A couple in Bath, wanting to reintroduce some creativity into their lives from their Art College days have brought together a cooperative or makers to put on an Art Design & Craft Open House.
Ben & Pip Wynne decided to host their first Open House last November which gave them a target to get making for.
"We thought we'd start off hosting the fair at our house to reduce overheads and effort to put on the event.
We also changed the event name from Craft Fair to Art Design & Craft Open House to move away from the stereotypical idea of a craft fair and broaden the scope of the sale," says Ben.
Ben & Pip say that the reason they started their Open House plans was born from a desire to be more creative, build links in their community and bring like-minded creatives together.
Following a successful first event in November 2009, they plan to host creative days to encourage people to learn new creative skills from one another, harbouring a sense of sharing, community and interdependence.
At the sale in November there were all sorts of items on sale including a wide range of Christmas decorations, bunting, vintage teacup candles, reusable bags, tea cosies, handmade cards, framed photography and jewellery.
The debut sale had a surprisingly good turnout with nearly 100 customers producing takings of over £900.
To create the right atmosphere for the Open House, Ben & Pip say, "We tried to create a warm, friendly and nice looking environment for people to browse, shop, eat and drink in.
We had plenty of tea, coffee and cake available for hungry shoppers, the proceeds of which were donated to local charities.
A couple of customers said they preferred their shopping experience with us, than trekking into Bath city centre," says Ben.
Building on the success of the Christmas Open House, the next event will be held on June 12th 2010.
Discussing the focus of this event, Ben says, "It will definitely have a summer theme with the event spreading from the house and out into the garden and summer house.
" There are set to be ten makers selling their wares and being on hand to co-run this event, so it's a great opportunity to buy local, support local artisans and join the community spirit.
This time there'll be more of the same plus handmade children's toys, birdfeeders, upcycled design pieces and a variety of textiles from handbags to cushions amongst others.
If you're thinking about hosting something like this yourself, Ben & Pip advise starting on a manageable scale, getting your friends to help out, leveraging cheap or free local advertising (they've advertised it in their local 'What's On' guide this time which has an audience of 7,000) and thinking carefully about pricing.
Ben advises, "Don't undersell your items...
but most of all make it fun.
If you're doing something you love it'll be a great experience.
"