Kamikaze Christmas Tree

I don't know about you but my Christmas decorations carry so many memories of my life and I love opening up the bags and boxes each year and remembering where I got them and why.

Now to be really honest, if I used more than 50% of my decs on the tree you would not be able to see a single branch, yet every year I buy one little something to put on there.  However this year I was not going to buy a tree as I still have not found a permanent job and I was going into mega economy mode.  So you can only imagine how thrilled I was when a friend asked me to stay in on Friday morning and arrived with a Christmas Tree in the back of her Mini.  However what she did not tell me was that the tree was suicidal, it leapt off the table twice before I realised that it did not have a root ball... Deborah came round with another stand... we set to work with secateurs and a bread knife... who needs a man, eh?  


I got it decorated again and it made another break for it, so I jammed it in with my embroidery thread tin... I am a resourceful woman... it is now held in there with a brick but I have had words with the tree and it knows that if it makes another break for it, it becomes another part of the Christmas tradition - The Yule Log!

I was going to make do with my little tree which I bought back in the 1980s when I had my flat in London... I still have all the decorations and even the angel with the bendy wings.  When I started to buy real trees, I used to bring this tree to work and share out the choc decorations after Christmas... except for the year of the IBM mice.  I got a phone call from the office to tell me that whilst we had been off over the hols, mice had hit the Exec Office at IBM and had climbed up the tree to nibble into the chocs... and no, they were the four legged rather than two legged variety!

This little group are rather special, the tree on the left came from an Italian cookery holiday in Limone on the Lakes and the tree on the left was a prezzie from sister when she took my aunt to Venice.  And I made the fairy in the middle the Christmas my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer, it is thanks to her that I knit and sew... not a bad legacy to inherit.

I always smile when I see these Russian Matryoshka dolls which were brought back from a Moscow market when my friend Lisa was helping to set up the KPMG offices in Moscow... not only did she do that but she also organised her wedding from there.  It was one of the best celebrations I have ever been to, best of all was her present to her husband Liam - it was a tandem - he always complained that he had to wait for her when they went cycling together... she thought this was the most elegant solution :)

These are my oldest decs, they are older than me and when I was little they meant that Christmas was really coming.

Now if you look down at the bottom of the fireplace, you might recognise my Christmas Salt Dough Sheep, which I made 15 years ago... who says salt dough doesn't last?

Finally, no crafter's tree is complete without the tools of her trade and here is a cotton reel angel, my needles and wool and sitting in the background is another ancient salt dough parcel.

Now off you go to look at Wendy's Handmade Monday and see what everyone else has been up to in the week before Christmas.

Showing Off - Or How to Prep for a Craft Show

Right, you have made the decision to do your very first craft show... it's such a long way away... and really once you've made your choice what else is there to do?  Well here is my tip list for how to make it as successful as possible.


Before you start (stay with me, my parents were Irish) you need to know what you are getting into, don't just rush in and sign up to the first craft show that you see.

• Go and check out other shows run by the organisers, see how busy it is and what people are buying, which stalls are busiest, do they do refreshments?
• Now don your industrial spy outfit, you are going to check out the opposition.  Firstly, do you have any competitors or are you the only producing the chandelier earrings for St Bernards with attitude?  How good is the quality of their stock, how do your prices compare, do they have a wide variety of items and how do they entice you into their selling kingdom?  
• Next is more homework, check out the fair on the internet... can you find it?  If there is no sign of it, then how do they encourage people to attend?  Take a look on facebook, twitter, local newpapapers, do they have a website?

Well you are happy with what you have found out and you are ready for the next steps.  Give yourself plenty of time to get your stock ready... no matter how much you make, you will still think that you do not have enough... the only people who run out of stock at a craft show are the cupcake makers!  You should also take out public liability insurance... sounds melodramatic but it is there for your protection.


About a month before, decide how you  are going to package your stock when people take it away.  You will need bags, are you going to recycle Sainsbugs and Tesco's or are you going to buy your own to brand your goods?  I have two sizes of carrier bags, tissue paper and boxes together with ribbon to tie up the goods. For my next show, I am also going to add tags to the bags to add further branding.  I also have a guillotine and laminator which are brilliant for knocking up price lists, business cards, washing instructions and showing pics of my work.  So why do this so early, because you do not want to be sitting up the night before laminating your lists... it takes forever, believe me, I was that woman!

A few weeks before, be your own Sales and Marketing Director, mention it on your blog, tweet it on Twitter, pop it onto Facebook, send the details through to your local radio for a mention.


A few days before, clear your dining room table and practice how your table will look, think of it like a garden border, you would not put all the bushes at the front and the small plants at the back.  Start low at the front so that people can see... less is more (I never take this piece of advice but maybe one day I might listen), this also works from side to side, make the side closest to the door the lowest side and the side furthest away higher.  You may well change your plans on the day but at least you now have a plan!


Two days before - start to gather all you will need, here is my list, not exhaustive but it covers most things:

• A flat sheet  - will cover your table and hide all the tat you put under it!
• Money box or tin, plus a float - I usually take £20 x £1 coins, £10 x 50p, £5 x 20p and £5 x 10p
• Sellotape, Blue Tack, Map Pins, Scissor, Hammer and Screwdrivers
• Pen & Notebook, for requests and orders!
• Your packaging
• Booking Forms, confirmation notes and insurance details
• Stock and props
• Business cards and price lists

On the morning - I tend to take a flask, sweeties, sarnies and fruit, just in case I cannot get away from the stand or there is no food available.  Also remember your camera, it is good to take pics of how your stand looks and how all your hard work turns out.  Finally take a project with you... so much the better if it is something slightly quirky that will catch the customers attention.  At my last show, I was using really funky wool, although socks on four needles mesmerise children and embroidery also draws in the crowds.


On the day itself, have a good breakfast, get to the site at least 15 mins before they say they will open. Accept all the help that your chums will give you and make sure you get to walk around and see what everyone else is selling.  When you are sat behind the stall, don't sit there with a book ignoring the crowds, talk to them as they want to know what you do, how you do it and why.  They may not buy on the day but they will go and look at your website and blog, so make sure your cards are on the table.


And here are a couple of bits I made this week, a black and white scarf for Pierina, a polka dot hair flower, a pair of teeny tiny socks and I received a commission for three rag wreaths for a local cafe, they wanted bright reds, oranges and yellows... I think I might just have covered the brief... and yes, I am working up my winter stock, really!

So now go and take a look at Handmade Monday, cannot believe that Wendy and the crafters have made it to 20 Mondays... go take a look, you will be impressed!


And finally, just to show you that the tide is not always in...