Bust Christmas Craftacular London

I'm so excited to be taking part in the Bust Christmas Craftacular in London, this Sunday 27th November. Find me there with around 70 other Designer/Makers and a fab line up of crafty workshops, live music and a pop up cafe and bar. The Fair is taking place in the great venue that is York Hall in Bethnall Green and you're sure to find lots of Christmas gift ideas, as well as treats for yourself. 

 Find out more about Craftacular here. I would love to meet you there, pop by and say hi if you're planning a visit!

Harris Tweed mini embroidery hoop necklaces

Renegade Craft Fair London

It's certainly been a mega month! I've been really busy making, so I just wanted to show you some pics of what I've been up to...

 A couple of weekends ago I had a stand at the fab Renegade Craft Fair at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, London. I really love Renegade because there's always such a friendly atmosphere among the diverse selection of makers that take part in the fair. I worked really hard in the lead up, making lots of new pieces.

I'm really chuffed with my new table name banner from AllHerGlory  The glittery packaging really made me smile too when the parcel came through the door!

I didn't get much chance to take many photos over the weekend, but I'm really grateful to everyone who stopped by to say hi. It was lovely to chat to so many people and it literally made my year to hear people say they had sought out my stand at the fair and to meet people who follow me on social media. Hi to everyone who stopped by to say hi! *Waves*

My Harris Tweed mini embroidery hoop necklaces had their craft fair debut at Renegade and I'm pleased that they were well received. I got some new colours of Harris Tweed offcuts to use, but the mustard is still my personal favourite!

I also made many new Shetland wool Fair Isle necklaces for the fair. I love knitting these

If you didn't make it to Renegade, I'll be taking part in the Bust Christmas Craftacular in London on Sunday 27th November. I'll be sharing more new makes and looking forward to meeting more of you there!

Renegade Craft Fair London 2016

I'm delighted to be taking part in the Renegade Craft Fair at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, London on 5th and 6th November. I'm busy getting ready for the fair- lots and lots of making going on here at the moment! I'm working on some new pieces (sneak peeks coming soon!) as well as new colours in my existing collections. I would love to meet you there, come and say hi and have a chat! There are some great makers taking part so it'll be an ideal place to start your Christmas shopping. Follow me on Instagram for updates on what I'm making in the lead up to the fair

Some #wip for the fair!

Poppy's Place Winter Craft Fair

Next weekend on Sunday 1st November I'm delighted to be taking part in the Poppy's Place Animal Rescue Winter Craft Fair in Marks Tey, Essex. I'm really looking forward to it and if you're in the area it looks set to be a fab afternoon. There will be plenty of opportunity to start your Christmas shopping, with handmade work from local crafters, a great raffle, food for yourself and your dogs and cats alike and a Mad Catter's Tea Room (my sort of afternoon!) Supporting a great cause and having a lovely time too, what more could you ask for? 

 I'll be showcasing some new jewellery designs and I've also been feeling festive and working on some handmade Christmas cards so I'm looking forward to sharing them. Hope to see you there!

Find out more about the great work that goes on at Poppy's Place and how you can help here

I will have a range of my Harris Tweed Button Brooches for sale on the day but you can also take a look at them in my Etsy Shop, they make lovely stocking fillers!

The Made In Colchester Summer Fair

On Saturday 4th July I took part in the Made In Colchester Summer Fair at Colchester Arts Centre. It was such a lovely day with a great atmosphere and very busy so I didn't get a chance to take a lot of photos, but I wanted to share a little look back at the day and introduce some of the Collective members and their handmade work, all created in the Colchester area...

Brilliant prints from Lauren Kelly. The hard thing about the day was being tempted by all the lovely work on display!

Ar and illustration from Ella Johnston

Prints, cards, cushions and bags from Daisy Courtauld

A beautiful display from Tracy Owen

Stationery and illustrated gifts by Holly Trill

My display. I'm still enjoying using the vintage suitcases to display my brooches and they seemed to draw attention!

We ran drop in workshops throughout the day and they were all very popular. I taught 6 lovely ladies how to make felt beads- they all said how much they enjoyed it so I got a bit of a buzz from that. It's definitely given me a push to carry on planning a workshop programme- watch this space!

There was live acoustic music playing throughout the day which added to the great atmosphere. The Arts Centre where the Summer Fair was held is a former church that is now used as a music and event venue, so the acoustics are brilliant.

As if that wasn't enough, there was also a pop up cafe run by collective member Caroline Rhys-Lewis, serving lovely homemade cake and savoury goodies. I treated myself to a piece of caramelised apple and ginger cake- it had to be done!

 The Collective members enjoyed the day as much as the visitors and if you came along to support us, thank you very much. I'd also like to say thank you to the founder of The Made In Colchester Collective Lucy Hook-Child and to all the members of the group who put so much effort into making it such a fab day. We're now planning the Autumn Fair for Saturday 19th September!

If you'd like to find out more about the Made In Colchester Collective and keep up to date with news and events, check out our website here

What To Take To a Craft Fair- Essential Craft Fair Kit!

A lovely friend did her first craft fair recently and she asked me what she should take, so I thought I'd share my essential craft fair kit! These are items that I find invaluable to have on hand at a craft fair. I have a wheelie suitcase that I use just to transport my work to craft fairs and this kit lives in there permanently so it's always ready for the next fair. 

My essential craft fair kit...

1. Notebook- for keeping note of sales, custom orders, etc
2. Pen
3. Business Cards
4. Needle and thread- I've not had to use them yet but you never know!
5. Pins
6. Scissors
7. Pegs of different sizes- these always come in handy 
8. Hang tags in different sizes
9. String/twine
10. Double sided tape
11. Selotape
12. Bags for your items
13. Washi tape/stickers to seal the bags
14. Tablecloth
15. Signage for your table- I use my knitted name bunting
16. Display stands and props
17. Mailing list sign up form
18. Something to work on- you may not always get the chance but I find that making your products whilst at a craft fair provokes interest in your work, it's a good use of time and as I find it hard to keep still, it keeps my hands busy!
19. Suitcase/bags/ to transport your work to the fair. I have a dedicated wheelie suitcase that I use for this
20. A change float
21. Your inventory of products- I always practice my table layout so I know what products to take with me. I take extras to top up the stand with if I make a sale
22. Drinks and snacks- it may not always be possible to leave your stand so I always take supplies
23. A friend to help! 

Hope to chat to you at a craft fair soon!