Contemporary Crafts at Bovey Tracey

It's been rather a long time since I last visited Blogland...house extensions, holidays and City and Guilds coursework have been keeping me entertained, but I'm here again now (and very much looking forward to reading everyone else's blogs and catching up with what's been going on).

Mr Treasure and have just returned from a glorious holiday in Cornwall. We stayed in St. Ives, which we absolutely love...to the point that we miss it like crazy when we're not there! Luckily, our holiday coincided with The Contemporary Craft Fair in Bovey Tracey, so we made a small detour on our way to sunny St. Ives...

This was my first trip to The Contemporary Craft Fair, so I had no idea what to expect. I thought it was FABULOUS! So many brilliant designers, with gorgeous things for sale. I could have happily given a home to so much of what we saw...including this jolly mosaic teapot.

Hand dyed stitched textiles by Rachel Gornall. Such intricate work and gorgeous colours.

Victoria Lindo's textile pictures made me smile.

Gorgeous ceramic pots by Rosanna Martin.

I loved the vibrant colours of Rachel Coleman's work. Her stand looked rather fab too.

I've seen Jennifer Collier's work lots of times in magazines, so I got very excited when I spotted her stand at the Fair! Her paper dress designs were my favourite. I love the fact that Jennifer uses all sorts of bits and bobs of ephemera in her work.

Rows of Jennifer Collier's pretty paper shoes.

Another designer whose work I've admired is Sarah Nicol. Not only does she make lovely little textile houses, she also designs a range of gorgeous slip painted ceramics. [I've just read the Fair catalogue again to make sure I've spelt Sarah's name right and found that she lives in Malvern, where I grew up! It's a small world!]

Now, I don't normally turn into a crazed fan, but I did just a little bit when I met the very lovely Poppy Treffry! Definitely the highlight of the Fair for me!

I was very taken with 'The Sustainable Contemporary Garden'. How fabulous would it be to have this pavilion in our garden?! I tried persuading Mr Treasure that this would be the perfect studio for me to work away in at the bottom of the garden. Despite the prospect of being able to claim back the parts of the house I've taken over with my work, books, things to sell at vintage fairs etc, he didn't exactly rush to buy one straight away!

Here I am with my new Poppy Treffry cupcakes tea towel after a truly inspiring and enjoyable afternoon. I'll certainly be pencilling The Contemporary Craft Fair into my diary for next year!

...DON'T MISS...DON'T MISS...DON'T MISS...

The first ever Vintage and Handmade Textile Fair is only a week or so away. I'll be there with lots of vintage textile and sewing goodies and my own designs of vintage-inspired decorations for sale. Do come and say "hello"!

Saturday, 3rd July

10am-4pm

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, BS37 6AD

It's always lovely to find new places and meet new people, especially when there's a sense of serendipity about it.

Mr Treasure and I just happened to be in the pretty market town of Ledbury on the day that this enticing new shop opened. It's bursting to the seams with fabulous vintage (and new) treasures that the shop's stylish owner, Michelle, has handpicked. The pair of us hit it off straight away and spent ages chattering about the gloriousness that is all things vintage! Let me take you on a tour...

Through the door...

...and into what can only be described as a vintage-lover's paradise!

Even the till has a vintage feel to it!

Michelle makes lots of textile goodies to sell in her shop. She also has bits and pieces for sale that are made by other people... and I'm very excited to report that there are now a few Textile Treasure Seeker creations on the shelves too!

I've made little lavender cushions and hanging decorations, plus some sewing cases for storing all the bits and bobs you need when tackling a stitching project. The three pieces in the middle of the photo are my little creations!

Handmade bears, bags and aprons sit alongside vintage ballet shoes and shoe stays.

I love Michelle's vintage mannequin and the way she displays jewellery on it. I can't help but be drawn to it every time I go into the shop!

Imagine how lovely it would be to have afternoon tea with this pretty china. Cucumber sandwich anyone?!

There are even a couple of my lavender cushions in the window, displaying some of the fabulous jewellery that Michelle sells. I use vintage fabric, embroideries and trimmings to make my cushions, cases and decorations...there's nothing quite like working with things that have a history.

These gorgeous vintage trimmings were in the window last time I popped in...they're almost too lovely to use!

