Latest reviews

Lynn Fotheringham reviewed: Lakeland Landscape - gouache & mixed media at Cowshed Creative in the Lake District National Park

"Stunning venue in the Kentmere valley. We were warmly welcomed and shown great hospitality by the owner, George Grange. George's soups and cakes are brilliant. The watercolour course was run by Karen Lester who has the talent and skill to put everyone at their ease and help all of us, regardless of ability, learn new techniques and approaches to watercolour. The best day out; a one day holiday with wood burner, paints and cake. Who could ask for more?"

Cowshed Creative responded:

"Thank you Lynn. You lovely comments are so appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you again."

Gayle reviewed: Absolute beginners beaded jewellery workshop

"I have not been to her jewellery workshop but I have been to her fairy workshop and know what a professional she is. You will have a grand time come home with a beautiful piece of jewellery. She is kind, helpful and knows her business."

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"..Thank you so much for your review Gayle, I feel very humbled..x"

Gayle L Grindahl reviewed: Beaded flower fairy workshops

"You walk in a stranger and walk out with a new friend and an amazing fairy! Scarlet will help you no matter what you skill level is, mine is no skill at all. She has a huge selection of materials to pick from and will guide you in a way that does not make you feel like you can't do it. I live in the USA so it will be hard to go back again, but I just might find a way to do just that. It was an amazing time."

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"..Thank you so much Gayle, I remember you came all the way over on holiday from America and visited with your friends to my Flower Fairy workshop, it was a grand day with lots of laughs and I ended up with friends for life from this lovely group. All your creations were beautiful. x"

Tina reviewed: Two day dry stone walling course for beginners in association with Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain

"I attended the 17th&18th August walling weekend at Ridge Farm, Diggle. All I can say is sign up and give it a go!! The weekend was amazing. The course instructors, and voluntary members, were awesome, super friendly and taught everyone well and without prejudice. I now fully intend to join as a member of the DSWA association and build on what I have learnt over this weekend. I am so proud of our wall!! Well done all who attended!!"

Karen Birchwood reviewed: 'Clay as a Canvas' glaze decoration workshop in Tenterden, Kent

"Ceramic workshops with Kate are something I always look forward to. She is so knowledgable about her craft that I feel I can ask any question about any aspect of ceramics in general and she will have an answer for me. Kate creates a very relaxed atmosphere in which to work with a great choice of materials to use as well as interesting tools to use for mark making. The main thing, though, that I totally appreciate is that she allows me to explore my ideas and experiment, which as an artist myself is so very important. If I need any help, Kate is always on hand with excellent guidance. The whole experience is thoroughly enjoyable."

Kate Schuricht Ceramics responded:

"Thanks, Karen, it's always a pleasure to teach you and it has been really exciting to see your ceramics develop. Looking forward to some more adventures in clay with you......."

Anne Benjamin reviewed: Beginner's DIY Hand Sanitiser Natural Soap Course

"Roxana was the perfect teacher and answered any questions we asked and gave us very in depth take away notes. Learning to make the soap was fascinating and very exciting and looking forward to using it. It was a nice small group. Would highly recommend."

Jane Cook reviewed: Beaded flower fairy workshops

"Omg I was in heaven, so many beads and flowers. The setting is idyllic too. Scarlet was very patient and and explained every step clearly so I didn’t feel out of my depth. I would definitely recommend this workshop. Great alternative present for a loved one to learn a new skill."

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"Thank you so much for your review Jane, the fairy you made was lovely, and yes you are right the Flower Fairy workshop would make a lovely gift and yes again, there are literally thousands of beads and flowers to choose from to handcraft a beautiful flower fairy.."

Margaret Barber reviewed: Stained glass beginners workshop, Cardiff, Wales

"What a fantastic day! Angelina made everything interesting, fun – and safe. Each process was thoroughly explained and demonstrated. I learnt so much and the bonus was a colourful glass panel, that I had created with her guidance, to take away and display at home. It has already been much admired! I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone. Thank you Angelina."

Glass By Design responded:

"So glad you had such a good time with us. Hope we see you again."

