Crafty Fox Market

Jewellery Showcase - Crafty Fox Spring Market

2012-03-08T09:39:00.002Z

There are so many talented stall holders with exciting products to discover at our Spring Market. Over the next couple of weeks, the Crafty Fox will introduce you to our stall holders using product categories to help you to discover a little more of what is on offer. You will find the full list of stall holders here.

Saturday 24th March

Ceramic artist By-Louise is new to Crafty Fox and we are very excited to have her as she is a regular face on the London craft scene. Check out her 'behind the scenes' photos for a really interesting insight into her process.
Another newbie is Manolo who has created a stunning range of jewellery using her own illustrations and a cast of quirky characters each with their own unique story! For example, Gloria (shown below): 'Her wealthy father wants her to become a lawyer, but her real passion is burlesque. She performs at night in famous Vauxhall Tavern (London), because during the day she is busy studying criminal law.'
If you are a Crafty Fox regular, you may recognise Avarae17 - I love her new range of men's cufflinks which Sooze can customize to your specifications using vintage maps.

Left: By-Louise, Top: Manolo, Bottom: Avarae17

Next up is 'From Chaos Comes Beauty' - a beautiful range of stunning silver jewellery created by the very lovely Katherina. Her helpful other half Wil will be running an 'origami fox workshop' in our 2nd floor workshop area on Saturday 24th.
I will also be opening up my vintage suitcase to offer my own handmade jewellery range - Galavant. Do say hello if you stop by my stall!
Also look out for illustrated, hand cut creations from 'Stars N'Scars'. Vicky chose this name for her shop because it describes her main creative source - her hands, featuring a white star tattoo and a scar from an operation.

Left: From Chaos Comes Beauty, Top: Galavant, Bottom: Stars N'Scars

Sunday 25th March

Sunday sees a whole new cast of creative characters descend upon the Dogstar. First up, a laser cut collection of animals from 'Oh My Clumsy Heart' - who could resist foxy below!
Another new seller is the fabulous Ladybird Likes - Zoe makes her jewellery using 'bits of wood, repurposed vintage fabrics, pretty paper, and lots of love.' She has a varied collection that is sure to be a hit!
Lui handmakes her jewellery using collected travel keepsakes, from Colonial French stamps, to '60's Hong Kong souvenir slides. Her lovely collection has a very cohesive and distinctive look.

Left: Oh My Clumsy Heart, Top: Ladybird Likes, Bottom: Lui

In keeping with the current trend for geometric patterns, we are delighted to welcome 'Tri & Gull' to Crafty Fox. Sarah's architectural background shines through in the interesting collection of angular shapes and varied materials.
Meow Box, another new seller, makes jewellery good enough to eat - I think you'll agree!
Finally, look for 'Storm in a Teacup' selling from the sideboard on the ground floor. Jennifer is a Crafty Fox regular who never fails to impress. She has lots of new creations to tempt us with - I can't wait to check them out.

Top Left: Tri & Gull, Top Right: Meow Box, Bottom Left: Galavant, Bottom Right: Storm in a Teacup

Keep your eyes on the blog for our Spring Market Illustration Showcase...coming soon!

Boom Nails At Crafty Fox

2012-02-28T14:59:00.000Z

GuestPost by Ernestina Craig-Hall who will be running the Boom Nails booth at theCrafty Fox Spring Market (24^th & 25^th March, 11am –5pm)

It willbe a random blast from the past setting up a stall in the Dogstar afterspending many a late night (and early morning) there in previous years. Brixtonhas gone through massive changes since I first moved to the area in 2004 andit's been really exciting to see the evolution. I've always loved the vibe and I'm really pleasedto see that so far, the fantastic reinvention of the indoor market (sorry...Brixton Village) seems to be living alongside the hustle and bustle of thestalls that have been there for years. You can still find all sorts of stuff fromyams to specialist hair products - and I'm sure if we tried hard enough, even akitchen sink! Long may that continue.

Nails arethe second fastest growing industry in the UK (after life coaching btw) - who'dhave funk it! Not me when, at the age of13, I used to wear google eyes on my nails – that got me some pretty dodgylooks. I've always thought nail colour and art was a really easy wayto play around with fashion, to be creative - to add a splash of colour.

For me,every nail is a blank canvas waiting to be licked with whatever you fancy - andif you change your mind, no biggy - just re-do it or cover it up with anotherdelicious glossy colour. It's a great way to experiment and have somefun - and it's cheap! From the most beautiful simple nude gloss, to a pretty polka,to some crazy neon spots and stripes - whatever you fancy!

I'vealways done nail art on myself and friends, but it's only something I'verecently started doing on other people. I work full-time so I'm just doingthe odd project or individual requests at the moment, but it's been brilliantto work with Emma of Boom Nails who is a full time freelance nail artist. Sheis fantastically talented and generally a top lady so it's inspiring tohave someone to share ideas and scheme business ideas with - watch this spacefor new projects!

I lookforward to painting your nails crafty foxers and in the meantimecheck out the uber talented Emma at www.boomnails.co.uk or contact me @ErnestinaCH

Crafty Fox Spring Market - Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March

2012-02-17T15:55:00.000Z

Introducing 'Spring Fox' by Jimbobart

Join us for our Spring Market on Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March at the Dogstar, Brixton (11am - 5pm). Each day will see almost 40 different designer makers display their wares alongside a range of hands-on workshops, tea rooms and local DJ's creating that unique Crafty Fox atmosphere.

Boom nails will be setting up a nail art booth, the girls from the Tea's Knees are back on the Saturday with their amazing Tea and Cakes and you can even make an Easter Fox with the Seaside Sisters.

The market will take place over three floors - children are welcome. Entry is free and there will be fab illustrated tea-towels from our friends at Etsy for the first 25 through the doors on both days. We will also be running a competition with the printers moo.com so you can vote for your favourite stall and win prizes!

More details coming soon! Mark your diary with a paw print for Crafty Fox.

Top Tips for Market Success

2012-01-13T16:39:00.002Z

Recently, I was asked to take part in a Local Maker's Forum organised by the wonderful Makerhood. The aim was to provide crafters with help and advice about various aspects of running their business. I shared the floor with Alison Branagan, Mo Bacchus, Anne Fairbrother and Tim Sutton.

I hope you will find the advice in this short clip useful when applying for future markets. The main points covered were:
- Make sure the organisers can view clear, good quality photos of your products either via a website or by emailing with photos.
- It may help to include a picture of your market stall set up if available.
- Make sure your pricing can be seen clearly as the organisers will need to judge if your work is at the right level for their particular event.
- Try to make your work as unique as possible and highlight this in your application.
- Don't be too disheartened or take it personally if you aren't successful - events are often heavily oversubscribed.

If you have any questions about the topics covered, please don't hesitate to contact me.

You can listen to what the other panel members had to say via the Makerhood blog

.

Merry Christmas from The Crafty Fox

2011-12-23T12:15:00.000Z

We were delighted to welcome over 3000 people to The Crafty Christmas Markets at the Dogstar, Brixton on 10th & 11th December. Thank you to all who made the effort to come - it was fantastic to see so many people buying handmade gifts and supporting local makers. You can find more photos on our facebook page but here is a small selection to provide a flavour of the weekend for those who couldn't make it. A massive thank you to our friends at The Dogstar, Etsy and moo.com who helped to make the event possible.

