Welcome to the blog for Ali's Craft Studio by Alison Lloyd. I am a crafter of peelable stained glass designs & handpainted keyrings and I look forward to sharing with you my news direct from Kent (the Garden of England)

Make sure you visit the shop at www.studiocrafts.net to purchase your own handmade decorations to bring fun and colour into every corner of your home

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Monday, 13 June 2011

The Joy of Fairs

Today is Monday (just) and therefore Handmade Monday over at Wendy's blog.   I missed my entry last week as I had a weekend show and was quite simply knackered and my brain went into shutdown mode so the connection between thought and keyboard were sadly missing.  However, I am back on track now and so please do go along to see what everyone has been up to.

So, what does the title of this blog mean?   Well on Saturday we had a stall at a lovely local Summer fair which consisted of the usual mix of trade and charity stalls as well as a great classic car show.   What I discovered over the course of a day was the following:
  1. Having stalls around a central 'arena' where all the activities take place is a great layout and helps give a wonderful atmosphere.  We are lucky to do a few outdoor shows with this type of layout and it means that everyone has a great day - visitors and stallholders alike.
  2. Dog shows are the best!   So many cute and cuddly dogs and the puppies just melt your heart!   What a fantastic end to the day to see dogs behaving very naughtily and owners looking terribly embarrassed indeed!
  3. 'We Have a Winner'  Are the four most annoying words to have shouted (oh and I mean shouted) repeatedly from the stall alongside you in their vain attempts to try to get the attention of visitors!!  (Perhaps there will be a future post entitled - 'The worst thing about being next to a tombola stall!')
  4. You should not attempt 'Zumba' in hot sunshine when the person demonstrating it is a young, fit guy who looks like he can Zumba for days without losing his smile or slowing down a pace.   A few people who thought it would be good fun to have a go and join in with this new dance/fitness craze but after song no. 2, the beetroot faces and heavy sweats were rapidly being overtaken by looks of panic and those sideways glances that we all know are sly attempts to find a way to duck out and sit down without anyone noticing!   After song 5, the St Johns Ambulance attendants were starting to feel like they might suddenly get a rush of business!   Major kudos to the Police officer who (with lots of egging on by colleagues) joined in at the back for a few minutes and gave us all a chuckle.  Not sure how much blackmailing will follow as colleagues were taking photos, no doubt to reappear at the station Christmas party...
  5. Packing up a gazebo, ground sheet and all your gear is sooo much easier when it isn't raining cats and dogs.   The wind wasn't really helping but still so much better than rain...
  6. Standing on uneven ground all day plays havoc with your leg muscles.  Hubby and I felt like we had just run a marathon rather than stood in a field all day. Ouch!
  7. No matter how many fairs you have done, how many times you have set up your stall and display, there is always something new to learn and a new layout idea to discover
  8. However, the real joy of fairs are the people.  All ages, all walks of life - it is a joy (most of the time) to be able to chat and share my work and hopefully make a difference to their lives in some small way. (OK, this sounds very grandiose but it is how you feel at the time)
  9. And finally, I have discovered that rainbows are really popular - everyone loves them and they make people smile.  Maybe its that 'sunshine after the rain' thing or just the combination of colours that does it.  Who knows but everyone seems to love a rainbow...
So it will come as no major surprise that I now have a 'Rainbow Collection' section on my website with everything from actual rainbow designs to stars, bugs and butterflies. 
Rainbow Bugs
Rainbow Stars
Today has been wet, rainy, windy and miserable so if you want to brighten someones day, why not try a rainbow?  Yes, I know the ground needs the rain but it doesn't stop it feeling dull when you look out of your window...

Hope you have all had a fab week and weekend & sorry to everyone whose blogs I can't comment on at the moment - Blogger still has an issue with users being able to add comments to many blogspot sites, lets hope it gets fixed soon...

Right, I'm off to do a bit of Zumba in the garden (or maybe not!)
 Aerobics 
Posted by at 00:35

14 comments:

  1. Mrs A.13 June 2011 at 04:32

    Your stained glass will brighten up any window. Love the bright summer colours. Just need the weather to go with them. Hugs. Mrs A.

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  2. Carolee Crafts13 June 2011 at 06:24

    Sounds like a fun packed day, hope you are not too deaf from the shouting, lol. Love the rainbows and agree think it adds brightness after a dark day, very pretty.

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  3. Kat Shenton13 June 2011 at 06:49

    Sounds like it was a lot of fun overall. Where abouts was the fair? A friend of mine went to a show this weekend, if I hadn't been working I think she wanted to drag me along to sell some hair flowers. However as much as I love to venture outside now and again, I try to do it when it's less windy or rainy ;)

    The rainbow bugs are really cute.

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  4. Wendy13 June 2011 at 08:10

    Fabulous post Ali - so many truths and wisdoms as well as a feeling that I was there!

    I think you're right about rainbows - there is something so cheerful and magical about them, and the colours just help that feeling along.

    Thanks for taking part in Handmade Monday x

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  5. Ali13 June 2011 at 08:15

    Thanks everyone (and thank you Kat for your order - I will be getting your items out to you very soon)

    The fair was in Orpington, Kent and really was lots of fun. Guess it it just like the saying goes - 'all the fun of the fair...!'

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  6. Jan13 June 2011 at 11:47

    I've done a bit of zumba but I certainly wouldn't do it with a crowd watching :o)

    The atmosphere can be so good at some events it sounds like you had a great time.

    Jan x

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  7. Kazies Magical Designs13 June 2011 at 15:10

    What a wonderful blog glad you had a lovely day at the fayre xx

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  8. Kryshees13 June 2011 at 17:33

    I think you are right, everyone loves them. I drove past a fabulous rainbow a few weeks ago in the car and now the kids look for them all the time!

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  9. Unknown13 June 2011 at 18:53

    I wish I had seen the Policeman... I want to do fairs with you, they sound like such fun!

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  10. Unknown13 June 2011 at 20:38

    Sounds like you had a great time, not sure about the Zumba though.
    I love your rainbow bees they are gorgeous. Your right about rainbows, even though my kids are grown up now they still love a rainbow if they see one.

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  11. Susie13 June 2011 at 20:56

    Well, since I show dogs, they have a different connotation to me, but it makes me think how much dog shows and craft fairs are alike, lots of hauling stuff around and hoping you do well! :)

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  12. June13 June 2011 at 22:11

    Good to see the stall went well. Like your rainbow bugs, they look fun.

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  13. Joanna13 June 2011 at 23:26

    Glad the fayre was a success! I don't know anyone who doesn't love a Rainbow...I think you are right, it's all those bright colours! Jo

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  14. Unknown15 June 2011 at 16:34

    That sounds like a very interesting day :) i love your rainbow bugs.. so cute. rainbows really are lovely (this is the third attempt at posting this message.. i'm also having lots of trouble trying to post on walls, Ive changed from IE to Firefox to see if it sends this timexx

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