Flibbertygibbet

For Baby Lucy

I sort of forgot that I finished this.  It's being delivered tomorrow.

It's simple but I'm really pleased with the colours.  I hope Lucy's mum will be too. 

Mad as hell and twice as ugly

Well that's a lesson learned.

The conversation with the market organiser, two weeks ago, (just after the tornado market, in fact, on the 7th) went something like this:

Flib:    So I'd like to book one more day, the 16th of December.

MO:     Right, so you want to book the 9th and 16th...

Flib:    No, not the 9th, I told you last week I couldn't do the 9th.  Just the 16th.

MO:     Oh right, right, right [trails off, obviously fascinated by something outside the window, or hitching up her socks, or anything but running her business]

Flib:    And I wanted to ask you about a better rate [Flib's been told by other market traders that due to the complete lack of organisation - and lighting - all the other traders have negotiated a discount]

MO:     Ooh, well, um, the thing is we have to bring everything in, the canopies, the generator, the lighting... [Thinking - yeah, but not the footfall but what do I care about that...]

Flib:   I've had three weeks of trading where it's been dark from 3pm and there hasn't been any lighting. [Thinking - if this is such an unsuitable location, they why use it?]

MO:    Well I suppose I could give you £10 off for each week there wasn't any lighting.

Flib:  Thank you, I appreciate that. [Pitiful sense of inappropriate gratitude preventing Flib from thinking too deeply about whether she should be bothering with this market again]

MO:   So what are you going to do, send me a cheque or pay me on the day?

Flib:  Well I guess I'll pay you on the day [Thinking she'll deduct another tenner if she's piddling about in darkness again come half past three]

MO:  Fine, see you then.

So I get there this morning, and you can probably guess what happened... my friend Keith the Chocolate man, mentioned "the email we got last night" and the alarm bells started to go off.
MO wrote down my booking on the wind with her imaginary paintbrush and went off to La La land for the afternoon.

I decided I would be firm and stand my ground.  Surely relaying the conversation to MO would jog her mind?

NO.

Firstly she said 'But you didn't turn up last week,' and I pointed out that I was never supposed to be there on the 9th. But what really pissed me off was when she told me that 'any proper business person would have sent an email and a cheque'. Meaning that I should have emailed her.  Yes, if you are dealing with someone like MO, then that's probably true.  And there's my lesson learned. She was incredibly rude and that just made me think - why the hell give her any more of my incredibly hard earned cash?  Also during the previous markets she had been going on about this being the big day in the run up to Christmas:

PARTY DAY!! SAT 16 DECEMBER WITH  D.J. BIG ED,  Free Moroccan Tea, Wine & Food Tasting, Chocolate and Marshmallow fountain

Eh, yeah. Here's hoping it will be ok in the dark, as the lighting probably won't work again.  I had thought 'yeah, sounds great,' and was also really pleased that it was featured on Daily Candy, a very cool listings site/mail-out, as the thing to do this weekend.  And then was not entirely surprised but exasperated to find out this morning that MO expected the stallholders to chip in to pay for all this entertainment.  Funny how she forgot to mention this in the preceeding month as she talked it up.

So I'm almost over it all now, having spat it out at all of you - and I'm giving myself a kick in the pants and I'm going to go to Camden Market tomorrow. It's actually a little cheaper for a pitch, and even though it was scary as a customer, I'm going to go and chance it.  I don't think I'll do any more markets after Christmas but I'm giving it one last chance. 

Dear god, wish me luck.  I'm really beginning to think that the universe is trying to tell me something.

You can all come out now...

...the whingeing has stopped.  Firstly, thank you so much to all of you who sent cyber hugs, emails, and offers of sewing machines (thank you Claire!) On pain of sounding like an Evening Standard journo,

THANK GOD FOR LOCAL SHOPS!

