posted 2 May 2012 05:01 by Derrick Armitage
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updated 2 May 2012 07:38
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This month we have two great offers, a Supplier Spotlight and the results of our competition to tell you about. Competition Winner The lucky winner of our 5th Birthday/National Stationery Day competition was Helen McDonald, seen here collecting her prize on 1 May. We received 33 entries in total, 30 of which had all the correct answers, and Helen's name was the first one drawn out of the hat (well plastic bag really!) by a very obliging customer on 25 April. Five runners-up were also drawn and they were: J Chalmers, C Green, T McQuillan, M Malcolm and D Milne. Helen was thrilled with her prize and was looking forward to learning more about Charles Dickens from Claire Tomalin's acclaimed biography as well as viewing the DVD collection and using her new Autograph pen and the stationery items. Congratulations to her and the runners-up and a big Thank You to everyone who entered. (The answers are set out at the foot of this newsletter.) WoodWick 'Escape' Offer Buy a 9.5oz candle in the WoodWick Escape range and Save £5 on a second candle of similar size from any of the other WoodWick ranges. Escape has fourteen fabulous fragrances and with even more in the Classic, Gallerie, Trilogy and Wood Essence ranges you'll be spoilt for choice! Of course, they all have the famous wooden wick that crackles gently as it burns. (Offer subject to availability.) See lower down for our second May offer. Supplier Spotlight on Planet Soap Just in time for Easter we received a supply of wonderful handmade soaps from Jill Flye, the lady behind Planet Soap. We wanted to tell you more about Jill and her products so we asked her a whole lot of questions! After many years in 9-5 office work, Jill started Planet Soap two years ago after a little experimenting making soap gifts for family and friends. Her home-based business is in Winchburgh, near Edinburgh. Says Jill: "I have always loved
essential oils and been interested in aromatherapy, but the main Eureka
moment was when a young intern described to me how he had once
made soap, and sold it to raise money for charity. Something clicked into
place. It may sound odd, but I knew pretty much there
and then that I wanted to make essential oil soaps for a living.
As soon as I had the opportunity I started experimenting. Soon after that I
enrolled myself onto an intensive course on cold process soap-making. I
set up Planet Soap a couple of months later, selling at craft fairs and online,
and became a full time soap-maker just over a year after
that. I make my soaps
in 1 kilo 'loaves'. In soapmaking the kilos refer to the weight
of the oils. A 'one kilo loaf' in fact makes a minimum of 11 or 12 100g bars, as other ingredients such as water and botanicals are
added. 'Batch' refers to a particular pot/mix of soap. It is a
required way of recording exactly what has gone into any bar
of soap, so only one variety of soap can be made per
batch. As I have such a wide range of soaps, and as I make them by hand
in my home workshop, my batches are still relatively small - betweeen 2
kilos and 6 kilos. I will make several batches - up to 20 kilo
loaves - in a typical soapmaking session.
The soap is pretty much 'cured' - ie converted from fatty acids and
alkalis into gentle soap - in about 24 to 48 hours, but it then needs to
dry out and firm up quite a bit before being wrapped. After about three
weeks drying out naturally on wooden shelves, it becomes a good,
firm bar of soap, ready to be wrapped and sold.
