Meet the stallholders..tea and cake with Hannah Daw from Iris Accessories

Hannah was another one of our original stallholders who lives in Gipsy Hill, London. She makes jewellery under the name Iris Accessories. We loved having her and are so pleased she's going to be with us on Saturday 11th.

For those who don't know, please tell us what do you make.

I make vintage button silver bracelets, necklaces and belts from vintage buckles

When and why did you start doing this? 

I started my business in April and was inspired by a course I did at Central St Martin’s and beautiful buttons of course!

Where do you get your ideas/inspiration from? 

I get my ideas from bold designs and colours, whether it be buildings or fabric swatches! I love the 50s

Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”? 

"It’s darling!" is an energetic, creative fair where interesting and diverse artists come together, so I love being part of it. I sold in July and loved it, especially the atmosphere.

Are you doing anything special with your stall? 

 I have now started making necklaces which is very exciting and am selling little kid’s bracelets – perfect for stocking fillers!

Describe your ideal Christmas day...

I would be in my new home with my whole family, wearing a glam dress and red lipstick, with a glass of bubbly from the off! There would be lots of drinking and eating with a lovely walk in the park to finish off

What’s your favourite cake? And kind of tea? 

Lemon cupcakes with Earl Grey

What would you say “It’s darling!” about in your life? And can you send a pic if poss? 

Here's my Christmas tree that I have just decorated with the sparkly lights on!

For more about Hannah go to www.irisdesigns.org or email info@irisdesigns.org

Meet the stallholders...tea and cake with Kelly Weeks from Maggiesdress Vintage

Kelly Weeks is from Abercarn, South Wales and runs Maggiesdress Vintage, which sells vintage clothings, accessories, kitchenalia and handmade jewellery. She will be with us on Sunday.

Hi Kelly, tell us when and why you started selling vintage... 

I have been selling Vintage Clothing for about seven years and started Maggiesdress full-time in March this year. I am also a Youth Worker and run fashion projects and teach jewellery making courses to young people.

What are your favourite items and why?

My particular favourite vintage items are 1970s leather handbags & most faux-fur and fur coats. I also adore vintage hats – the quirkier the better … so much to choose from!

Inspiration for the jewellery making comes from everywhere but it all has a slightly bohemian twist.

 Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”? 

I adore Bath City and love the Christmas markets so thought it would be a great opportunity to be part of it. I saw "It's Darling!" advertised on Facebook and emailed to request a stall. I am very excited about selling at the fair as it appears to have been very successful in the summer.

 Are you doing anything special with your stall? 

We always encourage people to barter with the vintage clothing we sell as it tends to be more fun if you can interact with people, plus everybody deserves a bargain!

I have been a busy bee making keyrings and earrings to sell at the fair as they make wonderful stocking fillers at Christmas.

 Describe your ideal Christmas day...

Waking up with my children and opening our stockings together on our double bed. Then seeing them excitedly opening their presents downstairs. We all get dressed smartly – I usually wear something glamourous on Christmas day – then make our way to my parents and parents-in-law for Christmas dinner. Finish the day by watching old movies and eating left over turkey!

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without….

A new book to read whilst eating too much chocolate

What’s your favourite cake? 

You can’t beat a cup of filter coffee and just a dash of milk with a mince pie and clotted cream … yummy!

For more info about Kelly go to www.maggiesdress.co.uk or email Kelly@maggiesdress.co.uk

Meet the stallholders...tea and cake with Alana and Bryony from Hatters Tea Party

Hatters Tea Party live in Bristol and make bespoke fascinators, hats and, they say, "head adornments".

Beautiful fascinator from Hatters Tea Party

So ladies, how did you get started making your wonderful creations?

Alana is a make-up artist and arts and crafts fanatic who has been crafting beautiful things for years before joining forces with Bryony, a creative genius. Together we invented ‘Hatters Tea Party’. In addition to selling our work we also offer fascinator-making workshops. The idea was to share with others what we enjoy doing while drinking tea from vintage tea sets, eating homemade cake and making hats.

Talking of cake, what's your favourite? 

