Latest reviews

Kate D reviewed: Bug box, family home pottery kit, DIY craft at home, takeaway clay fun

"My kids LOVED this kit, spent several hours making little big families and flower nests which they proudly presented to us as gifts... a mum wasp, dad wasp and 3 little kid wasps... just brilliant and very nicely packaged and described. Thank you.. we'll be back for more kits!! Ideal for rainy school holidays. "

Joseph Meadows reviewed: Rustic Stool Making Course, 2 days

"Loved it, attended with my girlfriend and we both enjoyed the experience. The instructor was very friendly and knew his stuff. I'm now on the lookout for some woodworking tools to expand on these skills at home..."

Stanwick Lakes Art and Craft Courses responded:

"Thank you for leaving us a lovely review. We are very pleased that you both enjoyed the course. Best wishes, The Stanwick Lakes team."

Hazel Clark reviewed: 3 hour Silver jewellery course

"Richard made us very welcome in his workshop and taught us how to make a silver ring by demonstrating the techniques on his own worked example. His step by step instructions were very clear and gave us confidence to do our own rings. It was a surprise to end up with a shiny, decorated ring after just three hours! "

Richard Hartley reviewed: 1 to 1 Bladesmithing or Blacksmithing

"My wife bought this course for my birthday. I'm glad she did. What a great experience. IAN WAS FANTASTIC. The whole day was interesting from start to finish and you go home with the hand crafted knife you make with your own hands. Thanks for making my day "

Phil Sutcliffe reviewed: Yorkshire Rose stone carving class

"My grandson and I had a fantastic day learning to carve with Helen. Would recommend the course to anyone who has been thinking about stone carving. Helen is a brilliant tutor, she is friendly, confident in her students ability (even when we weren’t!), is patient and makes you feel very welcome. Thank you for a great experience Helen "

The West Riding Stonecarving Association responded:

"Thank you. I'm glad you both enjoyed the day.😊"

Cath Daley reviewed: Small outdoor plaster hare sculpture kit (30cm) with full video instructions by Jo Garden Art

"We took 4 of the hare sculpture kits away with us on holiday for something to do with my severely sight impaired mother-in-law and my aunt. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were delighted with the finished “works of art”. My mother-in-law was particularly pleased as it is so difficult to find activities for us to all do together. The instructions were really clear and it was good that we could break it down into stages and do a little bit over the course of a few evenings. She wants to do another one very soon. Fab!"

Jo Garden Art responded:

"Thank you so much Cath - what a lovely review and it was heart warming to receive your email with photos of your family making the hares. Sculpture is so tactile and personal and I'm delighted your sight impaired mother in law enjoyed the experience so much. Jo xx"

Becci W reviewed: Batik - hot wax full day workshop

"I had a lovely day with Jane today learning about batik. Jane is friendly and knowledgeable about batik. I have learned so much today and will be looking at future courses soon. Thank you so much. I highly recommend taking one of these courses. You wont regret it. "

Jane’s Celebration Services responded:

"Thank you so much Becci for a lovely review. It was lovely to meet you, so glad you enjoyed your day. I hope you get your batik pot out at home and continue to explore this lovely craft. See you again. Jane x"

Kay & Bryan reviewed: Creative Vibe - Glassblowing Sessions

"We both loved this course - Ricky was such a patient teacher and helped us immensely. Would definitely recommend this course - we each came away with four beautiful glass pieces that we are really proud of. "

Buffy Tucker reviewed: Charcoal making and drawing at Walderchain Wood, Canterbury

"Peaceful day in the woods...primarily to understand how charcoal is made for drawing. I love drawing with charcoal, it's so versatile for expressing light, dark, subtlety...you can rub it back and rework and also emphasise line and tones as you wish. I had no idea I could make enough for my own use at my own home, and good enough quality. It's quite a mindful experience, as we also become attuned to the life of the birds and creatures around us. Mark is so informative about raptors in the sky above us, and the life beneath our feet too. The process of charcoal making is explained....the need to exclude oxygen, the timing, etc. The excellent tutoring by Kim allows all to experiment with mark-making if you need further familiarity with this medium. And invaluably, she helped us find a way into producing a drawing....what do you exclude, what direction do you take, what do you work into? Cristina's wonderful veggie food was most welcome and absolutely was perfect for what we needed...and it's a social experience, forged between likeminded people. Totally worth it. If you haven't sat in the woods lately under an amazing parachute canopy and gone home smelling of delicious woodsmoke, do it. "

Walderchain Wood responded:

"Buffy Thank you for your lovely review. Glad you enjoyed the day and got so much from in it. All the best Mark"

Michael Bonnici reviewed: Make a Wooden Tool Box

"The toolbox course provided a wonderful “maker” experience. The content, preparation, instruction, pace, level of complexity and support were totally appropriate for the young attendees. "

Ash & Co. Workshops responded:

"Hi Michael, thank you for your lovely review and so pleased you enjoyed the experience 😁 Many thanks, Jonty "

Martin reviewed: One to One Leathercraft Workshop

"Brilliant day learning about leather and how to craft it from a Master Craftsperson and excellent teacher. Really gentle teaching at my own pace and very much supporting self directed learning. I arrived full of questions and there was never a moment when I felt she was pushing me into just getting on with the task. Totally brilliant day. Thoroughly recommended."

Carolyn reviewed: Traditional Jewellery Making Workshop

"I had a wonderful day which started with a warm welcome ( and delicious coffee) on arrival. Ian is an extremely knowledgeable and talented jeweller who was patient, helpful and informative throughout. I left with a beautiful ring which I will treasure . Thank you both for a memorable day."

