Applications are now being invited for spaces at this event.  Spaces are offered on a handpicked basis…do you make or sell something fabulous?  If so, I would love to hear from you!  Click here to get in touch giving information about the products you sell including a website address where images of your work can be viewed.

Please note: spaces are initially offered to those featured on the fabulousplaces.co.uk website and remaining spaces are offered externally to handpicked businesses.  Spaces are offered to those complimenting the businesses already booked onto the event.

We all need inspiration at one time or another.   I use Pinterest as a way to store ideas for events, decorating, parties, design, the list goes on!  I found some great ideas for decor at the recent Christmas Market and I’m now browsing Pinterest for ideas for the Summer Market on the 7th July.

You currently need an invitation to join Pinterest so if you know someone already using it, ask them to invite you! Alternatively, you can request an invitation on the Pinterest homepage.

Click here to visit my page on Pinterest.

Happy pinning!

I’m delighted to welcome Darby & Joan, Hackwood Farm Shop & Gorgeously Organic to fabulousplaces.co.uk!

Hackwood Farm Shop & Cafe based in Radbourne is it’s first year of business and is a great addition to Derbyshire’s collection of fabulous places.  Click here to read more!

Darby & Joan are a fabulous Vintage China Hire & Styling Service based in Derbyshire.  Click here to read more!

Derbyshire based Gorgeously Organic are a family run skin care business.  Click here to find out more!

If you’re out and spot a fabulous place or maker, click here to let me!

I thought I would look back over 2011.  It was a fantastic year for me and fabulousplaces.co.uk so I thought I would share it with you.

I started the year working on the website and also searching for fabulous places and makers.  This is a grueling job which involves visiting lovely shops, drinking lots of coffee and eating cake…it’s all vital research!!  At the same time I was fanalising the website’s etc magazine, getting it ready to go to print.  Working with the super Claire Sutton, we brought together our passions to produce a Derbyshire magazine.  The magazine was about great photography (by Claire) and lots of great articles covering delicious food, getting out and about in the County and the essential directory of handpicked places and makers in Derbyshire.

In April I got married at the gorgeous Blackbrook House near Belper in Derbyshire.  It turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year, which made it truly wonderful.  After a few years of running fabulousplaces.co.uk I knew exactly where to go when planning my wedding…the venue was a simple choice after holding a handful of fabulousplaces.co.uk events there I had fallen in love with Blackbrook House.  Our photos were taken by the lovely Becky at Red Square Photography.  Wedding stationery was   by the super talented Lucy Sheeran, accessories came from Bow Boutique in Matlock, Delightful Living and Lavender grey in Belper. Flowers were by Kerry at Tineke Floral Designs in Matlock, they were stunningly perfect.  A truly wonderful day followed by a honeymoon in Paris.

In July 2011 the fabulousplaces.co.uk Summer Food & Gift Fair took place at the Roundhouse in Derby.  The event ran over two days and offered visitors an array of  handpicked food and gifts. The weekend was a great success and if you visited I hope you had a fantastic time.  The event will be back for one day this year on Saturday 7th July 2012 at the Roundhouse in Derby.

In September I gave birth to a gorgeous little girl, Lily.  I’m sure in years to come Lily will have her ‘event team’ tshirt on helping mummy at the events!

November was a great month…Christmas Market time!  I absolutely love organising this event!  This was the second year the event was held at the Roundhouse in Derby.  What a great success…with even more food and gift stalls, workshops, demonstrations and Santa’s Grotto, I can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you to everyone who visited the event, I hope you had a great time.  A huge thank you has to go to the wonderful businesses who attended the event making it visually amazing!

The year finished with a great email from Mumpreneur UK awarding fabulousplaces.co.uk a Gold Website Award.  Mumpreneur UK is a support network for mums in business, offering advice, resources, articles and events to parents who run their own business.  A great ending to 2011 for fabulousplaces.co.uk!

fabulousplaces.co.uk is my passion, the places are where I visit in my spare time and the events are put together from a plan of the type of event I love to visit.  The website was born from a Sunday morning brunch conversation with my husband…”why isn’t there anywhere online where I can find little shops and coffee shops”.  From that point fabulousplaces.co.uk was quickly born and this year will see the 4th anniversary for the website that has become my job, I consider myself very lucky.  I’m working on lots of great things for 2012…two more big events, a printed Derbyshire guide and lots more handpicked places and makers on the website for you to enjoy!

Thank you for supporting the website either by browsing the online directory and then visiting the places or purchasing from the independent makers and also visiting the events!

Wishing you a wonderful 2012 and I hope to see you all soon!

Deb

A wonderful email arrived in my inbox recently from Mumpreneur UK awarding fabulousplaces.co.uk a Gold Website Award.  Mumpreneur UK is a support network for mums in business, offering advice, resources, articles and events to parents who run their own business.

As a new mummy this was a great surprise and has inspired me for 2012.  Becoming a mummy is a truly special gift and juggling a newborn baby with being self employed has been challenging and crazy at times, but I have finished the year achieving what I hoped I would be able to…a successful fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market.  Enjoyed by thousands, the event brought together everything the website is passionate about.  I loved every minute of it and I’m already thinking about next year’s!

