A lovely day out!

Saturday saw the sun shining and Mark and I were up nice and early to get to The Vintage Bazaar in Hartley Wintney.  After a couple of false starts (I have a very annoying habit of having to wee about 100 times before we go on a long car journey!) we were hot footing down the motorway to get to the Victoria and Appleton Centre in time for the doors opening at 10am.  We got there in plenty of time and the journey was so easy, 1.5 hours door to door with only one toilet stop!
As we waited outside my anticipation was growing and I just wanted the doors to open.  As soon as they did, I was in!  First stop was Lizzie's stall aka The Washerwoman.  She had just been to France so her stall had a distinct French feel about it.

The Washerwoman Stall

Gorgeous 1920s hat stand

Very sweet Skittles

Wooden horse and bits and bobs

Next I moved into the hall and did a quick once round of all the stalls.  This is my normal strategy when I go to fairs.  I become very focussed and single minded as I know exactly what I'm looking for and can normally spot it at 100 paces!  Well, as I went round the hall I knew I was going to be in trouble, I wanted EVERYTHING!  The stall holders had done an amazing job and their stalls looked extremely tempting.  After I'd been round once I took my time and took in all the wonderful vintage items that were on sale.  There was a real mixture of fabrics, retro, french, shabby chic and something for everyone.  I made a beeline for Ali's stall aka Betty and Violet.  I'd met her at the Village-vintage fair in July and had coveted everything on her stall!  She has the most gorgeous, feminine textiles, handbags, ephemera and I could literally spend hours looking at it all.

Ali has organised a new event called The Vintage Christmas Boutique which will take place on Thurs 15th Nov at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire.  It sounds as though it is going to be magical, Christmas and Vintage combined, what more could you want! 

After talking to Ali for a while I went over and introduced myself to Jo aka Hesta Nesta.  We had had some email communication as I had seen a set of fabric drawers on her blog that I had desperately wanted.  It was so nice to finally put a face to the name and see her items in real life.  Her stall certainly didn't disappoint and again I could have stayed for hours!

Next up was Theo & Bernice.  I first met Debbie and her daughter, Victoria, at the Village-Vintage fair and then at the Wisborough Green fair in Aug.  Both times I bought something from them and both times I wished I'd bought more!  Debbie has a really good eye and stall is always displayed in a very enticing way.

Last but by no means least was a stall that Mark was very taken with.  It had more of a retro vintage feel and they had some great items.  I think if he could have, Mark would have bought everything.  He likes bright colours and the eclectic so All Things Vintage and Beautiful suited him perfectly!

Homes and Antiques also had a stall with a small selection of goods as well as their new magazine, Guide to Upcycling.

After all the chatting and taking photos, it was time to sit down with a cup of tea and slice of brownie from the vintage tearoom and reflect on the morning.  I had had such a lovely couple of hours mooching round the stalls, making new friends, taking photos and enjoying the friendly atmosphere, that I didn't want to leave!  Everyone was incredibly friendly and accommodating and the goods on offer were really wonderful.  I loved this fair and hope to be back as a stall holder one day.

Thank you to everyone who made the day so enjoyable! :)