Preparing for Craft Fairs

I've finally plucked up the courage to book myself some stalls at local craft fairs around Bedfordshire.  I've chosen three completely different ones so I can see what they are like:  

1. May Fair in Houghton
2. Table Top sale in a church in Bedford
3. Village Party in Wixams

I'm terrified to be honest and have so many questions whirling around my head from will my stock sell to can I put the gazebo up?  And hundreds more questions in-between.

I'm planning a practice 'putting up the gazebo and table' session soon.  And then I'll need to figure out if I can get these in the car.  These are all things I guess I should have figured out some time ago but I never got around to it, you know what it's like.  There are always hundreds of other things to do first........like paint my nails or start another crochet project.  So once I've figured out if my essential table and coverage items actually fit in my teeny tiny car then I need to figure out the rest........gulp!

I've obviously been addicted to Pinterest and Instagram looking at the fantastic displays other people do and knowing full well I'll never be able to recreate it.  Plus I've read so many helpful and informative blogs, that all make perfect sense, but again I suspect I'll manage to achieve all the 'things to avoid' with great success and fail at what I should be doing.  And then there is the whole phaff of pricing.......a minefield.  But whilst I pontificate about all this, this is what I'm thinking of taking (apart from the items to sell):

• Bags to put brought items in.
• Marjorie and Me stickers.
• Tissue paper for wrapping items.
• Bunting to hang up in gazebo (if I manage to get it up and it stays up).
• Scissors and sellotape.
• Labels and pens.
• Money tin with change (plus a sign explaining unfortunately cash only).
• Drink and snacks.
• Folding chair for me to sit on!

What else do I need?  I'm going to make a list of everything I take so next time I can figure out if it was essential or not and also add what I really need to take.  I'm guessing I'm going to learn more than I sell but, apart from all the stress and phaff, I'm actually really looking forward to it......

Sensory Play

I am an avid supporter of sensory play to stimulate the senses, add communication and empower choice making.  There are wonderful sensory spaces all around which can be hired out with bubbles tubes, dark lights, projectors, etc and these are all fantastic and do a brilliant job.  However you can also provide simple, sensory activities on a shoe-string budget.  I personally am a fan of the tray; putting different textures on a tray to enable safe exploration.  I tend to opt for things with different textures and or sounds to support the engagement.  I'm also a fan of lights as these can really hold the attention well.  Recently I have been putting together sensory trays that include:

• marshmallows 
• rice
• cotton wool balls
• water
• play-dough 
• plastic dinosaurs
• bells
• tin foil
• the list goes on and on

My approach is 'give it a go'!  I'm always interested to hear and see what others have been doing so please let me know.

Charity Shop Haul

I'm really getting into rummaging around Charity Shops.  They provide a great opportunity to fund raise for good causes as well as offer goods to the public as a much lower price as everything has been pre-loved.  Mum and I popped into the Keech Hospice Care charity shop in Dunstable as I wanted some resources for sensory play and stories.  I managed to get all the below, including the pretty heart bag, for only £8.  The cars have already been used for mark-marking and the books are being used as a basis for a sensory story so I'm busy collecting bits and pieces for this.  And as for the car keyring....this is going to be used in 'wheels on the bus' on Tuesday.  It's a fantastic resource.

I'm off rummaging again during the week.......happy me :-)

Homemade Playdough

Another fantastic BBC Good Food recipe........no-cook play dough.

The ingredients needed are all store cupboard items and low in price so the play dough is easy to make and quick to knock up.  The wet ingredients are poured into the dry and then mixed.  Once in a dough you then knead the play dough until it is soft and pliable.  So easy and it can be customised with different colours and smells to support engagement.

All you need:

• 8tbsp Plain Flour
• 2tbsp Salt
• 1tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 60ml Warm Water
• Food Colouring
• Food Flavouring

Happy Making!

Pancakes

I am a huge fan of the BBC Good Food website and will always turn to them for recipes and ideas.  So when the young people I support requested to make pancakes I went to the website straight away.

The recipe I followed had the following ingredients:

• 100g Flour
• 2 Eggs
• 300ml Semi-skimmed milk
• 1tbsp Sunflower oil

The recipe was easy to follow and made lovely light pancakes.  What I learnt, when making them with the young people, was that chocolate spread is the clear topping winner and should be thicker than the actual pancake.

A great session and a fantastic recipe .............. other toppings are also available, I'm personally a fan of lemon and sugar.

Jam Tarts

As a foodie I am really keen for everyone to contribute towards their making their own food.  Whatever someone's needs are I feel that they can make something which they can eat and enjoy. I am a dedicated learning disability practitioner who believes that everyone can contribute in their life in a meaningful way.  Last week we made jam tarts.  And I'd forgotten how lovely homemade jam tarts were so I set about making some at home too.  The risk in making jam tarts is the jam is like molten  lava when it leaves the oven so great care needs to be taken but once their cool they are delicious with a cup of tea.  I'm taking some today to my friend's house as they make a great gift too.

