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My Blog
Bunting
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Bev: Posted on 13 January 2013 19:00
 I hope you all had a great Christmas break and that this newsletter finds you all well and raring to go... Well what a year 2012 was! Let's hope that 2013 can be just as good even though we haven't got the Jubilee or Olympics to look forward to - but we do have a Royal Baby on the way, so that's a good excuse to get the bunting out again..... What's new at mrs madden makes?
It's been quite quiet on the sewing front here at
mrs madden makes since Christmas but I have been having a good sort out of the sewing room and I can now see the floor again!! Oh, and I have re-found some fab fabrics that I forgot I had, so that's been a bonus..now how long will the tidiness last?
However November and December did see a hive of activity.....
 How do you like the new addition to my product range? Custom made applique "Cup Cake" Tote Bags
The new "Must-have" accessory for every lady with a baking apron! Great for all your bits and pieces, complete with pockets for your business cards and your name embroidered on the front - or any saying that you would like. Prices start at £35 + p&p - depending on the amount of embroidery you require. I am now taking orders for delivery the end of February onwards so if you are interested then please drop me an email with your colour scheme and wording and I will put some fabrics together for you to select from. The one in the picture was made for the lovely Louise at Cake-y-licious in Cheshire - so if you live in the area and are in the market for a celebration cake then do give her a call...  Also I can't believe how many embroidered tea towels I made last month! They made great stocking fillers and now I'm designing my next batch in time for Easter and Mother's Day......"Cup Cake Queen" was a favourite but take a look at these two above which were bespoke orders. They come complete with a tab to hang them up and are lovingly tied with pretty ribbons - a great gift A Collage of Customers!
 Well what a fab year we had for Customers of the Month in 2012 and how happy do they all look? And look how far and wide they came from? So who will be featured here this year and get to win a mrs madden makes voucher? A special little lady, who is a Deputy Cupcake Queen, is the first to be featured in 2013 and Philippa, her Aunt, who sent in the photo wins the voucher. Her favourite colour is red and she just loves dogs, so Philippa and I came up with this winning combination of an apron for her.  Now get those cameras clicking and send in your photos in time for the February newsletter...I really enjoy seeing my creations in their homes Valentines
Now talking about February, how are you going to celebrate Valentine's Day? Hopefully I will be giving myself the day off, putting my feet up, pampering myself and getting Mr Madden to do the dinner!  But if you do want to treat the love of your life or just yourself then pop over and take a look at what's available here.... Don't forget you, you can keep up to date daily with me on Facebook and do please feel free to share this newsletter with your friends
As I have been writing this I know it has been snowing in various parts of the country, so I'm sending you warm wishes to keep you cosy and safe .... I'm off to finish the lamb shanks for dinner... a real winter warmer... so see you next month
love from
Bev
at
mrs madden makes
© mrs madden makes 2013 |
Aprons and Pinnies, Newsletter Archive, Cupcakes, Customer photos, hearts, Valentine's Day Gifts, Bunting, Customer of the month, shopping bags, Christmas, Pink products, Mother's day Gifts, newsletters, Personalised products
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Bev: Posted on 09 July 2012 13:45
Dear All, Well what a summer!!! Need I say more? I have never seen rain like it. But I have seen some fantastic double rainbows. I just hope that this month's newsletter finds you all dry and safe and that you have managed to miss the floods......... Did you all have a good Jubilee?? Wasn't it a fab weekend of celebrations? Even I got to meet "The Queen"!!! This year Britain has so much going on hasn't it? Did you all get excited over the Wimbledon final? Poor Andy, but at least he got to the final..maybe next year? And are you now getting ready for the Olympics. Everyone's bunting is being put to great use this year! It may be a bit soggy but it does brighten up this damp summer! Look who got to meet the "Queen" Well...not THE Queen but one of the three main look-a-like ones. She was such a lovely lady and spent most of the day at The Ridings Shopping Centre Yorkshire Market on the Jubilee Sunday. Guess which apron took her eye? Yes - "Do my buns look big in this?" !! What a sense of humour. And the Union Jack and Baking Queen aprons continue to sell out - just trying to keep up with the demand, but the good news is that there will be a NEW range of them at the Driffield Show and of course you can keep up to date with the stock on my Facebook page. New Products & Shows A new fab range of aprons, exclusive to the Country Warmth AGA store will be launched at this year's Great Yorkshire