I do Like to be Beside the Seaside!

A nice Saturday at Stonehaven, Steenhive or Stoney for KnittyKittyBangBang's Craft and Vintage Market. There were lots of friendly people running a good variety of attractive stalls, but I don't know all the names or have pix of all - so don't think you're not nice if you're not featured on this brief tour. (Please contact me if you have a name or pic of one of the missing stalls)

A view of the Town Hall with it's curvaceous balcony and lovely Zoe's ZJ Crafts. I only met Zoe briefly but she made a very good impression, as a talented, helpful, generous person who appreciates the things around her.

Mydecorideas Magda's ever elegant painted furniture and printed linen furnishings.

KKBB's own Carolyn with her jewellery and cards, and a lady with a lovely tablecloth whose stall I didn't see properly.

Evelyn from Huntly with her 1950's, 60s and 70s treasures - like a traditional wedding gift showing of many years ago, with soda syphons other iconic items of the period. 

Next, Butterfly and Toadstool had travelled up from Newport on Tay, with her children's clothes and a table packed with hand made goodies. 

Opposite them on the central 'island' was the The Crafty Dafty;  it was her first fair but her stall was arranged very well and I know she enjoyed the day. Beyond 'the Dafty' were two stalls I didn't see properly- one with wooden toys and another with hand made bags, but I don't have names, pix or links for them. 

On the 'opposite side of the island' was busy Dawn with her Bluebell Crafts, in her super picture, which I have borrowed here, a row of wooden tulips can be seen behind her, and to the left of that, I'm sure there are handbags 'growing on trees'. Thank you, Dawn and thanks too, for the contact information you gave me.

Just a glimpse of  Arlene Allsorts' pretty fabric upholstery, liquorice allsort coloured crocheting, and vintage homewares and an even slimmer glimpse of Timbertop Handcrafted Pens' elegant pens.

The very smart Fiadh stall, whose tweed and linen cushions I'd previously only seen on line, and a peek of the Crafty Minx's driftwood Christmas tree, bird table and candle holders.

My own rather depleted Rural Reads and thReads stall after a lovely bride to be and her mum went away with a 'holdall' of vintage tea sets, a nice lady who seems to split her time between Newtonhill and Buchanhaven started her own vintage collection

with an ivy bound tea set and a lustre trio heading for Very Vintage's Craig to be turned into a cakestand and a very chic 1970s coffee set went away to an appreciative new home.

A new and very friendly neighbour Sandra (sorry I can't find your stall or page yet) with a great collection of handmade cards and just beyond her, Julia Snell with her paintings of livestock and landscapes, then Gill Thomson's stall which I didn't see properly.

Kate from Quinneys Antiques was next and beyond her, the sumptuous Hannah Bakes Cakes

Then, in a corner of the hall was the Alabaster Box with her pretty painted furniture.

And finally . . . "Thank You" to a very helpful and good natured Hall Keeper and her family and to KnittyKittyBang Bang for organising the day. "Well Done" to the tearoom staff who raised £518 for Marie Curie Cancer Care and to Carolyn and her mum who organised the raffle which raised £180 for MND Scotland funding for Motor Neurone Disease.

Running Round in Circles

Summer continues to keep me on my toes; Scottish National Sheepdog trial went very well, one of the best in 'living memory'. 

Working without a mains power supply and having to find internet connections in cafes, trying to send news reports and results of the event to a newspaper office before the event was finished was nerve wracking.

This dog, Lamp, was posing in BBC Alba's (Gaelic TV Channel 8) gazebo, apparently hoping he'd catch the eye of a camera operator.

Then the job of writing it up for papers with an interest in the trial varying from basic, to specific, to intense - and I'm still working on the latter - is very time consuming. 

This picture reminds me of sales of work in St Clement's Church hall in Aberdeen, when I went to Sunday School there.

Next on the agenda was the Vintage Bazaar at Edzell this past weekend. It was held in a lovely old building - the Inglis Hall. There was stained glass, dark tongue and groove panelling, high ceilings and old wooden benches. 

I forgot to take pix till near the end when everyone was dismantling their stalls, so only took a quick couple of my own space, of which I hope to make better use next time.   

I made some good sales there, met some lovely customers, enjoyed the day with other stall holders and was delighted to see my friends, Jean and George who turned up at the start and helped me to set out some items, reappeared at the end, bought a handbag, and helped me to pack up! Thank You!  

A car boot sale at the other end of the village may have been a mixed blessing. Edzell was certainly very busy, and it was a great day for an outdoor event such as the car boot, did the boot sale bring in trade or compete? Did people spend their cash at the first event that caught their eye, then come down to the Vintage Bazaar? Did the boot sale prices look more attractive than the Vintage Bazaar? Who knows?

I took a circuitous route home from Edzell, and instead of taking under an hour, it took me three days, but I spent time with my family in between. 

Now I'm looking forward to the Craft and Vintage Market at Stonehaven on August 24th and the Bizarre Beach Bazaar in Arbroath on 1st September.