Behind the Scenes: afternoon tea ceramics with Timea Sido

I first saw photos of Timea Sido's beautiful ceramics when working on a piece on the Origin Craft fair for the Guardian. At that point, I fell for the delicacy of her work even just in photographs - and I couldn't wait to see her creamy, filigree pieces in person. Her tea set was quite possibly the prettiest one I've seen yet; simple and elegant.

The Central St Martins' graduate now works from her studio at Cockpit Arts London, where she works with her loyal companion, her kilm, and I asked her to share a little about how she makes her pieces.

Timea says: "My tangled pattern has become my signature style and embodies every element of my work. My collection features tea light holders, vessels, boxes and bowls but my newest work, the afternoon tea collection, really captured my heart and imagination. It's all cake stands, cups and saucers, spoons and sugar bowls - everything you would need for a quaint English tea party (the milk jug and teapot stand will launch next year).

"I've always been enchanted by the countryside with its picturesque villages and charming tea rooms - for me, a delicious home baked scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam with a cup of tea is perfection. It's this magic that i was trying to convey in the afternoon tea collection - old-fashioned charm meets contemporary design.

"I wanted to create a cakestand with a twist, to create a romantic and elegant table centrepiece for any occasion. This one has a hidden vase inside the stand, which looks beautiful when you place lovely flowers in the middle - it really sets the mood for tea and cake."

Each piece takes two weeks for Timea to make, after a series of days spent making the pattern, assembling each piece, drying and glazing.

"I love being creative and if I'm not in the studio getting messy with clay, then I'll be at home painting or knitting or making something for my home. Creating things out of nothing is what i'm all about; it makes me happy and complete."
(Sorry the pictures are so small but hope it gives a flavour of her style!)

Free entry for Her Little Place readers to the We Make London fair

Trying to plan your shopping and craft fair visits in advance? Here's a list of what's on, when and where - but please feel free to add to it if I've missed anything in the comments box below - I'm counting on your contributions so please chip in - doesn't matter if it's not London based but as long as it's in the UK, it's worth adding.

And, as if you needed any more added incentive, ten Her Little Place readers will be given free entry to the We Make London Christmas fair on Saturday 5 December (details below). To claim your free entry, email me at huma@herlittleplace.com before next Tuesday 1 December

Room 202,
Covent Garden Hotel
Wednesday, 25 November, 6.30-8.30
A select number of just 10 vendors, organised by Amma Gyan
£5 entry

Tea and Make,
The Honour Oak, 1 St German's Road, Forest Hill, London,
Saturday 5 December, 12-6
Free entry, free workshops

We Make London
Chelsea Town Hall, King's Road, London
Saturday 5 December, 11-5
READER OFFER!! The first ten people to email me at huma@herlittleplace.com will be put on the door list for free entry. Email me before next Tuesday to get registered.

Christmas art, craft and design market,
35 stalls, organised by Oggle Everything
Abney Hall, 73a Stoke Newington Church St,
Sunday 6 December, 11-5

Bust Christmas Craftacular
York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Rd, Bethnal Green,
Saturday 12 December, 12-7

Of Cabbages & Kings will be at:
Abney Hall, 73a Stoke Newington Church St,
Saturday 12 & 19 December 10.30-5, free entry

Click on the "comment" button - I'm adding more fair details as they arrive in my inbox!

Shopping trips, plus coming up this week

(Photograph: Cox and Cox)

It's not even the end of November, but Christmas lights are up on Regent St which can only mean one thing: Christmas shopping time!

One thing I've not had a chance to do in previous years is really explore London's Christmas craft markets, so that's something I can't wait for - to meet new designers, see lovely handmade and unique products and feel a part of something that's different from the high street.

I'm going to my first fair this week and my diary is already filling up for weekends ahead - so I figure it's useful for us all to share what's fairs and markets are going on, when and where.

So from tomorrow, I'm starting a rolling "events list" post where I'll keep adding updates as I hear of more things going on - plus I've got special details of a special entry offer for Her Little Place readers. But if there's something I've missed, either email me with details at huma@herlittleplace.com, or leave a comment with a link to the Christmas market or craft fair so we can all find out more information about it too. Get your diaries open and prepare to block out your weekends!

Also coming up this week, I've got a detailed Behind the Scenes into the design studio of a ceramics designer who creates jaw-droppingly stunning pieces (watch out for that) plus another sweet treat to kick start the weekend come Friday. But that's a whole five days away, so for now, start racking your brains about any vintage-crafty-quirky markets coming up and enjoy your Monday!

What's cooking: Blueberry Delight cake with Butterfingers

I love a good old inspirational story, and Nadia and Kat, two lovely London ladies who make up baking company Butterfingers, are just that (inspirational, that is, not necessarily butterfingered in the literal sense).

This duo gave up their day jobs working in investment banking (Nadia) and at the NHS (Kat) to do what they love (isn't this always the dream?): bake. And boy, do they bake - but not the frothy cupcake kind. No, we're talking good old slabs of hearty lashings of sponge and home-baked traditional slices based on family recipes. Last night, after meeting Nadia, I cosied up with a big slab of carrot cake and frosting that she'd made earlier in the day - a ridiculously massive wedge of moist carrot cake - which tasted wonderfully fresh.

