Busy busy beaver but always time for a game!!

At the end of this week I will again be heading to Launceston for another market. This time I will be selling at Niche Market; of which I have heard an abundance of high recommendations and fabulous feedback. Miriam (Jasmine Rose) my regular 'market buddy' is due to have her baby next Monday, so we felt it was more than a little neccessary for her to remain home in Hobart near to the hospital incase her bubs makes an appearance. So, this will be my first market by myself and, not only that, but it runs for 2 days in a row!! Fingers crossed for a great turn-out. If you are in Launcestone, please pop in and help us spreaad the word; the market is actually also a fundraiser for St Giles, so there are no excuses really!

So obviously I have been busy, busy, making, making, but not so hard that I couldn't have a little fun in the backyard with my new game. My husband and I visited Finland about 3 years ago and stayed with a Finnish friend. Whilst there he took us to his parents cottage, complete with a sauna (which is as common as a toilet in Finland), and we played 'Molkky' (pronounced 'melkoo' kind of, with an accent). It basically consists of throwing a short wooden plank at 12 other numbered wooden planks with a little bit of stratergy and skill thrown in. It was so much fun. Anyway, my husband walked past Funky Homes the other day and discovered that they had the game (marketed as 'Klop'; probably a little easier for Aussie's to pronounce) and he got it for me as my mothers day present. As happens every time, my husband couldn't wait until mothers day and gave it to me on the weekend; needless to say we had a lot of fun. Dean = 2, Helen = 1, hhmmm!! Bit rusty perhaps??!! I highly recommend this game; it's kind of like bowls but with throwing - I did say 'kind of'!!!

The second Barn Market and a new stockist...

Well, thats another Barn Market done and dusted and what a day it was!! Again (to our relief) there was a surplus of people milling around and soaking up the atmosphere. This time the rain stayed away and Mirri and I enjoyed the opportunity of selling from within our new marquee - it was like a little shop in a box. Having fresh air and a little more room (and one table each, instead of sharing) was a bit of a luxury. We again had great days in terms of sales, even though it was hard to keep our mind on the job of selling with so much else to run around and organise. It was definitely less stressful than last time, although setting up marquees was a little time consuming (it was our first time) but something that surely gets better with practise. It was great to be right next to Helen from Tas Fudge and chat and laugh with her throughout the day. She must have thought we were a little bit scatty because we were both in and out of our stall like bee's on a mission!

We're already looking forward to the next one (Saturday 5th June) and got some amazing suggestions from patrons and stallholders about how to gradually make it an even more exciting event. Thank you for everyone's support and a special thanks to our lovely stallholders who presented thier goods so beautifully and are so happy to chat to us throughout the day.

I'd also like to make a special mention of Hope and Me in the quadrant in Launceston who is a new stockist of mine. If you are in Launceston, make sure you pop in because its a very sweet little shop with a lot of very tempting goods on offer. Lindi has come back for her second order and my products are selling well for her which makes me one very happy little pili pala (butterfly). Check out some photos of her beautiful store.

The Barn Market - this weekend

I can't believe its come around again so quickly!! Miri and I have been very busy organising the market and are this time we're excited to have stallholders spilling out into the courtyard - including yours truly. We've also got our very popular buskers back from last time, in addition to a few new faces, and - this is what I'm most excited about - a bakery serving a range of baked goods (mmmmmmm a slight weakness of mine) such as slices, cakes, scones, breads, and even pre-made rolls.

I'm very keen to test-drive our new marquee which we picked up for half price at Anaconda - although we are having difficulty finding sides to go on it, so the poor little marquee may have to go naked on Saturday (I hope the rain stays away).

If you have a chance, please come along and support all the stallholders and enjoy a lovely little outing at The Barn. There's also a great art exhibition on in the schoolhouse (the next building over). The market is open between 10.00 - 3.00, and if you want to attend a makers demonstration on the ins and outs of mosaics, come at 11.00 or 1.00. Hoping to see you there.