Goldwrightsjewelleryschool responded:

"Thank you Carolyn you made such a beautiful ring. A day to remember :)"

Caroline L reviewed: Willow workshops

"We had a very enjoyable and productive afternoon, creating an obelisk as well as a peony plant support. Extremely clear guidance in a friendly way, felt I learned a lot and am keen to make more. Sharon is perfect, providing the right level of support and training whilst keeping it fun. "

Sharon Pottery Classes responded:

"Thank you Caroline for your kind review. It’s always good to get feedback on the pace of learning, enjoyment and of course satisfaction with the results. We had a lovely afternoon and the weather was kind thankfully! I do hope you are able to make more supports for your garden, thanks again, Sharon."

Kate D reviewed: Mosaic Craft Kit - Green & Red Sparkly Dragon

"Made a wonderful present for my 8 year old dragon loving neighbour, beautifully presented and easy to follow instructions. Thank you!"

Montet Designs responded:

"Thank you for your lovely feedback! It's great that you enjoyed my kit and that it was a fab handmade gift for your neighbour :)"

Kate D reviewed: Mosaic Craft Kit - Turquoise Iridescent Dragonfly

"Kids absolutely LOVED making this and the results are stunning... thank you so much! A great way to enjoy a rainy day of school holidays. "

Montet Designs responded:

"I'm so delighted that you had such a great time creating my dragonfly mosaic kit! :) Thanks for your lovely feedback. Audrey "

Wendy Harrison reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 pottery / ceramics workshop for 1 person

"Well! I had such a lovely day. Very relaxed and just lots of scope to develop and stretch ideas. Super teaching with really positive feedback making you feel like you can achieve anything! I still have lots of scope for achieving though …may have to come back a few times for throwing practice. Would thoroughly recommend the 1-2-1 day … and have been boring anyone who’ll listen to me about what a thoroughly brilliant experience it is. "

Blended Monkey - pottery - woodturning - green woodworking - pole lathe - throwing responded:

"Wendy, it was lovely to have you in the studio and I'm really pleased that you enjoyed your ceramics experience. I'm glad you felt you had the room to expand your own ideas (that's exactly what I like to encourage :-)). Would be happy to have you back for a throwing-only session. Take care and thanks for the lovely review! "

Cathy Kenyon reviewed: Make a set of stacking rings silversmithing workshop

"This was a great half day course, plenty to learn . A great teacher with so much knowledge and very experienced. I will definitely attend another course there."

Jen and the girls reviewed: Silver ring making workshop

"Thank you so much for a so wonderful day, we learned so much and are all thrilled with what we made. Highly recommended, thanks again "

Chris Lewis Jewellery Design responded:

"Thank you so much for your lovely review! Always a pleasure"

Daisy reviewed: Make your own Silver Spinner Ring Workshop

"I love coming to these workshops. This was the second one I went to and I absolutely love both of the rings I’ve made. Sarah is a brilliant teacher. Can’t wait to come to another one!"

Yvonne Lee reviewed: Indigo Dye and Shibori Workshop

"Thoroughly enjoyable with genuinely lovely and professional instructors. Their enthusiasm and knowledge which they were happy to share made the experience and items we took home all the more special. Would recommend to anybody with or without any previous experience. "

Fran Reilly Textiles responded:

"Hi Yvonne Thanks for your lovely review - these really do help us for the future. Don't forget to send me photos so I can share them with the others. Best wishes Fran"

Dave reviewed: Lathe turning for beginners with Thompsons Wood

"Had an absolutely brilliant day with Jake. He's an excellent tutor who quickly gave me confidence on the lathe. He's also extremely friendly and makes a good brew! Highly recommend this course, a great day and I came away with a beautiful bowl to boot!"

Sue Casey reviewed: Beginners half-day pairs woodturning workshop

"Had a fantastic morning on the pairs woodworking course. Simon was really helpful and struck the right balance between demonstrating and letting us have a try. So pleased to actually come away with a finished item. We would love to come back for another go. "

Blended Monkey - pottery - woodturning - green woodworking - pole lathe - throwing responded:

"Hi Sue, You're welcome back any time - so glad you enjoyed the session. -- Simon"

Carol reviewed: Introduction to stone carving at Little Moreton Hall

"Loved this course. Clear instructions and equipment. Miranda was really approachable and encouraging. I would highly recommend "

Amerton Arts Studio responded:

"Thank you for your review Carol, glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes Miranda"

Rhiannon Blackman reviewed: Beginners 2 sterling silver stacking rings Jewellery course

"We had a lovely time creating our rings and learning a new skill. Sarah was really helpful and talked us through all the tools. She gave us advice on how to get started as a silversmith. She is highly skilled and was more than happy to explain different processes. On top of that, we came away with 2 beautiful stacking rings that fit perfectly. I really enjoyed our experience and I would highly recommend it. "

Sally Dixey reviewed: Silver jewellery making class for beginners

"Thoroughly enjoyable day with Jonathan learning new skills with copper then transferring to silver to produce some lovely jewellery to take home. He was so patient with the 4 of us doing the course today and so helpful to ensure we got the most out of our day with him. The Yorkshire tea and homemade cake was a bonus! Thank you so much! "

Salt Way Silver responded:

"Thank you Sally. It was a good day and you both did well with your silver jewellery making. I'm very pleased that you enjoyed the day and that you could use it as part of your holiday plans! Jonathan"