Category Archives: Events/Craft Fairs
My week in pictures
It’s been an eventful week over at CHC. Yesterday I was exhibiting at the Weedon Craft Market, which was nice to see some friendly faces of local stall holders and chat to customers. One lovely lady called me up after the market and asked if she could come and collect a bowl that she had fallen in love with. My customers always put a smile on my face 
From behind the scenes of my stall… I had the view of lots of delicious cupcakes all day!
Last bank holiday Monday I went to a show jumping ground and jumped a clear round on Dizzy. She was amazing, as were all of the other horses that we took in the lorry, and the weather was perfect. I can’t wait to attend a proper judged show now that I know what to expect, although the atmosphere will no doubt be a lot more nerve wracking!
Last week I also went to my first barbecue of the year, it was lovely sitting outside til late at night while the air was still warm, eating homemade burgers (and drinking wine, of course!)
Some new ceramic bunting and garlands have been added to my website this week – I hope you like them. They can be hung outside in the garden, and also look really pretty draped across a window.
I’m preparing a selection of new stock for the Hayrack Gallery in Upper Stowe to deliver some time this week, so I’ll have that to show you very soon.
Hope you had a great weekend. Enjoy your week! x
Christmas Craft Shopping Experience 2012
The Warwickshire Exhibition Centre near Leamington held it’s fourth successful annual Christmas Craft Shopping Experience yesterday. I have exhibited at this event since it’s first opening in 2009 and have enjoyed seeing it grow each year. This year the show was complimented with some festive singing by a burlesque style lady which got the visitors (and myself!) into the festive spirit.
What I love about this event is that every single stall (there are over 100) is full of products that are handmade by the stall holder.
I had a great day and yet again met some lovely people, as well as seeing some happy familiar faces. I always enjoy chatting to customers about how my work is made and how some of the different effects are achieved – people are often amazed at how many different processes each piece goes through and how long they take to make, which I think makes my work more valued and appreciated.
I also like to ask customers if the pieces they are buying are for gifts or not, and was quite surprised at the majority of people who said they were impulse buying for themselves rather than for Christmas presents.
Aside from selling pieces of my work, getting my name out there and meeting lots of nice people, one of the other highlights of my day was the amazing hot chocolate with marshmallows that was available in the cafe area. Delicious!
I’ll be looking forward to exhibiting at this event again next year. For more information on the whole show visit the website here, and like the facebook page for regular updates, images and news.
*Giveaway* Tickets for Christmas Craft Shopping Experience
How would you like to win a ticket for two for FREE entry into this years popular Christmas Craft Shopping Experience event at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre on Sunday 2nd December 2012?
I have four tickets to give away, remember each ticket entitles free entry for two people so you could bring a friend or family member along too.
I have been an exhibitor at the Christmas Craft Shopping Experience for the past 3 years since it first started, and I always look forward to it as my favourite event of the year. With over 100 stalls full of top quality handmade items, this is a Christmas shopping event not to be missed!
For your chance of winning a ticket for two, all you need to do is ‘like’ both Facebook pages Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics and Christmas Craft Shopping Experience. Then leave a comment on my page saying that you have done so, and also what you like about buying from handmade fairs. What does it mean to you to be buying handmade rather than from High Street shops? What type of products do you plan to buy or look out for at craft fairs and who do you buy for?
Any or all of the above questions can be answered… Four lucky winners names will be drawn from a hat at random and the winners will be announced on 21st November.
Don’t forget to click ‘like’ on both Facebook pages so that we can identify the names to be entered into the hat and to be able to contact you for your address if you are a winner.
Please help to spread the word about this fantastic event, and good luck!
Weedon Craft Market
The first craft market in Weedon yesterday turned out to be a success with over 300 people through the door in the first few hours alone. The village hall was full of handmade items being sold by local designer-makers, and there was plenty of tea and cake too!
