One year on

.
Yesterday morning found me driving to Black Mountain for the all too rare treat of a child free breakfast with friends. It's just as well I knew Black Mountain was there because the fog was so thick I couldn't actually see Black Mountain, or even the Tower for that matter.

And it was cold. So cold. It reminded me a lot of the first market day for Flibbertigibbet and Goosey Gander, which was at Hall Market 12 months ago today. Just where has that year gone?

Unfortunately Mama Goose and I both forgot to take our cameras on our first market day, but our stall looked a lot like this:




The above photo was actually from our second market at Hall in August. It was just as cold as July from memory, but by then we'd worked out that wearing three pairs of socks each helped a lot. Not quite sufficient for us to have full feeling in our feet, but enough to ward off frostbite. Fortunately we were in a great location and hot chocolate and our favourite 'A Moment on the Lips' cupcakes were in ready supply just a few stalls away to keep our spirits (and core body temperature) up.

Looking at the photo brings back lots of memories. We have certainly come a long way since our very humble beginnings. We've only been using our marquee since the start of this year, but it seems like so long ago that we were at the total mercy of the weather. We've moved on from using bedsheets as tablecloths too - thank goodness, as they were simply awful to iron. It is interesting to look at our initial product ranges and see what has changed and what has remained the same. And I still remember the thrill of my first sale and the slight disbelief that someone else saw value in what I made and was actually prepared to pay money for it - wow!

It's been a fabulous year and a huge learning curve, and we wouldn't still be here without our customers so a big thank you to you all! I am sure the next year will be just as wonderful; I've got big plans for the remainder of July and Mama Goose and I are already working on stock for Handmade in Bloom on Saturday the 11th of September. Ah, September in Canberra - Spring, Handmade Market and Floriade - bliss!

Under the big top (and some exciting news!)

.

Today Mama Goose and I baptised our new marquee under a short and sweet sprinkling of summer rain. We've had the marquee for quite a few months now, but a low hanging tree branch above our allocated spot has thwarted our attempts to erect it. Fortunately the weather has been kind to us and all the protection we have required thus far was a hat and some sunscreen - during summer anyway, winter is a completely different matter!

Last night we dutifully checked the BOM website for Sunday's forecast:

Mostly fine until scattered showers and possible isolated

thunderstorms develop in the afternoon. Cloudy with

moderate east to southeast winds.

Hmm. We decided to take the marquee along, and due to some renovations going on at Hall, we were able to move a few feet to the side of our usual spot and - voila, up went the big top! Well, with a bit of help from our friendly neighbouring stallholders, who had much more experience with marquees than we did and took pity on us!

It was a very quiet day at Hall. I'm not sure if the threatening (but otherwise quite pleasant) weather kept customers away, but even the number of stallholders seemed fewer than usual. Mama Goose and I whiled away a very pleasant day chatting with customers, eating freshly popped Classic Kettle Corn from the stall next door (keep an eye out for their cheerful red marquee at a market or event near you, their 'slightly sweet, slightly salty' popcorn is absolutely delicious!) and discussing plans for our stall at the fast approaching Mathilda's Market.

With the 'moderate east to southeast winds' in mind, I secured

the tags in place with some ribbon and these gorgeous little

ladybird pegs. I've been hoarding them for, oh, about ten

years now - just waiting for the perfect use for them.

I think I've finally found it!

Here you can see one of Mama Goose's gorgeous new Pinny

designs hanging in the background, and some of the quilted

and denim handbags too. These bags are made exclusively

for Flibbertigibbet by my lovely and very talented

mother-in-law, Mary. I added a few new magnet designs

to the range too, and there are lots more to come!

The pegs were a great success, everything stayed

exactly where I intended.

Flibbertigibbet and Goosey Gander will be taking a break from Hall Markets for a few months. Mama Goose and I are very excited to announce that we have recently been accepted as stallholders at the Old Bus Depot Markets at Kingston, and we will be booking in for our first market there very soon. However we still intend to make further appearances at Hall from time to time. Our list of upcoming markets is on the right hand side of this blog and is updated regularly.

Christmas at Hall Market

Still on a high from our hugely successful day at Mathilda's Market, Mama Goose and I went into overdrive making sure we replenished our stock in time for the Baby and Kids Market the following week and then the last market of the year at Hall Market the week after that.


Here are some photos from the December Market at Hall. This time I remembered to take them before the customers arrived and bought half our stock! You can click on the photos to see a larger version and more detail.

A fully stocked Christmas tree.

I could have sold that bauble wreath ten times over!

All my best sellers fully stocked and ready to go.

Mama Goose did a roaring trade with her Summer range for girls.

I had to be a bit creative with displaying the daisy and crochet
flower magnets, so the Christmas tree did double duty.

Now to find something just as useful for display purposes

for the rest of the year!

We had a fantastic day. What a great way to end the year!

.

October already?

.
Well, Spring is well and truly here.

Mama Goose and I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spring and the warmer weather so that we no longer have to wear three pairs of socks each when we have our stall at Hall Market. Unfortunately those days are not quite here yet - brrr! We have been very fortunate with the absence of rain on market days however, and our new location under the trees at Hall has meant we have enjoyed the sunshine during the colder mornings but have the promise of shade for the Summer months ahead.

Here are some photos from our September market at Hall:

Here's hoping our lucky run with the weather holds until we buy a marquee!