posted 14 May 2013 06:16 by Derrick Armitage
 Just
as the swallows are returning, so has this pair of purple doves come to roost in
the shop! They are part of a small suite of ceramics including a vase
and hurricane lamp featuring the same colour plus apples and pears in a rich
mottled burgundy.
These colours will be around for a little while and we
expect to see more when we view Autumn/Winter collections!  Oooooh look! What do you think of our newly arrived
'Facebook Cards' from Moo.com? With a variety of images they give each recipient
something different. We would love to extend our reach on Facebook so please
consider 'liking' us if you use FB and letting your friends and family know
about us too. Click on the photo to visit our page. On the topic of cards, here are some new notecards that we have designed and had printed. Four of them feature either a local landmark or an element taken from a landmark here in the Scottish Borders. Can you identify them?  Drying dishes isn't everyone's idea of a good time but
you can make it more enjoyable with one of our new tea towels from
Parlane - part of our steadily growing selection of
homewares. We have two hare designs (the other is large scale)
and two with very witty phrases. Who knows what enthusiasm they may generate?!
We visited Parlane's Yorkshire showroom on 13 May to view all the goodies for
next season. Below is a photo of one of their inspirational
displays! Christmas comes early at Parlane! During April, we celebrated National Stationery Week by featuring all things 'stationery'! Of course, one of the most popular 'stationery' items is
greetings cards and we wanted to mention these beautiful, handmade cards by
Ashley Hutchinson of Lino King. He prints and embosses them in a variety of
floral and geometric designs which make them ideal for both men and women. We
are continually looking to support British craftspeople and are pleased to be
able to include these within our card selection. New stock continues to arrive on a regular basis and we hope you'll be able to call into the shop soon to see all that we have on offer at the moment. Please always remember to have your loyalty card handy whenever you buy, or if you don't yet have one, please ask and we'll issue one straight away. It's our way of thanking you for your support and you'll be on the path to making a saving! Until next time, take care. |
posted 13 Apr 2013 08:10 by Derrick Armitage
Black
and yellow means Melrose!
And that can only mean one thing, it
must be time for the Melrose 7s rugby tournament. The sun is shining and visitors are all set to enjoy the action with teams from India and France as well as those closer to home - but for anyone who
may want a break from the games there's always a little retail therapy
available! These beautiful blackbirds, each with
a unique dichroic wing, have just flown in from Greengage
Glass along with these colourful stained glass hearts, each handmade by Jessica Stroud.  For a little personal pampering, why not treat yourself to something from this super selection of
soaps and bath truffles from Oakwood Soaperie in
Northumberland - another handmade product, this time by Ceri Aitman. She uses quality ingredients, the fragrances are fabulous and there's even a beer soap for blokes! Keeping to the handmade theme, how about these
covers for your i-phone or Blackberry; another example of Suzanne's talents from
Studio Stitches right here in Melrose. We also have a couple of designs suitable for gentlemen. These rather cute ceramic chickens and mini sheep are from
Parlane. We have a wonderful selection of their products from paper napkins to
large decorative pieces. The greetings cards feature charming animal portraits by James Bartholomew and are made by Milkwood Publishing. We are pleased to end this month's newsletter with great news concerning Melrose' effort at doing 'something funny for money' in support of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day earlier in March. Here at Present Perfect we had a nose naming competition featuring the celebrities shown above. One of our lucky customers won a PP gift voucher for £25 and our modest contribution helped various Melrose businesses to raise more than £2500 for the fund. Well done to everyone! Let's hope for a little more Spring sunshine and, as always, we look forward to seeing you in the shop very soon. |
posted 9 Feb 2013 10:27 by Derrick Armitage
As St. Valentine's Day approaches, not surprisingly hearts are everywhere; naturally, jewellery features a lot but there are also little love tokens such as tealight candles, ceramic dishes, hanging decorations and even a padded notice board. The heart shape shows no signs of falling out of fashion! The first weekend of February saw our annual visit to Spring Fair at NEC, Birmingham, the largest trade show we have in UK. It's always good, if a little exhausting, to see what the suppliers are introducing for the new season. As usual, we visited a combination of 'old' and new companies, placing orders with some and collecting lots of brochures to peruse at greater leisure. Amazingly, some new stock has already arrived - like these ceramic 'mood lamps' from Shudehill which were popular when we had them last year - and more is on the way! Shudehill is just one of many brands supplied by Joe Davies along with Equilibrium jewellery and new lightweight ladies' scarves plus cosmetic purses and yet more of our favourite thing - candles! This photograph also features hand cream from Berkeley Square Cosmetics, soaps from Heyland & Whittle, a creamware dish from Parlane and a sterling silver pendant from JSK Jewellery. (Later in March we are looking forward to receiving new