Christmas Craft & Gift Fair

Not long to go now! The signs, posters and flyers have been distributed, the spaces have all been filled, new stock has been made and we are telling anyone who will listen.

For the perfect place to find lots of Christmas gift ideas come to the Slieve Russell Hotel, Cavan this Sunday, 60 stands with a wide variety of handmade goods and giftware, plus a school fundraising raffle to win tickets to see One Direction.

For a full list of exhibitors visit our website http://www.downland-crafts.com/christmas-fair-srh.html

Our Next Event

Look what I made!

Could be the start of a whole new line.

Cavan TV interview

Want to see Tom's recent interview with Brian Daly for The Business & Enterprise Show on Cavan TV? You can see it here http://vimeo.com/73814352

Note: This interview went out live and not realising at the time and only noticing now we have watched it back it has come to our attention that Brian mistakenly gave the impression that we organised the craft fair events at the O'Reilly Festival and the Backyard and unfortunately we didn't catch it to correct him. We cannot take credit for these events as they are not ours, we did however this year hold fairs in the Farnham Hotel Cavan, Slieve Russell Hotel Ballyconnell, Milltown, Derrylin and Enniskillen. Apologies for any confusion this may have caused.

Customer Order

Another order complete, had to take the picture on my phone as I haven't replaced the camera I dropped yet. You may have seen the facebook post...lol!

Signs are up

End of summer?

Well how the devil is everyone out there in blog reader land? Is the weather still good in your area? Or is there a distinct chill in the air? If the sun is still shining where you are make the most of it but maybe stock up on supplies for the coming season. What a great summer it has been even if it is coming to an end but hey more excuses to stay inside and craft.

I've spent the last few days adding lovely new things to the website so make sure you pop over and have a look, although not finished uploading yet so keep checking back. We've got new ribbon, glitter, adhesives, storage sheets and more!

Our next fair is on the 1st September in the Farnham Arms Hotel, Cavan Town and is a regular event that is especially favoured by some of our regular exhibitors and we always have a great day!

Have you started making your Christmas projects yet? I know the dreaded 'C' word but if you are making to sell then you probably have either started making or started shopping for supplies. Do check out what we have to offer at www.downland-crafts.com and if you are looking for something that you can't find it is always worth asking, we want to stock what you want to buy so talk to us.

The new forum has a few members now but we need more to make it a place worth visiting, you can access this from the menu bar on our website. It is free to register and unlike facebook etc. you don't need to display your real name, so can chat virtually anonymously if you wish. It is also dedicated to the Irish Craft Market which seemed to be hard to find online. We have set up sections for tips and techniques, events including a place to review fairs you have visited either as a customer or exhibitor, business information including registering for tax and public liability insurance and more. Why not take a look now, register and say hi.

Right then better sign off for now as the tea won't cook itself, oh what a glamorous life I lead. Until next time.....happy crafting x

Happy Birthday to us!

Wow! What a busy day it's been today. Yes Downland Crafts is 3 years old today, where did that time go? Oh crafting...that would be the answer and chatting to our lovely customers and followers on the blog, facebook and twitter pages, not to mention emails. We want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent well wishes and congratulations, they are truly appreciated.

If you haven't done so already then pop over to our website, we are celebrating with birthday specials all this week and new items will be added as and when the mood takes us so check back regularly!

Oh yes, I mustn't forget to tell you the news. Due to requests we have set up a new forum which is only 2 days old, to access it please go to our homepage www.downland-crafts.com and click on 'Craft Forum' from the menu bar across the top of the page. If you want to join in the chat all you need do is click 'register' in the top right hand corner. Please take time to read the rules, then enjoy. There are sections for events, supplies, tips & techniques, to say hello and general chat, there's even a place for your suggestions. The Irish Craft Forum is still a baby but we hope it will grow into a great source of help, advice and information for many crafters and especially focused on the Irish craft market.

A quick reminder that our next event is in The Enniskillen Hotel in less than 3 weeks time, there are still a few spaces left and if you are interested in exhibiting visit our website for more information http://www.downland-crafts.com/august-fair-eh.html

Until next time...happy crafting!

News Update

Well I thought it was about time I made a new post as there is a few things to tell you all about. Firstly our next Craft & Gift Fair is only just over a week away. It promises to be a great day out for all the family with over 40 stands offering a wide variety of beautiful things to see and buy including greeting cards, beaded, gemstone and resin jewellery, knitted and crocheted items, room accessories, artwork, sewn items, mosaics, children's clothes and hair bands, wood crafts, glassware, skincare, candles, incense and holistic products, plus food items such as chutney, pesto, tea, honey, jam, cakes & pies, we even have a face painter so truly something for everyone, admittance is FREE so why not pop along and see what we have to offer!

If you are interested in joining our exhibitor team just give us a ring on 087 189 6229 or visit our website for information. There are still a few spaces left for certain categories for this fair, unfortunately our September and December fairs have now sold out. You can be added to our waiting list for any sold out fairs and also join our mailing list by clicking the relevant links on our website and submitting your details. There are even maps to the venues.

Our monthly newsletter has also just gone out so if you are a member check your inbox for all the latest news. Not a member yet? No problem just click the link on located on the right hand column on any page of our website and sign up for free! You will be send an activation email which will entitle you to access our members only special offers page, and start you subscription to our monthly newsletter which goes out on the last Friday of every month. You can of course unsubscribe at any time.

Keep any eye on our blog as we will be adding projects in the very near future featuring some of our available Christmas craft stock. And did you notice that we have now added a new feature to the right hand column so if you have a google account you can now join using google friend connect by just clicking the button.

