Jan 1st

Happy new year fellow crafters, it's been a while since my last post and I'm sorry for that but I have been so very busy attending craft fairs in the lead up to Christmas, I have been making like Santa's elves!! It has been a great time even though it's been a tiring one too, here are some photos of my stalls set up at some of the recent fairs I have done, hope you had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to this new year as much as I am, I predict great things for us all, lots of love Dotty x

A bit of promoting!

Been super busy crafting, homeschooling, trying to keep warm and sleeping lately, each day whizzes by and before you know it it's bedtime again, I have tons of fairs coming up over the next few weeks so have been neglecting my blogs, so sorry readers for that normal service shall resume soon!,

This week we did a photoshoot for our local newspaper, its for ladies pamper night on 15th December in Blackpool at Cafe Dolce on Abingdon street, 7pm - 9pm if you live locally and dare brave the seaside weather pop down, the lady on the left, Anne does angel (oracle) cards and readings, me in the middle will be selling my sewn items and Fran the one on the right does amazing vintage clothes, there will be other stalls too and lots of cake :)

Hope to see you there xx

Links to Lancashire craft fairs

Full list of the upcoming fairs in our area that I know of, please feel free to share more if I have missed them out x
https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=219421421446578  26th November, Lancaster
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152296604864954 3rd December, Cleveleys
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=226412290754487 4th December Preston
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116557488451272 4th December Fleetwood
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=228784553845722 10th December Blackpool
https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=260995687271255 10th December Poulton
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144635952305352 15th December Blackpool

Christmas craft fair 10th December!!!!!

lovley links

I spend ages looking at other blogs and would like to share some inspirational ones with great pictures ( I love blogs with pictures!), if you have any please comment and share, I'm always wanting more, "Hi my names Ruby and I'm a craft addict" - that would make a great T-shirt! Anyway enough rambling here are some lovely links x

                                 http://cinderberrystitches.typepad.com/cinderberrystitches/page/2/

                                                      http://carinascraftblog.wardi.dk/

                                                     http://www.printpattern.blogspot.com/

                                                          http://craftblog.com.au/

All photos above each link belong to the link underneath, they are owned entirely by the website owners and I have only used them in this post to show the kind of thing that is on each site x

Twinings Gets You Back To You

Love this, the song and the animation is so lovely, happy crafting x

A to Z of me

Saw this on Polly's blog and it looked like fun, I love to fill in questionaires, have a go at filling it in on your blog, leave me a comment with your blog link so I can have a nosey x

A: Age - 35 Ekkk!

B: bed size -double, full of homemade cushions and blankets

C: Chore that you hate - washing cutelry

D: Dogs - I had a collie dog when I was small but am waiting for a bigger house to get an airedale terrier and a french bulldog - although the mr thinks they are ugly

E: Essential start to the day - cup of clipper decaf tea and breakfast

F: Favourite colour - it varies but either green, pink or purple

H: Height - 5'2"

I: Instrument you play - little bit of drums but not for years

J: Job - full time mum/homeschool teacher/sewing crafts artist

K: Kids -three boys

L: Live - Blackpool

M: Mother's name - Eileen

N: Nickname - runty

O: Overnight hospital stays - 2 as a child, tonsils and appendix, 3 as an adult - all babies born in hospital

P: Pet peeves -littering, dog poo and people who stare rudely because of the way me and my boys look

Q: Quote from a film - " But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life" Chunk in the goonies - best film of all time

R: Right or Left handed - right

S: Siblings - 2 sisters, I'm the youngest

T: Time you wake up - usually around 8am

U: Underware -depends on the occasion ;)

V: Vegetable you hate - parsnips

W: What makes you late - my children

X: X rays- foot, teeth

Y: Yummy food that you make -cakes, pies, stir fry, curry in fact loads of lovely food!

Z: Zoo Animal - elephant

Our amazing fair

 What a brilliant day the handmade and vintage craft fair was here in Blackpool, Lancashire UK. The sun came out after a week of rain and despite issues like the cake lady dropping out the night before and the karate group not leaving the building on time it all was a great success. Lots of visitors came to look at the stalls and have cups of tea in vintage china, the stall holders were all amazing, really friendly and had a great day too. Here are some photos of the day:
Here is Fran on her vintage boutique stall, so many lovely clothes - ohh to be a smaller size so I could fit in them!

 Here's me Dotty Delightful setting up, sold all my lavender rabbits so was very happy

 beverleys vintage cake stands, all upcycled by the lovely lady herself, very reasonable prices too

 Here is Claire (Mrs Marmalade) setting up her pretty stall, she is such a lovely lady who made everyone feel welcome

 Birds on the beach's stall, loved their handmade felt rabbits with a twist and shabby chic style bunting

 All the above photos are the birds stall, royal memorabilia galore!