Phil Mitchell reviewed: Beaded flower fairy workshops

"My daughter had met Scarlet and seen her fairies and really wanted to have a fairy making birthday party. Scarlet kindly took her and a small group of young girls on and taught them how to make their own fairy. All the girls loved the workshop and their fairies. I was very impressed at how Scarlet maintained her calm, good humour and exuded peace and confidence in dealing with not always patient children. Would highly recommend Scarlet and her fairy making and craft courses. Also, do stock up on some fairies as they make excellent gifts for children and adults. My son, now 7, adores his fairies too, though he did not make his own! Maybe when he is older!"

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"Thank you so much for your lovely review Philippa, It was a lovely birthday party and I was very happy to bring the workshop to your house, The children were younger than I was used to teaching but they were all lovely, well behaved and surprisingly creative in their fairy creations. x"

Cammy reviewed: Distressed painted furniture course with refreshments

"Great course and set in a large antiques centre, so great for a look around at break time. Easy instructions and Gill helped those who were not confident. Very highly recommended."

Jo Helesfay-Evans reviewed: Absolute beginners beaded jewellery workshop

"My daughter and I did the 6hour silversmithing workshop and totally enjoyed our day. It’s a lovely peaceful setting, Scarlett put us at ease straight away, she was friendly, professional, informative, knowledgable and very helpful when needed but also encouraged us to attempt the tricky stuff ourselves. We had a really enjoyable time and loved the pendants that we created. We will definitely be recommending Scarlet and her various workshops to our friends."

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"Thank you so much for the lovely review Jo, it was a pleasure to have you at the Silver Jewellery Workshop, you both did very well and your daughter was so lovely, aged only 16 I believe she could have a great future in jewellery making."

Wendy Young reviewed: Absolute beginners beaded jewellery workshop

"Had a great day at Scarlet’s silver workshop. She was very welcoming and easy to speak with. She explained the process which made it easier to follow and everything was laid out great so you could see what tools you were going to use and talked it through with me in an easy manner to follow. I made a silver heart which I textured (there was a lot of choice for what you wanted to use) and it turned out great. I would recommend her to my friends and others."

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"..Thank you so much for your lovely review Wendy, you made a lovely heart charm for your bracelet. As someone that had never done any jewellery crafts before you did very well. I am so pleased you were happy with your make. x"

Ginette reviewed: Beaded flower fairy workshops

"I have gone back about 4 times now, making more and more complex fairies. I have them displayed in my living room and have introduced other to the wonderful world of fairy folk. Scarlet makes it easy to learn with step by step instructions and many laughs along the way"

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"...Thank you for your lovely review Ginette, all the fairies you made were very beautiful and creative, and we had a great laugh every time you came to the fairy workshop. Looking forward to seeing you again in the future..x"

Ginette reviewed: Absolute beginners beaded jewellery workshop

"Having done this as a complete jewellery novice I have to say Scarlet has the patience of a Saint. I ended up with a bracelet I can wear with pride and get lots of compliments about. Thank you Scarlet."

Scarlets Fairy Folk responded:

"..Thank you so much for your lovely review Ginette, I love watching people learn, I try to make it fun in a non stressed way learning at your own pace to create your jewellery, and you did very well. Along with my Flower Fairy workshops that you have also attended many times you are proving to be very creative.. x"

Janine Johnson reviewed: Introduction to summer millinery - 1 day - Newcastle NE1

"I loved learning all the different stages of making a headpiece. I was an absolute beginner along with my 13 year old daughter. Margaret was a great teacher with lots of knowledge and skills. We both had a great day and are so pleased with our completed headpieces."

Margaret Woodliff Wright Millinery responded:

"Thanks Janine - it was a pleasure to spend the day with you and your daughter helping you make your own headpieces. It was interesting to see how you both interpreted the theme of the workshop creating similar but completely different headpieces, the finished results really suiting you both! There’s images on my Instagram feed mhw_millinery from today’s workshop!"

Rose Wesley reviewed: Hand spinning workshops - Norfolk

"Fantastic course, well run. Theresa is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, we had a good laugh and wonderful cake and I came away with my hand spun skein of yarn. Look forward to learning more."