toiletries with a fresh modern style from a Berkeley Square sister company, Greenland!) Having just mentioned that candles are one of our most favourite things, you won't be surprised to hear that we are also about to receive a beautiful new collection produced by Wax Lyrical (based in the Lake District) in collaboration with Fired Earth. The five tea based fragrances were inspired by Fired Earth paint colours. There are reed diffusers too. We think you'll like them as much as we do. Finally, in the March issue of Ideal Home magazine they suggest that the next BIG THING will be the colour blue. Quite apart from this selection of all things blue that we have in the shop at the moment, and as you can see from this newsletter, blue is a Present Perfect colour so we're thrilled to be de rigeur - as if we were ever anything else! We look forward both to the arrival of some spring weather and to seeing you very soon. |
posted 10 Jan 2013 08:52 by Derrick Armitage
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you! Here at Present Perfect it's SALE time which means that we have lots of wonderful things ALL at reduced prices! You can SAVE up to 50% on selected items but you will also SAVE 10% on ALL our regular stock. There's no better time to get some great gifts at great prices, so let our offers brighten January's grey days! We look forward to seeing you. |
posted 4 Dec 2012 06:13 by Derrick Armitage
The Melrose Shopping Trail is now in full swing but it isn't too late to join because you have until Christmas Eve to visit the participating businesses and get your trail map/entry form validated for your chance to win in the prize draw. It's so easy to do and fun too, so pick up your map from any of the businesses. On these darker winter evenings the shop windows offer welcome light and festive views. Inside is alive with colour and lots of fab gifts. We have all sorts of ideas that will add style and sparkle, light and warmth to your present list with prices starting at only £1.99! We still have a selection of beautiful Christmas cards available in singles and packs of 5, 10 or 20 in traditional and modern styles. This giant wooden candlestick from Parlane has great impact as well as natural beauty and will give a warm welcome to all your visitors! This coming Thursday is late night shopping in Melrose and gives another opportunity to complete a few more stops on the Christmas Trail as well as being fun. At Present Perfect we are giving 10% off all purchases between 5p.m. and 8p.m. so we hope to see you. Finally, it only remains for us to offer you sincere wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Brian & Derrick |
posted 1 Nov 2012 08:24 by Derrick Armitage
... for your chance to win! There is more than £500 worth of gift vouchers to be won.
From Monday, 12 November for six weeks until Christmas Eve, Melrose will be the place to shop and could be both fun and rewarding.
Present Perfect is one of seventeen local businesses hosting the
Trail to provide your festive inspiration for gifts, flowers and food
& drink. Just pick up an entry form at any of the *participating
businesses and then visit each one. They will validate it (no purchase
necessary). And there's no need to do it all in one day, you can complete the Trail at your leisure over the entire six weeks.
So take the time to enjoy your shopping; have a break for coffee and a snack, meet up with family and
friends for lunch or dinner or relax over drinks at the end of the day,
all the time taking the opportunity to complete your entry form. When fully validated, hand it in
for your chance to win. The Draw will take place after the Christmas break and
winners will be notified by 11 January 2013.
Shudehill sent us a BIG
delivery last week containing
all sorts of goodies to add to the great selection of gifts that we
already have in the shop: tealight holders in a variety of shapes and sizes, cute doggie door stops,
Christmas mugs, lanterns and decorations, jewellery and photo frames! Next week we are expecting the arrival of some stylish
homewares from Parlane.
All to help you add that finishing touch to your gift list or make a
well deserved treat for yourself!
We hope you like 'Eildons in Snow'. It is one of our own
Christmas card designs, a digitally manipulated image from an original photograph. Only £4.99 for six, they will add a local "flavour" to your Christmas greetings. Gibson Park Playgroup are once again holding their Christmas Fair, in the Corn Exchange, Melrose from 7-9.30p.m. on 22 November and as usual we will have a stall. It makes a great shopping evening and helps the
playgroup. Mulled wine will be on offer too! Melrose itself will also have a
late night shopping evening on Thursday, 6 December when there will
be tasty treats on offer and, hopefully, some music in the Square to help create a festive atmosphere. Present Perfect will be giving 10%
OFF all purchases between 5 and 8 p.m. and we'll have a few tasty nibbles of our own, so what better incentive could there be for a little early evening stroll?! Remember too that you can use all these opportunities to keep filling in another line on your Trail entry form. So remember to pick up your Trail entry form and Make Merry in Melrose! As always, we look forward to seeing you. |
posted 11 Oct 2012 07:33 by Derrick Armitage
[
updated 11 Oct 2012 07:36
]
Welcome to October at Present Perfect. Despite the fact that we have yet to celebrate
Halloween and Bonfire Night this time of year
also begins to bring thoughts of Christmas. And there's much to be said for enjoying a leisurely build up to the festive season as more things begin to
appear in the shops and we can spread the load a little.
