Sunday 23 November 2008

Fair comment...

Yesterday was a day.. a day and a half.. a day to remember for a very long time..
I came home .. fell in to the armchair with sheer exhaustion and burst in to tears..
The enormity and events of the day finally caught up with me.. the weeks of preparation and anticipation.. nerves.. excitement and the ultimate meeting of all the wonderful people who made the day so special..overwhelmed me..
They were tears of great happiness and gratitude to all who made our first Vintage & Handmade Fair such a memorable occasion.

The efforts and dedication of all the lovely blogging ladies who attended is to be applauded.
The friendly banter and buzz that filled the hall as soon as people started to arrive from their respective journey's was infectious. It really helped to calm me down as all sense and sensibility abandoned me whilst I was trying to set up my table.. I completely lost the plot at one point and thought.. just throw it on the table and let them rummage! Thanks to Sal.. she came to my rescue and managed to keep me on an even keel...

I know that there will be much said about the event from some of the people who visited and came to be part of our first Fair.. but I would like to say..
a massive thank you to all who did come and support us..in every respect.. I had visitors who had travelled from London to come and see me.. my friends from Bath.. and all the strangers who came up and said hello and how much they had enjoyed themselves.. I am so very grateful..
You all played a part and without you this wouldn't have happened!

I am beginning to sound like one of those gushing actresses at the Oscars.. but there is no other way for me to express my appreciation...
Now it is time for me to hush up .. and let the pictures do the talking...
So on with the show...
Things Handmade... handmade loveliness!


Jane and the Happy Crow..tempting tempting!

Higglety Pigglety..
Hesta.. Green Glamour.. such a sweet lady!

Lovely Lucy Bloom
Talented Jo at Higglety Pigglety and Annie's fabulous ladies at A Saucerful of Secrets
The Lavender House.. Vintage loveliness...
Annie's lovely ladies...
Cowboys & Custard

Carol.. Katherine's Dream ..beautiful needlework..
Liz.. fab vintage from The Washerwoman
A Little Bit Vintage.. from Frances..

Beautiful bunnies.. Nicky ..The Vintage MagpieSue .. Vintage to Victorian.. a cornucopia.
Sublime.. Sea Angels

Sal's ( very colourful) Snippets
My friendly neighbours... Ginny and Alice.. and baby Rufus from The Flour Loft.

And while I am still gushing.. a special thanks to all behind the scenes.. families and friends, Julia and Jayne's daughter for being such troopers in the kitchen serving tea and cake to the hungry hordes all day
.....and last but not least.. thank you Jayne.. I couldn't have done it without you!

38 comments:

Garden Girl said...

Well done girls, I am very proud! What a great day you had, am only sorry I couldn't be there to see you all. The hall looks amazing, you all worked so hard by the looks of it.
And as for you, Mrs C, a day of rest and relaxation please! and perhaps a cuppa and a nice slice of cake x

Georgia Peachez said...

Looks like it was a fabulous success! Oh how I wish I could have come shopping there, all those wonderful goodies. xo, suzy

Carol said...

Hello dear Friend, I do hope that you are enjoying this cold but quiet Sunday...I am.
It was such a lovely day and one that will looked back on and make us smile.
Thank you Michele for all your hard work.
Meeting you was comforting to me...
Speak soon.
Lots of love, hugs and kisses from Moi and my family. xxxxx

Sal said...

It was a real pleasure to be part of it, Michele. Roll on May!! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Well done you!
A delightful day amongst delightful people
You and Jayne both deserved the obvious success and I am sure this will be even greater at Chipping Sodbury in May - don't tell any blokes but I can't wait
Even though a brief encounter it was nice to meet Cowardy Cowardy again too lol!
Now relax, reflect and enjoy your day

LiLi M. said...

What a succes! And now enjoy, relax and enjoy again, have a great Sunday!

Dana and Daisy said...

BRAVO!!
{{{applause}}}
I'm enjoying the view of all the lovelies!

I hope you can enjoy a day in your warmest pj's doing nothing today!

Anonymous said...

Well done honey! I am so proud of you and of your pardner! A great team effort and a real success... an institution is born!
I have not left a comment before as I am able to talk to you so easily being, as I am, Mr Custard! However I do feel moved to comment ont his occasion as I know how much went into this whole thing and how important it was to you.
Well done!

Ragged Roses said...

I'm agreeing with Mr Custard, well done!!!!! It seems like the wonderful day you had spent so much time and effort dreaming of and planning has happened. So pleased for you alll, it all looks and sounds deliciously lovely
Mx

Sea Angels said...

I hope you are having a well deserved rest today.....what a brilliantly run event..even your lovely photographs are organized perfectly. You made it a very special day Michele for us , and how lovely it was chatting to you with the warmth of that radiator burning my bum....sheer bliss...ha ha!!
Huhs and more
Lynn xx

Teena Vallerine said...

Oh didn't you all have a lovely time! Thank-you for the photo therapy! t.x

Simone said...

