I don't actually have a dramatic story for you this week, I've just been making things. Quite a lot of things, because I have four craft markets to prepare for and it turns out you can't arrive at a market stall with three Kindle sleeves, half a bookmark, and a positive attitude. Devastating news for me personally.
So, What Am I Taking to the Markets?
The short answer is: quite a lot. The longer answer is that I've been steadily turning my room into what can only be described as a small-scale bookish manufacturing facility.
I'll be bringing my handmade Kindle sleeves, designed to keep your Kindle or e-reader protected from scratches and the general chaos of being carried around in a bag.
There will also be literary bookmarks - both the normal, perfectly respectable kind with tassels, and the mystery lucky dip bookmarks for anyone who enjoys letting fate make their literary decisions.
I'm also bringing:
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A5 bookish quote prints
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Handmade journals
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Handmade sketchbooks
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Handbound novels
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And, presumably, several thousand pounds' worth of emotional attachment to everything on the table
Basically, if you like books, stationery, reading, or unnecessarily elaborate medieval-inspired displays, there should be something for you.
The Handmade Kindle Sleeves
There will, naturally, be plenty of handmade Kindle sleeves. These are probably the things I've spent the most time making recently, largely because every time I think I have enough, I remember that an entire market is approaching and immediately decide I need twelve more.
They're padded, handmade, and designed to protect your e-reader from scratches and everyday life while it's tucked away in your bag. Also, and this feels important to mention, they are significantly easier to transport than a handbound novel. I have discovered this through science.
The Bookmark Situation Is Escalating
I have also made rather a lot of bookmarks.
Some are foiled literary designs with tassels, and others are hidden inside my mystery bookmark lucky dip, where you hand over control of your reading accessory destiny to the universe.
There is something deeply satisfying about making things for people who love books. Bookmarks are small and useful and can be unnecessarily beautiful.
Journals, Sketchbooks and Other Things to Fill With Ideas
I'll also have handmade journals and sketchbooks, because apparently making blank books is just as satisfying as filling them with actual words. Possibly more satisfying, depending on how the words are going.
They're designed for writing, drawing, planning, doodling, list-making, or beginning a novel and abandoning it three pages later. (No judgement here, I’m on novel idea number 17 right now.)
A blank book contains endless possibilities. And, realistically, at least seventeen shopping lists.
And, Of Course, the Books
There will also be handbound novels. That was what I actually started off making, the other stuff were tangents that grew into separate beasts.
There is something, though, about holding a handmade book that never quite gets old. Even after folding signatures, sewing text blocks, making cases and wondering why you've voluntarily chosen a hobby involving so much glue, I still think they're worth it.
Where You Can Find Me
If you'd like to come and see everything in person - or simply confirm that the medieval spinning display tower is, in fact, a real object - I have four confirmed dates coming up.
10th October - Bringing the Harvest Home Boutique Market
📍 Buzzards Valley, B78 3EQ
My first market! No pressure. Outside in their courtyard, you can find a niche collection of artisan products.
31st October - Halloween Mystical Market
📍 Arden Hall, B36 9PB
A magical day out with psychic readings, holistic therapies, delicious food, and plenty of witchy vibes. Oh, and a raffle. That’s all I’m going for.
21st–22nd November - Artisan Christmas Craft Fair
📍 Coventry Charterhouse, CV1 2JR
Two whole days of Christmas shopping in a National Trust property. If there was ever an appropriate place to bring medieval-inspired bookish things, I feel like this might be it.
29th November - Middleton Christmas Market
📍 Middleton Hall, B78 2AE
And finally, another Christmas market. Which means I will presumably be surrounded by festive shoppers while trying not to buy presents from every other stall.
Come and Say Hello
So that's what I've been doing. Sewing sleeves and foiling bookmarks and binding books - nothing too dramatic.
If you're local to any of these craft markets in the Midlands, I'd absolutely love it if you came to say hello.
You can browse the handmade Kindle sleeves, have a look at the handbound books, pick through the bookmarks, or simply witness the fruits of my ongoing inability to do anything without making it slightly medieval. The commitment to the vibes is important, I feel.
Hopefully, I'll see you there. And hopefully, by then, I'll have made enough stock. I remain optimistic, even in the face of the mountain I still have to climb. Nobody panic!
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