The happy house ladies and Rob (happy house Elizabeth's son)

 Colette makes fused glass items like pendants and coasters which can double up as tiles, she uses natural items like leaves and fuses them in her studio

 My darling friend Melodie and her amazing felted items, these tea sets are adorable she takes orders and can make them in any colour.

 More Mrs Marmalade and her peg dolls and girly bunting

 Here is handmade by Lucy, this was her first fair and she makes Japanese style brooches and head bands in liberty prints

 More upcycled vintage tea ware cake stands by Beverley

 Alice in wonderland inspired canvases by me Dotty, I really enjoyed making these, they are still for sale £35 for the pair if your interested email me

owls on my stall (Dotty)

 The very busy cafe area served homemade gluten and dairy free cakes to very pleased customers all day, in fact we needed more chairs because it was so busy!

 Here is Paula from Bellaboos attic, lovely rag dolls for sale and cute pincushions

 Here they are Birds on the beach, doing what they do best - posing with tea!

Here is another shot of Bird's stall - lovely, it was their first craft fair experience too.

More photos to follow in the next post, we really did have a great time, it was lots of hard work setting it up and I got blisters from posting flyer's but it was so worth it, can't wait to do the next one in December, ready for Christmas shopping! Hope to see you there x

Introducing Hand made by Lozluel

Handmade by Lozluel ~ Cards made with care

We are a husband and wife team who make handmade cards. We have been making cards for a while just as a hobby but have now decided it is time for us to show people our designs. There are cards for all occasions: birthday, christening, wedding, anniversary etc and also cards for relatives. We have just set up a Facebook page showing our cards which will be available to buy at the craft fair, it is called HandmadebyLozluel Cards, feel free to add us and look at the cards we have made so far! we hope you enjoy our cards as much as we enjoy making them!

Introducing Two for joy vintage

Magpie - One who compulsively collects or hoards small objects. Two for Joy Vintage has been started by two friends sharing a love for vintage treasures, and now we want to share those treasures with you!

we have dresses and separates, shoes, bags, jewellery and a few hand made items using vintage pieces, like earrings and rings made from vintage buttons

find them on facebook

tips and tricks for setting up your stall

Hello lovelies, just though I would do a post about some great help and info on the web for first timers and even stall holders who have been doing craft fairs a while, about how to set up, what you need etc, there are loads of ways to set up your stall, you will get into the groove of how you like things and its always worth looking around for ideas to help you have a great display. A couple of important things which I think are worth knowing are:

 I always take a table cover, this can be a double duvet cover (perfect size), a tablecloth, a sheet etc, make sure its ironed and folded in your bag so it looks crisp and fresh.

 A cushion for your bottom, I have been caught out lots of time with all day on a hard chair - not very good for the posterior!

Change - make sure you take some, sounds obvious but it is important, especially if you have odd prices ie 99p

A price list of you items, I stick this to the spare chair so I can see how much things are without having to lean over the stall, especially if you have a few items priced differently
A drink and a snack, unless you plan to buy one at the fair (unless your at my fairs when you will get complementry teas and coffee for free!)

Cards/ leaflets with your name on and a contact number and website if you have one, so many order come after the fair from people who take your details.

Carrier bags, even though we all want to cut down on plastic bags some people will want a bag, I love paper bags with things stamped on them or if your handy with the sewing machine then some bags whipped up on that and maybe charge 50p or something to cover costs.
A calculator - in the hope someone will want to buy loads!

A couple of tricks and tips:
I always price things on a round number or to the nearest 50p, this way it is easier for me and my small useless maths brain to add up and not look like a fool!

If you are going to be brave and use 99's then a psychological tip is someone will be more willing to pay £9.99 than £10.00, they think they are getting a bargain and your only losing out on a penny.

Try and add height to your table, if its eye level its better, make good use of your table space by using bookshelves, rails etc

right here are some great sites to look at and see how the professionals do it!:
flickr craft fair displays
great tips
do it yourself jewellery displays
craft fair displays (including mine Dotty)
more displays

say Jambo to Elizabeth and Lynn from Happy house Watamu

One of our brilliant stallholders are two lovely ladies who work so hard helping children in Africa, they will be selling jewellery made by a local shoemaker and some happy house bags, I can't say enough about how fantastic this charity is and you must go to the children of watamu website to see for yourself how brilliant it is. They also have a blog which is updated daily. You can also like them on facebook!

Our fantastic line up for the fair!!!

This Fair is different, unique and special, it brings together handpicked designers, crafters and vintage dealers who either make wonderful Handmade items or sell gorgeous Vintage treasures.

If you love Vintage and Retro items and appreciate the love and time gone into creating unique items, then the vintage and handmade craft Fair is for you!

There will be a very talented lady doing face painting, we hope to secure a vintage car and lots of other lovely things to make the day special, come in vintage wear if you can, you will be photographed and featured on the blog like a starlet!

Also there will be a cafe area serving delicious homemade cakes as well as a selection of teas, chicory drink and coffee on vintage tea ware. We also cater for dairy free and gluten free dietary needs.

