Hello! Hello!

The preparations for “Art in Country Hall” exhibitions are now completed! The glass cabinets have been properly cleaned and polished, the artworks are now  perfectly displayed and everything is ready for the big day! The opening will take place on Friday, the 20th of May at 17:00 pm and the exhibition will be open every working day for the next 8-10 weeks.

Art in County Hall is a joint exhibition bringing several talented artists from Worcestershire together. Rita’s artwork will be displayed in two gabinets in front of the Council Chamber, while the artworks made by The Garage Art Group from Evesham will be proudly displayed on the walls.  Garage Art Group has just celebrated 20 years of promoting health and well being through the mediums of painting, drawing, textile and other visual arts. If you’d like to learn more about this fantastic charity organization, please visit their official websites:

Garage Art Group – biography

Homepage: http://www.garageartgroup.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garageartgroup/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/garageartgroup

Address:  Vale Art Studio, 4/4a Crown Court Yard, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 4RY.
Contact: Pam White (CEO) on 01386 423245 or 07933512210
Email: garageartgroup@live.co.uk

Garage Art Group – exhibit #1

Garage Art Group – exhibit #2

Garage Art Group – exhibit #3

Garage Art Group – exhibit #4

Garage Art Group – exhibit #5

Garage Art Group – exhibit #6

Garage Art Group – full installation

Another artist showcasing his excellent works alongside Rita and the Garage Art Group is Mark Hilsden. Mark has been painting for many years and is very well known in Worcester art circles. He specializes in painting landscapes (especially forest and the sea) but architecture and portraits are also his strong points. Marks artworks are in many private collections including Europe and Australia. He encourages everybody to follow their passion and dare to dream.

Mark Hilsden – picture #1

Mark Hilsden – picture #2

Mark Hilsden – picture #3

Mark Hilsden – picture #4

Mark Hilsden – picture #5

Mark Hilsden – picture #6

Mark is open to commissions, so if you’d like to have your special picture painted, please contact him directly at:

Official website: http://markhilsden.com/
Marks bio: http://artymark.faso.com/page/8606/media-pack-artists-bio-and-cv
Commission guidelines: http://artymark.faso.com/page/7692/commissions
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artistmarkhilsden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/markhilsden

We are very excited to work with so many talented individuals and grateful for having an opportunity to showcase our work to a huge number of visitors. Did you know that County Hall is visited by hundreds of people each week? It is a very busy place and hopefully it will help Worcestershire based artists reach a wider audience.

At the opening, you will have a chance to learn more about Rita and her work. Malicia was very kind to pen a truly professional bio for her and she is very  happy to share it with you all:

Rita’s bio:

Rita Dabrowicz (born October 1979) is a Polish artist currently living and working in Worcester. Although showing interests in art from an early age, she began to exhibit her works publicly during university years after being inspired by abstract artists such as Jackson Pollack and John Squire. Today, Rita works with several different mediums, ranging from paints (oils, acrylics, watercolours, inks), pencils, clay, pottery and ceramics. She is also an apt craft person using upcycling technique to create paper artworks, cards and decorated items like notebooks or book marks for her own “Cat Shop Décor”. She exhibited in her native Poland and in Malta (taking part in Earth Garden Festival five years in a row, twice at Notte Bianca in Valletta and being featured at Malta Artisan Markets).

Outside of her own artistic endeavours, Rita organizes cultural events and promotes other artists though her blog and social media. Teaming up with her sister under the moniker “Vanadian Avenue”, she organized a series of six exhibitions of local artists in Poland and drawing workshops (between 2000 and 2004) and was responsible for bringing prestigious World Press Photo exhibition to Malta in 2007. She was also a member of Silesian Fantasy Club in Poland for which she co-organized a series of conventions dedicated to Japanese comics, art and culture. She worked as cultural journalists for four years and specialized in female comics and presentation of women in pop culture. Three times she took part in Work Camp initiative to help organize Roskilde Festival in Denmark (2003, 2004, 2007).

Rita enjoys music, travels, photography and Japanese culture.
She can be reached via her blog: www.cocamidemea.wordpress.com or her Facebook shop page www.facebook.com/thecatshopdecor

Rita biography

To please the art loving people of Worcester, we prepared three installations. Below, you can find  pictures and short descriptions:

01. The Celestial Theatre installation

Inspired by Japanese traditional Noh dance theatre, this project links human emotions, superstitions with legends and beliefs that are written among the stars and planets. Each masks represent different omote, mask used during the performances. There are 450 different masks in Noh based on sixty types of characters. Rita’s masks are named after six legendary (yet non-existent) planets that influence us and the planet Earth.

Content of glass cabinet #1

Masks and Orbs

Set of masks

Antichthon (Ἀντίχθων) known as The Counter- Earth. Mysterious twin-planet to Earth hidden from our view. It represents mystery, deceitfulness but also protection and bravery. Appeared for the first time in the writings or Pythagorean philosopher Philolaus. Price: £30

Antichthon Mask

Hercolubus also known as the Red Planet. Mythical future destructor of Earth symbolizes power and vitality. Became wildly popular in Latin America thanks to the writings of Colombian author V.M. Rabolu (Joaquin Enrique Amortegui Valbuena, 1926-2000). Price: £30

Herocolubus Mask

Kolob also known as The Governing One. A star or a planet mentioned in the Mormon’s “Book of Abraham”, it symbolizes greatness, patience and superiority. According to the text, Kolob is the heavenly body nearest to the throne of God. Price: £30

Kolob Mask

Nibiru also known as The Crossing Star or The Point of Transition is an ancient Babylonian term of the equinox and its associated astronomical objects. It is also the name of wildly popular “Planet X” that will bring destruction to Earth. The original concept symbolizes tranquillity, serenity and peace. Price: £30

Nibiru Mask

Vulcan also known as the Tenth Planet, is the hypothetical planet in the Milky Way, located somewhere between Mercury and the Sun. The hypothesis for its existence has been formulated by Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811 –1877) French mathematician specializing in celestial mechanics. It represents strong mind and mathematical skills but also the physical power. Sadly such planet still hasn’t been found but the concept became popular in 1950’s in America and the planet gave its name to the famous alien race in Star Trek TV series franchise. Price: £40

Vulcan Mask

Serpo also known as Serponia or Seinu is a hypothetical alien planet very popular among American conspiracy theories, UFOs, and faster-than-light travel enthusiasts. According to the urban legends, American government signed a top-secret scientific exchange programs with the planet that still goes on since early 1940’s. Serpo has been mentioned in the original X-Files TV series and represents wit, science but also secrecy. Price: £30

Serpo Mask

02. Planet Caravan installation

The Planet Caravan installation has been prepared for Earth Garden in 2011. You can read detailed description about each of the 6 orbs here: https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/planet-caravan/

The Orb set

The orbs were priced as follows:

Starlight – The Blue Or
Price: £15

The Orb: Starlight

Twilight – The Violet ORB
Price: £15

The Orb: Twilight

Broadlight – The Yellow ORB
Price: £15

The Orb: Broadlight

Sunlight – The Golden ORB
Price: £15

The Orb: Sunlight

Daylight – The Red ORB
Price: £15

The Orb: Daylight

Additionally, Rita has decided to add three new items to the installation as they were also linked to the general “water” theme:

Two Water dishes

Water dishes

Two water dishes that can store rain water. The blue one is made from recyclable glass, the red one is made from recyclable plastic. Their legs are made from glass beads, the by-product of glass making that can be used for decorative purposes. Both are hand painted with abstract cat details. Can be used as soap or candle holders.
Price: £10 each or £20 for a pair

The DISC

The Disc

Mixed media on plastic. The DISC has two sides – the Light Side and The Dark Side (as visible here). It symbolizes both; the Earth and The Moon as both are described having the light and the dark sides. Maybe it represents us all as well? There is light and darkness in all of us.
Price: £15

The Dream Catcher

The Dream Catcher

Rita’s description for this strange sculpture reads: “Made entirely from natural materials: dry leaves, wooden spheres and long green painted grass. What you cannot see is the inside of the biggest sphere: there are several plastic beads that move when the Dream Catcher is rotating. Imagine you are a Dream champion, somebody who can travel through people’s dreams. You would need some kind of device to enter the Dreamscape. It also shows you the good and the bad dreams people are having. It is very useful – did I mention that it can make anyone fall asleep at once?” Price: £20

03. Zodiak

Zodiak is the biggest abstract art series that Rita has ever done. It was prepared in collaboration with British artist Matt Griffiths (sketches) and took nearly half a year to prepare. 12 pictures were displayed for the first time in the Messina Palace in Valetta as part of Notte Biance celebration in 2011.  The exhibition entitled “Astral Room” was big success. One of the artworks has been purchased to a private collection by member of the German-Maltese Circle.

