Summer Craft & Gift Fair

Summer Craft & Gift Fair

Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan.

Sunday 10th July

12-5pm

Free admission

#summercraftandgiftfair

http://www.downland-crafts.com/summer-fair-srh.html

 

Thank you

We just wanted to say a big thank you to all the exhibitors and everyone who came to see us yesterday at our annual Christmas Craft & Gift Fair in the Slieve Russell Hotel. We especially want to thank those of you battled through the floods and those that travelled a long way. A couple of our vendors unfortunately couldn't make it through and had to turn back. We ourselves took longer to get to the venue because of road closures due to flooding and fallen trees, so we know it may have been tricky for you. All our customers are very special to us including the lovely couple that regularly drive down from Dublin to see us as well as being regulars at our Facebook sales. It's great when we get to meet you in person and put a face to the name.

Look out for details of our festive offers coming soon, these will be for a limited time only so be quick and don't miss out.

If you are interested in taking a table at one of our future Craft & Gift Fairs then we do have a separate mailing list for that and you can find a link to sign up for that one by clicking here.

As always if you have any questions don't hesitate to email us, we will do our best to answer you within 24 hours, Monday - Friday (except bank holidays) 9.00am - 6.00pm, though it usually takes much less!

Until next time, happy crafting.
Trish & Tom

Christmas Craft & Gift Fair

Hello there crafters, a quick reminder that our Christmas Craft & Gift Fair is taking place this coming Sunday 6th December from 12noon - 5.00pm in the Woodford and Erne Suites at the beautiful Slieve Russell Hotel in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan and we'd love you to join us. As always we will have around 60 stands showcasing the best in handmade crafts, quality giftware and craft supplies. You can pop over to Facebook and visit our event wall where you can see who will be there and their great products.

Whilst you're there don't forget to click going and invite all your friends. If you could give us a share that would be great and much appreciated by all involved.

If you have any questions or would like to get involved just ask, you can find all our contact information on the website.

Until next time, happy crafting and hope to see you on Sunday.

Trish (& Tom)

Summer Craft & Gift Fair

 

 
Not long to go now until our annual Summer Craft & Gift Fair in the Woodford Suite, Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan taking place in just over 2 weeks on Sunday 12th July, 2015.
 
We'd love to have you come and see us, this event is now in its 4th year andis the perfect place for some retail therapy.

With over 30 stands showcasing a whole host of handcrafted items and quality giftware including greeting cards, jewellery, glassware & ceramics, art, knitting & crochet, skincare & cosmetics, fairy doors, shaped crayons, wash bags for children, jam, handbags, fairy doors, candles, vintage collectibles, baked goods, craft supplies, homewares and accessories you're sure to find some treasures.
 
Free admission!

For further information visit the events section of our website at www.downland-crafts.com

Or telephone 049 436 4877 or 087 189 6229

Any New Years Resolutions?

So who is making New Year's resolutions? Just the one or a few? I think my own should be the same as it was last year to blog more often. Ah well, they say God loves a tryer and I do try....honest!

We have lots of plans for 2015 and it's going to be a very exciting year for us with lots of new product launches including our very own range of stamps.

Yep, it's been busy at DC designing and having samples made and if you are a member of our new Facebook group you will already know that our first set of stamps has been produced and is now in the testing stage. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see your very own designs actually made into physical stamps and my heart was beating faster when the delivery man arrived and the big smile stayed on my face all day.

Of course we want to make sure that the quality and price is right for our customers so are testing stamps from different companies and using different mediums to ensure we only get the best. You can join our Facebook group by clicking this link and keep up do date with the latest news plus take advantage of special offers especially for our Facebook followers only. This group was set up especially so that we could get to know our customers better and see what you are making with your purchases from us. Many people told us that with all the recent changes to Facebook they were not always receiving notifications from our page so we thought this would be the perfect solution. When you join us be sure to say hello and tell us what your favourite craft is. www.facebook.com/groups/DownlandCrafters

Following customer feedback we are also expanding our 925 sterling silver range of findings. These new items will be available to purchase on our website very soon and will include ear wires, head pins, eye pins and split rings which offer extra protection and are the perfect solution if you find your beading wire can sometimes slip through the cut on a regular jump ring.

