Craftfest - online craft fair

Hello all,

We are trying something different next weekend (as well as attending a craft event at Winchester Discovery Centre), we are taking part in CRAFTFEST.  This is an online craft fair, open 24hours of the day for a week, where we will be hosting a virtual craft stall.  The way it works (I think) is that visitors wander around the virtual stores buying unique handmade gifts etc directly from the maker.  It all sounds very exciting, and we are looking forward to taking part.

More details later in the week.

Another busy weekend

Well here we are at Friday again.  I'm sure the week keeps losing days! 
It's another busy weekend for Decima Designs as we split ourselves between two arts trails. The Emsworth Arts Trail, as mentioned last week, is where Chris will be. And I will be at our studio, along with Alan Longmore, as part of the Havant May Days Arts Trail.  Pop along if you have time!

Emsworth Arts Trail

If anyone has some spare time over this Bank Holiday weekend, you could do worse than visit some of us artists on the Emsworth Arts Trail. There is a very good selection of artists working in a variety of media, and work is generally for sale.  You will find Decima Designs under the umbrella of Group AF at location 35 (20 Tudor Avenue)

Firle Garden Show

Well, I think I am just about recovered from a really good weekend at the Firle Garden Show in East Sussex.

Chris and I were exhibiting at the show, so we set off on Thurs morning with our camper van "Bob" crammed to the gunnells with stock, tables, gridwall and all our bedding and clothes etc. for 3 nights camping.

I can tell you that the show was certainly a brilliant day out for all the family, with entertainment, birds of prey, childrens play as well as the expected plant and garden stalls and gift marquees.

As a stallholder I was fairly pleased with how the show went in terms of customers, and although we were in sun for most of the time, all around seemed to be having torrential rain!!!

Hats off to Jane and her team for a very well organized show, she is also hosting the Stansted Garden Show, Hampshire in June where we are also exhibiting so I am really looking forward to that event.

BTW "Bob" did us proud both in the travelling and accomodation department.  Well done Bob!

Successful Day

Well, looking out of the window this morning before setting up stall at the Unique Craft Market at The Spring in Havant, I was very doubtful as to whether many people would be around today seeing as it was pouring with rain!

But, lo and behold, about 30 mins after the market opened the sun shone and the punters started to arrive.  It turned out to be quite busy by lunchtime.

Our best seller of the day was.....................................

Etched aluminium plant labels!!!  This picture doesn't do them justice, but at £2 each or 3 for £5 they were going like hotcakes. BTW nobody bought just one.

Gardening and flowers were certainly in the air because the other items we sold several of were fused glass plant sticks, copper foiled butterfly plant sticks and fused glass bud vases.

So all in all a successful and profitable day.

Although the Unique Market is a monthly event, we won't be there next month as it's on over the Easter period and we will be at a BIG show at Somerley then.  In May we will be taking part in the Emsworth Arts trail when the market is on, and in June we will be at the Winchester Discovery Centre, so not back at The Spring until July.

Oh...........and.............we, along with several other stallholders were interviewed for Angel Radio!

A good day for raku

Today has been a good day!

Decided to do a bit of raku today, as the weather was at least dry, if not sunny.  Some die hard ceramists will tell you that you cannot raku during the winter months, but we have never found a problem with it.  Maybe it is the reasonably mild climate in the South of England that helps.....who knows.

Anyway, about a week ago I had glazed some tiles with a picture of an old ironmongers in Havant, Hampshire, that has been empty since the end of 2007 (I think).  The building is looking a little neglected now, and it's once beautiful clock has fallen into disrepair with a big hole in the bottom.  But I think, for me, the most poignant part of the picture are the Christmas lights still hanging from when the store was closed for the last time.......This road in Havant has now become a bit of a ghost town, with many of its shops boarded up.

So today was the day that the tiles were raku fired.  Here is the result!

My Inspiration photo

Going selling (hopefully) tomorrow

Oh my word, what a busy week!!!! Been getting 'stuff' made for our first craft fair of the year tomorrow.  It's the first of a new monthly makers market being held at The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, East Street, Havant, Hants

Copper Foiled hanging Heart

We thought we would take along some smaller things like fused glass fridge magnets, and copper foiled hanging hearts, seeing as Valentines Day and Mother's Day are coming up.

A selection of our fridge magnets

My daughter has been unemployed for a couple of weeks (she started a new job today!) and has been making patchwork padded hearts and matching greetings cards to compliment our range of hearts.  So we will be giving these an outing for her tomorrow to see what sort of response they get.

Matching heart and greetings card

Beautiful padded patchwork hearts

Hopefully there will be a fair amount of footfall, as The Spring has clubs etc going on during the day, and also I think the event has been well advertised. We shall see, fingers crossed!