Zodiac – part one

Zodiac -part two

We  have extensively covered the preparations and the exhibition previously on our blog. Please take a look at the entries below to  see detailed information about each picture and high  res images, taken by Malicia:

https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/zodiak-part-1/
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/zodiak-part-2/
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/zodiak-part-3/

Each of the 11 remaining Zodiak signs were priced at £45. Sign descriptions were laminated and presented for the  members of the public to read.

Description of each Zodiac painting

To raise the number of exhibited artworks to 12, Rita decided to add  smaller abstract piece entitled “The Rain Maker”. It has been inspired by Kate Bush song entitled “Cloudbusting”, the second single from 1985’s album “Hounds of Love”.

The Rain Maker

Acrylics and mixed media on canvas.
The artwork is professionally framed and signed by the author.
Price: £30

It’s been a very long day for us as the preparations took several hours to be completed. Please visit us tomorrow at 5 pm. Refreshments and finger food will be provided.

Hope to see you all tomorrow evening. Friday night is perfect for art,  remember that!
xxx
Rita and Mal

Dear fellow artists!

We don’t usually post things like this but this is a very special case. Worcester City Council posted an official call out to all artists who would like to design an installation that will be permanently displayed in the area of St John’s in the city. The project is worth 30.000 pounds and can bring fame and fortune to the lucky winner.

If you don’t live in Worcester, you can find more information about the call out on official pages of Worcestershire Arts Partnership that are also involved in the project:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Worcestershire-Arts-Partnership/321230657962937
http://worcsartspartnership.blogspot.co.uk/

More information about St John’s area can be found here: https://cocamidemea.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/st-johns-ca-appraisal.pdf

Interested? Please see the full memo below and send your applications! You may be the one they are looking for!

*************************************

Brief for Artist

Worcester City Council logo – “Civitas in bello et pace fidelis”. A faithfull city – in peace and in war

St.John’s, Worcester

• Background

Worcester City Council are inviting applications from an artist or group of artists to deliver a concept, design and installation of public art funded through S106 developer contributions for the Sainsbury’s Swanpool Walk development in St. John’s, Worcester.

Swanpool Walk, Worcester WR2 4EL, UK

You can click on the picture below or copy the following address ino new bowster to see the exact location:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Swanpool+Walk,+Worcester+WR2+4EL,+UK/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4870f095c0159c39:0x66509f99bf86ec8c?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9zsPTrenLAhVpAZoKHc5qDnAQ8gEIGzAA

• John’s location

St. John’s is a suburb of Worcester which lies to the west of the city. The name St. John’s is also used to refer to all of Worcester west of the River Severn including residential suburbs. The central part of St. John’s is a Conservation Area, designated because of its special architectural and historic interest. There are two parks in St. John’s, Pitmaston Park to the southwest and Cripplegate Park to the northeast. St. John’s is a historic settlement built upon pre-existing Saxon roads and has a varied historic environment which includes Roman enclosures and burials, medieval timber-framed buildings, sites of Civil War fighting, and former tanneries and malthouses. The area is rich in architectural and historic interest and the St. John’s Conservation Area includes 29 grade II listed buildings and one grade II* listed building.

Known locally as ‘the village in the city’, St. John’s contains many local independent shops including two butchers, a chemist, library, as well as a large Sainsbury’s and an adjacent sports centre. It also has a number of local pubs. Close to St. John’s are three primary schools and a secondary school. To the north of St. John’s is the University of Worcester St. John’s Campus.

• Context

The selected artist(s) will work with officers and members from Worcester City Council, Worcestershire County Council and local community groups and schools to deliver a unique and interesting public art concept that will reflect and celebrate, in some way, the heritage of St. John’s, and which can act as a focal point in and around the area to create a sense of civic pride. Initial concepts are that the artwork will reflect and/or interpret the history, heritage and the present day of St. John’s through researched themes. Artists are asked to consider the themes of people and community, buildings and place, retail and leisure.

In particular the objectives are:

• To create unique and distinctive artwork(s) that are of a high quality and design, are durable and easy to maintain, which integrate with the character of St. John’s and enhance the character of the St. John’s Conservation Area.
• To create artwork that builds on the identity of St. John’s through its heritage in an innovative and engaging way, and is responsive to the local community.
• Provides a focal point or series of focal points that can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities, and seeks to involve all members of the local community and visitors.

4. Location and scope for the work

• The artist should be able to use outdoor, robust and user-friendly materials in an innovative and creative way and which require minimum maintenance.
• The work should visually integrate with the character of St. John’s and capture the essence of the place, however there is scope for modern interpretation and materials which enhance and/or complement the historic environment.
• There is scope for the artwork(s) to be located at various strategic locations in St. John’s and it is envisaged that there will be links to key sites including both parks.

5. Role of the artist

• Research the area and its residents to assess the scope of the commission.
• Run workshops with local residents, community groups and schools to engage with ideas and identify community priorities.
• Research ideas within the scope of suggested themes for the main artwork and justify location(s).
• Design and make the artwork, transport and install the work.
• Publicise the work and involve the local community at all key stages, including the unveiling.

6. Budget

The fee for the work is capped at £30,000. This fee should cover all costs associated with the design process, local research and workshops, materials, fabrication, transport and installation.

7. Target audience

It is important that this project engages with and subsequently reaches as much of the local  community as possible, covering a wide demographic.
The aspiration is to encourage a wide range of people from the area to talk about and visit St. John’s and the artwork and be proud of the history and heritage of their community.

8. Selection process

This opportunity is being advertised both locally and nationally. Artists will be selected on the following criteria:

• Quality of work and enthusiasm for this project.
• Ability to meet the brief within budget and show value for money.
• Proven experience of being able to produce commissions and delivering them to set deadlines.
• Proven ability to collaborate with a range of professionals.
• Proven ability to successfully engage with local communities and target audiences and an awareness of the social impact and accessibility of their work, both physically and intellectually.
• Show an awareness of the local area and be able to relate their work to the St. Johns area and the themes expressed for interpretation.

Artists are asked to provide an expression of interest in the first instance. No designs are required at this stage, but images of at least three examples of previous work and references from two previous commissioners must be supplied, along with an outline approach to the design process. Evidence of insurance (minimum £5 million public liability and £1 million professional indemnity) is also required, and artists must hold a current DBS check.

Expressions of interest should be submitted electronically to Julie Lynn, Worcester City Council julie.lynn@worcester.gov.uk by midnight on 3 April 2016.

The Subject bar should contain the title: St. John’s Worcester ARTIST SUBMISSION

There will be a shortlisting exercise from the expression of interest. Those shortlisted will be asked to attend an orientation session on 13^th April 2016, to include visits to potential locations for artwork, and provide outline designs by 30^th April 2016. Design proposals should also include how the artist would approach community engagement within their proposal.

Schedule

9. Appointment

Following an interview/selection process with a panel that will include local Councillors, officers from Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council, the selected artist will be required to enter into a contract to design, make and deliver the artwork within a mutually agreed timescale and programme installation in conjunction with Worcester City Council.

Good luck to all!
xxx
Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz

Welcome back!

We wrote for sun, they sent us rain!

We are so sorry you had to wait for the second part of our review, but we truly needed to rest. Two long days on the market in cold weather, rain and strong winds sent us to bed for 24 hours. Luckily, we recovered enough and we are now back in action.

Before we introduce you to some wonderful artisans we have met, please take a look at the previous links below. You can read about our preparations before the market and read the first part of our review as well:

https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/worcester-easter-festival/
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/worcester-easter-market-part-2/
https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2016/03/25/worcester-easter-market-in-review-part-1/

Rita Dabrowicz waving at the camera at our stand in the rain.

