April 1st - Country Cottage Crafts, Suffolk Showground, Ipswich
Although this was not the first such event I have attended, it was the first time I had taken my mother along with me. It was Mothering Sunday on April 2nd and I had not found the time to buy her a present!
Anyway, we arrived safely at the Country Cottage Crafts Fair organised by David Hicks (more on that later). There was no stopping her (my mum that is), all the "oohs" and "ahhs" were really something to be heard. There were so many stalls with such a variety of products she didn't know where to look first. Honestly, if you are looking for presents or gift ideas you really cannot go far wrong when buying a hand-made craft. In general the artists/crafters all seemed to love their work and what they were doing.
I didn't really chat too much to the exhibitors, except to the Tiffany glass workers because I wanted to find out whether the tools I have are still in use - they are! So one day .......
Anyway, we arrived at the art gallery towards the far side of the building where Paul Bryant, a fully qualified Bob Ross instructor, was demonstrating. Mum always has loved watching the Bob Ross television programs and could not resist watching for quite some time. Hmmm that reminds me, I have the whole Bob Ross painting set stashed away somewhere - anyway, she had a look in the bargain buys and found a painting she could not live without, and (lucky me) it was only £25. So mum selected her own Mother's day present and was really happy at attending her first ever craft fair.
Meet David Hicks: Before leaving, I stopped and had a chat with
David Hicks, the organiser of Country
Cottage Crafts.
I have been lurking in the newsgroups for a while now, and I asked David about some of the items that had been raised, among which was the question of dress. Some people were unsure whether to dress up for events or to dress casually.
David advises exhibitors to dress the part.
He says that if somebody called in a plumber then a smartly dressed person and somebody in
a boiler suit arrived - who would you trust more to carry out any plumbing work? The
same thing applies to exhibiting your work at any of the craft fairs. If you dress
and act the part, more interest will be generated in your craft and therefore you will be
able to sell more of your products. It looks professional and gives prospective
customers confidence in your work. 
.
Before I left David, I was fortunate enough to be able to steal a quick photo of him and family - boys will be boys ! Oh - David was not only holding the bar up (as shown in the photo) but was actually working behind it when I tracked him down.
All in all a great day was had at the fair by all.
But, we did not stop there, on the way home we stopped by Snape Maltings, well known for its picture galleries and music. I did not take a picture of the wonderful buildings, as I felt there were too many cars and tourists to make a nice picture, so instead I will close this Article by leaving you with a picture of the surrounding marsh, taken from behind Snape Maltings buildings.
