Once again I have been very lax about my blog. November was a busy month and , needless to say, December was more than a little hectic.
On 7th November we were at the Park Inn, St. Helens. What a lovely venue - light, airy room, well laid out and the staff were delightful. We really enjoyed the day and it was very successful - as well as a few brooches, cards and gift tags, I sold a dozen diaries/notebooks and address books - Christmas presents, no doubt. My lovely pink/purple treasure bag was bought by the mother of a young lady who obviously adored it and the beautiful black and white nuno felt wrap also sold. Two of my favourite pieces sold on one day! Still, it's great when someone appreciates your work.
The following weekend we went to a sale at Cuddington in Cheshire. Quite a trek for not much return - there were quite a few people there but they seemed to be there for a chat and a cup of tea rather than to buy!
On 20th November, we went to the Adult Education College at Lancaster. We've been there before and were looking forward to it. In the event, it was worth the journey - the staff, as usual were friendly and helpful and the room was bright. We renewed some old acquaintancesand met some other interesting people too. I even met my old boss why had retired up to Lancaster - that was a surprise - for both of us. One lady bought a print of Bamburgh Castle which she was going to send to USA as a Christmas present. Another American lady bought a couple of items to send home as presents too - in fact, she bought the red and gold treasure bag which I had made specifically with Christmas in mind.
Flushed with success, the next day, we were at Eccleston, St Helens for a sale organised by a charity. It was not a happy day for us - we were not in the best position, opposite the door, and it was freezing. Add to that, nobody seemed that interested in us!
On Friday, 26th November, we spent the day at the Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk. We have been there before, and, as usual, the staff were very friendly and helpful but the weather was awful and I think it kept a lot of people at home. On the Sunday, we were at Fir Tree Farm, Crank - it was bitterly cold but we kept warm by 'dancing' to the carold played by the local brass band. We were kept supplied with hot drinks and, despite the condititions, enjoyed ourselves as usual.
On 3rd December, we went to a PTA Christmas Fair at Malvern Primary School in Knowsley. Again, the weather was dreadful - snow. The sale only lasted about two hours but there were hoards of people there and we really enjoyed ourselves.
Our last two fairs of the year were at Walton Vale and the wildflower centre at Court Hey, Liverpool. Both were spoiled by the awful weather which kept most people at home. The organisers at Walton Vale tried valiantly to get people through the door but it was an uphill task. The Court Hey organiser had, I think, a terrible day, trying to keep everyone as warm and comfortable in what must have been the worst possible conditions.
The year, then for us, ended on a downward note but we'll put that down to the weather conditions and start to prepare for next season. We've already got one fair booked at Ormskirk on Saturday, 12th February - just in time for Valentine's Day so I'll have to put my thinking cap on and make some appropriate bits and pieces.
As you can see from the list of events we've been to, there hasn't been a lot of time for creative activities. Apart from making lots and lots of Christmas cards, I think I've only managed one felt scarf since November.
Because, unexpectedly, I started work again in September, having 'retired' in July, I had a little extra money so I treated myself to an Pfaff embellisher which I'd been coveting for ages and which I saw at the Knitting and Stitching show at Harrogate. Because of the snow, I have been more or less confined to the house since 17th December (I hope to go out tomorrow!) so I've been using the time to get to know the machine - I've made lots of samples but, as yet, not much else! Still it's great fun.
For Christmas, my daughters bought me some craft books so I'm avidly reading and hoping that they'll give me ideas for some different techniques - not that I'm short of ideas - the problem is not having enough time.
I think that's about all my news for now, except that my (early) New Year's resolution it to update the blog regularly and to put some new items on the website - here's hoping!