Keep your eye out for more events from Crafty Fox coming soon and Merry Christmas to all!

Both days saw a queue outside the Dogstar before opening. The first 50 through the doors got free goodie bags

We were super excited to be featured in the Guardian

Browsing the stalls on the first floor

The Tea's Knees show off their delicious wares

Jimbobart's hand drawn plates were very popular

Lots of action on the ground floor where the DJ's keep the vibe just right

Lots to discover at The Crafty Fox Market

2011-12-07T10:03:00.001Z

This weekend, visitors to The Crafty Fox Market at the Dogstar, Brixton, are in for a treat! We have a jam-packed schedule of activities and workshops alongside over 40 unique designer makers on each day. We will be using all three floors of the Dogstar so don't forget to climb the stairs to get the full Crafty Fox experience. Thank you to Etsy.com for supporting our workshop programme.

Ground Floor

More than 20 Designer Maker stalls plus....

Seaside Sisters
Make Xmas decorations with the Seaside Sisters - learn how to make sweet pom poms from plastic bag yarn, mini pennants with iron-on transfers and fabric baubles (£2- £5).

Crafty Fox DJ’s
Local DJ’s including Hwen Rascale and Hands on Music will be taking to the decks over the weekend to keep you entertained with a range of house, soul, funk and disco tunes. If you ask the DJ, they may even give you a free Crafty Fox CD!

First Floor

A further 20 Designer Maker stalls plus....

The Tea's Knees - Pop Up Tea Room

We offer you a Classic Tea Blend grown by Tregothnan in Cornwall. Tregothnan is the UK’s only tea producer. We also have a vast selection of traditional cakes and cupcakes as well as the classic cream tea. At The Crafty Fox Christmas Market we shall also be tempting you with some festive delights and introducing the king of savoury tea time treats - the Crumpet.

Letter Lounge (Saturday Only)
A space where you can come along to write the letters you never have time for and enjoy a bit of a social. All you need to bring is the address of the person you're writing to, we'll have everything else ready for you, including free stamps!

Second Floor

Oh Sew Brixton
Sew a make-up bag workshop - £2
Oh Sew Brixton is a sewing school based in central Brixton. We teach sewing and dressmaking – beginners welcome!

Gift Wrapping with Frinton Press
Complimentary gift wrap service by Frinton Press who will also have a selection of their beautiful hand-printed papers available.

Bunting with Harriet (Sunday Only)
Harriet has everything you need to design your own bunting triangle which will be stitched together to make Crafty Fox community bunting. What are you waiting for – get creative! Free Activity

New Talent: Katia Wengraf

2011-12-04T20:38:00.001Z

We are delighted to have the very talented Katia Wengraf selling her beautiful hats at the Crafty Fox Market on Sunday 11th December.

"After studying millinery at the London College of Fashion I completed in internship with Piers Atkinson before launching my own label.

I love that hats demand something of the wearer as well as the viewer and I try and make peices which make you feel confident and playful. I've just brought out my second collection and have indulged my dorky dress up side this time.

I work on the door at Dogstar on the weekends so came to the last Crafty Fox Market. There were some amazing designers and makers and a fantastic atmosphere all day so I'm really pleased to be part of it this time round. "

Check out Katia's website to see more of her work or simply pay a visit to Crafty Fox at the Dogstar, Brixton, next weekend!

Tea and Cakes at Crafty Fox

2011-11-29T16:50:00.001Z

We are delighted to have the fantastic Tea's Knees running our pop-up tea room at The Crafty Fox Christmas Markets on 10th & 11th December. We sat down with Natalie Stevens and Rebecca Goss, the lovely ladies who run The Tea's Knees to find out more....

Why not start by telling us a bit about your background

"We met each other whilst studying photography at university and have always harboured ideas of opening a tea room.

We are a celebration of the British Tea Time and the nation’s obsession with a good cuppa and all its culinary accompaniments. We offer you a Classic Tea blend grown by the UK's only producer, Tregothnan, and a vast selection of traditional cakes and cupcakes in your favourite past time flavours, not to mention the classic cream tea. All hand made with love, care and creativity using the best quality ingredients Britain has to offer. At The Crafty Fox Christmas Market we shall also be tempting you with some festive Christmassy delights and introducing to our menu the king of savoury tea time treats - the Crumpet.

What do you hope to achieve with The Tea's Knees?

Honing in on the UK’s insatiable thirst for tea we aim to expand into a modern London tea room to satisfy the growing need for a more sophisticated cup of tea with all the added trimmings of a British menu. With an equal passion for creative learning and engagement we aspire to offer a range of accessible art workshops and activities to accompany your cuppa. Working with emerging artists and creative practitioners we hope to offer them a key central space to teach whilst providing our customers with a unique and creative environment to engage, socialise and relax.

What made you want to start The Tea's Knees?

We started the Teas Knees through a frustration in the drowning influx of coffee chains and cafes in London - hot, stuffy and dingy with not an ounce of customer service or environment to relax in. Despite Britain consuming over twice as much tea than coffee there are very few places in London that specialise in tea and its ceremony unless you are able to afford the Ritz or the Wolseley. Most traditional tea rooms are confined to the counties and we would like to bring our own modern version to the tea lovers of London.

In July we had the opportunity to put together some ideas and a concept for The Tea’s Knees at Artsmart, an art and design market organised by the University of Arts London. It was so successful it led us on to running a market stall at the Thames Festival and since then we were selected to be part of School for Creative Start ups, a one year programme that equips creatives with the skills needed to start a successful business.

What is your favourite Cake?

Nat - Toffee and Pecan
Bec - Carrot Cake with lots of cream cheese icing
We also love a good cream tea!

There are a lot of independant bakers around at the moment. What makes you different from other cake makers?

We feel it is very important to support and celebrate British farms and independent food suppliers and we have taken care to source the right high quality produce and use as much British ingredients where possible. Our loose leaf tea is grown in Cornwall, the UK’s only producer, our cream and butter is from a dairy farm in Devon and our Jam from Essex. Our intention is not is not to compete with market leading Bakeries such as Hummingbird Bakery but instead to offer an 'experience' alongside our menu, an alternative social venue to the boundless cafe's, Starbucks, Costa's etc that are out there.

Don't miss The Tea's Knees tearoom on the 1st Floor at The Crafty Fox Market, 10th & 11th December (11am - 5pm). Dogstar, Brixton

10th & 11th December - Busy weekend for Brixton

2011-11-24T15:39:00.001Z

If you are planning a trip to Crafty Fox Market on Saturday 10th or Sunday 11th December, take some time to explore the other things taking place in Brixton. It seems to be a popular weekend filled with interesting things to do - below is a selection of just some of the events taking place:

Crafty Fox Market - 10th & 11th December
The Dogstar, 389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton SW9
11am - 5pm, free entry

Three floors of handmade heaven with Crafty Fox. Over 40 different designer makers on each day, DJ's, a tea room by the Tea's Knees and a variety of hands-on workshops by Oh Sew Brixton, Seaside Sisters and others. The first 50 through the door on both days will receive a free tote bag from Etsy UK and some foxy tunes from the Crafty Fox DJ's. Get your Christmas shopping all stitched up at Crafty Fox!

