Happy Families

Happy Birthday Mum.

Exhibition Time and more

Yes, it's that time of year again.  All around the country stitchers are furiously finishing pieces ready to hang in their end of course/term exhibitions.  Other committments have meant that we aren't able to attend some that we have previously supported, however there are two that I would like to recommend if it is at all possible for you to attend.

The first is that of Eastleigh College at the Cranbury Annexe.  It runs from Thursday to Saturday 2nd - 4th July.
Thursday 6pm - 9pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 1pm
Cranbury Centre, Cranbury Road, Eastleigh, SO50 5HG and there is a map here   It is within easy walking distance of the rail station.  Telephone 023 8032 2140
We have visited this exhibition for many years.  The standard is always high and it is well worth a visit.  Please note that there will not be a shop there on the Saturday.

The next event not to be missed is on Sunday 5th July.  Urchfont Manor are holding their annual Open Day.  Be warned, it will be well attended, and rightly so. 
This year Urchfont Manor is proudly hosting an Embroidery and Textile Open Day to showcase the work in a range of disciplines and to celebrate the City & Guilds Student Graduations.  Meet the Tutors and current Students and discover why studying at Urchfont Manor is so special.

All this and traders too.....  Open for 10am - 3pm, lunch is available if you would like it, and so too are other refreshments throughout the day.  Urchfont is just outside Devizes in Wiltshire and there is a map here

Did you know that historical Urchfont Manor now has it's own Wikipedia page?

On Monday 6th July the Embroiderers' Guild branch at Marlborough, also in Wiltshire, is hosting an Open Meeting at which Richard Box is the speaker.  This too comes highly recommended, especially as Richard is such a good speaker.  It will be well attended, so make sure you have a seat by arriving in good time.  The meeting starts at 2pm and more information about the venue can be found here. 

If you visit any of these events on a day that we are there don't forget to come along and introduce yourself.  You will find us on the Winifred Cottage stand, and you will see that we sell far more than is listed online.  If you can't manage to make a visit email for a price list to see how much more we sell.....

Rust Play Day

It isn't often that I get the chance to play

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But playing with rust always results in surprises.

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Sometimes they are subtle

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 Sometimes REALLY subtle

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 But sometimes........

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They are really dramatic.

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Local workshops coming in the autumn.  If you are interested - get in touch..

Are you a Twit?

Perhaps I should rephrase that!  Do you Twitter?  Yes, I have to confess that I do from time to time, and I have found it a very useful and interesting tool.  However, that is what it is - a tool, and it can also be a waste of time.  However, just how influential and rapid is it?  How long does it take for a tweet to get around the world, and does it matter if it does or doesn't?

Be part of a little experiment today.  If you are a twitterer already you will know what to do otherwise you will have to sign up and get started.  Today is gobbledytwitter day!  Go on, send some gobbledygook.  After all, isn't that what twitter is all about.......? Don't forget to mark you post  #gobbledytwitter 

How important is YOUR customer service?

I'm not sure how it happened, but I suddenly realised today that it is well over 37 years since I last bought anything with the Heinz label, and it will be at least another 37 years before I think about buying anything again. This thought suddenly brought home to me again how important a response to a complaint can be, and how important customers are to a business.

Now you may think that my response is petty, but I will tell you the tale. My daughter was still tiny and only eating a little solid food. At that time it was mostly pureed fruit and vegetables - apples, pears, carrots etc. Very rarely I would buy a readymade jar of Cow and Gate, but mostly it was freshly prepared. One day we visited a friend, and her also tiny daughter, and stayed longer than expected, so I had to 'make do' with a can of Heinz apple puree that was in her cupboard. We opened it and were shocked to find a not so small and perfectly formed spider nestling in the puree. A second can produced the required lunch, but we still had the evidence from the first. After lunch it was decided that we would write a letter to Heinz telling them about it, this we did, not sending the spider but preserving it carefully. The letter was sent on our way home.

It was a month before Heinz replied. They were sorry, but unable to do anything as we had not sent the said creature. The whole tone of the letter, quite frankly, said 'we don't believe you'. Together we wrote another letter, this time including the spider - it was still perfectly formed. Another month went by and we received another letter. It was a preprinted form containing all sorts of facts about how careful Heinz were to ensure that their products were safe etc, and finally at the bottom was a typed PS telling us that there was no need to worry, the object we had returned was only plant matter. For our trouble they enclosed a voucher for 5p, which, by the way, was less than the cost of a tin of their babyfood.

That was the day we both decided that we would never again purchase Heinz. I had a phone call from Sue today, and out of the blue this memory surfaced. We both laughed - and both admitted that we still don't buy anthing with a Heinz label. Sometimes you have to read the really small print to discover that Heinz are involved - but if it is there I will find it. My first son in law was a very fussy eater, everything was smothered in Ketchup, but as mine wasn't Heinz he wouldn't eat it. He would only eat Heinz soup - and beans (in fact, this was just about the total of his diet when he first came into our lives) I'm glad to say that he wasn't quite so fussy by the time he disappeared into another life.

So, I ask you - How important is YOUR customer service? Do customers count or do you just want their money. OK, Heinz may still be a big company, but they may have been bigger with our money too.....

Checking in!

Once again we have been through the most exhausting and busy time.  I'm glad to say, however, that we were able to take a few days off last week, and we went to our little Welsh hideaway.  Each morning I check the view from the back window, and this is rougly what I see.

 

Deep conversation is available only from the sheep!  It is absolute bliss.  We'll be back next year, in the meantime we are preparing for another busy time.  It starts later this week with a teaching session at Missenden Abbey.  Should be fun..... 

Another surprise - but not for me.....

I love buying from Etsy.  Look what arrived this morning.....

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Oh, too much flash.  Is it just the bubblewrap?

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Oh, isn't it pretty!  Let's look closer

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Hang on, there's something else....

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Yes, TWO packages

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Aren't those hearts pretty?

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They are so beautifully wrapped I almost don't want to open them...... but

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Here's the first one

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Lovely colours

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Yay!

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Egg cosies!  (No, they aren't lying on their side, Blogger won't stand them up at the moment....)

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What's in the next one?

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Just a hint...

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A beautiful nest, complete with eggs.

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And none of them are for me - they are all for grandchildren..

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Happy Easter, Chrissie, and thankyou.

You must check out her shop.  It's full of felty goodness.

Make your presents felt.