Events, Workshops, Craft Fairs - Sunday 28th October

Good Afternoon my wonderful blog friends! I'm back!

Yes I've been 'missing' for a few days, but doing lots of crafty things, so it's time to give you a quick update....

First of all there was the 'Discover a new Hobby' event at Yate Library...we put on a similar event last year and it went incredibly well, so we were hoping for the same...well it was even better! 

   I got there at mid-day to help set up the tables and we started at 2pm. Between then and 8pm, when we finished, 230 people (adults and children) came through the door and tried out one or several of about 20 different hobbies and crafts, from photography to quilting to basket weaving and sugar craft: it was amazing! 

   I made up 35 card kits of this little patchwork dove. Not quite the same card, one a little bit easier, figuring on having 2 people at at time at my table with some packs to spare...well at times there were queues! It was so much fun! My friend Amy, who I teach the workshops with, came along and helped when she had finished at her shop and in the end more than 25 people made a Christmas card. Many had never made a card before, some were children or had disabilities and every card was magic! I was so busy, I didn't even take a photo (I know, shame on me!). The look on all their faces when then took away their finished card, just made me so happy, especially one little 8 year old girl, who made one for her grandparents and then borrowed my gold pen to write it there and then!

Thursday night it was our last workshop of the year, so lots of planning ahead for next year now..we had 14 people booked into the class and this time we made cards using a Dreamweaver Christmas tree stencil, dreamweaver paste and micas..we also used glitters on a second project.

I didn't get the stencil until the previous weekend because we were waiting delivery and with everything going on, didn't get to even try it until one evening last week, so thanks to Amy for finding the time to actually make the card for the class this time. I will feature the technique on a future blog, when I have had time to actually make some cards..promise!

Meanwhile and again it was last minute, I did take a some photos of a few of some of my group with their cards...

Click to enlarge and see the cards better!

one of the HM cards I didn't want to part with!

Finally to yesterday's Craft Fair in aid of a local Hospice. I don't do craft fairs much any more, I used to, but when we were looking after my Mum it got harder until something just had to 'give' and by then my commissions had really taken off, so it was better to concentrate on them. However, I have discovered that, especially if you make cards, once you are out of the circuit it is hard to get back in...but I did keep going to this fair, to support the Cause and I still enjoy it very much. 

  The sunshine and farmers market brought a decent amount of people in and the organiser always ensures a varied number of crafts are represented. I did very well (phew!) and can report, if you are interested, that my LOTV Christmas and Pirate cards were the best sellers, along with House Mouse! I took along 2 large HM cards that I didn't really want to part with (but knew it was daft to hold on to them). I had to price them high as there was a lot of work in them...and they both sold!

It's always lovely when  people buy your own art work too and I managed to get a few cards made using my snowman image, which I had on this blog last week - and they sold.

Tom keeps telling my I need to make more male cards and he is right, but aside from Steampunk (which never sells sadly), I just get no pleasure from  making mens cards at all, so sales or not, I think his advice is going on deaf ears at the moment :)

One funny thing though...I'm no sales person: there are one or two other stallholders who are really up for the hard sell and I just don't have it in me;  but what I do like to do at a fair is craft. It's not as easy with paper craft as with sewing or knitting, but I will maybe take some tags, stamps and inks to make a few things. Yesterday, I took along the 8 kits I had left over from Wednesday - they were easy to make, just cutting and sticking. I had decided that this card, would make up some of my own cards to send at Christmas. People were really interested and wanted to buy them as I was making them! So my 8 cards for my own box, has dwindled to two left...gotta start again!!

It has given me an idea for the pre-Easter craft fair though, saying no more at the moment as I need to run it by the organiser :)

Well that's me done for today, I have managed to do some catching up on all your blogs and you have been making some wonderful cards! I had really missed catching up with you all!

I'll be back tomorrow with my new design team card for the current Emergency Crafters challenge,

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Carole X

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