I had a phone call just after lunch to say that it wasn't as serious as feared and the machine was ready for collection, and popped the five minutes down the road to get it.  That turned into a free tutorial on how to use the automatic button hole, and basically they were incredibly helpful.  I think I may still go down the route of buying an industrial machine from them, but now it's not so urgent, plus I can use my domestic machine for the occasional bit of overlocking etc so I don't need to buy two machines.  All together now - hurrah! [Flib finally gathers up the last of toys she chucked out of the playpen on Saturday]  So the quilt top is done...

Next I'm showing a WIP and some souvenirs...

The WIP part is my first attempt at simple freezer paper stencilling.  There will definitely be more to come!  I've got lots of samples of this wool weight fabric in various colours, again thanks to Ethel, and I want to stencil images and symbols on it for purses. 

The souvenir part is the badges from The Reindeer's crackers, from Saturday night.  You walk in through a car park off Brick Lane, looks a little grim, and when you emerge upstairs it's a masterful concoction of glittery pink stars, blue lit pine trees and blurrily efficient waiting staff.  I was among the first three of our party to arrive and we decided to start with cocktails - the Reindeer Martini was Ketel Citroen vodka with elderflower, presented in a champagne coupe and decorated with redcurrants.  All very festive.  All very eye-wateringly elderflowerish.  The senior barman noticed the look on my face as my eyes rolled back in my head from the overwhelmingly 'cordial' effect - as in it tasted like it should be diluted with a pint of water, rather than making for a genial experience.   A second shot of vodka, proferred by senior barman, improved it no end.

You know, after two of those, I really shouldn't have noticed what the food was like.  But I went against my first instinct when ordering (dear god, when will I learn) and chose the steak rather than the risotto.  The waiter had called it 'a gud steak' in his lovely Scottish acccent.  Yeeeeeeeees, but only if you have a penchant for boot leather.  Ideally I like my steak blue or perhaps rare (I only order steak somewhere I assume it will be a prime piece of meat, basically) and to be on the safe side ordered it medium rare.  And then sent it back to be cooked more.  You know that old joke about 'How did you find the steak?' 'Oh I looked under the peas and there it was' - in this case they hid the dauphinoise potatoes under the steak because they were carbonised. By dessert I had given up hope but did try the chocolate and raspberry cake which had an alarmingly sharp fruit tang which was almost metallic. 

Next up was the cabaret.  I had hoped the (sound alert!!) Puppini Sisters were doing our show, but they'd been on earlier for the 4.30 show.  We were treated to Kiki and Herb. Eh.  It just wasn't a patch on the cabaret at Pigalle, say, but part of the problem may have been that there was just a little too much of Kiki and Herb.  Diluted, as part of a bill, they may have worked better.

All in all, we came to the conclusion that yes, it was worth going. It was an experience.  They got away with murder on the food.  But it was still worth it, simply for the sheer spectacle and the triumph of style over substance.  But that's ok as it's all disappearing after twenty-three days, the entire substance of it will be dismantled and removed, it's a pop-up restaurant.  Because remember, kids:  The Reindeer is not for life.  It's just for Christmas.

All I needed was a carpet bag

Oy, what a day!

Copyright Trevor Leighton, Times Online Gallery

Ok, so it wasn't quite like this at Waterloo today - but it wasn't far off.  After a stop-start journey en route which stressed me a little, I was hoping for a good day for my only market this week as the organisers had put a lot of effort into getting a full programme of events for the day, culminating in the switching on of the Christmas lights at 6pm with activities afterwards.  Apparently.

I was long gone by then.  From ten o'clock until about eleven I was happily setting up, chatting with the stallholders beside me, ignoring the cars driving past, the gentle drizzle and the general banging and clattering.  At one point I thought I heard thunder, but then told myself not to be silly, I'd checked every conceivable weather forecast and the worst prospect was some light rain. 

It came out of nowhere - a rapid darkening of the skies, a gush of wind - then all hell broke loose as four stalls, despite being weighted down with steel blocks as well as our various treasures, simply took to the pavements and damn near took out passing pedestrians.  Ah ha ha, how I had laughed when I was taking out my product and public liability insurance and the broker told me that I'd be covered for everything, "...even the stall falling on someone".  Gulp. Luckily there were two guys standing on the pavement and they jumped in, each one grabbing a canopy and holding them down (actually, pushing them back) while we scrabbled about picking things up.  The woman beside me from Jinx's Cat lost a lot of stock, but what was even worse was the woman who had a beautiful selection of teacups and china - all wiped out.  I've just had the washing machine on overload this evening and I'll have to redo all the labels but it could have been much worse.

