Two sales in one weekend is tiring - especially if they call for different stocks.
After a very quiet Saturday sale at which I spent considerably more than I took in, I emptied the car of craft books, wool and fabric,
filled it with hand poured candles, gadget (and spectacle) cosies and 'corsage' brooches
and set out for the Bizarre Beach Bazaar at Arbroath.
Wow! I've been to well organised and well publicised events before, but never to one themed and dressed, as this was.
The beach theme was everywhere, with driftwood and pebbles replacing the conventional posy of flowers on the tea tables, the BBB family of organisers and helpers in anchor emblazoned t-shirts,
stalls in red or blue and white polka dot or candy striped tablecloths and unique recycled pallet deck chairs arrayed around the stage for the convenience of the audience enjoying the performers on the 'Sea Shanty Stage'.
The live music was varied, very enjoyable and contributed to the lively atmosphere of the day.
Seaside fairground animals went head to head in the cafe, a giant papier mache bottle, over 6' in height encouraged children to put a 'message in a bottle', but the piece de resistance was
a pair of real mermaids wandering through the hall or lounging in their kingdom, luring mariners into their watery kingdom to meet their destiny - or a photographer.
The event was dedicated to hand crafted goods, not vintage items, so my stall was the sparsest it has ever been. Maybe not a bad thing . . .
There was a fortune teller, candy floss, edible sand, cupcakes and the best face painting I've ever seen - I found it hard to believe that one child's cute doggy face was painted on and not really part of a genetic heritage.
The art work and sign painting was inspired and again, greatly added to atmosphere.
Karen and her crew had put a tremendous effort into the event and there were little touches to be found all over hall.The pillory was complete with bean bag haddocks ripe for assailing any culprit deemed due for a spell in the stocks, although there being no wrong doers at the BBB, there was no pillorying in action on the day.
A range of stalls - from Arlene's Allsorts, with a perfectly co-ordinated potential customer
to Emma's Zombie Pussy and her nearby neighbour, WhimSicALLusH
stormy seascapes
floral arbours
wall art
edible art
time for a cuppie
retail therapy.
The BBB is planned to be regular monthly event; I am looking forward to more in the future, 'Thank you, Karen and crew for the first BBB and good luck for many more to come.'
