Posts tagged Christmas

All the fun of the Candy Cane fair!

By Dilys Treacle Treasures on December 5, 2010
This entry is filed under Craft, Craft Candy, Craft Fairs, Events and tagged , , , , , , , , . | 1 Comment

Hello! Hope you’re all keeping warm and well in these arctic conditions. Thank goodness the BIG snow didn’t arrive on the day of Candy Cane eh?!

Snowy morning...but there's not THAT much snow is there?

Craft Fair today!

Big thanks to everybody who came along last Saturday. The weather was already chilly, with snow on the ground (athough it was nothing compared with what was to come!) Luckily it didn’t seem to keep anyone away, and we had over 1500 visitors to the Millennium Galleries on the day.

This way please!

I helped out on the welcome desk all day with Leah and Kelda (and Sophy who popped in at lunch) which was great fun. We sold lots of raffle tickets between us!

Welcome desk ladies!

Thank you to all the stall holders who kindly donated an item to the raffle prizes. Your generosity was much appreciated.

1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes - all generously donated by the stall holders

Just to clarify (as a number of people enquired on the day) Craft Candy is a not-for-profit organisation, and therefore all the proceeds of the raffle get ploughed back into helping to cover the cost of the event, thus ensuring Craft Candy can continue to keep these craft fairs running three times a year at the Millennium Galleries.

Sian's monkey mascot 'Lady Candice'

As always, we had a great mix of crafts on offer, including some familiar faces, and some newcomers to the fair. Resident photographer Owen took loads of photos on the day, too many to include here, so make sure you check out the Candy Cane 2010 set on Flickr. If you had a stall on the day, your photo should be there!

In the meantime, here’s a little selection of photos, starting off with stalls located on the Avenue (the main walkway through the upper level of the Millenium Galleries)…

The Ernest Wright & Son scissor stall

Kettle of Fish stall

Gillian Lee Smith

Katy Holmes Illustration

Joey's Dream Garden stall

Here are some photos of the Long Gallery…

The Long Gallery, James Green Printworks stall on the left

The Long Gallery

The Long Gallery looking back from the opposite end of the room

And here are some of the stalls which were located in the Long Gallery…

Darrell Milnes Ceramics

Molly's Mum

The Hello Sunshine stall

Sabine Little - Little Castle Designs

Gemma Nemer - Vintage textile jewellery

Brian Clarke woodturner

Sarah Waterhouse textiles

Wit Shop

JayGo Touchy Feely Textiles

Veridian Stone Ceramics

The imagination of Ladysnail

As usual, there was a competition for the best dressed stall, and this time the prize went to the lovely Sian of Strawberry Kitten. Sian makes beautiful plushies…check out her Etsy shop which is stocked up with lots of different animals from bears and racoons, to foxes and reindeer!

Strawberry Kitten Etsy shop

Strawberry Kitten blog

Best dressed stall winner - Sian of Strawberry Kitten

And we were also treated to some beautiful festive song from Singsoc – The Sheffield University Choral Society. They are amazing and drew quite a crowd!

Singsoc

Singsoc sing their hearts out!

Thanks to everyone who came along on the day, we hope everybody enjoyed themselves. If you are interested in applying for a stall at the next fair, applications are now open for the Spring Fling which takes place at the end of March 2011. Click on the link below to go to the application form.

Apply for the next Craft Candy fair

Stay warm and safe!

ttfn, X

Candy Cane Raffle

By Sarah Waterhouse Textiles on December 2, 2010
This entry is filed under Craft Fairs and tagged , , , , , , , , .

Did you visit our Candy Cane Christmas Craft Fair last Saturday?  Did you buy a raffle ticket?  Are you itching to know if you won one of our lovely prizes? Well fear not, we’ll be in touch very shortly.  Slight problem, I’m snowed in and it’s preventing me from getting to my studio to pick up the winning tickets (where I stupidly left them after the fair on Saturday)  In the meantime here are the three winning ticket numbers – you lucky things!

Stay tuned for a lovely write up of the Candy Cane Christmas Craft Fair from our resident blogger Dilys Treacle Treasures – coming soon!

