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 Issue 5, April/May 2006A warm welcome to all our new readers this month! First of all, a quick mention of a few additions to our site. I have got to grips with some new software and we now have a Period Features Blog, a kind of online diary which is quite fun, as well as a Wonderful Websites page where you will find an eclectic range of restoration, salvage, antiques, lifestyle and small business resources. It's well worth a look and you're sure to find something useful, wherever your interests may lie.So, what else has been happening? Well, I'm looking forward to speaking at the Starting Your Own Business seminar in Leeds next month. It's run by Eve magazine and there are two events, one in London on 6th June and the other in Leeds on 8th June. There are plenty of inspiring speakers, workshops and networking opportunities. Tickets cost £85 per person. Read more » Then there was the Period Features Packaging Appeal. Internet sales were up an amazing 130% last year, and we are now so busy that the packaging coming IN with goods is no longer enough to package all the goods going OUT. This is a great problem to have, of course, so I'm not complaining. It's perfectly possible to buy in bubblewrap and polystyrene packing chips, but it occurred to me this was silly when I know other companies are just throwing them away. So recently we asked the local paper to run a little feature asking for donations of used packaging. I didn't know what would come of it, but thought it was worth a try... The outcome: it was a resounding success, so much so that we can now hardly get in the cellar (where we do the packing) for all the piles of cardboard boxes, bags of bubblewrap and packing chips. Fairly frequently there is a little avalanche of boxes and we have to stack them all up again! We have gone from feast to famine. I thought that it may not last - after all, people have short memories sometimes - but the supplies just keep coming. It's a great win-win situation and one I thoroughly recommend to other small business owners who send goods out on a regular basis! Once again, if you can't see this ezine properly, you can view all the current and previous issues on our website. Read more » Lucie Why Bother To Restore Old Houses?There are lots of reasons, and you can read just a few of them here in our article from the World Of Old Houses, a rather quirky site whose eccentric owner has a particular interest in magic, ritual & witchcraft in old houses! So, if you've found a hidden shoe, bottle or other ritual object, this site can also tell you what it might mean.So, why bother to restore old houses? Because they have so much to tell us about our past, social customs, interior and exterior decoration of their period, architecture and the history of building technology. Old houses are the antiques in which we live and should be cherished and appreciated for their very special qualities. Restoring an old house will not only give you a nice, warm inner glow but can also put a lot of money in your pocket. Houses that have been faithfully restored command premium prices in the real estate market. Read more » Testimonial"Having read a couple of articles about Period Features I had high expectations of the quality of goods and service from your company and I have not been disappointed. I was extremely pleased with the products I ordered and the speed with which they were sent - they arrived the day after I ordered them! Tracey was then kind enough to find a couple of bolts for a door knocker that I already had, sent them in the post straight away and I received them this morning - all with no charge! What an exceptional company, very helpful staff and lovely goods. I have no hesitation in recommending you to all and sundry. "L. M. from Reading, Berkshire Wonderful WebsitesLower Hurst Farm is located near us in the beautiful Peak District, and it's a great source of organic beef and lamb. Plus, you get the satisfaction of knowing that it has been born and raised on the farm, with the highest standards of animal welfare. You can buy through their website at www.lowerhurstfarm.co.ukHaving read an article about a Dorset-based company called Chococo in Country Living magazine, I thought I'd give them a try so I rang up and ordered a large selection box. Well, it arrived yesterday, in a lovely box with a hand-written card, and I'm ashamed to say that I have already eaten about half of them. They've got great names like Rum Totty, Raspberry Riot (that one was my favourite), Dotty Apricotty and Herb Patch (with mint in it) and really are fabulous... Do yourself a favour (never mind the waistline!) and visit them here: www.chococo.co.uk If you have any paint you can't use, don't just leave it in the cellar slowly going off! Instead, get in touch with Community RePaint, a project which collects leftover reusable paint from householders and redistributes it to those who need paint but cannot afford it. Seems a noble scheme! www.communityrepaint.org.uk Renovators is an online community and information resource for old house lovers, with restoration and home improvement tips, a comprehensive guide to suppliers of restoration goods and services, a Knowledge Base full of useful related stories and articles, and discussion forums too. www.renovators.com Win A £50 Period Features Voucher!How about winning a £50 voucher to spend on our lovely products? It could be you! Just answer one simple question to enter, and after the closing date of 31 May 2006 we will pick one winner at random from