After discussion with the organisers I agreed to stay as they provided a sturdier stall - a bit like this one, from Eastenders.  Minus the fruit and veg, obviously.  And the sunshine, unfortunately. The blusteriness continued and it didn't make for a convivial shopping experience for the few people who scurried past in the wind.

About three o'clock it looked like it might all happen again.  I thought to myself - I need a sign, stay or go... and the drops started to fall.  Like auditory neon, I suddenly heard someone calling my name - Caroline!  A pal from knitting.  We managed to get everything packed away in about ten minutes and ran over to the pub just as it really started to wee down.  I'm home, exhausted, sitting on the couch, flanked by two cats.  In a house that's intact, unlike those poor people in Kensal Rise where some houses lost walls, not only roofs.  But we're still here, and counting our blessings.  Happy and snug, all us three.

Chocolate Martinis

Denise is indeed correct.  Chocolate Martinis are quite wonderful.  So are Apple and Cinnamon Martinis, and Pear and Ginger Martinis, at this place...

However, I have decided to skip on to the next stage which is Sod It, Get On With It, It's Time to Start the Diet [Tomorrow]. 

My textbooks for the next month.  I got as far as Week 8 of TAW so I'm going to resume and then get into YBYY with a group of online friends.  It was great to see the parents, lots of straight talking and there are things to attend to now in the short term which will help 2007 to be my BBY.

Here's what I spent today doing:

Two of the dozen pairs of earrings I made today, from sequins, bugle beads, Swarovksi crystals, iolites, silver chain and antique beads.  Little light-catchers for the party season.  They're actually quite delicate wee things - the bowl of the martini glass is about two inches high, just little liquer glasses.  Perfect for miniature chocolate martinis!  Only kidding...probably...

Hiding away...

My crafting companion - also hiding away

Yes, I've been hiding and things have been rollercoastering, as is to be expected.  But there have also been a few unexpected things. 

I had a very minor lottery win - about £70, which was just about the same amount I'd spent on materials earlier that day, hurrah!

The second market day wasn't great either - heavy showers meant the dismal footfall of last week was decreased further, plus the organisers started to put the lighting up at about 4.00pm - just in time for packing up.  I think that because there are no sides or back to the canopies the products don't stand out so well, which was made worse by the lack of lighting.  Though my visual merchandising skills grow each week, you still have to be able to dismantle things and move them out of the rain, as yesterday...plus as it's all handmade, I don't have tons and tons of stuff to display. But it does get better every week.  I've been offered another stall at a Christmas market which I'm going to do, details to follow, and may do one day at Camden market.  Apparently if you make your own stuff you get priority.  Must get a sign for 'Flibbertygibbet's Parlour'.  Also a couple talked to me for a long time about a bed-sized quilt for their little girl, which would be a really big commission.  I do hope they get back in touch with me.  I'm determined to press on with it until Christmas and have also started to properly research a connected business proposal that has been at the back of my mind for a long time.

Big conversations chez Flib this morning.  STBXH (Soon To Be Ex-Husband - hereafter XH) is going away for the New Year and I can't say I blame him.  I joked that if I could find a residential embroidery course I'd be gone too.  Does anyone know of any workshop type courses over the new year, in the UK?  Do let me know if you do, for any sort of crafting. Distraction would be great.  Lots of practical things to think about, such as who's going to mind the mogs over Christmas, as if they go to XH's mother they wouldn't be back until the middle of January and I'd miss them too much.

