From an apologetically neglected blog, we'd like to wish all our exhibitors and visitors a very Happy New Year!
We had some fabulous events in 2011, with our final event of the year, Arts and Crafts for Christmas, at The Old School Nettleham, being so well attended by visitors, whose comments about the high standards of work, quality, friendliness, excellent organisation, choice available, were so thrilling and satisfying to hear. Our lovely exhibitors are now preparing for our Spring event, Arts and Crafts for Spring, on 11th March, again, at the magnificent Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa. We pleased to say, that this event, will also include "A Glorious Hint of Vintage", too.
Our Folksy shop, Tempo Designs, has gone from strength to strength and we're enjoying sourcing, displaying and discovering our vintage china and linen, for sister venture, Time for Tea with Elena Alice. There are links on the homepage of Tempo Promotes to both Tempo Designs and Elena Alice.
Our Tempo Talks are immensely popular and so far, we have bookings for every month of this year and into 2013 too! If you are the secretary of a ladies group, craft club, etc, then please do call us!
We look forward to welcoming you to a Tempo event very soon and wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Just been having a little play! Look! Very pleased to attach the Folksy badge to our blog post and if you'd like to view our shop, then please follow this link!
http://www.folksy.com/shops/TempoDesigns
We can't extol the virtues of Folksy enough! Lots of great shops, all showcasing unique and original work by various talented artists and designer-makers from all over the UK! So if you are looking for something completely different, why not check our Folksy? And buying couldn't be simpler either, especially if you already have an established Paypal account.
What are you waiting for?! Have a look at Folksy today!

Thank you so much to everyone who came to Arts and Crafts for Summer, last Sunday, at the Lincoln Cathedral Centre. All our exhibitors put on a wonderful show of their various skills, and the crowds of visitors, who started arriving at 10.15am, were enthralled and delighted not only with the variety of work, but the significantly high standards too. One comment that we, as organisers, heard many times was that the venue was gorgeous and that the exhibits (and exhibitors of course!), were fantastic! The Cathedral staff worked tirelessly all day, providing delicious refreshments, which many people enjoyed in the gardens, overlooking the Cathedral. This area, it's probably true to say, is one of the city's hidden gems. Thank you all again, and we look forward to welcoming you to Arts and Crafts for Autumn on Sunday 9th October, in Leadenham Village Hall, situated in the village of Leadenham, midway between Lincoln and Grantham, in an exclusive area, referred to locally as "The Cliff Villages".

Just a little mention too, that this Sunday, 17th July, we will be taking our collection of vintage wares to the Field Dog Antique Fairs event, at The Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa. Another busy Sunday, but a venture that we're very excited about!

We very much enjoyed our interview on Lincoln City Radio yesterday, and would like to thank Rosie who was presenting the lunchtime show for putting us at our ease and for being so interested in our event on 10th July!
The Cathedral Centre is going to look magnificent for Arts and Crafts for Summer! It will be a real treat of an event, with arts and crafts being exhibited
on the ground floor, conference room, gallery and Cathedral room! The gardens will be open, weather permitting of course, and tea and coffee can be enjoyed al fresco! The sweeping wooden staircases that lead from the ground floor have a real Scarlet O'Hara feel to them, and all the rooms have beautiful views of either the Cathedral or hidden parts of historic Lincoln. (There is a lift for anyone requiring it too).
Come and enjoy Arts and Crafts for Summer in the inner sanctum of our historic City; take in the views, listen for the Cathedral bells, perhaps spy the Peregrine Falcons and all in all, be charmed and inspired by our event! A warm welcome for all the family awaits.

This Saturday, 4th June, sees our Second Annual Open Art Competition, being held in Bailgate Methodist Church Hall, 10.30am to 4.30pm.
We are delighted to say that we have received in excess of 150 entries from county-wide exhibitors, literally from town and country, north and south, coast and hills!And the diversity of work is tantalising! Embroideries, painting on silk, traditional watercolours, acrylics and more! Our judges, Karen Arnold and Simon Curtis are very much looking forward to having to make some very difficult decisions!
Why not come and see for yourself? Admission is free, families are very welcome and refreshments will be available too!

