Pause for thought

A lovely day at a lovely venue, with lovely people,but the stress of packing and hauling stuff about and disposing of very little bulk at recent fairs is beginning to tell on me.

I thought I was all all packed and ready the night before the latest event, until a late message announced that there was no lighting.

After a search I  found and packed 2 standard lamps, a bar of spotlights with an additional stand and an extension lead but they were not needed in the end.

The past few events have barely reduced my stockpile - which is the object of the exercise - so I have to rethink my strategy.

Some people say, "Put it  into the charity shop"  but I know some charity shops won't sell some of the things I have. One shop sells synthetic fleece throws on the rails and puts good, pure wool blankets and travelling rugs in the 'dog blanket' box.

People admire the things I have on my table - some get quite excited, some even send me messages thanking me, so that makes me feel I am right to sell things to people who appreciate them.

 I know that some people sold more so maybe I need to take a different approach.

I am nervous of ebay - of packing and posting items to strangers,  I posted two items on a Facebook selling page and one has been claimed, so far, but these lovely heavy, iron, garden bench ends - with wooden arm rests are still here. 

I have taken photos of a music cabinet, with drop front drawers. I would have included it here, but I haven't taken the pix from the camera and reduced them yet - and  time on line  is treasured, so I will process them later. (If anyone is interested, the drawer fronts seem to be teak, but the queen Anne legs seem to be a different hardwood. I don't think it is particularly old. It is not polished.

I may need to put more effort into display.

A friend commented that, presented in open 'trays'  it was not clear what some of my fabrics, embroidered bed and table linens were. Packing and unpacking is a big job and I try not to complicate it, but if people cannot see what is on the table, I have to do something about that - maybe even labelling the trays will help,

I am taking a short break from fairs till I work out what I need to do and how I can achieve it, but now it's time for bed. 

ZZZZzzzzz

Little Birds come out in the sunshine

My first Little Birds market of the year. The mist was rising as I drove through Fife and the sun was shining by the time I reached St Andrews. I was early and the cleaner was mopping the floor so I took a bundle of flyers and walked down the street handing them out. At St Andrews, there are always people going about as I unload the car so I use that opportunity to promote the event, too.

It was nice to see regular stallholders who don’t venture North of the Tay, as well as Vicki and her very supportive mum.

 

The public came in in drifts, in response to Vicki and Laura-Jane’s placarding of the town, but they were not really in buying mode. The public who come into the very funky Vic bistro are usually a lively, mixed demographic interested in art, crafts, fabrics, vintage clothes and crockery. This week only one woman seemed genuinely interested in the clothes rail. 

I know that some buyers handed over decent sums of money for ‘single items’ which appealed to them. I sold crockery requested in advance, but made no casual sales. 

One artist who paints in a number of media said she had sold jewellery, which is unusual for her at that venue. The market attracts some very talented artists and crafters, some lovely people and a little vintage.

 I loved this fish in  the river, but this week I am determined to be more proactive - or just ACTIVE -  in my decluttering.

I listed a cake stand which received an instant response from a pal who is due to collect it at the weekend. I was so heartened by that, that I looked around for something else I do not need and I have now added to the listing (on Neil's virtual car boot page  ) two iron garden bench ‘ends’ which have waited patiently in my garden for wooden slats to transform them into a garden bench.

Can I list one thing every day this week? A challenge!

North of Aberdeen - somewhat belatedly!

A recent May weekend saw Rural Reads & thReads at a new venue – new to me, and possibly to vintage fairs – but a very traditional village hall in a small town, North of Aberdeen. I grew up in Aberdeen and  on Deeside, but very rarely ventured North - only really for Sunday school picnics, so first, Echt (scene of picnic in public park and hall when it rained) and now Pitmedden, are adventures for me, and all in the space of three months. 

The stalls were mixed craft and vintage and most of the vintage stalls were familiar to me and some of the crafts were too, some from Ministry of Crafts – including Code Naturel, a talented lady who can melt glass and knit socks, and the Front Cupboard, another talented lady with the artist’s outlook that goes beyond that of the masses – her handmade figures, toadstools and even flower bulbs tell of a unique imagination.

Amongst the usual vintage stalls, I met Evelyn Treasure Finder for the first time since her Christmas trip to Oz,

Arlene Allsorts

and Carrie Encore, both of whom I last saw at Edzell. 

The ubiquitous and far travelled vintage crafter, Laurie of Storm in a Vintage Teacup was there with her highly decorative teacup pincushions and some new treats added since the last time I saw her at Banchory.

Timbertop pen man, Andrew had travelled from Brechin and local-ish Rhinturk (Preserves?) purveyor of breads, cakes, jams and relishes whose enormous banana bread I shared and enjoyed after Echt did a roaring trade

Other stallholders had mixed fortunes, some ‘ticked away nicely’ others had a quieter time of it although there was a steady stream of visitors. Some seemed to be locals, while others had definitely travelled to attend. One woman said she had come from Peterhead, attracted by advertising.

I met a lovely new stallholder, from that same direction – lovely stall, lovely stallholder! Maureen of East Coast Living makes pictures from shells, sea glass and pottery and ‘sparkles’ and constructs the most  vivid bags that go well beyond patchwork or applique into collage or painting with fabric.

It was an enjoyable day, if not as busy as I would have liked, but after a horrendous pain came on in one foot as I started packing up, and lasted till 10 pm, I was ‘hors de combat’ next day and unfit for further foraying into decluttering, that day.