The New Vintage - 10th December
Living Bar - 443-445 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9
11am - 6pm, free entry

This new monthly market features designer makers selling beautiful vintage inspired goods. Also featuring a DJ from Club de Fromage in Islington, a retro sweet shop and a recession-beating book swap.

Brixton Makers Market - 10th December
Station Road, Brixton
10am - 4pm, free entry (outdoors)
The Makers Market is part of 'Make it Grow it Sell it' - a sustainble community market with has been running a whole programme of great markets in Brixton over the past few months. There is often live music and other activities taking place as well as lots of lovely handmade items to browse.

Photo: Makerhood stall at Brixton Maker's Market by Laura Ward

Brixton Village Art Trail - Group Exhibition - 10th December
Brixton Village, Atlantic Road /Coldharbour Lane, Brixton
2.30pm - 5.30pm

The trail starts at Lab-G where you will find amazing Italian gelato. From there you can wind your way through the Village checking out the art along the way. If you haven't yet been to Brixton Village, you should definately stop off on your tour of Brixton. There has been lots written about all the amazing independant businesses which have sprung up over the past couple of years. Our friends from United 80 in Brixton Village will be DJ-ing at Crafty Fox over the weekend.

Forever Loving Vintage presents The Vintage Shop - Sunday 11th December
Living Bar, 443-445 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9
12pm - 5pm, £1 entry

For all you vintage lovers, check out this Vintage fair taking place on the Sunday. There will be over 20 stalls of vintage clothes, jewellery, beauty products and gifts.

Although not in Brixton, it's also worth mentioning a couple of events being run by friends on Saturday 10th December in South London. First up is the We Make London Christmas Fair at the beautiful Battersea Arts Club - a fab venue to showcase over 80 talented designer makers. Also, over at Gigilum in Clapham, you will find The Edgy Crafty Christmas Sale run by Brixton local Mo Bacchus.

Knickers and biscuits with Sarah Kerry

2011-11-17T10:02:00.001Z

This Christmas, we have lots of new crafters selling their wares at the Crafty Fox Market. Have you checked out the full list of stall-holders yet?

The very creative and talented Sarah Kerry is new to Crafty Fox and spares some time to tell us about her unique creations.

Tell us a bit about yourself - where are you from, when did you learn to knit/sew etc...

I have always enjoyed creating things, I remember aged 10 or 11 going round to my friend’s house and her mum taught us to make a rag doll using a pattern, every Sunday afternoon we’d work on our dollies, making dresses for them etc. I still have mine, although it’s missing a leg, so hopefully my sewing has improved since then. When I went to University College Falmouth to study Contemporary Craft, I was initially passionate about all things kiln related, till one day I knitted a test piece on a whim and didn’t really look back – instead of creating a giant glass and ceramic plug, I created a soft knitted one.

What inspired you start creating biscuit cushions?

Well I didn’t just look at a biscuit and get inspiration from that! I was working on a design for a giant tea cup you could sit in, with a fair isle willow pattern on it, and I kept drawing biscuits on the designs, until I wanted to make the biscuits more than the tea cup. It is important to my aesthetic to stay true to an image – I think it adds to the surrealism of the object. It was a bit of a painful process to get them just right but it was worth it in the end.

What is your favourite item to make?

I think the most enjoyable projects are also the most difficult. I sometimes take cardigans on commission, they take more than a day of intense work, so I feel quite attached to them when I’m done – same with the biscuits, the custard cream probably brings the most pride but I think the Jam Sandwich Cream is the most fun to make. The felted items (slippers, mitts, booties) tend to be the messiest

Do you have any new products up your sleeve that you would like to tell us about?

Yes please! I’ve gone a bit girly! There are pretty knickers repurposed from satin scarves and cotton fabric, and some cobweb weight lace knit scarves in merino, cashmere and silk.

Find Sarah at Crafty Fox on Saturday 10th December at The Dogstar, Brixton

Heart Zeena in Paperchase!

2011-11-10T14:31:00.001Z

On a lunchtime wander to the Paperchase flagship store on Tottenham Court Road, I was delighted to track down the lovely creations of Crafty Fox regular Zeena Shah. Zeena tells me that she was sewing and printing like crazy to get this order completed and it's lovely to see the fruits of her labours in such a well known store. Zeena will be back at our Christmas Market in the Dogstar on the Sunday (11th December) along with Clive the birdie, Fred the owl and all her other lovely creations!

Crafty Fox Christmas Market -10th & 11th December, The Dogstar - Brixton

2011-11-04T11:14:00.000Z

It's going to be the 1st birthday for Crafty Fox - come and help us celebrate!

Check out the amazing selection of stall-holders here

Upcycling Crafty Fox Flyers!

2011-11-01T14:29:00.002Z

Yesterday's news left us feeling heavy in the heart. We were disappointed to learn that our Pop-Up Market at Spitalfields had to be cancelled due to issues with Spitalfields trading liscence.

But what better to cheer us up than a little picture of Jamie, my budding-artist nephew and his latest creation from our left over Night Market flyers! We left a stack of these with Jamie and his cousins over a month ago and he's been putting them to good use ever since. Some of you may remember Jamie from our Easter market when he was our 'artist in residence' charging 20p for a unique portrait. He was very popular with the ladies I seem to recall!

Crafty Fox Pop Up at Old Spitalfields - 5th November

2011-10-20T13:45:00.004+01:00

*Please note: We are really sorry to announce that this event has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control :-(

Crafty Fox are delighted to be taking part in the '4 Markets in One Day' event at the historic Old Spitalfields Market on Saturday 5th November from 11am - 5pm. We will be helping Spitalfields to launch their new Saturday trading - would you believe, they've only just been granted a liscence for Saturday trading despite being one of London's biggest attractions!

You will find Crafty Fox in the Main Market Square where we will be showcasing over 50 handpicked designer makers. You can find the list of traders here.

Why not start your Christmas shopping nice and early and beat the rush!

We will also have a full programme of workshops activities taking place throughout the day. The lovely Claire will be setting up her Letter Lounge from 11am - 12.30pm, proving visitors with an opportunity to take time out and pen a letter to a friend. At 12.30pm, the girls from Stuffed Nonsense will be taking over to teach us how to make some of their unique critters. Then, at 2pm you can make your very own crafty fox from Origami paper with Wil of From Chaos Comes Beauty. Finally at 3.30pm, Stuffed Nonsense will be returning to the Craft Den to teach us more tricks.

We are delighted to be sharing the space with Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair, Designers Makers and a selection of Spitalfields Regular Traders.

Handmade Hero: Rob Ryan

2011-10-14T10:29:00.001+01:00

Fancy a dose of Friday inspiration? I just love this 'Handmade Portrait' of London based artist Rob Ryan from the Etsy blog:

Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan from Etsy on Vimeo.

Renegade Comes to Town

2011-10-09T23:54:00.000+01:00

On Saturday, we headed East to the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane to check out what the Renegade Craft Fair had to offer. Renegade is an American fair which began in 2003 - the London event was their first overseas venture and I have to say, we were extremely impressed.