There is lots of lovely new stock to be uploaded the website so better go and get on with it so you can see what new goodies we have for you, until next time...Happy Crafting!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Hello again, I know it's been a while since I made a post, there just never seems to be enough hours in the day! We've been busy with quite a few fairs happening lately, as well as our own we have been doing fairs in conjunction with fleadhs and festivals. Our next one is no exception as is being held in conjuction with the 3-day event that is the Milltown Mid-Summer Trad Festival. You may well have already seen the signs we have posted along the roads or the posters in local shop windows. With over 30 stands this fair will showcase a wide variety of handcrafted goods, artwork and giftware being offered by both local and nationwide exhibitors. Stands will include crafting materials, greeting cards, jewellery,  knitted & crocheted items, candles, wood crafts, artwork, sewn items, incense, glassware, Avon, Aloe Vera products and food items such as marmalades, jams, sauces & chutneys. There will also be a facepainter so pretty much something for everyone and the addmittance is FREE! There are also many activities going on in the town for the whole family so it's well worth a visit.

 

Craft & Gift Fair this Sunday!

Hi everyone, its been a while since we've updated this blog, there just never seems to be enough hours in the day to do it all! The most important thing to remind everyone about is our Craft & Gift Fair happening this Sunday in the Farnham Arms Hotel, Main Street, Cavan. The fair runs from 11.00am until 6.00pm and the admittance is free. There will be an impressive line-up of crafters and small businesses with a mixture of regular exhibitors and some new faces joining us for the first time displaying all kinds of handcrafted items, food, gifts and we even have a face painter which is a new addition for us but one that we plan to repeat for the remainder of our events this year. If you would like to see a full list please visit our dedicated facebook event page via our Irish Craft Fairs page. For a taster I can tell you that you will find jewellery, greeting cards, sewn, knitted and crocheted items, candles, skincare, glassware, cakes, chocolates, chutneys, wood crafts, face painting and more so definately something for everyone.

If you haven't visited our website lately it is well worth a visit to www.downland-crafts.com due to popular demand from our valued customers our range of papercrafting supplies has encountered quite a surge in new products and now includes a vaste range of die cuts to cover all kinds of occasions from birth to wedding to new home to those sad times when sympathy cards are needed, plus everything in between. Some new stock has just arrived to widen our choice of flower embellishments and even googly eyes.

We are pleased to announce that we are now stockists for Crafter's Companion products and can offer you spray adhesives and all purpose glue (often referred to as the best glue in the world) it offers both the flexibility of photo glue with the permanency of pva and won't warp your card or paper. You will also find the new epiphany tool with matching bubble caps and two choices of settings. If the demand is there we plan to add additional tools and accessories in the future. If you haven't come across this system it is both a fantastic embellishment maker as well as a jewellery maker, we made this phone charm out of a photograph.
 

Centura Pearl card is also another favourite of many crafters and yes we now have this in stock too! One comment we received was that is was a shame that usually centura pearl was only available to buy in 60 sheet packs, too large a purchase for some who had to make a choice on one of the colours as to buy all 3 would mean 180 sheets. Well we listened and are offering packs containing 10 single colour sheets or mixed packs, take a look and pick the one that suits you best. And last but certainly not least we are now stocking Pebeo paints, these have many uses and go on may surfaces including card and wood and are a thick acrylic paint that come in packs of 5 x 45ml bottles.

Most of this new stock has been uploaded to the website already and you can find them by clicking the links provided, this is an ongoing process and we are still uploading so check back regularly. You can also sign up for our free newsletter club and by doing so you will gain access to our members only specials and get reduced prices on featured items, just fill in your details on our website so you never miss a thing, and if you happen to have just stumbled upon this blog make sure you hit the subscribe button.

Right must go and complete the preparations for this Sunday's Fair we will also be at the Tullyvin fair in Cootehill, Cavan on Monday so we hope to see you at either if not both, please come over and say hi. Until next time HAPPY CRAFTING XX

Calendar of Events for 2013

If you haven't seen them already the events for 2013 are now live on our website www.downland-crafts.com and are going fast. Exhibitor spaces at our March fair have already sold out.

You can now make your booking(s) online for any published event and our website contains all the information you need on each fair including venue, date, times, cost and table size. Payment can be made via PayPal or credit card by selecting your catgegory and there is a booking form to complete with your details.

Certain categories sell out much faster than others so book early to avoid disapointment. If you wish to pay by cheque or postal order no problem, just complete the booking form online and email us at irishcraftfairs@downland-crafts.com so that we can hold your space until the payment arrives. Please note that if payment is not received within two weeks of form completion we will assume the space is no longer required and it will be made re-availabe to purchase. All stands must be paid for before the event.

For a list of our upcoming events click the events tab on the top right of the screen.

2013 Events Calendar

I trust everyone enjoyed the recent festivities, we are now busy finalising the details for this years craft fairs and the events list will be available at the end of this month. If you are on our mailing list we will email you with all the details before posting them here. If you wish to be added to our mailing list then just email irishcraftfairs@downland-crafts.com or complete the form on our website http://www.downland-crafts.com/events.html 
 
We will be hosting fairs at the Slieve Russell Hotel and the Farnham Arms Hotel as we did last year and dates for these venues will be shown on the list. We will also be adding venues later in the year and the updated list will be posted here, on the website and on Facebook.
 
We are making some changes this year including the ability to book through our website which was a popular request last year. Full details will be included in all postings and emails.
 
Look out for further information coming next week until then Happy Crafting.