Show. If you get chance to go, do pop along to their stand on Fifth Avenue. The show runs from the 10th to the 12th July...oh and it may be sensible to wear your wellies! And then of course there is the Driffield Show on Wednesday 18th July. mrs madden makes and my team of lovely helpers will be there again this year. As my greetings cards have proved very popular, I will be previewing a selection of my original artworks, fully mounted and ready for you to frame. I have also been extremely busy sew sew sewing from my gorgeous batch of new fabrics and there will be some very exciting new aprons, pinnies and bags being launched there too. Hopefully the sun may make an appearance there, so if you do come along I have put a voucher at the bottom of this newsletter for you...hoping it will help to bring a little sunshine into your summer! Couldn't resist this new slogan for my apron..... Customer of the Month As a Special Jubilee and Olympics Edition Newsletter this month we have 2 lucky winners for Customer of the Month. Firstly, all the way from Florida, in the USA we have Hannah who has her own cake company called Sugar & Spice. Hannah very kindly modelled her bespoke cup cake apron for us complete with spatula and whisk in hand. Do pop over and take a peak at her business.. And we also have this lovely photo that Gill has sent in of her two sons with their specially commissioned apron for their Gran, who again is very kindly modelling her present. Don't they look really happy? Both Gill and Hannah win a mrs madden makes £5 voucher to spend whenever they want to. Well done and thank you for taking the time to take the photos and for sending them in for us all to share. Next Months Competition For my next newsletter it would be great to see how you have been using any mrs madden makes products over the Jubilee or Olympic celebrations, so perhaps they could have a red white and blue theme? Well I'll leave that up to you and your imagination...just get those cameras clicking and it could be you who wins next month. You have until the end of August to send in your photos. I can't wait! Going for Gold Last year we managed to win 2nd prize for best stall at Driffield Show...so this year, being Olympic year, we are having to Go for Gold...wish us luck....please have all your fingers, toes and legs crossed for us...but more importantly for dry weather!! Ha Ha! Well all that's left for me to say now is that I wish you all a dry summer and some sunshine and I look forward to hearing all about it...keep your messages and photos coming in. In the meantime you can follow me on See you in September Best wishes Bev Regards, ©mrs madden makes 2012 |
Aprons and Pinnies, Cupcakes, Fairs, Press release and news, Customer photos, hearts, farm Shops, Bunting, Customer of the month, shopping bags, Feedback, newsletters
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Bev: Posted on 22 May 2012 08:59
I hope that this newsletter finds you all well, warm and dry and looking forward to all the forthcoming festivities and have we got just a few over the summer! Rumours have it that the sun will start to shine this week and we can start to take the layers off..... Well with all things British making big headlines this year, I just couldn't resist making myself a new apron, which I will be sporting at the summer fairs - one has to look the part, doesn't one??..Do you think Mary Portas and the Queen will approve? Well lets get the bunting out and start partying on..... Meet me at the Fair You can see me at the following fairs, starting with the Jubilee Great British Market at the Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield on Sunday June 3rd. Come and see the "Special" guest...lets just say she wears a rather sparkly crown!! More details to follow shortly on these two: Carlton Festival in the Rhubarb Triangle 30th June 2012 Driffield Show July 18th 2012 Street Party anyone? Now if you are planning a street party for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, then you could up-stage your neighbours in one of these glamourous Limited Edition Aprons New to mrs madden makes Ceramic Hearts Aren't these just gorgeous? After being an avid collector of these really pretty ceramic hearts over the past couple of years, I now have the privilege of becoming a stockist of the Jamali Annay hearts. They are all individually hand painted and fired in the lovely Yorkshire town of Knaresborough and come with quirky sayings similar to my aprons - just what your kitchen needs! And of course, no kitchen will be complete without this year's Must Have...the Union Jack heart. Come and see the full range at the shows... Father's Day And then we must not forget that we also have Father's Day on June 17th. Now I'm sure with all the events and get-togethers there are going to be, that Dad will be barbecuing quite a bit, so why not treat him to a Man-Pinny? How cool will that be? What's been happening at mrs madden makes??? Well besides being extremely busy in the sewing room getting ready for all of the fairs, I have had time to do a girly day trip to York for afternoon tea...well it was one way of doing a bit of research on the cake front and I did bring some back for my