Season's Greetings and Good News!!!!!!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and looking forward to a great New Year. I've got some great news......

I was contacted by Celebration Village in Manchester when they saw my JewELLs Cards and Gift Bags. It is a one stop shop for weddings and events with all the services you need under one roof. Click on the logo so you can see for yourself. 

I'll have my own page on their website soon. From January, my JewELLs Cards and Gift Bags will be a part of the service offered by Celebration Village.

My flyer (attached a piccy for you) will be in the pack that everyone coming through the door will see.....sooooooo excited as I'm also exhibiting at the Bridal Fayre at the end of February. 

I've had some pictures professionally taken for the flyer so you can at last, see what they look like

The pictures below are of some of the JewELLs Cards I've done mainly on commission. The poems I put into the cards will be done slightly different from next year as I want to make them more of a keepsake for the recipient.

Keep checking to see what they look like.....

Don't forget, JewELLs Cards are only £5 each and Gift Bags from £2 each. The jewellery is also sold separately at around £4.50 boxed.

Anyways that's my big news....will update again shortly as I'll have alot to tell you once things get going

What a buzzing weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG what a fantastic weekend!!! Absolutely buzzing and great atmosphere!!!!

It was the Christmas Tree Festival at Birtenshaw Church in Bromley Cross and was opened on the Friday night by Eagley School Choir - the church was packed and the choir were brilliant! I think I had an eyelash in my eye which was making my eyes water!

I then helped on one of the church stalls - 'find the treasure' and we sold out first! I still missed the tombola stall but managed to buy some raffle tickets. Isn't it just typical....the ticket immediately before mine won a prize and then the one immediately after!

On the Saturday was my craft fair and I cannot believe the amount of people that came in throughout the day. They paid £2 on the church door to enter the festival and then they came through to us and they were actually buying as well! it was buzzing all day....you hardly had time to get a drink because there were people around all the time. We had Christmas songs playing and then banjo man came and took over, then the CD was on again and we had another raffle. Woo hoo this time I won something! It's the taking part not what you win - lol

Normally we pack up at 3pm but we were asked to stay till 4pm and no-one started leaving until about 4.15 - what a great day!

We had friends coming round Saturday night so I only had an hour to sort myself out - had a fab time - didn't realise how late it was until the taxi turned up for them - too busy gabbing lol

We were back at the village Hall on Sunday but there were only around 10 stalls on the sunday afternoon because we had cafe tables and chairs in the middle of the hall for people to have a cup of tea & mince pie. Waiter Service no less!!!! We didn't have quite as many people through the door but again, it was never empty and we had the music on again and a violinist playing - she was great!

We should have had a piper but he cancelled at 11pm on Saturday night - that's just not on is it? So I think he's lost any future work there!

Got home at 4.45 on Sunday and Brian had my tea ready - how good is that! 

Brilliant, brilliant weekend - all the stallholders had a great time and were selling which is great for them too (obviously this is why we're doing this), but enjoying it aswell is just brilliant.

I sold a bit of everything over the weekend which was really good - JewELLs cards, gift bags, present tags, Christmas tags, bookmarks, baubles, my handcrafted pendants/chains. So pleased because now I can make more for the next craft fairs. 

I have 3 this weekend - Turton High School, Horwich RMI & the Watermillock on Sunday - busy busy.........

I have so many new designs, will get some decent photos to show you

Catch you soon.....x

Not had a craft fair for a while

Cannot believe how time has flown! It's the middle of November already and I haven't done a thing for Christmas which is really unusual for me....although working in Warrington doesn't help - not as easy to get into town - has to be the bus rather than the car but hey ho, still some good shops to mooch round!

haven't had a craft fair for a while - just the way it works out I guess. Just like buses....you don't see one for ages then you get em all coming at the same time!

Anyway, craft fair tonight at Ladybridge High School....went there in the summer and it worked out OK in the end...bit slow to start with (alot of the craft fairs are) and then picked up a bit later....let's hope we're steady all night!

Then nothing tomorrow (lie in - whoop whoop) and The Last Drop village on Sunday. here's hoping they've got all the tables in the right places this time - last month we had too many tables in one room so you couldn't even move and they blocked the main door to get in (what a good idea!!!!). No tables at all down the middle of the room and one table that looked like a couple of planks of wood had been nailed together lol. Mind you, when I asked someone to sort it, it did get sorted!

So.......next week is the Bromley Cross Village Hall Christmas Tree Festival weekend - looking forward to it! There are around 30 something Christmas trees all decorated in the church and the festival will be officially opened on Friday night around 7pm. We have singing and I'm hoping a mince pie or two as well! Also, one of the finalists for Miss Teen UK will be joining us so she'll be around to meet and greet people.

On the Saturday, it's the Craft Fair in the Village Hall and we have some of the regular stalls as well as face painting, tombola and incredible edibles.

Should be a great weekend this week and next so come along and support us!

