It’s been busy few weeks preparing for Shetland’s annual Christmas Craft Fair, which is this weekend!

The craft fair is a hugely popular event in Shetland - it attracted over 4,000 visitors last year. It’s also a special event for Sarah Kay Arts, as it was here that I first tried selling my artwork, two years ago. I had such a great time and got such a good response that I haven’t looked back since!

The fair is held at the Clickimin Centre, in Lerwick. The restricted parking there can cause a bit of a headache but hopefully it won’t be too much of an issue!

It is a wonderful event: the halls are packed out with a huge number of stall holders displaying a diverse range of products, with everything from knitwear and textiles to pottery, art and fashion. It’s a great opportunity to get some extra special, locally made Christmas gifts, too.

Having a stall is a brilliant experience, and great practice for anyone thinking about taking part in trade fairs off the isles.

2017 will mark my third fair and, following feedback from previous years, I’ll have a range of work on display priced from £2.50 to my higher end pieces, at £250. Items under £25 were sought after so I tried to accommodate this.

Using sea glass and sea pottery in art has become quite popular, so I’ve had to be careful that my new items are original and not too similar to anything else. I double checked with two other crafters just be sure, and they were grateful for my enquiry. Shetland is a very small place, so it’s important to work together and support one another.

Sarah Kay Arts will be at stall number 59, so come and say hello. See you there!