Saturday, November 24, 2007

Busy Week

Last week was such a busy week. I went to London for 3 days with my friend Amanda, taking my daughter Jazz and her boyfriend Jack. We stayed in Hoxton in a fabulous ubercool hotel called The Hoxton Lodge. I can highly recommend it, great place run by the same group that brought us Pret a Manger. It was such a tonic, I had a fantastic time. We did so much in those 3 days. We went shopping lots (of course), had several makeovers, met up with Lettuce for a drink in the hotel bar (she was lovely), went to see the Couture Exhibition at the V&A, had afternoon tea at Harvey Nicks, went to the Country Living Christmas Fair, ate lots of lovely food, drank like a couple of fish, laughed and laughed and laughed and talked loads. It was so nice to wake up next to someone who liked me. I didn't realise how sapping it can be to spend time with someone who no longer loves you and makes it quite obvious that he doesn't actually like you much either!

It was so lovely to spend 3 whole days with one of my oldest (actually youngest), friends. We never get to spend enough time having 6 children between us and living so far apart. Jazz and Jack did their own thing meeting up with us for meals. They loved exploring London on their own.


Liberty makeover (taken by charming gentleman passer by who said we didn't need makeovers!)


Amanda in opulent dining room at the V&A


Beautiful bauble-like lights in V&A dining hall



Harvey Nicks for afternoon tea. Me with 'Emo' style eye makeup courtesy of Mac!




Jazz and Jack with afternoon tea (very yummy)



Going out for dinner




Country Living Christmas Fair



It was hard to come home again after all that fun, but I missed my little ones so much that I was looking forward to seeing them. I got home around midnight and after a quick cuddle before packing them off to school the next morning, I packed up my car with the stock for my craft fair stall at the Cowslip in Launceston. I spent 4 hours setting it up ready for the next 3 days. Here it is just before I left to drive home.














It was a great fair, very well attended and lots of the right sort of people who really like vintage stuff. I arrived the next morning at 10.30am ready for the opening at 11am to find a whole load of early birds standing in my stall clutching items to their chests waiting for me to arrive!!!! It was mad and busy for the first few hours and then settled into a comfortable, steady stream for the next few days. I met some great people, both customers and other stall holders. I was kept entertained and fed with pieces of home made cake by the couple opposite me, William and Joanna Agur. They sell gorgeous vintage gardening items and country home furniture at very reasonable prices. They were just the loveliest couple.



Next to me stood Alan who was a brilliant upholsterer. His workmanship was flawless. He used to be a farmer before taking up upholstery and now lives on one of the cottages on his family's old farm with a barn converted for a workshop. He was so sweet when I was packing up and took all my bags and loaded up my car. 4 hours to put the stall up and only 30 minutes to take it all down!






I had some nice visitors to my stall too. Friends I had met on courses I had done at the Cowslip, people I had met at other textile fairs who had travelled down just to see me and people who found me for the first time. Amanda (shabby chick) from Totnes came and I managed to remember to whip out the camera to persuade her to have a photo with me seeing as she is often mentioned on my blog. she is camera shy and hates having her photo taken but when you're as gorgeous as she is I can't understand why can you?



I sold so much that the car was a little lighter on the way home. If there is anything that catches your eye that you like the look of do drop me an email as I might still have it and not everything will be making its way onto the website.

So, now I am back home, getting on with life as normal (whatever that is), updating the website, adding new items for sale and getting ready for Christmas. My decorations may be up earlier this year. I'll tell you why next week! Talking of decorations take a look at these beautiful Christmas baubles made by two very clever customers of mine. They are called Gorgeous and sell their things on Not on the High Street. They have made these delicious baubles using 1940's and 50's fabrics that they bought from me. Aren't they clever? I am now the proud owner of 3 of them and they are even prettier in real life than in the photo let me tell you!



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14 comments:

Gill said...

What a lovely post, your London trip sounds such fun and nice photos too.
I'm glad to hear your fair went so well, the stall looks so inviting I think I'd have been in that queue too. Good to see you back blogging again, onwards and upwards for you now.

wendy said...

Hi

I came along to your stall at Cowslip, it was lovely.

Anonymous said...

wow, donna - you have been busy!!

great to hear that you had such a good time in london. isn't it great just to hang out with friends like that? i have made one friend here now (yes, ONE friend... in 5 years) and i LOVE spending time with her. it has made life so much better over here.

aaah... if we only had liberty, the V&A and harvey nicks though... *sigh*

those baubles are absolutely gorgeous. very clever indeed.

Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED said...

Oh such a lovely post, the london trip sounds like such a tonic and we all need those every so often. Your stall looks amazing. The gigham smock...I have one just like it with a boden planes fabric pocket...I bought it ages ago off the net...was that you...it was pre blog and sewing days for me.
If it was we still use it and it has been so much admired. I have tried to make a bigger one for painting and messy play...not quite as good as the original.
LOVELY pictures

Vintage to Victorian said...

Hi Donna

What a busy girl you've been. London sounded fabulous, and the fair was obviously a success. Your stall looked great.

See you soon ...

Sue xx

Janice said...

So glad to see you had a great time in London and that your fairs went really well. Hope to see you posting more often now. I always enjoy reading your posts.

Anonymous said...

by the way, i meant to say that the hotel you stayed in looks great. i will definitely stay there next time i come to london (after december). good price!

laura said...

Hi Donna
Love your blog and fabrics are beautifull!!!Enjoyed reading your 'adventures'
Regards
Laura

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Hello Donna
I feel as though I have just had a few days away reading your hectic blog!
What a feast for the eyes ...
You went to all my favourite haunts that I haven't been to for years.. Harvey Nicks and the V&A was my all time fave when I was at art college.. many many years ago.
Lovely post.. have a rest now!
Michelex

Woo Gilchrist said...

Ooooo, I wish I live nearer, I'd have loved to have come by and looked at your stall :-) Sounds like you had such a fab time.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely post and some fab piccies to look at...Looks as if you had a wonderful in London.

I love the fabric baubles and I recognise the rosebud fabric!

Take care

jane
x

lettuce said...

great pics. i'm so glad donna that you had such a good time. It was lovely lovely seeing you, pleeeeease come to london again soon.

those fabric baubles are fab.

and i like the emo eye makeup.

:o)

xx

claire Maraldo said...

Hi Donna,

Oh how I wish I could have been at Cowslip. Hope you did well, you deserve to which such a gorgeous looking stall!

glad to hear you had a great time in London and I love the Mac eye make up. Strangely, I had emo eye make up done in Mac a while back and Roland said I looked scary. But that is the whole point, surely!

Niki Fretwell said...

WOWWEEE! Donna, I am worn out just reading about your adventures!! (Makes me realise time is precious and I spend far too much of it stuck at home!)

Your craft stand looks fabulous - I think I shall go back and enlarge your photos is a mo - there looks to be some very tempting goodies.....

So glad you had some fun in London too - the make-overs must have been fun - but did you really need them?!!

love Niki x