Hello and welcome to my first blog of 2022. Marvellous May is upon us and the gardens are suddenly full of colour, the days are becoming warmer and it is time once again to find my flip flops! Spring always puts me in the mood to have a good sort out, re-think and plan ahead.

During lockdown my business had to adapt. Fairs were cancelled and the local craft shop I supply had to close.My on-line Etsy shop suddenly became my sole selling outlet. At fairs I would always offer a selection of vintage homewares for sale along side my handmade designs. I had a good stock of these items so I decided to start adding vintage pieces to my Etsy shop. This proved to be very successful and I now continue to sell both “handmade and vintage” treasures.

Around this time my Instagram account (search vintagedawnwares on Instagram) became the ideal place to showcase my wares. With shows having to close, organisers started to use this social media platform to launch “virtual fairs”. These involved sellers posting photos of a collection of items for sale together with individual descriptions and prices. Customers could peruse these virtual stalls from the comfort of their own homes and only had to comment “sold“ under the post of any item to secure a purchase. I recently enjoyed taking part in my first ever virtual vintage fair and am looking forward to my next one on the evening of Friday 27th May (search thewealdenbazaar on Instagram for more details).

The theme for my virtual stall on 27th May will be “Summer Days” so I am currently busy collecting and sorting suitable pieces for my displays. I have some lovely fabrics and china in sunny yellow and sea blue tones as well as several coastal prints. I really enjoy coordinating treasures on a theme!