September gave
us the chance to visit Scotland's Trade Fair in Glasgow and it's always a
pleasure to see new people and products as well as meeting up with old friends.
In the former category, we were thrilled to become a new stockist of Borders
Aromatics candles and reed diffusers. Handmade by Catherine and Mark Bauer, right here in
the Scottish Borders, these soy wax candles combine the best in quality, sustainability and environmental
friendliness with good value; travel tins only £4.49, small jars £4.99. Call in soon to sample the fragrances! Edinburgh-based glass artist, Carrie Paxton comes under the category of 'old friend'. Her pieces were very popular at this time last year and we were happy to see her new designs. The long 'pringle' dishes and small square dishes are in-store now, fresh from the
kiln!
Taking a moment to blow our own trumpet(!), our Borders mugs have been so successful that we had to order a new supply. They've just arrived and include a
reverse colour, yellow and black version for Melrose - but the
original is still available and all are still great value at only £8.99.
These resin figures from Gleneagles Studio seem particularly appropriate for Autumn with their warm, bronze-colour finish and the animals reflect our rural life. In addition to these three we have a preening duck and a larger,
sitting hare.
New from WoodWick are these attractive mosaic glass, wax melt burners. They make a great alternative to a scented candle with their use of a tea light to warm and
melt tablets of wax which then release their fragrance into the air. The
burners are £14.99 each and the wax tablets only £1.69 per pack. Not only does
this represent great value but also you can create your very own fragrance combinations by mixing the wax tablets!
Staying with fragrance but back on the topic of Christmas, we have several candle ranges now available with seasonal fragrances. Photographed is the new selection of seven scents from Trapp
candles. With the tag line "a bottle of perfume in
every candle" they are sure to fill your home with festive fragrance. We also have the first arrivals from WoodWick featuring their 'dancing
glass' designs; each pattern is brought to life by the flickering flame. Combined with the crackling wick they are ideal for autumn and winter
nights! Christmas cards have begun to arrive too! Our selection, in
singles, packs of five or 10 and boxes of 20, with humorous, modern, traditional
and Christmas Story themes will hopefully provide something for
everyone. Finally, we'd like to give you advance notice about a fun initiative that
will begin on 12 November - the Melrose Christmas Shopping Trail. A variety of
local businesses will be participating and as you follow the Trail each one will validate your entry form (no purchase
necessary). Complete the Trail and you will be entered into a Prize Draw for
some great gift vouchers to spend in the new year. So please remember that
you can do all your Christmas shopping in Melrose and enjoy super,
independent shops, break for coffee and a snack, treat your family or friends to a meal out or just relax over drinks, all the time completing your Trail entry
form for a chance to win! Full details will appear in our next
newsletter.
But before then do call in to say
hello. |
posted 5 Sep 2012 05:31 by Derrick Armitage
[
updated 5 Sep 2012 06:07
]
Brighten your autumn evenings with our new lighting. We have table lamps in several styles, from this traditional ceramic "pineapple" design to a classic chrome, balanced-arm desk lamp. The light from table lamps is less harsh and more flattering than direct, overhead lighting and a lamp can add the perfect finishing touch to a room, helping to create a different look. We are thrilled to be displaying the work of Borders artist, Shona Lenaghan. 'Afternoon Tea in Melrose' is one of six paintings on show (all acrylics). Shona is inspired by her Borders surroundings and the pieces include landscape, places such as Melrose Abbey and depict events like Galashiels Festival. More of her work can be seen on her Facebook page. Another new range in the shop is tapestry handbags by Signaré. They offer great quality and value in a variety of designs and styles including purses and cosmetic pouches. They have already proved popular since their arrival a couple of weeks ago. Designs include ladies fashion, a West Highland terrier and the equine world as well as the butterfly pattern shown. This extremely cute rabbit is a new design from Suzanne Kirk as part of her Eildon Bears range. Handmade in genuine mohair, with glass eyes and cotterpin joints, it has arrived with three bear friends, all of whom are collectors' items and not intended for those under 14 years. But we are sure that many of you remain young at heart! Candles are never off the list here at Present Perfect and for the fourth year we are pleased to have this set of four from Torc in Eire. This year there are two new fragrances, Fresh Fig & Vanilla and French Lavender, along with Cinnamon and Mulled Wine. They are priced at £5.50 individually or £20 for the set. We also have scented candles from US company Essenza in three fragrances ideal for autumn: Pomegranate, Chai Spice and Vanilla, £10.99 each. From time to time Derrick enjoys creating digitally manipulated artwork from his original photographs, one of which is this image of St. George from Donatello's statue in the Bargello Museum, Florence. These are now available in several formats from Fine Art America, who will reproduce the image to your individual requirements, pack and ship. (You can also see Derrick's work via our Facebook page.) There are works from artists across the world and it's worth a look. More new stock will be arriving over the coming months; some old friends and some completely new ideas. We hope you will call in soon and we look forward to seeing you. |
