Happy New Year

I would like to wish everybody a very Happy New Year. I wish you all good health and prosperity during this coming year. May 2011 bring us all good joy.

With best regards

Lynn xx

See You All Next Week

Have a very Merry Christmas, Everybody.

I am about to go off and play Santa Claus, before going and putting my feet up.

I will be back in here on Wednesday.

With love from Lynn x

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year
from
Lynn and The Girls

Hi Everybody

Well, this is different from our normal newsletter, isn't it? To say we have been having a problem, over the past few weeks, with our website and email, would probably be the understatement of the year!!

Thanks to the lovely Karen, though, things are now being sorted - but it does mean that I am having to get used to a different newsletter system, thats the bad news!, the good news is that more of you should be receiving this. More of you can sit and read my ramblings!!

Can you believe that the end of the year is coming around again, so fast? It seems like only yesterday I was sending out the last Christmas wish. And what a busy year it has been.

We had the birth of Freyja earlier in the year, which was wonderful - Ruth got a pink grandchild at last and Catherine got a daughter to dress up!! The on-line shop went live around this time (www.themulberry-bush.com), which gave added fun for Catherine. Between Freyja and the website, Catherine has been kept very busy with both her babies growing by the minute.

Tracy opened her shop, with Karen, down in Plymouth. We had the Retreat in early October (that was such fun!).

And then, of course, we had the birth of our baby - only this one is growing faster than anything I have ever seen and you cannot contain him in a playpen!! I am talking about Buzz, our new Labrador, who was 6 months old yesterday and makes a shire horse look small!!

I am not sure who is the most mischievious, Buzz or Bridie. He is certainly keeping us all on our toes. Poor Kip (our old Lab) is definately not impressed and we have had to change our Christmas decorations this year, the tree is up high on a unit so that Buzz does not pull it to pieces.

It will be fun on Boxing Day, when Jet and Helen arrive. Jet, presents and Buzz. Hmmm....I don't think any snoozing on the sofa will be going on in our house!!

What else has gone on this year? We have had workshop, demonstrations, shows - so much going on and all too much to mention. Our workshops this term fizzled out at the end, mainly due to the weather and everybody being busy, but we did finish it with a wonderful demonstration of the Efcolor Enamelling System with guest demonstrator, Fiona Jones.

And here we are again, back to another Christmas and it is going to be a white one!! How wonderful.

So onwards and upwards into 2011, but first I had better mention when we will be closed and open over the Christmas period:

24th December - 9.30 'til 1pm (closing early!)
25th until the 28th December closed - feet up, wine flowing!
29th December - open 11 'til 3pm (see SALE details)
30th December - open 11 'til 3pm (see SALE details)
31st December 'til 5thJanuary CLOSED for Stock Taking (yuk!!)
6th January all back to normal (hooray!!)

Did you see the mention of a SALE? Yes, we are having a two day sale!!!! There will be 25% off of all Christmas stock (get yourself sorted for next year!) and 10% off of all Jo Sonja's stock, 50% off of the decoupage sheets (including the Paper Nations), and an extra 10% discounts on the rubber mounted stamps.

Also I will be running a prize draw - if you come into the shop and let me know how many times I mentioned the word 'Christmas' in this email, your name will be put into a draw to win a Photo Storage Case, priced in the shop at £12.99!!

Now for next years workshops. The new brochure is available, Joanna has done another wonderful job on it. We have got copies in the shop and it will be available from the new website once we have learnt how to upload information!!

We have got some new classes starting in January and a new pricing set up for the beading classes, so read it very carefully.

There are two things that have not been mention in the brochure. One is the Parchment Club on a Thursday afternoon. There was a slight blip a few weeks ago when we thought it would be closing, but I am pleased to say that the Ladies are going to be keeping going with it. So Thursday afternoon, 1 'til 3, is still Parchment Club.

Secondly, on the 22nd January we will be having an Enamelling Workshop with the lovely Fiona Jones at the helm (check out Fiona's work at http://www.projects4crafters.co.uk/)

Fiona came to demonstrate the enamelling a few weeks ago and has agreed to come back to run a workshop. Again, the full details will be on the website in the next week or so, but basically it will be from 10am 'til 1pm. Fiona will teach you for the first hour or so and the next two hours will be play time. The guarantee is that you will go home with a minimum of 5 completed pieces of enamelling. The cost will be £20 and places are limited. So email or call me to book yourself in.

After the workshop has finshed, Fiona is going to sit in the Bead Shop and demonstrate the use of Fimo for making beads and embellishments.