Well, almost! Lovely sunshine is being enjoyed here in Lincolnshire, but with rather chilly evenings! Nevertheless, the barbecue has been used on more than one occasion and camping out in the garden has also been enjoyed!
We hope that all this lovely weather will be inspiring the artists out there to get busy and enter our Open Art Competition being held on Saturday 4th June in Bailgate Methodist Church Hall. Our judges, Karen Arnold and Simon Curtis are looking forward to viewing the entries and it is open to all mediums and all age groups and levels of experience! So, don't be shy! Get your entries in now and use this opportunity to exhibit (and maybe sell) your work!
Don't grumble there are no exhibitions that you can participate in, look no further than Tempo Promotes!
And of course, the event is open to the public 10.30am to 4.30pm, free admission, refreshments available and families welcome!
And for those who also enjoy arts, crafts and vintage, then Arts and Crafts for Summer, in the magnificent Cathedral Centre is on Sunday 10th July.
Free admission again, refreshments and families welcome., as always! Jewellery, fashion accessories, sculptures, screen printing and much more!

It's Arts and Crafts for Spring, this weekend, Sunday 27th March, at the glorious Petwood Hotel. Woodhall Spa. The weather promises to be fantastic and our exhibitors are ready to impress with their wonderful wares. For only £1 admission, it will be a great family visit and there's the chance to linger and enjoy the hotel and its beautiful grounds too. We are open 10.30am to 4.30pm.
And on a slightly different note, this week sees the launch of our new venture, vintage china and linen hire. We can provide (almost!) everything you will need for your own, vintage style-occasion.
Our new website is http://www.elena-alice.co.uk/
Why not have a look?

Lots going on here at the moment! We are putting the final touches to our Spring event on 27th March. This includes publicity, plans and press releases!
We have had lots of enquiries regarding the Open Art Competition, we have bookings for our Summer, Autumn and Christmas events already and we have a very exciting new project in the air too, which will be launched at our Spring event! Bookings for our talks are also coming in almost every day, with some enquiries for 2012 and between us, we have seven family birthdays between 1st March and 1st April! And of course, last but not least, we were thrilled to be featured in this month's edition of Sew Hip magazine! Cup of tea anyone?!

If you are looking for lovely, vintage inspired, Mother's Day and Easter gifts, then look no further than our Folksy shop!
Lots of gorgeous things to choose from, including vintage fabric chickens, vintage tea cup pincushions and Spring garlands.
The items are exclusively designed and made by ourselves, here in Lincolnshire and will arrive prettily wrapped too.

Here's the link
http://www.folksy.com/shops/TempoDesigns

Just a quick update of our Tempo Promotes and Tempo Designs news! We are now fully subscribed and running a waiting list for Arts and Crafts for Spring on 27th March at The Petwood Hotel, (do get in touch though if you are interested, especially if you feel you have a unique art or craft or something with vintage style. We still want to hear from you!)
The Open Art Competition on 4th June in Bailgate Methodist Church Hall has had entries already and our two judges are raring to go! If you would like details either for your art group or yourself, please do let us know.
And our Tempo Designs shop on Folksy, has had two sales already and two items have been featured in crafty blogs and treasuries, selected by other crafty people, which is a huge compliment!
Finally, we have bookings already for our Autumn and Christmas events!

We're excited to say that as a taster of our own on-line Tempo Designs shop, we have opened a Folksy shop, with a lovely selection of goodies, including felt garlands with a summery feel, fabric chickens perfect for Easter and some pretty vintage pincushions and cake stands too!
Please take a look and let us know if there's anything we can help you with.

www.folksy.com/TempoDesigns

We are delighted to announce the dates and venues for our programme of discerning arts and crafts events!
As you all know, it's Arts and Crafts for Spring on 27th March, at the ever-popular Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa. This hotel was the wartime Officer's Mess of 617 Squadron, the Dambusters. The Squadron Bar in the hotel is a wonderful testament to those brave men and women and makes an fascinating visit.

On 10th July, we are hosting Arts and Crafts for Summer at The Cathedral Centre, in Minster Yard, Lincoln. This magnificent building is owned by The Cathedral and dates back to the Thirteenth Century. It was in fact the Old Sub Deanery building and is a popular venue for wedding receptions and high class business meetings, luncheons and so on. We are delighted to present our event here. It is in fact in the shadow of the Cathedral, adjacent to the Norman West Front.

Arts and Crafts for Autumn will again be held in the beautiful cliff village of Leadenham, midway between Grantham and Lincoln on 9th October and Arts and Crafts for Christmas, will be held for the fourth year in The Old School Nettleham on 11th December, where we will enjoy the ambience of a time gone by.

Please do let us know if you would like any details regarding our events and if you would like to receive our regular newsletters, get in touch!