posted 2 Aug 2012 04:47 by Derrick Armitage
[
updated 2 Aug 2012 04:50
]
With the London 2012 Olympics in full swing our patriotic paperweights are particularly appropriate so we have been proudly flying the flag! We are also proudly supporting the hard-working volunteers of Melrose in Bloom this month as the town's floral displays are judged for two competitions: 'Scotland's Floral Gateway' (31 July) and 'Britain in Bloom' (7 Aug), so fingers crossed! The photo below shows just some of the flower-related gifts that we have on display at the moment. In mid-July we visited Harrogate for the Home & Gift trade fair and, as usual, enjoyed wandering around the venues. It was good to see so many ideas for new season stock and, in fact, a couple of our regular suppliers have already delivered part of our orders. From WoodWick are four new fragrances in the Ikat Collection. The tins are decorated in the style of Indonesian textile designs and, as ever, the candles offer great quality, long burn times and the famous crackling wooden wick. We have a few new fragrances in the Classic WoodWick range in addition to the return of some old favourites. Also from America are these new reed diffusers and room sprays from Trapp Private Gardens. With their Trademark phrase "It's all about the fragrance", these are sure to provide attractive, long lasting perfume for the home whether you choose the continual presence of a reed diffuser or the quick burst of fragrance from a room spray. All beautifully packaged and the spray is in such an attractive bottle you won't want to hide it away in a cupboard! Keeping to the candle theme, these large scale ceramic lanterns have just arrived (although we first saw them back in February). They will certainly add colour and interest to your decor and the planter makes an excellent container for a specimen houseplant. Or how about these open frame lanterns? They have a cast iron-style finish and come in two sizes; £14.99 and £18.99. For those of you who love handmade craftsmanship and the natural beauty of wood you will appreciate the selection of clocks and barometers that we currently have on display from borders resident, David White. The skeleton clock above, for example, is set in an attractively figured piece of sycamore while the reclaimed barometer (with thermometer) below, has been mounted on beech wood, stained in a medium oak shade. It has two decorative onyx discs. We have seven of David's pieces at the moment, which range from £49 to £79. Add to this some new Equilibrium jewellery, beautiful pashminas, several photograph frames, bronze-finish resin animal sculptures, practical and decorative material-covered notice boards, metal hanging heart decorations, inexpensive wall clocks in a variety of designs plus a new stock of the popular laser-etched ballpoint pens and you will realise that there's plenty to see! If you are taking a holiday this month, we hope it will be enjoyable and relaxing but do leave some time to call in and say hello. We're looking forward to seeing you. |
posted 7 Jun 2012 07:17 by Derrick Armitage
With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics taking place during the summer, there will be plenty of opportunities for celebrating all things British!  Royal Notecards This
commemorative pack of
eight notecards has been produced for Face Britain by The Prince's Foundation
for Children & the Arts. This unique portrait of HM The
Queen is made up of thousands of self portraits by the nation's
children. £6.50 per pack. Celebrating Britishness More
greetings cards with a patriotic
theme. What could be more British than a cup of tea or a glorious cottage
garden?! These designs from Museums & Galleries Marketing Ltd. offer
quintessentially British images, ideal for this summer of celebration. What's
more, in common with the majority of our greetings cards, they are printed in
UK too. BSQ Offer We
are still running
our offer of a free gift when you spend £10 or more on toiletries from
Berkeley Square Cosmetics. Great quality, gorgeous fragrances and these too are
produced mainly in UK. (Offer subject to availability) Remember also that we
have soaps, candles and reed diffusers from Heyland & Whittle, all British
made, as well as Planet Soap's lovely bars made right here in Scotland. Summer Sunshine Fingers
crossed, we will get lots
of sunshine over the coming months but just in case, we have plenty
of ways to help you to bring the sunshine inside! Shop Local July
is Independent Retailer Month: Now in its second year, this campaign is intended to encourage all of
us to support our local, independent shops. Here in Melrose we are fortunate to
have an almost entirely independent retail scene and we, at Present Perfect,
certainly appreciate the support you give us. Next month, as a 'Thank You', we
will be making a variety of offers, once again celebrating a red, white and
blue theme. Stay tuned! As always, we look forward to seeing you. |
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