Opening times

Monday (closed)
Tuesday (closed)
Wednesday 10-4
Thursday 10-4
Friday 10-4
Saturday 10-4
Sunday 12-4

Map

Click here to view

Address

Tarts and Crafts
(behind the library)
Eigie Cottage
Eigie Road
Balmedie
Aberdeenshire
AB25 3YF

Telephone

01358 742 002

Forthcoming Events

Exhibitions at Tarts and Crafts

June is a bonus month here for lovers of all sorts of art. As well as the work of the usual 50+ craft workers being on show, there is also the work of three different exhibitors.

Edward (Ted) Bartlett is exhibiting his photos in the main room of the cafe. Ted is a local free-lance press photographer, well known and well liked by everyone in the Formartine area who has ever had a picture taken for a local paper. He turns up with a smile and a joke and puts everyone at their ease. He travels all over the North-East, meeting hundreds of people and working all hours of the day, going where-ever the job demands.

For this exhibition, we see the quiet moments he gets amid his hectic work-life. He has caught waning golden sun over Fraserburgh Lighthouse, a beautifully crisp snowy day on the road between his house in Fraserburgh and his work in Ellon, and the perfection in a new species of rose at a garden show. Everyone entering the cafe since the exhibition began has paused to admire his work, and they have all found at least one which speaks to them directly. Ted works with people all the time and obviously has an eye for what appeals to them too. His superb work will be on show at Tarts and Crafts until Sunday 29th June during the Cafe's usual opening hours.

In the hall and 'Louvre' toilet (!) we also have the work of two more artists. There is another chance to see the extraordinary silk paper collages of Alizia Graham, inspired by a walk in the woods and the changing face of the sea. Alizia's work was admired so much last month that we were able to hang onto it for a further four weeks to give more people the opportunity to see it. Complimenting this work, and dotted about the main body of the cafe are Fiona Jack's rich and powerful acrylics. She has been experimenting recently to limiting her palette to just three contrasting colours which makes her explore the depth of emotion the paints can evoke in a particularly thorough way. We hope to have a full exhibition of Fiona's work sometime next year. She will be exhibiting at Noth East Open Studios at Monymusk Arts Centre this September.

Gala Preparations underway: Co-op runs raffle to support Balmedie Gala

Balmedie Gala preparations are well underway with lots to look forward to. There will be high-quality handmade local crafts, a therapies tent (where people can try taster-sessions of practices such as reflexology and reiki), martial arts demonstrations, music by local bands, a bouncy castle (and lots of other kids games), home-bakes, teas and ice creams, a barbecue and hot-dogs, Ellon Rotary Club, a chance to paint your own piece of pottery with the Pottery Barn, a storytelling tipi, and much more. We will be raising lots of money during the course of the day to cover the costs of the Gala, raise money to help with the upkeep of Tarts and Crafts, and support Clan, the local Aberdeen based organisation which provides help, support and sanctuary for those suffering from cancer and those that are left behind.

Balmedie Co-op have continued to be very supportive of the village community and are organising a raffle to help with the fund raising efforts. Tickets are on sale now, so even if you are away on holiday at the time of the Gala you have plenty of opportunity to enter. Tickets are £1 each and the first prize is a hamper of summer Co-op goodies worth £100! They will also be supplying vouchers for second and third prizes. You can buy tickets at the Co-op any time from now until the day at the Gala. The raffle will be drawn at 3pm at the Gala on Saturday 5th July.

Following on from the days events, there will also be an acoustic folk night in the marquee . I will release more details about this when we've confirmed various aspects and bands but it looks to be an excellent way to wind down after the Gala. More details on this coming soon...

Saturday July 5th: Balmedie Gala

Balmedie Gala looks set to be a fantastic day- and evening-out for all the family. In the daytime there will be over 40 stalls and attractions: a craft village; a Zen field with alternative therapies to try and buy; a storytelling tent; lots of games, challenges and a bouncy castle; competitions and raffles; a barbecue by Foveran’s The Store, hot dogs, soups, ice creams, cakes, teas; plus demonstrations, workshops and performances in drumming, martial arts and live, local music! This event will be on 11-4 pm this Saturday, opposite the Co-op in Balmedie Village.

Family picnic and music night

In the evening there’s a second free family event on: a bring-a-picnic, live acoustic music night! There will be a Fair-trade bar with soft and alcoholic drinks. This is a great opportunity to taste the wide array of Fair-trade drinks available and find out a bit more about the important ethics behind the labelling. There will be a long list of talented acts performing from 6.30 onwards and it should be a really enjoyable evening for the whole family. The event is FREE so you can just drop by for as long as you want and there will buckets out to collect for Aberdeen’s CLAN charity. It should be a really lovely evening, rain or shine, so come down to the Balmedie Gala marquee from 6.30 pm on July 5th and bring a picnic and a blanket or folding chairs to sit on, and the whole family.