​We started the season on the 30th of November at the Workhouse Christmas Market in Llanfyllin (you may or may not remember that was the venue of the Food Fair back in September) and it was a lovely start to festivities. I felt lucky to be around many of our new local friends at that event, given that it was a little jarring, leaping from eulogy writing to carol concerts! 

We'd planned to attend the Christmas Farmer's Market at Lake Vyrnwy the following weekend, Nik's birthday too, the 7th of December, but that was sadly cancelled owing to the imminent arrival of Storm Darragh. Whilst I do my best to produce everything as freshly as possible, you'll understand that by the day before a market I've finished 90% of the baking (apart from bread and gluten free stuff, which is baked last minute and often obscenely early on the day!). That sparked a last minute scramble for an alternative event since there are only so many mince pies that even Nik can consume, and so it was back to Llanfyllin for the Christmas tree lights switch on. The tree was outside, I as very grateful to be offered space inside a local hotel who let us use their breakfast room as a market hall!

​We were disappointed not to go to Vyrnwy of course and I really wasn't sure how it would go, since the good people of Llanfyllin had already patronised us so warmly just a week earlier but I needn't have worried and they must have enjoyed their purchases, as we made good sales that evening too, completely selling out of veg to boot! Llanfyllin really has such a lovely community of people and they clearly seem to appreciate the Earth Heart products so we came away from those weeks with a resolve to revisit the Thursday street markets in the spring.

I can't quite believe it's already three weeks since I realised I needed a tactical break from the cycle of weekly baking that I'd launched two months previously. After peaking with a three week run of food fair and pop up bakeries, all requiring an extra push, I was feeling tired, rundown and a bit out of touch with my love for the craft. I knew I needed to be creative about that in order to remain more broadly happy and productive. Putting the brakes on and taking some time out seemed the best way to go about a system reset; I've recently taken the scary step of deciding to become my own manager after all, so I may as well make the most of that autonomy! In addition to creating much needed space for rest, I also wanted to give myself an opportunity to spend a little time on some of my other crafting, which has been a little neglected since the baking project came on the scene... There are only so many hours in the day after all!
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Still, we've been keeping in touch with the creative vision and since my first pop up bakery at Dragons last month, we've been gently delighted by the trickle of interest in the honesty box whilst our cockles have been well and truly warmed by some very lovely interactions at the roadside with passers by who've stopped to browse and buy from our selection of vegan baking, organic veggies and upcycled crafts. In terms of footfall though, you really can't beat an organised event and last weekend we attended our first food fair! Held at the Workhouse in Llanfyllin, the frustratingly timed (very) rainy day failed to deter a variety of stall holders, artists in open studios, musicians and intrepid members of public alike from showing up as planned and making a day of it none the less!

Well, it feels like time has absolutely flown since my update just over a fortnight ago after the launch of the new Earth Heart Kitchen at our roadside honesty box! After the busyness of preparing all that was needed to open (and a working trip to London with Nik's company Feature Greens immediately afterwards!) it was good to allow ourselves a gentle few days, so whilst there was indeed fresh baking in the honesty box last Friday there were much smaller batches and only one variety of cookie! Interestingly enough, the rhubarb and loganberry flapjack, which was the shining star of the launch week and absolutely flew off the shelf down to the very last slice, didn't receive so much attention but I was glad that the gluten free offering (banana loaf) and the peanut butter cookies still made sales from passing trade.

I've been enjoying my involvement at the Dragons Craft Collective down the hill in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant village since March and volunteering weekly shifts to support and promote the community of local crafts people who also sell their wares there. Fresh, home made produce that is kitchen not factory packed doesn't have the same shelf life as crafts or poetry books so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to leave a batch of cookies to fend for themselves next to my painted jars all weekend but there's no reason why I couldn't make all kinds of baking available for sale whilst I'm anyway in the shop, hence the 'pop up' nature of the venture!

This Saturday, I signed myself up for a double shift so I'd have a bit more time to make the most of the summer tourists to the waterfall and made sure I'd baked enough for a decent stock back at home in the honesty box as well as for a little table on the corner outside the shop. I was grateful to my fellow crafters for being game to let me experiment from Dragons but I was also encouraged by the enthusiastic support of the Dragons housing co-op next door to the shop and other local residents in the village, to whom I'd mentioned the idea.