I’m now in mummy mode and looking forward to Christmas with my little one.  Come 2012, I have lots of plans for fabulousplaces.co.uk and other ventures…very exciting.

Last month saw the second big fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market held at the Roundhouse in Derby.  The event brought together an array of food and gift stalls, all personally handpicked.  The weekend was truly fabulous…I’m delighted the event was enjoyed by so many and has become an event people look forward to visiting!

The Christmas Market is an absolute pleasure for me to put together and it’s something I present each year because I love to bring together everything I promote through fabulousplaces.co.uk…great places, food, makers and shopping!  For this year’s Market visitors were offered the opportunity to attend workshops and demonstrations in addition to Santa’s Grotto for the little ones!  Workshops included cupcake decorating and festive door wreaths making. Demonstrations were festive gift wrapping, chocolate indulgence and home baking gift inspiration.

I would like to say thank you to everyone who visited, I hope you had a fabulous time!  I would like to give a big thank you the wonderful businesses who made the event what it was…the stands looked fantastic and the quality of products were second to none.  What a wonderful start to the festive season!

Since Jan 2009, fabulousplaces.co.uk events have been run independently and completely original ensuring they stand out from all the other events taking place.  Each event is put together by Deb from fabulousplaces.co.uk and supported by some super local businesses…all held in a stunning venue.  Big thanks to the following supporters:

Polly’s List (http://www.pollyslist.co.uk/)
Lavender grey (http://www.lavendergrey.com/)

Here are a selection of photos from the event…

I’m delighted to say the event will be back for 2012!  The Summer event will be back at the Roundhouse on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th June 2012.  Click here to be kept up to date with the latest news!

Have a wonderful Christmas & a fabulous New Year

Deb

fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market
10am – 4pm, Sat 19th & Sun 20th November 2011
The Roundhouse, Pride Park, Derby

If you would like to attend any of the demonstrations or workshops we’re advising that bookings are made before the event to avoid disappointment.

DEMONSTRATIONS

1.  Baking Gift Inspiration (Sat/Sun 11.00am)
Lots of inspiration for baking your own gift creations. Presented by Quirky Cookies & Cakes.
2.  Chocolate Indulgence (Sat/Sun 12.00pm)
A must for all chocolate lovers!Presented by Barry Colenso, Master Chocolatier
3.  Christmas Gift Wrapping (Sat/Sun 1.00pm)
Inspirational ideas to give your gifts the perfect finishing touches.  Presented by Housley & Co.

Entry plus demonstrations is £3.  Click here to book your ticket.

11.00am  Duration approx 2 hours
Booking in advance essential
You’ll be taken through the steps to produceyour own wreath. Select yourfoliages to make a festive masterpiece totake home. Presented by Kerry Brown fromThe Blossom Tree, Melbourne, Derbyshire. Tickets are £40.00.  Click here to book your place.

11.00am  Duration approx. 2 hours
You’ll be guided through the craft ofcupcake decorating. You’ll leave with abox of 6 magical cupcakes of your owncreation. All ingredients provided.Presented by Blue Lavender CakeDecorating School.
Tickets are £20.00  Click here to book your place.

Here’s a sneak peak at the event map…

Click here for full information about this year’s Christmas Market.

One of my most loved venues is Blackbrook House for two reasons…it’s where I got married and it’s also where I held the first fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market!  I’m delighted to announce that they are holding a Christmas Fayre on Sunday 27th November from 11am to 5pm.

The event will bring together a wonderful selection of food and gift stalls and much more.  The perfect way to spend a winter’s day.

Click here to read about the Christmas Market I held there in 2009 to give you an idea of what to expect!

For full information about the venue and finding your way there please click here.

With under a month left to go before the fabulousplaces.co.uk Christmas Market, I’m beginning to get very excited about the event!

Two days of fabulous shopping & festive fun for all the family…handpicked food & gift stalls, workshops, demonstrations, festive craft corner for little ones, Santa’s Grotto and much more!
To view the list of demonstrations and workshops click here.  Book in advance is highly recommended to avoid disappointment.

Christmas Market
Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th November 2011
The Roundhouse, Pride Park, Derby
£1 entry
Click here for full information

The lovely ladies from Save The Date Magazine are offering fabulousplaces.co.uk users the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the Wedding Event with a Difference.  The event brings together a carefully selected array of inspirational wedding services from vintage finishing touches to stunning venues.

Save The Date Wedding Event with a Difference
Sunday 16th October 2011
The Roundhouse, Pride Park, Derby
Click here for full event information.

For your chance to get your hands on a pair of FREE tickets to the event, just send over the name of ONE of the exhibitors who will be there at the wedding event with a difference.  Head to www.savethedatemagazine.co.uk and take a look for the answer and submit your answer below.  Good luck!

Click here to submit your answer.

Competition closes at midnight on Wednesday 5th October 2011.

Competition Conditions
Competition closes at midnight on Wednesday 5th October 2011.  The prize is non transferable and cannot be exchanged for a cash alternative.  The winner will be required to collect their tickets on the day of the event.  The winner will be notified by email after the closing date.