Home with no home

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Stag in Scotland
Stag in Scotland

Hola! what a week. Much to my disappointment I am home from my trip and I am suffering from the holiday blues. This weeks work load has not helped my state of mind as I’ve been doing boring behind the scenes website stuff, preparing for the launch of my online shop, and not much practical work.

torridon
Camping at Torridon with Lucy

The main aim of my trip was to find somewhere to live and i didn’t. I found a lovely house for sale, which i can’t afford, so i bought a lottery ticket and kept my fingers crossed, but alas it was not to be. There wasn’t one matching number. I have come home feeling slightly deflated but am trying to remain positive. After meeting so many interesting people with great ideas, i definitely have food for thought. I mean, really, what was i thinking?! … Id miraculously find somewhere to live and have a coffee shop ready by this summer…. delusional!  From now on though, I will keep my plans a secret, and only tell you when something concrete happens to avoid disappointment for you, and for me!

merchant city
Merchant Square Craft Fair
Tea with Jud display
Tea with Jud display

Deflation aside, it felt great to get a break and test the market in a different city. The craft fair at Merchant City is such a lovely venue, with a really nice atmosphere and a high quality of arts and crafts. Thank you to all the lovely customers who bought some pots and said lovely things.

Also, thank you to Claire and Charlie for helping me carry endless crates of pottery around Glasgow, up and down stairs, and taking my delivery to Art Village while i was setting up my stand. I’m delighted to have my stock on the shelves in 2 cities now!

Next on the Tea with Jud agenda, to make up for the “temporary” unachievable goals, is a little MORE patience and a search for more stockists. If anyone can recommend  quality craft and design shops with a good reputation in London, Dublin and Belfast, that would be very helpful.

I best stop blethering and get back to the grindstone.

Cheerio for now.

 

“Let me tell you that i love you…”

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… and i think about you all the time, Caledonia you’re calling me…”

And so the quest continues…..

lighthouse & yachts
lighthouse & yachts

Tomorrow I am off to Scotland on a very important trip. I am taking a pottery delivery to another new stockist, yes that’s right! Art Village in Glasgow will now be selling my work! woohoooo! Stockist number 3, only 2 more to source this year so i can achieve 1 of my many 2015 goals.

I will also be selling my pottery and knitwear at the Merchant City Craft Market in Glasgow this Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May. I’m really excited as i have never done a craft fair in Scotland before. If you are in the city centre, or have some friends in Glasgow, let them know about the market and come and say hello.

This trip will also coincide with house hunting (all fingers crossed i find somewhere) camping, seeing my amazing friend Lucy and a hen do! Maybe this is not so much a quest, but a working holiday! However, my busy schedule means i’ll be off the radar for a while. I hope you will be able to cope without my pottery updates for at least 10 days. Any potting needs will be addressed upon my return!

Ciao for now.

Drum roll please…

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The competition has CLOSED. Myself and the experts have deliberated and the time has come to reveal the winners of the first Tea with Jud competition!

In third place it’s Ben Dench!

"Baking done. Now, if only I had some kind of waterproof vessel to hold coffee in."
3. “Baking done. Now, if only I had some kind of waterproof vessel to hold coffee in.”

Very well earned cup of tea  for your baking efforts. I hope I get to sample one of those brownies, upon delivering your prize?!

"he has some issues holding his own, but i'll let you be the jud-ge"
2. “he has some issues holding his own, but i’ll let you be the jud-ge”

Second place, Andrea Finnigan, i loved your “Jud-ge” pun. Brilliant!

And in first place it’s …. Lynne! This frown definitely needs turned upside down!

"i need tea with jud in my  life... my work mug is disposable and starting to leak :( "
1. “i need tea with jud in my life… my work mug is disposable and starting to leak 🙁 “

 

Well done you worthy winners! Thank you everyone else who  took the time to enter, better luck next time!

wow!

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checkout Tea with Jud

Wow!!!! What a day!