The Truman Brewery is a great space and it provided the stall holders with plenty of room to spread out and showcase their work. Many of the sellers had travelled from the USA and other corners of Europe to take part which meant that the quality of the items for sale was particularly high. This definately brought a different flavour to the market and made for an interesting visit. I particuarly liked 'Faces and Places' by Daniel from the Drawing Machine. Daniel is Canadian and lives in Holland - he had heard about Renegade so decided it was a good opportunity for a trip to London. This seemed to be a familiar story amongst the stall holders.

Of course, it was great to see quite a few familiar faces as well. Good friend and creator of the Crafty Fox illustration, Jimbobart was there with his amazing hand-drawn plates and prints.

Another Crafty Foxer, Mary Kilvert was also there with her beautiful range of cards, cushions and mugs. I seemed to have snapped both James and Mary with their eyes closed...woops!

It was also great to see the work of some prominent UK designers who don't exhibit often at markets. Janine Basil had a very colourful stand with a wide range of hats and fascinators. The fantastic Julia Pott was also there along with her cast of creations including 'Moped Eric'. I bought the T-shirt for The Boy a little while ago and he loves it!

There were a variety of workshops on offer - 'Make a Woodland Creature' by The Make Lounge seemed to be particularly popular. Gotta love anything involving foxes!

There was a lot of buzz surrounding Renegade's visit to London and it certianly lived up to the hype - a very welcome addition to the London craft scene which I'm sure will become a regular feature.

Find out what we got up to at our recent Night Market....

2011-10-04T09:34:00.001+01:00

We held our first Night Market on Thursday 1st September at The Dogstar in Brixton. The evening saw over 1000 people through the door who all enjoyed the combination of handmade goodies, crafty workshops, drinks and DJ's. Thank you to all who came and supported us. Check out our video below for a flavour of the event:

Hello Etsy

2011-09-27T14:45:00.000+01:00

"Hello Etsy: A Summit on Small Business and Sustainability is a hands-on gathering for small business owners who want to connect with their peers, learn the skills to find success and independence, and be part of the movement to build human-scale economies."

Last weekend, we took the opportunity to visit friends in Berlin and attend the Hello Etsy conference. We arrived on Thursday evening and enjoyed spending Friday checking out the city. Berlin is really vibrant place with a large international community. Rent is still fairly cheap and the city feels like it is buzzing with creativity. This was my second visit to Berlin so we skipped the main tourist attractions and stayed local. We were in the former East German neighboorhod of Friedrichshain which has an abundance of cute cafes, craft shops, galleries and bars. Later we crossed the river to wander Kreuzberg and Neukölln, along the canals and peaceful avenues.

On Friday evening, we went to the early registration session at Hudson's cafe. The lovely people at Hudson's had been busy baking amazing scones which were served with Devonshire clotted cream and super jam....yum!

We spotted a few familiar faces from London including Mary from We Make London and made some new friends as well. We spoke to Maria who works for Bold PR - the company that had been helping Etsy to promote the conference. In her spare time Maria runs Voodoo Market - a great Berlin craft and vintage market with more than a few similarities to Crafty Fox! Rather than a pub, Voodoo Market takes place in a nightclub. The next market is on 22nd October so for those in Berlin - you should definitely check it out. I swapped market tales and creative ideas with Maria and The Boy did some interviews with German radio about the conference.

On Friday night, I went to the Community Organiser meet up at the Etsy Labs. It was really interesting to see Etsy's base in Berlin which is in an amazing old building based around a central courtyard. They run regular events and craft nights there - hopefully there wll be something similar in the UK before too long.

On Saturday mornng, it was an early start at Ewerk - an imposing building, formerly a power plant turned nightclub and now an amazing event space. The building really gave off a sense of history and many of the industrial features still remain. The 'history' section on the Ewerk website makes for interesting reading.

Before long, we were all settled in the main hall, ready for the first round of talks. You can find the full schedule and videos of the talks on the Hello Etsy website. Many of the talks were streamed live so that people around the world coud join in. Matt, Etsy's European Director kicked things off and paid tribute to all the hard work that had gone into making the event happen. It was clear to see that the team had paid attention to the details - just as you would expect from Etsy!

The speakers were wide ranging, diverse and interesting. Topics ranged from the practical 'Secrets to Good PR' to the more philosophical 'Mind Your Business'. Doug Richard from The School For Creative Startups and Tom Hodgkinson from the Idler Academy take to the stage below:

We had a chance to talk to lots of great people that had taken part in the event such as Charlie Festa former community director at Threadless.com. We bumped into Charlie on the roof of Ewerk and had a great chat looking out over Berlin's skyline. We had a good view of the iconic Trabant cars parked below which were a visual reminder of Berlin’s colourful history. For 30 years, since the 1950s this was almost the only car available to buy in the former East Germany.

It was also great to meet more of the Etsy team from Brooklyn - a few familiar faces and some new friends too. Staff could be identified by their cool neon perspex bear badges! Morgan from Etsy's Brooklyn Base and George from EtsyUK model theirs (left).

A massive Thank You to Etsy for putting together such a fantastic event. We came back from our weekend exhausted and inspired with lots of new friends and a very long to-do list!

Foxy Fun in the Heart of London

2011-09-15T15:00:00.000+01:00

After more than 6 months of planning, there was great excitement in the run up to our pop up market at the Thames Festival. All the stall holders were frantically making things and planing their stall layouts while we were busy planning the decor, workshops and logistics.

Our Night Market at the Dogstar, 10 days prior to the big weekend, was an excellent warm up and got everyone in the mood for more Crafty Fox fun. Emerging from our cosy den at the Dogstar, we spent the following week closely watching the weather forecast and willing the Met Office to be wrong.

Finally, the big weekend arrived - boxes were packed, vans loaded, balloons inflated, signs erected and and much coffee consumed. Our aim was to recreate as much of the Dogstar vibe as possible in an outside space - Vintage lampshades, bunting and records adorned the trees.

There was a steady flow of visitors to our crafty wonderland over the weekend. Guests were delighted to discover such an array of amazing crafts. They enjoyed chatting to the stall holders and asking questions about their processes as well as the opportunity to get 'hands-on' in our workshop den.

We were really happy to see the popularity of the Craft Trail concept with many people following Mike Hall's beautifully illustrated map. Thank you to all who contributed to this project and in particular to Sanna Panda who did a lot of the hard work in putting it together along with Craft Guerrilla, We Make London and of Cabbages and Kings.

Photo courtesy of EtsyUK

Another highlight of the weekend was live art by the wonderful Jimbobart who created 'Mr Fox and Friends' on his preferred canvas of ceramic plates.

Photo courtesy of EtsyUK

On the Sunday we were delighted to be joined by EtsyUK and The School for Creative Startups who joined forces under the banner of 'The Create Cafe'. Tea and cake came courtesy of the talented ladies from The Teas Knees. The School for Creative Startups is a social enterprise fouded by Doug Richard of Dragon's Den fame. Doug was one of a team of experienced business people providing free mentoring sessions.

You can find more photos from the weekend here.

The only regret from the weekend was not having a chance to check out all the other wonderful things taking place at the same time. The line-up of events and activities sounded amazing and friends who visited other parts of the festival had lots of good things to say.