Please do come along and support us, free entry. There is on site free parking.

We know have the line up of stalls that will be selling there beautiful items:

Dotty Delightful  - handcrafted delights

Melodie murphy  - felted teasets and other lovely things

Mrs Marmalade -  peg dolls, pincushions and beautiful bunting

Achtland Boutique         -   vintage clothing, bags, shoes and more

Elizabeth Gomm -  Happy house bracelets, bags and more

Beadzilla        -  Beadzilla, lovely jewelry and watches

Beverley Salisbury - gorgeous vintage cake stands

Birds on the beach - vintage tea sets, felted items and more

Sugar treats       -   Yummy scrummy cakes

BellaBoos attic  -  Raggedy dolls, softies and lots of great sewn items

Collette Halstead - Fused glass

Violets for your furs - vintage jewelry

Please tell all of your friends to pop along to this unique day x

Introducing Boo-tique......

My name is Steph, I'm from Blackpool, I recently graduated from UCLAN having studied Product Design for 3 years.

I looooooooooooove to craft, day or night! I have been crafting since I was a tiny tot and think I will be forever.

Over the last few years I have moved from making jewellery from beads to card-making to crocheting and knitting and now I find I most enjoy working with 100% wool felt. I started 'felting' using a technique called needle felting when a barbed needle is jabbed in an out of a ball of fluff a million times to bind it together. I still use this method occasionally ( when I'm feeling adventurous) but tend to prefer working on a larger scale so now a work from sheets of felt. I like the idea of mixed media so try to incorporate other materials and techniques into my work.

I am always on the look out for inspiration whether walking the dog in the park, on holiday even on a night out in town, it can come from anywhere, and it's the best feeling when it does!! :D

I'm always on the lookout for new outlets to sell my crafts, up until recently I had some at The Garden Place, Cropper Manor but due a business take over this is no longer an option. I now currently sell my crafts online at www.facebook.com/bootique82 and as many craft fairs as I can, hope to see you at one!!! :D

Introducing BellaBoos Attic.......

My name is Paula, married with three kids aged 15, 19 and 21

I live in Warrington, Cheshire. I am a self confessed craftaholic.  I love making things, especially sewing and knitting.  My Mum taught me how when I was a little girl and I have been crafting ever since.

 

 

 

 

I recently started volunteering one day a week at a place called Long Lane Garden Centre which is a charity which helps adults  with learning disabilities to access gardening and crafts.  I make lots of things for them to sell at craft fayres and in their shop as well as getting stuck in with the gardening and crafts when I go and do my volunteering.  Their claim to fame is that they appeared on an episode of Secret Millionaire (long before I started there), so are well known around Warrington.  It is a truly lovely place to spend a day and we have a lot of fun.

I have sold a few of my crafty things on ebay in the past, which is ok, but what I really want is to do a few craft fayres, partly to sell some of my ever growing collection of makes but also to meet other like minded crafty people.  I recently started my facebook page called BellaBoos Attic where I can show off all my things, but also find other crafters and admire their work.

Introducing Sugar's Treats AKA Hannah and Kirsty....

 'Sugar's Treats is an unbeatable baking combo who make cakes by day and fight crime by night. Ok, we aren't really but we would if we had the appropriate lair and weaponry.
In reality we are a duo of 2 best friends, Hannah and Kirsty who love cake and wish to spread the joy to the people. If we could fight crime with cake it really would be the best world possible.
The cake stall started to help out a friend who was organising an event and was let down at the last minute by their original cake stall. 'We could do that!' thought Kirsty, infused with excitement at the thouht of getting to do some baking AND turn a profit from it, not to mention being able to donate to charity by hiring the stall. It was a win-win-win situation, and so Sugar's Treats was born.....

As I've said we've both had a passion for cakes since, well forever. I will never forget he first cake I ever had, it was pineapple upside down cake and it was a revelation! Even at 3 years old I could tell this was going to be the start of something special. Regrettably Hannah can't furnish us with her first remembrance but was often found as a child in the kitchen with her mum, elbow (and sometimes ear) deep in flour, butter and sugar.
The main items to be found on our stall are cupcakes and muffins, all homemade with organic ingredients. The cupcakes we tend to stick with old faithful faves, vanilla, strawberry and lemon. The muffins we do play around with a little and try to offer something a bit different, ie carrot, macadamia and we do have plans for a savoury cheese and rosemary version at our next outing. Other cakes we have done include Earl Grey teabread (for those with not such a sweet tooth), lemon drizzle cake and tiffin (heavenly but sooo terribly fattening, I won't sell more than 3 pieces per person :))

 We like to make traditionally yummy treats for people with a slight quirky twist and are always on the lookout for fresh ideas. We adore our baking days, and the opportunities we get to go into the community and meet people. And it's the most wonderful thing to see your hobby please others, even if we do frequently get berated for making people ruin their diets!'