A view from our stand

Now few thoughts after attending the fair. Worcester Easter Festival has been organized by LSD Promotions and we have to admit, that despite a very nice and competent crew working alongside the traders, the market had been very poorly advertised. It had absolutely no promotion, suffered from poor internal communications and not many shoppers were even aware it was actually happening. According to other sellers, only one advert has been published in a local newspaper and it was just 3 days before the market took place, a bit too late to properly advertise it. What’s even worse, half of the people we spoke to never received any emails, receipts or maps how to get to the market – us included. We have been promised a full pack to be sent by regular post (it never arrived and we live in Worcester City center area), then an email was supposedly sent out with digital copies of the documents and we never received that either. Please note that it was not a problem for us as we live within walking distance but majority of the sellers came from other towns such as London, Coventry or Manchester. It would be nice if the organizers thought about providing some information about local hostels/hotels, bed and breakfasts or even maps so our guests could navigate their way around Worcester and find an accommodation for the night. Worcester has a complicated road system and vital streets such as London Road are being maintained as present. Several people had to sleep in their vans as all hotels in the city have been already booked for Easter Holidays. We have directed couple of people to small hotels in Malvern but many were left to their own devices. Pretty sad.

Advertising materials

A stand advertising the market

A stand advertising the market – better shot.

The other side of the stall promoting the market.

Even better idea in this situation would be to form a partnership with a local B&B or a hotel and to introduce a new package for those merchants that come from far away. Such package should include a price of hotel room & the stall at the market or some serious discount when booking a place for the night. Why this is essential. Bad weather affects sales. Overbooked hotels make an angry merchant. Sleep deprived artisan who did not make enough sales to even cover the costs of market and petrol, will simply never return again to Worcester. Market towns ought to take their reputation seriously – give decent conditions to the merchants and they will be coming back, will recommend you to others and the market will grow.  Not to mention, people forced to sleep in their cars is an accident waiting to happen.  The last thing local artisan community needs is a black PR that our guests have been having misadventures while in town.

Quirky and fun posters that were available for the public during the market – we approve of that. More please!

Family orientated fun. Making any market better since the down of time.

Another complaint we have is regarding LSD Promotions website. It doesn’t work properly and it is hard to find anything useful there. Rita had to call in to ask where the application for the market was located to be able to download it. We also had to ask for digital copies of  leaflets and posters – such materials should be available on the website so the sellers can find them easily.  The biggest let down was that nobody informed the traders about red weather warnings issued for Saturday for Worcester and Malvern that included severe flooding and high winds. Again, we have found it on our own by listening to the radio or checking the weather reports.  Lack of information resulted in several sellers choosing not to arrive for the second day at all as they didn’t know if the market would be on or not. Even local stall holder such as us were not informed. We were only told that some sort of advice will be given on Saturday morning, which of course as you can guess, never happened.

The High Street in Worcester.

Another shot of the location – with market stalls visible.

It makes us also think that if bad weather made some artisans to cancel their appearance on a second day (if your wares are made of paper you will not want to hang around in torrential rain), some compensations should be available. We were told that Easter Market was  different and no compensations would be provided. We are fans of finding a middle ground. If a trader had to skip a day, so their wares are not damaged, why not offer them  a chance to appear some other time, with a discount? We have standard markets every Saturday on the High Street and surely something could be arranged to keep both sides happy and satisfied.

We also had a Easter Bunny. That was cute – the kids loved it.

Bunny with balloons. Hopefully we will see him coming back next year.

Our experience overall is rather that of disappointment – two stars out of 5. As we have said before, the organizers are wonderful people but a complete lack of promotion and  troubles in communication resulted in a very low sales for us. We will think hard before participating again.

Trading in pouring rain is difficult – you have our word for that. Please see how our stand presented itself on the second day of the fair. We have become “Cats in hats”, it was not planned but we tried to keep our spirits high.

Rita as a ginger cat in a hat.

Malicia as a black cat in a hat.

Hissing at the rain to make it go away.

Our stand – rainy day two.

Cats in the rain.

We always cover our cats in a cling film to prevent damage due to elements. We are clever kittens.

On a positive note, we met wonderful artists and made new friends. We had a fantastic time, drank a lot of tea and discussed million different topics. If you’d like to learn more about them, please read their short bios and visit their pages. Believe us, it will be worth it!

01. Pelle Gifts

Pelle Gifts stand #1

We absolutely loved the gifts. They are mind blowing.

Katie Townsend has always been interested in jewellery design and created many unique pieces for herself as a hobby. In 2014, she decided to go pro creating Pelle Design brand. Her store grew very quickly in the last two years and now Katie offers a large selections of gifts through her website: bracelets (male and female), watches, hats, scarves, gloves and other decorative elements. You can contact Katie through her Facebook page or visit her very popular stand in Stratford-upon-Avon where she is present every weekend.

Website: http://www.pellegifts.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PelleGifts

02. The Funky Cupcake Company

Funky Cupcake Company stand logo.

The delicious goods.

Yes, cupcakes can look that good.

Mouth watering eye candy!

It’s not easy to be a baker these days. Popularity of shows such as Great British Bake Off encouraged many people to open their micro bakeries and the competition is very tough. Each market we go to has at least 4-5 stands offering cupcakes, marshmallows, fudge or cakes. You have to be extra good to convince visitors to buy from you and not from the other places. Well, Nathalie Morris, doesn’t have any problems with leaving her competitors miles behind. Her creations not only look like a million pound deal (or million USD if you prefer!) but they taste heavenly. We have tried several of her cupcakes and we give it five or even six stars! If you The Funky Cupcake Company somewhere at your local market, don’t hesitate even for a second.

Website: http://www.thefunkycupcakecompany.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFunkyCupcakeCompany/

03. Beverly Todd

The stand in its glory.

Wider angle – so you can see the entire stand.

Glass is a very delicate material – just marvel at the details!

Simply beautiful. You have to agree.

Classically trained landscape artist, Beverly Todd specializes in the use of oil paints and bullseye glass. She has been always fascinated by the outdoors and clouds and you can see the love of open spaces in her work. She is a member of Contemporary glass makers association and her works are in private collections all over the UK. She is also represented by several High Street art galleries.

What we love about her art is she is able to paint anything you can think of – green fields with grazing sheep, snowy gardens, blooming flowers, stormy sea, cloudy skies, autumn forest. You can purchase her craft through her website in form of coasters, framed artworks, curved glass blocks, glass platters and bowls.

Website: http://www.beverlytodd.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeverlyToddArt/

04. Luxury Hampers and Gifts Ltd

Hamper heaven!

If you need a properly composed hamper- who you gonna call?

Luxury Hampers and Gifts Ltd is a small family owned company founded by Paul and Ellen Halpin-Barnett. To create their outstanding hampers, they only use  British products of the highest quality – award winning wines and champagnes, locally baked cakes and cupcakes, organic teas and coffees. Hampers are beautifully packed and prepared for all occasions – from birthday celebrations to Christmas season or wedding receptions. Purchasing from them, you are supporting small and micro businesses from Worcestershire and Shropshire.

Website: https://www.luxuryhampersandgifts.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luxuryhampersandgifts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Luxury_Hampers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxury_hampersandgifts/

05. SIXTEEN

Quality goods and a very friendly merchant!

You`ll be spoiled for choice at Sixteen.

Customer browsing the wares.

Must have for all the Mods!

Nicola Holder and her team opened Sixteen in Wing, Buckinghamshire in 2010 to find an outlet for their refurbished retro furniture. Their skills in renovation were so great that a simple business idea soon turned into a fully operational store that offers now a whole range of services, including  home décor. Nicola travels around quite a lot, visiting arts and crafts markets all over the country. If you see her, stop and say hello!

Website: http://www.homeatsixteen.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeatsixteen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeatsixteen

06. Blue-Beri

The artisan maker and her stand.

Incredible details. Malicia wishes she bought this one for herself.

Aprons can be a very clever idea for a gift.

Angela Crofts is the proud owner of Blu-Beri brand. Based in Herefordshire, Angela makes shopper bags, tote bags, make-up purses, cushions and other accessories from high quality materials. Each item is individually crafted from high quality fabrics and has a unique, contemporary design. Angela’s bags are  very sought after and hopefully soon we will see her bags in High street boutiques. We have to admit that we fell in love with beautiful cooking aprons and we will have to get one for ourselves. Maybe two as  we both love to cook!

Website: http://www.blu-beri.co.uk (in preparation)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Blu-Beri-1433193970304076
Ebay store: http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/bluberi2014?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

07. Flora Graphics

Flora Graphics stand.

Flowery alphabet was very popular with buyers.

Color and detail – always a great combination.

Simple yet effective and beautifully crafted.

