This Friday M (aka 'A Girl in Winter') and I took part in a craft fair to raise money for Children in Need. For non-UK readers this is a huge national fundraising event, which this year has raised over £26 million for children's charities. The fair took place at work and proved to be a great success. M provided some beautiful handmade Christmas cards and I donated some jewellery. There were a variety of other stalls selling cakes, Amaryllis bulbs, jewellery, card making and stamping supplies and 'nappy cakes' and other baby things. There was also a tombola, which raised a lot of money on its own.
I took along a few pieces of jewellery that I had made during my City & Guilds courses. Plus I had a rummage through my UFO box. I normally try not to have too many unfinished things lying around. By nature I am a 'completer/finisher' type person. But I do have a small box where I put any things which are experiments and work in progress. The idea is that one day I will revisit them and try to make jewellery out of them. Well, over the last couple of weeks I have done just that. I finished off some beaded charms and a beaded bead and strung the results onto lengths of organza ribbon. I then added some sterling silver clasps. Voila! Some very attractive necklaces. I added some beaded earrings, based on art deco designs, hung on sterling silver ear wires.
M's Christmas cards proved very popular. In my opinion their simplicity was a major selling point.
I found a new use for some vintage buckles picked up at antiques and vintage fashion fairs. Coupled with some pretty buttons they make unusual and attractive brooches.
Obviously the main object of the exercise was to raise money for Children in Need, and we did in fact raise £95. But it also proved to both of us that our craft work will sell. It was also a useful dry run for attending a commercial craft fair.
