All the Fun of the Fair

Gifts Galore

2011-09-26T18:22:00.000+01:00

We know it's too early to be talking about Christmas, but we always like to have an array of fun and quirky gifts available for all occasions. Here are some of our newest gift ideas, available in our Kingly Court store and online now!

these vintage style wooden folding rulers are handy to have around, and make wonderful gifts at only £4.95 each - ideal for the 'hard to buy for' men in your life

and for the knitting mad friend or relative (or even yourself!) how about this knitting lovers set consisting of a pocket mirror and two badges made from vintage knitting patterns

you can never have too many notebooks, so this set of 3 fun illustrated notepads makes a great gift for young and old alike

this gorgeous grey chunky cable knitted purse is stylish but fun, making it the perfect gift for any woman - and it's big enough to stash your money as well as your keys and a lipstick!

this handy sewing kit contains all the essentials needed to sew on the go - keep one in the car, in your handbag, in the office, or in the house, for those little emergencies!

Welcome to the Zoo

2011-09-21T19:02:00.000+01:00

We love all things animal themed here at All the Fun of the Fair, so we thought we would share some of our newest animal arrivals! These darling brooches from Acorn and Will are perfect for pinning on your cardigan or coat as the weather gets colder.

These adorable ceramic owl shaped hooks come in grey or pink, and fit easily onto your wall. Perfect for hanging up all sorts of items, from clothes, to cameras, to jewellery, and would look great in any room.

These adorable buttons buttons shaped like teddy bears or bunny rabbits, have stolen our hearts. They are all in a mother of pearl effect, and would add the finishing touch to any garment.

Vintage Wooden Spools

2011-09-12T16:40:00.000+01:00

We are delighted to announce our gorgeous vintage wooden spools are now back in stock. They are one of our best selling items, and we have them available in a wide range of shapes and styles. Perfect for storing ribbons and trims on, or for any manner of DIY and repurposing projects. We've seen them used as coat hooks, as jewellery organisers, painted and cut to make photo holders, or used in conjunction with vintage plates for unusual displays.

They also make perfect gifts, so why not pick up a few for vintage loving friends (dare we mention that Christmas is only 3 and a half months away?!) Available in our Kingly Court store, or right here online.

New Products!

2011-08-23T18:33:00.000+01:00

We love getting new products in, especially when they are as fun as these new bits and pieces! All are handmade with love and care, and would make great gifts or the perfect treat for yourself!

Our always popular yarn ball brooches are now back in stock in a wide range of colours for only £6 each! Perfect for all knitters or crafty types!

These sewing and craft themed charm necklaces are a great way to jazz up an outfit, and would make perfect gifts too! Only £6 each, available in three different styles.

From our friend Zoe over at Ladybird Likes comes this range of handmade pocket mirrors and buttons badges, lovingly crafted from a range of vintage papers and fabrics. Mirrors are £3 each (only available in store currently!)

Set of two button badges are £2 each, and are available in knitting pattern, underground map, and vintage children's illustration designs. (only available in store currently)

Caro London

2011-07-19T16:54:00.000+01:00

Our Summer Studio Sale is well underway right now, and there are bargains galore to be had from all our wonderful vendors. If you've been into our Kingly Court store in the last few days you will have noticed a rail popped up housing some gorgeous items in a stunning range of fabrics - these are from our good friends at Caro London, who create clothing and accessories using an eclectic mix of fabrics and trimmings.

As you can see we have a whole range of Caro London products on offer, from dresses, to purses, to shower caps and tote bags, and all at unbeatable bargain prices. Available from our Kingly Court shop right now.

Studio Sample Sale!

2011-06-22T14:10:00.001+01:00

All the Fun of the Fair would like to invite you to our first ever Summer Studio Sample Sale. On Thursday 14th July we will be opening our doors to the public to sell an eclectic mix of goodies, including samples of items like our gorgeous tea cosies, ex-display items, plus all manner of odds and ends, all at bargain prices! There will be something for everyone, so bring your friends and have a good old rummage!