Anything with chocolate, but also a classic Victoria sponge with lashings of homemade jam and fresh cream! Classic tea, strong and hot

Where do you get your ideas/inspiration from? 

We love eras past, are are slightly obsessed by the history of fashion and any thing from the Victorian era to modern times. This influence is in most of our work, with many pieces reflecting 1920s styles, mimicking materials used in Victorian millinery or adorned with vintage embellishments from 1940/50s. 

Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”? 

We found out about it on the internet, and thought our handmade vintage inspired pieces fit perfectly in with the ethos of ‘It’s darling!’ and we are very proud and excited to be part of it.

We're very happy you are coming. Are you doing anything special with your stall? 

Its all going to look beautiful, colourful and sparkling and look out for special festive fascinators.

Describe your ideal Christmas day...

With loved ones, our families and babies, wearing beautiful dresses and surrounded by homemade Xmas decorations, scrummy food and lots of bubbly.

Bryony modelling one of Hatters Tea Party's gorgeous creations

What would you call “It’s darling!” in your life? 

Alana has two children, Mikey, 2 and Bella, 9 months...they are the most darling little things, especially baby Bella when she’s wearing a pretty dress and matching frilly bum tights.

Alana and baby Bella

To find out more about Alana and Bryony's work please email hatterstparty@gmail.com or join their Facebook page.  

Meet the stallholders....tea and cake with Claire Weeks from Random Vintage

Claire Weeks, from Cardiff is the genius behind “Random Vintage” jewellery range. She is one of our original traders who was with us for the very first fair in July and has two collections of handmade trinkets - Random Vintage & Random Vintage Repeatables – and her own real-life shop.

Reindeer decoration

Hello again Claire. Tell us about your favourite tea and cake.

Well, I love baking cakes and I have to say my favourite is one that I make (slightly egotistical me thinks) - an apple and walnut cake with cream cheese icing and caramel frosting - yum. My favourite tea is Earl Grey and they make a mean pot of Earl Grey in ‘The Plan’ café in Cardiff, which very conveniently is directly opposite our shop.

Gorgeous earrings

Delish! So, let’s hear all about your wonderful work.

I have two jewellery collections, Random Vintage & Random Vintage Repeatables. For the Random Vintage collection I make one-off individual pieces using worn and loved vintage items such as brooches, charms, rosarys, religious relics, old lockets and earrings, I mix these with beautiful precious and semi-precious stones, vintage beads and rhinestones to make unique statement pieces. The Random Vintage Repeatables collection uses a mixture of new 'vintage' style items to create fun, quirky, wearable and affordable pieces.

I also make vintage style decorations and headbands.

Beautiful birds

When did you start your business?

Random Vintage started about two and a half years ago. It started as a hobby but now it’s pretty much full time as three friends and I have opened a shop in the centre of Cardiff, called  A Vintage Affair and now I’m constantly making to keep up with the sales in the shop and the website. I’m either making in the shop or making at home, it’s pretty full on at the moment, hence the reason for only doing one Christmas Fair, and it’s going to be a good one!

Time please

Where does your inspiration come from?

My initial inspiration came from a box of  my grandmother’s old broken costume jewellery.  It seemed such a shame to waste them and chuck them away, so I had the idea of making new pieces out of the old damaged jewellery as I wanted to bring them back to life in a modern more wearable style. . The more Random Vintage has developed the more passionate I’ve become about recycling and re-using unwanted or unloved vintage items and giving them a new lease of life.

I visit a lot of antiques fairs and flea markets looking for vintage pieces to incorporate into my work, these shows can be very inspiring, seeing the different colour combinations, different textures, and seeing how jewellery styles have changed over time. I also look at old books and fairy stories and try to create pieces with a theme in mind.

Necklace

Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”?

I was lucky enough to have a stall at ‘It’s Darling’ in July and had a brilliant time, Cath and Becky had done such a brilliant job! I had a great day and met lots of lovely people (customers and stallholders) , the selection of stands was eclectic with beautiful products and fab displays, so I can’t wait for the Christmas fair as I plan to get a good bit of Christmas shopping done!

