Sleeper Inspiration

A railroad tie or crosstie or railway sleeper is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Many are lifted every year to be replaced (often by concrete versions) leaving a surplus of well-worn timber thoroughly soaked in various treatments to slow them rotting. Despite this treatment, they can have many, many uses in the garden which pose no risk. (I wouldn't advise growing veg etc. in a raised bed made from sleepers for example, nor should they be burned in an indoor open fire or wood burning stove).

After searching for some time we have managed to source a supplier so these are now available from our Garden & Salvage yard behind our Narberth Vintage Warehouse. We deliberately don't stock the perfect, grade A sleepers - we are Bazaar and specialise in the old and well-worn after all! Instead we have those that clearly show their age and heavy use. The raised grain on some of these is just stunning!

We've created a section on our Garden & Salvage Pinterest Board here to show you the many ways in which these old pieces of our transport heritage can be reused (each image has the source details). Of course, you can go out and buy new 'sleepers' but they certainly won't have the character of these and buying new when old is also available just doesn't seem very planet friendly...

Sleepers standing upright, buried straight into the ground or concreted into place, create a fence with gorgeous character and strength.
We love this combination of old red brick and sleepers used to create a simply beautiful garden path. ( I have just the perfect place to create this in our garden!)
Sleeper sections embedded in a gravel path add interest and look fabulous!
Sleepers are used here to create a simple raised bed by sitting them on the grass. Lift them into place, fasten together with long screws at the edges where required, tip in bags of compost or topsoil and plant away. A quick, easy and beautiful way to create a focal point in a lawn.
Use sleepers to create a lovely 'bridge' over a dry river bed.
Here the sleepers create steps that sit perfectly within the natural woodland setting.

What is Picture Felting? A look at Felted Pictures by Various Artists and a Chance to Create your own

When I was young I absolutely loved Fuzzy Felt. I'd create a beautiful picture (well I thought it was - I was probably 6 or 7 at the time), I'd admire it for a little while then carefully peel off each felt piece so I could create a different picture. I remember having an underwater board, a farm one and some sort of variation on 'people with different jobs'.
Now, fast forward a few years (yes, ok, maybe it's actually 40 years) and talented artists are using wool to create felt pictures on a whole new level - and I'm not sure my fuzzy felt underwater scene would cut the mustard...

Now there are fibre artists creating simply stunning images, many of them landscapes, using a very sustainable resource. Wool.

Wool fibres are used in the same way that a watercolourist uses paint, building up layers of colour then adding detail to make the image come alive.

Below are images of work from several different felt artists. Click on each image to be taken to the source and find out more about their work. Hopefully you will feel inspired enough to join our forthcoming felt picture workshop here at the Bazaar with the talented Claire Lloyd to guide you. Create a landscape from your imagination or bring along a picture of your favourite real landscape (we have plenty to chose from here in Pembrokeshire after all!) and Claire will help you recreate the view with wool. Click here to go to our workshop page.

The Big Summer Bazaar

Celebrating all things green, growing and the great outdoors.

After the great success of our first Winter Maker's Market, (and after encouragement from many customers who enjoyed the evening), the Bazaar team has decided to create a totally different event during the early summer. After lots of head scratching and wordsmithing we've decided to call it 'The Big Summer Bazaar'. Apparently, we were overthinking it!

The event will be focusing on green, growing and the great outdoors. Think garden party with street food, drink and a collection of locally made, locally sourced and locally grown goods to help you make the most of your outdoor space.

Our event will be held on a Sunday afternoon and evening, starting from 5pm - 10pm. It worked really well for our Winter Maker's Market though we will be making one small change; the store will not be open during the day, allowing the Bazaar team to focus on creating a wonderful event, but it will be open during the event, along with our Garden & Salvage Yard.

If you believe that what you do might fit in well with our Big Summer Bazaar event, please get in touch.

The easiest way to get in touch is probably via Facebook Messenger; please find and like our FB page: bazaar.narberth and send a message with a link to your page / Instagram / or forward images of what you do. We'll get back to you with more information asap.

Bazaar’s 2018 Winter Makers Market

"Thank you so much for organising your perfect Christmas Makers Fair. I was really looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint!! It was outstanding, a master class in how to put on a Christmas Fair. Nothing else has come close. I'm already looking forward to next year's!! We bought gorgeous items from the stall holders, and it was such a joy to see such high quality, different goods from actual makers. It was perfect! I got a bit overexcited in sending Richard to the cash point that I forgot to use the wrapping station!"

Bazaar Winter Makers Market – Dec 2nd 2018

Time for more change…

We've had an incredibly busy summer so far. During the rare day off we've been chatting about our ideas and plans for the future of the Bazaar. We want it to become a collection of specialists, each with something very special to bring to the store. Our vintage and antique tool specialist has built a dedicated following over the past couple of years and his attention to detail, knowledge and breadth of range has seen him become the first port of call for many customers. Our own rustic (and sometimes quite primitive) stock also appeals to a certain customer and they revel in the fact that there will always be something fresh / rusty / beautifully chippy to consider bringing home.

