Latest reviews

17 Jul 16'

Kate Maidment reviewed: Private Jewellery Making Classes London

"Relaxing, fun and made some lovely pieces despite being a clumsy beginner! Heather is very patient and encouraging. The jewellery she makes herself is stunning too. Will definitely be back!"

17 Jul 16'

Rainy reviewed: Fused Glass at the Lakeside Retreat with smARTsy

"Outstanding. I started with a two hour evening workshop and enjoyed it so much I booked straight away for a day - as others have said, it's a wonderful setting for the workshop and Ali is a great teacher. Totally calm and absorbing and the results at the end are just beautiful. Definitely an addiction worth having!"

16 Jul 16'

Annette Richardson reviewed: Fused Glass at the Lakeside Retreat with smARTsy

"Ali is a great teacher and has so much patience in how she explains how to cut and select the various bits of glass you can use to create your own individual art pieces. The time goes so quickly and is such good fun. Highly recommended and great value."

16 Jul 16'

Jane Espley reviewed: Fused Glass at the Lakeside Retreat with smARTsy

"Absolutely Brilliant! Loved it so much I booked again before I left. Beautiful surroundings, great tutorial and amazing results! You don't need any skill to create something to be proud of. Thoroughly recommend it!!!"

16 Jul 16'

Hannah reviewed: Fused Glass at the Lakeside Retreat with smARTsy

"I had a lovely time trying out something new. After seeing some of the pieces made with Ali friends have booked on courses and been excited with the results."

16 Jul 16'

Neil M reviewed: Fused Glass at the Lakeside Retreat with smARTsy

"The experience is relaxing and enjoyable. Ali is a fantastic teacher that guides you through the process. With a little bit of guidance you will soon be making beautiful pieces of glass fusion art. You'll be surprised how easy it is."

15 Jul 16'

Paul Lee reviewed: Bronze Age Swordcasting Workshop

"Fab day - fun and educational. Stewart has loads of patience! I will defo be doing other courses with this gent."

15 Jul 16'

Tom Anderson reviewed: Bronze Age Swordcasting Workshop

"Truly hands on and down to your skills - Stuart is a great teacher. Recommended."

15 Jul 16'

Peter Clark reviewed: Bronze Age Swordcasting Workshop

"Great fun day - thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommended."

15 Jul 16'

Dawn Watkins reviewed: Bronze Age Swordcasting Workshop

"Great day - Stuart is a great teacher which being a novice was wonderful! Very happy with my spoon! Excellent."

15 Jul 16'

John Reed reviewed: Bronze Age Swordcasting Workshop

"Thoroughly enjoyable and great to see a spoon being transformed from a lump of wood. Recommended."

15 Jul 16'

Beth Maskell reviewed: Beginners 10 week woodworking course NO LONGER RUNNING

"I've just completed the 10 week beginners course and thoroughly enjoyed it! Ciarán is extremely passionate about his craft and this is passed down through his teaching. All aspects of the project are explained clearly and in depth so you gain a wealth of knowledge. The workshop has a relaxed and fun atmosphere and it is a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I was a complete beginner before hand but now feel confident to take on projects at home. Ciarán was great at recommending tools and is very realistic about what you need if you just wanted to enjoy woodwork as a hobby - no need for countless expensive tools, I was pleasantly suprised about how little you need! I've definitely caught the bug and can't wait to attend the Intermediate course! Thanks Ciarán! (PS. Ciarán's choice of biscuits is sometimes a little sketchy.)"

15 Jul 16'

Darren Graham reviewed: Beginners 10 week woodworking course NO LONGER RUNNING

"I've just completed the 10 week beginner course and from the first lesson I was hooked and looked forward to it every week. From preparing and sharpening tools through to creating your own piece of furniture, the course is invaluable for learning the fundamentals of woodworking. By the halfway point I had already been inspired to collect and prepare a full set of vintage and new tools which I used on the course (although a fine set of tools is provided) and I have already started my first piece of furniture at home. Ciarán is a great fella and teacher creating a really laid back atmosphere with no pressure and with the small class size it's like having one to one tuition. If you are interested in learning woodwork, Get it booked!"

