My first craft market in St Albans - pros and cons

Frankly I'm exhausted! After all the preparation, the early morning start and the excitement of the big day itself I am propped upon on cushions (a la Barbara Cartland) blogging from my bed. First, here's a pictures from the day.

Stall holders setting up. A lovely room in the Old Town Hall.

The Love & Lilac stall. I had lots of lovely comments.

Soap testers for smelling worked really well. The aroma on my stall was a great draw.

The dolly pegs drew lots of nostalgic comments and made people smile.

The old wooden crate worked well but I need some more props to give height to show off my goods. 

I loved the bunting stall. These stallholders looked smashing in their pinnys!

Talking to other regulars at this event yesterday was quite a slow day and there seemed to be more browsing than buying for many stalls. I made my first sale, some soap, before the market officially opened for business, and there were more sales throughout the morning. After a long lull in the afternoon a last minute wave of customers lifted spirits. I had covered the cost of my stall and made a little money on top of that. With other stallholders not even achieving this I think I did fine for my first time and I learnt so much. With that in mind here's a few of the pros and cons of running a craft market stall I gained as a first timer.

Pros

• The camaraderie of the other friendly stall holders
• The advice and experience of other traders
• The lovely feedback on my products from the public
• The oohs and aahs when people smelt the soap and the interest in how it was made
• That someone actually wants to buy something you have lovingly made
• Knowing that all the preparation has paid off and the day runs smoothly
• Selling one of my cowboy fabric cushions to parents of a lovely little boy - what a joy!

Cons

• The loading and unloading at each end of the day
• The lack of on site parking 
• The hidden costs - parking fees, coffee
• That a number of stall holders don't actually make the products they sell - I would have liked more of an artisan feel to the day.
• Keeping up morale during long periods when nothing sells
• That making money is jolly hard work!

All in all a fun day, tiring but worth the slog - I know the learning will be invaluable for the next one. Once I've recovered that is!

St Albans craft market tomorrow

After months of sewing and soap stirring I have my first craft market tomorrow in the lovely city of St Albans. After all the hard work will anybody buy anything? I've made lots of pretty gifts with Mothers Day in mind so fingers crossed.

So much soap to wrap!

Last minute dolly pegs painted

St Albans in home to a beautiful cathedral.

There's a vibrant outdoor market in the centre of the city.

The craft market will be held in the Old Town Hall - an impressive building

Wish me luck! Have a great weekend.

Retail therapy

Firstly, I must welcome new followers. You're so welcome here!

I can't believe how busy life is for me right now. I work in the NHS, a service that I love dearly, but unfortunately we are going through a terrible time. The coalition Government have decided to make unprecedented (and unnecessary) changes to the way the service is organised and many of us are facing redundancy or having to reapply for our jobs. It's a horrid time.

I haven't been shopping since Xmas - well girly type shopping anyway - and I was so feeling in need of some serious retail therapy. I have to confess that I splurged big style today!

I bought this lovely Orla Keily utensil holder as a gift for my new kitchen (being installed next month - so excited!). Even the box is came in had been 'Orlafied'. Isn't is gorgeous?

This lovely necklace is for my a dear friends birthday. I think it will look great with summer outfits.

Heavens, I have so many friends with birthdays this month. This vintage necklace is for a special someone who is celebrating her 50th.

My spring/summer wardrobe is in dire need of a lift. Sometimes I go clothes shopping and I can't find a single thing. I want something stylish, fashionable, that hides all those lumps and bumps that mysteriously appear post 50. Well let me tell you, today I was on a roll! This pretty cardigan from Mango was my first choice. I love the voile trim. Very feminine.

And then in Zara I found this gorgeous silk tunic. Casual over jeans and leggings, dressed up over white linen trousers. I'm going to live in it this summer!

Beautiful embroidered detail

Look at the back of this jacket from Wallis. So pretty, and only £25 on sale - how could I refuse?

and finally...shoes. Believe it or not these are from Clarks. Comfy and sexy in one!

So there you have it. Retail therapy success. Now will someone please hide my debit card.

New shoots

Early spring always lifts my spirits and it was great to get out into the garden today. Clearing away the winter debris it was great to see all the new shoots coming through after such a long, cold winter.

I love the zingy yellows and lime greens of spring. Forsythia (below) offers the first splash of yellow of the season.

Good old reliable geraniums. The first perennial to put in an appearance every year.

No sooner have you cut down the gorgeous autumn reds of sedums heads than the new green buds come bursting through. 

I've chosen citrus shades for the house too this week

I'm can't wait for the new gardening season to get into full swing can you?

Spring flowers

This beautiful display of spring flowers in a wonderful collection of containers caught my eye tonight as I walked past The Flower Shop in Bushey. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry but I so wanted to share them with you.

Here's some more beautiful floral arrangements from the shops website

Roll on spring!

Mavis and a trip back in time

In such a fast paced life where nothing seems to stay the same for a moment isn't it wonderful when you come across something that has hardly changed in 60 years. One such place is a craft shop called Mavis in Bushey village. It's a gem of shop too. Mavis http://www.mavis-crafts.com/ was founded in 1935 and stocks a huge range of knitting wool and all manner of sewing bits and bobs. No packets of six - here you can buy just one button if you like.

(No you were not mistaken, it is on Cow Lane)

Mavis makes no concessions to modern fashions (see below). It's a shop firmly set in the 1950s and brings back memories for me as a child visiting Alsops, the local haberdashery store with my Mother. Alsops of Loughborough was heaven to me. As a little girl it seemed enormous, set on two floors it was packed with fabric. The highlight was when you made a purchase your money was whizzed across the shop in a canister that went on wires above your head. I thought this was thrilling! 

Alas Alsops, unlike Mavis, closed many years ago. I tried to find an old image of Alsops on the internet and came across these images of Loughborough, the town where I grew up, taken in the late 1950s. They're taken during the annual fair which still takes place today. As a child this was the most exciting week of the year. Gosh, the memories these photos bring back. 

Have a great week.