Next up, we are off to 'Hello Etsy' in Berlin, then we will be opening applications for the Christmas Markets (10th & 11th December at The Dogstar, Brixton).

Craft Den at The Thames Festival

2011-09-07T22:39:00.000+01:00

We are very excited to be bringing Crafty Fox to the Mayor's Thames Festival this weekend as part of the The Craft Trail. You will find us nestled in the trees next to the Tate Modern and the Founder's Arms Pub from midday - 10pm this Saturday and Sunday. Check out our talented list of stall holders here.

As well as an amazing selection of handmade goodies, you can pay a visit to our Craft Den, kindly sponsored by Etsy. Get hands-on with a range of free activities and brush up on your crafty skills.

Saturday 10th September
12 - 2: Freestyle Embroidery with Stuffed Nonsense
2 - 3: Make an origami fox with Wil, husband-to-be of From Chaos Comes Beauty
3 - 4: Tea Tasting with Pause for Tea
4 - 6: Make a pom pom bird with Laura Long

Sunday 11th September
12 - 2: Make a brooch from vintage fabric with Gillian from Crafty Pint
2 - 4: Monster Making with Stuffed Nonsense
4 - 6: Make a brooch from vintage fabric with Gillian from Crafty Pint
6 - 6.30: Tea Tasting with Pause for Tea

Also on Sunday, you will find The Create Cafe as part of Crafty Fox. Pay a visit to.sign up to ‘dragons den’ style mentoring sessions with School for Creative Startups or learn more about selling online with Etsy.

Over the course of the weekend, catch live outdoor drawing from Jimbobart. We'll be posting photos of this on the blog next week!

Also joining us will be Melody from Impro Face with face-painting and glitter tattoos!

You can pick up your Craft Trail map from our Crafty Den then check out all that the festival has to offer. Fingers crossed for sunshine!

Crafty Fox After Dark

2011-09-06T14:50:00.001+01:00

Thank you to everyone that came along to the Crafty Fox Night market in Brixton last Thursday evening and made it such a success. We were delighted to welcome over 1000 guests to the Dogstar, who came to check out the fantastic array of handmade and vintage treasures on display.

You will find some photos here and can listen to music from the night here. You will also find a lovely blog about it written by Nicola From Streatham here and another by A London A Day here.

The Crafty Fox Night School on the first floor was very popular with visitors trying out a range of crafts and leaving with their own handrafted treasure. Thanks again to Crafty Pint, Stars n'Scars, Viv Moriatry, Stitch Balham and Dreamy Me Brixton for teaching us their skills.

Crafty Fox Pop Up at The Thames Festival - 10th & 11th September

We are currently working hard in preparation for the Crafty Fox Market at the Mayor’s Thames Festival where we will be taking part in the Craft Trail. This weekend, come and find the Crafty Fox den, nestled between the trees, close to the main festival stage beside the Tate Modern.We will be there on both days from midday - 10pm. We have range of Crafy workshops planned (full details coming soon), facepainters, DJ's and live outdoor art by Jimbobart as well as an inspiring array of handmade stalls.

The Craft Trail

The Craft Trail is “a group of independent craft collectives who have joined forces to promote handmade crafts at the Mayor’s Thames Festival.”

Thames Festival visitors will be able to follow a beautiful map (hand drawn by Mike Hall who will be selling his wares as part of the Crafty Fox market) and discover the huge variety of handmade goods on offer at the Festival. The Map will highlight where each collective will be within the festival. There will be a loyalty system, where the public can participate in free activities at each collective; the first 50 to complete an activity at each place will receive a goody bag brimming with handmade goodies. You can pick up your map at The Crafty Fox next to the Tate Modern and wind along the banks of the river where you will find We Make London next to HMS Belfast and Craft HQ (Sanna Panda, of Cabbages and Kings, Craft Guerrilla) next to City Hall.

Preview: Crafty Fox Night School

2011-08-29T16:52:00.000+01:00

Don't miss 'Night School' at the Crafty Fox Market this Thursday. You will find all the action on the 1st floor of the Dogstar from 6-10pm.

Learn how to make an origami bracelet with Vicky from Stars n'Scars
The Girls from Stitch Balham will be busy knitting and will welcome anyone who would like to join them
Viv Moriarty will be teaching crochet skills
Elena from Dreamy Me will be holding a drawing workshop, she invites you to draw a representation of Brixton on a postcard.
With Gillian from Crafty Pint, you will have the opportunity to make a bow tie or fascinator from vintage fabric. One for the guys and the gals

Full Marks for Homework Collective

2011-08-24T11:58:00.000+01:00

Mr Fox was delighted to receive an application for the Night Market from talented local designers, HomeWork Collective. Jonathan (pictured far left) is usually found behind the bar at our events, pulling pints and chatting with customers at the Dogstar. This time, he's going to be selling his own creations.

"HomeWork Collective is made up of three designers Adam Martin, Andrew Walker and Jonathan Hood. Coming from different backgrounds (illustration, furniture design and fine art) we share a sense of humour shifting from the surreal to sarcasm and bordering on the sick. We aim to bring something a bit weirder to a sector dominated by coolness.

"HomeWork is small T-shirt design label specialising in hand printed limited edition T-shirts. The name of the company originating from the conditions we work under from bedroom designing to kitchen based printing. We use these conditions to our advantage keeping print runs small and ideas fresh. This allows us to focus on the quality of the design and the physicality of the transfer from screen to shirt.

"Most recent designs have been examining paparazzi, pets, bad tattoo ideas, what ifs, and fictional rock bands. We combine free hand drawing, with collage, tracing, and digital manipulation. We print from silk screens usually between 1 to 3 colours. Simplicity is the key to keeping the designs, look and ethos of the company in the right place.

"We are a relatively new label we started in February this year after a chance meeting between me and Andrew Walker commonly known as Spud! We studied in Manchester together but had not seen each other in 5 years. That got the ball rolling and I soon asked Adam Martin to join our new enterprise. Since then things have snowballed for us. We won a CASS creative start up award at University of the Arts artsmart market and we are looking forward to taking part in their follow up event at the Thames festival.

"First up though is the Crafty Fox night market at the Dogstar on the 1^st of September. I’m really looking forward to this event after seeing firsthand what a great market it is from my tactical viewpoint behind the bar. Only this time I get to enjoy it as opposed to watching begrudgingly through the mist of my hangover and serving everybody else drinks!"

You will also find Crafty Fox at the Thames Festival as part of the Craft Trail. Our pop up crafty wonderland will be nestled between the trees next to the Tate Modern. Pay us a visit to discover a fabulous selection of designer makers and take part in one of our free workshops, which are sponsored by Etsy.com. Find out more here.

Tunes to Tap Your Paws To.....

2011-08-22T23:03:00.002+01:00

Returning to the Dogstar on Thursday 1^st September for the Night Market are Brixton based DJs Hwen Rascale, Chris and Mhardi who will be dishing up a diverse selection of crafty cutz from across the musical spectrum. Catch them between 6-10pm as you have a drink and browse the stalls.

