And then the rain came....

 

Here we are, Saturday afternoon, full of optimistic anticipation for the day to come. Marquee lined with our handmade fused plastic bunting, stalls arranged ready for everyone to fill the following morning.

When Sunday came, unfortunately for us and the main event organisers (Royal British Legion & Chorley Council) who had done a phenomenal amount of preparation, visitors were up against the most awful wet and windy weather and understandably either didn't bother braving the rain at all or came briefly and then swiftly took their picnic hampers back home.
There's no denying it was not the day it had promised to be but that said, our marquee was a place of beauty and solace for the committed visitors who came to see us. The atmosphere, as ever, was friendly and jovial and despite low numbers of paying customers (a lot of people were drawn to our shelter as much as our arts and crafts) a good time was still had by all.

Here are just a handful of images from the day. Many more to come in future posts (and on members personal blogs and websites!).

The following week was our regular meet-up in Chorley which included a workshop on the very fashionable art of paper-cutting. The afternoon yielded some beautifully delicate pieces and will have hopefully inspired people to create some more designs which we may see at a future sales event. Craft knives at the ready... 

Sunday June 5th is our next craft fair at our regular venue - The Coach House, Astley Park. We are covering two floors again with over 20 makers, some of whom were with us at the Picnic in the Park, some who weren't. It will be a fabulous day come rain or shine!

Saturday 18th June meet-up will be a scrap-booking session run by Nikki from Paint Pots and Petals so don't miss that one. Contact Charlotte at silvermousey@yahoo.com or Sarah at decolalia@hotmail.co.uk for more details.

Back next month with more so bye for now x

Just over a week to go and we will be providing a decorative spectacular at the Picnic in the Park. It has been a busy month since our last post. First we had our extra IT session led by Lynsey of Purpleshmurple who did an amazing job. Her patience and attention to detail were incredible. Not only did we get tips and advice on making the most of the internet to exhibit and sell work, but also some very comprehensive handouts to take home and practise with. She even managed to persuade some of us stalwart facebook sceptics to sign up and get accounts. Impressive!

Our regular monthly meet-up for April was another session led by a member. This time Rachel from Birdhouse Press joined us and offered advice and tips on photographing items for websites, blogs and online shops.

It was a very informal session with Rachel giving each of us some specific ideas for improving how we photograph our particular arts/crafts. The major issue that came up for many of us was the constraints of photographing items at night, which is when we get our precious time to devote to our crafts if we aren't lucky enough to be doing them full time. She also highlighted the use of props and locations to enhance the look of items. Sounds obvious but is something that gets overlooked when you are rushing to snap and upload photos with limited time.
Thanks to both Rachel and Lynsey for their time and kindness.

So, back to the May 15th event. Really hope everyone is getting organised and excited. We will have some new members with us on the day so looking forward to welcoming them and having some new makers in the mix. Fingers are crossed for perfect weather but if last year's event is anything to go by, Chorley people are up for anything and certainly not put off by a spot of rain on their picnic blankets...

Once we have finished that event we meet up as usual on Saturday 21st of May and then two weeks later we are back to our regular craft spot at The Coach House for our summer fair. Busy, busy, busy!


   

Furious Fusing

Our gathering this month was, for once, less talking and more making as we returned to fused plastic and worked very hard to produce more decorative bunting for use at our craft events. We were a bit better equipped this time and had a gaggle of bag cutters, three 'fusers' (ok, ironers) and three machinists so managed to create plenty of beautiful bunting and raise the temperature of the room to what felt like almost boiling.

Proud Kellie and her punk-inspired creation..

try not to spot the branding...

Thankfully refreshments were particularly wholesome this month as Rachel, our craft baker (Hopcutts of Chorley) provided some last minute red-nose cakes for the session so we got to fill our faces and raise some money for Comic Relief at the same time.

It was lovely to have a few new faces at the group - we now have a really diverse range of makers not only in terms of what they actually make but also their style, approach and exprience. It is an exciting time.
Next month we have a cheeky extra session run by our resident (self-proclaimed) nerd, Lynsey from Purpleshmurple. She is helping the luddites amongst us get to grips with raising our online profiles so expect our blog(s) to take a sudden turn for the better.

Improvements coming soon ; )

Second time around...

