you are seeing, then all you have to do is refresh your screen. The little half circle arrow at the top of the page, just press it and it should all be fine.
You may have to also refresh your computer screens as the whole site has been recoded.
F5 will work or the little circle arrow at top of browser.
We do still have a few gremlins in the system which we are working on.
Thanks Google for all the extra work, but we can now claim to be Mobile Friendly!
Phew!
Ali x
Alternative Wedding
08/05/2015
Remember I told you we sponsored the Alternative Wedding a few weeks back.
Well, they have updated their page showing family and friends pictures of the wedding.
Our ribbons were used here…..
……and here.
Have a read of the special day here
Fingers crossed we will have a dry weekend.
Ali x
Whipped Chantilly
05/05/2015
Hello everyone, hope you all had a great long weekend.
The weather remained rather good for us here in Dorset right up to yesterday evening.
So no complaints about that.
We have been whipping up quite a dish here in the warehouse……
Who likes Chantilly?
Cream, white peaks of yumminess…….
We have put all our wonderful cream and white French lace together.
Most of the lace in this collection is NEW to our internet customers.
For our customers that visit us at the shows, I have FINALLY put them on the site for you!
Sorry it has taken me rather longer then I promised.
So why not get a large spoon and dig into our massive collection of Chantilly lace here.
Go on indulge yourself, as far as we can tell there is no other collection of French lace like this!
Have fun
Ali x x
Hello wednesday–bag of joy
22/04/2015
Good morning everyone, are you all enjoying the wonderful warm weather!
I would love to be sitting outside in the sunshine, but I can only stare out the window at the stunning blue sky.
Inside my office I am FREEZING! I have two thick cardigans on, and I have brought in my fluffy warm slippers from home and have slipped them on.
I must look like a bag lady!! But I have a lot of computer work to do this week, so not moving around very much, so need to stay warm.
I have been taking a bit of “me time” recently, you may recall last year I had decided to give up crocheting. I was finding my thumb just did not like it, so I hung up my crochet hook!
I have tried a few other crafts to keep me busy on the sofa in the evening….but with encouragement from my friend I picked up my crochet hook again.
I have always been a “wild” crocheter, although I knew the stitches I could not read a pattern. She suggested that I went back to school.
So I did!
I take it easy, never too much crocheting. Any twinge in my thumb and I down tools. It’s fun and I am really enjoying it….I can read a pattern!
But as always ribbons and buttons are not far from my side…….
…..and added to my crochet work.
I made this bag to keep all my crochet tools and things in.
I lined the bag and made pockets for all my crochet hooks, allowing room for all those others I may purchase!
The flowers needed buttons, so to match the polka dot dogs I choose our spotty buttons.
Find all the colours here.
To finish the bag….it had to be a handmade label.
Find the labels here
I love my bag, I took it to school this week and it was so easy to find everything.
Thank you, my friend for encouraging me and giving me that little push to pick up my hook again.
Ali x
More delights from France – Morlaix
21/04/2015
More scrummy cotton lace.
Morlaix is a fine delicate lace with a scalloped style edge.
It is only 13mm wide and available in 20 colours, so perfect for those little projects.
Cool Mint
Gazelle
Rose Candy
Just 3 colours to whet your appetite!!
You can find our Morlaix lace here
Enjoy
Ali x
The Alternative Wedding
16/04/2015
Have you read about The Alternative Wedding?
A young couple getting married and asking for help from sponsors
Read their full story here http://www.alternativeweddinguk.com/
When we were contacted by Danielle asking us for some ribbons……….
…..we were happy to say yes!
Have a fantastic day Danielle and Hannan, can not wait to see the wedding photos.
Ali x
Hello wednesday–quickie prezzie
15/04/2015
Hello everyone, hope you all had a great Easter break.
We had a wonderful time away and have arrived back with fully charged batteries and busting with ideas for new projects.
The weather does help, it is glorious here in Dorset.
Before Easter it was Rachie’s birthday, I was well prepared and had been thinking of a birthday prezzie for her for ages.
I gave her a course on crochet, with a local teacher………………
As she was totally new to this craft, I needed to get her a few bits to take to class.
She also needed something to unwrap on the day.
I found some chunky wool in her favourite colours, cranberry and cream, scissors, a starter book.
Janet had given her a set of hooks, so all that was needed was a little bag to keep her hooks in.
I used our tape measure ribbon and Keep Calm and carry yarn ribbon for the draw strings.
Thought they were rather apt.
I am not sure what I have done, but Rachie has fallen head over heels in love with crochet!
Last day of the school holidays today, she went to see Tony in his office and said she was feeling very unwell and had a terrible tummy ache……
he started to believe her until he saw her crochet bag!
She wanted to go home to crochet!!!
You will be pleased to hear, Rachie is at home sat in the garden……..yes crocheting, while I am busy adding new goodies to the website.
More glorious French lace can be found here. It is not cotton but Viscose still made on traditional looms.
It is the lace I used at the bottom of my Great British Sewing Bee Dress and comes in lots of colours.
Enjoy the rest of the afternoon, maybe I should go and join Rachie…..
We popped a couple of vouchers onto our Facebook page yesterday
Enjoy
Ali x
Hello wednesday–sewing bug
08/04/2015
Little Mollie (my 6 year old niece) was in the office when I was making my walkaway dress.
She was so desperate to use my sewing machine. So I let her help me with a little money bag I made to go with the dress.
I put the machine onto snail speed, and she put her foot on the pedal, she guided the fabric through the needle.
The bag was made in no time, and I went off to London not giving it a second thought.
Well………………………..
I gather Mollie went on, and on, and on about learning to sew all week.
In the end Rachie gave up and found a battery operated sewing machine.
I set Mollie little challenges, drawing lines at first, then shapes onto fabric that she had to follow.
I could not believe how good she was.
So there was only one thing I could think of - take her to the next level.
Making a skirt.
I showed Mollie how to pin the fabric to make the waistband (I did the ironing). She then machined it.
Mollie wanted a pocket, so she found some of the fabric from my dress, we pinned it in place and she sewed around the edge of the fabric, (a new challenge to keep the machine foot on the edge of the fabric).
Next was the back seam, which she whizzed up.
Hem time, we pinned it together and added the jumbo ric rac, you can find it here, (another challenge) she had to sew down the centre of the ric rac without any guide lines.
We threaded elastic through the waistband and her skirt was finished.
Mollie was so happy, not sure Rachie has managed to get the skirt off her yet!!
Ali x
my basket