To celebrate the occasion we will also be offering goodie bags for customers who spend over £15, which will be full of craft related treats! These will be very limited in numbers though so get down early if you want to snag one!

And we're not just selling items from our own stock but also from other lovely designer makers. Some of the other talented people whose wares we will be selling include;

Ella's Kitchen Company - Katherina, founder of the company, creates Nordic style wooden, hand-painted kitchen essentials that would look stunning in any home.

Pink Pineapple - wholesalers of all manner of wonderful craft supplies, Pink Pineapple will be bringing a quirky selection of products, with something for everyone.

Stitch Designworks - creators of quirky, unique, and totally modern textile-based homewares and lifestyle items with a handmade feel.

We will be updating the blog as more people are added, as well as giving you sneak peeks at the goodies that will be available, so be sure to check back!

So here are the important details again;
When: from Thursday 14th July 2011 at 11am
Where: All the Fun of the Fair, 2.8 Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London W1B 5PW

We hope to see you all there!

Crazy for Clippykit!

2011-05-31T17:36:00.000+01:00

We have been long time supporters of Clippykits - we think they are absolutely fab, and a unique way of personalising your belongings to suit your tastes. So when we heard they had a brand new range out, aptly name 'Covergirl', we couldn't wait to get our hands on them! You simply insert the cover of your favourite magazine (or any other item of ephemera cut to the right size) into the handy plastic at the front, and voila!

Of course we had to try it out with the cover of one of our knitting magazines - perfect for any yarn lover or knitter! But you could put anything inside - magazine covers, decorative paper, or how about a piece of gorgeous fabric?

They are available in a tote bag (with pink or black handles), a pencil case, and a make up bag. You can buy your own from our Kingly Court store or online from our web shop!

We Heart Acorn & Will!

2011-05-26T15:49:00.000+01:00

We love all the lovely people who sell their gorgeous goods in our shop, but there is definitely a special space in our hearts for Acorn & Will's quirky but very affordable range of kitsch accessories. Each design comes in a rainbow of colourways, so there will definitely be something to suit everyone, and all items are £6 or under, so perfect for those of us wanting to look good on a budget. When our box of treats arrived in the post there were squeals of delight - it was like Christmas morning here at All the Fun of the Fair HQ!

All these gorgeous goodies are available in our Kingly Court store and via our website NOW! But be warned, they sell like hot cakes so get in there fast.

Crafty Kits!

2011-05-23T17:36:00.000+01:00

Here at All the Fun of the Fair HQ we are always on the look out for fun new craft related products, so we couldn't resist these great 'make your own' kits. They contain all the materials you need to make some really great things. Perfect for crafting with kids, or to ease yourself back into the craft world if it's been a whole since you picked up a needle and thread!

make three little striped mice - we think these would make a great gift for someone special

make a hanging butterfly heart - our top tip is to add some dried lavender with the stuffing and use as a wardrobe or drawer scent bag for gorgeous smelling clothes

make your own fairy cake trinket box - perfect for keeping small toys or jewellery safe

All these fabulous craft kits are available online and in our Kingly Court store right now.

A Giveaway!

2011-05-09T16:20:00.000+01:00

We love a giveaway here at All the Fun of the Fair, and so we have decided to host one of our own. How do you fancy winning one of these super quirky knitted cacti?!

If your answer is 'yes please' then all you have to do is head on over to our website and sign up for our newsletter in the box on the left! Already on our mailing list? Then fear not, you can still be in with a chance to win by either following our blog, or following us on Twitter, and then leaving us a little comment on this blog post!

A Splash of Vintage...

