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Friday FREEBIE 22

28/05/2010

Like I said yesterday I can not believe it is Friday already, where has the week gone, I must be getting old, days and weeks used to go on forever, now they seem to dissapear with the blink of an eye.

Oh well at least we enjoy Fridays! Why? Because we have

You are very welcome to take any of our Crafty Ribbons buttons from the side bar, just right click and copy. Please spread the word about our Friday FREEBIE - Be in it, to win it!

I have been sitting here wondering what ribbon delights we can give as this weeks Friday FREEBIE - I have not played with many ribbons this week, and yesterday I did not even touch a ribbon!! Shock, horror will I survive?

I have choosen a selection of plain grosgrain ribbons, each one lovingly stroked by me (this morning), different widths and colours, bursting with texture. So do you want to get your sticky mitts on MY hand picked grosgrain ribbons? YES! Well leave a comment below - simple. Come on please leave a comment, we love comments! If we get more than 50 comments then I will hand pick a second grosgrain collection, so it could be two Friday FREEBIES -it's all up to YOU!

We will pick the winner on Tuesday due to the Bank Holiday. Please do check back on Tuesday to see if you have won, we DO NOT contact the winners, it is up to you to find out. We still have 2 prizes unclaimed from Friday FREEBIE 21 - could it be YOU? Have a look and please contact us on craftyribbons@gmail.com

Normal blurb - If your comment is being blocked by our spam filters please email the comment to us here craftyribbons@gmail.com and we will add it for you. Your email address will then be verified and you will be able to leave further comments without any hassle.

Another two collections of Full Bloom Challenge cards for you today. The first 3 are by Tracey and Paul the 'Crafty Pair'.

This a very simple but elegant card Tracey and Paul, the ribbon really stands out as the focal point on the card. I like people to notice ribbon!

Gorgeous colours, and the ribbon matches the cat stickers perfectly, what a handsome couple.

Oooh this one is different, rather than cutting this ribbon up and using the ribbon squares, Tracey and Paul have mimicked the square theme with their embelishments - very clever.

Linda has used the same ribbon as above but cut out the ribbon squares and teamed it up with a delightful stamped birthday verse. The side ribbon pulls the design together, quite stunning Linda.

I was intrigued to see how this leaf ribbon would be used, it comes in white and olive. Linda has used it just how I planned, for a wedding card (these ribbons are part of my Wedding Collection, but as yet unphotographed and sat in the warehouse! - sorry). Perfect Linda, maybe you have inspired me to get a move on, or I will miss the season!!! All the ribbons you have seen can be found in our Full Blooms Collection HERE. Don't worry if I have not shown your challenge goodies yet I still have a big pile to share with you all.

Have a totally fantastic Bank Hoilday weekend, I hope you have lots of fun trips planned - I'm thinking of the sea again, maybe Portland Bill with a barbie watching the sun go down. Must remember to take a cushion this time, those Portland rocks are HARD!!!

Full Bloom - Part 1

26/05/2010

It has been like having my birthday all over again today - I have been ripping open envelopes and boxes like a woman possessed!! We have some beauties for you over the next few days, this challenge certainly brought out the sunshine in you all!

We keep losing our broadband today, so this post is being written in batches, no problem to me. But Rachie and Bev and the order dept have been going crazy, the air is almost blue!! OH there is nothing BT can do to help, all their land lines are busy and they are suggesting we log onto their website - WE WOULD IF WE COULD!

Anyway here goes with the first picture, lets see how long it takes to load.

Oh what a princess, isn't she adorable. Natalie used the ribbon as a backing paper, yes the pink section with the white daisies is a ribbon. Very clever, we think it has worked well.

She looks just as pretty in yellow too Natalie. Same technique of using ribbon as paper.

Sorry I am having to give up on this post for today, the internet connection is so poor, it has taken me hours to load these two photos.

I will be back tomorrow - BT willing!!!

Fantastic Day

25/05/2010

I had a totally fantastic day, it was just wicked. I will tell you all about it after this....

Friday FREEBIE Winners. Sam helped me pick the winners this week from the top of his slide. I go away from the office for a day and a NEW toy arrives!!!

The lucky winners of the bags of spots are...

7. Sherry - "I only found your blog this week due to a fellow blogger (thanks Jan!) I love all your tutorials and have already added your button to my blog. Thanks for the opportunity of winning some of your delicious ribbons. I love your flowery flip flops - and happy birthday for Monday."