Latest Designs

Hi Everyone

Here are a few of my latest designs.....taking them to my craft fair for the first time on Saturday so we'll see how they go. Also spent most of last night making gift tags...5 for £1.50 - took me an hour to make 5 - £1.50 an hour - slave labour lol

This is a gift bag I made for our good friend Dimitri for his 40th birthday - I think he liked the tsiparo inside! He's from Kalymnos (near Kos) hence the outline of his island

I like this one alot because I made the flowers using the big shot machine for the first time and was really pleased how it turned out

Okay, I know it's lilac but I've got to do something in my favourite colour - there's a free Christmas Tree decoration with this one

Another of my 'flower' bags and free decoration

I had to do one for the girls now didn't I?

I'll take some pictures of the tags and let you have a look - hopefully they'll all go on Saturday - they did really well on their last outing!

Take care
xx

PS I found this craft knife which is alot cheaper than I paid for mine!!!!!!
Xcelite XN-200 Medium Duty Craft Knife (Google Affiliate Ad)

Feedback on the new JewELLs Gift Bag

Canon Slade School - only there a couple of hours but amongst the stalls, there must have been around 7 card stalls and about 5 jewellery stalls.....luckily I didn't take much jewellery as I didn't have enough room on the table to show everything - you know what it's like....tables are provided but then you've only got that space to 'do your thing'

Anyways, I saw some familiar faces which was nice....Debbie from Bluebird and Bobbin, Cupcake Creationz, Fiona from C'est Chic, Margaret and Jean from my craft fair. I came across something very strange though.....why would you sell something at a loss? If it costs you £1.50 ish to make and you're selling it for £1.00 - what's the point? yes, I know all about loss leaders and having something on your stall you know you're going to make a loss with because it will attract the customers and you hope they buy something else.....

But if the majority of your crafts are sold at a loss and you openly admit you're not making any money.....am I being thick here because I don't see the point in this.....if you're doing this as a hobby then you've got to at least cover your costs - stall, materials etc

Sorry, just thought I'd run that one past you!

I got some really nice feedback on the new gift bags.....similar comments to the JewELLs cards really - aren't they lovely, it must have taken you ages, what a great idea etc etc but not many people were buying unfortunately. I did sell some of the bags, however, and had a couple of orders for some which is great!

Went to Smithills School on Saturday and that was pretty quiet but I sold a JewELLs card to the councillor who opened the Craft Fair in September - result! 

I have a free weekend this week and then quite a few fairs coming up.....won't be doing Holland Garden Centre anymore though.....not really a good atmosphere and it's the most expensive one I do AND you have to take your own table and chair etc. You're outside and freezing your b*m off every time unless the weather is kind then your feet are still cold. I asked for an inside stall only to be told - "you've no chance" - how rude! This verbal abuse continued and then my table broke - what a day!.....I've since found out I've been accused of taking away custom from there because I run my own craft fair on a completely different weekend!!!!!!!.....I've said it before and I'll say it again - there's nowt as funny as folk!

Soooooooooo, I will upload some pictures of the latest gift bags for you and would welcome any comments you have

See you soon x

New Range of Gift Bags

Drum roll................................

Introducing my new range of gift bags....all unique (of course) and hand crafted in the same style as the JewELLs Cards. I was asked to do some and sold some already..... Let me know what you think! They all have matching tags as well and at the moment I have 2 sizes - 10" x 8" and the other one slightly wider

The dog is actually a mirror (not really good enough to do your makeup of anything!)

My first Scottie dog bag - Awww

My favourite colours so of course I had to make a bag in lilacs!

My first Christmas bag

This mirrored dog is on the larger bag as it's a larger mirror - sorry about the glare!

One for the children

So there you have it...a sample of the new JewELLs Gift Bag range.....I'm at Canon Slade School, Bradshaw tomorrow night and Smithills School on Saturday so I'll let you know how I get on

Signing off for now
xxx

Pictures of Bromley Cross Village Hall Craft Fair

At long last you shout, pictures of the craft fair she's always going on about......well yes, here they are.......

This was around 9.15am and everyone's busy setting up - Artist, cupcakes, knitted toys, buttons, phoenix cards and part of the veggie stall

In the distance we have Margaret with her gift hampers, Chocolate man, to name a couple

I think the apples stole the show in this picture!

The Salad Bowl, in Horwich and the Church cake stall - on stage!

My stall and Bluebird & Bobbin - You can see some of Debbie's handmade aprons in the posh Kitchen shop in Horwich or.......come along to the next BC Village Hall Craft Fair to see them in the flesh (you know what I mean!)

Homemade jams and chutneys in the foreground - yummeeeeeee!

So there you have it........we had a full house with loads of crafters - could have done with more customers but that's the way it goes I'm afraid.....still....an enjoyable day listening to the banjo man....come along to the next one and support us crafters and the church all at the same time!

The Next Craft Fair is on Saturday 27 October and the last one this year co-incides with the Christmas Tree Festival. The festival is on the weekend of 24 November with the opening on the Friday but watch this space for further details - should be a great weekend!