Heres how to get free postage on your orders?  All you have to do is answer a simple question.

Each month we will set a question, the answer can be found somewhere in the previous months posts in the blog.  So here is December's question.... 

What did Ali make the Pick 'n' Mix Ribbon Embroidery Kits into for the Paris Exhibition? 

Enter the answer (all in lower case) into the voucher section on the website and the postage will be removed on all UK orders and will be reduced on overseas orders.

You can now have your orders sent by City Link Next Day Delivery.

So for all those urgent orders (you wouldn't think ribbon could be urgent - but it is!) you pay an extra £4.25 for this service. We MUST receive orders by 12 noon on the day of desptach.

Not sure about where you live but it has got really really cold in Dorset, so much so we did not open our big roll over doors today. Bev did the honours of picking this weeks Friday FREEBIE winner - that's if you can see her in her red coat in front of our red doors!

The lucky winner of our Friday FREEBIE is.....

23 - Tams

Well done Tams, all you have to do is claim your prize is to email us at info@craftyribbons.com with your address details.  Thank you to everyone who left wonderful messages, so pleased you like the new check ribbon as much as we do.

We have nearly cleared the back log of orders, so I am hoping tomorrow I will be able to go back to "my proper" job, of updating the website with NEW goodies and ribbons and to show everyone the last ribbon challenge projects. It's not that I don't like working in the packing dept, because I do - now that I have re-organsied everything!!!! It's just I have lots to share with you all - oh and my office is warm!

Till tomorrow......

Phew what a busy time we have been having, but with the weekend looming it must be Friday FREEBIE day!!

I have changed my mind on this weeks prize, I had something else lined up, BUT after playing with the Country Check ribbon that arrived in yesterday......

..... this ribbon is wicked, just look at the colours.  Red and white is such a classic Christmas combination and gives a real country Christmas feel.

So what's the prize? How about 10mtr of all the 4 widths - 10mtrs of 7mm, 10mtrs of 15mm, 10mtrs of 24mm and 10mtrs of 40mm, so you can have a true traditional Christmas look.

Wrap it around the banisters, hang christmas cards from it, tie up parcels, decorate garlands and swags - all you have to do to win this weeks Friday FREEBIE is to leave a comment - it's that easy!

We have 2 prizes unclaimed from last week, please send us your address so we can send the goodies to you.

I have several new goodies to share with you, as well as the last ribbon challenge cards and projects BUT we have a back log of orders and I have been put in the packing department AGAIN!!!!  By the end of today we hope to have caught up and be back on target - so please forgive us if you have had to wait a little longer for your orders over the past few weeks.

Do you want to create a traditional Country Christmas look this year?

Well you can with the charming Country Check red and white ribbon, which has only arrived in the warehouse today!

Look how the colours stand out against the green background of the ivy, this ribbon was made for Christmas!!

With 4 different widths to choose from 7mm, 15mm, 25mm and 40mm we are sure you will find a width for every job you have in mind.

We turned up on the stand on Saturday morning (after negotiating the Metro from the airport) to find Ali demonstrating Ribbon Embroidery with a crowd around her. We were both rather nervous, and had been practicing our little smattering of French, all the way across the channel!! But with so many French people around we came over all tongue tied and forgot everything!

Finally when Ali emerged from the stand she gave us an envelope each, tied up with ribbon – what is this? They were full of Euros – with a big hug she told us that we were not in Paris to work on the stand but to have some fun.  She told us to go and enjoy the show, have lots of fun and spend the money.  Wow Wee!!!!

So we did! We spent Saturday at the show, and what a wonderful show it was. We went on every stand, looked, touched and just soaked up the atmosphere.  Every so often we popped back to the stand with espresso coffee for Ali and Tony, we had exhibitor passes so could go into the exhibitors lounge and make our own, that would be cool for Hobbycrafts at the NEC!

By late afternoon we were shattered so went back to the hotel for a rest, we were shopped out! Once our energy had returned, we went back for another visit. Finally the show closed and we went for a delightful “French” meal.

Sunday a quick trip to the show to buy a few extra bits, then we ventured into Paris to see the sights!  Bet you cannot guess where our first port of call was?

Yep the Eiffel Tower. It was unbelievable,we went all the way to the top, although it was rather windy.

Next had to be the Champs Elysees for a little bit more retail therapy!  To our surprise there were little chalets lining the street and it was a proper “French Market”, awesome.  We had so much fun.  Ali and Tony joined us back at the Trocadero for a meal and to wait for the 9pm Eiffel Tower new light show for it’s birthday. It was unreal, the changing colours were amazing– it lasted about fifteen minutes and was just wicked. Shame the photo’s do not do it justice.

Monday our last day, boo hoo.  Another look round the show, we had found a favourite stand (apart from Crafty Ribbons!!!) and wanted to buy a few extra goodies. After saying a tearful goodbye to Tony and Ali we made our way to Notre Dame, where we enjoyed a delightful lunch!!!  Before we knew it, we had to go back to the airport, we had left all our purchases with Ali, so nothing to carry.  She had given us strict instructions not to leave France with any euro’s – so we headed to the duty free shop!!!

Ali and Tony, what can we say, we both had a magical time, thank you so much we loved it.

Bev and Rachie x x

Oh La la  - we forgot to pick the winners of our Friday FREEBIE ribbon box winners yesterday.  Shhhhh don't tell Ali, she will be in later.

The winners are numbers....