Hwen Rascale can be found behind the booth at many a London venue most weekends. Join him for Rappers Rockers and Ravers at Venn Street records on Saturday 10^th September. A great after party for Crafty Fox at the Thames Festival methinks.

Chris will be known to many as one of the friendly faces at United80. If you haven’t checked out United80 yet make sure you call into Brixton Village pronto. In their own words, they 'sell a lovingly hand-picked array of titles and genres spanning the music cosmos'. They also stock beautiful leather bags and accessories by N'Damus and handmade clothing by Geometric Designs. You will find N'Damus selling her unique creations at the Night Market. Chris is one half of Hands on Family along with his very lovely wife Cyndi. You can catch them spinning on various nights in Brixton Village.

Finally thanks to Mhardi for linking us up with his full length house and disco mix called It’s the sound of the 1980s. Did someone say oldskool?

It's The Sound Of The 1980s by mixitmuzik

Night School at the The Crafty Fox

2011-08-15T21:59:00.000+01:00

Join us on Thursday 1st September for our night market at the Dogstar, Brixton. The fun starts at 6pm and there will be goodie bags on offer for the first 30 through the doors. As always, the cream of London's designer makers will be displaying their handmade offerings which range from quirky knitted beards by Brixton local Hairy Molly through to beautiful Vintage accessories from Eddie and Mabel.

Have a drink, browse the stalls, listen to the Crafty Fox DJ's, play some pub games (table-top skittles anyone?) then climb the stairs to the first floor where you will find The Crafty Fox Night School. Here you can try your hand at knitting with the girls from Stitch Balham or Crochet with Viv Moriarty. If jewellery is more your thing, why not learn how to make an origami bracelet with Vicky of Stars & Scars. Finally, one for the guys and the girls, make a bow-tie or fascinator out of vintage fabric with Gillian from Crafty Pint. Night school on the first floor is the perfect place to brush up your skills or learn some new ones.

You can invite your friends along by clicking on the facebook event.

Crafty Fox Night Market at The Dogstar, Brixton - Thursday 1st September, 6pm - 10pm

2011-07-21T14:23:00.001+01:00

Now accepting stallholder applications. Closing date 25th July. For more details, please email Mr Fox. Summer Fox artwork by the amazing Jimbobart
Invite your friends via facebook here or track me down on twitter.

A Handmade Wedding

2011-07-07T14:08:00.002+01:00

You may have noticed that Crafty Fox has been a little quiet lately - well, that's because we've been busy getting married! A wedding is a great opportunity to get crafty and we embraced that philosophy by adding as many handmade touches as possible. Although this led to a few ridiculous moments like a mad dash around central London three days before the big day in search of purple bakers twine (unsuccessful!!), all the hard work was definately worth it. A few of my favourite elements were:

'Ghetto Badger' invitations, illustrated by the wonderful Jimbobart of Crafty Fox fame. These were printed by us at Cobble Lane Studios over a few beers. Our friends loved them and they certainly helped to build the anticipation for our urban wedding. 

Ghetto Badger made an appearance again on our book of readings. The pages were bound together with purple bakers twine until I ran out and had to improvise! 

The dress was actually my Mum's wedding dress from 1969. It was originally sewn by hand by one of my Granny's friends. When the time came to get a helping hand with it, SW Craft Club posted a twitter message which led to me tracking down an extremely talented local dressmaker, Rachel Frost. Rachel was fantastic to work with and did an amazing job on the dress. The original had long sleeves and a high neck! I loved the addition of lace capped sleeves.

Pretty lace sleeves

I tracked down a very lovely handmade feather hair clip and birdcage veil from Lily Bella - highly recommended! 

I loved my handmade earrings which were an early birthday present from husband-to-be. They were from the wonderful Gill Wing in Islington

Of course the bridesmaid gifts had to be from my very own Galavant collection. As soon as I find the time, I would love to make a bridesmaid collection using sterling silver and precious stones

Even my two little nephews had a very 'crafty time' in the run to the wedding as Jamie was inspired to make all the confetti. It wasn't long before his brother Louis got in on the act as well! For anyone who was a the Easter Crafty Fox, you may remember seeing budding artist Jamie busy drawing portraits

Pom poms are the new bunting.....or at least in my world they make more sense as I haven’t yet mastered sewing but love making pom poms! 

Along with some friends, I spent a fun crafternoon in the Dogstar making 12 giant pom poms which looked amazing hanging from the room of 6 St Chad's Place where we had our reception and party.

At dinner time, we left postcards in every place setting and asked guests to write something to make us smile.

 
The nieces and nephews did a great job of collecting them up and putting them in the fab vintage suitcase that a friend rescued from a skip - a very lucky find!

We got a bit carried away when it came to the table plan. Each record represents a table and we used a dymo embosser to make a label for each person's name. Table names were based around things which meant a lot to us so one table was called 'Brixton' and of course, another was named 'Crafty Fox'. Look out for lots of embossed labelling at future Crafty Fox Markets! 

A friend made us an amazing confectionery mountain for our cake. I have to admit that the cake fell quite far down my list of priorities so I was more than happy to give my friend complete creative control! It was a hit with guests who came up and helped themselves to something yummy.

We also enjoyed delicious heart shaped cookies made by Steph's Mum to a traditional German recipe 

My main piece of advice to any brides-to-be out there is to make sure you do your big day your own way and enjoy every minute. We had a lot of help from our friends along the way so thank you once again - you know who you are! xx

Eatsy at Etsy in the Big Apple

2011-05-15T23:39:00.000+01:00

During a recent trip to New York, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to join Etsy staff at their colourful office in DUMBO for Eatsy (a twice weekly all-staff lunch!). I discovered dogs, bikes, amazing handmade treasures and lovely people - everything you would expect to find at the heart of Etsy. Thank you to Ara for hosting me and making me feel so welcome and thank you to Etsy for their support of The Crafty Fox Market. A few snaps below....

Another Great Day at The Crafty Fox Market

2011-04-20T16:57:00.002+01:00

As the shutters on the Dogstar went up on Saturday morning and the queue of people waiting patiently outside entered, the sense of excitement in the room was palpable. The pub had been transformed into a craft wonderland by all the talented sellers and looked amazing. A steady stream of visitors continued throughout the day and along with all the crafty delights on offer, they enjoyed the brooch making workshop by Seaside Sisters, portraits by 5 year old Jamie Ferguson Jones, tea and cakes on the first floor, letter writing in the letter lounge and cross stitch with the lovely Etsy UK team on the top floor Etsy Lounge.

We were delighted to be have been featured in The Guardian Guide on the morning of the event. You can read what they had to say here.

The feedback has been really encouraging so far- below is a brief roundup of what has been said:

Urban 75

Tarter Tots and Teacups

Many thanks to the bloggers for all the kind words that have been written so far.

The Crafty Fox tombola for Japan raised £235 for the Red Cross.

