Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

It has been a very hectic few weeks in the run up to Christmas,

which is excellent new for business but not such good news for family

and friends who haven't seen much of me these last few weeks!

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Anyway, I would like to thank everyone for their custom

and to wish everyone a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy & Prosperous New Year.

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PS. Keep you eye out for my new website launching in January 2010!

The Essential Shopping & Pamper Experience

Saturday 28th November 2009 - 11am to 3.30pm

Notton Village Hall, Notton, Wakefield WF4 2NQ (just off A61)

A unique opportunity to combine shopping and socialising with a little pampering

There will be a host of gorgeous and individual products on offer to satisfy all your shopping needs

Your Essential Experience can be topped off with a visit to our Pamper Room to delight in some of the taster-treatments available from our qualified therapists

Finally ... take time to catch up with your purchases and have a chat with friends whilst indulging in a glass of wine from Nonsolovino or a refreshing cup of tea and a snack from Crocodile Sisters

There will be Gift Wrapping and Bow Making Demonstrations, Tarot Readings PLUS a fantastic raffle with fabulous prizes (all proceeds to Wakefield Parkinson’s Disease Society)

All this ... AND FREE ENTRY ...What could be more perfect ?

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The Stalls
Exclusive Gift Wrapping handmade by Karen Kaye
Painted Glassware and Baby Cakes designed by Heather Sargison
Exquisite Cupcakes from Sarah’s Bakery
Oriflame Cosmetics supplied by Crystal

Gifts & Made to Measure furniture from Love Wood Interiors
Forever Living Products supplied by Sue Firth
Everything for the craft enthusiast from Crafty Corner
Home grown lavender & handcrafted products from Pennine Lavender
Handmade Handbags supplied by Poonam Menon
Exquisite Floral Design by Paradise Bouquets

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The Pamper Room
Indian Head Massage, Head and Shoulder Massages, Reiki, Hopi Ear Candles, Reflexology, Manicures and Facials

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The Therapists
Di-Stress Holistic Therapist
Oriflame facials from Magic Touch
Miriamstone Holistics
Strawberry Tree Holistics

Treatments are 15 to 30 minute taster-treatments starting from £5.
We would suggest pre-booking to avoid disappointment.
Contact Diane Westmoreland 0791 347 0367

To pre-book Tarot Readings ring Zoe on 0772 331 6125

I hope you can make it to our Essential Shopping Experience

I look forward to seeing you all there for a day to remember!

North Yorkshire West WI Federation Snippets Evening

I was delighted last Wednesday evening to be invited to the North Yorkshire West Women's Institute Snippets Evening in the picturesque village of Cracoe just north of Skipton.

The ladies invited 9 speakers to join them for the evening to give a 10 minute "snippet" of their talks and I was lucky enough to be one of the 9 invited speakers.

I had a superb evening and met some lovely and lively ladies from the WI as well as some very interesting fellow speakers.

For anyone interested, I run the following 1 hour Gift Wrapping Talks and Demonstrations

Gift Wrapping Made Easy
How to wrap gifts professionally including
how to wrap awkward shapes and tie the perfect bow

Recycle, Re-use & Renew
How to create beautiful gift wrapping
using products found in the home

Gift Wrapping for Special Occasions
Creative gift wrapping for occasions such as Christmas,
Valentine’s Day, Mothers Day & Easter

For those who would like to “have a go” the above talks and demonstrations are also available as either 1 hour, 1/2 day or full day workshops.

For further details please contact me on 01226 726655 or 0779 306 1263 or e-mail me at parties.gifts@gmail.com

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Handmade Paper Bead Jewellery

Take a look at these lovely photos of my new jewellery range.

Each of the paper beads is hand-wound to create a truely unique necklace or bracelet.

Each necklace and bracelet is a "one off" and can be custom made to your own individual requirements.

For more information (including price lists) please contact me on +44(0)779 306 1263 or at parties.gifts@gmail.com

Havercroft Children's Centre Big Birthday Bash - 2nd August 2009

Yesterday I had an absolutely fabulous time decorating Door Hangers with the wonderful children from the Havercroft Children's Centre at their Big Birthday Bash. The weather was uncharacteristially good so the childen (and the Lady Mayor!) were able to enjoy the bouncy castle and gala stalls without having to don their wellies and macs!

Sandra Ford of Sandra Ford Photography made us all feel like celebrities as she moved amongst us taking our photographs - can't wait to see the results! http://www.fordphotography.co.uk/

The staff at the Centre made me feel very welcome and thanks to Liz, and the rest of the staff's, excellent co-ordination skills the whole event went off without a hitch.