For those of you who are interested in our 2015 craft & gift fair events we will have new dates for you at the end of January. The new calendar will be available as always on our website via the events section and anyone already on the list, which currently has over 500 names on it, will be emailed with details. If you are not already on our mailing list you can join by simply adding your details to our online form and then click submit. Once your details have been successfully added we will send you a confirmation email. http://www.downland-crafts.com/mailing-list.html

Our January sale will be starting on Friday 2nd January and will run for the whole month, stock permitting. New items may be added as we do a bit of a clearance on low stock end of line items so keep checking back so you don't miss a bargain. We will also be offering extra special offers to our Downland Crafters group on Facebook so don't forget to join in the chat.

Until next time....happy crafting!
Trish (& Tom)

Christmas Craft & Gift Fair

Good evening, bad blogger here! Yes I know it's been ages. So much for the New Year's resolution back in January to blog more often, oh well, looks like I'll be making the same resolution again this year. Anyway the reason I decided to finally write another post was to tell you about our fast approaching Christmas Craft & Gift Fair.

This annual event is now in it's 3rd year and offers the perfect place for some retail therapy whether you have presents to buy or simply love beautiful things. It is being held on Sunday 7th December in the beautiful Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co, Cavan. This year we will be in a different room and you can find us at the Cranaghan suite at the rear of the hotel near the spa between 12.00pm and 5.00pm.

With 65 stands we will have a whole host of handmade crafts, food items, craft supplies and giftware including handmade greeting cards, handmade beaded & gemstone jewellery as well as fashion jewellery, glassware & ceramics, art using various mediums, knitted & crocheted items, skincare & cosmetics, candles & soaps, jams & chutneys, bags, fabric crafts, fairy doors, confectionery, baked goods in the form of cakes, mince pies, Christmas puddings & gingerbread houses, wood crafts such as plaques, bowls and toys, millinery, gift baskets, vintage collectibles, paper craft & jewellery making supplies, craft kits and much, much more.

There will also be a raffle, face painting and live music from the fabulous In Harmony. There is no admission charge at the door so be sure to pay us a visit.

If you have visited our website lately you will know that we have added many new and exciting products to our range recently including new unmounted rubber stamps, cd's, gorgeous ribbon and our latest Ann's Party range of earrings.

Party Paws Christmas un-mounted rubber stamp sheets featuring a large focal image and 3-4 sentiments depending on the design. 8 designs to choose from at only €4.99 per sheet.

http://www.downland-crafts.com/rubber-stamps.html

Party Paws Cd-Roms available in Christmas and PDF based Festive Fancies.

The perfect addition to your yuletide crafting stash at only €14.99 each.

http://www.downland-crafts.com/cds-and-dvds.html


Our new range of ribbon includes this 38mm wired faux burlap as well as top quality grosgrain.

Grosgrain is available in both Christmas designs featuring wording and pictures and also crafter's ribbon especially designed to compliment your crafty makes with wording such as 'made in Ireland', 'handmade with love', knitted with love and more.



These ribbons have proven to be extremely popular and you can see the whole range currently available on our website.

http://www.downland-crafts.com/grosgrain.html

be sure to take a look before they all sell out.

Our new range of Ann's Party earrings feature two aluminium scales one large, one small.

These lightweight and easy to wear earrings are perfect for the festive season and beyond. Currently available in 12 colour combinations.

http://www.downland-crafts.com/anns-party-gp-earrings.html


All these goodies and more will be available on our stand at the Craft & Gift Fair along with handmade Christmas cards and more. If you see something on our website that you would particularly like us to bring with us on the day simply send an email to sales@downland-crafts.com and we'll be sure to pop it in the van.

 

Spring Craft & Gift Fair

Hello everyone, hope you are well. Don't forget our Spring Craft & Gift Fair is on tomorrow, Sunday 30th, in the beautiful Cavan Crystal Hotel. We will be there with our handmade greeting cards and jewellery plus a selection of our paper crafting and jewellery making supplies. Of course it wouldn't be a fair with just Downland Crafts so joining us will be some of your favourite regulars as well as some new faces taking a table with us for the first time.