Soapmaking
is my number one passion. I like to use natural moisturizers with essential
oils, and I do sometimes dream about getting a co-ordinated range of soaps and
moisturizers together. However if I ever get a bit of time when I could be
learning about making moisturizers, I find myself coming up with a new
soap instead. In
the interests of being environmentally friendly, and skin-friendly, I keep to high
quality natural plant-based ingredients. No parabens, animal fats or other
added nasties. I only use essential oils for fragrance and where I use
colour it comes from roots, seeds and leaves." Having tried several bars ourselves we can certainly vouch for the quality and fragrance of Planet Soap. Many customers ask what the lovely perfume is as they enter the shop and discover that it's our selection of Planet Soap. Lemongrass & Lime, is a personal favourite but the selection also includes Clary Sage & Cedarwood, Peppermint & Parsley, Patchouli & Sweet Orange, Rosy Geranium, Cedarwood, Sandalwood & Orange, Citrus and the unperfumed Nettle. Which will you choose? Berkeley Square Cosmetics Co. Offer Receive a free gift of soap or hand cream when you spend £10 or more on any items from the BSQ 1920s range. The super stylish packaging and great fragrances have an instant appeal. The selections include bath & shower cream, body lotion, eau de toilette/parfum, hand cream and soap, perfumed with Lime & Clarysage, Fig & Cherry, White Tea or the limited edition Black Cassis. Excellent prices make these Berkeley Square toiletries an everyday indulgence. Give yourself a treat! (Offer subject to availability.) New stock is arriving regularly so we hope to see you soon. Competition Answers In order, the book titles and authors names we were looking for were: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (or Notre-Dame de Paris) by Victor Hugo Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
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posted 5 Apr 2012 05:28 by Derrick Armitage
You
still have until 24 April to enter our competition in celebration of our 5th Birthday and National
Stationery Day. The theme centres on the written word and we have chosen the
first lines from six 19th/20th century novels. All you have to do is tell
us the name of each author and the titles of the books. First Prize is a
wonderful bundle worth £100 consisting of Claire Tomalin's
acclaimed biography of Charles Dickens, a DVD boxed set of the BBC's
"Bronte Collection", a stylish rollerball pen from the Autograph
range and a selection of quality stationery. There are also five
runners up prizes of stationery each worth £10. Visit the Competition Page on our website or pick up an
entry form from the shop. Terms and conditions apply. Our 5th Birthday falls at Easter on 6 April (which is as it was when we opened in 2007). We shall be open over the bank holiday weekend (Sun & Mon between noon and 4 p.m.) so we hope you'll call in to say hello and have a little chocolate treat in celebration!
The following weekend, 14 April, sees the Melrose Sevens international rugby competition take place. This is a showcase event for Melrose which receives worldwide coverage. Let's hope for an improvement in the weather and wish the Melrose team luck in their attempt to retain the championship title! Springtime means Easter chicks and newborn lambs which
is an ideal time to feature these attractive, quirky and fun items that
carry a farm theme: even though cows may not be one's first
thought for a greetings card, we have
charming animal illustrations from Milkwood; a Baa
Baa breadboard and Baa Baa blackboard along with a chicken-shaped wire egg
basket to bring gentle humour to kitchen tasks; and Fair Trade jute
shopping bags and a clothes peg apron with friendly farm designs. Borders
Mugs: we are thrilled to
announce the arrival of these bright, colourful mugs, designed by us,
Present Perfect ! They celebrate the names of people and places plus other
fascinating facts connected with four Borders locations: Melrose,
Dryburgh, Jedburgh and Kelso. We think they make an ideal gift or memento for
visitors as well as for locals who enjoy displaying their town loyalty. They're
also informative, so why not grab yourself a mug, gen up on your
surroundings and enjoy a cuppa at the same time?! Only £6.99 each. These colourful journals
from Peter Pauper Press are just some of the stationery items that we have in
stock. They would make ideal repositories for your own words of
wisdom, innermost thoughts, personal poetry or ideas manual. They might
also form part of our competition prizes!
I popped a cheery daffodil plant into this hurricane lamp
to show that things
can often have more than one use if we let our imagination roam a little! In
fact, this type of hurricane lamp could also make an attractive vase for fresh
flowers or be filled with all sorts of things, like decorative Easter
eggs! We wish you a very Happy Easter and hope to see you soon. |
posted 7 Mar 2012 04:15 by Derrick Armitage
After our visit to the NEC Spring Fair last month, the new
stock is beginning to arrive (Hooray!). We have lots of great gift ideas from
tea light holders to large decorative pieces. We also have new greetings card
and stationery ranges plus more stylish pens from Autograph and
some super new fragrances in WoodWick candles. Any of them
would make a wonderful gift for Mums on Mothering Sunday, 18
March. Fair Trade Fortnight also continues until 11 March and we have
a selection of items including handmade cutlery, jute shopping bags, wooden
chopping boards and bowls whose purchase can give pleasure in two directions. Our 5th Birthday falls over the Easter weekend and we're
holding a competition to celebrate which YOU* could win! We are thrilled to
continue as a feature in the Melrose retail landscape and are very grateful for
your support. It also happens to be National Stationery Day on 24 April and we
decided to include that as part of the theme. It's easy to enter so please see
below for more details.