11. Noreen - "Wow, fab tutorial. Spots without being infectious, or itchy sounds fab. Have a great, summery weekend & a wonderful birthday!"

22. Ali - Oh dear, it's seem to be my lucky day -I have picked my own number!!!!! I will forget my number and keep on counting.

22. Jude - "i'm obsessed with these! how lush are they?! I neeeeeeeeeeeeeds them in my life..pretty please?"

31. Pam - "I can see spots before my eyes - ha ha. Would love to win these gorgeous ribbons."

Well done girls to claim your bag of spotty ribbons please leave a comment and send you address to craftyribbons@gmail.com. Everyone left such wonderful comments and thank you so much for my birthday wishes, I had a very special weekend and it was topped with a surprise day out. I had no idea that anything was planned, I just got told to be ready for 9am SHARP!

I tried every trick in the book to find out where we were going, asking leading questions, poking around for little hints, but Tony was giving nothing away. Bev told me I would need a pair of wellies and Rachie reckoned I was heading to the NEC - all I knew was that we had to drive for 3hours and 15mins.

My mind was racing I wanted to know - Tony kept on taking wrong turns and going all the way round roundabouts trying to stop my little grey cells working overtime. In the end it was obvious we were heading towards Cornwall.

We ended up here. Anyone recognise it?

After a walk round Padstow harbour, I was escorted to.... (I had an idea but should I spill the beans and spoil the surprise?)

...The Sea Food Restaurant - Rick Steins OH WOW!!!! We had a exquisite lunch. oh the fish, it was just amazing - a Birthday to remember. It was all down to this man.....

......My Tony - he will go mad when he reads this and sees the photo, but it was MY BIRTHDAY

Surprise!

24/05/2010

Just a very quick note, I am whisking Ali away for the day. She has no idea where I am taking her it is a total surprise. She will do the Friday FREEBIE draw tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

Tony

Friday FREEBIE 21

21/05/2010

Wow it's Friday again, what a busy week we have had with all those blooms. We have no flowers or blooms for this weeks Friday FREEBIE, but a bag of spots - no they are not contagious!!

The spots are in.....

.....Bev's NEW Ribbon Bag. It's my birthday on Monday and I will be hummmcough4th, as a birthday special we are giving away 4 Bev's Bags for this weeks Friday FREEBIE prizes. So 4 prizes up for grabs, all you have to do for a chance to win, is leave a comment - simple.

I have the last of our ribbon blooms from Flower Week - A Bloom A Day. I have been struggling to come up with a name for this flower. I saw it being demonstrated at Version Scrap in Paris a few weeks back, not understanding what they were saying I just had to watch and take it all in! They were making smaller versions for scrapbook pages, so would be suitable for cards, just use narrower ribbon.

I do take the strangest things out for a walk with me. Tony thought we went to the beach yesterday, for a stroll and take in the fresh salty air - narrrrrgh I wanted to take a photo!!!

As you guys know I am not a card maker, so I like to make different things, as Bev told me they are "Deffo different", she did add that they were wicked and fun - just perfect for the beach.

As I have no idea what the real name for this creation is I have decided to call it Mille Feuille Bloom - (thousand layer Bloom)

Mille Feuille Bloom

1. Gather the bits you will need - scissors, clothes pegs or bull dog clips and 23mm sheer ribbon in different colours, I used 3 cream, pink and purple. These ribbons are going onto the site later today.

2. Cut the ribbon into 17cm lengths you need 30 of these. Plus cut two extra pieces at about 30cm. All of these are for one shoe.

3. Layer the ribbons ontop of each other, mix the colours as you go. Hold in place with a peg.

4. Repeat on the other end - you should only have the two longer lengths of ribbons left.

5. Lay the stack of ribbon over the flip flop and tie in place with 1 of the longer lengths. Tie a second knot to secure.

6. Repeat step 5 with the last piece of ribbon , you want the knots to form a cross.

7. Pin back the two centre ties, so that you are left free to work on one of the ribbon stacks.

8. Pin the stack you are working on to the side of the flip flop, leaving the bottom two ribbons free.

9. With these two ribbons tie a knot, just a single knot but pull it quite tightly.

10. Continue to tie two ribbons at a time from the bottom until you only have 3 ribbons remaining from the first ribbon stack.

11. Swap to the second ribbon stack and repeat the process until you have only 3 ribbons left.

11. You should have 3 ribbons from each side that have not been knotted. Take the bottom ribbon from each side and knot together. Repeat with the other two pairs.