So maybe it would be worth bringing your packed lunch on that day!!!

What else? Well I think I have written myself to pieces and bored you all for long enough. It is time I went and finished making the Christmas pressies for everybody. If you did not make yourself a drink before you started reading this, you probably are desperately in need now!!

So have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Come and see me next week. Remember to count the Christmas words!!!

With love and best wishes

Lynn and the Girls. x

Jo Sonja's paints and Napkins!

Look at this stunning bag made by Maria who runs our Jo Sonja Workshops each month. She has used Jo Sonja's paints and mediums together with napkins on what started as a plain canvas bag.

Maria has decorated the bag with a stamp from her craft room and some rhinestones for the bling effect!

If you would like to know how to decorate your household objects, bags etc. why not join our Jo Sonja Workshops run by Maria (on the 2nd Saturday of each month), starting again in the New Year.

Don't worry if you can't make a Saturday, there will be a mid week Jo Sonja Workshop run by Lynn, so check out the new workshop calender which should be out by the New Year.

Efcolor Enamelling System

Joanna asked me to write some words about our Efcolor enamelling demonstration that was held last Saturday, but I disappeared and had a few days off – so it has taken a little while to get it sorted out. I am sorry.

We had the lovely Fiona Jones come along and demonstrate the versatility of the Efcolor.


It is so simple to use and is fantastic for making jewellery, embellishments and all sorts. Fiona had a range of examples that she has made. They included the gorgeous Gecko, which she has used to decorate the front of a notebook.

Fiona showed the enamelling being done on mountboard and chippies as well as the copper blanks. She also showed how you could add pieces to the enamelling to give textures as well as patterns.

A great day was had and we managed to eat many mince pies as well as drinking much mulled wine.

So this weekend I am going to be making loads of last minute Christmas pressies all with an enamelled theme.

Have a great weekend. See you all soon.

Lynn x

Decorated Platter with Jo Sonja's paints

If you are stuck for last minute ideas for Chrismas gifts why not visit the shop and see what items you could decorate for your friends and family.

Lynn has decorated this lovely platter using Jo Sonja's acrylic paints and mediums together with napkins.

If you pop into the shop, we have a huge amount of napkins that you can purchase, together with lots of wooden shapes and articles.

If you need some advice and ideas to get you started, chat to Lynn who will be more that happy to advise you exactly what products you need to decorate your project.

Latest Newsletter

Hello Everyone

I hope you have all kept safe during this all this cold weather. Can you believe it? I know that we (technically) are in the Winter, but did we have to have the snow this soon? And, so I understand, we are only going to get a very quick respite of warm weather before the ice and snow comes back. Ho hum!! Still it will soon be Christmas and if we ask Rachel nicely, she will tell us EXACTLY how many minutes we have got to go.

This newsletter is going to be another quick one. For those of you that have been in the shop recently, you will know that we have been having issues with our website server. This has resulted in us nearly loosing our database. The site has just been re-instated, but we are not sure how long for. So I am trying to get this out before it dies again.

I am going to start with the important business, because I am running short of time to let you all know.
I should have got this information out to you last week but, when I tried originally writing this, the website was not working - so I am sorry that it is a bit late. Anyway, here goes: We are launching our new product range - The Efcolor Enamelling system. It is fantastic. I have had such fun with it. Because I think it is such great fun and I think you all will like it, I have arranged for Fiona Jones to come to the shop to demonstrate the system.

Fiona, the author of Papercraft Weekend Workbook, has just launched a new website http://www.projects4crafters.com and she is the UK demonstrator of Efcolor Enamelling System. Indeed, some of you might have met Fiona at the NEC last month or when she visited us couple of years ago.

Fiona will be with us this Saturday, the 11th December from 10am 'til 4pm. She will be demonstrating the Enamelling system and she will have details of the Enamelling workshop that she will be running, for us, later in January.

Enamelling is a great technique for all crafters. It is a good way to make very individual pendants for your jewellery making, it is great for making individual embellishments for the Cardmaking and for scrapbooking. If you are not sure, look at the projects Fiona has put on her website http://www.projects4crafters.com/userimages/Enamelling(2043211).htm

The other new thing that we have in the shop is Fimo – I know it probably is not new to you, but it is to us!! At the moment we just have the colour blocks in and, in time, we will be getting in the tools required for playing with it.

Also, remember that it is the final Jo Sonjas Saturday workshop for this year. 1pm until sometime hours later up in the workshop. Ideal place for making the last few Christmas pressies.