I had a good day and it was lovely to meet some new local people to keep in touch with. Below are just a few of my favourite stalls from the day, starting with Megan Ashwell who makes the most gorgeous home furnishings and textiles. I have my eye on one of her gorgeous dandelion mugs!
The lovely Good Scents were on a stall opposite me, with the yummy aromas from their natural soaps and candles wafting through the air…
I was also pleased to meet Sue who makes these gorgeous handmade memory books and other home interior gifts. The books are stunning pieces of art from the outside but holding them and turning each page is like a tonne of artworks in one, simply beautiful.
I’m looking forward to my next (and last) craft fair before Christmas this year, but until then I need to get back in the workshop to make, make, make!
This week…
I was at The Benn Hall in Rugby yesterday, selling my work at the annual Craft & Gift Fair. It was a good day with people queueing up outside before the fair had opened in the morning. I turned up an hour early but this helped as I didn’t have to rush setting up and I was also thankful of an extra pair of hands to help.
Although the Christmas orders are rolling in, and I have stock to be cracking on with, I like to have a good break from being in the workshop, and that’s where horse riding comes in. I used to have my own horse years ago… I’m loving getting back into riding now. This is Amelia, isn’t she gorgeous? She’s very quick too!
Countryside walks are a big refreshing break for me. I find walking a good source of inspiration and also an opportunity for some nature photography.
Something very exciting is happening tomorrow… a photographer from the Daventry Express newspaper is coming to do a photo shoot of me with some of my work in the workshop, which will be used for a special bi-monthly magazine (more info on this soon). I’m very excited! The workshop has been tidied in preparation, and then I can make a start on Christmas orders. If you have any special requests for handmade custom orders please let me know as soon as possible as I will only be doing a couple more kiln firings before Christmas…
I was happy to receive this lovely photo from one of my customers last week, of the custom bathroom pieces in use that I made for her new bathroom. They look fab!
Here’s the pumpkin we carved last week… Not bad for a second attempt! I roasted the pumpkin seeds with some seasoning which were delicious.
Happy Halloween!
Annual Craft & Gift Fair at Lamport Hall
“Home sweet home” were some of the first words I said on Sunday evening… After a lovely weekend exhibiting and selling my work at the annual Craft & Gift Fair at Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire I was pleased to be home after having packed everything up.
It was nice to meet some new people – both customers and other stall holders. I really enjoyed setting up my stall with a few new display ideas, especially as it had been so long since my last fair last winter.
I was surprised at how many pieces I sold with dandelion designs on them… I now need to make lots more!
My new wooden log plinths proved to be fantastic for displaying my vases and they were an eye catching element to my stall with plenty of people discussing how great they looked (Thanks Dad!)
I loved the novelty of the fair being laid out in the old individual stables at Lamport Hall, it was like having your own little shop. I shared my space with a lady selling some beautiful items so I had lots of nice things to look at during the quieter periods.
The large stable doors at the front were open for easier customer access and it got a little chilly whilst setting up on Friday afternoon, so I was prepared with my flask of tea on Saturday and Sunday. We were lucky to have stunning blue skies on Sunday which beamed down onto the courtyard in the centre.
The new display stand for my cards worked well, and I was pleased with my framed ceramic pieces displayed on a board. I moved the board outside into the sunshine on Sunday which drew more people into the ‘shop’.
Overall I had a great weekend despite being very tired. I went to bed without setting my alarm on Sunday
I’m looking forward to doing it all again at The Benn Hall in Rugby on 28th October. Hope to see you there!
Weedon Craft Market
A date for your diary… Come along and see me and my work at the Weedon Craft Market plus many other handmade stalls for a great opportunity to buy some unique gifts for Christmas.
Hope to see you there!
I won Best Dressed Stall!
Another fantastic day at this annual Christmas fair yesterday, the Contemporary Craft Shopping Experience was a huge success for me and it was a very enjoyable day. With plenty of customers coming through the doors all day and the smell of mulled wine coming from the cafe area, there was plenty of festive cheer in the air!
