Treacle........and roses?

We didn't have any markets this weekend so Jacy and I decided to hit the road and visit a few friends.

On Saturday we went over to Whitefield to see the lovely Fiona of Rose and Lee Vintage Living After a few navigational problems involving a dotty satnav and the long road to Preston and a near collision with a erratic Audi driver we got back on the right track and pulled up outside The Old School which houses her showroom. 

When we reached the upstairs showroom we were wowed by how fabulous it was!  Fiona's eye for detail and creative flair has transformed the room into a beautiful treasure trove of antique furniture, objet d'art and homeware.  Each area has its own theme and is beautifully arranged and accessorised.

Throughout the first floor handmade decorative items including greetings cards, note boards, tea cup candles and custom mix and match cake stands are displayed and add to the overall impact of the room.

 

Also displayed at the showroom are vintage clothes and accessories by Hummin'bird , mini works of art in cake by Brooke's Cupcakes

and beautifully presented and heavenly scented hand made bath and soap treats by Kate of  The Groovy Gang

We had a great time at the Rose and Lee Vintage Living showroom and would recommend anyone to visit soon.  It's open by appointment during the week and from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.  Please see their site for details. 

Fiona has some exciting ideas for the building and we'll keep you posted of new developments.  We are also beyond thrilled that a collection of our Jacy & Jools pieces will soon be available at the showroom too!!!  Watch this space!

Sunday's adventure was a visit to the Treacle Market in Macclesfield.  It's no secret that we would love to be a part of the market and are anxiously waiting for our names to get to the top of the waiting list.  A few of our friends and 'neighbours' from the Castlefield and Wilmslow Artisan markets are lucky enough to have stalls there so we decided to pay them and the market a visit.

We had feared the threatened 'big freeze' may thwart our plans but thankfully we didn't require the assistance of a snow plough to get over to Macc! We managed without the dotty satnav too so the journey was relatively painless and we didn't find ourselves en route via Birmingham!

Free parking close to the start of the market was a bonus and we could see the gazebos as soon as we rounded the corner. 

One of the first stalls we came across was one of our Wilmslow Artisan neighbours Sheila, from The Vintage China Cupboard featured in the last blog.  This was her first time at Macclesfield and was loving the large stall and, after a few 'blustery' afternoons holding onto stock, its inherent stability!

We soon came across our friend Gina of Cornelius Potts and Uncle Monty , who is also a regular at Wilmslow Artisan and Castlefield Artisan . As usual her stall looked absolutely beautiful.  She's just too talented and her cards are fabulous!!  Spent ages nattering and giggling, as we do, and it wasn't until I got home I realised I'd forgotten to buy the birthday card I needed - it's a good job we're at Castlefield together on Sunday!

Also located in the cobbled market square were Gill (aka Arthur Two Sheds - see my last blog) from The Chicken Shed and Victoria Wild, two more Wilmslow and Castlefield neighbours!

Next stop was at the stall of our lovely friends Jodie and Asif, two of the nicest people ever, from Castlefield Artisan Market , the first time we'd seen them since Christmas.  We got to sample their amazing cherry liqueur served in belgian chocolate cups and made with fruit from their very own cherry orchard.  Not only did it taste great but the stall was so pretty and the liqueur was presented beautifully.  Jacy, not a cherry lover normally, was particularly taken with it and quite frankly hasn't stopped talking about it yet, possessively coveting the bottle we brought home with us!

Although we thought we were just there on a 'jolly' today, I wasn't to be let off too lightly.  By the time we'd made our way to Lorraine's stall, of George's Gourmet Dog Biscuits fame, it was time for her to take what National Express Coaches call a 'comfort break' - in other words, a nip to the loo!  We've had a stall near to Lorraine often enough now for me to feel ready to step into the breach, confident my sales pitch would be up to her standards and I wouldn't let her down.  I knew the time honoured phrases "all hand made by Lorraine", "using only natural ingredients" and even, when a customer voiced that his dog had a delicate stomach, "the chicken are a nice mild flavour" which clinched it, I made my sale! 

The main man himself - George!!

Me doing my bit!

 

Jacy and Lorraine

 

When we'd left Lorraine we had a quick wander up Castle Street and saw a few familiar faces from Wilmslow and Castlefield including the ever smiling Sean with his sushi.

After a few goodbyes and a quick chat with the organiser, (we're keeping our fingers crossed our name gets to the top of the waiting list or we get the chance to stand in last minute soon), we were homeward bound.
The lovely thing about Macclesfield and the markets we're lucky enough to be part of is that each brings something unique and its own individual character to the table but what they all have in common is that they are thriving and vibrant markets which are helping to revive an area or high street and breath life back into communities.

The next blog will feature the first Castlefield Artisan market of 2012.  It's on Sunday 5th February on the cobbles at the corner of Duke Street and Castle Street from 10am to 4pm.  There are more stalls than ever and there'll be the usual mix of artisan food and producers, craft, arts, jewellery, homeware, vintage and so much more.  The Cotton Town Hot Club will be there from 1pm and there'll be a great atmosphere as usual so don't miss out!

Hold onto your hats...

