Treacle Market and my lovely find!

On the last Sunday of every month, we usually venture out to the very lovely Treacle market in Macclesfield's town centre. Macclesfield got the name 'Treacletown' from a merchant cart spilling a load of treacle over the market square hundreds of years ago. I love the name Treacletown and although there is no treacle for sale at the Treacle market there are some really amazing food stalls that sell everything from home made pies, cheese, olives, scones, bread and even biltong (South African dried meat) and many more. There are an estimate of about 100 stalls of arts, crafts, antiques, food and more. You can read more here about it.

What I love about the market is that it is mostly vintage and a large majority of the items sold are either handmade and/or upcycled. The market buzzes with creative and talented people with some very quirky and interesting stalls. I have been going to this market since it started a couple of year ago and I still dream that one day when my health improves I can have a little stall (it's good to dream right?). In the meantime, I enjoy soaking up all the ambiance and spending money, much to the dismay of my doh (darling other half). Fortunately he really gets me and knows that most of the 'so called junk' as he refers to it, actually gets put to good use. I am a very practical kinda girl and although I really like having things for aesthetic purposes, I have reached an age (yip its happening), where clutter annoy me and I now try and buy for practical use only. I do have to confess that I don't always succeed, but I have become very good at creating practical purposes for things I badly want. Its always good to develop new skill (ha-ha).

Don't you just love those blue preserving jars, I have had my eye on those for so long now, but they cost £13 per jar, so pricey and one isn't enough for me. My love for old suitcases may very well one day result in a divorce, as I have been given strict instructions not to purchase anymore, apparently we have enough! Is this possible?? The middle picture shows a wooden Bronnley soap tray/crate, which I have been eyeing out for a few months with a view to resolve some under bed toy storage problems and this month it has finally made it back home with us. Then there is my obsession with a good apple crate (the operative word is good here, as there are so many rickety old crates out there). We use them for an array of things around the house and I have stopped counting how many we have now. I can honestly think of another dozen things I would love to do with them, they are so lovely and so very practical. I am astonished with how the prices for these have increased over the years, though. Thank goodness I bought mine when I did! What is it like where you are? They charge anywhere from £25-£35. My other thing is Pepsi crates, I absolutely love them and own a few, but they are soo expensive to buy these days, so all I can do for now is look at them and admire them from a distance. Aren't they lovely??

So enough rambling on, here are some of the pics that I took on Sunday, not many I am afraid as I actually had a very romantic two hours with my doh, whilst friends looked after our kids for us. We even manage to go for a cuppa, all very civilised! I honestly can't remember the last time we did this around our nick of the woods. It was so very lovely to walk hand-in-hand and to spend some lovely time together without having to think about the kids and being dragged off in different directions.

This month I very very nearly missed out on my loveliest bargain, but before I tell you about it, here are some pics....

 

 

 

Love the little porcelain cats, they are too cute.

 

The two photo's above is of a very dear friend's stall. Her business is called Freddy & Violet and she makes the most amazing bags (trust me I own a few). She does them in a range of oilcloth, fabric (even tweed!!) and the most divine leather, they are all really lush and very well crafted. I also really like her little dolls that she does, they are soo beautiful! She is one very lovely and very talented lady.

 

Now for the most amazing find ever!! Whilst me and doh was having our cuppa, I could spot this very lovely looking dress makers mannequin. Now for some reason (I might blame the Sewing Bee here) there were loads at this months market, normally there are none! For some very strange reason I didn't see this one when we went around, so I kept eyeing it out over the cuppa. I have been after one for such a long time, but being a bit of a fusspot at times, these kinda purchases have to be JUST right! After the cuppa I made a beeline for the stall and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted her, the problem was that the doh was going to have a coronary once he heard the price. Bless him, he did actually stop breathing for a second (he has no idea of the cost of things nowadays, are yours like that?). Anyway, I felt we should take five and discuss it as I had a firm plan which I knew would suit, so I made an offer and said we would be back in five. Now with a big birthday looming, I couldn't think of a more perfect pressie from the doh and kids (yes, a bit early, but these things don't come by often, so you gotta grab it when you can). As suspected, the idea was snapped up immediately (less thinking for him offcourse!), but by the time we got back someone else were getting their money out to pay for it. I almost started hyperventilating!!!! It was a moment of shear panic and I just simply had to rush in and say that we were taking it. Fortunately for me she had already told them that someone had made an offer, which I had and that she needed to check with me first, phew!!! There are some serious pluses of knowing a few of the marketeers and being a regular. So yes, the good news is that this very lovely lady.......here she comes........breathe....

...made it home with us!! Isn't she absolutely beautiful?? The added bonus is that she is from Paris, France, not bad for £85!! It was so funny when my doh left with her under his arm, he got few funny looks and a friend text to say that she just saw my husband leaving with a rather shapely lady...heehee!!

 

So this is what's happened with the lovely items, since we brought it home.

 

 

 

 

 

This week is flying by and even although I had loads planned to get my teeth into, not much has happened. Hope you are all having a lovely week. I will hopefully post something crochet related very soon, but for now xoxo