Monday 30 August 2010

Two go to the Fair

Well done Tonia for organising a delightful day at the Cotswold Vintage Fair on Saturday.  My trusty friend and helper Jayne and I arrived well before time, but luckily the hall was already open so we had extra time to set up the stall.  Toddington village hall is in a lovely countryside location with stunning views (which I forgot to photograph - doh!) and inside is light and airy - perfect for a fair. 

There was a really good mix of stalls, something for everyone from French country, shabby chic, kitchenalia, kitsch, eclectic and simply vintage and a good balance between the vintage and the handmade.  Many of the stallholders I had not seen at a fair before so it was a real feast for my eyes.  My three photos below (taken during setting up) are only a very small sample of what was on offer but Tonia has set up a Flikr group here where you can see more photos.


So onto my stall, which as usual I filled to overflowing. We had a steady stream of customers all day and I met a few readers of my blog, which was lovely, especially as there was time for a chat.  All in all a great day!



Finally,  my purchases - will you be surprised to learn I only bought three items?  This is no reflection on the beautiful things for sale, I could have bought so much more but I had set myself a budget to stick to and so I did.  My three things are lovely though -  a flowery tablecloth (in the background), a sweet hanky case, and a religious verse print.  I was more than happy with these.


After a good long rest yesterday, Mr. Bloom and I were up early again today on a buying trip (Bank Holiday in the UK).  We had a very successful morning (pics in due course) so I'll have my hands full the rest of the week sorting it all out, but this evening we are putting our feet up with a glass of wine, chocolate and a DVD - bliss!

I ought to also mention that I am no longer selling at St. Peter's Church Arts and Crafts Centre in Marlborough.  The only reason for this is that I simply don't have much time these days to make items to sell there or the time to devote that it deserved.  Instead I'll be selling a small selection of handmade items at my unit in Lechlade Antiques Arcade and of course at fairs.

(p.s. I've switched my comments off again for the time being as I'm getting these annoying comments in chinese characters which I'm not sure aren't malicious, plus I'm really really behind in responding to everything - apologies!)

Friday 13 August 2010

A (Summery) Summary


What a lovely blogging break I've had and a lovely summer - I know summer's not over yet but for me August is the beginning of the end and the last few weeks disappear in a flash.
I have been busy, a lot of it mundane but Mr. Bloom and I managed a few days summer break.  I'm not a huge fan of great long summer holiday posts, so I'll just summarise with a few pics.

There were drives through pretty towns and villages


Wildlife


Window shopping


Country houses and gardens


A visit to the seadside - along with the rest of the world - ha ha!


More window shopping


Train rides


Finding the prettiest bandstand I've ever seen.


and the prettiest park gates.


A rare sight on this blog - me!


and of course, finding treasures




More busy days to come as at the end of August I have a stall at the Costwold Vintage Fair - this is a new event and I'm really excited to be taking part.  So of course, having re-surfaced in blogland I'll promptly be disappearing again as the mad panic and frenzy begins.  See you in September!