Ruffld Blog

Christmas is fast approaching and so now is the time for festive fairs,craft markets and bazaars. With this in mind I thought maybe a few humble hints and tips wouldn't go amiss! So here goes - my personal TOP 10 TIPS!!

1.  In order to have a stall at a fair the first thing is to FIND AN EVENT! Look out for fairs in your area or in places where you are willing to travel. Check the event is suitable for your products. Popular events can get booked up quickly so book early! To find fairs and markets I search the internet, and also chat to other stall holders who often inform me of various school fairs, fetes, and craft markets...

What a wonderful day yesterday at the Art and Craft Fair. It was to raise funds for the Chigwell Riding Trust for Special Needs, which is a specialised riding school.

Beautiful sunny autumnal weather, amazing craft stalls selling such a variety, and some fabulous artwork including, appropriately, exquisite paintings of horses!

We had fun chatting to so many people, listening to live music and eating lots of cake!

Chigwell Riding Trust has been established for 50 years, providing an excellent centre benefitting so many people.

We met some of the ponies too, and needless to say they were all gorgeous!!

It was certainly a very...

Soon Christmas will be upon us and the countdown will begin!!  Where has this year disappeared to?

Our first Craft Fair for a while is on Saturday at Roydon, so we are making sure everything is ready for a lovely day, meeting lots of people.

If you want to meet us and get a real flavour of our ethos, and our products, then come along between 1pm to 4pm. We would love to say" hello".

And please keep your fingers crossed for excellent weather!!

Set in the middle of the Essex countryside, Toot Hill's 61st Country Show was a resounding success, with the theme of "A Tour De France" this year.

Although rain was forecast in abundance, it avoided Toot Hill and we had glorious sunshine all day long.

When we arrived all the organisers were busy  organising everything!!!  We were shown to a wonderful marquee and set up our stall.  We had a brilliant  time meeting many local people. And also meeting an equal amount of dogs -  in all shapes, sizes and breeds, some proudly showing off the rosettes that they had won in the dog show.

Not only were there craft stalls,there were pony...

Such wonderful weather - just perfect for enjoying the garden.

We have some very  tempting, funky bird houses, ideal for adding a splash of colour amongst the foliage.

Of course, useful for the birds too!!  A beautiful, cosy home, much sought after, with fabulous views!

Easy to assemble, made from 100% recyclable polypropylene. Looks good indoors too - pop a battery-operated tea light inside.

Why not treat some of the little feathered visitors to your garden or balcony, to a trendy new home?!!

Sunshine at last! A beautiful day as we arrived at the Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Brentwood, for their Annual Craft Fair and Open Day.

We set up our stall after a muddy start, against a backdrop of emerald fields with rescued ponies grazing and enjoying life once again.

Our stall looked inviting with everything sparkling in the sunlight. The Guins were very excited!

Every now and again though, the wind blew in gusts,mixing up our products randomly, and creating chaos on the table!!

It was fun though, and we met so many lovely people who had come along to support the event and to raise money for the animals.

A very...

We are now stocking fabulous Poppy Treffry handmade products, which certainly add colour splashes and absolute style to our site!

Poppy Treffry founded her company in 2003 with just one old Singer sewing machine, and since then her range of products has grown and grown.

Many of the textile items are handmade, and still stitched on vintage singers, "lovingly designed" in Penzance, Cornwall.

The funky designs by Poppy Treffry smile with her sense of humour.

The collection is all of  a very high quality, quite unique, with delightful designs, incorporating drawings and freehand embroidery too.

If you want something a little...

Last Saturday we set off to Old Spitalfields Market, just outside the City of London, to display our products and hopefully sell some too!!

It was a beautiful sunny day and when we arrived there was a massive buzz of activity, and a feeling of excitement.  It felt really vibrant and special as there has been a market on this site since the 1600's, and the Victorian Market Hall we were in was built in 1876.

We managed to unload and set up our stall amongst a variety of all kinds of interesting and trendy stalls. (I have to say that our stall looked quite impressive with its sparkly table and variety of products!!)

The day whizzed...