hubby!! Honestly! But if you get chance...afternoon tea atHotel du Vin is very very nice and the choice of teas is lovely...try the Rose Petal China tea.. But the most exciting event happened over the weekend was at The Malton Food Festival.....who's this signing his new book for me - "Let's Eat"? Yes...Tom Parker Bowles...we also got to meet Matthew Fort from The Great British Menu....they were a brilliant double act in the Cookery Theatre and were also interviewed by the lovely Selina Scott....very entertaining... Will let you know how the new recipes go down... So have you been up to anything exciting that you would like to share with us? Would love to hear from you...just drop me an email.. Stockists refreshed ready for the Jubilee New Aga aprons have arrived at Country Warmth in Norton, near Malton in North Yorkshire - there's a few new sayings: "Keep Calm - your dinner is in the Aga" and we just had to.... "Aga Queen" and a selection of pretty aprons, frilly pinnies and peg pinnies at Customer of the Month And last but not least..Customer of the Month Awards.... As I didn't have one last month and it is time to celebrate with the Jubilee - this month I thought we'd have 2!!!! The first one is the lovely Fiona from Cakes by No More Tiers of York sporting her fab Jubilee inspired apron Take a peak at her website to see how fab her cakes are and what she has been up to in Telford over the weekend - some brilliant masterpieces no less: and then this is Matt...looking great in his spotty apron...who says pinnies are only for women...doesn't he look the part?! Both win vouchers to spend at mrs madden makes .. so a big thank you to them for sending their photos in and letting me share them with you. In every newsletter, we feature a customer of the month. So if you fancy taking part, please don't be shy - send in your photos. I love to see how happy you are wearing them and what you get up to and it also allows you to see how other customers are using our products. Now I do know that some mrs madden makes aprons have been flying off to distant shores this past month...so please share the sunshine!!! Don't forget, for those of you on Facebook, you can keep up-to-date daily at my mrs madden makes Facebook page Well all that's left to say now is I hope you all have a very merry Diamond Jubilee Weekend and hope to see some of you who can make it to any of the fairs in Yorkshire over the summer - keep in touch.. Take care and have fun, ©mrs madden makes 2012 |
Aprons and Pinnies, Newsletter Archive, Cupcakes, TV cooking programmes, Press release and news, Customer photos, hearts, farm Shops, Bunting, Customer of the month, Pink products, Diamond Jubilee
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Bev: Posted on 10 February 2012 15:39
Are you looking for somewhere new to go for coffee or lunch? Then look no further...I have just spent a lovely morning drinking coffee, chatting with my friend and having a little fat free indulgent cake a Rivers Meet Craft Cafe, Methley Fantastic concept...lots of lovely ladies attending the knit and natter group..Take a look at their website for craft courses coming up or pay a visit to their Vintage Fair this Sunday. http://www.riversmeetcraftcafe.co.uk/cafe.htm
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Aprons and Pinnies, Food, Slimming World,slimming, Christmas, Cafes in West Yorkshire, Cupcakes, hearts, Bunting, How to make, Christmas cards
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Bev: Posted on 13 July 2011 09:26
Hope July finds you all well and getting in the holiday mood. I am now quite jealous of those of you going away. I have just returned from a wonderful, relaxing holiday and wish I was back there lunching in the glorious sunshine...here's to the next holiday but in the meantime it's back to the sewing machine for me and perhaps the odd cup of tea in the garden ...weather permitting! Thank you for being interested in what's happening at We have lots of exciting news to share. Hot off the Press How exciting to have been featured in the Yorkshire Post Magazine in the Homes and Gardens section! Many thanks to Sara & Michael at Country Warmth for commissioning a range of "exclusive to their AGA Shop" mrs madden makes AGA aprons. If you would like to see their latest & exclusive range of mrs madden makes AGA aprons then pop along to the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate from the 12th to the 14th July. They are on stand 160 , above the cattle judging rings Follow this link to find out more details Customer of the Month In my future monthly newsletters, I would like to feature a customer of the month. This will allow you to see how other customers are using my products. In addition, it will help you feel confident that you are going to get the service and attention you will need. We are never satisfied until you are. So if you have any comments, stories and photos that you would like to share, please email them to me. As a thank you, each month the customer featured will receive a voucher to use against their next purchase....which will be great, dare I say, in the run up to Christmas. Where you can see me this month Wednesday 20th July Craft Marquee We'll be there from 8.30 