AUTUMN means the start of busy festivals and craft fairs for me!

Last weekend, I was delighted to be invited to MaDFest, a local sell-out festival organised by the lovely Karen, owner of ‘Mrs B Designs’.

Many of you will already know Karen, as she sells a lot of her handmade items from Wallingford’s ‘Feather & Nest’.

The festival was full of music, dance, food and drink, as well as a variety of kids entertainment and a fantastic Artisan Marquee.

It was there I found myself, Cristinas Quirky Crafts. The marquee was situated next to the beer tent with a great view over to Polka Dots n Teapots Vintage tea room, Soleluna Pizza, Moreva Coffee and much more.

Local bands and dance acts hit the stages from midday and shopping began in the artisan marquee. Fifteen stalls with everything from beautiful paintings, personalised story blocks, recycled bottle top characters, pebble art and quirky jewellery, to name a few.

All of this was beautifully and carefully made; the artisans themselves were a wonderful friendly bunch.

Among the other crafters, I am pleased to have met Susie Barber, the very talented owner of both Forever Blocks Rock and Hickory Dickory Shop. Susie has invited me along to sell my handmade items at the local Children’s Handmade & Craft Fair she has organised, which will be held on Sunday, October 15, at The Great Hall, Cholsey Meadows (2pm – 5pm).

This is a lovely family friendly event, with 25 stalls selling brand new items for kids, many handmade by specialist crafters including myself.

As well as the shopping experience, there will also be face painting and a café selling scrumptious cakes, drinks and snacks! Entry is £1 and kids go free – please come along and say hello!

Being a crafter myself, I know how much work and love goes into handmade items and I, myself, love to give and receive them as gifts. This upcoming event is a great opportunity for you to purchase totally unique handmade items, from brilliant self-employed crafters across Oxfordshire.

In addition to attending local craft fairs over the next few months, I am still offering new and exciting bespoke pieces, available to buy from ‘Sew Very Vintage’. I have recently added some handmade scented candles, of which I made myself using miniature porcelain teapots! These are proving to be very popular and are sure to make unique Christmas gifts.

See my full selection at my online shop etsy.com/uk/shop/CristinasQuirkyCraft