Stephanie Cutler has always been an avid gardener with a great love for wild flowers. Her own, traditional English garden is full of forget-me-nots, elderflowers, lady’s mantle, violas and other old time countryside favourites. Her floral expertise comes handy when Stephanie creates her truly unique designs – she hand pick the flowers she grew, presses them, dries and uses to produce greeting cards, coasters, table-mats, tableware and other gifts. If  you are looking for something extraordinary – look no further. Flora Graphics offers you everything you can dream of!

Website: http://www.floragraphics.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Floragraphics/

08. Natures Rooms

Sarah and her stand.

Soya wax – slow burning and totally vegan!

Sandalwood candle we bought!

Sarah Evans is one special lady and her creations are pretty special too. She makes ecological soya wax candles and reed diffusers that contains only natural oils. You will not find any pesticides, herbicides, petroleum, paraffin, beeswax or genetically modified materials in her products and she has laboratory certificates to prove it. We bought a slow burning sandal wood candle from her and it’s like a heaven in a jar – its smell is very strong and wonderful. It comes in a stylish glass container and weights almost 1 kg. If you are looking for a environmental friendly, ecologically disposable and truly vegan item, please give Sarah a call now.

Website: http://www.naturesrooms.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naturesrooms/445770492256062
Google+: https://plus.google.com/114681244989468229002/about

09. The Cheese Board

Barry and his son Tom – the best team ever.

The selection is incredible. WE mean how many jams and marmalade and cheese you can take home?

Details, details.

We purchased Guinness Cheddar. Best cheese you can have. End of topic.

We have saved the best for the last. Our neighbors, Manchester based company called The Cheese Board do not have Facebook page or their own website but their food is to die for. To learn about them you have to attend local markets, but once you taste their food, you will be coming back for more. As the name suggests, the Cheese Board makes a great range of special cheeses for your enjoyment – from Guinness flavoured cheddar (we got one for ourselves), Red Wine Port, Garlic Lancashire, Cheddar Madras, Wensleydale Blueberry, Cheddar and Leek, Balsamic Onion, Fiery Dragon, Smoked Paprika to Red Leicester with black pepper. You can also purchase  a huge selection of chutneys (cider and apple, hot rhubarb, sun dried tomatoes and garlic, mango, lime and ginger to name a few), marmalades (brandy, whiskey and red onion) and jams (chili, rhubarb and ginger). To make your order, please contact Barry or Lisa at Lisa.leigh@uwclub.net or by calling  07717666699.

We know that our blog doesn’t cover every stall available on the market but it would be impossible to write about each stand. We have chosen the ones we thought were the best and we hope our readers agree with us.

Don’t forget to visit The Cat Shop on Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/VanadianAvenue/the-cat-shop/
or like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecatshopdecor

Have a fantastic day and we will see you very soon!
xxx
Rita and Malicia

*****Update 31.03.2016*****

It seems that we are on the roll! Another blog and we score another mention! This time, we have been honoured by Sarah of NaturesRooms.

Natures Room Facebook mention for Vanadian Avenue

Thank you very much!
xxx
Rita and Mal

Hello!!

First day of Easter Festival has ended and we are dead tired! However, we wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without showing you several pictures from the market, so instead of going to rest, we are here writing this blog and editing the photos.

Markets are great fun and this one is no exception. We were truly blessed with a great weather (it was very cold in the morning though) and a great company.

Since we are extremely tired, we will try not to bore you with long review and  instead present you with visual evidence. Are you ready? This is how our beautiful stand look like this time:

The Cat Shop stand

Malicia greeting visitors

Cat artworks

And more cat artworks

View from the distance

Thanks to all of you who stopped by and we are truly grateful for your kind words and comments. They mean a world to us. If you’d like to visit us tomorrow, please come to stand number 30, just outside of the Guild Hall. We are placed between Naturas Rooms (soya wax candle-makers) and The Cheese Board.

Don’t forget to like our social media pages:

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/VanadianAvenue/the-cat-shop/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecatshopdecor

The Easter Market will be open between 9:00 am and 17:00 pm, Saturday the 26th of March. We have been warned about possible showers and strong winds but we are not afraid of the weather forecast! If you don’t mind leaving your warm and cosy houses for a while, you can come and meet us in our usual place. You will also have a change to meet other extraordinary artists neighbors.

Let us recommend a few excellent people worth visiting:

01. Cotswold Crepes

Cotswold Crepes

The first stand we encountered at the Worcester Easter Festival belonged to the Redditch company called The Cotswold Crepes. The business is currently owned by John and Terrie Williams, successful entrepreneurs  and driving force behind several well known local brands such as Arrow Pig Roast, Willows Ice Cream, Arrow Buffet Services and John Williams Butchers of Studley. Cotswold Crepes prepared a delicious menu of sweet traditional Easter pancakes (massive selection of 17 different ones to choose from!), continental French crepes and English spring chocolates. Their cinnamon pancakes were to die for!

Website: http://www.cotswoldcrepes.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cotswold.crepes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CotswoldCrepes

02. Magical Den

Magic Den stand

Fairy Door

Magic Den toys

Magical Den is a fantastic family run business that belongs to Anna and Marcin Rolinski. The Polish super duo won the hearts of Worcester parents by offering high quality hand made toys, tepees (also known as Fairy Doors), clothing and home decor. They use ecological materials that will last for years and can be washed multiple times without worrying about possible damages.  If you’d like to use their services please visit one of their links below:

Website: http://magicalden.co.uk/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magicalden/

03. Serenity Cupcakes

Serenity Cupcakes

Six pack for Easter

Anybody wants a cookie?

Impressive selection

Mark our words, in a couple of years, Seren Carpenter will be a household name as Marry Berry or Paul Hollywood. Seren, probably the youngest stall holder on the market, was doing extremely well bewitching the visitors with her baking skills. We wish we could add one of her cakes for you to try to this review but sadly it is not possible. To find out how good she is, you have to come to her next market and find out for yourself. We loved her vegan cupcakes and the blue cookie monster ones as well. Well done Seren! Oh, the bunny ears were great as well!

Website: http://serenitycupcakes.moonfruit.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serenitycupcakes/timeline
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SerenityCakes17

04. Churros Olé! Limited

Churros Ole Limited in action

And even more action!

We love discovering new tastes and dishes, but Southern European cuisine has a special place in our hearts. When we learnt that a group of Spanish people arrived at the market straight from London, we set out to find them. We didn’t have to go far, we just followed the delicious smell of traditional churros and within minutes of our arrival at their stand, we were chatting with the owners of Churros Olé! Limited like with old family friends. There is something special about Pablo and Isaac, they can easily entertain their quests with a serious conversation about languages, Shakespeare,  word creationism and poetry in such a manner that you will be immersed completely without even realizing it. And they can cook at the same time! Sadly, we were too full to try their churros with chocolate, but other visitors gave them raving reviews. If you ever see them at your local market, don’t waste any time and order double portion. You will not regret it.

Website: http://www.churrosole.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churrosole.co.uk

05. The Cotswold Cup Company

The Cotswold Cup Company banner

Lorna and Polly are ready to take your order

Boleslawiec Pottery

Always talk to your neighbors when you are waiting for clients at your stand at the market. If you don’t do it, you will miss a great opportunity to meet some of the loveliest people alive. The Cotswold Cup Company is a family run business owned by Lorna Middleton and Polly Davies, a mother and daughter tag team. Lorna has spent many years living in Germany where she discovered a unique Polish stoneware pottery made in Boleslawiec. First, she became a collector, but soon her passion turned into something much more serious than just a hobby. Today Lorna and her team are distributors of famous Boleslawiec pottery in the Cotswolds and neighboring regions. If you are looking for something of extraordinary quality, please contact her and she will be more than happy to advise you.

Boleslawiec pottery can be used to store food in fridges, can be heated in microwaves and is dishwasher safe. Lorna possesses great knowledge about pottery and collectible items and her experience can help you to set up a tableware that would please the Queen of England.

Website: http://www.cotswoldcupcompany.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cotswoldcupcompany
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/thecotswoldcupc/kitchenware/

06. Love Little Treasures

Love Little Treasures is a young business run by two ladies, Laura and Jenny. They offer fun and quirky handmade, vintage inspired jewellery. If you value pop culture, popular books or the trendy TV series, you will fall quickly in love with their range – long necklaces, delicate earrings or elaborate brooches. The girls are very popular on Etsy and their store receives only 5 star reviews. Don’t you dare to miss them!

