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Urgent Notice
It is with the deepest regret we have to close the cottage for this week beginning Monday 29th June. Sue is having some health problems. We will post an update as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience.
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......so what else is new? Well, I just wanted a little something in the perfume range to call my own and below is what I came up with. I hope you like them. There is a perfume range for ladies which I’ve named Sushannah and a toiletry range for the nursery which I have named Shu Shu.
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©Sushannah and Shu Shu.
I was named Susan as a child and later ‘Sue’ was adopted. I really don’t care much for either if I was perfectly honest but sadly, that was not up to me. However, as I delved into the meaning of the name Susan, that was something I did like and whilst it may not apply to me - I will leave those who know me best to comment on that, I thought the origin and a modern derivative would be perfect for my own range of perfume products. The name Susan is derived from the Hebrew Sushannah and Shu Shu is a modern adaptation.
The name means white water lily. Those so named are supposedly ’energetic, vivacious and bubble with life and happiness. This, together with their constant smile makes them always the star attraction‘.
Yes, I figured this was just a perfect meaning for my very own range of perfumes. The name didn’t seem quite so ‘plain’ and ordinary anymore.
Sushannah is my range of fine fragrances and accessories for ladies. The bottles are filled with the palest bridal pink or white pearl. Labels and packaging show a white water lily with a silver, white and bridal pink bow colour theme.
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Shu Shu (I love this name - wouldn’t mind being called this at all even though it may be more suited to a panda - but how appropriate for this line of items - anyway, I digress as usual) is my range of toiletries for children. Bottles are filled with clear or milky white pearl and labels show a cute panda and paw prints with a silver, black and white bow colour theme. Both items are available in all the kits and accessories currently available for Crabtree and Evelyn. The lingerie, nightwear sets and slippers available for the adult fragrances are replaced with a children’s nightdress or babies gown and panda slippers by Susan Lee. How charming and cute. I know these will be so popular. Whilst I don’t really believe in the pink for girls and blue for boys tradition, I am willing to replace the black or white bows on the Shu Shu range with pink or blue if you request this at the time of ordering. Also coming in the Shu Shu range this summer - a children’s photo album, keepsake book and story book. Then later to feature in the nursery brochure 2010, Shu Shu coordinated nursery furnishings in real ebony, matching upholstery and bedding, nursery lamp and curtains, wallpaper border, pet bed....and more!. Wow - how exciting is that? Can’t wait to see these, they are just in my head at the moment and not looking too bad at all I have to say. But there’s even more - my good friend Christine at Little Trimmings is sourcing some tiny pandas for the base of the Shu Shu nursery lamps which will have silk shades printed with my own design of paw prints. © Sue’s Enchanted Cottage
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Please Help Us We are proud to name the WWF as a very worthy cause and we are donating 5% of all the Shu Shu sales to help the WWF save our beautiful and endangered species. The cottage is also adopting a Panda and would love you to help further. To find out how to adopt a Panda, donate a gift directly to the fund or subscribe and receive an informative membership pack, click on the link at the end of this message and subscribe direct. Alternatively, you can also join through the cottage. We forward your payment to WWF who then send out your pack direct. The WWF has been instructed to retain any commissions due to the cottage as a result of membership and adoptions made through the cottage to be used towards their cause. www.wwf.org.uk
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Oops!! We’ve reached crisis point again. So many orders - so little time. Please see below for hospital updates for July when I shall be away. Maureen was also away this week but back Monday 29th - hurrah.
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Please allow us plenty time to post orders. Maureen is in charge of all packing so please allow at least 28 days for delivery, her hand is in recovery mode.
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Watch this space..
I will be posting images of our super new products in the very near future. I have just made the bottles and waiting for them to dry. They take four days to dry - yes! and you wonder why you have to wait for these items sometimes - so now you know.
Pop back soon - hopefully this weekend!
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Hospital update... As promised, I am keeping you up to date with all the times I will not be available. I was perhaps a little foolish not to keep you in the picture these last six months as it causes insecurity and speculation which isn’t good for anyone. But it took a while for me to get my head around it all myself. So...........
