A Christmas less ordinary

Wow there has been so much going on in Brum this weekend that I can hardly keep up.

This weekend we have seen the Christmas Fair at the MAC (Midlands Art Centre), A Winter Less Ordinary in Digbeth and Christmas paddle boarding on the Canal?!?!?

The MAC is beautifully located on the edge of Cannon Hill Park.  I recommend that when you visit skip the entrance opposite Edgbaston Cricket Ground, carry on down Pershore Road to the Nature Reserve and park there.  It's just a short walk down the park along side the boating lake to get to the MAC and there are always way more spaces that end.

I do believe that this year's fair is larger than in the past as it now covers the ground floor and carries on up to the first floor. It had some fantastic stalls tons of Jewellery, Art, Crafts, Ceramics, and Glass (obviously as we are so close to Stourbridge after all).

I bought a lovely Christmas ornament from Used & Fused, it is a glass Christmas Tree apparently made out of an old shed window. http://usedandfused.com/

On the first floor I got chatting with Kate Gilliland  who make the most amazing jewellery, to quote her card "wearable pieces of natural history" such as bird claws or fox teeth cast in precious metals and then fashioned into earrings and necklaces.  I was then was drawn to Helen Clues who makes Mosaic pieces out of old china and runs workshops out of her studio in the vaults of an old bank in Kenilworth, The Bank Gallery which I really need to check out.   Sadly I was totally out of cash by then so couldn't buy one of Helen's lovely Christmas ornaments.

 On Sunday I decided to swing by a new event that I found on Facebook called A Winter Less Ordinary, situated in a warehouse on Floodgate Street (behind the Custard Factory).  The blurb said A Winter Less Ordinary is a multi-faceted event, showcasing a wide range of independent art, fashion, crafts and food in Digbeth, Birmingham.
To be honest I wasn't sure what to expect.  I paid £4 to get in, pre-booked tickets were £3.  Going in through a leafy corridor reminiscent of Narnia I knew it would be something special.
Once inside you are presented with an indoor oak tree under which there were craft stalls, around the edge of the room were some fashion and vintage stalls.  But wait!  that's not all, this is just the first room.  There was a DJ bar to the left, empty when I arrived but to be fair I was there early and this thing goes on to the wee small hours.  Over the other side it opened up to another bar, a performance stage, some more stalls and picnic tables.  Moving on I got to the Street Food section Carnoodle, Open Seasame, Lils Parlour Epic Cakes (and they were), Chilli Dogs and a Cocktail bar in a horse wagon. The final room was showing art work.  So I picked up a Latte and a Tofu Burger and returned to the picnic tables where I watched guitar duo and then really interesting poet whose work was based on her affair and subsequent divorce.  The Birmingham Royal Ballet were scheduled to perform later in the evening but I had places to be so missed it.

Chatting to some of the traders it seems it got a lot busier in the evening and I hope that the organisers have found it a success as I do love to discover new and interesting places.

Next Week:  Theatre Land