One man and his snow shovel

 Last Sunday saw the first Castlefield Artisan Market of 2012 and the week of winter sunshine promised the ideal weather but as Saturday progressed, and the snow fell heavier, the cobbles at Castlefield looked like a winter wonderland and the Sunday market seemed very unlikely.  Come 6am though, it was different story, the market was on!  Asif and Jodie had been there since 3.30am and by the time we all arrived the cobbles were clear!  It did mean that some of the stallholders who came from areas badly hit by the snow were unable to get there but there was still a great turnout and everyone was eager to make the day a success. 

Castlefield Artisan is situated underneath the railway arches near Dukes92 and we shared our arch with some old friends and new faces.  Our lovely friend Cornelius Potts and Uncle Monty aka Gina was there

with her stall looking as beautiful as ever.  I bought this gorgeous card for a friend's birthday coming up soon!

We were also pleased to see Mark Hobbs back with his cards and prints from his own photos as he'd taken a break from the market for the last couple of months.  My humble photos don't do his justice but you get the idea and I just love his prints!

 I particularly love the idea of this emergency card kit complete with 1st class stamps!






It was also good to see Clare of DesignSixty4 at Castlefield for the first time.  We first met Clare at the fab Altrincham Vintage and Craft Market so it was great to see her here too with her personalised and place name mugs.

Also here for the first time were The Flat Basket Company and CocoByPost .  The Flat Basket Company make amazing collapsing spiral cut wooden baskets which fold completely flat when not in use.  They have to be seen, they're fascinating!  







Sarah's luxury brownies were amazing and her stall looked so pretty with everything beautifully presented and packaged.  I loved the stamped tags and little stickers but then I am a bit of a geek when it comes to design and presentation.

Form an orderly queue please - plenty of jewellery for
everyone!

No-one could deny it was a freezing cold day and we were all well and truly shivering by the end of it but, as usual, there was a brilliant atmosphere and the market was extrememly well supported by local residents and those travelling from further afield who came out and braved the cold with us!













The atmosphere was well and truly enhanced when the fabulous Cotton Town Hot Club arrived, a little earlier than usual, to get the party started! Their fabulous swing music and accompanying dancing always gets everyone's feet tapping and brings a smile to faces and the braver of the visitors even get involved and join in the dance! Overcoats were well and truly on earlier in the day last week so I'll have to get over with my camera when the weather's a little warmer to get some photos of them all resplendent in their wonderful outfits.

One new stall who had a great view of the entertainment was Spotty Dotty Delights who specialises in "all things quirky" including her lovely bake mixes in a jar which include everything you need to make perfect cookies!  Again another very pretty stall perfectly pandering to Jacy & Jools' love of everything pink and pastel! How's that for aliteration! :)

I can't sign off without including this fab picture of Mama K's homemade salsa and tortilla stand.  It has to win the award of most vibrant photo of the day. The salsas are as delicious as the colours are bright and the stall most definitely brightened up a snowy corner of the cobbles.

 

So, despite the weather trying its best to ruin things again, another successful market.  Huge thanks once again to the lovely Asif and Jodie for all their efforts to make the market what it is.  It's going from strength to strength and by the time the weather gods finally shine down on us with sunshine again it's going to be even more bustling and vibrant than it already is!  I had my 'busy body' hat on Sunday and coaxed, bullied and charmed the stallholders to fill out my little form to compile a directory of the stalls with Twitter names, blogs, Facebook pages and other details so we can all get to know each other, chat between markets and promote and encourage each other's businesses and, of course, the fabulous Castlefield Artisan Market  I'll be doing the same again next month when hopefully the snow is gone and the market is back to full strength to include the stalls who couldn't make it this time but in the meantime look out in the next couple of weeks for my Castlefield Directory Part 1 blog.

x

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!