Monday beginning 22nd June - A bit of a problem week, originally to be in Tues - Thurs, then changed to Tues, Thurs and Fri. Treatment didn’t go as expected so have to go back for 2-3 days for the next three or four weeks. What a to do. But, I am not complaining because the hospital staff at the Royal have been tremendous. I couldn’t have found better care if I tried. I have nothing but the highest regard for everyone there.
Monday beginning 29th June - I will post the days I will be missing this week, as soon as I know. Waiting for a call hopefully Monday morning to tell me when to come in. But, we have Maureen back next week - HURRAH!! I have really missed her. She will be processing your orders - there are so many so please be patient with her.
After this I should only be away a couple of days per month (I said this last week and look what happened) and this should not affect the cottage too much. Then there may be a little light at the end of the tunnel at last. I’m almost tempted to say the worst may be over, but I better not if Murphy is about, we’ll just hope it is for now. Thank you again so much for everything. I couldn’t have got through it without all your good wishes and messages. Remember too - When you give out roses, some fragrance will linger on your hands.
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Writing Again........Many of you are still requesting work from me in magazines, brochures and books. Well, you all know how it is. especially with ill health at the moment. Normally when fit, it can still take me about six months for a brochure working flat out at top speed - as everything in it has to be made before it can be photographed. It takes me seven to nine months for a craft book for the same reason but it can take two to three years and upwards for a novel, so not so bad really for the other two after all. But - this is when I am working flat out remember. The Tussie and Crabtree brochures have been delayed unusually for two reasons - Firstly I added seven new fragrances and over 20 new silks in these brochures, and then I have lost a lot of time with illness. So, allowances must be made. In the meantime therefore, I am starting to write for magazines again and have just negotiated a series of projects on 1920 - 1930 fashion in DHMS. I will let you know when these will appear. The editor has not given me a deadline as I can’t keep to them at present with hospital visits etc. which will take another few months at least. She has asked me just to contact her when it is nearly ready so she can pencil it in. I will post on here when it is nearly ready also and you can watch out for those issues if this era in time is of interest to you. I am working on them now so they may be ready end summer/beg. autumn as a rough estimate, I will let you know.
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My theme for this month has been all about friendship. I chose this because quite recently I came to realise what true friendship really means. Personal friends and friends of the cottage who visit us have really pulled together to help me over recent months and your support has meant so much to me. Many thanks for your kind comments about the friendship story. Try not to worry about friendships which just weren’t meant to be, a good friend sent me these words.
There comes a point in your life when you realise:
Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore...
And who always will..
So, don't worry about people from your past,
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
Just remember, a real friend walks in when the others walk out. Comforting words to think about if you ever feel betrayed or confused about sincerity issues.
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What seems like an eternity ago, I posted on this page about my heart valve problem. You were all so concerned and I tried to reassure you that most physical heart problems today can be so easily fixed. Then I read this quote and realised that here was one heart complaint not quite so easily fixed yet well within all our power to do something about.
If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. Bob Hope
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Click here for more thought provoking quotes
http://www.quotegarden.com/kindness.html
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Sometimes when life gets you down and you feel like everything is against you, something always seems to arrive just at that right moment to give you a much needed lift. Just recently I received some lovely messages in my guest book, one of which arrived some weeks ago but I have just activated it. I arrived back from hospital recently once more a reject, to open the letter shown right. It did more for me than any medic could do. I have just spoken with the lady as I wanted to ask her if she would like a signed copy of the book she has ordered and I asked if I could share it with you, she said she would be delighted. How truly blessed I am to be able to share my life with such wonderful people as miniaturists. We are undoubtedly the better people for the experience of living in a fantasy world which is without doubt so much better than the real world. God bless you Betty and thank you, hope you continue to make progress.
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Chocolate Strawberries
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This summer, indulge in some mouthwatering chocolate strawberries or share some with a special friend. Melt some Belgian chocolate in a small bowl over a simmering pan of water allowing only the steam to melt the chocolate. .