Saturday 19th February saw our second group gathering where we had a crafty swapshop and gave eachother the opportunity to clear out some craft clutter. Turns out we have quite a few hoarders amongst us (is that a crafter characteristic?) and we had an impressive array of craft supplies, books, magazines, equipment and tools ready for a new home. Some of us took home more than we had offloaded and some of us proudly returned home to space and order knowing our unwanted bits and pieces had gone to a better place.
This activity didn't warrant too many visuals which is a good job since here come the photos from our February 6th art and craft fair - at last!

Chorley: Sunday February 6th 2011

The Coach House

We didn't have the best of weather for our second event but that certainly didn't stop people coming down to support us. In spite of wind, rain and general gloominess, the Coach House was packed (and it seemed to be standing room only in Cafe Ambio!) with dedicated art and craft enthusiasts as well as pleasantly surprised chance visitors. We got some wonderful feedback; both compliments on what we were doing well and constructive suggestions for what we could do differently to improve future events.

Now for those who missed it (shame shame know your name) you will be taken around the event, maker by maker!
The entrance housed Silvermousey and Wudstock who both battled courageously with the wind-tunnel created by two sets of doors and a blustery day. You then found the following delights in our downstairs area:

Silvermousey

Wudstock

Arts & Craft Fair -Sunday February 6th 2011

Chorley Contemporary Crafters, along with guest makers from across the North West will be taking over the Coach House at Astley Park, Chorley on Sunday 6th February.
Bigger and better than our first event, we will now be over two floors with over 25 stalls and can promise a truly magnificent range of contemporary hand-crafted items, all designed and made by the sellers themselves.

We are passionate about supporting art, design and crafts at a local level. You know exactly who you are buying from and how and where it was made. Lots of us also do bespoke work so you can also be sure of getting a truly one-off piece rather than something soullessly mass-produced.

For a sneak preview, here are a few of the people who will be there;


www.cheekycreations.co.uk
www.silvermouseyfingerprint.co.uk
www.purpleshmurple.co.uk
www.decolalia.blogspot.com
www.birdhousepress.co.uk
www.folksy.com/shops/calicoheart
www.paintpotspetals.yolasite.com
www.folksy.com/shops/RaeOfSun
www.zygotegifts.co.uk
www.soapureskin.co.uk
www.supercutetilly.blogspot.com
www.wudstock.co.uk
www.misi.co.uk/handmade/yarndoodles.html
www.drawnbydreamers.com
www.folksy.com/shops/SilverShellCove

Apologies to anyone whose website is missing. Feel free to get in touch with a link and we will add it as soon as possible.

 Look forward to seeing you there on the day x

For a look at our first event, see our 'How it all began' post.

How it all began... Sunday October 24th 2010

On October 24th 2010, thirteen of us came together and put on our first art and craft fair. We developed quite organically thanks to Chorley's fantastic interconnectedness. Many of us are mums with young children who meet regularly at Chorley Pram Walk and playgroups across Chorley. Conversations about our interests outside motherhood revealed a lot of creative souls doing amazing things but not always having the means of getting their work out there. Using internet forums and word-of-mouth we got together interested and like-minded local artists & crafters we knew who were keen to show what they were working on right in the heart of where they live. A number of us were already selling online and at craft fairs locally and nationally and some of us had never done a craft fair before but we all recognised a gap for something contemporary in Chorley that was committed to handmade items only.  

Our first event exceeded all our expectations and sparked a desire to do more as a group. Not long after we formed Chorley Contemporary Crafters.

Sunday October 24th

First Date...Saturday January 15th

Today was our first official gathering as a collective! Not everyone who wanted to make it could so sadly there were a few faces missing but we still had a fantastic turnout. With brews and biscuits in hand we spent the first part of our session chatting about our individual art & craft projects/businesses and then discussed future plans for the group, in particular our upcoming craft fair on February 6th (much more about this to come).

This moved us nicely onto our practical session run by Charlotte, who introduced us to the delights of fused plastic. Everyone mucked in with enthusiasm and we soon became a slick production team creating some very stylish bunting to use as decoration at our next craft fair. It proved a popular technique and we all left with a new-found love of used carrier bags and their potential beauty...   

 

Our next gathering will be at our second Art & Craft Fair on February 6th.

Hope to see you there too!