The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court 2017

Yesterday I went to The Handmade Fair with my sister for the third year in a row. I really love going to The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court, it’s a great way to learn some new skills and of course go shopping for craft supplies!

The Handmade Fair takes place on Hampton Court Green, opposite Hampton Court. It’s a nice location although pretty difficult to get to from our corner of London. We arrived with plenty of time to go shopping before our first workshop.

Full experience tickets include a Grand Make, Skills Workshop and the Super Theatre. I booked super early which meant some extra workshops were added after I’d booked, which was a little annoying. I booked us on an extra Grand Make so our day was pretty packed.

Grand Make – Wooden Floral Wreath

Using Artcuts wooden shapes, we created a pretty hanging floral wreath embellished with delicate mini blossoms, petals and leaves. We learned how to colour the wood using specialist inks and also how to decorate with interesting layering techniques.

Skills Workshop – Introduction to Brush Lettering

We worked with brush and ink to create a range of different strokes and letters. We then experimented with coloured inks and gift tags.

Super Theatre – Kirstie on the sofa with Holly Tucker

Holly discussed her journey from alternative wreath maker to founder of notonthehighstreet.com. Now launching her second business Holly & Co, designed to support and inspire creative small business and artisans, Holly also discussed practical advice on how to turn your passion and hobby into a full time job.

Grand Make – Happy Hand-stitched felt keyring

We made a fun felt keyring with Kirsty Hartley of Wild Things. Renowned for designing bright and happy clothes, Kirsty she showed us how to hand sew this simple shape using cut felt to create a unique accessory to take away.

I enjoyed all of the events, my favourite was the pretty wooden floral wreath and I admit to buying some supplies from the Artcuts stand after! I didn’t go too crazy in the shopping villages but picked up a Crafty Folks Template pack from Fairy Made Paperart and a sweet felt sloth kit from The Make Arcade. I didn’t make half the things I bought last year so was careful to not overspend.

The weather was a bit of a mixed bag but all the workshops were under cover so it didn’t ruin our day.