Reetsweet is SOON!!!

By Dilys Treacle Treasures on November 26, 2010
This entry is filed under Craft, Craft Fairs, Design, Events and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . | 1 Comment

If you are going to be in or near Leeds on Sunday December 5th, and fancy doing a bit of Christmas shopping away from the usual high street hustle and bustle, then you need to get yourself to the Corn Exchange, where you will find the latest Reetsweet craft event in full swing! Reetsweet is ‘an art, design and neo craft shopping event featuring the very best of Leeds’ local talent’, and will feature a range of crafts including jewellery, photography, textiles, homewares, and plenty of other arts and accessories, all of which will be handmade and one of a kind. This is the second Reetsweet fair taking place at the Corn Exchance, the first one was back at the start of November and was a resounding success!

Reetsweet poster designed by Steph Baxter - for more info about Steph and her work, see below...

The Reetsweet shopping events are organised and run by Rebecca Drury, who says “I’ve have always been a bit of a magpie, collector and maker. I started at the age of ten selling fimo jewellery from a little lunchbox at school, and then ended up in my twenties doing personal shopping and helping style people. I love one-off accessories, homewares and art”.

Becki Drury - founder of Reetsweet in Leeds

She continues “I’d had a blog for a while, but had lost my inspiration with it, then I just thought to myself that I love craft, I spend so much time making things and searching for handmade gifts for people myself – why not make a small business out of it? So that’s what I did a few months ago, and it’s grown from there”.

The Corn Exchange, Leeds - home of Reetsweet

Speaking of Reetsweet and her plans for the future, Rebecca says “The first fair went really well, we had a great quality selection of stalls and I am hoping to maintain that, and build a following.  In the new year we will be doing monthly events, and a website will be following soon to compliment the blog and Facebook pages. Our fairs try to be modern, eclectic and high quality – with a focus on the fun, colourful and innovative.  I hope people enjoy the selection we have for December – we’ve expanded, and have some fantastic new stalls!  Reetsweet!”.

Craft Candy's very own Kay Guccione, of 'lilidrawspictures', pictured behind her stall at the November Reetsweet event, with husband Ed.

http://www.lilidrawspictures.com/

Another Craft Candy member, James Green, at the November Reetsweet

http://www.folksy.com/shops/jamesgreenprintworks

Charley, of 'Charley Dreams' behind her stall at The Corn Exchange

http://www.etsy.com/shop/charleydreams

'Dig the Earth' stall at The Corn Exchange

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/digtheearth

Leeds based Steph Baxter, of ‘Steph Says Hello’ has designed the lovely December Reetsweet fair posters and flyers.

Back view of the Reetsweet flyer, by Steph Baxter

Self professed illustrator, doodler, crafter and tea drinker, Steph explains a bit about her way of working “I basically live for art & design in all its forms. I’ve never really got video installation though?! I’m pretty simple in my tastes – give me something bright & cheerful, and I’m happy! I spend about 93% of my day creating cute things. Sometimes for other people, sometimes it just cheers up my day. When I’m not illustrating or working at my part time sweet shop job, I love crafting. Its something I’ve only just recently got into properly. I’ve always made and sewn things – but never really had the courage to put myself out there until now. I love making little things out of paper and felt. There’s something really satisfying about taking simple materials and making something lovely. And when I’ve done all that, I can usually be found drinking tea (Earl Grey, milk, no sugar) and cuddling my new little puss-cat Sukie. I’m easily pleased!”.

Making Future Magic, design by Steph Baxter for Ad Agency Dentsu London

I love sewing, by Steph Baxter

Steph’s designs are really happy, bright and uplifting! She has carried out a range of different freelance work, from logo and poster designs, to magazine and print work…she’s even had one of her designs made into a window decal!

Stephs design work featured in Mother & Baby magazine in July 2010

Steph's Go Green 'Eco' design, as a window decal!

If you’d like to view more of Steph’s work, you can check out her Flickr photostream here – The Pink Robot (Steph Says Hello). Or, why not take a browse round her Folksy shop, where she has lovely prints, notebooks and calendars for sale – Steph Says Hello on Folksy. Better still, you can visit Steph in person at Reetsweet on December 5th, where she will have a stall, selling an assortment of lovely things!