12. Gather all the ribbons up in one hand, you will notice that they are different lengths. While still holding them together, give them a hair cut! so they look all the same.

13. Finished Mille Feuiille Bloom.

What am I going to do with my self all next week, without any blooms to make - that's easy. The parcels have started to arrive for the Full Bloom Challenge so I will have lots to show you all.

Have a FANTASTIC weekend, the weather is meant to be wonderful (will see). The girls have invited me out to a birthday bash so can not wait.

Spotty Dottie

18/05/2010

We all know that Bev is Dottie! There is nearly always a spot or polka dot ribbon in one of the Bev's Ribbon Bags - BUT this time.......

....she has gone Spotty Dottie!!!!!

ALL the ribbons in the NEW Bev's Ribbon Bag have spots or dots on them. 16mtrs of dots, all for the bargain price of £5.00 - that would make anyone go dottie!!!

Syd and Sam are still poorly, so Bev is at home looking after 2 sick babies. Poor Bev!! Get better soon Syd and Sam we need mummy back at work.

Friday FREEBIE 20

14/05/2010

We are serving up a delish Friday FREEBIE dish for you today....

....from the menu we have choosen a little selection of ribbon goodies to tempt your taste buds. A whole roll of pink taffeta ribbon with a delicate woven diamond design. A small portion of seed beads for that extra bit of bite, infusion stripe ombre in the rose petal flavour, a sprinkling of gingham in 5mm and 10mm mixed together with a little LOVE and then the piece de resistance - a Crafty Moments ribbon card. O.K. I know I am a little mad, but hey ho ribbon is FUN!

To win this Friday FREEBIE Plat de jour (dish of the day), you have to leave a ribbon comment, go on make my day - prove to my team that I am not the only nutty ribboner out there!!! We will pick the winner on Monday from our "Bingo" Bag. BUT don't worry I will keep all the ribbons in the fridge over the weekend to make sure they do not go off!!!!

Please spare a thought for poor Rachie today - she has drawn the short straw and is working with meeeeeeee. All part of my MISSION.......

.....this consignment of ribbon arrived in February, and..... that's it..... it arrived..... but we have done nothing with it. It has become a fixed partition in the warehouse, we walk round it and it is even being used to stack crates on. We have all got so used to the box wall that I think we have forgotten that the boxes are full of ribbon!!!

Well today Rachie and I are going to attack the WALL, we are going in! What will we find? What had I ordered?

Ooooh I am so excited.

If you get a spare moment have a look at the Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge blog - you could win a bunch of ribbons!

or if you want to go on a blog hop then try out the NEW Cowgirl's Sunday Challenge blog (details in the side bar)

It all kicks off this Sunday, so have fun hopping!

On a mission

13/05/2010

No more shows or exhibtions until end of September, phew. But what am I going to do with myself - Well I am on a MISSION!

You see this.....

....it is our warehouse.

"So what?" I hear you say - well it is bursting with ribbon. We have had deliveries over the last few months that we have not even unpacked, we are just raiding from the boxes. The problem is the warehouse, we are bursting at the seems and running out of space. I suggested to Tony that he buys me another warehouse. Sorry, I can not print what his reply was!!!! I think I have an addiction - honest I just cannot stop buying beautiful, soft, drop dead gorgeous ribbon.

My MISSION is simple (it's simple if you say it quickly) - to put ALL the ribbons we have in the warehouse onto the website. Simple - think not!

I have started, you may even have noticed.

Four NEW ranges for May - Full Blooms - 40mm Grosgrain - 15mm Sheer - 25mm Grosgrain, but lots of other ribbons are being added here and there amongst all the other ranges - just keep a look out for this

I have several more ranges planned for May, but I know I will get bored of computer work, so I have lined myself up with a treat for next week. I am going to be doing a bit of "playing with ribbons", have not done that for weeks, (well at least a day or two!)

This is all part of our "Tidy up Time" and I am really excited about what I may find. Just think when I have ALL the ribbons on the site I can buy LOTS MORE!!!

Off my trolley

12/05/2010

Another trolley full of ribbons.... whether you are looking for satin, sheer, wire edge or taffeta ribbon you will find them HERE.

We have also added NEW colours to our range of Ric Rac ribbon trim including gold, silver and opal you can find them HERE.

It is pouring with rain here in Dorset, I have been dithering for a while now, not wanting to get wet going to the car. I do really mean POURING, think there may be a thunderstorm on it's way.

That's it posting done, I am going to make a dash for the car.