Delicious refreshments are always available at our events and families are always very welcome too!

Just to say "Happy New Year" and a big "Thank you" to everyone who has supported our Tempo Promotes events during 2010; all our talented exhibitors, lovely visitors and "back room" helpers. Thanks also to everyone who has bought our Tempo Designs and enjoyed our Tempo Talks.
There are more events for 2011: Arts and Crafts for Spring, 27th March at The Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa, Open Art Competition 4th June in Bailgate Methodist Church Hall, and dates and venues soon to be released for Summer, Autumn and Christmas events!
We have our first Tempo Talk of 2011 on 5th January at a local Women's Institute, with more booked for later in the year too and we are already planning a refreshing new range of Tempo Designs! We are also enjoying sourcing our growing collection of vintage textiles, which have proved highly popular!
With our very best wishes for 2011! Enjoy your celebrations!
Serena and Julie

Hello from frosty Lincolnshire! The car thermometer read - 5.5 degrees this morning, which is tropical compared to the -17.5 a few days ago! However, it's still cold!!
We have one more event that we will be attending before Christmas, so if you have your eye on any of our Tempo Designs, then why not pop down to the Coffee Morning being held in the Memorial Hall at Langworth (on the A158) this Tuesday, 21st, between 10am and 12 noon?
We have a Tempo Talk booked in for a local Women's Institute, the first week of January and we are looking forward to meeting the ladies.
And then we are in to Spring planning mode! Arts and Crafts for Spring will be held at our most favourite country house hotel, The Petwood, in Woodhall Spa, on Sunday 27th March, just in time for Easter and Mother's Day gifts!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone who has supported us this year. We look forward to meeting you all in the New Year, when we will be bringing you more discerning events, fascinating Tempo Talks and innovative Tempo Designs (our on - line shop is nearing completion, please keep checking our website for updates).
We remain dedicated to the promotion of genuine art, craft and design and passionate about arts and crafts!

but a warm welcome awaits, at Arts and Crafts for Christmas, this Saturday, 11th December, in The Old School, Nettleham, near Lincoln!
Come and enjoy the seasonal ambience of our event, which is now in its third year, which features only genuine and quality arts and crafts, with a hint of vintage, by the very best of the region's artists and designer-makers,

Visitors can be tantalised by bespoke artisanal jewellery, natural beauty products, contemporary stationery, traditional handmade sticks (great for winter walks!), British wildlife sculptures, rag rugs, cupcakes (too delicious for words!), quilting, origami, watercolours, contemporary textiles, alpaca fashions , stained glass, children's Shaker style craft kits and much more!

We will serving delicious cakes, mince pies and cups of tea and coffee with vintage style!

Admission is free and families welcome! We are open 10.30am to 3.30pm.

Come and enjoy this event, brought to you by Serena and Julie, who own Tempo Promotes, a fantastic and experienced events organisation company.

We never compromise quantity over quality and are proud to share our passion for genuine arts and crafts with you.

Our visitor and exhibitor comments say it all, with return visitors and exhibitors to our events time and time again.

It's been a busy few days here, with the midnight oil being burnt as crafty Christmas goodies are prepared.
Yesterday we attended the Gainsborough Old Hall Victorian themed Christmas craft event, and despite it being extremely cold (according to the weather forecast, the day's temperature peaked at 0C!) and very snowy, the day was a tremendous success for us, with Serena's cute little mini felt puddings selling out yet again and the hand embroidered vintage cloths proving highly popular too! We have posted two photographs onto our Twitter page.
Thanks to everyone who braved the cold to support the event and to the friendly and efficient organisers.
This week, we have two school fairs and then of course, our own , Arts and Crafts for Christmas on 11th December, in The Old School, Nettleham.
Please have a look at our homepage (www.tempopromotes.co.uk) for news of the event receiving some great coverage .

As well as organising our own Arts and Crafts events, here at Tempo Promotes HQ we also like to attend events organised by others. This is where we get to showcase our Tempo Designs, and very often, to support very worthwhile causes too.
This week we have had a wonderful time at the Marie Curie Christmas Bazaar, held over two days at the fabulous Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa,
(coincidentally, this is where we hold our Spring event). This occasion is a great fundraiser for a charity that does amazing work and sees (mainly) ladies from county-wide, converging to support the charity and start their Christmas shopping! The numerous stall holders included talented craftspeople, luxury food producers, prestigious gift wares and lovely items produced by the energetic Marie Curie volunteers. There was also a highly popular tombola, pampering area and book and card shop. And of course, lingering in the wood-panelled lounge, enjoying coffee and mince pies by the roaring log fire was the perfect refreshment break before resuming shopping.
Thanks to everyone involved for another wonderfully organised event and we hope much was raised for Marie Curie.
And just to keep us busy, (and working into the small hours to replenish our stock!), this Sunday we will be attending the 27th Annual Village Craft Show in the pretty Lincolnshire village of Wellingore, midway between Lincoln and Grantham. Another lovely event, and all this before our own Arts and Crafts for Christmas on Saturday 11th December, in The Old School,Nettleham! Phew! Oh! And two school fairs in between as well!

