PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Monday 9 April 2012

Marketing Memories

Davina, our daughter,  asked me to hunt down some old photographs and this led to me having to get the enormous box of photographs down and then trawl through each and every one.  Most of them were pretty dire, although they all hold memories of one kind or another.

I still haven't found some of the ones she wanted, but I came across these two, which show a time
I had completely forgotten about.   It was probably twenty years ago and I joined some fellow crafters in taking a market stall for one afternoon a week,  through the summer holiday season.  That's a young Jonny lending his mum some moral support.
I used to paint on silk and normally sold my creations (scarves, cushion covers, cards, sachets, hair bands, etc)  through craft fairs and craft outlets.  This was much more fun because it was out in the open air,  not far from Cleethorpes sea front.    I also gave silk painting demonstrations - when the weather permitted.  Because this was England the weather threw virtually everything at us, still we soldiered on.

The worst part of it was packing everything away at the end of the day, the good thing was that we only lived two minutes drive away!

15 comments:

  1. Love your photos, Elaine. You are very talented doing all those craft things. I used to make my own clothes and my daughter's when she was little. I don't seem to have or make the time now.

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    1. Hi Molly, Wow, now that is a skill I have never mastered! My mum used to make our clothes and was forever knitting. I keep trying on the knitting front, but think scarves and pot holders and you'll know the level I am at... the trouble is that I love wool. I keep on trying.

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  2. Ah, yes, packing it all away. Now that I don't miss. And I recall once explaining to our accountant our sales were so much lower one year than the previous--it rained ten weekends that summer. But, I loved the people and the sunshine. Didn't you!

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    1. Hi Joanne, It was enormous good fun - lots of people interested to learn how it is done - the pleasure of spending some time with crafting friends and some sales to make it worth while. Both my older children had summer jobs at the amusement park a couple of miles up the road so we'd all get home in a similar mood according to what the weather had done that day!

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  3. Hello Elaine....I'm smiling, because I have been digging through some boxes of old photos. I'm very interested in your silk painting and would love to have a lesson or two....oh, I forgot, we live on different continents. I, for one, would love to see something you have painted on silk, like a scarf. When I was younger, I was a candle carver. I would do the craft fares. The setting up the booth and packing up when it was over, got very old and tiresome.

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    1. Hi Meggie, The sad thing is that I have very few of the things which I painted back then. I may have one scarf, a few paintings, but that is about it. Candle carving sounds interesting - did you ever use other mediums? I didn't mind the setting up - each time was fresh with hope, but oh my word the end of the day! I suppose that is how I am though, I love these bright spring mornings and find my energy levels are high but the other end of the day I kind of fade..

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    2. Hi Elaine....I still have all the equipment to make candles from the wick up. I have these large vats of wax that you heat up. I would pour the clear wax in molds to make a core candle. That is what I took to the the shows. At the show, I would dip the core in the colored wax and build up 20 or 25 layers of wax. After that, I had less than 10 minutes to carve with a knife, to quickly make twists and turns, revealing the core candle. They were beautiful, but hard work. I'll e-mail you later in the week....

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    3. Hello Meggie, That sounds fascinating - you must have a good eye and a sure and steady hand to work so quickly. I imagine people were absolutely mesmerised when they watched you work. Ah...the fun we could have!

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  4. Going through old photos is always an emotional adventure. Pictures of long-gone relatives and even beloved pets can make you melancholy. Yet, looking at baby and childhood pictures can be a delight. Pictures of ourselves can even be a revelation at times.
    Enjoy your box of memories!

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    1. Hi Ms Sparrow, You are absolutely right, it was emotional - but it was also interesting to see how many photographs should have been thrown out years ago. Out of focus, partial, dark shots of unidentifiable beings, of no us to anyone. Many of the others had me reminiscing about my babies! I confess one or two of the cat photographs had me completely perplexed and I am ashamed to say I couldn't name one of them and nor could George. It is a task I must set the family.

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  5. I'm not too sure if Jonny will thank you for that one, at least he's almost smiling. Whether that's to help his dear Mum, or his liking towards 'Monstermania' on his shirt, I don't know.

    I am amused though, as it gives me similar memories of being karted to such events with my Mum, as she was also a crafts fanatic back in her day.

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    1. Hi Gavin, So that's what it says on his shirt, I couldn't read what it said. I can't for the life of me remember who took the photograph - but Jonny does look quite happy. I'm glad it brings back happy memories for you. xx

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  6. I used to go to craft fairs some long time ago selling patchwork this and that and also children's clothes made with funky fabrics. I remember them being good times of camaraderie between all the different crafter......ahh the old times. Old photographs bring back so many memories.

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    1. Hi cuby poet, That sounds wonderful, do you still do patchwork at all? I must admit the camaraderie was a big part of what made that summer season so good! Old photos are great, but what should be a quick job always takes so much longer as I skip along memory lane.

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  7. THese are great! Love the glasses. :)

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