Lots more ideas for things for the shop, wristlets (which Emilia Fox was looking at on Saturday, but I didn't get the chance to talk to her as another woman was chatting away about what I was knitting - still the same scarf for Mum - and then her friend called her away to look at the organic vegetables, dammit) which are made out of some of the famous Ethel stash, and finished with either pearl snaps or vintage buttons - probably vintage buttons for the rest of them, actually.  There are a couple of things which are still under wraps for another few days, but if they work out the way I'm hoping I'll be very excited. 

And in the spirit of our friends across the pond this week, things I'm thankful for:

Alphabet friends - C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K  who've all been great this week.

Scissor Sisters - going to see them tonight, and as most of the second album seems to be about break-ups  - or at least that's the way I'm hearing it - it will be good to sing along.

Parents - coming to see me next week. Better finish the scarf.  Mum's birthday is on Tuesday.

Bags of fun

Lots of crafty goodness happened yesterday.  It's mostly for the stall next week, but will also post them on my other website

Shoe bags!  This is a small one, for pumps or flats.

For your Manolos, Jimmy Choos, Emma Hopes... longer and sewn into two separate pockets to avoid them damaging each other.  The trim goes around the back too. 

Another shoe bag - pretty slippers.  Again sewn into two pockets.

And these are my 'Dirty Weekend' laundry bags - no more stuffing your dainties into a crappy plastic bag when you're packing to come home. Both these and the shoe bags are approximately 30cm x 44cm so big enough but not too big.

I just love these novelty fabrics, mostly ordered from the US.  There's a gap in the market here, I tell you...

I forgot to wish him a happy birthday this morning.  Whoops.  I feel really mean now.  It may be me unconsciously acting on my [hopping mad] grandmother's earlier outburst of 'I hope she doesn't even wish him a happy birthday'...

Into the wild blue commercial yonder

I spent most of today being a lady who lunches, at the Connaught for a wonderful - and reasonable - lunch. A friend of mine is expecting her second baby, and has just gone on maternity leave but she has a few weeks to go and her son is in nursery a couple of days a week. She wanted us to go somewhere nice: "the kind of place that won't let me in when I have two children'. I presume she meant 'with her'.

The food, the service, it was all just sublime. I have to confess, the atmosphere felt a little too buttoned-down when I was waiting for my lunch date, but I happily gazed at the intricacies of the cornicing and the ceiling, and let the waiting staff flutter by me. When my friend arrived and we got talking, the sommelier could have caught fire and we wouldn't have noticed, so engrossed were we. Also the dining room filled considerably and it was as if the party was given leave to begin.

The menu consisted of:
* Atkins-antithesis breads - grissini, focaccia, carta musica, sourdough with xv olive oil and tapenade.

* Amuse-bouche of melon and parma (I polished all of this off while I was waiting - but if it was for two of us, why was there only one fork?)

* with the compliments of the chef, a teensy-weensy bowl of langoustine jelly (the only slightly off-key note in the entire meal, for me. Fishy jelly. Just say no, kids.)

*Spaghetti with broadbeans, pancetta and courgettes [her]; tuna nicoise - delicate slivers of melt in the mouth sush-quality tuna, on a parmesan crisp with a jewel like poached quail's egg on top, accompanied by fine beans and olives, decorated with courgette flowers [me]

*lamb with aubergine, red wine jus [her]; risotto with asparagus, courgette and garden peas [me]

*chocolate sabayon on a white chocolate disc, berry sorbet [her, me and most of the rest of the restaurant, from what we could see]

* Coffee came with five divinely perfect miniature macaroons, like the ones that Paul make, but roughly the diameter of a pound coin - in vanilla, pistachio, strawberry, orange and chocolate. There was also a complimentary basket of cherries. I started to wonder if in fact a member of my family was in the kitchen saying 'Go on, give them some of this stuff too! Feed them up a little' - despite the fact that an outsider would be hard pressed to decide from a distance which one of us was the pregnant one.

All in all, very elegant, very luxurious, almost a little decadent. Sometimes it's really nice to play at being a grown-up.

I've decided to listen to my husband (he should take note, it's not that frequent an occurence...) and I'm now offering my iPod covers as the first item in my little blog shop. This is the precursor to doing some of the London markets, the next big step!