Love Little Trasures stand

Vintage jewellery

All items are hand made and inspired by popular culture

Business cards

Love Little Trasures close up

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lovelittletreasures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelittletreasures
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love_little_treasures/

All right, we are off to bed to catch some beauty sleep and we will see you all tomorrow!
Have a fantastic evening xxx
Rita and Malicia D

******Update 31.03.2016******

Look at what we have received! The lovely ladies from Cutswold Cup Company purchased one of our cats and it is now proudly displayed on their wall. They were kind to share this wonderful picture with us!

Simplify your life adopted by Polly and Lorna of The Cotswolds Cup Company

We were also featured on their Facebook page:

Vanadian Avenue is mentioned on Cotswolds Cup Company’s official Facebook page

This is not all! Our blog is gettinga lot of likes and  it was also been mentioned by Serenity Cupcakes:

Serenity Cupcakes are not only delicious but sweet as well to post links to our review!

Thank you kindly for your kind words. They mean a world to us!

XXX
R+M Dabrowicz

Welcome again!

Worcester Easter Festival is just two days away now and we are very, very excited. Two-day markets always mean hard work, but we are extremely happy to see our usual customers return to our stall. We are also pleased to meet new people as well. We hope to be excused if we sound like doors to the crypt by the end of the day. High Street is fully packed every weekend and Easter time shopping spree could be twice as busy. After speaking to several hundred people, your voice refuses to work and there is nothing we can do about it!

Worcester Easter Market 25-26 March 2016

Yesterday we showed you several of the newest unframed artworks that will be available for purchase on the market. If you have missed the previous article, please click on the link below to read it: https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/worcester-easter-festival/

Today, we would like to present our favorite framed pieces. They come in different sizes and shapes and are worth taking a closer look as they can be quite detailed.  Rita has chosen 5 large pictures and she hopes you will enjoy looking at them as much as she enjoyed making them.

01. “A lot of blooming fun”

Malicia came up with this very cheeky title after Rita ran out of ideas. Originally it was entitled “Whatever” as this was Rita’s reply when Mal asked her how this artwork should be named. Luckily, a nicer title was quickly found and we don’t have to be ashamed inviting you to look at art pieces knows as “Whatever1” and “Whatever2”. A lot of blooming fun sounds so much better!

Cutting the flowers was a real nightmare for Rita and it took forever to do it. She has worked with brand new materials she has never used before and the experience was not a nice one. The artistic metal foil sheets are not only very thick and you need to apply a great amount of strength for them to go through the Sizzix machine, their edges are also sharp as knives and you have to be careful when you are using them. One composition took about 6 hours from the beginning to finish

A lot of blooming fun

A lot of blooming fun – flower close up

02.”A lot of blooming fun part 2″

Rita has a strange habit of creating another similar artwork if she had problem with the first one. Even she is not sure where this very unusual desire streams from. Maybe it is the need of mastering an unknown medium/materials or she simply like to torment herself. Anyway, she decided to create “A lot of blooming fun part 2” and she had another 6 hours of pure physical and mental torture. At times she was close to tearing  both picture to pieces but her fingertips were so bloodied and bruised that she had problems with keeping anything in her hands!

 It is worth mentioning that she is very proud of the Japanese vibe both picture have but generally speaking, making them was a tiny bit of a hell on Earth for her.

A lot of blooming fun 2

A lot of blooming fun 2 – flower details

03. “Portraits”

 We didn’t plan to make this artwork as its frame has been originally purchased for another picture. After it proved to be too shallow, we decided to create a unique work to fill it. Rita found a matching mount in her friend’s art gallery and Malicia provided her with an idea and materials (decorative paper and small wooden frames purchased on Malta). To fill all 5 places on the mount, Rita had to make 5 separate artworks and attach them one by one to the base. It took her five consecutive evenings but the overall effect is worth every effort

Portraits number 2

Please take a look at close up photographs taken by Malicia. Each cat is different and you will not find two identical ones

Portraits – kitten number 1 close up

Portraits – kitten number 2 close up

Portraits – kitten number 3 close up

Portraits – kitten number 4 close up

Portraits – kitten number 5 close up

04. “All together now part 1”

As with “Portraits”, “All together now” started with a frame. While shopping for other items, we found two lovely frames, slightly damaged and ready to be thrown away. We spoke to the store managers and we were allowed to purchase them at half of their price. This is a sad reality we live in. Perfectly good items are being removed from the stock just because they are imperfect – in majority of cases “the damage” is just a scratch, a dent or a broken frame clip! Those items are very rarely available to be purchased; bigger stores purposely make it harder for customers to buy them. It seems it is easier for stores to discard the faulty items than to move them to the “Reduce to clear” section. When Rita questioned one of the managers why they do it as such practices contribute to bigger waste, he just shrugged and hid himself behind company’s policies.

We are big advocated that such policies should have no place in our modern societies. There is no shame is displaying slightly damaged goods with reduced prices. People are very good with tools and you don’t need any special skills to fix tiny things. It took Rita about 10 minutes to re-attach the clips to the frames using tiny screws and a screwdriver. Hardly any work! We are on the right way, however. Supermarkets in Italy and France are no longer able to throw away food; it has to be given to shelters and food banks. A time will come when big department stores will be forced to stop throwing slightly damaged household items just because they do not fit their marketing or aesthetic visions. Maybe they can be given away to those who are in need of them but cannot afford to pay full prices?

Excuse this rant, but sustainability and improved way of life are very close to our hearts. The Cat Shop is using recyclable materials to turn trash into treasures and we cannot stand still when things like that happen in from of us. Anyway, as you can see, the fixed frame looks fantastic, you will not be able to tell it was broken at some point!

All together now #1

Close ups of each kitten:

All Together Now #1 – upper panel detail

All Together Now #1 – middle panel detail

All Together Now #1 – lower panel detail

05. “All together now part 2”

All together now part 2 is very similar to the first one. Each kitten on the three window panel is of course different, but the frame is identical, except for the colour (white). Rita has fixed the broken clip using exactly the same method as before and both pictures can be displayed next to each other. We are truly proud how both of them turned out!

All together now #2

All Together Now #2 – upper panel detail

All Together Now #2 – middle panel detail

All Together Now #2 – lower panel detail

Please don’t forget that The Cat Shop has two social media pages:

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/VanadianAvenue/the-cat-shop/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecatshopdecor

Have a great evening!
XXX
Rita and Malicia D.

Hello hello!

The time files so fast! It feels like Christmas was just yesterday and here we go…it’s 22nd of March! The spring is upon us again and we are getting extremely busy as usual. Warmer weather means that the open air markets are coming back into play and you can expect loads and loads of picture reports from different parts of West Midlands. Did we mention that our plan is to visit all important arts and crafts markets around Worcester?  Not yet? Well now you know!

Malicia and Rita will inaugurate the craft season by attending the Worcester Easter Festival on High Street on 25^th and 26^th of March. We are truly excited to be part of the Easter celebration so if you live close, please come to visit our stall. We hope for a nice, spring-like weather!

Since the market starts in just 4 days, we thought to show you some of the newest cats that will be available for purchasing. Malicia photographed our favourite ones so scroll down to see our newest line. Each kitten has been inspired by popular culture and we are convinced every cat lover will find a cat that fits them perfectly.

Now let’s see what we have prepared so far:

01. “Adele’s cat”

This small artwork has been inspired by Adele’s new song entitled “Hello”. We have seen several memes online showing cats sitting outside in the rain with caption ” Hello from the other side, I must have meowed a thousand times” and they made us roar with laughter. This is a purrfect take on the song’s very famous chorus. And every cat owner can relate to this, especially at 4 o clock in the morning! We have used a scrapbooking technique to create the busy background.

Adele’s cat. You know how the song goes: “Hello from the other side, I must have meowed a thousand times”

02. “Up and away”

“Adele’s cat” and “Up and away” were created only two days apart. Both use scrapbooking techniques to create rich and colourful backgrounds. While “Adele’s cat” looks a bit like a portrait, we wanted “Up and away” to be dynamic. Have you noticed that the flowers are in fact balloons floating around the cat in the centre? It took about 5 hours to cut and put the flowers together.

