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Click to shop online
Click to shop online
end September 24
Every year we forget. Water falls from the sky and the later in the year, the colder the water - down your neck. The rain likes gazebos, especially around 4pm when the event finishes. Every year this means the gazebo is put up twice. Once for the event and then fished out of a damp condensy car to dry on a dry day. Ever year it's "no more gazebos!"
Then we forget. Forget people like old country mansions and historic buildings. Like driving their cars into a muddy field and tramping across wet grass in unsuitable shoes. Unless it's agricultural shows, where a different breed dress for the occasion, yard boots and waxed canvas, rainproof hats and wet dogs. Land Rovers and tractors ready to remove the townfolk from mud and shoo them back to suburban comfort.
Gazebo's back in hibernation for the end of our ninth year. Who'd have thought a shoe box of old cutlery bought for £2 from a garage sale would lead to this? Six more events to go - see Events 2024.
August 24. Fingers crossed CFE inhabits a gentler world than the News would have us believe. Come and join us, the deal is you bring your gift and jewellery problems and we provide a few hours in a gentler place and some solutions. The venues are invariably lovely, Ely and its cathedral, Sandringham in December, Rockingham Castle and Belton House in September. Have a look at the Events page here Events Wind chimes from old spoons are a favourite lately along with fish knife bookmarks / letter openers. Southwell Ploughing Match is not all tractors and Dad can take the kids to see sheep and ponies and buy some tools for the shed. Inspired visit with those DIY jobs to do before Autumn. Everyone's happy!
PS. We have a few bits in Boughton House gift shop, near Kettering.
PS. We have a few bits in Boughton House gift shop, near Kettering.
June 11th Nearly half way through '24 and it feels like the summer forgot to turn up. The fairs and shops are doing OK but the weather on two day events keeps the Saturday numbers down, boys to football, shopping, visit Mum & Dad etc. The BBQ gas should be changed normally by now but the bottle is still swishing. Another clue. I don't think people are staying in to watch the election news this time.
Having said we'll do less events this year we are lucky to be invited to more. Perhaps an Indian summer beckons.
May already. The Sun came out at last! Our first gazebo outing at the Sessions House, Spalding was a great success, dispelling what has been a cold, wet and quiet sales start to the year. The Peterborough Unity Project 'Up the garden bath' so called because they make planters from old bath tubs, has been a great success - see Shops. We are with 3 shops we weren't with in the first quarter of 2023, all doing well. At our end of year Board Meeting, over breakfast in Lamberts of Stamford, we decided on fewer events this year but , if the sun's going to do the decent thing we will probably weaken. We replaced the Fork Van with a Fork Galaxy last year which swallows our travelling roadshow well enough and turns back into a 7 seater with some shed jumbling easily enough.
Stamford Garden & Food Show on the Meadows on Sunday 12th May. Hoping the grass dries enough. Rockingham Castle the weekend after.
Stamford Garden & Food Show on the Meadows on Sunday 12th May. Hoping the grass dries enough. Rockingham Castle the weekend after.
March earrings made from the silver collars of fish knives and forks
A selection of early March offerings. Chopstick earrings in the middle.
Jan 24. A belated Happy New Year to all. We always forget what January is like. Some like it but we long for longer warmer days. Timothy and Walter our sponsored donkey mascots and Flora the workshop tuxedo cat continue the four legs element.
We've got more shops now.
Up the Garden Bath community project took advantage of an empty Next store last summer. Such a success they now have a new shop on the ground floor open all year in Queensgate Peterborough and is doing very well for us and other local crafts. Close to the John Lewis escalators.
Relative newcomers Louise of Willow & Wild in Mkt Harborough and Lucinda of Beautifully Handmade in Sleaford have been very successful.
The British Craft House, click on the logo above, is available 24/7/365.
Created by Hand, Strelley, Nottingham, The Artful Duck in Raunds, The Place, Stamford, and the Corn Exchange Cafe and Shops are stalwarts over the years.
This means topping up more often, a nice problem.
So much so we are cutting down fairs and events this year, so far to 17 compared to 32 in recent years. The first will be The Snowdrop & Aconite, Little Ponton Hall Gardens near Grantham - 10/11 February. There will be an Events page soon.
We've got more shops now.
Up the Garden Bath community project took advantage of an empty Next store last summer. Such a success they now have a new shop on the ground floor open all year in Queensgate Peterborough and is doing very well for us and other local crafts. Close to the John Lewis escalators.
Relative newcomers Louise of Willow & Wild in Mkt Harborough and Lucinda of Beautifully Handmade in Sleaford have been very successful.
The British Craft House, click on the logo above, is available 24/7/365.
Created by Hand, Strelley, Nottingham, The Artful Duck in Raunds, The Place, Stamford, and the Corn Exchange Cafe and Shops are stalwarts over the years.
This means topping up more often, a nice problem.
So much so we are cutting down fairs and events this year, so far to 17 compared to 32 in recent years. The first will be The Snowdrop & Aconite, Little Ponton Hall Gardens near Grantham - 10/11 February. There will be an Events page soon.
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