I took these photos of my stall before the show opened. There was a bit of extra room to the right of my tables so I created a little alcove space that people could walk into, and it seemed to attract them in. I had lots of lovely comments about my work which always motivates me, especially when lots of it sells!! I was sooo happy to have sold one of my large sculptural vessels as well as lots of vases and plenty of other bits and pieces.
And if that wasn’t enough to put a smile on my face, I also won this hamper prize for best dressed stall, wow! This definitely finished off the day nicely, and I’ve still got a big grin on my face today.
As always it was lovely to see and chat to some friendly faces of other stall holders, and great to meet some new people too. Looking forward to this event next Christmas!
A date for your diary
On Sunday 4th December 2011 I will be exhibiting at the Contemporary Craft Shopping Experience, at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre near Leamington. Now in it’s third year, this popular show is always one of my favourites and I can’t wait for all of the festive fun on the day!
Hope to see you there
Craft & Gift Fair
Phew… I was glad to be back at home after a long day at the Craft & Gift Fair at the Benn Hall in Rugby yesterday. It was a great day! It had been a few months since my last fair so it was good to get back into it again. I planned to arrive early to leave plenty of time to set up my stall, but I still didn’t manage to finish setting up on time as usual, I think I’ve definitely got too much stuff!
The ceramic garlands hanging across the display stand above were changing and being replaced all day as they were selling well.
It was great to see some friendly faces and to chat with some of the other stall holders. It was also nice to see so many returning customers from the past 2 years, and to have people recognising my work. I love it when people spend ages looking at everything and find it difficult deciding what to buy!
I found some space on my stall to display a few of my new framed ceramic art pieces, and this large framed heart below received a lot of ‘ooh’s’ and ‘ahhs’.
I was really pleased to sell my first ever mini ceramic art with an easel as this was the first one I’ve sold at a craft fair, the rest have all been online or through shops.
If you read one of my previous posts last week about displaying Christmas decorations, I decided to use both the little artificial Christmas tree and also the bronze stand to hang my decorations from. I found that both display methods worked well and the Christmas puds were a favourite.
Plant markers were also a favourite item yesterday, with plenty of people buying them as Christmas gifts for friends and family. The publication of the markers in Amateur Gardening magazine featured as ‘Best Buy’ helped them sell well too
Heart dishes are at the top of the making list for this week as I almost sold out yesterday. Thank you to the lovely lady who bought a total of 4 different bowls, a set of plant markers and also some coasters! Overall I was pleased to sell a mixture of all items, with bowls being the most popular.
It will be a busy week in the workshop this week! I’m slowly beginning to prepare for my next fair at the end of November, although I’ll only be having one table – I don’t know how I’ll manage!
NEW Christmas shop…
The Christmas section on my website was finally launched last week…
Add a handmade festive touch to your home this Christmas! Choose from snowflakes, Christmas puddings, stars, ceramic trees, festive plaques and other hanging decorations.
I found this mini artificial Christmas tree to try out hanging some of my decorations. I’m not sure if they look too big as the tree is only small, but I’ll be taking the tree to some Christmas craft fairs to decorate my table. I think I’ll decide at the time whether or not to hang the decorations from it!
I’ve also got this bronze tree stand which I love. I’ll be using this at craft fairs too, it comes in very handy and looks better showing some of the decorations hanging up rather than all flat on the table.
My next fair is the Craft & Gift Fair this Sunday 30th Oct at the Benn Hall in Rugby, Warwickshire. It would be great to see you if you are out and about – Don’t forget to come and say hi, and find out how I end up displaying my Christmas decorations!
Handmade Market, Kenwilworth
Come and visit me at this monthly handmade market on Saturday in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. I will be selling a selection of my ceramics alongside numerous other local designer/makers with their handmade products including cakes, textiles, jewellery, wood, glass and many more. For more details of the makers exhibiting this Saturday, please click here.
Hope to see you there!