(*Entrants must be UK residents aged sixteen or
over.) Decorative Ceramics: At 52cm diameter this "Sea Illusion"
design platter makes an impact. It is one of the larger pieces just arrived.
There is also a matching pitcher/vase and a floor-standing vase in the softer
colours of "Sand Illusion". Style and Drama: Black and silver also have impact as our
tablescape shows. As ever, we have a selection of candlesticks, tea light
holders, photo frames and smaller decorative pieces in a variety of finishes. Enter our Competition! Do you love words and writing (and reading!)? Then enter our competition. To
celebrate our 5th Birthday and National Stationery Day (24 April) we have
selected the first lines from six 19th/20th century novels - all you have to do
is provide the name of the author and the title of the book. The First Prize
(worth more than £100) is a wonderful bundle consisting of: Claire Tomalin's
celebrated biography of Charles Dickens, one of our greatest authors, in this
bicentenary year of his birth. BBC's Bronte Collection DVD boxed set (Jane
Eyre, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Wuthering Heights). A stylish
rollerball pen from the Autograph range. A selection of quality
stationery. Five runners up will each receive stationery worth
£10. To participate you can either visit the competition page
on our website or pick up an entry form in the shop (no purchase necessary).
Good luck! Closing date is 5pm, 24 April 2012. Terms and conditions apply. WoodWick Candles: We have new fragrances in the Escape, Trilogy
and Classic ranges. Make Spring smell even sweeter with Dew Drops, Patchouli,
First Crush, Citrus Melon, Ruby Sunset and others. Greetings Cards & Stationery: We have a new range of cards
from the Museums and Galleries company. They use some of the
worlds most famous designs whether from paintings, architecture or textiles. We
also have beautiful new stationery from the American company Peter
Pauper Press. Despite today's high technology world, apparently we
still love stationery and everyone enjoys receiving a handwritten note or card. We look forward to seeing you soon. In the meantime, don't forget to enter our
competition! |
posted 3 Feb 2012 03:15 by Derrick Armitage
It's February and that means Valentine's Day will soon be upon us. Why not draw a certain someone's attention to the array of goodies we have at Present Perfect?! Tokens of love in dainty heart-shaped soaps and photo frames or gorgeous jewellery. We also have luxury chocolates, which make the perfect indulgence!
It is also Trade Fair season and we will be heading to the NEC Birmingham for the huge Spring Fair. There are sure to be a thousand and one new ideas for the season and we look forward to selecting some great new stock. We'll tell you all about it as things arrive over the comings months. See you soon! |
posted 25 Jan 2012 02:21 by Derrick Armitage
We are now into the final week of our SALE and with absolutely everything reduced there are still plenty of bargains including these end of range Beanpod candles which are now half price. Don't miss out! |
posted 12 Jan 2012 02:59 by Derrick Armitage
For one day only we are giving an extra 10% off across ALL our sale prices.
Save up to 60% on selected items
at least 35% on our existing lighting
30% on JSK silver jewellery and Jules Jules glass and ceramic jewellery
20% on all other full price stock
There is something for everyone and great savings to be made - but remember, it's for one day only, on Friday 13th January. See you then! |
posted 4 Jan 2012 12:37 by Derrick Armitage
Welcome to Present Perfect's New Year Sale. With up to 50% off selected items and absolutely everything reduced by at least 10% we have some great bargains on offer.
Since even our greetings cards are reduced by 10%, why not stock up and be prepared for any upcoming occasions?
With gift and home decor items reduced by a minimum of 10% and selected pieces by up to 50% there's no better time to buy for those birthdays that are on the horizon or treat yourself to a finishing touch for the home.
Our remaining lighting has at least 25% off and you could save £50 on one of our table lamps!
We look forward to seeing you in the shop soon where you can pick up a New Year bargain. In the meantime, we offer you all good wishes for 2012. |
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