Up and away

05. “Butterfly spotting”

Smaller version of “In bloom” made on request and after long encouragement of our friends. We have used the same materials, yet we wanted to create something a bit different. It will be easier to frame, we can tell you that!

Butterflies spotting

04. “In bloom”

The biggest artwork we have come up with in recent months. You would never guess but the background was once a gift bag! It was given to us for some occasion (we forgot what it was for!) and it would be such a shame to simply throw it away. The bag was torn on one side and we could not re-use it. The butterfly has been hand cut using decorative paper and the bow was made from the gift bag’s handle. For a nice contrast, we have used a gloss black paper to create the cat. We wanted to show the cat looking through the window and watching the butterflies fly around in the garden.

In Bloom

05. “Butterfly effect”

Rita is joking that once we are rich and famous, this period in The Cat Shop’s artistic journey will be known as the Butterfly period. There must be a bit of truth in her words as we have several other pictures using the faux 3D effect thanks to butterflies cut using the Sizzix machine. We do like the butterflies and they seem to be quite popular with the general public as well. The butterflies on this little artwork have been cut by scissors from a commercial advert found in a magazine.

Butterfly effect

06. “White Cat Christmas”

Malicia had an idea for a Christmas themed cat for a long period of time. As usual, the Christmas period is very busy and we had little time for any arts and crafts. Once the holiday rush has ended, Mal went through last year’s Christmas cards we have received and came up with White Cat Christmas you see below. Old Christmas or birthday cards do not need to end up in the recycling bin. We have used one card as a background for this artwork and other elements were either cut out from decorative paper or from other cards. If you have the time, you can mix your used Christmas cards or wrapping paper, cut different elements and re-use them to create original presents for your loved ones.

White Cat Christmas

07. “You mean the world to me”

“You mean the world to me” has been made out of spare sheet of decorative paper and an old Valentine’s Day card. Rita wanted to create something that looked a bit like a vintage 1960/1970 wall posters. Very simple and with a strong message. She thinks she succeeded.

You mean the world to me

08. “My Meow Valentine”

This is another vintage-like poster that Rita and Mal came up with. Again, all you need is a bit of imagination, a sheet of decorative paper, old Valentine’s Day card and…voila. It may look simple but it took us about three hours to properly glue the cat to the base paper. It was cut out of thick cardboard and it refused to stay in place!

My Meaow Valentine

09.”Two times Rose”

We openly admit – our art is heavily influenced by pop culture. Being fans of classic shows such as “Doctor Who”, we are constantly looking for ideas for our next artworks that could be connected with our favourite scenes or episodes. When Malicia bought these two beautifully elaborate frames from an art sale in Mosta, we thought they looked like pieces of scenery from some scary wibbly wobbly, timey wimey episode! Rita found two small dried roses in her vast collection of useful odds/ends and we decided that the pictures will be dedicated to Rose Tyler/ Billie Piper.

Two times Rose

09A. “Her name was Rose”

The first picture is entitled “Her name was Rose”. There is a lovely conversation between the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) in 2006 Christmas special “The Runaway bride”. The Doctor and Donna are sitting on rooftop watching the panorama of London below them, thinking about people they have lost. The Doctor mentioned that he has lost a friend earlier but this is the first time Donna learned that the previously unknown person was a girl named Rose.

The artwork is very simple. We used a heavy and thick decorative paper to create strong and equally elaborate background to fit the frame. The cat was then hand cut from pastel artistic paper used in scrapbooking to soften the entire artwork.

Her name was Rose (framed)

09B. “Rose de jour”

The second artwork is called “Rose the jour”. Malicia came up with the title combining the overall Doctor Who theme with another Billie Piper role, as Belle de Jour from “The secret life of a call girl” TV series, another of our favourites. Again, the heavy background is soften by a hand cut kitten from a delicate pastel artistic paper.

Rose de jour (framed)

If you haven’t visited our new pages yet, please do so!

You can now visit The Cat Shop on Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/VanadianAvenue/the-cat-shop/
or like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecatshopdecor

Don’t forget to visit our stall this Friday and Saturday!

What: Worcester Easter Festival
Where: 25th & 26th March 2016, Worcester High Street
Who: LSD Promotions and Worcester City Council.

Worcester City Markets:

http://www.worcestercitymarkets.co.uk/special-events/
https://www.facebook.com/worcestermarkets/

LSD Promotions:

http://lsdpromotions.com/seasonal-events/
https://twitter.com/Markets_LSD
https://www.facebook.com/LSDPromotions

See you soon!
XXX
Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz

Hello hello!!

Does anybody wants a cookie? How about some chocolate cake? If you have a sweet tooth, you certainly have come to the right place. On Saturday the 12th April 2014, for the first time in the history of Worcester, whole town was celebrating The Chocolate Day. Of course we have been there, we  sampled everything, gained few pounds in the process and lived to tell the tale!

There are only few people on this planet that truly do not like chocolate at all. The rest of us simply cannot resist the urge to indulge ourselves in the pleasures of munching on a huge bar of chocolate.  This photo entry is dedicated to readers of all ages who are not ashamed to grab a piece of chocolate  here and there and  are not feeling guilty about it!

You can find more information about the Chocolate Day 2014 using the links below:

Official Worcester Council Chocolate Day website: http://www.worcesterbid.com/chocolate
Interactive Chocolate Day booklet: http://modusdigital.co.uk/flipbooks/chocolateday/index.html#4

City Center Celebration – City Center has been completely paralyzed by the hordes of hungry visitors! Absolutely delicious day, but the weather was a bit crap, so please excuse that the pictures are a bit dark and gloomy.  Lots of attractions for the visitors including Easter egg hunt, chocolate egg races and workshops how to make your own chocolates. We have meet tourists from good old US of A (hello Alabama!) and from Scandinavia. It was good to hear people praising free events like that – apparently in other parts of the world you have to pay for entry!

1.

Chocolate Day poster in the city center

2.

Egg and Spoon race – we were too old to participate – what a shame!

3.

Map of Chocolate trail and Easter Egg Hunt

4.

Chocolate fountain in front of The Guild Hall

5.

Street side choco-o-cafeteria

6.

Seriously scary mascot walking the street – the kids were not impressed!

7.

Archie – chocolate Newfoundland and his friends are training to become companion dogs for soldiers suffering from PTSD

8.

Another picture of the chocolate gang – a great initiative to help those who struggle with long term illnesses

9.

Group of volunteers responsible for bringing the dogs to the Chocolate Day

An interesting article about Archie can be found here: 
http://www.malverngazette.co.u/news/11143147.Chocolate_bears_will_mark_national_day_at_Worcester_fundraiser_tomorrow

You can help the foundation Veterans with Dogs by visiting their website at:
http://www.veteranswithdogs.org.uk/

Archie has also his own Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Archie-Brown-Running-Bear/216082618567958

10.

Ok, we couldn’t resist so here’s another shot of Archie and the brown gang!

Chocolate Deli – Cafe, patisserie and a chocolate shop

Feeling peckish? Looking for a good place to sit down and enjoy the coffee and something sweet? Let us introduce you to Worcester’s only handmade artisan chocolate makers! Chocolate Deli has been opened for only few years but it has gathered a faithful clientele and on the weekends and bank holidays it is hard to find a free table. The Deli offers  nearly 50 different kinds of chocolates including dark, white, milk, truffles and alcohol filled ones among others. We love the dark and alcohol filled ones the best: peppermint with fondant center, violet cream, rose cream and delightfully sweet kirsch cherries!

Official site: http://chocolatedeli.biz/page6.html
Some great reviews for our favorite chocolate place:  http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186424-d3915598-Reviews-Chocolate_Deli_Coffee_and_Patisserie-Worcester_Worcestershire_England.html

11.

Selection of hand made chocolates – some chocolates comes in shape of mice, cats, fish and rabbits

12.

Tropical lemons, kirsch cherries (with a tail) top toffies, orange crushes ans wild cherries among others – yum!

13.

Peppa the pig? Half a kilogram of pure pink milk chocolate!

14.

One of the most expensive chocolate eggs on display – this Aztec inspired masterpiece could be yours for only 50 pounds

15.

Chocolates in special tins and cups – all sizes and shapes guaranteed!

16.

Chocolate pizza? No problem!

17.

