Hello wednesday–Christmas Puddings
05/11/2014
Hello everyone…all went well yesterday, stand restocked and we are on our way to Birmingham!
If you have ever visited us at one of the shows, you will know that our stand is very colourful. Not only is it filled with delightful ribbons and buttons, but we also have lots of inspiration. The back walls of the stand are filled with, cushions, cards, wellies…… well to be honest anything and everything you can make with ribbon and buttons. Some items have been made by me, others by our fabulous design team, we have samples made by customers (if you look into the two side corners of the stand you will see two calico dollies made for me….ummm 10 –12 years ago, they are our lucky charms and are always on display).
I treasure all the creations that are made for me. We display them to inspire others, I joke with customers that all the inspiration is free!!! We allow photos of all these creations, so I was devastated at Ally Pally to find that I had my Christmas pudding garland stolen. I could not believe it and was very, very angry on Saturday night. Obviously a photo was not good enough for one lady!
Sharon Powell made it for me for 3-4 years ago and it has hung on my stand every show since. I have been asked time and time again if it was a kit, but always said no and suggested they took a photo. I am very sorry Sharon and I hope to see you this week at Hobbycraft.
I have tried looking for photos of Sharon’s Christmas pudding hearts but can not find them………………….so I have made this from memory.
![hello wednesday pudding_thumb[1]](/docs/blogfiles/hello_wednesday_pudding_thumb%5B1%5D_thumb.jpg "hello wednesday pudding_thumb[1]")
Hope you like it Sharon. You will find this funny……..Tony screwed it to the wall in Dublin!
If you would like this kit then leave us a comment and we will pick a winner after the NEC.
The winner of our Advent owl calendar is…..
Patricia Lucy
Aww this is just adorable :-)
Thank you to every one that left us a super comment, Patricia please email Bev bev.craftyribbons@gmail.com with your address and she will get the owls in the post to you.
Have a great week everyone.
Quick update
04/11/2014
Good morning everyone, just a quick post to say “Hi”.
Tony and I had a wonderful time in Dublin, the Irish ladies were delighted to see us back.
It was great to hear the appreciation for our ribbons.
We have not been to Ireland for 5 years, so almost ALL the ribbons on the stand were new.
The only downside………it is such a long way to travel.
Our alarm went off at 6am yesterday morning, and I plonked my bum down on our sofa at home at 7.45pm!!
We off loaded the stand last night as the girls wanted to start restocking the stand early.
I can hear the buzz from my office, I have heard a few grumbles that I brought back a messy stand!
And that I could have tried harder on Sunday to put everything right….I do hope it is all in jest.
If all goes to plan, the stand will be back on the lorry tonight for it’s journey up to the NEC tomorrow.
Yes it is time for Hobbycraft at the NEC………anyone coming to see me?
You can not miss our stand, it is right up at the front of the show as normal.
That’s it me for today……..
Ali x
Come and see our Christmas tree in Dublin
29/10/2014
Good morning to you all from Dublin.
Tony and I arrived here late last night for The Knitting and Stitching show.
So today is set up day, hopefully it will not take much longer then normal to set up the stand.
I fancy a little retail therapy in the fine city of Dublin.
We have lots of new goodies to share with our Irish customers, whom we are sure will be delighted with our return to their country.
It has been 5 years, we know lots of you have missed us.
Tony received a wonderful email from a lady to say “I have heard a rumour that Crafty Ribbons are coming to Dublin again. Dare I hope it is true”
Isn’t that wonderful to be thought of like that.
This is one of the new items I have made since Ally Pally - there have been a few!
I have turned it into a card kit, but sorry I have not found time to put it on the website……………ummmm I also loaded all the made stock onto the lorry for Dublin. Sorry.
I will try and keep you posted of our Irish adventures while we are away. I struggle with writing blog posts while away, so please do follow us on Facebook here.
Time to leave for work – the stand needs building.
Have a great week everyone.
What do you think……..and Friday FREEBIE
24/10/2014
Do you like my Advent Calendar?
would you like a closer look at the numbered pockets?
What about number 5?
Yes you are correct they are ribbon…………..
These are my EUREKA ribbons!
62mm white grosgrain printed with our Christmas Owls.
We think they are adorable and are totally unique.
There is no ribbon like these anywhere. The idea came to me while eating a sandwich.
A friend said to me“What was in your sandwich Ali?”
The ribbons are a delight to work with.
You can either use them as a ribbon, or there is room to cut them to make individual pockets.
You can use the ribbons on their own here. They come in two lengths pocket numbers 1– 12 and 13-24 or…………
You can buy the kit here.
I have been planning this kit, since designing the ribbons. The kit comes complete with all the ribbons, buttons and felt, all you have to add is basically thread. I believe that it could be made with just glue alone if you are not a sewer, apart from the blanket stitch around the outside.
Pippa and Percy are so popular, that I just had to use them for this EURKA ribbon.
WOW! I really am excited by this ribbon we hope you are too.
Please leave us a comment and you could win one of our kits.
The winner of our Mini Santa Cushion Kit is…………….
Jenny Budden
love that mini Santa and I know a little girl who would love to make him, she loved making owls last year and if anything he's even cuter xxx
Congratulations Jenny, please email bev.craftyribbons@gmail.com with your address.
Big thanks to everyone that left us a comment.
Phew it has been a busy couple of evenings getting this Advent Calendar stitched…….
……but I think it was worth it.
EUREKA delight
23/10/2014
They arrived!
Did you hear the squeals?