Nadia and Kat met at a pub, started chatting about their mutual love of cake (as you do). Nadia says: "A month later we found ourselves working side by side doing a two-day baking marathon for a music festival. We've not looked back since!

"By day, we serve indulgent afternoon teas served in vintage china at events and festivals. By night, we love the idea of midnight cake feasts, so we deliver bite-sized delicacies to peckish party revelers at nightclubs and parties.

"I spend hours upon hours trawling the internet for recipes, reading all the comments, and looking at all the pictures to try and get an idea of how it might turn out before I have a dabble. I came across this Blueberry Delight recipe last week; it had 313 comments, and I read every single one (loser, obsessed or weird- I'll leave that one for you to decide!). Once I made it, I absolutely loved it, so much so that it's only appropriate that I share it with you here."

Blueberry Delight
Makes 12 squares

250g plus all-purpose flour
1 tsp all-purpose flour (extra)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
227g unsalted butter, softened
165g light brown sugar
100g granulated sugar
3 large eggs
225ml buttermilk (or you can use whole milk, but buttermilk gives a real moist texture to cake)
100g blueberries (fresh or frozen - you don't need to defrost them)

Topping
100g blueberries (again, no need to defrost)
50g granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 160 C and grease and flour a 13-by-9 inch baking tin. Whisk the large weight of flour with baking powder, and salt in one bowl; in another, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down the bowl after each one. Reduce the speed and beat in one-third of the flour mix, give it a good mix and then beat in half of the milk. Beat in another third of the flour mix, then all of the remaining milk and then finally the remaining flour. In a seperate bowl, toss the blueberries with the extra teaspoon of flour. Then very gently, fold the blueberries into the main batter. Spread into the prepared tin.

Then, for the topping, scatter the remaining blueberries on top of the batter. Stir the cinnamon and granulated sugar together and scatter all over the cake mix (it will give a lovely crumbly texture to the cake). Bake for 40-45 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean) and leave it for 20 minutes before turning out and serving (topping side up!) - cut into slices, and eat warm for a lovely fruity bite!

If you'd like Butterfingers to bake cakes for an afternoon tea event, email nadia@butterfingerscakes.com.

Cartolina giveaway winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the Cartolina Cards giveaway last week! Picked at random (via Random.org) the lucky winners are:

Anna at Whoopsadaisy
Laura at Eden Rose (I do believe you've won twice in my giveaways now, clearly on a winning streak!)
and Alison who doesn't seem to be blogging though.

You'll each get a bundle of notelets, greeting cards, Christmas cards and a little notebook too which I wrapped up in pretty tissue paper and ribbon for you! (Royal Mail depending of course...)

My Favourite Place... with the Keep Calm Gallery

It's no secret that I'm a huge, huge fan of the Keep Calm Gallery and its quirky fun graphics and letterpress prints (the prints in my kitchen and bathroom are both from there), so when owners, founders and couple Lucas Lepola and Hayley Thwaites agreed to give me a sneak into their front room for My Favourite Place, I couldn't wait to see what pics they'd send in.

The couple live in and work from this small Victorian terrace in East Dulwich, London, which they share with their cats Maisy and Alfie. And true to form, their Favourite Place, the lounge, is undeniably cool. There's nothing not to love about their Victorian terrace living space - from the initials, the artwork (check the Tutti Frutti print by the fireplace and Carpe Diem on the shelves, among others) and the retro furniture. Find out more below:

Lucas and Hayley say:

"Working from home means that most of our living space is used up for work-related things, but we try and get away from that in the living room - although sometimes we take photos for the website in here because there's usually really good light. But it's the only real spot in the house where we can really relax. Since we're renting this house, we can't make real changes to things like the paintwork, but the scheme is simple which means we can bring lots of colour in with our belongings which we've collected and scattered all over the place. It's been a blank canvas to us, but this house is the first time we've really felt at home in a place together and this room sums that feeling up."

Style steal: copy the Keep Calm Gallery's retro look

I really like the way modern prints have been placed in vintage frames, and the way that aged little accessories sit side by side next to contemporary pieces, like the pair of worn bird models placed next to a modern twisty vase on the sideboard... create a mish-mash of age styles with some of the selection below:

Initials, Pedlars, £7.95
Bird vases, Graham and Green, £18.95
Russian dolls, Cox & Cox, £22
Antique gold frame, Heals, £15
Silhouette print, Keep Calm Gallery, £15
Loop vase, Lifestyle Bazaar, £28

Craftiness for children

The Ella Doran store on Cheshire St (Shoreditch - sort of off Brick Lane) is doing a very cute "Design your own tray" weekend this Saturday and Sunday (21 and 22 November) - so little ones can try their hand at designing.

They'll get to doodle away to their heart's content and the pattern will then be made into a tray for them to takeaway for £12 - nice Christmas gift idea for little ones to make for their grandparents, perhaps. (You don't actually have to be a child to do this; I think adults can join in too...)

Places are limited, so to book, email ruth@elladoran.co.uk directly to reserve a space.

In the meantime, here's a couple of cute shots of the event last year. Junior designers in the making!