Crafty Fox would like to thank all who came to visit the pop up market on Saturday. We would also like to thank the stall holders and all who have supported us along the way for making the event what it was. Please keep an eye on the blog to find out about future Crafty Fox events in south London. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Lots to Discover at The Crafty Fox

2011-04-05T19:13:00.000+01:00

With less than two weeks to go until Crafty Fox, the excitement is building! The sellers are busy making and creating and Mr Fox is looking forward to another fun day in Brixton. Here is a round up all the activities taking place:

Ground Floor

♥ An irrestibale selection of London's finest handmade goodies

♥ Crafty Fox DJ's playing all day

♥ Brooch making workshop with Seaside Sisters

♥ Handmade Raffle for Japan with lots of beautiful prizes (Funds go to Red Cross)

♥ Portraits from Jamie FJ - a budding 5 year old artist

1st Floor

♥ Lots more handmade delights to discover

♥ Tea Rooms with a selection of yummy treats

♥ Letter Lounge, a space where you can come along to write the letters you never have time for and enjoy a bit of a social

♥ Vegan Cupcake decorating with Ms Cupcake who has just opened a new shop in Brixton.

2nd Floor (it's really, really worth climbing the stairs...promise!!)

♥ Cross-Stitch and Cocktails with the Etsy UK team.

♥ Lots of chat and helpful advice on running your Etsy shop.

♥ Product photography workshop with Parul of JustNoey

Don't miss Jamie, age 5, at Crafty Fox!

2011-03-31T21:18:00.000+01:00

Jamie Ferguson Jones
I'm five and have been getting ready for the Crafty Fox for months. When I'm not eating, sleeping or at school, I'm in training to be an artist. I love to make things, painting, sticking and splodging are my favourite things. Come and see me at the Crafty Market. I can draw your picture if you'd like or you can buy one of my painted stones. My inspriation is the Mad Hatter - he's the best!
Love Jamie x

Handmade Raffle for Japan at Crafty Fox

2011-03-26T19:42:00.003Z

Following the tragic recent events in Japan, we have decided to run a raffle at Crafty Fox in aid of the Red Cross's Japan appeal. Lots of stall holders have kindly donated a range of fabulous goodies as prizes, including a print of the Crafty Fox Easter artwork from Jimbobart. Tickets will be £2 each or 3 for £5 and will be available to buy from the raffle table at Crafty Fox on 16th April. Lets hope we raise lots of funds for a great cause!

Thanks to Wooden Tree, Little Mashers, Galavant, Jimobart, Baby Bandito, From Chaos Comes Beauty, Justine Ellis, Marcel et Bobine, Avarae 17, Kitzie G, Ms Cupcake, Archie and Cecile, Chloe Owens, Lovely Gorgeous Things, Heart Zeena, Forgotten Stitches, Duddy and Day, Stuffed Nonsense, Hope and Eden, The Seventy Tree and Feather Fancies for kindly donating prizes.

Crafty Fox Sellers Etsy Treasury

2011-03-18T17:11:00.000Z

For anyone who isn't familiar with the wonderful, handmade world of Etsy.com, click below at your peril...it's a seriously addictive past time! All those featured below will be selling at The Crafty Fox on 16th April. You will find a fuller list of almost 40 sellers by clicking on the tab above.

'The Crafty Fox Market' by Galavant

jimbobart $34.50	heartzeena $12.00	Galavant $10.00	maudiemade $2.50
archieandcecil... $80.00	marceletbobine $13.00	Justineellis $2.00	fibrous $25.00
superfumi $3.50	awoodentree $7.50	Avarae17 $25.00	Charlieandthef... $10.00
hausofgmone $10.00	fromchaoscomes... $35.00	KitzieG $6.50	AlicePotter $8.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Latest from the Crafty Fox DJ's

2011-03-08T15:05:00.000Z

Tunes to wag your tail to....

Foxy Sounds w/c 7/3/11 by Crafty Fox

Letter Lounge - latest addition to The Crafty Fox

2011-03-01T16:23:00.000Z

Letter Lounge will be making an appearance at the Crafty Fox Market too! When you need a little break from browsing over 30 stalls full of handmade and vintage treasures and taking part in crafty workshops, pop up to the 1st floor to grab yourself a lovely cuppa, a slice of cake and write a little letter to a loved one. Claire, the brains behind the Letter Lounge, is here to explain..

'Basically, everyone loves finding a handwritten letter from an old friend on their doormat. This is true. The best way to get one is to send one. The thing is we're all so busy living our lives in a flurry of Twittering, Facebooking, and emailing to ever find the time to put pen to paper, let alone walk to the post box. So I thought I'd try something to change all that, a little occasional event called Letter Lounge - a space where you can come along to write the letters you never have time for and enjoy a bit of a social. We'll provide paper, pens, envelopes and stamps. All you need to bring is the address of the person you're writing to and a sunny disposition. We even take the trouble to post your letters for you. And Letter Lounge is free. I'd just like more people to send each other lovely handwritten letters.'

Letter Lounge has a very beautiful website and you can also find Claire on Twitter too. Don't forget to bring addresses of all those long lost friends!

Mr Fox is thinking about Easter

2011-02-25T14:59:00.000Z

Amazing new artwork by Jimbobart
New poster designs coming soon!

What has Mr Fox been listening to?

2011-02-20T15:50:00.000Z

Greetings! Here are some tracks I have been listening to on my i-paw this week complied by one of the Crafty Fox DJ's, Hwen Rascale. For your listening pleasure...

Latest tracks by Crafty Fox

And now a word from Mr Fox....

2011-02-17T12:37:00.000Z

Well hello my dear friends,

It seems hardly a second since I'd twitched my whiskers to bid you all a fond farewell. How can it be that my next crafty gathering is but already upon us - my dears how delightful! Alas, it is time for my wintering holiday in Brockwell Park to come to an end after many a full moon and tasty treat.

So my crafty revellers, 'tis with the utmost delight that I announce to you that 'twill be on the 16^th of April when the magic of the Crafty Fox Market will commence once again. It is with the greatest pleasure that I hear I will settle back into the cosy confines of the Dogstar, one of London town's most handsome of haunts.

If you, like me dear friends, find yourself feeling sad at the loss of the letter then you can spend some time in the letter lounge enjoying the pen and paper once more, after all, there is no finer pursuit than that of the written word. Better than a trip to flicks with only my bushy tail for company!

And whilst I have to admit to being rather decadent, sneaking back a few too many fiery ginger beers at our previous gathering, this time I will be paying a visit to the tea rooms for a more gentlemanly tipple to accompany my in my meanderings around the marvellous stalls. I have heard whisperings that my crafty friends from Etsy will be in residence on the upper floor with some extra-special offerings – how very mysterious.

But dear crafters hurry, for come midnight of the 1^st of March no more applications for stalls can be accepted. You must write to me at once if you would like to sell your wares.

I shall look forward to crafting my bowtie into a suitably convivial style – what shall you craft for me?

Toodle-Pip,

Mr Fox

Local Hero: Zoe of SW Craft Club

2011-02-01T13:23:00.001Z

SW Craft Club is a blog dedicated to all things ‘crafty’ taking place in South London. The blog was started by Zoe in Oct 2010 and has already picked up a lot of momentum. The Crafty Fox recently met up with Zoe to find out more...

So…tell us a bit about yourself?

I live in Clapham and have been in London for 10 years now. I studied fashion, have an arts background and work for an arts university. It’s an office based job but I am surrounded by creative people which is inspiring.

What made you come up with the idea for SW Craft Club?

