As part of the preparations for the 7th ever SE20 Craft Fair (which is in 2 weeks!), I've been putting together some Trick or Treat bags and storing them in my Pumpkin buckets ready to be sold. The idea is that each bag is £1 and you can't look inside it before you buy. Some of them have perfectly lovely stuff in them, like a handmade greetings card or cross stitch piece, or a photo coaster. And some are full of nonsense. I won't tell you what sort of nonsense. But it's fun nonsense.
This is the first time that an edition of SE20 Craft Fair has fallen on Halloween itself. There's always a fair in the autumn, and it's always at this time of year, but finally we've managed to coincide with the spookiest day of the year, which calls for a Trick or Treat theme as far as I'm concerned. There's plenty of orange and black bunting, and maybe the odd rubber spider all ready to go. Some of our 19 crafters who'll be presenting their hand made wares for sale at the fair have got in on the theme as well, so I really can't wait to see what The Kenilworth Hall is going to look like once it's been decorated and everyone is set up and ready to go. If you're reading this, I hope you'll come down and have a look too! Put Saturday 31st October in your diaries. Here's a selection of what's in store for you...
This is the first time that an edition of SE20 Craft Fair has fallen on Halloween itself. There's always a fair in the autumn, and it's always at this time of year, but finally we've managed to coincide with the spookiest day of the year, which calls for a Trick or Treat theme as far as I'm concerned. There's plenty of orange and black bunting, and maybe the odd rubber spider all ready to go. Some of our 19 crafters who'll be presenting their hand made wares for sale at the fair have got in on the theme as well, so I really can't wait to see what The Kenilworth Hall is going to look like once it's been decorated and everyone is set up and ready to go. If you're reading this, I hope you'll come down and have a look too! Put Saturday 31st October in your diaries. Here's a selection of what's in store for you...
Yo!JoJo Handmade
Jo of Yo!JoJoHandmade makes awesome cards, push pins and bunting among other things, and she's been creating some Halloween push pins in time for the fair. I like the orange and blue owls on the right hand side of the photograph, and the pumpkins of course, because who doesn't love a pumpkin? Check out her Etsy shop for a look at her brilliant cards. Robots, stereos, typewriters, sneakers and VW Camper Vans all make an appearance in embossed ink. I wish I was half as talented at making greetings cards! She'll be with us at the fair in 2 weeks and her stall is one not to miss.
Like Sewiously
Laura of the so fabulously named Like Sewiously makes eco-friendly, hand made baby accessories that she road-tests on her 2 year old son and his friends for comfort and durability. The Halloween-themed baby hair-wraps in the photo above are an example of the bright, colourful and very cool designs she comes up with. She also makes anti-door slam wraps and I have one made of material that has dinosaurs on it. I love it. Have a look at her Etsy shop here, for a better idea of the selection of products she'll be bringing to the fair in 2 weeks' time.
Spotlesspinata Jewellery
A bunting necklace that spells out something a zombie might say as he comes after your brains? 2 of my favourite things rolled into one - zombies and bunting. Of course, it's not just a zombie that might utter a resounding 'Urgh'. Perhaps it's you on an off-day. Either way, this is just one example of the cheeky range of jewellery products by Julie of Spotlesspinata Jewellery. Based right here in Penge, Julie dreams up the coolest of designs for her earrings, bracelets, necklaces and brooches. She also loves cactuses, just like me. Catch her at the fair in 2 weeks with some Halloween goodies added to her collection. Have a look at her website here.
Julie also made the above banner for us. My favourite element is the surprised looking Pumpkin on the left. I think that he (or she) is so surprised because of the extensive list of goodies on offer. Bunting is at the top of the list! Cake, sweets, face painting and gifts are not far behind. And jam of course. All of these things will be present on fair day, alongside free tea and coffee, which I will discuss more in a minute, and our charity stall, which is becoming a tradition now. This time around it's the brilliant Kindu Trust, who work towards improving the lives of children and their families in Ethiopia. They run a project to encourage parents in Ethiopia to live independently by earning a living, and they employ two women to make traditional Ethiopian beads which can then be strung into jewellery. The jewellery will be for sale at the fair, and it's gorgeous. Each bead is so intricate that you can only imagine the work that's gone into it. The Kindu Trust were with us in April and I'm really happy they are coming back.