When i planned my “seconds” sale, i wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and wondered if anyone would even turn up! Also, after a week of glorious sunshine, the heavy pouring rain last night left me worried today was going to be a total disaster, but the sun came out and it turned out to be a fab day!

It was so good to see so many people here. I’m still in shock at how many people came! I hope you all had a good time, i did! I’m considering doing “seconds only” sales from now on!

There was so much effort put into today and it would not have been possible without the help of my family, so I’d like to say a very special thank you to my mum and Amanda for serving tea and goodness, my niece Anna for helping me at the checkout, and my dad for … behaving himself. Christine and Louise, thanks for bringing buns too! There are a few leftovers, but they wont be here for long… my reward for a hard days work!

On that note i shall end, sit down, rest and eat my rewards! YUM!

 

Impromptu craft fair…tomorrow!

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Very short notice indeed… Tea with Jud will be at an Art Exhibition/Craft Fair in the Glens of Antrim tomorrow. Pop in if you are in the area!

Date: Saturday 11th April

Time: 2pm – 7.30pm

Location: Glenravel  Sport and Community Complex, 143 Glenravel Road, Cargan.

Next week, I will aslo be at Carrickfergus Grammar School Spring Fair.

Carrickfergus Spring Fair
Carrickfergus Spring Fair
I hope you can make it to one of these!

Do YOU want to win some Tea with Jud goodies?

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blue topped mug
blue topped mug

This time last year I was preparing for my first ever Craft Fair. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone and how much my work has progressed. To celebrate Tea with Jud’s first birthday, I thought it was about time I had a wee competition!

All you have to do to enter is send a picture to jud@teawithjud.com with a caption telling me why you need some of my pottery in your life.

Everyone can enter… so get thinking! Myself and a panel of experts (my friends) will be picking the top 3.

Prizes are –

  • 3rd place: £5 Tea with Jud voucher
  • 2nd place: an espresso cup of your choice
  • lst place: a mug of your choice

Competition closes on Sunday 26th April. I will announce the winners at the end of the month and show your pictures too!

The Little Craft and Food Market

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I’m really excited about exhibiting at The Little Craft and Food Market this Saturday. It sounds like a beautiful place.

The Little Craft and Food Market
The Little Craft and Food Market

There will be lots of talented makers bringing their handmade goodness. Exhibitors include Bluebird Bakery, Stitches and StitchesThe Local, and Papermaid to name but a few.

There will be activities for kids, as well as free parking and free entry! So, if you don’t already have some Easter plans, come along. It should be a lovely afternoon.

Location: The Little Green Allotments, 3f Whitemountain Road, Lisburn

Time: llam – 4pm

 

March on…

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March has been a complete fiasco. How is it possible that nearly every electrical item I own can break at the same time?! After getting brand new elements in my kiln, we discovered I needed a new controller too.  I won’t bore you with the rest of the breakages at Tea with Jud HQ, but lets just say my bank balance will be non existent after I pay for all the repairs.

purple polka dot
purple polka dot

Despite my patience being tested a lot this past month, I did manage to get a lot of work done, so I am now frantically trying to catch up getting everything fired and glazed, ready in time for my all the fairs over the next few weeks. If only the kiln would cool down quicker!

I also had a few days in Scotland, searching for premises for my coffee shop, but to no avail.

Claire and Charlie
Claire and Charlie

I did manage to squeeze in a camping trip with my good friends Claire and Charlie which was brilliant, as always. Congratulations on your engagement too! I’m not sure if my hand knit engagement hats will ever catch on but you both wear them well. I can’t wait to celebrate your wedding with you both.

Fine and Dandy dates 2015
Fine and Dandy dates 2015

So … next fair is The Fine and Dandy Market this Sunday 11.30am – 3.30pm. I hope you entered the competition? I have been working on a new purple glaze too, soooo exciting. I will have a very limited stock of purple polka dot items with me, and I hope to see you there.

Bring on April. New month, new challenges and no disasters please.