Big Plans Afoot

Hi All,

Well we had another rainy and wild day for our December Arts and Craft Fair - thanks to all of you who came to support us.  I hope most stalls still did well, despite the rotten weather.   

We have started to plan next years events and are aiming to vary the content to keep you all on your toes.    The first upcoming event is on 5 February 2012 same place (The Coach House, next to Cafe Ambio, in Astley Park) however this time we are staging a Crafty Takeover hiring both function rooms plus the art gallery!

Ideas are being discussed such as, taster craft tables for adults as well as children, live music and other forms of entertainment alongside the usual high quality contemporary arts and craft stalls for you to browse and purchase lovely handmade/handcrafted items at a reasonable price.

We look forward to seeing you there.

More to information to follow soon.

X

Sales and such like

Just a quick update to say we are in the Park again on Sunday, that is:

The Coach House

Astley Park
Chorley

4 December 2011, 10am – 4pm (indoors, free entry)

2 floors of lovely gifts just waiting for you. 

I think I’ve mentioned everything, please come along and see us.  Xxxxx

The following weekend one or two members of our crafty clan are going to stay with Mummy Cupcake for the weekend –

Christmas Shop at Mummy Cupcake’s workshop opposite the park cafe in Worden Park, Leyland.   She will be opening her door for the full weekend:

Saturday 10^th and Sunday 11^th December, 10am - 3pm

So get you park going pumps and come and have a look around and perhaps purchase a few unique Xmas gifts whilst there.

Nik x

Anniversary Inspiration

Chorley Contemporary Crafters had a fabulicious day out on Saturday which coincided nicely with our 1 year anniversary (read the story here).  The day had been booked and organised way back in the Summer when October seemed so far away, however, before we knew it we were shivering our socks off at 9am outside the community centre ready for the bus to take us to the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair at Spinningfields, Manchester, followed by lunch and on to the Manchester Craft and Design Centre plus a stock up stop at a craft suppliers.

After a minor ‘to do’ about who was sitting with who (ladies you know who you are!) we settled in with our plastic champagne flutes containing white wine spritzers (money saved for much more necessary crafty purchases) and looked forward to a busy crafty day.

First stop The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair http://www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk/

Some stall holders were happy to pose for pics, others hid behind their wares, some refused pics but here are the ones I managed to take (with permission of course).  We collected business cards aplenty and promised to ‘like’ many on facebook – that ever expanding social network.

Stop 2 Carluccio’s http://www.carluccios.com
Lovely tasty food and very reasonably priced especially if you have the set menu.  We were a massive table right in the middle of the restaurant 18 of us in all.  Pics were taken, but not by me so they have come out rather nice one of which I am in – always a bonus!

Next stop Manchester Craft and Design Centre  http://www.craftanddesign.com/

Just like us but 18 years on, I think I heard someone say.  They are a collaboration of crafters who started out attending local table top craft fairs and eventually moved on to finding and fitting out this gorgeous building in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.  There is great hope for our future.  I personally came away totally inspired with a burning desire to start work on the 10 year plan.

This lovely lady met us at the Great Northern Craft Fair
with very cheerful baby in a carrier, while she covered her shift at their stall.

Last stop Fred Aldous http://www.fredaldous.co.uk  (which I had been pronouncing wrong all day)

A short walk from the Craft and Design Centre is this craft supplier where many of us stocked up, now inspired to get crafting.

And with that I’m off to get a bit of painting done. x

Crowded House

Astley Park Coach House used to just be a big old building that was largely ignored by park visitors, you could pop to the cafe for an ice-cream but generally didn’t sit, the only reason to enter the coach house was to nip to the dark and slightly scary loo’s.

We sit at our stalls and wonder at the now amazing building that had spent decades unseen.  The fantastic double height entrance hall, and the balconied landing above, the clean white walls or the warm bare brick in the upstairs function room, the beautiful art gallery and the massive roof beams above us, and of course the cafe, good enough to rival any well kept national trust one. (I must apologise I cannot recall the proper names for buildingy things, shocking when I worked for an architect for 4 years, then a surveyors for 3! Oops.) Anyhoo, it’s obvious a lot of energy has been expended to restore this gorgeous building. 

No longer scary or gloomy (even in the rotten drizzly weather) but bright and roomy this building is the perfect backdrop for our colourful and quirky creations.

We had plenty of visitor (despite the dreary weather) including some little visitors who came to have a go at the children’s crafts whilst mum / dad browsed the adjoining stalls and it was indeed a crowded house.  We will have another craft table set-up at the next fair on 4 December (same time, same place) we hope you can join us again. 

Enough of my ramblings and to the pics which is what you all really came to see. x

first customer at the door, upstairs with pram - easy peasy

Purple Shmurple

 
While Charlie Sleeps

Crazy Cakes

Birdhouse Press

 
Gorgeous smelling soaps by ... (TBC) and Helen Pickup (better shot of Helen's stall here)


Cheeky Creations and Polka Dot Sky

Sandra June (there are a couple more pics from the fair on this page)

Paint Pots and Petals

Free children's craft stall

Ta ta for now. x

It’s Hammer Time

Waca waca waca wew. (I was trying to do the DJ’ing noise there)

OK before I go on - I'd just like to point out details to the right>> our next craft fair is coming up THIS Sunday, same place The Coach House, in Astley Park (next to Cafe Ambio) we open at 10am and finish at 4pm we'd love you to come and have a look around.

For the last two craft sessions we have been learning the skill of mosaic using broken china, old tiles and also a few pieces of tessaré tiles, with guidance from Chrissy of Pink Sea Star have a look at her website.

After our first session the results are good, I do feel rather proud of my dragonfly mirror albeit not quite finished.

September sees us grouting around the pieces, although some speedy ladies had got to that on the first session. 

To describe the scene I shall quote the lady sat to my left (you know who you are) ‘I feel this is a craft you do if you like to get messy’.  So engrossed in my work I didn’t have time to look up but my own hands were indeed white and caked with tile grout, as I slapped on oodles of the stuff, before squishing into the gaps and smoothing with my fingers and wiping off the excess.  Cleaning up the piece was a slow process and I now appreciate how much time and effort goes into this kind of craft. 

Just look at the speed (note the blurry hands) we worked at!!

Anyhoo, we now all have lovely finished pieces of arty usefulness to use in our homes.... well ok, mine still isn’t finished as I spent far too much time nattering. Xx

A few more pics to follow soon from the second session. xx