November has been a crazy month, it's lucky Fashion Magpie Jewellery isn't a made to order company, I already have my items made. What you see in the picture is what you get!
All these recent sales have mainly been through folksy.com who added my bumblebee necklace and earrings set to there favourite items guide. It's lovely to have my work recognised by the biggest uk selling place for craft.
I've also been busy with craft fairs around my county area. The first one was at Whitley Chapel church hall, which I shared a table with my mother for. It's wasn't particularly busy but I sold two flexi bracelets which wasn't to bad. As it turned out, the saying everything happens for a reason was really relevant that day. I'd forgotten to put my shop into holiday mode before I left, like I normally would. When I checked my emails after I got home I found the biggest fashion magpie jewellery order I've ever had, so I counted my blessings I hadn't been busy that day. I think I can directly attribute this sale to being featured by folksy as one of the items in the order was the bumblebee necklace and earrings.
The next fair I went to was at Washington Tyne and Wear, this one didn't go well at all. First it was a nightmare to find where we were meant to set up, it was an outdoor fair and most of the roads where closed for the day. I had no information about it other then the organiser and they had something to do with the pub there. What made things worse was there was two fairs on at the same time on the same length of road.
Anyway we eventually found where we where meant to set up, however by this point the weather was changing and it was very windy. We battled on trying to fix the gazebo together, while the organisers ran round offering weights to other crafters who's gazebos more resembled kites! Finally we got the roof on and weighed it down with car alternators. I stepped back for a moment and saw the trees a few yards down the road from us bend in another gust of wind which battered into the gazebo next to us and smashed it into ours snapping the pole for the roof. We all grapped for what we could and tried to untangle the two gazebos.
By this point it had been over an hour and my last nerve had been well and truly tested! It was time to admit defeat and leave. It's a shame we had to go, it looked like it could have been a really good fair. There was rides and the sweet and donuts cab was just next to us so the footfall would have been good.
The last fair I went to was at Morpeth town hall, with the same people as last time. The fair started well, I hadn't even finished setting up before I had my first sale and the lady wished me luck for the rest of the day.
It was several hours before my next sale and unfortunately as usual I'd been set up next to the cake stall ( no idea why I always end up next to the cakes!) I was hungry all day staring at chocolate cakes with glitter icing, lemon cakes with sugar lemons and giant iced cakes wrapped or kitkat Christmas trees.
This fair was worth the boredom though when a lovely lady approached the table and started her Christmas shopping. She was the type of customer every craft fair goer dreams of. First she picked out a brooch and I thought that was it so I popped it in a organza bag but while I was doing that she noticed the bracelets and picked out one, then she moved onto the necklaces and picked out one of those too and kept going adding pieces. This one sale paid for the fair, fuel and gave me profit. I made sure she took a business card to show her friends!
The drive home from Morpeth was a scary one, storm Derek had hit the UK and as we drove along the A1 I noticed some small twisters in the distance. One was large enough to touch the ground and 2 more where spinning around it. The car got pushed around all the way home and we saw the destruction the Tyne caused as we drove back into Hexham. Most of the Tyne valley has been under water as well as Cumbria that day. We had no electricity when we got home, due to a electricity line being blown over at the end of the street.
I think the message I will take from this November is to count my blessing! For every negative thing that happened something good followed..
Here are some of the pieces I've listed for sale in November.
£6.00
£4,00
£6.00
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Fashion Magpie Jewellery Blog is a celebration of antique and handcrafted jewellery, with regular featured items from my shop, antique jewellery showcase, interviews, reviews and tutorials.
