Botanic Garden antiques fair

Derwen Antiques Fair, National Botanic Garden of Wales, January 2023

Justin took a trip out on Saturday, visiting the Derwen Antiques Fair held at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. He said it was a very enjoyable day, so we thought we’d pass on the recommendation.

It’s an interesting location for such a fair with stalls housed in many areas of the site – including the old regency house, the stable block, theatre and even the huge, modern glasshouse.

Browsers at the Derwen Antiques Fair, National Botanic Garden of Wales, January 2023

Admission was £10, which is the going rate for this kind of event; however, it had the added bonus of the ticket being valid for a full week. This allows for a day browsing antiques and then the opportunity of taking in the amazing gardens on a subsequent day or days. It was well-organised and friendly – and there were some nice places to grab a coffee or snack.

Our purchases from Derwen Antiques Fair, National Botanic Garden of Wales, January 2023

He picked up some lovely pieces too – including a wonderful vintage thread box, antique kitchenalia and some fabulous pieces of old pottery.

The organisers are hoping to have another fair in 2023, so keep an eye out for future dates!

A rare day

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II - Chris Levine entitled, "Lightness of Being"

Today has been a rare day; indeed, it’s been a rare week and more. We spent many hours watching the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on the television. Despite us not being royalists, we greatly respect and admire the late Queen.

It was all so moving; the readings, the slow procession of uniformed troops through London, the sound of the massed pipes and drums, the crowds, the Queen’s favourite pony, the corgis and most of all, the lone piper at end of the Windsor service. Who does ceremony and pageantry as well as the British?

Image: © Chris Levine

Property Press Awards 2019

The Property Press Awards hosted by Property4Media

On 21st May, Property4Media will be hosting the Property Press Awards 2019 at RSA House in central London. Celebrating the best in property journalism, the Property Press Awards honour the sector’s finest journalistic achievements, recognising outstanding talent across the media spectrum.

The awards are completely independent, not linked to any journalistic grouping or association and are open to all journalists and all UK media outlets.

Property4Media is a social network uniting journalists and PR contacts across the property industry. Their social networking and messaging services encourage the development of relationships between property journalists, PR professionals and brands spanning the property industry.

Scrabble-type tiles spelling out 'property'

Are you a property journalist?

Why don’t you enter the awards? It is free of charge and you can either nominate yourself or a colleague in one or multiple categories. There are 20 categories in total, including Property Journalist of the Year, Garden Journalist of the Year, Lifestyle and Interiors Journalist of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Property Freelance Journalist of the Year.

To date, 2000+ PR professionals are registered on the Property4Media website. They represent a huge range of enterprises including estate agencies, property developers, overseas property companies and commercial property brands.

Square grid of 16 house illustrations

Are you a property PR professional?

A limited number of tickets are being made available for attendance. The awards event is an ideal way to meet and network with brands, journalists and fellow PR people working in the property sector.

2500+ journalists working across newspapers, magazines, radio and online are registered on the Property4Media website. Are you one of them?

Computer rendered image of a multi-storey residential property

Are you a property company?

Increase your brand awareness and reputation by sponsoring one of the awards in a category relevant to your sector. Categories cover residential and commercial property, overseas property, mortgages, interiors and more.

Property brands already making use of Property4Media services include Foxtons, Knight Frank, Savills and Barratt Homes.

If you’re a property specialist in whatever field and are interested in attending, sponsoring an award or simply finding out more – head over to the Property Press Awards website.

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Hillarys Crafternoon

'Hillarys Crafternoon' blog post banner

Making jewellery boxes at Hillarys Crafternoon

This Saturday, I jumped on the train to attend a Hillarys Crafternoon.

Ziferblat kitchen area

It was held at Ziferblat, located in the city’s Northern Quarter. I’d walked past the venue loads of times but had never been inside; I’ve been missing out!

The buffet area at Ziferblat

Their philosophy is that everything you consume is free – all food, drink and wi-fi… all you pay for is the time you spend there (currently 6p per minute).

Dogs relaxing at Ziferblat

Even well-behaved dogs are welcome!

Mood board for Hillarys new 'Jewel' fabric collection

The reason for the crafternoon was the launch of a new range of fabrics by Hillarys entitled ‘Jewel’.

Sunny, from Hillarys

Sunny was the representative from Hillarys. He not only told us a bit about the range, he got stuck in with the making as well.

Jana from Crafty Hen who led the Hillarys Crafternoon workshop

Jana from The Crafty Hen led the session. Funnily enough, I’ve known Jana for ages, but I’d not seen her for years!

Buttons, threads and ribbon for crafting

We had lots of lovely fabrics and trimmings from which to choose to make our items.

Jewellery box making materials Completed jewellery box

The first item was a jewellery box. It took me AGES – I was the last one to finish!

Making a Suffolk puff

After a tea (and cake!) break we embarked on making Suffolk puffs. These were fab – easy to make and looked great – I’ll be making them again!

Completed Suffolk puff on my handbag

I embellished mine with some ribbon… and awarded myself with a rosette for a great day of craftiness! 🙂