This was the Centre's 1st Anniversary and, if this weekend was anything to go by, I'm sure there will be many more anniversaries to come.

Thank you to Catherine for inviting me to join in the fun !

Havercroft Children's Centre, Cow Lane, Havercroft, WF4 2BE

Telephone: Liz Robinson 01226 726 478

Banners & Pennants

I have recently been making Banners and Pennants for Special Occasions and they have proved very popular.

The Banners and Pennants are available with standard wording such as Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Just Married, Its a Girl, Its a Boy.

Alternatively I can create a personal bespoke Banner or Pennant with wording of your choice, for example: Happy 70th Birthday Mum, Happy Silver Wedding Jack and Joyce, Happy 1st Birthday Liam etc.

The Banners and Pennants are made using laminated gift wrap. The individual letters are then hand-tied with gorgeous little ribbons and decorated with beads and embelishments appropriate to the occasion eg: teddy bears for new baby, horse-shoes for weddings/anniversaries etc.

Prices start from just £8.99 (excl postage) and are an excellent and unique way of making those all important occasions extra special.

Please feel free to e-mail me at parties.gifts@gmail.com for more information.

Father's Day - 21st June 2009

The year is passing switftly and Father's Day is almost upon us - so what are you going to get the Dad who has everything? How about my fabulous handmade Father's Day Rosettes? They are handmade with beautiful blue and silver thread ribbon - you can choose from a selection of standard legends including Happy Father's Day, World's Best Dad, No 1 Grandad, Best Daddy in the World etc or you can give me a call and and I can create a bespoke legend to add to your rosette - how fabulous is that?

I also have a great selection of ready made gift bags and boxes ensuring your Father's Day gift looks exciting !

I also offer a bespoke gift wrapping service for those "out of the ordinary" gifts - even a 3ft cd and dvd stand can be made to look just that little bit different ......

So what ever your gift wrapping needs, give me a call and make your Dad's gift one in a million this Father's Day.

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Girls Nights In & Children's Craft Parties

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Girls Nights In

Host a Girls Night In Gift Wrapping party and enjoy a glass of wine and great company whilst learning a new skill at the same time!

These hands-on workshops teach you and your friends how to wrap those really awkward shaped gifts perfectly using sumptuous papers plus how to make and tie gift bows to give that extra WOW factor ... all in the comfort of your own home!

Workshops last from 2 to 3 hours and all materials will be provided.

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Children's Craft Parties

Stuck for a new idea for a children’s birthday party then what about a Craft Party?

Children love making and doing so a craft party is an ideal hands-on way for them to learn something new whilst having fun at the same time.

The workshops are suitable for children aged 7+

and are tailored to your requirements and the capabilities of the children.

There are lots of things the children can chose to make including origami boxes, photo frames, light catchers, windmills and door hangers.

Parties last approximately 2 hours and all materials will be provided.

Party Bags can also be provided for an additional charge.

For further information please call me on 0779 306 1263 or contact me via e-mail at parties.gifts@gmail.com

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The Easter Gift Wrapping Parade!

Well, what a glorious start to Spring the Mrs Madden Makes @ Home Spring Fair was.

We had a marvellous afternoon - thank you to everyone who came along and joined us for a glass of wine and some retail therapy!

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In actual fact we enjoyed ourselves sooo much that several of us have decided to hold @ Home Fairs in our houses too! We are just finalising dates so I will keep you posted.

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Can you believe it? Easter is next weekend - has it come round quickly or is that just me??

For those of you giving Easter gifts I have handmade some lovely Easter gift bags and excellent Easter Bunny boxes which are ideal for small gifts or for those all important Easter Egg Hunts which are so popular these days.

Easter bunnies are available in pink or yellow, each have an origami folded box "hidden" between the back and front bunny shapes and are finished off with a ribbon round their necks which handily tie the front and back of the box together!

Small bunnies have a 2 inch (appx) square "hidden" box and are designed to hold either money or, say, 5/6 mini eggs and are priced at £1.75 each.

Larger bunnies have a 5 inch (appx) oblong "hidden" box and are designed to hold a small gift or, say, a bag of mini eggs and are priced at £2.75 each

Gift bags start from £2.50 for the open topped gift bags and £2.75 for the closed top gift bags. The open topped gift bags have ribbon handles secured with pretty brads whilst the closed top gift bags are hand-tied with ribbons and have either a chicken decoration or an papier mache easter egg to finish.

