January 2017

Wow, it's January 2017 already!  Where did 2016 go?  Does anyone else feel like time is flying by too quickly!  My last blog post was April 2016, that sounds AGES ago (yes I know, it is, shh!).

Ok, I'm going to briefly sum up the rest of 2016 from April onwards.  Events-wise, I had a a lovely selling day at the Walled Garden at Beeston Fields in May and I took part in the WI Show at Newark Showground in May too. Then there was another great Summer Festival at Patchings Art Centre in Calverton in June and a fantastic Summer Market at the Roundhouse in July to finish off my Summer events.  Here are some photos:-

As well as all the Summer Fairs, I did lots of workshops - I ran days at Created By Hand, Straightcurves in Chesterfield, The Faff Rooms in Mansfield Woodhouse and Denman College in Oxfordshire, Beginners often think they won't be very good, but are stunned with their finished pieces when the workshop has finished.  I'll attach some example of students' work here:-

After my Son finished his A'Levels and my Daughter her GCSEs, we had a fantastic 2-week break in Florida to recharge all our batteries, and then on the 31st July it was the first event I have ever organised....The Strelley Hall Summer Artisan Market.  Dave Humphreys (the Owner of the Created By Hand gallery at Strelley Hall) and I organised approximately 30 stalls both inside a huge marquee on the lawns and inside the two main front rooms of Strelley Hall itself.  The sun shone, the handmade ice cream flowed and it was a very successful day for all.  Let's see if I can find some photos:-​

And then it was the mad Christmas planning and fair season.... I had Southwell Minster fair the first weekend of November, then the Roundhouse the following weekend.  I did Derby High School on the 3rd Saturday and Beeston Fields Walled Garden the following day!  The last weekend of November saw me at Kelham Hall in Newark and then the 3rd and 4th December I was back at my own event at Strelley Hall.  It didn't snow or rain, we were very lucky as we had the majority of stallholders in a large marquee again.  We had it heated but ooh there was a draught around the entrance and exit - and poor Yohann with his French wine stall was a bit cold to say the least (I did buy him a heated handwarmer!).

The finishing highlight to the year was another residential workshop at Denman College in Oxfordshire.  It was the "New Wave Weekend" for WI ladies across the country - and the ladies were in fine form (and good voice, as I had them singing along to my Christmas cd as we mosaiced!).  Such fun.  The weekend consisted of 3 workshops with different ladies on each one - and they were all making fab little Christmas shapes....see the pics:-

And there you have my 2016!  

2017 has some exciting new developments....but I can't say too much yet as they may not come to fruition!  I hope you've all had a wonderful year too and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2017.

​Lis x