Steph Says Hello, pictured here at the November Reetsweet - she will be back in December, so make sure you pay her a visit!

So don’t forget – Leeds Corn Exchange, Sunday 5th December 2010, 11am – 4pm, and it’s FREE entry!!! For more information on Reetsweet here are some links -

Reetsweet Blog

Reetsweet on Facebook

If you would like to contact Rebecca for further information on the fair, or if you would like to enquire about exhibiting your work at a future fair, the contact email address is reetsweetevents@gmail.com

Good Luck to everyone at Reetsweet! x

Countdown to Candy Cane

By Dilys Treacle Treasures on November 23, 2010
This entry is filed under Craft, Craft Candy, Craft Fairs, Events and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

Hi everyone! Just a little reminder, as if you really need one, that Candy Cane is nearly here again!

If you’re after high quality and unique handmade gifts for your friends and family this Christmas, then you really won’t go wrong with a visit to Candy Cane this Saturday. Our annual Christmas craft fair at the Millennium Gallery will be packed with stalls, featuring the work of some very talented makers. A diverse range of crafts will be on offer, from jewellery and textiles, to ceramics and embroidery, with much more in between!

Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm, and as always, entry is FREE!! The fair will be held on the upper level of the Millennium Gallery and there will be a raffle of course, with some fabulous prizes on offer.

Hopefully we will see you there!

Candy Cane - a Christmas craft fair. Poster design by Elodie G.

Our lovely poster for the fair has been designed by the lovely Elodie G, who also happens to have a lovely new Folksy shop! Check it out here. X

Two day fairs – the ups and downs of Sunday selling

By Craft Candy member on July 31, 2009
This entry is filed under Craft Candy, Craft Fairs and tagged , , , , , .

With the deadline for the Craft Candy “Candy Cane” Christmas market applications drawing nearer, I’ve been looking at my diary and wondering what to put on my application form. Do I want to do both days? Just Saturday? Just Sunday? Working full time, having enough stock for two full days can be a scary prospect – on the other hand, I don’t want to miss out on potential customers. But what happens at two-day-week-end fairs, anyway? Is the Sunday spot actually worth it? I did a bit of ‘research’ (read: I asked around), and dug into my memory for past events, and here are some thoughts I’ve come up with:

1) It is true that the town centre is busier on a Saturday than on a Sunday. While this potentially speaks against booking a Sunday slot, not everybody sees a craft fair as something to slot into their pre-Christmas shopping, laden with bags and stressed out. For quite a few people, it is an event in and of itself, to be teamed not with shopping, but with lunch in town.

2) From my own perspective, having a toddler means we’re normally too shattered by the end of the week to do anything much on a Saturday. That day is normally reserved to get the house in working order, and it often gets to Sunday lunchtime before we feel remotely equipped to tackle the world as a family.

3) If it is a two-day event, people will expect the crowds on a Saturday – those looking for a quieter time will turn out on a Sunday.

4) The same goes for quite a few people coming from further afield – Saturday is for braving ‘local’ traffic, Sundays are for days out, and – look, there’s a craft fair with quality handmade items. Shall we go?

5) Sundays are also the day for return visits – people who came and had a look-see on Saturday, fell in love with something, but decided to ‘be good’. More than once did I have a customer return on the second day of a fair, dashing towards my stall as if pursued by Father Christmas himself, and breathing a sigh of relief, saying ‘It’s still there!!! I kicked myself all night for not getting it!’, picking up a bracelet/set of beads, etc. – or indeed saying ‘oh no, it’s sold. I’ve come back for it – will you make me another?’ – Sudays are good for commissions, too.

I’m not saying Saturdays are dead, there’s no doubt that Saturdays get more ‘natural’ footfall, more impromptu buys, more traffic. But Sundays aren’t half bad. So, now I’ve talked myself through this, I better get in that application form – I’ll see you at Craft Candy’s Candy Cane Christmas fayre – on BOTH days!

See you at the fair!

If you want to be there, too, go here to get your application form.