Hello again!
It seems a very long time since our last blog entry! Apologies for that! We do have some news and dates for you to put in your diaries!
If you are looking for some gorgeous and unique Christmas gifts, why not pop down to our event, Arts and Crafts for Christmas, being held in The Old School, Nettleham, on 11th December. It's free admission, families always welcome, and there will be a lovely, seasonal atmosphere. Enjoy everything from alpaca wool fashions and natural beauty products, to craft kits for children and British wildlife sculpture. We will be serving refreshments with vintage style, generous slices of homemade cake and tea in china cups all presented on prettily embroidered cloths! The event is open from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
And looking forward to next year, our event, Arts and Crafts for Spring, will be held on Sunday 27th March, at the prestigious Petwood Hotel, in Woodhall Spa, just in time to find beautiful Mother's Day and Easter gifts.
Our highly successful Open Art Competition will be held in June, in Bailgate Methodist Church Hall, so dust off your palettes and brushes, and do get in touch if you would like more details for this, and any of our events!

Just a quick update today to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended Arts and Crafts for Summer, exhibitors and visitors alike!
40 talented and unique artists and designer-makers from the East Midlands region displayed their fabulous work and it was wonderful to hear the appreciative and admiring comments from the stream of visitors who flooded through the doors throughout the day!
The County Assembly Rooms provided an elegant and inspiring setting and many people expressed their delight at this "hidden treasure" of Lincoln.
Our next event will be Arts and Crafts for Autumn, on Sunday 3rd October, in the idyllic Lincolnshire village of Leadenham. Please keep checking the website for updates and a new photo gallery will be posted shortly too!

Are you enjoying the lovely Summer weather we're having? It's the perfect time of year for lazing in the garden, soaking up the sunshine and indulging in a good read, with a long, cool drink! Here at Tempo Promotes, much of our inspiration is taken from the English countryside, and what could be better than the vivid colours of Summer? Well, perhaps, the golden shades of Autumn, or the crispness of Winter or the cheerfulness of Spring!
We love all the seasons here!
As well as preparing for Arts and Crafts for Summer, this Sunday, 11th July, we have secured a fabulous venue for Arts and Crafts for Autumn! The Village Hall at Leadenham will host the event on Sunday 3rd October. Leadenham is perhaps one of the prettiest villages in Lincolnshire, nestling quaintly
between Lincoln and Grantham, in the heart of the Cliff Villages. Think of village greens, stone cottages, duck ponds and cosy hostelries! The perfect place for our delightful show-case!
Now, back to the garden, the sunshine, the cool drink and block-buster novel! (And the page won't have been lost whilst this blog was being written, the place was prettily marked with one our our new range of book marks!). And if you want to see what they're like, you'll have to come the The Assembly Rooms on Sunday!

Time to put on a pretty dress or a dapper shirt and enjoy the ambience of a traditional English Summer Fete at The Elms, Elm Drive, Louth, tomorrow!
Come and enjoy homemade cakes, cream teas, garden fete games and much more! They'll be a raffle, tombola and some great craft stalls including stained glass work, salt dough gifts, textiles, paintings, chutneys, shabby chic furniture, jewellery and plenty to keep all the family happy!
Free admission, open 11.00am to 4.00pm

We're enjoying the fantastic sunny weather here in Lincolnshire! Yesterday we were stallholders at a lovely School Summer Fair in Lincoln.
Our pitch was under the shade of an old yew tree, and we were very grateful for the shade it gave us too! Thank you to all the customers who bought from us and showed their appreciation for our work. It's very rewarding to hear that you like what we do.
Next week, (Sunday 4th July) Tempo Promotes are working in conjunction with The Elms Residential Home in Louth. They have an organised a Traditional Summer Fete for their residents, their families and staff and for local visitors too. Think of cream teas, bunting, homemade cakes and garden-fete games on the lawn and you will know the kind of event this will be! We are delighted to have secured some lovely and talented craft exhibitors for the event, with everything from stained glass work and embroidered gifts to shabby-chic furniture and pickles and chutneys!
Admission is free, families are very welcome. So why not enjoy a day out in the Lincolnshire Wolds? (Open 11.00am to 4.00pm)

