Toasty tootsies!

Second Christmas market done -  big tick! And, quite frankly, a big pat on the back (using thermal padded gloves of course!) for braving the gale force winds and stormy conditions! We had everything thrown at us on Tuesday - strong gusts that threatened the fabric of our stall, cold rain and hailstones so fierce that we all stopped and stared - mostly because it was so loud we couldn't hold a conversation!
We arrived at lunchtime to set up, and were met by other stallholders turning on their tails and going home as conditions were just too bad. Mad as we are, we persevered and put the gazebo up, only for it to blow 3ft in seconds, even with 8kg weights on each leg! We looked around and other traders were just shaking their heads at us!
To cut a long story short, we managed, through a mixture of luck, good fortune and being in the right place at the right time, to get a plot undercover! How often does that happen? To say we were ecstatic would be the grossest understatement ever! Christmas had definitely come early for Kind Designs! So we didn't even have to check out the waterproof-ness of the new gazebo!

The night was busier than previously - the atmosphere was lovely, the Arctic-like conditions abated, and people were showing interest in our stall and I received many complimentary comments about the fingerplates. Our fingerplates are totally unique and you won't find them anywhere else - trust me, I've looked! They are different and certainly fill a gap in the market - quite literally on Tuesday! So we just need customers to think a little differently, and realise that you don't have to plump for the traditional brass or ceramic plates - ours go that little further and bring contemporary design into it, with vibrant colours and beautiful reflective surfaces. 
And the news gets better - I've found a pair of boots that keep my feet warm! I've only been searching for such an item for about 20 years! No chilblains this week! As long as I didn't stand still for too long, the tootsies were toasty! So doing a festive jig to accompany the carols playing was quite productive!

Kitchen update: slate floor is down and grouted. Tonight it's going to get its first coat of sealer - before the two adorable children rub unmentionable mess into it and stain it forever!

Second time lucky!

We're braving the gale force winds and heading to Totnes Christmas market again - let's see if the Kind Designs fingerplates are wind-proof!
Please come and give us some moral support and bring some festive cheer and warmth to our stall on the Market Square!

Roll up, roll up!

Well, Kind Designs have done their first Christmas market! We braved the rain and wind to appear at Totnes Christmas Market, and we had a lovely site on the Market Square, right behind the stage where the Samba band and other entertainers were performing!
Setting up was an experience - when we arrived, as soon as the car doors opened, so did the heavens! So everything was put out on a soggy floor whilst we (I mean myself and my friend from the Barnfield Workshop) opened her new gazebo for the first time and tried to assemble it!
It turns out reading an instruction booklet in the rain, and trying to work out which pole was A, B and C wasn't the best idea! But up it went, and then up it nearly went again - this time being swept away by the strong winds! It was by pure luck, and the fact that we were hanging on to the corners, that it didn't take off gracefully across the Totnes skyline!
Weights in place, the gazebo decided to start falling apart at the highest point - hence a quick dash to find a stepladder and strong tape!
Finally we were all set up, stock in place, fairy lights up and candles lit and looking truly festive and 'grotto-like'.

Then the heavens opened again and we quickly discovered that it wasn't a waterproof gazebo! The roof started leaking quite dramatically, so even though we were 'inside' it felt like we were outside, as the raindrops fell onto our heads and drowned out our candles!
So all in all, it wasn't the best introduction to the life of festive markets! There were quite a few people about, but the inclement weather did dampen everyone's spirits I think. And I am the proud owner of two chilblains as a souvenir!!
The Kind Designs fingerplates were generating interest, and a lot of business cards were given out, with customers asking if I was going to return next week.
And I've just been told that more stormy wet weather has been forecast for this Tuesday - do I stay or do I go?

Do I need a sheepskin coat like Del Boy?!

It's December! What do I need to get into the Christmas spirit?
Fairy lights - tick. Father Christmas - tick. Carols - tick. Musicians playing on the Bandstand - tick. Mulled wine- tick (or hick!).
As a family we were lucky enough to have all these this weekend during the spectacular Candlelit Dartmouth.

On Friday evening we shivered in the rain whilst the Christmas tree lights were switched on - plenty of lights - I am not a big fan of huge trees with only a few bulbs glistening. You have to go the whole hog and festoon the branches with hundreds of twinkling sparkles!

We then cheered the arrival of Santa by boat - not his traditional form of transport, but totally fitting in a naval town.
Saturday saw the lantern parade through the crowded streets, with handmade lanterns in all shapes and sizes, from ducks to ships. The naval theme continues!

The countdown to my first Christmas market has begun - 16 hours and counting as I type! With icy conditions predicted tomorrow, I've dug out my thermal everything and I spent all day wrapping fingerplates!
Here's our new display board - what do you think? The fairy lights do make the bevelled edges sparkle!

Here's hoping all the visitors are feeling in the 'present-buying' mood. Any profits I make I will instantly go and spend on other delightful stalls I expect!
We're at the front of the market square in Totnes, so please come and visit Kind Designs and the Barnfield Workshop. You'll find lots of Christmas goodies awaiting you!
I'll let you all know soon how it went - that's assuming I still have feeling in my fingers to type!