A few weeks ago, I had an email asking me if I was interested in popping along to a new contemporary arts and crafts fair in Leeds. Seeing as I was planning on being in the city centre with friends anyway, we included it as part of our afternoon plans and went to have a look around. The Bearded Tit Market is not your bog standard craft market; it was created with the aim of celebrating northern talent, with a heavy emphasis on quality of design. All of the artists were hand picked, and the products ranged from clothing to homeware and everything in between. I like to visit events like these, to gather inspiration for mine and Martin's future home (Hopefully within the next year!) Whilst we didn't have much cash to flash about, we certainly found some items that we loved and were sad to leave behind.




With Martin being the dapper gentleman that he is (ha!), he made a beeline for the Dick Beau stall - which was filled to the brim with all manner of clothing accessories. As the name would suggest, there were dickie bows, but also pocket squares, neck warmers and even cufflinks in a variety of retro-style prints and fabrics. Martin took an instant shine to the Harris Tweed Dickie Bow, which was of no surprise to me whatsoever as he is obsessed with all things Harris Tweed! They weren't cheap - with fabric this quality I wouldn't expect them to be - but they were impeccably designed and created, I really couldn't fault them in any way. I also took a shine to the adorable, tiny hand sewn felt animals from Lady Bird Tree. They were so sweet, and even though I guess they serve no real purpose I couldn't help but want to take one home with me. The mini Okapi's were my favourite! (Pictured above)




Martin actually ended up buying me a pair of black cat stud earrings from the Hello Sunshine stall, which was an unexpected surprise! Created and designed by Jo Want, all of her jewellery is laser cut wood or acrylic, currently comprising of necklaces, brooches and earrings in simple, effective designs. I'm currently in love with the 'Great Stag Necklace' that is on her online store, as well as my own earrings! The next stall along was Gallons of Ink, and I was wowed by the variety of products that were on offer. There were teabag holders bearing tea puns (the 'Mana-Tea' got my vote simply because of the cute manatee illustration!), tote bags, cards, necklaces and even salt and pepper shakers, all illustrated by hand. It always impresses me when I see someone really make use of their talent and broadening their creative output - something that I wish I was able to do, sadly I have no crafty talent to speak of!




Next up was Made by Felt Foxes - and this stall was really up my street. They sell a wide range of gifts, including make up bags, purses, pencil cases, cushion covers, tote bags, gadget cases and even more besides... need I go on? Each item is handmade in York using beautiful fabrics from various designers, and I'm not kidding when I say that I wanted to take home all of the make up bags! They were such a clean design, but the variety of prints and fabrics available is really what sold their products to me. I was even tempted to take home one of the Cath Kidston make up bags, but reasoned with myself that I didn't need yet another make up bag. Sigh. I've consoled myself with the fact that they sell online, so this pleases me no end! Usually for someone to create such a wide range of products, the quality tends to slip but that wasn't the case here. Everything was finished beautifully and to a very high standard.




Last but not least, I made my way across to Patch Ate Smudge - and this was a stall I really wanted to see! The mildy offensive knitted cushions were what made me want to come along to this market in the first place, and I couldn't leave without admiring them. Honestly, if I'd had more money in my bank account at the time, I would have snapped up that cushion pictured above in a heartbeat - regardless of the fact that I don't yet have my own home! But again, they have an online store, so when the time is right I will definitely be going back to pick up one of my own. I can only imagine what potential guests would think... but I'm the sort of person that would take great pleasure in their surprise, so there you are. The quality of the knitting spoke for itself; I don't want to think about how long it takes a knit a rude word in a fancy font! Also embroidered with offensive phrases were their arm warmers, but it would be awesome to see them being included on their hats and other knitted accessories as well.

These were just a small selection of all the artists and crafters that were at the market. It was impossible to mention everyone! I really enjoyed visiting the market, and hope that it comes back again in the future. It would be great to see it in a bigger space as it was quite cramped inside Crowd of Favours, but then I appreciate that it was a relevant venue in which to hold it. If you want to keep up to date with The Bearded Tit Market's happenings, go follow them on Twitter!