We'd like to expand this idea of specialism, so a couple of our previous traders will be moving on to make way for others that will work more effectively towards our plans for the future growth of the Bazaar, either through their specialism or exciting eclectic mix of treasures. It means that we will soon be sharing with you a specialist folk art trader, a trader focusing on vintage engineering, and there's already the beginnings of a vintage cocktail collection with gorgeous high quality glassware. It was only designed to be a temporary display but it's popularity has encouraged us to extend it's life...

Exciting Expansion – Bazaar Garden & Salvage Now Open

Exciting Expansion – Bazaar Garden & Salvage Opening Soon!

Gardens have more recently become more of an extra living space than the traditional domain of grey-haired ladies with floral gloves, aprons and lethal secateurs snipping immaculate roses (ok, maybe that was just my grandma), probably due to the shrinking size of new-builds and the cost of getting onto the property ladder. Space is being grabbed from anywhere possible - attics, cellars and now gardens, to fulfil the additional needs of growing families, instead of them simply moving to a larger home.

We love the fact that as a result, gardens are becoming styled in the same way as our homes; just look at the popularity of Selina Lake's latest book, Garden Style. She approaches designing an outside space in exactly the same way as an inside one - but with greater scope for including nature. Personally it's something we've always done; for example, my potting table is a mid-century dressing table and the bunnies sleep in an old gramophone cupboard. It's nice to see this idea of garden styling becoming more mainstream rather than me being the only crazy lady who hangs mirrors in her garden...

So, almost 2 years after we first opened the Bazaar, we are expanding.

We've creatively sectioned off a portion of our outside space and set about creating a Garden & 'department' that stays true to the ideals of the Bazaar.

There's a selection of garden furniture, planters and cast iron gates set between other more unusual pieces such as an antique corn shucker (boy, is that thing heavy!) and a beautiful (and rather large) hayrack. We're gradually adding to the stock, after all, the Bazaar itself wasn't built in a day either, but you'll definitely be able to get a taste of what we're doing from day one. Which is, by the way, Saturday 28th April! The date was chosen to coincide with a lovely annual town event - The Big Plant Sale.

Opening day will also see mini-workshops in making your own willow obelisks for your garden - ask at our stand at the plant fair or in the main store for more details.

We're also really excited to announce our new collaboration with The Wildflower Nursery.

Bazaar Garden & Salvage will soon be stocking a range of different native wildflowers from them to help you bring wildflowers and the wildlife that they encourage back into your outside space. Their expert knowledge will help you choose the right plant for the right spot - you can even get specific about what type of wildlife you want to attract!

Lyndsey from the Wildflower Nursery will be at the Big Plant Sale alongside us so come say hi.

Bazaar Tips & Tricks – Crystal Care

When fine china and crystal glasses appear from the darkest recesses of kitchen cupboards to be washed ready for their annual festive outing…

(Personally I enjoy drinking from a fine glass all year round, whether it’s a cheeky glass of wine midweek or a glass of squash; it makes every drink seem special. But that’s just me!)

Some newer crystal glasses can be run (carefully) through the dishwasher but most have to be washed by hand. Oddly though, the glassware can still sometimes appear to be dirty. Streaks and clouding can easily spoil the appearance of the glass at the table but there are ways to look after vintage and antique glassware that helps to keep them sparkling.

First, line the bottom of your washing bowl with a clean teatowel or cloth to soften any accidental knocks.
Run warm water into the bowl with a small amount of washing up liquid. (Hot water will cause cloudiness in the crystal as will using too much washing up liquid.) Ensure the crystal is at room temperature and not cold from storage – a rapid change in temperature can cause the glass to shatter.
Wash only one piece at a time to avoid banging the pieces together. Using gloves can ensure that you don’t touch clean crystal and leave fingerprints.
Wash the crystal carefully with a soft cloth. If there’s a narrow opening, use a baby bottle brush to clean inside.
Rinse the crystal carefully under a running tap using warm water to avoid streaks.
Dry each piece individually using a lint free cloth – kitchen paper can be good for this.

Supper Club at the Bazaar – how was it?

We don’t have a beautiful old building – instead we have a huge warehouse filled with beautiful things.

We don’t make you walk from the town carpark and make it difficult to purchase anything that won’t fit in a carrier bag – instead we have a large private carpark behind our store and disabled parking right next to the door.

We don’t cram our store – we give you plenty of room to explore, whether on foot, in a wheelchair or with a pushchair.

We don’t stack our stock high – we display it beautifully to give you ideas about how to use pieces in your own spaces.