Bracelets

Will you be doing anything special with your stall?

For the stall I’m planning a winter wonderland theme (though on a very small scale) with pewters and whites, some greenery and maybe even a bit of snow. I’ve also got some new decorations that I’m making up and some quirky Christmas wreaths.

Describe your perfect Christmas day...

An ideal Christmas day would be at home with my family, eating and drinking and being very merry whilst wearing my ‘new’ black lace and pink satin 1950’s prom dress, gorgeous.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without . . . a chocolate orange

Pocket watch necklace

Finally, what in your life would you call “It’s darling!”?

My little cousins are pretty darling.

To find out more about Claire visit her website,www.randomvintage.co.uk

Email her -  info@randomvintage.co.uk, ring her on 07711 65 66 40

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Random-Vintage/393614897603

twitter - http://twitter.com/RandomVintage

Time to meet the stallholders...tea and cake with Zoe Higgs of Very Vintage

Zoe lives in Yate, near Bristol and sells all kinds of vintage items like linens, glass, furniture and collectables.  She's a full-time nurse who has been collecting for a couple of years but this is her part-time passion and she calls her stall "Very Vintage".

Knitted cakes from Zoe - less fattening than the real thing

Hi Zoe, what's your favourite tea and cake combo?

Lemon Drizzle and English Breakfast.


What is your favourite type of item and why?  

Old sewing patterns and knitting needles – as they remind me of my Nannies!

Zoe's only just started selling vintage

Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”? 

I heard about it from a flyer and did not sell at the July sales as I just missed it.  

Zoe's first ever stall

Describe your ideal Christmas day in a couple of sentences. 

Full belly, toasty warm in new Pjs and socks snuggled up with Mum or Dad with a mince pie and double cream in one hand and a Baileys on ice or Babycham and cherry in the other!  Yuuum!

Cute china ornament from Zoe

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without….   


A fatter belly and new PJs!


Find out more about Zoe on her Facebook page or visit her ebay shop

Meet the stallholders...tea and cake with Ellen Roberts from Shepherd's Moon

Ellen was one of our original traders back in July and has always been a staunch supporter of “It’s darling!”. She is an expert in all things woollen and is a knitter and a weaver and a spinner and spins yarn on the stall while she sells. This year she will be having two pitches on Saturday 11th December (going to get ourselves some lovely warm scarves and hats), which is also her birthday. She lives in Newport, South Wales.

Ellen getting in the spirit of "It's darling!" - we have free facepainting on Sunday 12th December.

Hi Ellen, what’s your favourite cake? And kind of tea?

Favorite cake? What’s NOT my favourite cake…  As for tea, I like Earl Grey Tea and Chai Tea

What do you make and sell?

Hand-spun yarn of different fibres. Garmets and items from hand- spun fibre. Everything made by hand!

A hand-spun bag by Ellen and Shepherd's Moon

When and why did you start doing this? Do you do it full time? What inspired you to start?

I have always been a knitter and learned to weave from my Grandmother early on whenever I went to visit her. I currently have and work on the loom that my Granddad made for her. When I moved to the UK from the US in 2007 I wasn’t really finding the type of yarn I wanted to knit with. I joined my local spinner/ weavers guild and learned to spin. Thinking that I couldn’t be the only person who would like something different, I started Shepherd’s Moon in February 2008.  I really enjoy what I do and hope that I end up infecting others with the spinning bug! 

Wool spun by Ellen

Where do you get your ideas/inspiration from?

I just make what catches my eye and hope that others feel the same way!

One of Ellen's scarves (posed by model)

Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”?

I was in the first “It’s Darling!” Fair in July. I really enjoyed the experience and the folks that I met there! I learned of it originally from a friend who was thinking of taking part.

Ellen spinning at the first "It's darling!" fair in July

Describe your ideal Christmas day...

My ideal Christmas Day is spending it with my little boy, Owain and my family…  I am wearing something very comfortable and having a Bailey’s! 

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without….

Soppy Christmas songs, and Morcombe and Wise!

