Saturday 30 October 2010

WI Craft Fair! 30th October 2010.


Jam and Jerusalem - ? -


More like Jewellery, Curios and Ceramics!
And Of course Cake!

Folksy was proudly represented at the WI annual Craft fair, in St Georges Hall, Newbury in Berkshire, by none other than Jacqueline Austen of J Austen Jewellery Design, Pauline Rhymes of Snowfireandruby and of course myself, Natalie of NOfkants Curios.

The ladies of the Newbury WI made us very welcome, and kept us supplied with tea and coffee!
Always like a home from home with these wonderful ladies!

Jacqueline, for those who have not met her yet, is shown below, a lovely, kind lady who is also a domestic Goddess, who baked and donated a beautiful rich chocolate cake to the WI cake stall, sold for £1.00 a slice!




Yummy Scrummy or what? It was such a popular cake that is sold out super fast!


And had the full attention of the WI ladies! Can't say I blame them!



And you can see how close I was to the cake stand! LOL! I'm taking this picture from behind my table, so if I took a really deep breath, I could almost inhale a cake!

Meet the Folkster's!

First of all we have the beautiful Jacqueline! Just as sparkly and colourful as her wonderful jewellery!

And how did she do?

Even though the craft fair was a little quieter than expected, Jacqueline's stall was a natural draw, posted opposite the entrance, she was in prime position to be spied quickly by all the Newbury Glitter and sparkle magpies.

Having the stall next door, I can honestly say that Jacqueline had them queuing to view and to buy, I was so pleased for her, as her jewellery is stunning, and I should know, I own a fair bit of it myself! I am wearing one, yes one, of my fossil coral bracelets as I type!
Jacqueline also took some commission requests for jewellery items to match other items purchased, from ladies that wanted a whole ensemble of jewellery.

And one young lady who purchased, went home, and popped back with some of her own jewellery, a necklace that needed restringing, so Jacqueline is also a lady who does repairs! Good to know!








Also present is WI lady herself, Pauline Rhymes!



Pauline creates unique and beautiful pottery and ceramic items, which is so much more lovely in real life than can be captured on a photograph.








I adore Pauline's artwork, and am a big fan, I have quite a few pieces, including my very own Christmas scene, differing from this one shown above. Every year we choose another animal to add to the scene, pretty soon we will have a whole set of farm animals to display with our nativity scene. It is rapidly becoming our treasured family Christmas tradition!

And then there was Me!


Jacqueline pinched my camera and snapped me mid crochet, creating a pair of fingerless mittens and matching hat, which I hope to pop on folksy in November!






I attempted to have a range of all my passions on display, including my fossils, gemstone keyrings and knitted and crocheted items!



Pauline and her WI friends were also kind enough to allow me to bring along some of my oriental collectibles, traditionally carved boxwood netsuke and gemstone animals, not created by myself, so not something I can sell on folksy, but something Hubby and I adore. The netsuke actually were a big hit, and I sold four of them. Yay!


My Crocheted and knitted items were a big draw too, and the hats and fingerless mittens were admired, thank you so much everyone, it makes you feel you are doing something right, when people actually say they like something you have created.

I hope you have enjoyed my little self indulgent blog!


Please click on the links to the folksy shops and see what else there is to offer in these Jacqueline's, Pauline's and of course my shop.

Thank you!

Thursday 28 October 2010

Folksy Friday! Shawls and Ponchos!


Shawls and Ponchos!

With the nights drawing in and the colder weather approaching, what could be more cosy and comfortable than a knitted or crocheted shawl or poncho!

The poncho takes me right back to when I was a small child in the 1970's, they were all the rage then, in bright funky colours and patterns, with fringes and tassels. But, as with all fashion trends, they are making a comeback, if they ever left the wardrobe at all.

Easy and comfortable to wear, simply pop over any outfit you are wearing, for that touch of warmth and even to add glamour and sophistication on an evening out.

There was a wide variety to choose from on Folksy, so apologies for not including more, but I wanted to cater for all tastes and colour palates.








I have also a poncho of my own to include, a bit of a labour of love, taking hours and hours and hours to complete.


Please take a look at these wonderful creations in their Folksy shops, the artisans will have spent many hours creating them, to ensure you have something totally unique to complete your outfit and keep you warm this winter.

Monday 25 October 2010

Versatile Reversible!


Two for Looks for the Price of One!


With Christmas approaching and a recession biting at our heals, it makes sense to save where possible. One way to do this is to buy something versatile, giving two looks for the price of one!


So I created some reversible items of my own and sent out a plea to all folksters, to share their reversible items with us, so we can all take advantage of these money and labour saving items, after all, who wants to traipse back and forth to the jewellery box, or parade before the wardrobe, looking for yet another new item of clothing or outfit! And a handbag that matches more than one outfit perfectly is a must!


Reversible Feature Gallery!

Please click on the stunning items created for full and in depth view! Two pictures of each, so you can get the full benefit of their versatile reversible goodness!

Some of the reversible items can be subtle, some dramatic, something for everyone here!





A beautiful gemstone pendant from Jacqueline of J Austen Jewellery Design!



A lovely scenic bag from Pipdesigns





Gemstone and floral silver loveliness from Sophie at Trinket Box.




Ingenious and beautiful button craft from Gemma at DamselflyGemma.





Scarf-tastic for secret pink combat girls from Lynda of SimJaTa2.





Boho Chic with retro style fabrics from Dawn of AudreysCat.





Stylish and cosy, knit and fabric, patchwork and plain, Wow! From Clare of ClaresCreations.





Beautiful double gemstone goodness from Jo of Unique Beaded Gems!





Fabric and needle craft par excellence from Lorna of Dabdash.





Funky and Fluffy from Me and my folksy shop!





A Russet and White knitted and crocheted creation from me too!
Please check out the items above by clicking on the pictures and thank you for looking!



Friday 22 October 2010

Folksy Friday! Coasters!


Coasters! We all need them!

Today I have decided to dedicate my Folksy Friday to the humble coaster!

Functional and practical!

We all use them and probably don't think much about it as we do, but why not be stylish and support Folksy artisans at the same time!

So lets go Folksy Coaster-tastic and celebrate great coasters we have for sale on folksy right now!

I have chosen a variety of the wonderful coasters on offer in folksy shops today, created in an array of material mediums, in a variety of designs and themes! Please just click on the pictures and 'coast' over to the shops to view in more detail!








Personal Coaster Feature!

I hope you don't mind, but I have a couple of coaster sets to feature myself, crocheted in autumnal green yarn, with a choice of a set of six either square or round!







Thank you for looking and I hope you feel inspired by the fab coasters I have chosen to feature! Something here for every decor and would grace any coffee table!

Wednesday 20 October 2010

October Folkfest! 20th October!


Auspicious Date!

20.10.2010!

How cool is that! Little things amuse me, so on this auspicious date, I have decided to feature 20 items from 20 Folkfest Folksy artisans and crafter's, showcasing a wonderful range of crafts, from fine and costume jewellery, papercraft, woodwork, ceramics and modelling and so much more.

I won't spend too much time describing all the chosen items today, instead I leave it to the crafts to speak for themselves!

Please just click on the pictures to be whisked to the folksy shops for full details and to have a more in depth view of the item.







































Personal Feature Gallery!

I have listed a few items since I last blogged, but as there are so many pictures for you to look at, I will just feature the two items I listed today!





Thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed my mega gallery post!