14 Jul 16'

Gina Deen reviewed: Back to Nature Art Retreat Holiday

"This course was in a wonderful setting in one of the most beautiful parts of Derbyshire. Helen, the course tutor and talented artist, is easy to get along with and has just the right amount of 'push', which someone like me really needed. I enjoyed the challenges immensely, whether it was sketching in the hills or making stamps for printing out of rubbers! My head is now brimming with ideas to try out at home. I am not the fastest worker and found myself a bit short of time on the second day, but Helen helped me to 'catch up'. She intuitively knows what each person needs. We were all different and had differing abilities, which Helen recognised and each of us received excellent individual tuition. The venue, too, was quite wonderful, with amazing food and super friendly hosts. There is even a hot tub for total relaxation - imagine sitting in warm water and gazing out over the beautiful landscape. I would recommend this wonderful course to anyone - you will not be disappointed.5"

14 Jul 16'

Galen reviewed: Wild basketry- workshop in the woods, forage your materials

"We had such a good time on the reed mace workshop, and we've been recommending it to everybody. Ruby is a skilled and generous teacher - we learned so much, in a wonderfully calm atmosphere. Spending the day in the woods was magical, and Ruby has the most graceful way to light a fire with flint and steel, tinder and grass. I want to go on ALL the workshops!"

14 Jul 16'

David Cowan reviewed: Intermediate woodworking course

"First class project and an excellent teacher who dealt with everything his pupils threw at him in a relaxed and professional manner. Well Recommended."

14 Jul 16'

Sally reviewed: Furniture painting workshop with Annie Sloan chalk paint

"Very interesting course. Lucy explained everything very clearly and I'm looking forward to putting into practice the techniques I learned. All the equipment and paints were readily available . Lucy did apologise for the lack of space in the room, with 8 people and larger tables than there had been previously, apparently. However, when a ninth person arrived, she made her very welcome and accommodated her with the minimum of fuss. The room was really too small for people to move around easily. Coffee provided was ok, but the Volcano coffee shop coffee and food was very over-priced in my opinion. Lovely environment for a meeting or course, such as this one. Thoroughly enjoyed it!"

14 Jul 16'

Marina reviewed: Capturing pretty Flat Lay photos - perfect for Instagram and Product Photography

"What a fabulous and inspiring course. We all had a wonderful day and learned so much. It was great to get interactive feedback from Lyndsey which nudged me along in the right direction. I was able to produce some lovely flat lays which Lyndsey photographed so well for me, although I had the option to do that bit for myself. I thought why not take advantage of seeing a professional in action. A thoroughly enjoyable day. xx"

14 Jul 16'

Jenni reviewed: Upcycling Club @ Inkberrow Design Centre

"Excellent value for money and a wonderful place to get your creative and upcycle ideas following with the help from their expert tutors."

14 Jul 16'

Gary Craig reviewed: Woodturning Course in North Yorkshire with Philip Greenwood RPT

"I spent a day with Philip doing woodturning, something I had not done for about twenty years. He (and his partner) was very welcoming (providing endless coffee and a local lunch), supportive and very skilled. He allowed me to decide what to work on, how to approach it and to work at my own speed and level of competence. I felt considerably more knowledgeable and competent than when I arrived, and encouraged to work more on my own. I would highly recommend him for both his skills, his care (including thinking about safety issues) and his generally encouraging way of working with people at a pace and level appropriate to their needs."

14 Jul 16'

Gary Cartwright reviewed: Beginners 10 week woodworking course NO LONGER RUNNING

"I have just completed the beginners course, what a fantastic experience, Ciaran certainly brings out the best of your abilities. The course is small enough to get one to one help when required which is invaluable. I have been looking for a suitable course for a while, this was just perfect so much so I have now booked for the intermediate course. Ciaran is an excellent tutor, the course is very relaxed and I would recommend it to anyone."

14 Jul 16'

Angela Alderson reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"What a fantastic day, we will definitely be booking for next year. This course was brilliant and I would highly recommend it! We were greeted by Adrian, Andy and Debbie with tea and lovely biscuits. Very friendly and highly skilled and artistic craftsmen :0) they are masters at their craft and brilliant teachers. Thank you for a wonderful day and we will see you next year :0) hopefully on the tools course. x"

13 Jul 16'

S Addison reviewed: Two day blacksmithing course

"From being picked up from the train station, to help with accommodation, Julian was a great help, ran a brilliant course and I came away with a great item. I would fully recommend this two day course."

13 Jul 16'

Isabel Santos reviewed: Furniture painting workshop with Annie Sloan chalk paint

"I had a wonderful time. Was very useful as i learned a few techniques and i would like to do another course to learn more, as i enjoy painting and i love Annie Sloan chalk paint."

13 Jul 16'

anon reviewed: Christmas at the Dairy - one day course

"Best bit was meeting other people with similar interest. Hands on, actually making things."