 

There will be 31 exhibitors offering handmade items and giftware including wood crafts (bowls, clocks, chopping boards, plaques, toys), greeting cards, artwork, jewellery, glassware (handpainted glasses, tiffany glass), mosaic, knitting & crochet (toys & clothes), soaps, candles, furniture, leathercraft, skincare, pottery, craft supplies (paper crafts, jewellery making & knitting), blankets, incense, fabric crafts (toys, tablecloths & runners, aprons, bags, shawls), jam, eyewear, incense sticks & accessories and face painting. Plenty of choice for everyone I'm sure you'll agree. A full list of exhibitors and their products can be found on our website by clicking here.

 

This fair is the perfect place to pick up a last minute gift for your Mum or why not bring her along for a great day out and perhaps treat her to something special, she could even choose her own present.

 

There will also be lots of items suitable for first communion and confirmation, plus many exhibitors will happily take commissions, simply tell them what you are looking for and they will do their best to assist you.

 

Admittance is FREE so no nasty shocks at the door if you want to bring the whole family or come as a group with your friends.

 

The Cavan Crystal are also offering a fantastic four course lunch on the day including a glass of wine for only €25 per adult in their award winning restaurant Opus One, so you can enjoy a meal while you are there.

 

We do hope you will join us and if you have any questions don't hesitate to give us a call on 087 189 6229.

 

See you there!

 

What's new

We are well into 2014 now and I am wondering if anyone has managed to keep their new years resolutions? As you can see my own resolution to blog at least once a month has been an epic fail. Oh well apart from the fact that I could possibly be the worst blogger in history a lot has been happening at Downland Crafts and it's been a very exciting time for myself and Tom.

Anyone who knows me will probably know that I am a huge fan of Kanban and was very sad to see them go and ecstatic to hear they were coming back. What fun I had going through their product list and doing a bit of retail therapy, for you all of course, and ok for myself as well. I hope you like the toppers I chose for our first lot of stock, if you have any favourites let me know and I'll see if we can get them for you.

 

Check out our current range by clicking here

 

 

As in previous years we are planning to host some craft & gift fairs and our first is at the end of the month. There will be over 30 exhibitors at the spring craft & gift fair on Mother's Day in the beautiful Cavan Crystal Hotel offering handmade items and giftware including wood crafts, greeting cards, artwork, jewellery, glassware, knitting & crochet, soaps, candles, furniture, skincare, craft supplies, incense, fabric crafts and face painting. Pick up a last minute gift for your Mum or bring her along for a great day out and perhaps treat her to something special. There will also be lots of items suitable for first communion and confirmation, plus many exhibitors will happily take commissions. Admittance is FREE and the Cavan Crystal are also offering a fantastic four course lunch including a glass of wine for only €25 per adult in their award winning restaurant Opus One.



 

Full details and exhibitor list available on our website by clicking here

 

There are lots of plans for this year to add some projects both card making and jewellery making to this blog and so far I have the menu done...well at least that's a start. I am always impressed by the fantastic blogs that seem to have no end of inspiration on a regular basis and I promise I will try to make this one a great place to visit. We've done a lot of work on the website improving and upgrading, now we need to focus our attention on the blog. I will admit to spending far more time on Facebook than I should but it is great to chat to all the lovely crafters and share ideas and tips, the problem is when I start chatting I find it hard to stop. If you fancy a chat it's the best place to find me so why not stop by our page and say hi.

 

Until next time...and I promise it won't be so long...happy crafting!

Trish

 

 



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

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.

Craft Fair

Spaces are now full for our upcoming event in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan on Sunday 18th November, 2012. Some exhibitors are still to confirm their spaces and if any bookings fall through I will post an update. For more information and to see some photo's posted by the exhibitors please visit our facebook events page https://www.facebook.com/IrishCraftFairs?ref=tn_tnmn#!/events/413671105366890/

 

November Fair

Preparations are well under way for our upcoming event in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan on Sunday 18th November, we are expecting to have over 50 exhibitors showcasing a wide variety of handmade goods, artwork and giftware so there is sure to be something for everyone. Stands will include crafting materials, greeting cards for all occasions, beaded and resin jewellery, candles, knitted and crocheted items, handpainted glassware and ceramics, paintings, bags, scarves, cushions, dolls, books, pottery, various wood crafts and food including jams, sauces, cakes, biscuits and pies.For further information check out our designated facebook page  


See you there!