onwards. Do come by and say hello...another great day out. Photos of Southwell Fair We had a lovely time at the Vintage and Handmade Fair in Southwell and met some really great people. So for those who unfortunately could not make the event, I thought I would share some photos with you. Follow this link to see them all. … going through them has made us all nostalgic … we had such a fun day! Look out for the Harris Hares...you'll find them amongst the foxgloves...and if you can't wait until the next fair to see them, then please visit their woodland I know you will be sorely tempted to take one home! Lucy Lapin has my name on her! If you fancy coming along to the next one, put it in your diary now...it's the 12th & 13th November Love Vintage? Here are details of just 2 of the lovely ladies that I met at Southwell. If like me you love to sew and rescue vintage buttons and give them a new lease of life, then OH SEW VINTAGE is a must visit for you! Linda's vintage haberdashery shop is at 35A Carter Gate in Newark. It's the sort of shop you could get lost in and spend hours looking through all the ric rac, trims and buttons galore. I now have a collection of spotty heart shaped buttons and a fab vintage tape measure. If you can't get there, then you can email Linda on lindasvintagebuttons@talktalk.net And if you like to dress your home in all things vintage than look no further than Lechanti Inter-design . Find out where they are going to be so you can see Barbara's wonderful range of homewares. I particularly like her linen chairs. So Sorry A huge sorry to anyone who has wanted to shop from my website over the last two weeks, but I have been away being inspired for my new ranges and recharging my batteries. But good news, it's now open again with some wonderful new aprons.....also Watch This Space as a new range of Shabby Chic Aprons will be launched at the Driffield Show. And also a range of greeting cards taken from my original watercolours, including my Farmyard Series......... Best wishes and can't wait to see your photos or even you in person at Driffield, Looking forward to hearing from you all........... From a refreshed and revitalised Bev at mrs madden makes |
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Bev: Posted on 03 June 2011 16:57
A date for your diary For ladies who lunch or who just fancy a really lovely day out. Then a visit to Southwell in Nottinghamshire is just what you need. There are some beautiful little independent shops and eateries and on Friday June 10th with an exquisite and eclectic mix of all things vintage and handmade by Nottinghamshire designer makers and vintage traders. There will be music, delicious refreshments and cake, demonstrations and vintage hairstyling all set against the stylish backdrop of the Old Theatre Deli making this a very special event. Some of the exhibitors are: Hope & Elvis - an artist & avid vintage treasure hunter who offers 'all things vintage' workshops in her studio at the Harley Galley The Fluffy Slug - another vintage treasure hunter who makes a range of hand-made cards, keepsakes & accessories using all things vintage Love U More - vintage-inspired textile jewels Eclectia - vintage haberdashery, buttons & bow Elizabeth-English - vintage tea-time paraphernalia Nellie in the Shed - gorgeous gift shop Twice a Lady with vintage / vintage-inspired clothing & accessories incl. vintage handbags Paula Drakeford who makes burlesque jewellery, body adornments & fascinators Barbara a vintage trader extroadinaire Michelle Draycott who makes the most exquisite hares & whippets out of tweed Harris fabric Fair-trade Fabric Cat Powell who makes exquisite children's soft toys out of gorgeous fabrics ... the list goes on! Do come along and see us..can't wait...really looking forward to it! |
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Bev: Posted on 02 April 2011 17:36
Petite Basic Bunting – can also be used for pockets on large bunting These instructions are small basic bunting flags, but once you have mastered the method then you could make any size. Tip of the Day - Mens stripe shirts make great bunting, but please do ask permission from Hubbie, Boyfriend or Dad before you get carried away with the scissors Materials Scraps of fabric - String Pinking shears Thread Paper to make pattern- left-over rolls of wallpaper are great for making patterns Paper scissors Pencil Ruler Steps 1. To make the paper pattern for a 3”x5” triangle: 2. Measure 3” along top of paper and mark 3. Now measure 1 1/2” in, i.e. half way, and mark 4. Measure 5” down from this midway mark and draw a line 5. Draw lines from this to the top edges to create a triangle and cut out 6. Place pattern on fabric and cut out with pinking shears 7. With the wrong side of fabric facing you turn over top by 2cm and sew straight – creating a tunnel – trim edges 8. Make as many as you need 9. Cut your string to desired length 10. Thread the string through the bunting allowing about 3” between each flag 11. Make a loop at each end to tie onto hooks. If you are feeling adventurous and want to make bigger and better bunting then please visit my shop where there are patterns to purchase |
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