5 - Claire Louise Clubb

25 - Cazzy

28  - Trish Lucey

Well done winners - all you have to do to claim your 3 ribbonboxes is to email info@craftyribbons.com with your address details.  Thanks to everyone who left wonderful comments, we have a super prize coming up for this weeks Friday FREEBIE, so don't forget to check back.

Rachie and I had a wonderful time in paris, will let you know ALL the details later, but I must rush back to the orders before Ali gets in!!!!

Bev x

Oh I am so excited its Friday, yes it Friday FREEBIE day, but tomorrow Rachie and I go to Paris!!!! We only have one more sleep left, poor Rachie has to be up at 4.30am to come and pick me up, so it is only really half a sleep!

Rachie and I were putting our heads together yesterday, picking this weeks prize for Friday FREEBIE - so what do you think of these?

If you have never seen these before they are our Ribbon Boxes and they are crammed with RIBBON!  There are 10 different colours in the range, and would make perfect Christmas prezzies for your crafty friends.  We have 3 prizes this week of 3 different ribbon boxes each.  All you have to do for a chance to win is..... leave us a comment. Easy

The office will be closed on Monday, (just incase you have forgotten, we are in Paris!) so we will pick the 3 lucky winners on Tuesday from our "Bingo" Bag.

Tony and Ali had a fantastic first day, Ali was very tired last night, it must be very difficult working in a country where you can not speak the language - I am sure Rachie and I will find out soon!

Have a fantastic weekend, we are taking our cameras with us, we are sure we will share a few piccys with you all.

Bev x

We hope you are all safe and sound and have not been blown away this weekend.  We arrived at the office this morning with loads of leaves all over the ground, it was a shame they were so wet, I love kicking up dry leaves, it's such fun!

Sydney did not want to pick a winner this week, so I got voted to do the honours, not often you get to see me, I am normally the one behind the camera!

The winner of the Friday FREEBIE Christmas ribbon prize is.....

5 - Charmaine Macedo

Well done Charmaine, if my memory serves me right this is your second win, lucky you.  Please can you email us your address at info@craftyribbons.com.  Thank you to everyone who left wonderful comments, we love them.

I have been working on a few new samples for the Paris show, Tony and I leave in a couple of hours to catch the night boat (hope the sea has calmed down!).

This is one of my creations, it uses our Pick n Mix Embroidery Kits, but I have turned it into a cushion rather than mounting it into a Frame.  I used blanket stich to sew it to the fabric then added gorgeous shell heart buttons. This is one of 5 different cushions I made over the weekend, fingers crossed the French ladies like them as much as the girls did.

That's me for the next week, I have made a big decision  (for me) not to take my laptop or my camera with me to Paris (Boo Hoo), I am so worried that they may go missing from the stand.  Better be safe than sorry.

Have a fantastic week, if you are at a loose end you can always come and visit me at Creations Savoir Faire - see you there.

WOW!! Where has this week gone?  One moment it is Monday and the next it's Friday!!

Things have just been manic in the warehouse this week, not sure what has happened but everybody in the world has decided to order ribbon this week!  As soon as we clear orders through the system, new ones come in.  Bev described it as like "groundhogday", she felt as if she was getting nowhere.

So here is a rather late Friday FREEBIE!

Chistmas ribbon is selling fast, we are sold out of several designs, and stocks are becoming limited on many more.  So before they all go - for this weeks Friday FREEBIE we have a wonderful selection of Christmas Ribbons PLUS a pack of WANT IT ALL Magic Cord, which comes with an instruction leaflet on how to tie these wicked bows.  All you need for a chance to win this prize is to leave a comment, and we will pull a number from our "Bingo Bag" on Monday, after lunch.

If you are worried that you have not received your Challenge Ribbons, please don't - they have not been sent out yet!  We have really been so busy this week, I have not known a week like it.  We have even roped in the help of Mums, Vicky's and Sarah's Mums have been bagging ribbon for us at home!! The girls found it very funny, they had me in the packing department, checking and packing orders.  I was so fed up with the way the envelopes and bags were all over the place, that I re-organised it - now everything is to hand and it's much quicker!! 

Have a great weekend, if you had your eye on a special ribbon to wrap your prezzies or go around your christmas cake, I suggest you get in quick!!

Cor it's turned chilly and that's not because we have been cutting snowflake ribbon!!  We are all wrapped up warm in coats and scarfs, apart from Sarah who is new to the warehouse.  This is her first winter with us, she is off shopping at the weekend to buy some fur boots and wool gloves.

The Friday FREEBIE winners have been picked from our "Bingo" bag, Syd was rather put out that everyone wanted to pick a number!

The winners of the Bev's NEW Snowflake Bag are.....

3 - Clare

5 - Lisa

9 - Margaret

13 - Leslie

16 - Liz Ford

23 - Ruthyb

Well done to the lucky winners, thank you all for your wonderful comments. We hope you will enjoy your snowflakes and that they do not melt in the post! Please can you email us at info@craftyribbons.com with your address details.

It is all go here today, as the office and warehouse were closed on Friday, the girls are trying to catch up.  Rachie and I have laid out the Paris stand, deciding what will go where. It is a different size to our UK stand, so nothing fits!!  I have designed a few new embroidery kits for the show and have been trying to persuade (twist a few arms!) the outwork girls to make them up in time.  The main problem is that I have embroidered the pictures BUT not written the instructions or got the raw materials in.  Not as if I have left things to the last minute...no not me!