I am so glad that it all worked out for you. The photos are so inspirational. It looks like the best craft fair that I have ever seen. So much thought and effort went into making the stalls look inviting. Time to put your feet up now!

Anonymous said...

So pleased that it all went so well, it's obvious from the posts I've seen that everyone had a wonderful time. Well done to you all.

Gina said...

Well done! It looks amazing... I only wished I lived a bit closer.

Anonymous said...

well done sweetie!! you did a great job, gutted i missed it!!

i hope you get to relax this week.

love
lucy xxx

A time to dance said...

it looked wonderful ...I would have been destitute.....well done..hope you are putting your feet up today..which I could have been with you
love H

This Vintage Life... said...

What a fantastic achievement Michele. Everything looks so wonderful...great pictures of all the fab goodies! Enjoy a well deserved rest today.
Deb xx

Redwoodhouse said...

I so enjoyed your wonderful fair the hall was buzzing when I was there and you were very busy at the time so I didn't like to interrupt so I will say HELLO now. You all must be very pleased with how it went you can now relax for a while until the next one!!!
Jan x

OhSoVintage said...

Well done you, Michele! It looks fantastic and all credit to you both for all that organisation. Looks like there were some wonderful stalls, I wish I could have been there. No doubt there will be lots more photos on other people's blogs and lots more to read about. Pat yourself on the back and have a restful week ahead.
Ruth x

Unknown said...

Oh I am so pleased it was a huge success! Everything looks so fabulous. Congratulations to you Michele and Jane, and well done to all who took part.
Rosie x

BusyLizzie said...

Hi Michele
Saturday really WAS a SPECIAL day. Thank you for all your hard work & preparation.. now looking forward to the next one in May (cannot wait!)
Lizzie xx

A Thrifty Mrs said...

It looks and sounds like it was a roaring success. I am so jealous looking at all of these lovely snaps.

julia said...

It was an absoultely fabulous day topped off with my totally unexpected gifts. I keep going through the bag and looking at everything over and over again. Well done to both you and Jane, you did such a fabulous job, it couldn't have been any better. Count me in for tea duties next time!
Now put you feet up and have a cuppa!
Julia xx

Emma Herian said...

Oh it looked amazing! I wish I could have been there. Glad it went well and you deserve that comfy chair and the biggest glass of champs me dear!

Congrats on the CL bit, how exciting.

We must catch up soon, I have been so behind on Blog friends with all this christmas buisness!
XXXXX Well done
Emx

Funkymonkey said...

I'm so pleased to hear that the show was a success. I hope you have a restful week. Put your feet up with a cuppa and a slice of your favourite cake.

Lucy Bloom said...

You and Jayne should be rightly pleased with yourselves, it was a fantastic day, thanks to you both!
Lucy x

Rosie said...

Sorry I didn't say hello. You were really busy. Congratulations to both of you as I thoroughly enjoyed it and it well worth the long journey to get there. I think you will have even more people wanting to be at the next one and I promise that I will introduce myself. x

Flutterby Patch said...

It looks wonderful Michele. I was thinking about you all and just knew it would be a huge success. http://flutterbypatch.typepad.co.uk

Unknown said...

It looks like everything went very well! How fun and I sure wish I could have been there! Exhausting, yes, but I bet you wouldn't have missed it for anything. Good job!

Cheers!

Unknown said...

The line up of participants is just like the Oscars ;-)

Cape Cod Rambling Rose said...

Beautiful beautiful beautiful! It's like a bloggers' event! I must say (under my breath - I don't like to really use the word "jealous") - that I am a wee bit jealous of all you lovely bloggers sharing your loveliness both here, and at the recent Silver Bella event here in the states. I'm saving my pennies to go on a crafty trip somewhere! lol

hugs, beachy

Anonymous said...

Hooray for the first Vintage and Handmade Fair, what a day.
Thank you Michele and Jayne for all your hard work in making such a wonderful day x

CashmereLibrarian said...

It looks amazing; I wish I could have been there! Was thinking about you lovely UK crafters yesterday...

Things Hand Made said...

Your photos captured it well. Thanks for a great day.

Louise said...

Michele, I would have been just like you, just visiting and meeting all the fellow bloggers would have been overwhelming for me, let alone organising the event and setting up the hall at the crack of dawn! I have enjoyed the photos and catching a glimpse of at least a few stallholders! I do hope it was a success for you and you managed to enjoy your day, and the cakes! I would have loved to have been part of your event, even as a customer, you couldn't hold your next one in Brighton, could you! x

Deb said...

Congratulations again! What a successful show you had and everyone's little booths looked wonderful :-)

Margie’s daughter Leiny said...

Hi Michele, What a lot of work, please call to my blog and collect the Kreativ Blogger award I just received from Beachy, as you well and truly deserve it. I did Fairs for a number of years and could empahise with the exhaustion. I will make a link to you on my next post. Congratulations and well done. hugs Margie.

Michael House said...

It looks absolutely fantastic, well done to everyone, and what gorgeous things you all had for sale, wish I had been there. x