Totally Bazaar

Unless you've been nestled under a rock for the past few months you might have heard me mention Totally Bazaar.


I've been raiding the vintage fabric stash (I can't just keep it all for myself after all) and making like a demon for the past couple of months in preparation for Totally Bazaar and now here we are with just one week to go before the event takes place on 3rd April (that would be Mothers Day in case you've been under a rock inside a box).

Totally Bazaar will be held at the Holiday Inn in Belfast and it's well worth the trip to come and pay all of us a visit.

Admission has been lowered for the event and is only £3 for adults and £1 for under 13s and all ladies attending the event will be entered into the giveaway with a chance to win a gorgeous Mother and Daughter Glamour Hamper. Totally Bazaar opens its doors at 11am so why not come and spend a few hours surrounded by the very best of vintage and handmade and then have a long lunch at the award winning Junction Bar and Restaurant at the Holiday Inn.

As if that isn't reason enough, 50 exhibitors will be showcasing at Totally Bazaar and with bags, accessories, jewellery, clothing, homewares and everything in between there will be something for everyone along with special Mothers Day offers and I'll even be hosting a giveaway myself.

Every purchase from my own stall enters you into my giveaway to win a luxurious handmade lavender pamper hamper containing handmade candles and soaps, lavender sachets, neck pillow, eye mask, lavender filled bath teabags and a wonderfully thick and soft cashmere spa cloth to really pamper yourself.


And the best bit of Totally Bazaar is that while it's in the very heart of Belfast, it's also on a Sunday. Ha, free parking!!

A full list of exhibitors can be found on the Decadence Vintage Clothing website, but for a sneaky peak at some of the handmade goodness on offer, click on the following shops and have a wee nosy.






I'll see you there.

I don't care about the seeds, I'll poop where I like!

I'm so glad to see some signs of Spring in the garden, even if the cat is less than chuffed to have her hunting and pooping grounds hijacked for seed planting.

We've even had a solid few days of nothing but blue skies and sunshine here, it's great being able to do the school run without bundling up in coats and scarves for a change.


We even have some colour to look at in the garden, although it is only a teensy tiny little bit, but the fruit trees are back again. I don't know why but I'm always a bit of a pessimist about these trees every year so I'm even more chuffed to see the trees completely covered in apple and pear buds just waiting to blossom.


And I know it's only parsley but it's one of the brightest greens in the garden and one of the precious few things out there which is ready to eat. The poor thing's been a bit savaged by us lately, but it's nowhere near as bad as the chives which are in two fat bunches and the grand total of 4 inches long. Every time they make a bid for the sky we pounce on them for everything from soups to sandwiches. We're trying to give them a bit of a break, really we are!


And my dogwood isn't just a tangle of pink branches any more, well it is really but there are a couple of little lime green spots in there to break things up.


And finally a little apology. I've not been around an awful lot lately, one thing and another keep cropping up and robbing me of days at a time. I've missed my early morning blog reading, commenting and coffee reading but I'm hopeful that things will start to settle down somewhat in the next week and I'll be back to my usual routine and catching up on what you've all been up to.

Kids, cars and all the rest

Well for starters Chloe's been sick, just a dose of the flu so nothing too serious but it has been a lurgy filled week.

She better now and thankfully back to school in time for her trip to Carrickfergus Castle because her teacher has a good two weeks of lessons planned around that one trip.

The car went in for MOT and failed, our little darling of a car which never fails us and never lets us down is in a bad way. This led to a week of

1. panic
2. phoning around for quotes, including our car guy and all mechanics in the family
3. concluding that we couldn't afford to have it fixed
4. considering whether we could fix it ourselves
5. that would be a no
6. SORN the car
7. apply for a tax refund
8. and relax, because
   
   we're not exactly in any dire and desperate need for a car at the minute and I'll be able to put my hands on something with four wheels for Totally Bazaar next month.
   
   Speaking of which, I'm very nearly ready at the minute, always good to be finished with three weeks to spare. Think of all that lovely time spent panicking that I haven't enough stock or the display looks like guff and all the fiddling and fidgeting and general faffery I'll get done between now and 3rd April:)
   
   I've just the giveaway to put the finishing touches to now. Totally Bazaar is on Mothers Day this year so I'll be giving away free entry with every purchase to win a gorgeous handmade bath and bedtime hamper. As I say, just a few finishing touches and I'll give more details but suffice it to say, it's proper "send the hubs to the cinema with the kids, pop on some music, grab a book, wine and lock the front door so they can't get back in" luxury.
   
   All the cats in my neighbourhood seem to have taken up residence in my garage since we put the cat flap in for our cat.
   
   I'm a bit sick and tired of chasing cats.
   
   Some of these cats really should be on diets, a big ginger one in particular. If I can't get hold of a car for Totally Bazaar, I could probably ride the cat stock and all, it's that big.
   
   We've whittled Chloe's birthday party back somewhat. She originally wanted a big party but after we went to a big party last weekend it quickly became apparent that Chloe prefers smaller groups. She got into it eventually and really enjoyed herself but she probably doesn't want to spend the first 20 minutes of her own party locked to my hip so we're having a smaller do at home with about 10 of them and her teacher's happy to let them all have cake pops on 4th in school so we're all good.
   
   And finally ... I had Chloe's parent teacher meeting on Wednesday (her first day off sick, she can pick her days let me tell you). The good news is that it's all good news. She's really come out of her shell this year and volunteers to speak to the whole class more often than she used to. Her attention can be a bit off at times but her teacher said that's a bit like pointing out that kids like sweets, she's definitely not the only one in the class and she's improved since before Christmas. She's had a dramatic improvement in her reading level, though admittedly she still doesn't enjoy it as much as other subjects but the best news is that she's way ahead, a year or twos lessons ahead in maths. I couldn't have hoped for better news, but we will keep working on the attention span.

Possibilities and Absolutes

I'm possibly going back to work.

I'll possibly need to wind up my little business.

Robert will possibly be a stay at home dad.

He absolutely can't take over my little business.

Chloe will possibly have some adjustment issues.

Then again she possibly won't.

Robert will possibly have some adjustment issues.

Then again he possibly won't.

I absolutely have a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make in the next couple of months.

I'll absolutely put my family first over everything else.

There will possibly be a headache or two.

I'm absolutely not at all sure about much of anything at the minute.

Anything is absolutely possible.