Craft Fairs & String Jars ...................

Tuesday Greetings dear friends & readers

Planted Suitcase in bloom  ...... Cat Sign a gift from Sue

Last Saturday I took part in the craft fair held annually in my local town, opposite our beautiful rose gardens

This is the third time I have had a stall here, but I have not taken part for two years due to both my sons weddings being held for the past two Novembers.

For a change, the sun actually shone & the weather was glorious

The very first year I took part, the rain came down in icy showers & I well remember standing at my stall wondering what on earth I was doing there & if perhaps, I might need my head examined !!!!

I have tried to snap some photos of my stall to show you but some of them are glarey . . . 

It is a totally outdoor market with live music playing which created a really nice atmosphere

Please do ignore the filthy car in the next photo with the cat footprints all over the bonnet ... I have no idea who that belonged to !!!???

To add to the great day, I had lovely stallholders as neighbours each side ... on one side a lady selling gorgeous soy candles & on the other side, my friend Pauline selling her Infused With Nature range of products

As you can imagine, the fragrances coming from either side, were just heavenly

Considering the week prior I spent many hours wondering why on earth I booked my stall & what possessed me ...

 I had the most wonderful day after all

Now if you are going to expect hope that folk buy from you, you need to support the other stall holders too ... so I came away with a few little purchases myself, as I usually do

I also purchased some home-made fudge & shortbread but unfortunately I ate them Pippi ran off with them before I could take a pic

This little fellow below got the last stitch put in him rather late the Friday night before

Rustic Santa - an old design by Woodcutters Daugther, now trading as Theodora Cleave

I wanted to have him on my stall along with a few other christmassy bits

I was so delighted he was one of the first items I sold & he went to a very lovely customer

The other item I sold two of was my string jars.  I sat down the next day & made two more in country colours .  .  .

.  .  .  but it was a conversation I overheard between two customers that got me thinking

A lady who bought one, offered to buy her friend one also & told her friend to choose a colour.

Her friend replied that her kitchen wasn't "country colours" but very shabby chic & these would look out of place.

I thought about this afterwards .... why couldn't I do some shabby chic string jars maybe ??

I spray painted the screw bands cream instead of the black I usually use ... then ran a swipe or two of cream paint over the plain hessian I glued to the dome seal.

I then glued a crochet flower to the centre of the lid making sure the hole was big enough for the string to come through smoothly

I used some of my treasured Tilda fabrics for the bows & added a Tilda tag with a tiny charm attached.

Shabby Chic enough do you think dear readers??

Well I am off to continue cleaning my house ... my Mum arrives tomorrow for a few days & despite her macular degeneration, she will certainly notice my dust & cobwebs

Where, oh where is a cleaning fairy when you need one???

Hmmmm .... not so sure she is quite the fairy I am after.

from Pinterest

Have a wonderful rest of the week dear readers

Thanks so much for your visit today - a Very Special Welcome to my new followers also

with much love & friendship,

Julie, Blackie & Pippi-the-fairy

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