Guess how many buttons: winner announced!

We had lots of entries for our competition to win a doormouse doorstop by guessing how many buttons are in the jar, thank you to everyone who had a go! Our very clever winner is Lauren Smyth, who visited us at the Bungay Christmas Street Market and guessed a very close 1,950 buttons. The actual total, which was pain-stakingly counted by Will as she filled the jar with rainbow layers, is 1,923 - so Lauren was ever so near the mark, well done! We will be in touch by email to let you know you have won and your doormouse doorstop should be with you by Christmas!

Bungay Christmas Street Market

Last weekend saw us up at 5am on Sunday packing Dolly the campervan with our stall paraphernalia and Christmas stock.  It was very chilly and thermal long Johns were the order of the day!  Fortunately, the weather stayed dry and not too windy, so putting up the marquee at 7am wasn’t the disaster it could have been.  After setting up and brewing a life-saving cup of tea on Dolly’s stove we were ready for the arrival of the customers.

It was a wonderfully festive event with a fantastic atmosphere and a bustling crowd of shoppers all day long.  We met lots of lovely people and had great fun chatting and sharing the Christmas cheer.  There was an amazing hog roast, stalls selling mulled wine, olives, gorgeous looking cakes as well as a large selection of gifts both hand-crafted and vintage.  Father Christmas came to visit the town and there was a parade complete with the Town Crier in full regalia.

Bungay is a traditional Suffolk market town and it was in keeping that they chose to entertain the Christmas fair crowds with an exuberant performance by the Molly Men.  They are a slightly sinister and rather eccentric variation on the more usual Morris Dancers.  Traditionally, the Molly Men would demand money with menaces and they blacken their faces to remain anonymous.  We love anything quintessentially English but have to admit to being slightly scared of this particular spectacle! 

We did a brisk trade throughout the day and went home with a lot less stock than we arrived with.  It is wonderful to think that there will be people opening our creations on Christmas Day and hopefully bringing a smile to their faces!  Lots of customers had a go at guessing how many buttons were in the jar, with the closest guess winning one of our dormouse doorstops.  It is not as easy as it looks and estimates varied wildly.  We will be announcing the lucky winner later today, so watch this space!

Most of all, we were really pleased to have the opportunity to raise some money for the Alzheimer’s Society with the lucky dip Will had prepared last month.  People were very supportive and we raised £58.54, which is fantastic – thank you to everyone who had a go or generously donated money.  Dementia is an issue which affects many families and we know from personal experience how helpful a charity like Alzheimer’s Society can be during such a difficult time.  Several kind contributors shared their heart-breaking stories with us and our thoughts will be them and their loved ones this Christmas... LouLou & Will x

The Farrell & Holmes studio playlist

We have been busy over the last week, frantically sewing, folding, cutting and sticking and generally getting ready for our stall at the Bungay Christmas Street Market this Sunday.  To keep us in the creative mood, we have been listening to our favourite music, mostly consisting of female singer-songwriters.  Here are the top five albums on our playlist, in no particular order:

A Fine Frenzy’s latest release, Bomb in a Birdcage, is an upbeat, quirky album which we love because of Alison Sudol’s gorgeous vocals and her eloquent way with words.

Priscilla Ahn’s debut album, A Good Day, has a mellow, summery feel about it which we found relaxing when the stress of our weekend deadline got too much!

Ingrid Michaelson’s 2009 release, Everybody which is an eclectic mix of uplifting songs and romantic ballads.

Norah Jones’ beautiful second album Feels Like Home is a combination of country and light jazz and Norah’s husky voice gives the music a soulful air.

Lastly, and new to us, is Canadian singer Melanie Doane with A Thousand Nights, a mixture of duets, covers and original tracks.

Let us know what you like to listen to while you are crafting!  LouLou & Will x