Bath in Bloom and the Upcycle Exchange

I blogged last month about my new social enterprise venture, Make It Better…and the Upcycle Exchange. Essentially, an Upcycle Exchange is selling donated crafting supplies at Pay As You Wish Prices. People donate their unwanted/un-used/un-loved crafting supplies, and I sell them on for whatever the buyer feels is a fair price. This saves things from landfill, and allows the local crafting community to access supplies at prices they can afford-win win!

The inaugural outing was at last month’s Bath Artisan Market, where rather fittingly, there was a Make Do and Mend theme. I had a great day! Passed on lots of lovely bits and pieces to new homes, and got lots of positive feedback and great comments.

Sooooo, I am delighted to say that the Upcycle Exchange at the Bath Artisan Market looks set to become a regular feature 🙂 I will be there with all sorts of pre-loved crafting loveliness on the second Sunday of every month at Green Park Station in Bath. So if you are anywhere nearby, do come along and say hello!

And to wet your appetites, here are some of the things I have to bring with me this Sunday….

Fabric…

…fabric….

..and more lovely fabric!

Wool…

..and more wool!

Felt scraps-always handy for anything crafty…

Feathers are surely a must if you are crafting with kids..!

I LOVE this spotty faux fur fabric. BigSmall wants me to make him some ears before it gets sold!

Some funky upholstery/curtain fabric samples

And I even have some crafty books and magazines!

This is just a taster of the eclectic mix of things I have! Also, there is a box of old keys, some beads and jewellery making bits, some silver-plated cutlery, scrabble and monopoly boards, and these brilliant fake roses! Which are perfect for the stall this Sunday, given that there is a ‘Bath in Bloom’ theme 🙂

There will be FREE gardening demos, FREE kids’ planting sessions, a kid’s garden-in-a-seedtray competition judged by the Mayor, animals from Bath City Farm and over 60 art, craft, vintage and food stalls. And it’s FREE entry too!

I know My Make Do and Mend Year is all about Buying Nothing New, so possibly banging on about a market selling stuff may be viewed in some quarters to be slightly hypocritical. But some of it is vintage, ALL of it is handmade, with love, by local crafters, and my Upcycle Exchange is helping to save unwanted things from landfill and allow people to craft with clear consciences (!) so it’s not all that bad really!

Please do come and say hi if you are anywhere near. It should be a great day, even if it rains-it’s all under cover!

And if you are ‘de-stashing’ and would like to know that your supplies are going to be going to other crafty folk who will love them and put them to good use, then please do get in touch 🙂