Cub Scout Disability Awareness Badge

Yesterday I had an inspiring and creative evening with a group of Luton Cub Scouts as we worked towards their Disability Awareness Badge.  The children were engaging and eager to participate in a variety of activities and contribute their thoughts and feelings.  We used Makaton to sign the Cub Scout Promise as well as sing and sign along to 'Old MacDonald' and 'Happy Birthday'.  By the end of the session the children could all finger spell their name and helped each other out when they got stuck.  It was great to see the children supporting each other and reflecting on the use of signing to communicate.  We also looked at physical disabilities and drew pictures with either our mouths or feet.  The children, although initially unsure, within seconds were whipping their shoes and socks off and having a go.  As a sweet treat to finish the session we decided to decorate biscuits.......blind-folded.  The blind-folds were the greatest faff but the children all had at least one biscuit by the end of the session liberally covered with sticky icing sugar and stacked high with chocolates.  It was a worthy and meaningful session and one I have delivered before but I am always so impressed by the spirit of children to accept difference and embrace change.  It was inspiring and I left feeling that these children were going to make a difference.  And at the end of the day this is why I established Marjorie & Me.

Singer sewing machine

So today has been an exciting day in my skill development........learning how to use my sewing machine.  For my thirteenth birthday my parents brought me a singer sewing machine.  This was not asked for and, if i'm being honest, not gratefully received either.  That was in 1992.  Now aged 38 I have finally got around to learning how to use it.  When my friend, Sharon, popped round she stood in horror at the sight of my ancient machine.  However after a little bit of laughter we managed to three it and off we went.  I don't have 'scrap fabric' hanging around, although I think that may change now I've developed a love for the sewing machine.  So I used a dress that my friend gave me that did not suit me at all.....I cut and ripped it up and then set about attempting to sew a straight line.  It's such fun and I throughly enjoyed myself.  The bobbin bit was a bit of challenge and my first attempt had to be binned as it was a baggy, knotty bobbin which was totally ineffective, but I got the hang of it and now I love it.  Sharon was so patient with me and tolerant of my ridiculousness that this gave me the confidence to continue.  And now my head is filled with grand plans, creative fun and lots of beautiful fabric.  Watch out Easy here I come!

Silent Witness

I'm a fan of Silent Witness and I'm now loving Monday and Tuesday evenings, although to be fair I tend to watch both episodes on a Wednesday as I'm too intolerant to watch half and have to wait 24 hours for the final instalment.....yes, I'm that impatient!

Anyway, the episodes on 29 and 30 January 2018 were incredibly thought provoking and tackled issues close to my heart.....ensuring equality for people with additional needs.  The two episodes were entitled "One Day" and focussed around an assisted living provision for adults with additional needs.  Many issues were raised in the programme from the power carers have to the administration of medication to the role of family and GPs in supporting people in such provisions.  I could talk about this for days, weeks and months, but I'll save you from reading my thought around all of this, well for today at least.  The two main characters were Kevin and Serena.  They were in a relationship but were deeply effected by the support they received, or lack of, from the people who were paid to do so.  

The issue I wanted to touch on today was the fact that throughout the programme the people who lived in the assisted living provision were frequently spoken of as having no family, or they were unwanted, or too difficult.  I felt that for families currently exploring different living options for their loved ones, this opinion was harsh and one-sided.  For families to place a loved one in supported living, residential or nursing care it is an incredibly hard decision to make where emotions and best interest decisions are wrestled with.  Guilt, independence, freedom, love and care are all combined in this decision making.  I feel bravery too, is part of the decision making.  For the individual moving it is always ideal if it is of their choosing and at their request, however this is not always possible.  Some people have needs which are beyond the consistent management of a family unit and their behaviours and needs can have a detrimental impact on everyone under the roof, including the individual themselves.  I do not believe people place their loved ones in a care provision because they don't care, or because they believe they are not equal to them.  I feel these decisions are hard to make and brave to follow through.  The issue then is the quality of care the individual receives from their care provider........but more of that another time.

Thank you and have a lovely day x

Etsy 2018

Oh my goodness!  I've finally plucked up the courage and listed some of my handmade creations onto my easy shop.  I find crafting so relaxing and therapeutic.  Its a great way of exploring my creativity and I love it.........but that doesn't mean others will, and this is my biggest fear.  But I've taken a huge breath, well several to be exact, and I've posted a few bits on my easy shop, with the rest to follow shortly.  I'm aiming to add between 8-12 items per month and I'm hoping my craft will start to be drawn to by others.  I appreciate this is a huge ask and the feelings of failure that I'm experiencing is overwhelming but I'm ploughing on regardless.  The benefits of being creative and being happy in my creative place out-weigh the fear (and that is what I keep telling myself).

So far I've listed a couple of cute little crochet purses, a set of six uber funky coasters and some cards.  Cushions and hanging hearts will be added in the next few days.  And then fingers crossed......I'm hoping to keep you updated as to how I get on, what works, what I learn and what I'll never do again!  Sometimes you learn more from knowing what not to do again rather than what to do!  These lessons are the hardest but most powerful.

So, I'm off to start advertising my easy shop but I'll be back soon and hoping to post short blogs regularly.  I'm better at reading short posts rather than longer ones as I tend to get easily side-tracked.......

Bye for now x