More of Ellen's beautiful, hand-made work

What’s “It’s darling!” in your life?

My son Owain is my darling!

With her son, Owain

To find out more about Ellen and Shepherd's Moon click here, email  ellen@shepherdsmoon.co.uk or ring 07523 856899

Meet the stallholders: 60 seconds with....Angharad from Angharad Gamble Millinery

Angharad Gamble is a costume maker based in Barry, South Wales who also makes the most wonderful hats and fascinators in her spare time, under the name of Angharad Gamble Millinery. We would show you a picture of her but she says that there are "no acceptable photos of me available at this time, must do something about that" - so we'll represent her instead with one of her incredible pieces of headwear.

Turn heads in one of Angharad's super-stylish creations

1. Hi Angharad, how long have you been making hats?

I've been doing this for lmost ten years now, as part of my job as a costume maker. Promoting my millinery in its own right  is a more recent departure

2. What inspired you to start?

Millinery was one of the specialist skills I learnt as part of my costume making degree. I loved it and have been making hats ever since. As there aren't as many commissions for headwear as part of my job, events like "It's darling!" are the perfect excuse to make them just for the sake of it and to take commissions for people to make the hat they always wanted. And with vintage and handmade sellers and like minded creative people all gathered together in the same place on the 17th, who could resist taking part?!

 Angharad will be taking commissions to make the hat you always dreamed of

I'm inspired a lot by the hat styles of the earlier 20th century. Sometimes a trimming (usually vintage) will send me off to my stash to hunt out the perfect felt, straw or fabric to set it off. On other ocassions, it's a shape that will inspire me. I can often be found in the homewares departments of local stores turning dishes etc upside down to see if they'll make a nice hat block! My absolute favourite hats to make, however, are my miniature and tiny silk top hats. So cute.

3. What's your secret passion?

You might think that as a costume maker I would get immune to it, but I do love to dress up in a proper-no-holds-barred costume ball way. I don't get chance to that often, so the opportunity to make something for myself and to use some of those special treasures from my stash so I get to keep them is a bit of a guilty pleasure : )

4. What's your three second wisdom?

Enjoy what you do.

 A cherry fascinator

5. What's your desert island survival pack?

A VERY large sun hat, my sewing kit and my dogs for entertainment and company : )

6. What in your life would you say is "It's darling!"?

My dogs - an irresistably darling duo.

 Her best boys

Angharad is in the process of setting up a website, so in the meantime please email her if you would like to know more. And come and try some of her hats on the 17th!

Meet the stallholders…60 seconds with Bryn from Kay’s Eclectic Vintage..

And now for something completely different…Bryn Lewis who is based in Cardiff tells us all about herself and her blossoming vintage business in her own words. Oh and she is Becky Purple Sparkle’s mum too! What do they put in the water in Wales? Talent runs in that family.

 Linens by Kay's Electic Vintage aka Bryn

Hello, My name is Brynda but I am usually known as Bryn - and my middle name is Kay - hence my stall's title. I don't have a website or shop but you can always contact me via e-mail or my new blog. I would love to hear from anyone who has the same interest as I have.  I've been interested in linen since I was quite young when I used to embroider chairbacks, tablecloths and so on (slight giveaway of my age there!) I have always wanted to have a stall selling vintage linens but, as usual, life got in the way, until my very talented daughter re-inspired me.

Bryn aka Kay's Eclectic Vintage aka Becky Purple Sparkle's proud mum

I began looking at my old things, then my Mum's old things, then old things in other places and soon I was hooked.  I even bought a new sewing machine so that I could really get back to my younger, crafty self!  I concentrate on vintage linens but also have jewellery and pottery plus a few glass items. “It's darling!” is ideal for my goodies - I share the same ethos of wanting to bring some of the beautiful things from the past to the people of today.

I have a husband who tolerates everything I do - I think he secretly loves it when I am away for the day/weekend!  I have a gorgeous, talented daughter who inspires me and who keeps me fit by sending me to craft fairs as the Welsh half of Purple Sparkle.  To keep me sane I bury my head in a book, watch 'rubbish' on TV and occasionally pop over to Egypt for a spot of fish, dolphin and shark watching, thirty metres under the Red Sea.

