Happy Halloween!

So the halloween party was a huge success. The only complaint was that the time went too quickly. We had so much food and I think my homemade cupcakes looked fab next to all the other goodies.

More importantly the pumpkin carving competition. Well, I think my attempt looked pretty good (I'm not making excuses but I really didn't have much time) but I went with a taditional scene and had a go at carving. So my attempt -

Unfortunately I didn't win. I didn't even come second. In fact I came third...well joint third....ok joint third with my 4 year old cousin. I am ashamed.

I hope that you all had a great weekend full of spooky fun. I guess the next event to look forward to is bonfire night....I'm thinking a cosy night in with the other half watching V for Vendetta....
xx

Pumpkins beware! I'm going to carve you up!

So the halloween party is imminent and I am still fretting about a design for my pumpkin!
If you are not aware already my family is having a big halloween party with a pumpkin carving competition. Now, I am not normally competitive but every year since I was in my teens I have carved a pumpkin on halloween. And not to float my own boat, but I think I am getting pretty good. So I am determined to win this competition....or at least get a rosette for best effort.

But, what design, what design....
Now if I was just doing this for decoration at my own home, I would definitely be copying the image below - what a fantastic idea to have a bonfire of pumpkins.

Bonfire of pumpkins from My Fish Bowl Life

Unfortunately I think I can only enter one pumpkin (plus I don't really fancy carrying that many pumpkins all the way from London to Wiltshire). So I was thinking of something more classic such as a scary witch.

Scary Witch as seen on Instructables

Or how about a contemporary twist on the favourite scary face.

Scary face on Ideal HomeGarden website

But if I had the skill, one can only dream, I would be carving my pumpkin into a masterpiece. This is the scariest pumpkin carving I have ever seen!

Scary! as seen on the Mail online

So what do you think? Let me know if you have any ideas out there. I need help! (both mental and pumpkin carving varieties are welcome)

Now all I need to do is find a design, carve a pumpkin, bake 48 cupcakes, sort out a costume...
xx

Market day!

While we are away at the Kingfisher Craft Fayre this weekend - and the etsy shop will be closed - I thought I would give you some links to things on the internet that I think you might like. I have decided to tailor my links to a grown-up halloween themed dinner party as the spookiest day of the year is fast approaching - click on the captions to be sent to the sites.

Set the scene as your guests approach the front door, or if you are brave, have a late lunch sat outside watching the sun set as you feast.

The perfect greeting

If you opt for inside (and all UK people would be wise to!) then set your table with black and white linen, accented with small orange squashes.

The perfect sophisticated halloween dinner

And don't forget the food that you are serving! This is where you can have a little bit of fun and where the child in all of us can come out and play.

Spooky feast

And if you really want to be the perfect host send your guests away with their own trick or treat gift bag, filled with all your favourite sweeties.

Halloween treats

Have a lovely weekend and come and join me at the Kingfisher Craft Fayre in Swindon if you have the chance!
xx

Kirstie is back!

Did everyone watch Kirstie's Homemade Britain last night? What did you all think?
Kirstie has decided to show that she has earned her title as the Queen of homemade by entering into local agricultural shows. I won't give away the exact activites that took place last night, just to say it involves baking. If you didn't have time to watch it, catch up on 4OD here.

Courtsey of The Guardian TV and Radio Blog

I must admit that I love Kirstie and I think she does a great job of showing what us Brits are capable of. Sarah Beeny is also back on our screens tonight with Beeny's Restoration Nightmare, which I actually think is clashing with The Great British Bake Off Revisited. Too much telly not enough time it seems!

I also have some big news of my own - The entire Springy Beard contingent is going to be packing up its bags and moving to Wiltshire at the end of the year! This means double the amount of work with trying to pack and prepare all the markets that I have going on, but it will be worth it.

I hope you all have a nice weekend. If any of you are in Swindon, Wiltshire on Saturday come along to the Kingfisher Craft Fayre in St. Pauls, Covingham. I will be there (it is my first stall with this particular market) and it would be lovely to see friendly faces.
xx

Get your glass hanging

I was in Glasgow yesterday for the day job. Unfortunately I didn't really have much time for site seeing but I did manage to squeeze dinner in at a really lovely restaurant. It is called Ingram Wynd and is a victorian inspired Scottish restaurant, and when in Rome, I mean Scotland.....I think I've got myself confused.

The Gorgeous Interior of the Ingram Wynd

Anyway, I am not blogging to tell you about the delicious meal (although the smoked haddock fishcakes and raspberry creme brulee were amazing!). I wanted to tell you about the decor, one aspect of which I think we should take into our own homes. Rather than just have large windows with no decoration on, they had sheets of stained glass hanging in the window - see the image below. It added such a lovely touch and made beautiful coloured light flood in during the day, and coloured lights twinkle in the night.

Spot the sheets of stained glass in the window

I really think this is something you could do in your own homes - I believe Kirstie Alsopp even did a similar thing in Kirsties Home Made Home with Abinger Stained Glass.

Kirstie making stained glass

So get out there hunting for your perfect sheets of stained glass, or even make your own, and bring a bit of coloured light into your homes.
xx

Renegade

So I am swamped this weekend getting everything ready for a big new market at the end of the month with The Kingfisher Craft Fayre, in Swindon, Wiltshire on the 22nd - click here. However, I have taken a bit of time out to go to a new craft fayre in east London.

The Renegade Craft Fair is a FREE (to attend) market with all the latest indie-entrepreneurs. Based pre-dominatly in the US they have come to the UK for the first time this weekend! Along with stalls from international and local businesses, they also had workshops you could attend.

The Renegade Craft Fair

I must admit that they had a lovely range of stalls, see the images below of just a couple of the goodies on offer, but there was not as much variety as I had anticipated. And I was fully prepared to be completely intimidated by everyone, as I am only new to the fayre game, but surprisingly I think my stall could potentially hold its own.

Cufflinks by The Weekend Store

Vamped up crockery by Melody Rose

The only other problem for me was the location - and I don't mean the hour and half journey that I had to take to get there (please bring more London fayres my way)! I think the fayre might have a hard time competing with the already well established shops around spitalfields. I know I got distracted....

My new favourite shop - Elemental

One of the book stalls inside Spitalfield Market

Furniture, Books and Food. What more could a girl want.

I highly recommend going to the fayre next time its in town so visit their site - here - to keep an eye out when they are back.
xx

Zombie worker

Well, I haven't been by in a little while. I wish that I had a good excuse, but simply the day job is very hectic at the moment. I must confess that whilst at the day job my body is going through the motions, but my mind is consumed with halloween and everything related to it.

My family is having a big halloween party with costumes, games, gruesome food and a pumpkin carving competition.....which I am determined to win. But more on that later, for the moment I have created some inspirational treasury lists for anyone out there holding their own bash - click on the captions to be whizzed through to the site.

Make your home look horrible...

And because I am hunting for inspiration myself, I couldn't resist creating a halloween costume version. I'm toying between little red riding hood and a mad scientist.....

Something horrible to wear...

What are your plans for halloween?
xx