Creating a Fund for Future Fairs
We've always served free tea, coffee and squash at SE20 Craft Fair and this time will be no different. Each fair, we've picked a charity, either local or one that one of us is currently raising money for, and had a basket out on the side, next to the sugar, for any donations that people want to make. Past charities have included Mind, St Christopher's Hospice and Refugee Action.
I've been looking at ways I can increase the budget for advertising SE20 Craft Fair just enough so that I can do fancy things that I can't really do at the moment, like get a hu-ge banner made, to put up on Penge High Street when fair time draws near. Or get flyers made, or put an advert in the local newspaper. At the moment, the budget for the fair is small because I don't really make a profit out of it (it's not the aim of the fairs, community is) and anything I do make goes towards hall hire and then advertising. There are always posters that go up in the neighbourhood but it would be cool to have a banner.
I didn't want to charge more for stalls because again, I feel that would defeat the point of having the fairs. It's a community project for and in the local neighbourhood, and the idea is to make it affordable for all concerned. So at this fair, I have decided to put out the donations basket once again, next to the sugar where drinks are served. And this time, any donations received will go back into the SE20 Craft Fair fund and be used in order to promote the next fair more within the community, in the hope that more people will see it and want to get involved. People can then decide whether to donate to it and all is well.
Ethically, I feel okay with that. I know it's not a charity as such, but it's something for the community and it's optional. And tea, coffee and squash is still free for those that want it! After all, you need something to go with your cake...
I've been looking at ways I can increase the budget for advertising SE20 Craft Fair just enough so that I can do fancy things that I can't really do at the moment, like get a hu-ge banner made, to put up on Penge High Street when fair time draws near. Or get flyers made, or put an advert in the local newspaper. At the moment, the budget for the fair is small because I don't really make a profit out of it (it's not the aim of the fairs, community is) and anything I do make goes towards hall hire and then advertising. There are always posters that go up in the neighbourhood but it would be cool to have a banner.
I didn't want to charge more for stalls because again, I feel that would defeat the point of having the fairs. It's a community project for and in the local neighbourhood, and the idea is to make it affordable for all concerned. So at this fair, I have decided to put out the donations basket once again, next to the sugar where drinks are served. And this time, any donations received will go back into the SE20 Craft Fair fund and be used in order to promote the next fair more within the community, in the hope that more people will see it and want to get involved. People can then decide whether to donate to it and all is well.
Ethically, I feel okay with that. I know it's not a charity as such, but it's something for the community and it's optional. And tea, coffee and squash is still free for those that want it! After all, you need something to go with your cake...
Yup, cheeky cakes. (These are coasters, in case you didn't know).
I'll finish with a list of all the stallholders coming to SE20 Craft Fair to display and sell their products. I hope you can join us on this most Fang-tastic of days. Afterwards, why not head down Penge High Street to take part in some good old fashioned trick or treating with some of the local businesses, courtesy of Penge Tourist Board? Details here.
I'll finish with a list of all the stallholders coming to SE20 Craft Fair to display and sell their products. I hope you can join us on this most Fang-tastic of days. Afterwards, why not head down Penge High Street to take part in some good old fashioned trick or treating with some of the local businesses, courtesy of Penge Tourist Board? Details here.
See you in 2 weeks!
The Stallholders!
Sarah Jarrett face painting
SE20 Craft - photo coasters, greetings cards and more
The Leander Cake Co.
Goodie Baskets - cupcakes and sweets
The Lewisham Craft People's Guild - hats, wreaths and cakes
Like Sewiously
Yo!JoJoHandmade - cards, tags, bunting, papercrafts
Anne Young - knitted baby clothes and accessories
Spotlesspinata Jewellery
The Kindu Trust
Never Felt Better - felt food and drink
Hatome/Yolanta Gawlik art prints
Amelie's Hands artwork
Jamalade Dreams - jams and preserves
Beck's Creative - cards, sewn items and plants
Illytrilly - children's accessories
Little Observationist - photography
SE20 Craft - photo coasters, greetings cards and more
The Leander Cake Co.
Goodie Baskets - cupcakes and sweets
The Lewisham Craft People's Guild - hats, wreaths and cakes
Like Sewiously
Yo!JoJoHandmade - cards, tags, bunting, papercrafts
Anne Young - knitted baby clothes and accessories
Spotlesspinata Jewellery
The Kindu Trust
Never Felt Better - felt food and drink
Hatome/Yolanta Gawlik art prints
Amelie's Hands artwork
Jamalade Dreams - jams and preserves
Beck's Creative - cards, sewn items and plants
Illytrilly - children's accessories
Little Observationist - photography