Few words of wisdom – drink coffee and repeat after me

House of Dogs  – Professional canine grooming and pet boutique

Before you start asking questions, yes – we have visited House of Dogs as part of Chocolate Day 2014. The best thing about the chocolate celebration day was that local small businesses were participating as well. Kids could go from store to store to look for hidden Easter eggs or treats and adults had a chance to discover shops or services they didn’t know that existed. You have to remember that ancient cities like Worcester offer so much more than just High Street shopping. Worcester has an entire network of  back streets filled with coffees houses, arts and crafts shops and art galleries that you need to discover. House of Dogs  is a perfect find for people who are bonkers about their pooches.  They offer grooming, ecological shampoos and health products and of course cloths and treats. Visiting a chocolate day with your dog can be a real nightmare, especially if you own a breed that lives to eat. Since dogs are not allowed to eat chocolate, House of Dogs came as a rescue to us. We bought our black Labrador princess (named Kitana!) ecological  gluten free cookies made inside the store and she absolutely loved them. And the treats came in shapes of bunnies, chickens and little fluffy lambs.  We were happy and the dog had a healthy treat – win-win situation.

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hodsboutique
Official website: http://www.houseofdogs.org.uk/

18.

Lamb shaped dog biscuits – gluten free and perfectly healthy

19.

Vanilla flavored rabbit bunnies

20.

A pack of goodies that lasted for about 10 minutes – Kitana have just swallowed them. Labs are greedy

Clockwatchers Cafe and Restaurant – please feel at home

Small, family run business that has been feeding locals and tourists alike for more than two decades. Clockwatchers is a true gem among independent coffee houses  in Worcester located on a beautifully old Mealcheapen Street, very close to the High Street. The restaurant serves home made meals and  takeaway is also possible. What we really like about this place is they participate in every major  celebration taking place in the city and still they managed to retain their independent status and charm. On Chocolate Day, Clockwatchers had a real chocolate fountain in front of their premises. How cool is that?

Clockwatchers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Clockwatchers1
Facebook group dedicated to the Cafe: https://www.facebook.com/groups/867596359925954/

21.

Clockwatchers is such a great place that you have to keep looking at your watch. Without it, you will spend there all day and miss your appointments!

22.

Freshly prepared chocolate straight from the fountain – simply delicious

Nostalgic Sweets – classic treats that never go out of fashion

Have you ran out of  Parma Violets? Doctor Who on Saturdays and no Jelly Babies in the house? Don’t panic, one trip to Nostalgic Sweets and all problems are solved. Rita absolutely loves this family run sweets shop located in Crown Gate Shopping Centre in the heart of Worcester. Jelly, Foam, Candy, Fizzy, Sour, Gum, Chocolate, Fudge, Toffee, Hard Boiled, Herbal, Liquorice, Coconut, American, sugar free, Harry Potter collectible frogs – they have it all. She also occasionally smuggles the Parma Violets to America via Royal Mail to a special lady and talented writer (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-Stringer/214949072020811).

Nostalgic Sweets are on a mission to spread happiness and  memories. Join their crusade. For  Chocolate Day, they prepared a gargantuan selection of rare chocolates from different parts of the world – we have spent a fortune there!

Official website: http://www.nostalgic-sweets.co.uk/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NostalgicSweets
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nostalgic_Sweet
Nostalgic Sweet profile on Crown Gate website: http://crowngate-worcester.co.uk/portfolio/nostalgic-sweets/

23.

Nostalgic Sweets and their ever increasing selections of treats

24.

Jars and containers – mmmmm what to choose?

25.

Is this heaven?

26.

Front window decorated for Chocolate Day 2014

Our photo review would not be completed if we haven’t taken several snapshots of the fantastic Easter Decorations  and Displays that served as hot spots for egg hunt. Art, business and chocolates are a perfect combo!

27.

Metal chicks with a sweet surprise hidden inside

28.

A flock of Easter hen baskets

29.

Baskets and decorative bags – more surprises to be found

30.

A close up at the mysterious looking baskets made from felt

31.

Tree decorated with chocolates tins

32.

Can you see the Easter eggs?

33.

Bowl filled with Easter eggs

34.

Anybody ordered chocolate delivery?

35.

Another package – who is going to eat all that chocolate now?

36.

Hand painted chocolate eggs

37.

Now this is what we call an Eastern Egg – a castle for a princess!

Hope you have enjoyed this  review. We have to go now and  finally devour all remaining chocolate bars and truffles that we bought 🙂
Have a sweet week and we hope to see you  next year as well!

XXX
Rita and Mal Dabrowicz

Ayeeee!

Happy New Year, dear readers! Welcome back in 2014! We are planning on making this year a great one so you can expect a lot of excellent material: interviews, reviews, reports and photo essays. We are also planning several high profile updates soon, so be sure to check out Vanadian Avenue quite often.

Worcester Christmas Fayre official logo

Coming down to business – we have chosen our favorites stalls at Worcester Annual Victorian Christmas Fayre and we literally cannot wait until we introduce you to those excellent artists, bakers, craftsmen and all-around nice people. Seat comfortably and let us take you for a real stroll through the narrow Victorian Streets of Worcester!

Visiting Christmas markets always makes us feel like we have hitched a ride in the TARDIS and moved back in time to 1870’s. The stalls owners are dressed in traditional Victorian outfits and capes, ladies carry elaborate umbrellas and the gentlemen wear hats and ties.  Being Doctor Who fans, we are super happy, when asked about the time, most men take out fob watches and open them.  The stalls are lit up in the dark by torches and oil lamps, food is being cooked on great frying pans, wandering group of artists are entertaining the crowds by playing and singing carols, magicians are mesmerizing the public with their tricks – all of this looks like a scene from a Who Christmas Special. The past comes to life around you and everything is so extremely real, that you start believing to be a time traveller yourself. It is a wonderful feeling and if you haven’t experienced it first hand yet, then you are mission out a lot. Please take a look at the link below to read more about the Worcester Christmas Fayre 2013.

https://cocamidemea.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/worcester-annual-victorian-christmas-fayre-2013

Worcester Fayre picture taken from Visit Worcester website. Please visit them at: http://www.visitworcestershire.org/about-worcestershire/Worcester-Christmas-Fayre.aspx

Are you ready now to learn about our favorite places at the market?  Ready, steady and here we go!

Pollyfields – The smell of Christmas
Website: http://www.pollyfields.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PollyfieldsUK
Address: Pollyfields, 9 South Street, Torrington, Devon , EX38 8AB

If we could nominate one stall in The Most Beautifully Designed Stand category, Pollyfields would be taking the first prize home. We have to admit, we visited many markets and culinary shows since 2011, but we haven’t come across anything that spectacularly perfect until now. The stall has been designed in the smallest detail and as we were told, setting up everything took more than 6 hours. Other exhibitors needed on average about 2-3 hours to prepare their stores for opening, nearly three hours less.  Careful preparation was an instant success with the public. Pollyfield stall became the most popular store on the market and many people stopped to take a picture. As you can see on the pictures below, Pollyfields crew arrived with a huge Yule Goat decorated with dried flowers and fruits. The Goat was named Harry (maybe after Mr Potter, who knows) and measured nearly 150 cm. Rita has witnessed an older gentleman trying to buy it for his granddaughter, but the goat was not for sale.

Yule goat at Pollyfields stand

Pollyfields was launched 14 years ago by Fiona Jackson after breeding rare sheep on a Devon farm proved to be a hard and challenging task. Instead of sheep, Fiona decided to make use of her crafting skills and founded a design company. Home design is still a big part of what Fiona does, but today Pollyfields concentrates on producing ecological home decorative elements: fragrances, potpourri, garlands, flower arrangements and other interior furnishings. Their Christmas collection includes: hampers, garlands, pomanders, tree and window decorations, door wreath, cinnamon sticks, candles, orange organza sachets, hot chilli candle circles and a unique line of Christmas essence oils. Fiona and her team design and hand make each item in the company’s catalogue supporting not only the local economy but also beautify the English countryside (flowers used in her arrangements come from Fiona’s own farm). Mrs Jackson always wanted to be an artist and she worked hard to turn her dream into success.  Pollyfield creations have been featured on TV, in magazines (Good House Keeping, Woman and Home, Country Living) and Fiona is a invited to the most prestigious design exhibitions in the UK and abroad.

Details of Pollyfields stall at the market

Christmas door wreath for only 10 pounds – a real bargain!

