Today dawned cool and sunny, and a little breezy which is very welcome. How long will it last? Not too sure. More rain is forecast, but then it was forecast to cover most of southern England yesterday, but didn't. I was at Ripley Nurseries Craft & Food Fayre yesterday and we had three drops of rain around 3.00 pm - okay it may have been four drops. On the way home, a few more drops fell but that was it. At around 6.00 pm it started to rain quite heavily, and then gave up at around 9.00 pm. I don't want heavy flash-flooding (it wrecks the garden) but I would like some more rain please.
I have booked for the next event, but not too sure about space availability after that. Some sellers have missed out on the last two events because of holidays and/or other commitments so there was space for me and one or two other new crafters. Once the summer break is over, it might be more tricky to get an inside spot and I really don't want to go down the route of buying a gazebo, especially as we go towards the (sorry to mention this) winter months. However, the good thing is that I will know on the day I take part if there is space at the following month's event. I will not be able to do the October and November events as I am already booked elsewhere and, sadly, I cannot do the December event because of a prior commitment to take part in a friend's event. I imagine that the sheds and summerhouses all decorated with Christmas lights will look lovely.
I was in a small summerhouse yesterday, very hot, but then it was very hot outside. Here is a photograph of my 'pitch' and I am embarrassed to see that I had forgotten to iron my green table-cover. Because my spotty one was 'in the wash' I dug this new one out and only realised it sadly needed an ironing when I put it on my table. Added to my event list of 'things I must do before the next one'.
Uhm, the sides on the summerhouse look a little curved, think my camera must have been wilting in the heat
Nearly all set up, just a high-rise display to go at the middle back
I have lots to catch up on this week as I am more or less back to 'normal' health-wise. So much gardening to do - why is it the weeds flourish in hot weather and everything else gives up? I have 6 card orders to complete over the next few weeks: 3 birthday cards, 2 wedding anniversary cards and 1 thank you card, so I need to begin planning those. The wedding anniversary ones are not needed until early September, but with Christmas fairs rushing towards me I need to keep on top of all orders. I promise to try to remember to take photographs for posting on my blog.
I also need to sort out my logging in. despite it showing up as Christmas Pie Crafts, blog posts and some comments keep appearing in my 'other self' CPC Wedding Stationery.
It has just started to rain again, so I have to rescue the garden tools and cushions. Rain has been so rare around here, it is nice to just stand in it for a while! Have a great week and a big thank you to everyone who visited my blog and left a comment last week - I love the feedback. Don't forget to call in on the bloggers taking part in Wendy's Handmade Monday event - I really love to catch up with everyone to see how they are and what they have been working on.
See you next weekend.
Jill
Glad you had a good day Jill, I'm looking for a gazebo so I can get to do some fairs but everywhere is sold out at the moment, glad your nearly back to full health again.
ReplyDeleteXxxc
Your stall looks great, I like the idea of being in a shed/summer house, I'm not really keen on being outside with cards - they do get easily blown by the wind. Glad you're feeling better too, I always enjoy reading your blog each week.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea to put each stall in it's own summer house! Your display looks lovely. Well done on your sales x
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice idea to be in a summer house, even a little rain can spoil the goodies. Glad you had a good time and sold some wares.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've got a very busy 5 months ahead of you Jill....Hope you enjoyed the rain.
ReplyDeleteS xx
Oh the crinkled, wrinkled table cover, even if ironed mine always have fold marks! I have a faux suede one in a light tan colour that is the best for no crinkles, but it does not go well with some items I have for sale! One day you will get everything right at a fair, then maybe sell nothing. Such is life :-)
ReplyDeleteSo glad that sales have begun to pick up for you. How lovely to be busy. Glad that you have recovered well. Hope you have a good week. xx
ReplyDeleteGreat venue! Your stall looks fab. I like the green table cloth. We only had 6mm of rain but at least the lawn looks better. Take care x.
ReplyDeleteGreat you had a good fayre, the little summer house looks lovely instead of a trestle table!
ReplyDeleteglad you have managed to find somewhere good, and made a profit, the summer house for a stall is such a cute idea. Hope you continue to have success in the future x
ReplyDeleteYour stall looks lovely in the summer house and wonderful to hear your busy with lots more orders. It was been a lovely break that we've had some rain, the plants definitely need it. Like you say the weeds seem to flourish.
ReplyDeleteAli x
That's a great idea to place stalls in a little cabin - it look very inviting. As for the craft fairs - I sometimes wish I could be in two places at the same time, but there is only so many weekends in the year.
ReplyDeleteHi Jill, I am happy that your fair booth is going well. Do they have fairs in the fall? I will be in England the latter part of October so I am hoping I can go to one of these wonderful events. Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was more rain too. It would at least help to cool things down a bit. Good to hear that you made a profit. The summerhouse does look a bit curved. It almost seems like it's about to fall over!
ReplyDeleteI love your set-up for the craft fair! And could it be? Christmas decorations will soon be up for sale in the stores? *sigh*
ReplyDeleteIts great to hear that business is going so well for you and that you are well on the mend healthwise too.
ReplyDeleteYour stall looks so gorgeous, i'd definitely pop in for a browse if i saw it! I love the idea of the little sheds - they remind me of the Christmas market we have in Bath :) x
Glad to hear you had another successful fair. Your stand looks lovely as ever. Hope you're still taking your recovery easy xx
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant way to set up a craft fair! I'm sure no-one noticed your table cloth , I hadn't till I read it. Have a great week, Jo x
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your fair went well and there was some profit from it. Your stall in the wooden hut looked good and I spotted some interesting cards on display. How did your card sale go?
ReplyDeleteI do know what you mean about the necessity of ironing - I had the same cases over years.
I think the statment that more people buy handmade these days is still a little bit too far fetched. Sadly, it doesnt feel so successful here in North Wales. It may be a case of a lucky region/area thing or just an odd successful fair. I feel a bit discouraged about selling my hand made. This year I'm not doing any fairs after last year pathetic sales. Car boot junk stalls were more successful than our hand made ones. Not worth bothering carry all that stuff with me around. Even the big event in Belle Vue park in Wrexham has been abandoned this year - I used to be there, selling in the community centre. The hand made market still needs a big boost, I think. Lots of people struggle today, considering just the fact that even our weekly shopping at tesco for 2 ppl is between £80-100 and it used to be £60-70. No wonder it's hard to have a good hand made turnover.