You will go wild for Wilde and Sinclair!
Itās a great time of year for the fabulous FoxMarketW7 and they have their last market before Christmas this Saturday 9th December from 1-5pm. I canāt wait!
Last week we met Sophiaās Illustration and Sew Me Sunshine. This week I am delighted to introduce our third featured stall holder and the market organiserĀ Victoria of Wilde and Sinclair.Ā
Hello Victoria!
Tell us a bit about yourself
I have always loved making things and been drawn to anything sparkly. When I was little I wanted to be a film costume designer because my great-grandmother and grandmother worked in the wardrobe departments of film studios (one made wigs and the other knitted chain mail). It is partly because of my grandmother that I grew up watching black and white films and came to love the retro style of old movie stars.
Wilde and Sinclair combines my love of crafting with my love of vintage because I sell hand drawn cards as well as antique and vintage jewellery. The name Wilde and Sinclair derives from the surnames of the main characters in the TV show The Persuaders.
I combine running Wilde and Sinclair with my main job as a freelance writer/editor of academic reference books. I wrote my PhD thesis on fairy tales in art, literature and film so I usually write about film history, folklore and anthropology. At the moment Iām writing a multi-volume encyclopedia covering topics including smallpox and genocide. This is quite heavy going so it is lovely to switch off by drawing foxes and flamingos!
What is your favourite piece?
My favourite piece is my āFlamingo Fabulousā card. It came about when I experimented with the water colour function on my drawing tablet and I was thrilled at how well it turned out. Iām not sure why, but I tend to draw animals wearing hats or scarves.
What is your most popular piece?
My best selling card is also one of my favourites āMr and Mrs Foxā. It sold really well in the summer because it chimed with the trend for woodland weddings. I like drawing foxes as they have such expressive faces.
What are your ties to Ealing?
I grew up in Hanwell and went to school in Ealing. I went to university in London so I stayed living in Ealing then too. All in all I have lived in Ealing for over 30 years.
Where can people see and buy your work?
I used to sell at every craft market I could but now I have so much writing to do that I only sell in person at FoxMarketW7 and my cards are currently on sale at the King Arms. I also sell on Etsy. I am also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I would love to stock my cards in local shops too.
What do you like about the Fox Market?
FoxMarketW7 is a brilliant showcase for local makers and indie traders ā not just on market day but on social media too. The market has a friendly atmosphere because the traders know each other and many shoppers return each month. New stallholders are always made welcome and soon become part of the inclusive market community. The stallholders follow each other on social media and are very supportive of each other. Another thing that makes the market so good is The Fox bar staff who are incredibly helpful and hardworking. On market days the bar staff often come in before their official start time to get the tables and marquees ready for the traders.
Which localĀ makers do you admire?
Everyone that sells at FoxMarketW7 is fabulous. In particular I adore Timshel Design and have two of their super stylish Toby Chairs (though I only get to sit on one as my cat has adopted the other!) Recently Iāve become a fan of Laura Downes Jewellery and I enjoy discovering the new chocolate flavours brought out by Handmade in Ealing. My friends Phoebe (aka Unicorn Jack), photographer Karolina Koziel and artist Sara Caputi are also extremely talented.
What is the biggest challenge and the thing you love the most?Ā
My biggest challenge is finding time to make. I used to make all my cards by hand but this was extremely time consuming. Now that Iām writing for around eight hours each day I often design cards late at night. I hand draw my cards on my Wacom tablet but I havenāt had any technical training so I have to pick things up as I go along. My favourite thing is that I get to do what I love doing. Not many people get to spend their day at home, writing and drawing.
When you arenāt working, what do you like to do?
IĀ have spent a lot of time in France and used to work on a food magazine so I love good food and eating out. The Ealing restaurants I visit most often are The Walpole in South Ealing, Sikulo Cafe on Northfields Avenue, Enjoy Lasagna in Hanwell and Lisaās RestaurantĀ on Pitshanger Lane. I also like the patisserie and teas at the Little CakeĀ cafĆ© at Hanger Green.Ā We are lucky to have lots of lovely pubs in the area and my favourites include The Fox Inn (of course!) and The Kings Arms at Hanwell. For food shopping I head to Pitshanger Lane.
Apart from food, I love cats and wildlife. In the summer I socialised kittens for a local animal charity and I enjoy going on the bat walks organised by the Ealing Wildlife Facebook group. During November and December I am giving 10 per cent of my Wilde and Sinclair profits to the Wildlife Orphanage in Selby (Yorkshire) that cares for and re-homes injured wild animals.
You can meet Victoria at the FoxMarketW7 this Saturday. Do come along!
Competition
Our competition is hotting up and is running until this Saturday! We have one of our best prizes yet up for grabs ā a hamper filled with goodies from some of the Fox Market stall holders including:
Wilde and Sinclair
Sophiaās Illustration
Benjamin Finch
The Green Kitchen
Brand Posh
Peter Dunn Glass
Denalis Jewellery and Cards
Handmade in Ealing Chocolates
Gourmet Imports
Aqua Handmade Books
CraftyK21
(Scroll down for a sneak preview of some of the prizes)...Ā
The full hamper will be on display at the market this Saturday 9th December and we will announce the winner live at the end of the day!
To enter all you have to do is visit Ealing Insider on Facebook or Instagram (or BOTH to double your chance of winning!) and ālikeā one of the posts about the Fox Market and comment with your favourite Ealing stall holder / maker / artist / photographer. We would love it if you would follow Fox Market and Ealing Insider too! Ā
The competition is live now and will run until 4.30pm on Saturday 9thDecember. The winner will be drawn from a āhatā and announced at c 5pm.
See you at the FoxMarketW7 on Saturday 9th December!
Love,
Ellie
The Ealing Insider
xoxox
Competition Terms and Conditions
To enter all you have to do is visit Ealing Insider on Facebook or Instagram, like one of the posts about the Fox Market and comment with your favourite Ealing stall holder / maker / artist / photographer.
You may enter on both platforms so can have two entries.
The competition is running from Tuesday 28th November to Saturday 9th December 2017.
All entrants names will be entered in to a āhatā and the winner will be selected at random on Saturday 9th December, and announced live around 5pm from the Fox Market.
The winnerās name will be published across the Ealing Insider platforms of Instagram and Facebook and we will contact them directly to arrange delivery of the prize within the Ealing area.
The competition is open to anyone who follows the guidelines above, except for Fox Market W7 and the Ealing Insider.
The competition is not endorsed by Instagram or Facebook.