.... gazebos, carrier bags, leaflets and stock!! It was a typical January day for the the first Wilmslow Artisan Market of 2012.  Thankfully the rain mostly stayed away but to say it was a bit blustery was putting it mildly and Vicky and Denise seemed to spend the day on litter patrol!

As usual, though, there was a huge array of fabulous stalls selling everything from pies, cupcakes and sausages to jewellery, knitwear and dog biscuits and a steady throng of visitors travelling up and down Grove Street eager to look and buy!

We'd made a few small changes again to our stall display and were keen to show them off.

We also featured a little Valentine display to encourage the men folk of Wilmslow to treat their ladies!

Once again we were next door neighbours with our lovely friend Zoe of Honey Bee Designs .  She was testing out a few new display features too and as usual her stall looked fabulous!

With cakes by Tea & Thee on one side of us and the olive man on the other we were bombarded with tempting smells all day and were actually starving by 11 o'clock! I mean, who wouldn't be tempted by this lovely selection:

As well as a large selection of delicious cakes Tea & Thee also offer catering with their vintage inspired afternoon tea parties and have a vast collection of vintage crockery for hire.  Check out their web site for information and prices.

Our lovely Jacy samples an olive! 

Two stalls which, thankfully, seemed firmly grounded in the winds, or the consequences could have been disastrous were the gorgeous glassware and artisan soaps handmade by Carole and Andrew of Select Crafts and the beautiful vintage china from Sheila's The Vintage China Cupboard

Carole and Andrew with their gorgeous glassware and soaps

 Their soaps are made using premium fragrances and vegetable based ingredients and are SLS free having being tested by an independent chemist.  The glassware can be custom made to your own specifications and is hand made using high quality artisan craft glass.

 Sheila's vintage china is exquisite.  In addition to the lovely items she has for sale in their own right she offers bunting and vintage china for hire, perfect for a country wedding or tea party and also offers a wedding styling service.  Her items also make excellent wedding favours or thank you gifts and she sells pretty vintage English cups and saucers beautifully presented in a shimmery organza bag for this purpose.




Our fab friends, the lovely, lovely ladies Vicki and Sam from Dotty Designs and Perfectly Poncho were within waving distance.  Vicki had her lovely new wedding jewellery items on display making their debut together with Sam's gorgeous, high quality, woollen children's ponchos and hats and I have to say it was, most definitely 'perfect poncho' weather on Saturday! Vicki became a 'Twitter Virgin' recently too and you can follow her @dottyvic !!!!

Sam's Perfect Ponchos and hats

Dotty Designs' new wedding jewellery range

The lovely ladies themselves, Vicki's hat unfortunately
covering her 'new do'

More of Dotty's lovely designs - I love the fine silver heart
with set sapphire!

Our gorgeously talented friend Gina from Cornelius Potts also braved the elements with her lovely greeting cards and had a selection of Valentine cards with her too.

Just one of Gina's amazing designs, check out her others
on her Facebook page

It was great to catch up with lovely friend Lorraine for the first time this year.  A regular at the Wilmslow Artisan and Treacle Market, Macclesfield with George's Gourment Dog Biscuits and dog toys and clothing.  No pic this month but hoping to snap all 12 stone of the man himself, George the Old English Mastiff, next time he makes a public appearance!

Last, but most definitely not least two amazing stalls offering very different but equally fabulous, quality home and garden accessories, Jayne Lomas' Bill & Betty and Gill Adamson's 'The Chicken Shed'.

Jayne's business was born out of a love of accessorising her own home.  Her stall and online shop is full of inspirational home and garden accessories sourced from small name brands who, like her, have a passion for their products.  

Gill's Chicken Shed is one of my favourite stalls and Gill kept all of us located near her in December entertained with her cheery disposition.  

I managed to snap this lovely angel, a customer order,  just before is was popped into a bag and carried away.  Gill has two sheds in the back garden of her beautiful cottage in Derbyshire (of which I'm very jealous, the cottage in Derbyshire not the sheds!) working from one and using the other for storage.  This has now earned her the nickname of Arthur as the 'angel customer' told us of a Monty Python sketch featuring 'Arthur Two Sheds Johnson'.  As you can see below Gill is extremely talented and her hand made items are

beautiful.  She always has a great selection with her and is happy to make items to order and can be contacted on 07814 806331.

We're looking forward once more and next on the calendar is the very popular Castlefield Market on Sunday 5 February.  Found on Castlefield cobbles at the corner of Castle Street and Duke Street, near Dukes92, this a busy, diverse artisan market offering the best of local artisan food producers and arts and crafts.  There's always entertainment to add to the vibrant atmosphere and is well worth a visit between 10am and 4pm! 

Nearly forgot!  A huge well done to Gail of Altrincham Vintage & Artisan Market fame who firstly got a tweet from MARY PORTAS no less!!! secondly, got her face in the local paper and thirdly got an excellent piece of free advertising for the market - not bad going in 140 characters or less!!!

Talking of Twitter, we were thrilled this week to exceed our 500th follower and are now heading very rapidly towards 1000.  We also came in new at #594 on the GMTweetmap - the only way is up, as they say! Follow us @jacyandjools