I was looking for a creative outlet and began researching opportunities online. The majority of things I found were in East or North London. I was after something closer to home and although I knew such things existed, there didn’t seem to be anywhere online that listed activities in South London in one place. I decided to start the blog to fill this gap. I’m not the world’s greatest writer and didn’t even know how to add images to the web when I first started out so it was a challenge. A friend suggested starting a facebook group but I thought that sounded a bit daunting so decided on a blog instead. The idea was to build an interactive site to get people talking and build a network. Craft and social media are not usually connected but I wanted it to be key to how I market and interact with people interested in SW Craft Club.

What have you enjoyed most about starting the blog?

The most encouraging thing is getting positive feedback either on the blog itself or via twitter and facebook. I have gained over 600 followers on twitter since October. I have met lots of new people locally and also been invited to take part in a number of community projects which I wouldn’t normally have been involved with. I’m currently volunteering in a Lambeth council community project in West Norwood, aimed at creating a monthly market, including crafts, called the Norwood Feast.

What are your plans for SW Craft Club in 2011?

It would be fantastic if I could grow the blog into a fully functioning website which would help the local crafts community to interact. This would mean that I could add lots of useful features which aren’t available on a blog.

What is your favourite crafty pastime?

It’s really difficult to pick one but for the moment, it’s probably cross-stitch. I have recently joined the stitch n’bitch group in Balham which I’m really enjoying. It’s a great way to meet new people and learn a new skill. Watch this space, you may even see some SW Craft Club cross-stiches soon!

Thanks to Zoe for taking the time to chat and for helping to promote The Crafty Fox Market. You can find SW Craft Club at http://swcraftclublondon.blogspot.com/

Our very own Chloe Owens designs the cover of 'Stylist' magazine

2011-01-19T16:43:00.000Z

We were proud to see talented Crafty Fox seller, Chloe Owens featured in Stylist magazine today. Stylist is a weekly magazine and is handed out free in 10 cities across the UK every Wednesday. In my humble opinion, the content is often better than some magazines which carry a cover charge. The main feature is all about the recent trend of females running successful craft business and makes for very interesting reading. You can click on the picture above and browse to page 38 to read the full feature. Our friends at Etsy.com also feature highly which is great to see and will hopefully raise awareness of Etsy in the UK. Chloe also designed the cover for the magazine - great job!

A taster for anyone who missed it....

2010-12-22T16:21:00.000Z

Thank You to all who made The Crafty Fox Market such a success!

2010-12-13T15:30:00.000Z

Saturday's Crafty Fox Market at the Dogstar saw over 1500 people through the doors throughout the day. We even had a visit from The Mayor of Lambeth! The response to all the beautiful handmade items was fantastic and many a Christmas present dilemma was easily solved. The DJ's kept us smiling and the bar staff kept the drinks flowing. Amity and Geoge from Etsy were on hand with funky Etsy tote bags for the early birds which were soon filled with crafty goodies. The free knitting workshop from the Community Knitting Club was also really popular. Thanks to all who contributed to making The Crafty Fox such a successful and fun day. Keep an eye on the blog for the full set of photos coming soon!

Free Knitting Workshop at The Crafty Fox Market this Saturday

2010-12-07T21:07:00.000Z

Brixton's local stitch 'n bitch collective otherwise known as The Community Knitting Club will be running a FREE knitting workshop this Saturday at The Crafty Fox Market from 12 - 2pm. No experience is needed so why not plan your visit to the market around the workshop. If you've ever had a desire to pick up the needles, now is your chance! You can impress your friends with your own handmade Christmas tree decoration - cool eh!

12.00 - Community Knitting Club Introduction followed by Casting On (without the carry-on!)

12.30 - Know your Knit stitch

12.45 - Pretty Purl stitch

13.00 - Simply Stocking Stitch

13.15 - Casting Off

13.30 - Knit your own festive decorations!

There will be a limited amount of needles and wool available for use during the workshop on a first come, first served basis. Experienced or beginner knitters, everyone is welcome! You can read more about the Community Kitting Club here.

2010-12-07T10:06:00.000Z

You can use Brixton Pounds at The Crafty Fox Market this Saturday! In case you haven't heard that Brixton has it's own currency, here's the official description......

"The Brixton Pound (B£) is money that sticks to Brixton. It’s designed to support Brixton businesses and encourage local trade and production. It’s a complementary currency, working alongside (not replacing) pounds sterling, for use by independent local shops and traders."

You can find out more about the Brixton Pound on their website.

With just over two weeks to go, the buzz is building!

2010-11-25T16:40:00.005Z

Cushions by Chloe Owens who will be appearing at The Crafty Fox

We have been lucky enough to receive some good publicity from a wide variety of publications over the past few weeks. With a bit of luck, this will translate into lots of visitors to The Crafty Fox Market. The excitement is building and our crafters are busy creating lots of beautiful and unique Christmas gifts. You will find a selection of our publicity so far here:

Le Cool
View London
South London Press
Brixton Pound Blog
UK Handmade market listings
Spoonfed
ooh.com
Visit London
SW Craft Club Blog
LBC 97.3FM listings
Dulwich on View listings
Londonist
Lambeth Life
Australian Times
Free Art London
youngandpoor.co.uk

Thank you to all who have supported us! Please let me know if you spot any listings or articles that I have missed.

Crafty Fox Posters

2010-11-01T17:43:00.001Z

Look out for the Crafty Fox posters around town. Thank you to Janine of Fabulous Fifties for the design and James of Jimbobart for the illustration!

The Journey

2010-10-21T14:23:00.001+01:00

The Crafty Fox came to life in September as I was making my way to North London to sell my handmade jewellery at a craft fair. I had begun to look for selling opportunities at Christmas markets and was dismayed to find that September was already too late. The majority of markets were already booked up or charged premium prices. I also noticed that there was a lack of independant markets in South London and a lightbulb pinged above my head!

I decided there and then that the only thing to do was to put on my own market. I roped in my partner Stephan who spent years promoting club nights back in Dublin. He's also fairly nifty with spreadsheets so I thought that could be useful too!
We spent a couple of weeks throwing around ideas for the name (...this stage should never be rushed!!). Megafair, Foxy Craft, South London Crafts.....? The Crafty Fox soon emerged as a clear winner and it's already proved to be popular choice. The next step was to involve the wonderful James of Jimbob Art as there was really only one person who could drum up the perfect Crafty Fox at the drop of a hat. True to form, James set aside his plates for a day and created the very dapper Foxy.

Once in possession of The Crafty Fox there was no turning back. Giving the market an identity made it real and so my exitement and enthuaism for the project continued to grow. We were delighted to learn that Etsy were happy to sponsor us and it was very exciting to see the stall holder enquiries begin to roll in following a shout out by Amity in the Etsy UK newsletter.

It was really encouraging to see that there were lots of others who were in the same boat as me and were delighted to hear about The Crafty Fox. In the end, we had over twice as many applications as available stalls. This led to a fun but challenging X-factor style eliminitation. I never knew that so many people made fabric rabbits before!

So now the promotion begins in earnest and our challenge is to draw in as many shoppers as possible. If you are reading this, please help by telling your friends to come and join us at the Dogstar on 11th December for the ultimate Christmas shopping experience!