Home decor at its best

A nice selection of frames , dream come true for all artists

Frames were not the only things offered by Taylor Made Frames. You could also purchased original painting and they would be framed on the spot

Severn Cider – Let’s quench the thirst
Website: http://www.severncider.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/severncider
Address:  The Old Vicarage, Awre, Newnham, Gloucs GL14 1EL

The wonderful people from Severn Cider are old friends we have met at Worcester Beer Festival. Incredibly funny and ever-helpful, the Bull family has been in cider making business for three generations now and their brewery is a multiple award winning business. They received 5 gold medals for all kinds of bottled craft cider and perry and in 2010 their exclusive Brown Snout brand has been rewarded the mark of excellence by CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale Association). If you need a trusted opinion, our dad is a big fan of their Dry Sparkling cider and requested few bottles to be sent to Poland last year just because he was in a mood for this particular drink.  Severn Cider was founded by Nick Bull and his son Tom and they are still in charge of the company. The brewery is  located in small village of Awre, near Newham in Gloucestershire, very close to the ancient Forest of Dean. This part of England is known for its crystal clear ground waters and fertile earth, perfect for orchards and ecological farming. Severn Cider’s orchards produce popular and rare breads of apples (including Box Kernel apples that originated in Awre!) and have never been sprayed nor fertilized. A careful production, makes the cider truly chemical free and can be enjoyed by everyone including vegans. In recent years, the demand for Severn Cider grew rapidly and now you can purchase the cider and perry all over the UK: either directly through the company’s website, allied pubs and shops or a large network of independent stores and deli. Did you know that Severn Cider ales are available in Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Houses of Parliament in London? That’s how good they are!

Casks full of Severn Cider ales – a perfect treat for cider lovers

Emma – the gracious host at Severn Cider stand, dressed as a Victorian barmaid.

Claire Waters – Contemporary glass artist
Website: http://www.claire-waters.co.uk
More information: http://everycloudboutique.co.uk/page_2743803.html
Address:  Unit 2, Middle Farm, Charlton Horethorne, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 4NL

Claire Waters is an acclaimed artist specializing in creating contemporary glass art for business and private homes. As Rita has a life-long interest in glass creation, you can only imagine how happy she was to see such a renowned creator at Worcester Christmas Fayre! Claire’s works are truly breathtaking: if you like dreamlike, abstract works full of light and changing colors, you will be delighted. Claire has an BA (Hons) degree in Architectural Glass from Welsh School of Glass in Swansea and is known to use  multiple techniques to create elaborate glass paintings:  traditional leading, fusing, sandblasting and acid etching. Mrs Waters is inspired by the beautiful coast of Dorset: the changing sea, dramatic shoreline, high tides, wild beaches, sunlight reflecting on surface the water – the magical world enchanted in the glass is so real, you can almost feel the salty wind on your face. Claire often uses sand, rock and wild grass in her creations portraying busy harbor life or local wildlife: dragonflies, water birds, endemic flowers and plants.  We had a bit of bad luck trying to photograph Claire at her stall. The first time we approached Claire, our batteries died and we needed to charge them at the nearest library. When we arrived for the second time, Claire was on her lunch. None the less, we had a lovely chat with her and still managed to take several nice pictures.

Claire describes her art with those words: “Inspiration for my design work comes from the surrounding environment, my fascination with natural form and naturally occurring pattern. My designs have fundamentally derived from a desire to express our relationship to nature. However, my work is not about depicting actual objects from nature, or reproducing specific images or concepts, but rather about embracing the qualities of nature and creating organic ‘abstract’ art. Not to reproduce nature but to represent it”.

Her works have been exhibited many times and Claire is represented by several nationwide galleries.

Claire Water’s card attached to one of her artworks

One of our favorites works – it was almost as tall as Rita

Claire Water’s artwork during Worcester Christmas Fayre

Croome Cuisine – The best cheese in town
Website: http://www.heff.co.uk/pages/FOODIE/Buying-Local-Food/Croome-Cuisine.htm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Croome-Cuisine/323691571061031
Address: Croome Cuisine, The Dairy Pond Farm, Whittington, WorcestershireWR5 2RQ,

All cheese lovers are now asked to pay attention. In our humble opinion, Croome Cuisine is probably the best producer of cheese in the West Midlands. Generally, we try to avoid such compliments but this time, it is well deserved. Let us explain and you should have no doubts why they deserve all praise coming their way. Croome Cuisine has been established in 2009 by Nick Hodgetts, a cheese maker with more than 20 years of experience. Since the beginning, his company received fantastic reviews from clients and other cheese business professionals. Nick and his team reside on Pond Farm, close to the picturesque village of Whittington in Worcestershire where they produce more than 60 different kinds of cheese. Nick’s skills in cheese-making are second to none. He has received eleven gold and silver medals from British Cheese Association, several grand titles from International Cheese Festivals and Supreme Champion Cheese Award at the prestigious Three Counties Show for his delicious mature cheddar Herefordshire Hop variety, which is now regarded as a British cheese classic. We will not count honorable mentions or awards received at local level – there are just too many of them! To buy a piece of Hobsons Ale and Wholegrain Mustard mature cheddar, we had to queue for nearly half an hour and we are not exaggerating at all.  It was very hard to speak to the crew as they were extremely busy serving waves and waves of cheese to hungry customers. Several quick pictures have been taken, so please excuse the poor quality. Croome Cuisne’s cheeses are not only delicious and flavorsome, they are also healthy (low fat and no artificial preserves) and ecologically made. If you ever have a chance to try them, do not hesitate.

Croome Cuisine stand was very busy through out the day – we managed to take only several quick snapshots

Closer look at the Croome Cuisine stand

Salad bar at Pomegranate stand

A closer look at out plates – the food was delicious!

The unique grill in its whole rotating glory

Elefair – Gift-ware with a humanitarian message
Website: http://www.elefairy.com
Contact:  elewalk@hotmail.com or ele@elefairy.com
Address: 57 Windermere Road, Nottingham, NG7 6HL

Is anybody looking for an ordinary hero? If so, let’s us introduce you to a very inspirational young woman who is out to save the world and succeeding! Ele Walker was barely 19 years old when, in 1998, she decided to travel to Nepal and work there as a teacher. The housing conditions were poor, she was far away from home, on the other side of the globe and could rely only on her own skills and intuition. She was however surrounded by beautiful mountain village, friendly townsfolk and art. Soon after arrival, Ele discovered that almost everybody in the village was making something: clothes, tools, pots, jewellery, paintings. There was no supermarket, no cars, no electricity and Internet but somehow people had all necessary items and lived perfectly happy lives. Surprised by her discovery, Ele decided to purchase several hand made objects and bring them to the UK as souvenirs for family and friends. The gifts were so stunning and so original that more and more people approached Ele asking if she could bring something more. Over the years, Ele traveled to Nepal more than 20 times. She grew to love the people and the country and decided to make it  her second home. She was even adopted into local family and is now treated as a native.  Since 2000, Ele and her friends have been bringing hand made artworks and clothes from Nepal under the Fair Trade movement. The company is called EleFair and provides the local artist with international markets for their works. All items are priced fairly and money collected from the sales returns to Nepal to fund schools, build wells, roads and help locals to start their own small businesses. Ele is also sponsoring Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre run by another English lady – Jan Salter who has lived in Nepal for over 35 years.  You can visit the organization here: http://www.katcentre.org.np/

“Magical” is the only word that can honestly describe EleFair stand at the Victorian Fayre. The volunteers were dressed in one of the best costumes we have seen this year, the artworks were brilliantly displayed: leather handbags, silk scarves, cards fashioned from tree bark paper known as “Lokta”, traditional musical instruments, silver jewellery and long beaded curtains were selling like hot buns on a cold day. We loved the large lampshades made from colorful fabrics and photo albums made from tree bark and ecological paper. The prices were a bit high, but hey, we will not complain as each item purchased by UK customers is helping artists from developing countries to start a professional career!

Handmade leather purses and traditional Nepali drum EleFair trade stall

Decorative foam curtains were very popular with the buyers

A Victorian gentleman entertained the ladies with songs and funny dance moves

Thank you kindly for sticking with us to the end. We love discovering new companies, items and artworks and we could continue writing this report till the morning light! Worcester Victorian Fayre 2013 is over but the Chamber of Commerce is already accepting applications for the next edition. Hurry up, fill it in and maybe you will be lucky enough to be featured on Vanadian Avenue!

Please come back soon as we are preparing a brand new section on our blog and you do not want to miss it!

xxx
Rita and Mal