2011-05-03T16:11:00.000+01:00

It's no secret that we here at All the Fun of the Fair HQ love all things quirky, but we have a very special place in our hearts reserved for beautiful vintage objects, especially any craft related items. We are currently swooning over these gorgeous vintage buttons sets we sourced - they come in the most gorgeous shapes and colours, and we have been picking out our favourites ready to jazz up some tired cardigans! Here is a sneak peek...

All these, and many more, are available exclusively in our Kingly Court store. Lots of the designs are one offs or available in very limited numbers, and as they are vintage once they're gone they are gone for good, so snap them up fast!

Royal Wedding Fever

2011-04-28T11:09:00.000+01:00

As you may have guessed from our last newsletter email, we here at All the Fun of the Fair headquarters have officially caught Royal Wedding fever! But apparently not everyone is excited about Will and Kate's big day as we are, so we've decided to share some of our favourite products that put us in the Royal Wedding mood...

we bet the Queen will be using one of these to serve tea at the Royal Wedding breakfast...

all Royals love a slice of cake, and these knitted ones are sure to tickle them pink...

get all patriotic and throw a street party with lots of this Union Jack retro style bunting (or just hang it in your house and pretend you are a Royal and they're flying the flag because you're in residence)

there are few things more British than a good old cup of tea... except maybe a cup of tea served in this 'I Love London' mug

perfect for your Royal Wedding picnic (or for carrying 'Royal' packed lunches the rest of the year)

spread the London love far and wide with this 'I Love London' blank card

we're not sure if the Royals ever do the washing up, but maybe if they had one of these 'I Love London' tea towels they would get their hands dirty...

All these products, plus lots more, are available on our website. Now excuse us, we have a wedding to watch.....

Carnaby Discount Shopping Night

2011-04-26T13:08:00.000+01:00

Yes, it's nearly that time of year again when shops in Carnaby Street and the surrounding area offer shoppers 20% off FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY! In addition to discounts galore there will be complimentary drinks, live music, and activities such as a fashion photoshoot going on throughout the event, as well as a limited number of goodie bags which will be available on the top floor of Kingly Court (right near our shop!) It's one of the hottest shopping events in Central London, and we at All the Fun of the Fair are proud to be participating again and offering a whopping 20% off to all our customers exclusively in our Kingly Court store.

Date: Thursday 19th May 2011
Time: 5pm - 9pm

If you want to come and take advantage of these crazy discounts then all you have to do is click here to register for your FREE ticket! It couldn't be more simple! Hope to see lots of you there!

Party Bags and a Knit Crawl

2011-03-31T23:50:00.002+01:00

On Wednesday we were very pleased to be involved in the Wednesday Knit group's Knit Crawl. Organised by Jaqueline, founder of the Wednesday Knit knitting groups, the Knit Crawl went round some of London's finest knitting shops, including All the Fun of the Fair! It was all done in celebration of Wednesday Knit's 1st birthday and so, being the party lovers that we are we decided that no party would be complete without party bags!

So we decided to rustle up some little goodie bags for all the Wednesday Knit members to take home with them...

a sneak peek inside the goodie bags

discount vouchers all tied up

handmade badges made from vintage knitting patterns

(watch out for these in our shop very soon!)

super cute apple shaped tape measure

all packaged up and ready to go!

The Wednesday Knit Group arrived in the shop Wednesday afternoon, and were ready for a sit down after a long day! We loved meeting everyone, and having a good chat over some knitting.

Jaqueline, founder of Wednesday Knit, shows off her knitting!

Thanks to everyone from Wednesday Knit who dropped in, we hope to see you again very soon! And if you love the look of our goodie bags then why not head over to Jaqueline's blog where she is giving away a couple as part of her birthday celebrations, along with a knitted cacti from our shop!

We Heart Twinkie Chan!

2011-03-28T13:35:00.000+01:00

On Saturday All the Fun of the Fair were the very excited hosts of a cupcake themed party, and our guest of honour was none other than the super talented crochet whizz Miss Twinkie Chan! At 1pm we were ready for our guests, with cupcakes and yarn out for everyone to help themselves too.

