So this time last week I was driving west from home to visit The Handmade Fair at Ragley Hall, Warwickshire. The opening day of the event was pretty soggy to say the least. From what I'd seen on social media Kirstie Allsopp was handing out rain ponchos to visitors.
Well I was happy to trade Kirstie for some sun on the Saturday. Although it would've been nice to have met her, considering she was pretty instrumental in encouraging me to pick up a hook and yarn some 7 years ago.
The setting was absolutely stunning. Acres and acres of beautiful grounds. Not sure £6 (on the day) to park was entirely fair. If it had been a free event then perhaps parking charges would've been justified. After all, the recent WI Fair and Country Living Fair both staged at Alexandra Palace in London offered free parking. Ho hum....
Once inside the enclosure, we took a mooch around. As the sun was shining we decided to do a circuit of the outside first, just in case a shower took hold later.
There was a central marquee housing the market place, and several others that were on the perimeter. A couple were only accessible to VIP ticket holders. Sadly no VIP status for me, so could only guess what was going on inside. Mostly workshops and Q&A's with the crafty invited guest speakers.
There were lots of food stalls as you would expect. I thought The Hippy Chippy was a funky little number......
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| Brown & Drury The Pip House |
The lure of the market place soon took hold, so we headed inside. I didn't really take many pics as I browsed the stalls. I know I've said this before, and I don't mean to sound like a broken record but you can normally get a vibe from the stall holder as to whether they mind you taking a few snap shots.
Some stall holders give you the impression that if you're not buying, then move aside, and certainly no pics. Have any of you felt like that?? I appreciate smiles and chat don't pay for the costs incurred by these small businesses to exhibit at these fairs, but I do think you have to strike a balance.
I did get a lovely shot of Gail Drury of Brown & Drury. She was lovely and smiley and chatty. Couldn't be nicer. Her collection of handmade luxurious scented candles and diffusers, were beautifully displayed. She had a rustic bag filled with scented fir cones for prospective customers to have a sniff at. Let me tell you they were divine. A clever idea I thought.
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| Daisy Glass Yummy Little Cakes |
Another very approachable stall holder was Mr Daisy Glass. I call him that because I don't know his name. When I asked if he would mind me taking a photo of the lovely glassware on the stall, he was quick to point out that it was his wife Sally's beautiful work and not his. Obviously didn't want to take the credit for the stunning pieces of contemporary handmade glass work on display. I thought that was very sweet.
After we'd had our fill of the fair, we headed into Stratford Upon Avon to do a bit of sight seeing. Never been there before, and what a lovely picturesque place it is. Spotted a beautifully restored old bus, apparently built in 1950, taken out of service in 1964, lovingly brought back to life around 2012. Isn't she gorgeous??
The day ended with a lovely meal with friends, and a saunter along the riverside with an ice-cream.
I'm listing a few of the other traders at the Handmade Fair
that I was impressed with here if you fancy a gander....
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*this is NOT a sponsored post
