Melton Mowbray Show, June 2012

Melton Mowbray , famous for it's pork pies, hosted it's annual show this month. We attended with our stall.

Richard, fooling about with a Tarantula ( knitted!!!)

We were under canvas, in a rather large marquee. At least the rain kept away this year!

    

Lots of things going on at the show, Falconry....

Some sort of HAMSTER-LIKE ride !!!!

Monster trucks.....

 And my favourites, KNIGHTS JOUSTING !!!! 

To finish the day, a couple of parachutists dropped in.....

It stayed dry, warm and was a really enjoyable day ! 

Whetstone Pastures Farm Christmas Fayre 2011

Whetstone Farm was the final craft fair of the year, and we loved it! We first visited the 600 acre farm, situated in South Leicestershire, in the autumn, when we picked our fruit for the jams. It's a PICK-YOUR-OWN farm, growing a wide range of fruit and veg. Waking up to a clear crisp winter's day, the car was loaded and we headed for the farm.
   Setting up our multi-craft stall was a joy, it was bursting with festive goodies such as Robin Pooh (!), white choc truffles, santas, snowmen, hand-stitched decorations. Gosh what a cold day, but we kept warm by drinking non-alcoholic mulled wine, which we make, sell, and dish out samples!

                                                            Our dressed Mulled wines!

                                         The event was officially opened by a local Councillor.

The highlight for me was the Nativity, the barn backdrop was perfect. In trooped youngsters dressed as shepherds, angels, Mary and Joseph and of course the baby Jesus. Carols were sung, and when the young voices sang "Little donkey, little donkey, got a heavy load" and Martha the donkey plodded slowly in as if to say " yes...I'm coming"... well I filled up !!!!

 Whetstone Pastures Farm do wonderful work for charity, what a hard-working lot! One of the attractions were the Newfoundland Rescue Dogs ( great big friendly characters who we have visited before at Watermead Park,where they jumped into icy water and pulled "stranded" boats back to shore.....BRRRR !  )
At Whetstone, they had a different job - pulling youngsters on Santa's sleigh!

Truly a wonderful festive day, and a perfect end of year craft event. We hope we will be invited back !

Last craft fairs of the year....

Well... hasn't this year gone quickly?  It's Dec 31st, and I'm just finishing the last entry of the year. Saturday we exhibited at the St Wiston Church Christmas Festival. Gosh, how beautiful is this??? There must have been at least 30 trees set up inside the church... every one was themed. The stall was situated in the tea room next door.

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

Yup ... it's THAT time again, and we have lots of Christmas craft fairs coming up...  thank heavens my hands are up to it! Just had Carpal Tunnel Decompression ops on BOTH hands - look ! (Do I hear a sigh of sympathy? LOL ) And look how small the scar/cut is..... I've seen HUGE scars after the same ops on other folk... .and I still managed to make crafts !!!!

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OK on to lovely things... new for this Christmas craft fairs are:  Non-alcoholic bottles of mulled wine dressed as Santas and snowmen!

We have Christmas tree decorations, knitted baby penguins, (sold out of these in one show), little knitted teddies, our own hand made chocs and sweets as usual, gingerbread men - knitted and felt, decorated lollies, snowmen mint creams,  hand sewn snowmen, sewn gingerbread men and hearts garlands, Snowman soup, boozy Christmas cakes, kitty angels, too many more to mention!

   These lovely snowmen angels are made in cream fleece with orange Sculpy Clay noses !

                                           Baby knitted penguins, with felt feet and beaks.

Our first Christmas fair was 19th November at Ravenstone. It's always a bit hectic setting up the stall, but at least it was indoors in the warm, and NOT outside in a gazebo! We did well trade-wise, people were lovely... lots of giggles and chatting ! We dished out samples of hot mulled wine - we don't have a license to sell alcohol, so it had to be non-alcoholic.  Chocolates were sampled too...

                                       Ravenstone craft Fair - 19th November 2011.

Our next Christmas Fair is Friday 2nd Dec at Gilmorton School, Saturday 3rd Dec we are at Palace Craft Fair, Ibstock  and 4th Dec we are at the Markfield Community Centre.   

Foxton Locks Family Event 17th/18th Sept 2011

Foxton Locks is near Lubenham, Leicestershire. Acres of woodland, fields, and locks. The gaily painted narrow-boats that pass through these locks are truly beautiful and very loved!  The 2-day event featured craft marquees, funfair, animals (alpacas, goats, sheep, tortoises, hens, hamsters etc), Viking settlement, waterball pool,  and lots for children to do.  We set up the gazebo around 8.00am in pelting, cold rain. NOT a good start! It finally eased off and the sun peeped through the clouds. We found lots of customers enjoyed a good chinwag, lots of dogs enjoyed a good stroke..! it was a lovely relaxed weekend.

Rosie and Jim enjoying the scenery!

           

The Viking settlement was superb... I am a history buff...

A Viking settlement.

 I loved the costumes, the stories, the people that portrayed times past. One kind lady named Hild invited me into her Viking home, which was covered in deerskin, reindeer skin, sheepskin - it was really cosy ! Her husband turned wood - I held a bowl he had turned, it was perfect, smooth and so tactile.

Hild , a very welcoming Viking wife!

Hild's husband made his own shoes, and turned exquisite wooden bowls !

 Hey - it's not very often you get to chat to Vikings named Ragnut and Leif !!!!  They invited me to hold their chainmail vest, which, wussy that I am, I couldn't manage the weight! Ragnut told me the chainmail vest weighed a THIRD of his body weight!!!! 

Ragnut and Leif, Viking warriors!     

Alpacas looked snootily over the fences at the people going past.  Now I know llamas spit if you get too close, so I gave them a wide berth, but was assured by the owners that these cousins of llamas DIDN'T spit !

"What are you staring at?"

Oh and by the way, look at Richard, fooling about as usual - I don't have many photos of him in serious pose, if he spots the camera, there he is - POSING !!!!!!! LOL
 It was a great weekend, Saturday night we stayed in a hotel,  we needed a bit of spoiling, then back to Foxton for the second days trading. 

Ashby Magna Street Fair Sept 9th 2011.

Just getting dark....

Bit of extra light needed....

Lovely atmosphere!

Set up was a bit slow, we were on a tilt, so had to adjust gazebo AND tables. Didn't want another episode like Thorpe Arnold  !! We've done street fairs before, but not in the dark !  The good folk of Ashby loaned us their electric points for the evening, so we could plug our sparkly lights in !!!!  Lots of people came, we sold well, it  was a really nice fair, good atmosphere, plenty going on. 

Oadby and Wigston Craft Event, Parkland Community Centre. 29th Aug 2011

                                              Richard was interviewed by Radio Three Counties.

                                                              The Shabby Chic stall....  

This was quite a big event, spread throughout the community centre and grounds. Bit chilly, so we were glad we had a table INDOORS ! It was a large round table, and we were used to rectangular ones, so it looked a bit different. This was the first event that had helpers taking our boxes in for us, and lots of offers throughout the morning as we set up. This was the first time the string of lights were on the table too. Very pretty effect.

   

Sheila's snazzy waistcoat - hand made !

... and the front... isn't it brill !