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Lift the pan from the stove and dip some M & S king-size strawberries into the melted chocolate. Take the strawberry straight to a tray with a greaseproof paper lining and allow to set. Cool in the fridge then enjoy. For very special occasions or really dark days, double dip the chocolate strawberry once the first dipping has set. I usually dip in milk chocolate, set, then white chocolate. When this is set, drizzle with melted dark chocolate backwards and forwards quickly over the strawberry mmmm....mmmm, heavenly. If you are too hot in this sweltering heat, pop down to Thorntons for a tub of four for £2.50. Yum
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A friend of mine bought me one of those key rings with your birthday date, month and the year you were born. Here’s what mine said -
People born on this day make friends easily, are loyal in friendship and are individualistic people.
Friendship and loyalty have always been important to me. Perhaps there may be an astronomical reason for this? Strange to find it written on a keyring.
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Humility.. I was given a book mark and book as a gift and found a prayer within which I particularly found appropriate and quite uplifting. I won’t show all the verses - but I have them if you would like a copy. The writer was anon. Anyway, the line which caught my eye read - ’I asked the Lord for good health that I may do greater things, He gave me infirmity, that I may do better things‘. I have found this to be so true. I don’t think I have ever asked for good health, not even now (Perhaps upon reflection i should have). I always figured what happens, does so for a reason and recent ill health problems have made me believe it even more because I do see things differently now, perhaps that was the reason, it was a wake up call. In the past, simple things like posting a story with a message or ringing a customer who I know would welcome the call and a friendly voice at the other end. have brought me joy because of the inherent feel good factor within. But now I feel it is my duty to do these things not for me at all - but much more so now for those who may benefit from them. When you have to resign yourself to a health problem which can be potentially life threatening needing quite extensive surgery, once over, you do start to appreciate all the little things you once took for granted. I have heard this so many times from visitors to the cottage who have lived through cancer and other serious illnesses and it is true. I feel that it is not those who are ill who are the unlucky ones in life, but those who are well because they will never experience the joy from those simple things we all take for granted until we experience something which enables us to see otherwise. Wouldn’t it be just the best thing ever if we could all learn to appreciate the simple things without the serious illness? So today, why don’t you write that letter you were going to send to a friend, call on someone you have been meaning to, for quite a long time, ask an elderly neighbour if he or she needs anything, enjoy giving and then you will enjoy life and see what a joy the act of giving can do for someone. Don’t wait until He thinks he has to give you something to be able to see this for yourself. He also has ways of rewarding you when and if you need it - the good that you do will come back to you - one thousand fold. I have also found this to be very true these past few months.
Forewarned is forearmed, give something of yourself today before you need to be shown the way.
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Dressed dolls! What can I say?
There is currently an almost eighteen months to two year waiting list for a Sue Jo original doll. I am so sorry about this. The orders just have mounted up and personal illness has not helped the situation at all. I tried to start an Available Haute Couture section but haven’t had time to expand that either, I’ll just have to pull my socks up when I start to get back to normal health wise. My daughter is constantly telling me the cottage has too much content but I’m that kinda girl. I like to do different things and besides, you all need my silks to make the gowns in my books. So we’ll just keep plodding on and we’ll pick up speed in due course hopefully.
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Julie from South Africa has sent us these wonderful images of a thunderstorm in Cape town. You can just see Table Mountain in the background of the first image.
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Beautiful and amazing. Thank you so much for that Julie
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Thank You
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May all you set out to do in this life
Bring pleasure and joy to you
Miniatures help us escape to a life
Where wishes and dreams can come true
If I can help in any way I can
Just give me a call any time
I feel privileged to share such a part in your lives
Thank you for being part of mine
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Sue Johnson, Author, Teddy Bear Artist
Designer & Specialist in Miniature and Teddy Bear Bridal Wear,
Miniature Haberdashery and Couturier
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All images, business information and creations on this site are strictly copyrighted by
Sue Johnson © 2006 and may not be used without written permission. If you would like to use anything from my work, please just send a request by email. I rarely refuse in fact, I haven’t even once at the time of writing this message. I simply like to be kept in touch.
Many thanks to Pat at Pats Graphics for her beautiful roses.
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