Here you can see the lovely Twinkie Chan herself enjoying a cupcake break and a chat with one of the guests.

The shop filled up with people eager to learn to crochet and to meet our guest of honour, and we ran out of chairs very quickly! Apologies to those who had to sit on the floor!

There were patterns on hand for anyone who wanted to have a go and crochet their own cupcake from Twinkie Chan's new book, and the lady herself showed us how it was done.

Abby was an expert crocheter and got stuck straight in, and I think she was the first to finish a complete cupcake (after Twinkie of course!)

Boopetta and Tet show Twinkie Chan's cousin how to crochet - it was so great seeing the experienced crocheters teaching those who had never crocheted before!

The gorgeous Maxine from Little Miss Delicious stopped by, wearing one of her amazing necklaces. We're sad you couldn't stay longer, but come and visit again soon!

And Lizzy from Lizzy Knits joined us, wearing one of Twinkie Chan's cookie scarves! She was a great teacher too, and we were all jealous of how fast she could whip up a cupcake!

Lovely Kim, who has the most beautiful blog ever, and Twinkie Chan were very focused on their crocheting.

The start of a cupcake...

... and the finished piece!

Twinkie Chan was so super sweet, and signed copies of her book for everyone, and posed for what felt like hundreds of photographs!

A huge thank you to everyone who came by, said hello, ate cake, and joined in, it was so lovely meeting you all and we hope to see you again very soon. And the biggest thank you of course goes to Twinkie Chan for being the most perfect guest of honour we could have asked for!

If you missed out on the event then fear not, we still have copies of Twinkie Chan's book available in our Kingly Court store, and online right here.

New Products!

2011-03-25T18:22:00.000Z

Oooooh Spring is well and truly here, and we here at All the Fun of the Fair are loving it. With all the new things that Spring brings, we thought we'd offer up some new things of our own for you, our lovely customers.

First up we have our gorgeous handmade crochet sunflower brooches, perfect for embracing the sunshine and adding a splash of colour to any outfit. Just pin on your cardigan, dress, or coat, and walk with an added bounce in your step. Pick one up from our Kingly Court store, or grab one online here.

We are thrilled to announce that our gorgeous Indian sari silk yarn is now back in stock, both in our Kingly Court store, and online right here. Made from 100% handspun recycled sari silk, this yarn is too beautiful. No two are the same, which just adds to their character. Bursting with every colour imaginable, they will leave you longing for Indian summers and Bollywood films!

And last, but by no means least, our now infamous knitted cacti are back in stock! These are available exclusively in our Kingly Court store, and are in very limited supply. Perfect if, like us, your real cacti end up dried up and dead in their pots! Our knitted variety will last forever, and look perfect on a windowsill, a desk, in a bookshelf, or even brightening up a kitchen. We have a range of different styles and sizes to choose from but hurry, they are very popular!

March Newsletter

2011-03-16T12:22:00.000Z

Our March newsletter winged its way into email inboxes last week, and so far the response has been great! But, in case you're not on our mailing list, we thought we'd share all our new goodies and special offers here on the blog too!

If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, to receive updates of our new products, events, and discounts, then just email us at funofthefair@btinternet.com with the subject as 'Mailing List' and we will add you right away!

Twinkie Chan: Crochet Class

2011-03-15T13:45:00.000Z

Hello All! Our new blog is up and running, and we have some exciting news to share with you in our first blog post. Twinkie Chan, who some of you may already know for her amazing crocheted food themed goodies, will be in our Kingly Court store to teach you how to make a crocheted cupcake, and to sign copies of her new book!

Date: Saturday 26th March

Time: 1pm

Where: All the Fun of the Fair, 2.8 Kingly Court (just off Carnaby Street)

There will also be free cake (the real edible kind!) for all our visitors. If you want to come along please email us at funofthefair@btinternet.com as it's going to be a very popular event.