It's that time of the year again. A time to wander the Dickensian streets of old London and immerse yourself in a Victorian wonderland. The amount of fun here is endless. Discover handmade crafts from vendors all over, watch a play at one of the many theaters, listen to carolers on one of the many stages, eat, drink and be merry. There are over 700 costumed players to entertain you at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair. It's fantastic. And they NEVER break character. Quite entertaining.

As we slowly made our way through the Dickens Christmas Fair, I found a few vendors that I absolutely fell in love with their work.

Broom Magic, based out of Eugene, OR has been making brooms for over 30 years. The handmade quality is impeccable, not only is my new broom extremely functional as an everyday broom, I can't wait to use it as a prop in a photo shoot. Check out the variety of brooms on their website.

I also came across an antique key jewelry maker, called Storyteller Keys, based out of Atascadero, CA. She has various necklaces with keys, that she has been collecting for over 20 years. I found a treasure at this booth. My husband bought me a pocket watch necklace, but the really interesting part is that it is an old Russian watch and all the mechanical parts are exposed. Check out JoAnne's website at Storyteller Keys.

Next we headed over to Dancing Flame Candle, a magical place you can dip your own candles and customize the color. I made a really cute Christmas tree that can be used as a candle or as an ornament.

Don't miss....The absinthe tasting at The Bohemian Pub. The cinnamon crunch almonds from a trolley cart. English tea with cakes and sandwiches at Cuthbert's Tea Shop. Send a telegram to anyone at the Fair at the Central London Telegraph Co.

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is running on the weekends from November 23rd to December 22nd at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA. Be sure to visit this magical place. For more information check out the Great Dickens Website.

I'll be heading back to the fair mid December to photograph more portraits. Stay tuned to a future blog post dedicated to the characters I meet there.