all the correct entries. Read more »The winners of our previous competition were Cindy Thomson, Bryan Murphy, Peter Beard and Wendy Telfer, who each receive a Bed & Breakfast book from the Special Places To Stay series. Enquire WithinIn our shop in the Staffordshire Moorlands, we often get asked about the care and repair of Stained Glass. As it's not something I really know anything about, I thought it would be fun to do some Internet research and put the findings in the newsletter!The very first thing I came across on Google was an intriguing site called Experts About, which allows you to consult an expert on pretty much any subject under the sun. You can even volunteer yourself as an expert (if you are!) and answer other people's questions. Seems a pretty handy resource. Anyway, they did have quite a lot of useful information about Stained Glass. Bricks & Brass has a good factsheet on cleaning and repairing stained and leaded glass, listing all the techniques and equipment required. It doesn't recommend attempting highly specialised repairs yourself; instead, bring in an expert to avoid disaster! During my online travels, I was really delighted to discover the Stained Glass Museum, which offers a unique insight into the fascinating story of stained glass, an art-form that has been practised in Britain for at least thirteen hundred years. The site also has a brief history of stained glass which makes interesting reading. The Museum is in the South Transept of Ely Cathedral, a small city fifteen miles north of Cambridge, so it would make a great trip out. I look forward to visiting next time I'm in the area! Veering slightly off subject, I also found a rather interesting Stained Glass Photography website, with gorgeous images of windows by artists such as William Morris and Henry Holiday. You can also buy products such as greetings cards and posters here. Last but not least, the search also came up with the two-day Stained Glass Courses run by artist Leslie Goodwin in glorious countryside in deepest Shropshire. Sounds very enjoyable! Please do keep sending us your questions - we really love being helpful here at Period Features! The most relevant and/or interesting will be published in future editions of the newsletter. Email your queries to us at Enquire Within One Last ThingA propos of nothing very much, but with a sincere desire to be helpful, it's now time for a personal rant about Physiotherapists versus Chiropractors. Speaking as someone who has been in constant pain for about 5 or 6 years, caused (as I thought) by repetitive strain injury from my years as a freelance translator before I set up Period Features, I have visited 2 doctors, 2 private physiotherapists and 1 NHS physiotherapist who listened to details of the private treatment I had received before asking me exactly what I expected from the NHS, then? Well, an arm that doesn't hurt would be nice, I thought to myself, but being a reserved kind of a Brit I said nothing, never went back and just put up with the pain.It wasn't until I attended a website seminar about 3 months ago and overheard someone talking about how a chiropractor had fixed his frozen shoulder that it occurred to me to visit one myself. No wonder I was in pain. Amongst other things, three misaligned vertebrae were putting pressure on nerves in my spine. Well, no amount of soft tissue manipulation was ever going to fix that! Obviously, I have nothing against physiotherapists or GPs and I'm sure that mine were doing the best they could. What I do find very frustrating, though, is that none of the health professionals I visited ever suggested that the problem might require a different approach, even though physiotherapy clearly wasn't working. Having had six weeks of treatment, I now feel much better and am no longer in constant pain. And thank goodness, because it's a pretty depressing experience. So if you are in a similar situation, or know someone who is, perhaps it might be an idea to get out the Yellow Pages and try a chiropractor too. I wish you all the best! Please don't forget that if you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to drop us a line. We love hearing from you! Email us at One Last Thing Kind regards, Lucie Storrs, Proprietor |  Rim Locks & Latches are the most recent products to be added to the site. The Regency latch shown above is available in brass for £65 or cast iron with brass fittings for £55. We have three different styles, plus some spare keeps if you happen to have an old lock which has lost its original one somewhere along the way - fairly common! Read more »  Don't forget we have a really lovely range of Scrubbing Brushes, Washing-Up Brushes and Feather Dusters made from real ostrich feathers on the site, & plenty of other domestic paraphernalia too. Click here to view all our kitchen products: Read more »
 Cupboard Knobs can really transform a piece of furniture. We have a good range on the site, from glass and ceramic to iron and hardwood with nice old-fashioned wooden bolt fixings. Or why not give us a ring on 01538 372202 to see what Victorian glass cupboard knobs we have in stock at the moment? We currently have quite a few clear and amber originals. Click on the link to see our whole range: Read more »  A real kitchen classic, this Oak Roller Towel and Holder will look great in a traditional or contemporary setting. Holders cost £22.50; the roller towels come in 5 different colours (natural or with blue, red, yellow or green stripes) and cost £9.50 each. Read more »
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