 Bryn's mascot cat

 
My three second wisdom is if you like it buy it; you'll always regret the one that got away.  To my Desert Island I would have to have my scuba kit and an unlimited supply of compressed air, the complete set of books by Cormac McCarthy and Mia, my pussycat who has never managed to grow up.

Mia, Bryn's real cat

I don't have a website or shop but you can always contact me via e-mail or on my blog. See you on Saturday the 17th!

Meet the stallholders: 60 seconds with.....Claire from Random Vintage

Two years ago, Claire Weeks, who is based in Cardiff started her handmade jewellery company. She has two collections, Random Vintage and Random Vintage Repeatables and uses both vintage and “new vintage” finds to create beautiful and unusual pieces you just have to have now. Or on July 17th.

"Message in a bottle" necklace by Random Vintage

1. Hi Claire, tell us what inspired you to start your business.

When I was little my grandmother used to give me bits and pieces of broken costume jewellery.  When I came across them years later, I had the idea of making new pieces out of it, as I wanted to bring them back to life in a modern, more wearable style. It seemed such a waste having these pretty pieces tucked away because they were damaged or out of style. The more Random Vintage has developed, the more passionate I’ve become about recycling and re-using unwanted or unloved vintage items and giving them a new lease of life.

The lovely - and talented - Claire Weeks of Random Vintage

2. And what inspires you now?

 I visit a lot of antiques fairs and flea markets, looking for vintage pieces to incorporate into my work. These shows can be very inspiring - seeing the different colour combinations, different textures, and how jewellery styles have changed over time. I also look at old books and fairy stories and try to create pieces with a theme in mind.

For the Random Vintage collection I make one-off individual pieces using worn and loved vintage items such as brooches, charms, rosarys, religious relics, old lockets and earrings and mix these with beautiful precious and semi-precious stones, vintage beads and rhinestones to make unique statement pieces.

"Summer in Paris" necklace - Claire loves all things French

The Random Vintage Repeatables collection uses a mixture of new 'vintage' style items to create fun, quirky, wearable and affordable pieces. I also make vintage style decorations,  headbands and vintage bunting.

4. Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”?

Well as a vintage and handmade fan I just had to be a part of it - and the fact that it’s set in beautiful Bath is the icing on the cake! I can’t wait to see all the goodies and meet all those super talented sellers.

Beautiful earrings

5. Tell us what you’re passionate about.

I love French films, I’m slightly obsessed with France hence a lot of French pieces are incorporated into my jewellery, and I’m brushing up on my French as I’m planning a trip to the Parisian flea markets to stock up on vintage goodies.  Flea markets are my guilty pleasure, I absolutely love the hunt for treasures, I get stomach flips as soon as I arrive at a flea market , finding someone’s unwanted bits and seeing the potential they hold is very exciting. I love unpacking my finds when I get home and giving them a good clean up and then putting them to use.


6. What’s your three second wisdom – life or crafting advice?!

If you’re in a creative rut, don’t force it! If you’re trying to make things and are feeling uninspired, it’s just not going to happen no matter how hard you try. Do something else and go back to it when you feel the creative juices flowing.

Pocketwatch necklace

7. What’s your desert island survival pack?

My ipod, sun lotion (as I burn easily!) and Viggo Mortensen, though it have would have to be on the condition he was dressed as Aragorn.

8. What in your life would you say is “It’s darling!”?

I love collecting things in miniature - tiny dolls, itty bitty figurines. I have a particular penchant for mini rabbits, I don’t know why, maybe it’s an Alice in Wonderland thing. A while ago I found an amazing Belgian seller on ETSY called ingie, she makes the cutest mini rabbits out of mohair, I now have quite a collection of these little dears.

Claire loves anything minature like these little rabbits

To find out more about Claire and Random Vintage go to www.randomvintage.co.uk and www.randomvintagemusings.blogspot.com