These four cartons contain 2 ribbon designs.
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Yep only two designs.
But they are my EUREKA ribbons.
I have been crafting with them all evening……………
….and early this morning 
…..oooh they are delightful……yummmy…..adorable………
Watch this space, you have NEVER seen ribbons like this before.
Hello wednesday–Santa and mini Santa
22/10/2014
Brrrr it has gone cold.
Not a chance of the office heating going on until November.
Not when the boss is still walking around in shorts!!
If nothing else it is getting us into the Christmas spirit.
These Basics 2 Go white buttons have made todays Hello wednesday project.
Could not have done it without them!
This is a full size Santa cushion.
I used a pre made red cushion and just added the details.
I got rather paranoid about my fried egg cushion, so decided I needed to make another idea for the stand.
What do you think? Will this be mistaken for anything?
All the office girls fell in love with Santa………………
……….….so………………….
I made a mini Santa cushion.
The mini one is a kit.
Would anyone like one?
Leave me a comment and I will pick a winner on Friday.
You can find the white buttons here and the mini Santa Cushion is here.
Today should be the day – my Eureka ribbons should, and I repeat should be with us today.
So if you hear a massive squeal you know its me!!!
Advent bunting and fried eggs
17/10/2014
I have been to assembly this morning, school assembly.
It was Mollie’s year to take assembly this morning and she invited uncle T and myself.
It was very sweet, they all wore sun glasses and sang a rap song. Somewhat different to my assembly memories!
We had some rather disappointed ladies at Ally Pally on Sunday 
.
We had sold out of our Advent Bunting kit – sorry.
I have now added it to our kit range, and we will have new stock in on Monday.
You can find it here
The winner of our last Friday FREEBIE is……..
Jo Macgregor
Love this advent bunting! Perhaps they're checking for any little pressies left behind?!!!
Congratulations Jo you have one of this “hot” selling kits! Please email bev.craftyribbons@gmail.com with your address.
Thank you to everyone for giving me reasons for why customers were putting their fingers into the pockets.
I tried to be more accommodating on the stand last week 
rather then giving Paddington Bear stares!!!
We do hear some wonderful things on the stand, some we have a good giggle over.
Early Sunday morning, I overheard a lady talking to her friends about fried eggs, strange to have them on cushions…….
Her friend looked up at my display, smiled and replied that she must have her fat too high, if her whites curled up around the edges!!
Yes they were talking about my Daisy Daisy cushion.
Have a great weekend all, doing anything nice?
hello wednesday–love Santa x
15/10/2014
Hello everyone, how you all doing?
I am doing just fine thanks, still some tiredness from the Ally Pally show but that will soon go.
We sold out of this ribbon at the show.
Not a new ribbon, it was one of the first ribbons I designed, way back!
But it was the first time I had this heart on the stand.
Just a simple felt heart, blanket stitched around the edge.
It has the Happy Christmas Santa image on the front and the Love Santa x image on the back.
Find the ribbon here.
I wonder how many of these hearts will be hanging on Christmas trees this year.
A spooky Hello wednesday
08/10/2014
Good morning everyone.
In a bit of a rush this morning.
The first day of The Knitting and Stitching show today,
and the first time it has opened on a Wednesday.
If you are coming to see us then you will see this on our stand.
Wish us luck.
Have a great week.
Friday FREEBIE and EUREKA ribbons
03/10/2014
I am a really excited bunny.
You should have seen me a few moments ago when I opened up my emails.
I was even bouncing up and down on my chair.
It was quiet at Exeter around lunch time on Sunday.
So, as our stand is on the perimeter of the show, I sneaked around the back to eat my sandwich.
While round there munching away, I had a EUREKA moment!
No idea where it had come from, but by the time my sandwich had been consumed I had everything worked out.
Tony must know me so well, as I came back on the stand, he looked at my face and said “How much is it going to cost me?”
I spent all day Monday designing my EUREKA moment and sent it to the factory.It was beyond anything they had ever done for us before, so I did not want them to say no before they had seen the design.Thinking that if they saw it, and realised that I had taken a long time working on it, they would find a way of producing it.
This mornings email confirmed they would produce two SUPER sized ribbon molds……………
…….and they have found a production slot for me.
We are already on re-prints of some of the new Christmas ribbons and they have tagged these EUREKA ones onto that run.
I am sooooooo excited.
I wish I could tell you more, but then it would not be a surprise!!!
Back down to earth Ali.
Do you remember my advent bunting?
Well I turned it into a kit for Exeter and we SOLD OUT. Hooray.
(I must ask something – why do people have to put their fingers into the ribbon pockets?
Tony and I found it interesting, there is nothing in the pockets, and it is obviously a pocket – what are they looking for?
Any ideas, can you enlighten us? Please.)
The kit comes with full instructions with photos, tag ribbons, advent ribbon and the bias binding.
All you have to provide is the fabric and the thread.
Would you like one? If yes then please leave us a comment and we will pick a winner after Ally Pally.
If you are coming to see us in London, do not worry, Rachie is making another batch of Advent Kits today.
The winner of the last Friday FREEBIE is Fiona Macdougall
I'm just about to finish one advent calendar and starting on my wall hanging! Excited by Christmas. Not long now :P
Congratulations Fiona and thank you for joining in. Please email Bev bev.craftyribbons@gmail.com with your address.
Huge thanks to everyone that left us a comment, we do love reading them.
Have a great weekend, I am expecting a delivery today – ribbon of course oooh and NEW!
my basket