For those of you that are waiting for the new workshop list, it will be out soon. Joanna has been working on it, but she now needs some input from me before she can finish it. I will try to get it sorted over the weekend.

Also, watch the blog for the Christmas closure times. Basically, I will be closing up shop at lunchtime on Christmas Eve. I will open the shop from 11am ‘til 3pm on the 29th & 30th December (Wednesday and Thursday), then we will be closed until the 6th January. Watch out for some special offers occurring on the 29th and 30th. Further details will be on the blog. http://www.flutterbycraftsberkshire.blogspot.com/

There is probably a lot more that I can say, but I need to get this out while the website is still viable.
Have a wonderful weekend and remember to come to eat a mincepie with us on Saturday (oh, and watch Fiona!!)

With regards

Lynn and the Girls

Website Problems

Hi Everybody

Just a quick hi-jack of the blog.

We are experiencing a problem with the server that runs our website, as a result our website is not working at the moment. The lovely Karen is trying to rectify this as we speak. Whatever happens we will be having a new website sometime in the near future.

In the meantime, if you keep in touch with the blog you will be kept up to date with things that are going on at the shop.

Tallking of which, remember that it is Mince Pies and Punch this Saturday (11th December) and while you are partaking of said tasty treat you can watch Fiona demonstrating the new enamelling system. How wonderful is that!?!

See you all on Saturday.

Lynn x

Napkins and Jo Sonja paints

We have some lovely wooden monograms in the shop at the moment and they are perfect for decorating using your Jo Sonja paints and napkins. With the addition of embellishments such as pearls, flowers and ribbons they would make a gorgeous Christmas gift.

Catherine has decorated this lovely wooden HOME monogram with napkins, of which we have a huge selection available in the shop.

Here above, is a close up photo of the crackle she has created using Jo Sonja paints and mediums.

The wooden monograms we currently have in our shop are BABY, HOME, LOVE and our latest delivery, NOEL.

We would love to see your NOEL creations, so why not drop them into the shop and we will showcase them here on the blog.

If you would like to order through our on-line shop take a look here.

Mince Pies & Punch with some Cold Enamelling

What more could you want?

Hi Everybody,

I am hi-jacking the blog because I cannot get onto the website to get a newsletter sent out. I think Karen (the web Lady) is trying to force me to make a decision about the new website and she has stopped the old website from working. Ok, but it means that I cannot send out newsletters.

Karen - I promise I will pull my finger out.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know about next weekend.

We are launching our new product range - The Efcolor Enamelling system. It is fantastic. I have had such fun with it. Because I think it is such great fun and I think you all will like it I have arranged for Fiona Jones to come to the shop to demonstrate the system.

Fiona, the author of Papercraft Weekend Workbook, has just launched a new website http://www.projects4crafters.com and she is the UK demonstrator of Efcolor Enamelling System. Indeed, some of you might have met Fiona at the NEC last month or when she visited us couple of years ago.

Fiona will be with us next Saturday, the 11th December from 10am 'til 4pm. She will be demonstrating the Enamelling system and she will have details of the Enamelling workshop that she will be running, for us, later in January.

Enamelling is a great technique for all crafters. It is a good way to make very individual pendants for your jewellery making, it is great for making individual embellishments for the Cardmaking and for scrapbooking. If you are not sure, look at the projects Fiona has put on her website http://www.projects4crafters.com/userimages/Enamelling(2043211).htm

So, come and have a look. Be prepared to love it. Enjoy a Mince Pie and a glass of hot punch (non-alcoholic, because if I cannot partake in the hard stuf, neither can you!!!)

See you there, next Saturday.

Lynn x

ps We, also, now stock Fimo!!! Does your fun never end?!?!?

Beaded Christmas Bauble

Here is the Beaded Christmas Bauble that Ruth designed for last Tuesday's class. It's beautiful and quite easy to make.

Sorry, the photo doesn't do it justice because I couldn't avoid getting my reflection on the bauble whilst I was photographing it! However, if you pop into the bead shop you will see how stunning it really is.

Scraps of ribbon

You may remember an earlier post here, when Lynn made a card decoupaging ribbon. Well, she pondered over what to do with the left over bits of ribbon.

Now, Lynn like most crafters does not like to waste anything so, she came up with these quick cards using some of her scraps.

If you still need some Christmas embellishments such as these Die Cut Banners in silver and gold, and don't want to venture out in the car please take a look and make the most of our on-line shop.