For anyone wishing to wrap larger Easter Eggs and gifts I have a bespoke gift wrapping service starting at £2.50. For this service I envelop your gift with gorgeous coloured tissues, cellophanes and ribbons guaranteed to deliver the WOW factor !

Please note that I handmake all my gift wrappings and, whilst I endeavour to make them all the same, I sometimes have unavoidably to make small changes.

If you would like further details please contact me on 0779 306 1263 / 01226 726655 or e-mail me at parties.gifts@gmail.com

~ Happy Easter Everyone ~

Mrs Madden Makes' Spring Fair

Next Saturday (28th March) it is Mrs Madden Makes' Spring Fair in Ossett. There will be gorgeous goodies to buy including silver jewellery from JNS Quirky; scrummy cup cakes from Sarah's Bakery; beaded bra straps by Julie - not forgetting vintage homewares from Mrs Madden Makes and some absolutely fantastic gift bags and wrappings from yours truly.

Why not come along for some girly therapy (not to mention a glass of wine!) Diane of Di-Stress will also be there offering 15 minute indian head, back, neck and shoulder massages to really get you relaxed (please note these must be pre-booked)

Anyone interested in joining in the fun please contact me at parties.gifts@gmail .com or give me a call on 0779 306 1263 for full details and directions.

Let's Party .....

~ Throwing a Party should be a joy not a chore ~

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I have organised quite a few parties over the years for both children and grown-ups, everything from general birthday parties through to themed and craft parties.

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One that I organised recently was a surprise party for a "special birthday".

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As it was a surprise I was called upon to organise absolutely everything from preparing and sending the invitations through to locating a suitable venue, caterer and even the entertainment!

The birthday girl was a ballroom enthusiast so I organised an MC to host ballroom dancing for the start of the evening and then a DJ for the disco later on. For those guests with two left feet I arranged a few party games and then for those who preferred to remain seated I incorporated quizzes and crosswords (based on the guest of honour's birth date) into the table decorations.

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For those all important finishing touches I used a combination of balloons, ribbons and candles to decorate the venue; organised a welcome drink for the guests (to ensure that everyone was in the party mood!); and finally I handmade some party favours and gift bags for the guests to take away with them at the end of the evening.

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All in all it was a night to remember and it didn't break the bank either !

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So, if this inspires you to have a party and you would like help to organise it then give me a call - I will be happy to discuss ideas with you.

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Reasons to Party: Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christenings, Christmas/New Year, Summer BBQ's, Retirement, Engagement, Weddings, Stag/Hen do's.

~ Then again ... why do we need a reason to have a party ? ~

Contact Karen on 0779 306 1263 or 01226 726655

e-mail to parties.gifts@gmail.com

Don't forget Valentine's Day - February 14th

Why not be a devil this Valentine's Day and surprise your loved one by adding an extra special touch to your gift and having it professionally wrapped?

We have a range of absolutely gorgeous gift wrappings - everything from celophane and tissue wrap right through to pre-wrapped boxes and heart shaped bags.

So why not give us a call and let us add that extra touch to your gift - remember the gift wrapping is just as important as the gift itself - who can resist a beautifully wrapped gift?

Gift Wrapping Presentations & Workshops

I have had several enquiries regarding my Gift Wrapping Presentations & Workshops so, for anyone interested, I thought I would put a word or two about them on my blog.

Gift Wrapping Presentations: here I come into your office, shop, society meeting etc and give a short demonstration (appx 1 hour) of how to wrap gifts simply and stylishly. I demonstrate how to wrap everything from a straight forward box through to a more awkward object such as a bottle or a biscuit tin. I give tips and suggestions eg: the different kinds of wrapping available and where to buy them; what kind of tapes are best to work with and where to buy ribbons and embelishments etc.

A simple and stylish gift box:

A round tin with an unusual fan embelishment on top:

Gift Wrapping Workshops: again come into your office, shop, society meeting etc but this time not only do I give a demonstration but you also get the chance to take part and have a go yourselves. I usually start with wrapping a straight forward box and then move on to making more interesting gift wrappings such as gift envelopes and origami gift boxes, however, I am happy to tailor the workshops to specific requirements, so if there is anything you would like to learn how to make or do please let me know.

Gift envelopes, fabulously useful for all sorts of gifts from cd's and jewellery to gift tokens/cards:

Easy to make Origami gift boxes:

Workshops are roughly 2 hours long, though this can be tailored to your needs.

The above are just examples of the presentations and workshops I do but I am happy to accommodate special requests and to tailor my presentations and workshops to your company/ society/group needs.