Lots to tell you all about, so here we go! Firstly, thanks to everyone who made the village event at Nocton Social Club so successful. All the stands looked magnificent, and the homemade cake stall was laden with calorific treats!
Secondly, we're very pleased to be providing a crafty element to The Elms at Louth's Summer fete on 4th July. Why not come and enjoy the ambiance of a traditional Summer garden party (No! We don't mean umbrellas and cardigans!), with cream teas, fair weather games, even more homemade cakes and of course, lovely stalls including beautiful stained glass, vintage furniture, salt dough gifts, pretty textiles, hand made cards and much more.
It's free admission and families are of course very welcome.
And finally, don't forget Arts and Crafts for Summer on 11th July, in the County Assembly Rooms, Bailgate where over 30 of the very best designer - makers in the region will be show-casing everything from alpaca wool handbags to shabby chic furniture and designer home furnishings.
More details later!

It's certainly hot and sunny here in Lincolnshire and a great excuse for a barbeque for tea complete with home-made blackberry and apple pie and cream for pudding! Delicious!
We're pleased to say that in tonight's Going Out Supplement of the Lincolnshire Echo, there's a great write-up of last weeks Open Art Competition.
Don't forget that next Sunday, 30th May, it's the Nocton Craft and Gift Fayre, organised by us as a fund-raiser for the Social Club there.
It promises to be a lovely family event with great crafts, quality gifts, homemade cakes, tombola and snacks too. It's on 12noon to 3.00pm in the Social Club in Nocton. Look out for the ducks crossing the road!

Congratulations to Brenda Wilkinson, the winner of our recent Open Art Competition, with "Lincolnshire Summer Harvest", painted in acrylic.
Have a look at our homepage for photographs of Brenda and her winning painting.
Second prize was awarded to Mrs N Pannell, with her watercolour "Poppies", third prize to Stephen Taylor with his oil painting "Outer Space" and the Lincoln Print and Copy Centre prize was awarded to Brenda Bucknall with her watercolour "Caught in the Dark".
Congratulations and thank you to all the exhibitors.

Many talented artists from the Lincoln area brought their work to our Open Art Competition yesterday!
And what a day it was! We were there at 5.00am in readiness for the work arriving at 7.00am as it takes a lot of hard work to display 200 paintings!
With picture hooks to be put up (and removed at the end of the day), picture stands to be arranged and re-arranged and the largest pieces being displayed on the stage, there was a lot of physical and mental effort!
Visitors streamed in all day and were thoroughly amazed with the wealth of talent on their doorsteps! Our winners were thrilled too and no doubt will be keen to spend their art vouchers and to try out their new art equipment and a host of lucky people will have new paintings to display in their homes too as many pieces were sold, to the delight of the artists!
Thank you everyone who made yesterday so successful. Thank you (in no particular order..you are all the best..) to Pete, Steve, Emily, Issie, Christine, Zelia, Elena, Karen, Norah, Alan, Brenda and our very generous sponsors too.
There will be photos on our website very soon.

So much to do... and it's all being done!
All in preparation for the Open Art Competition this Saturday, 15th May! Thank you to Christine for working so hard to create a data-base to administrate all the entries, truly a work of techno-wizardry!
With 200 paintings to hang, it's going to be an early start on Saturday! (definitely up with the early birds!). We're hoping for lots of visitors too to enjoy all these lovely paintings!
Have a look at the website for all the details!
www.tempropomotes.co.uk

Check out page 31 of the April edition of The Bailgate Independent Magazine for a great editorial and fab photos of our newest designs! Bright, colourful and eye-catching...you can't miss it!

130 entries for the Open Art Competition on 15th May and counting!!
So why not pop down to the Methodist Church Hall in Bailgate for a cup of tea and slice of cake and enjoy the wealth of talent brought to you by local artists?! Many of the works of art will be for sale too.
Families,as always, are very welcome and as the venue is right in Lincoln's lovely Historic
Quarter, why not make a day of it?

We've been busy making the most of the brighter weather conditions today, taking lots of photographs that will be used for our new on-line boutique. It's surprising how you see your own things differently when viewed through a camera lens!