(photo by Craft Candy)

As I mentioned the other day, I was lucky enough to be accepted to take part in the Craft Candy, Spring Fling craft fair, that took place on Saturday at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield.

It's been quite a while since I've exhibited at a craft fair (Bella was 10 months old!) and I have to admit that after attending a number of trade fairs, the idea of craft fairs seemed a little more low key and fun. 

Trade fairs cost hundreds of pounds to do, and are usually huge, with hundreds of exhibitors, most of whom are selling mass produced rubbish. They are attended (if you're lucky) by thousands of buyers that have two seconds to decide whether you interest them and who are more often than not, looking for a cheap product with a large profit margin and a quick lead time. It can be very exciting when you get a large order, especially if it's from a store or gallery that you admire, but it can also be pretty demoralising when you realise that most retailers just can't or won't spend the extra money to stock handmade goods. 

At the moment I'm trying to balance the wholesale and retail sides of Treefall, which is why I applied to do Spring Fling. I thought it would be a nice way of getting out there and meeting people and generally getting some face to face feedback from someone other than a wholesale buyer (as nice as they can be!). As well as giving me a chance to hopefully earn some money of course.

I have to admit that the craft fair scene can be a little hit and miss, for both exhibitors and visitors. For too many years they were full of dried flowers and knitted toilet roll covers and even now I think a lot of visitors expect to bag a bargain rather than have the chance to buy something beautiful and unique. Fortunately though there are a lot more organisers out there (many of whom are crafters themselves) that are fantastic at setting up and promoting this new style of fair that is much more of an art and craft showcase than a village hall craft fair.

I haven't had the chance to attend any of Craft Candy's other fairs, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew that the organisers Sarah and Kati were both crafters and that the Craft Candy website looked great, but other than I was just hoping it would be ok.

And I'm so pleased to say that it was so much more than ok. It was honestly the best organised fair that I've been to and had the highest standard of exhibitors! The whole thing was an absolute pleasure.  The venue was amazing and full of the most wonderful natural light and had an airiness that positively encouraged browsing and chatting and generally feeling relaxed. The other exhibitors were friendly and upbeat and obviously enjoying themselves. And the visitors were both plentiful (I didn't sit down all day) and extraordinarily kind.

(photo by Craft Candy)

Because of recent personal issues, I didn't have nearly as much work with me as I would have liked, which of course led to the obligatory late nights and last minute panics over why, for instance I hadn't made any bunnies, when they are in two major magazines this month, are always my biggest seller and ummmm, it's Easter!! But even without an awful lot on display, I did really well and ended up with a pretty bare stand (I should say, even more bare stand!).

The other wonderful thing about Spring Fling was the amount of people that stopped by to say hello because they read this blog. It's always interesting and just a tiny bit strange to meet people that know so much about me, when I know nothing about them. But it's something that I genuinely enjoy. I write this blog to connect with other people and as my way of reaching out to a bigger world than just this kitchen and I truly enjoy (even though I'm a bit embarrassed) being able to take that a step further and make some real life connections, even if it's just briefly. I was surprised though by how many people said hello on Saturday and have to say that it made me feel very lucky to have so many nice people show me so much support!

(photo by Craft Candy)

Unfortunately Craft Candy only do a few fairs a year, but if you get the chance to visit one, or exhibit at one, I really do recommend it. They are free to visit and if it's in the Millennium Gallery, then even better! You are guarenteed to find something that you have to buy and also to meet some truly talented crafters. And in the mean time, if you're anywhere near Sheffield, then you can take part in any of the great workshops that Craft Candy offer regularly. 

(photo by Craft Candy)

And hello again to everyone that stopped by.  I really did love meeting you!