Do go and visit Michelle if you're in the area (and then treat yourself to tea and cake at my favourite cafe-deli, Cameron and Swan!)

Vintage Blue

Homend Mews, The Homend, Ledbury, HR8 1BN

T: 01531 632200

If I Could Live in a Shop I'd Choose...

This is the fabulous Rosablue on the Bath Road in Cheltenham. It's run by the lovely Penny, who has a great eye for gorgeous things.

My eyes won't stop darting about whenever I go in - there's so much to look at (and drool over!) Here's a little tour of what I discovered on my last visit...

There's the most wonderful smell of lavender in the shop. It's so relaxing...

...if the smell makes you sleepy, there's a gorgeous selection of pyjamas and vintage eiderdowns for sale. I'm sure Penny wouldn't mind if you curled up in a Roasblue deckchair for a quick nap!

Rosablue sells all sorts of must have things for our homes, made from the fabrics that are created at The Fabric Press (by her husband, Luca)...everything from doorstops and notice boards, to make up bags, totes and these rather splendid tea towels and peg bags.

I love going into the shop for a mooch and a chat with Penny. We usually natter about fairs we've been to, blogs we've read and Julie Arkell (whose work we both love. We're desperate to go on one of Julie's courses too! Go on Penny, get Julie to come to Cheltenham!)

Penny's been wonderful with advice since I started the 'Textile Treasure Seeker' label and my line of vintage-inspired fripperies. I'm so grateful to her for the tips and ideas she's given me.

(little fanfare) I'm also over the moon to be able to announce that my vintage fabric badges are on sale in the shop. Woo hoo! It's so exciting to see something you've made in a shop window!

Here's hoping they sell out really quickly so I can have fun making some more!

A Day Trip to Devon

There's something about Donna's fabulous open house sales that makes me turn into an excitable child again! Not only was I counting down the days until we headed to sunny Devon, but on the day itself (Thursday), as soon as we left the M5 to find our way to Abbotsham, I couldn't stop fidgeting and asking "are we nearly there yet?!" It could also have been something to do with the fact that I went with my parents, Dad did the driving and I haven't been on a 'road trip' with them like this for years!

The sight of Donna's gate was such a relief after about 3 hours on the road (which included the obligatory stop at a service station en route!)

I love the cheery marquee and bunting that greets sale goers. There's always the most wonderful welcome from Donna and her family too. Donna's sales just wouldn't be the same without 1) the fabulous Donna herself (of course!) 2) Donna's lovely mum 3) tea and cake in the kitchen and 4) so much vintage gorgeousness that it takes me literally hours to decide what to buy!

One of the things I love about cake and tea around Donna's kitchen table is the chance to meet and chat to fellow bloggers and vintage enthusiasts. It always makes me chuckle that we introduce ourselves by our blog names! I met two fabulous gals this time - Laura and Woo (who made the gorgeous bunnies in this photo).

So much to look at and so little time! Here's a look at just some of the wonderful things Donna had for sale...

Vintage clothing. Despite trying on several dresses, I couldn't find 'the one' for a wedding we're going to next weekend.

Such nostalgia! Enid Blyton was my favourite author when I was growing up and I longed to go on adventures just like the Famous Five!

Vintage dolls' prams, teasets, chairs, crockery, Homepride flour shakers...

An exciting new addition to Donna's house is the creation of her shop space.

So much treasure to look at!

I loved these pretty shoe shapers. I can never resist buying Sylko threads and came home with some more gorgeous colours with evocative names for my set of Sylko drawers!

A girl can never have too many buttons.

There's something really pleasing to the eye about fabric stacks. Does anyone else have the recurring dream that they'll one day stumble across a warehouse filled with lots and lots of undiscovered vintage things that they can take home?!

Even Fifi couldn't resist coming to see what all the excitement was about.

Mum and Dad came to one of Donna's sales with me last year and Dad took rather a shine to this chair. He was very touched to find that this time around Donna had kept it clear especially for him! He was a very happy chap and when mum and I finally finished 'shopping', we found him happily ensconced in his favourite sitting place with a cup of coffee!

Three cheers and a great big thank you to Donna for another fabulous sale. See you at the next one!