Nik and I rocked up a little early on Saturday and spent some time having a bit of a sweep and sort out of the cobbled space in front of the shop. It's a lovely space anyway, with an abundant, leafy grapevine... But it's amazing what a vase of flowers, a bit of bunting and a gingham table cloth can do!
I'd barely even got the cakes out on the table before I had a customer and sold my first beetroot and cacao brownie; a new recipe and one I was keen to share. That was a pretty encouraging start to the day and it continued happily in that vein. I was certainly pleased with the amount of cake I didn't have to take back home with me! Having said that, I wasn't ever so busy that there weren't plenty of opportunities to spend some time chatting with locals and visitors alike. I've said before, the Earth Heart project, be it glamping, baking or anything else that it may unfurl itself into, is ultimately about fostering connection. The first Earth Heart Kitchen pop up bakery at Dragons did much to demonstrate its potential to do just that!

To be frank from the start, I'm of no doubt that my main craft stall days are far behind me. Gone for me, are the days for staying awake into the wee hours to finish off a batch of upcycled crafts before leaping up at the crack of dawn (with the aid of strong coffee) to be one of the first crafters on site and impeccably displayed before the trickle of idle browsers (with not much cash) begins to arrive for a bargain hunt. Gone are the days of working far too may hours at a quarter of minimum wage and feeling lucky to do any more than break even... And most definitely, very long gone are the days of dragging a suitcase of painted glassware from Leyton to Camden Town on the London Underground! But... I do love making... And I do love the warm glow of sitting behind a full table of my wares as people potter past and tell me how beautiful it all is (whether or not I make a sale)... And we do have a full to bursting honesty box that really doesn't get the footfall it deserves... So, at the very civilised time of nine o'clock this morning, Nik and I packed the car (carefully, around Val the greyhound, who promptly started tucking in to the packaging!) and made the blissfully short hop to Llanfyllin for the Thursday street market! (OK, there may still have been a fair bit of strong coffee...)

​Less than 2 weeks ago I shared our exciting weekend of land clearance, bonfires and box building! Happily, we've now got an update on the latter!

Though in the long term we plan to open the Earth Heart land to community groups, artists and glampers in all manner of magical events, exhibitions and happenings, in the short term we're inviting local dog walkers and passing day trippers to pause and peruse the equally marvellous contents of our new 'honesty' box!

It's taken a couple of full, creative weeks of construction, decoration, tweaking, painting, making, crafting, planting and growing; but as of today (and Welsh valley weather permitting!) we're open for business! So, if you're passing between Pen y Bont Fawr and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, keep your eyes peeled for a selection of upcycled crafts, delightful decorations and various growing glories at the road side... You may even catch one of us for a natter and there's a free seed bomb with every purchase to spread that wild flower love! Do come and see us! Xx

Dragons Craft Collective has recently welcomed a new local crafter to their diverse and eclectic display shelves.

​Glittermouse (a multidisciplinary arts project of Annabeth Orton) has been producing and selling upcycled crafts since 1995 at fairs, shops and craft markets across the UK but you can now find a selection of her painted, re-used glass and tin pieces at the Dragons shop in Llanrhaeader-Ym-Mochnant. As an equally experienced writer, she also has two collections of poetry available for sale as well as a range of poetic handmade greetings cards. 
​She told us “having only just moved to Llanrhaeader in January, I was of course instantly drawn to the Dragons shop and soon discovered the exciting plethora of locally produced crafts with delight!"​

"How could I possibly not ask to become involved in such a high-quality platform for local artisans? It’s been a real joy to get to know some of my fellow local artists and makers, as well as a few more new neighbours as they come in to make use of the excellent range of eco products and refills that Dragons also stock. I’ve always found artists collectives an inspiring way of challenging myself to develop new creative projects and I’m looking forward to see what will unfold now I’m a part of Dragons Craft Collective. That their ethos of sustainability fits so well with my own commitment to using reused and recycled materials where possible is simply an added incentive to see how I can become increasingly ethical in my crafting.” 

​Annabeth will be volunteering on a weekly basis in the shop, but you can find her crafts, as well as a wide selection of other beautiful pieces, at any time in the Dragons shop which is open Fridays 12:00 -16:00, Saturdays 10:00 - 17:00 and Sundays 11:00 - 17:00 for an excellent source of unique, high quality gifts and treats, whatever the occasion!