The Spinning Barn responded:

"Thank you Rose for such a lovely review. That as made my day. I am so pleased that you enjoyed the workshop and I just know you are going to be hooked very soon - if not already! Looking forward to helping you whenever you need it."

mark reviewed: TIG welding day

"I completed the TIG welding day course last Saturday not having any previous experience. Natalie is an excellant, enthusiastic and positive instructor. Oh and patient, very patient as I initially struggled to create a weld that was not full of holes. By the end of the day things were coming together well. I would massively recommend this course for anyone wanting to learn a new skill or improve an existing one. Thanks Natalie."

Polly Falconer reviewed: Georgie's needle felting animals

"What a lovely morning! Needle felting is totally absorbing and anyone can do it!! It was wonderful to concentrate on making something. Georgie is an excellent teacher making sure that no one was left behind and in no time at all we had acquired the skills and were just absorbed in creating our animals. Each one so different and oozing personality! Georgie’s home was a haven of peace, lovely chat, brownies and great coffee. It was hard to leave. Will be back!"

Georgies Felted Friends responded:

"Thank you Polly for your review and I am so pleased you enjoyed making a needle felted Donkey for your Christmas Nativity. Kind Regards Georgie"

Claire Child reviewed: Green Man/Mother Nature Powertex plaque

"Had such a fantastic workshop with Gill. Her teaching style is clear and calm, she is always on hand if you need extra help and to answer any questions about Powertex. I like how everything was provided and I took home a completed mother nature plaque. I would definitely recommend her class and will be booking further courses to learn more about what I can create with Powertex."

Harriet reviewed: Machine knitting for beginners

"I thought this machine knitting workshop by Kandy was fantastic! Kandy really takes the time to help you get to know the machine and gives you some amazing opportunities to practice different styles. The course length is perfectly timed and really inspired me to work on other arts and crafts I do."

Elaine Berwick reviewed: Two day dry stone walling course for beginners in association with Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain

"Having waited 18 months for the course having been snowed off when we were originally booked on, I finally did the beginners course at Ridge Farm Diggle on 17th / 18th August. Chris did a great job of teaching the basics of drystone walling to us trainees in a clear and entertaining way so that between us and the other branch members, including Paul, Gill and Val, we managed to pull down and re-build 71 feet of wall. Its tiring but the banter keeps you going and of course there is so much satisfaction in seeing the end result, knowing that it should stand for another 200 years. I would really recommend this course for the experience, the knowledge and a greater appreciation of the effort and skill that goes into building such an important part of our countryside."

Alex reviewed: Pottery Throwing (Group Discounts Available) Lessons in Worcester

"My girlfriend and I booked a 1.5 hour pottery lesson with Chris, and it was brilliant! 10 minutes of guiding us through the process and we were straight on to the wheel, with Chris guiding us every step of the way. At the end we had a few pots ready for us to decorate, which will be sent to us when ready. A great experience for anyone wanting a practical introduction to pottery - great fun."

Helen M reviewed: Introduction to millinery: make your own fascinator (Stirling)

"I’ve attended two of these workshops and have enjoyed every minute of it. Sophie is a lovely tutor and makes things seem so easy. Brilliant course."

karen reviewed: Realistic and Adorable Needle Felt Animals & Pets

"I'd wanted to try needle felting for a while, and the chance to have a go at making my own dog seemed too good to miss. The group was small, which meant Sophie could give us all the attention we needed, and she was always happy to help, support and advise. Also to encourage (I felt my dog looked like a duck for some time!) With Sophie's encouragement and great teaching I went on to make a wondeful felt version of my dog. I feel really proud of what I achieved in just 1 day. I can't wait to try more - whether this is in one of Sophie's classes or using her on-line tutorials. A brilliant way to spend a day! Very much recommended."

Simon Perry reviewed: Two person 'Have a Bash' at Blacksmithing course in Shropshire

"My wife and I had an absolutely fantastic day with Jake. Neither of us had done any kind of metal working before and thanks to Jake’s clear explanations and demonstrations, we both left with pokers and knives that we are very proud to have made. They may be at the “rustic” end of the scale, but are unique, hand-made artefacts that we will treasure. Jake is a great teacher; he’s very patient and is happy to step in and help if you need it, but makes sure that what you make is yours and not just a piece that you’ve had a hand in. A day that we will remember for a long, long time. Thanks again Jake!"