Latest reviews

Joanne Woodward reviewed: Mosaic Craft Kit - Unicorn

"Bought as a present so I haven’t actually made it myself. The package arrived quickly and the contents look good."

Montet Designs responded:

"Hi Joanne Thanks for your lovely feedback! I'm delighted to hear that you're happy with the kit and I hope the recipient enjoys creating their unicorn ? xx"

Joanne Woodward reviewed: Star Mosaic Kit - White Iridescent Glass Tiles and Light Teal Dots

"Bought to give as a present. It was received quickly and well packaged."

Omar reviewed: Online Drawing Still Life Course 1

"Just completed the Still life course #1 and I must say that Ann was fantastic. The course resources are excellent and the feedback was fab, but constructive too. I learnt lots and applied it in the weekly tasks. I enjoyed it so much, I have signed up for #2!"

The Studio @ Greenacres responded:

"Oh thank you Omar. Your work has been a joy to feedback on. I am sure that you will love Still Life Course 2. Different subjects to tackle and even more challenge. Can’t wait to see your drawings Thanks again Ann"

Malcolm Blackie reviewed: Woodturning course Online

"Philip is an outstanding craftsman and teacher. I was a little concerned that I might have problems doing this via Zoom but he has the visual equipment to demonstrate what he is doing and takes time to make sure you follow him properly. The two hours I spent with him just vanished and I came away more confident and with the information that I need to go ahead. I would love do visit his workshop and do stuff alongside him to improve further but in the meantime will go away, practice and then come back for follow up zoom sessions as my skills develop. Highly recommended."

Philip Greenwood responded:

"Thank you Malcolm. I will send a video through soon."

Janet Humphrey reviewed: Individual 'Bushcraft blade in a day' course in Shropshire

"My husband found out about this course through an old school friend who had come along. It was decided to be a 59th birthday gift from me. Jake has great communication with course bookers and despite a looming lockdown, we both felt he has done as much as humanly possible to avert the risk. My husband will post a separate review of the course as he was the one who did it, but from a gift giver, he was elated after the course, and it ignited the blacksmith inside him! Highly recommended"

John Hanley reviewed: Blacksmithing - one to one - Hammer Skills

"I have had one of the best days ever. I have used a hammer most of my life, but I have never realised how hard it was to use a hammer to manipulate hot metal in a way that I was shown. Bob, the tutor, was very informative and helpful and knowledgeable beyond belief. I have had a great day and would definitely recommend this course to anyone."

Maria Sheridan reviewed: Fused Glass Wave and Dichroic Glass Jewellery Workshop with Crafts in the Valley

"I highly recommend Melanie's glass fusion workshops after attending two of them with a third to follow in the New Year. Her workshops are fun, informative and very creative and Melanie is a fantastic tutor."

Jenny Neale reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 pottery / ceramics workshop for 1 person

"This was a birthday present for my daughter who absolutely loved every minute of this workshop, she didn't want the day to end. This is way better than going to school! :) The day was full of laughs and we did learn and experiment a lot with various different styles of pottery and ways of imprinting designs on our masterpieces. Louise was very patient and very good at explaining how to do things especially on the wheel which seemed like the trickiest part of the day as first yet the most enjoyable once the technique was mastered my daughter was addicted. Lunch was too very good with more than enough to go round and something for everyone. The atmosphere was great too and both Louise and Simon are very easy to get along with. Thank you both for our wonderful memories :) We hope to visit you again in the new year!"

Blended Monkey responded:

"Jenny, thank you for your lovely review and we're so pleased that Cassy enjoyed the day - and also that she'd like to return again in the future :-). She made some lovely pieces which will be ready for collection very soon. It's always interesting to see how children respond to the various types of clay building. The hand building is a very free form and you can get really creative with it, so although most people consider throwing to be the "thing" you do in pottery, it's always encouraging to see that students are open to the other forms of building too. Thanks again for a lovely review!"

Nigel Brown reviewed: Bristol Bronze Club - 2 day lost wax bronze casting workshop

"I thoroughly enjoyed the three day course, the last event before lockdown in early March. I have attended only a few art courses, On this one David provided excellent company and guidance, somehow managing to help without intervening, and gave us the opportunity to create and get the best out of us. I never dreamt that I would be able to produce such a casting in the time available. David has considerable experience and is very knowledgeable and interesting to talk about bronze casting. Well done David. I would definitely recommend the course,"

Ore and Ingot responded:

"Thanks very much Nigel, it was a pleasure having you in the workshop. Glad to see that your sculpture is pride of place on the mantel. Dave"

Claire reviewed: Pottery throwing course in the South Downs National Park (one day - one-to-one)

"I did Rowena's one day course with my mum last month. We had such a lovely day. I was surprised by how much we managed to do in one session and we both got to make three pots on the wheel and another using a mold. Rowena was a great teacher and we had fun learning various techniques. We were both very pleased with our finished pots. I would definitely recommend this course as a excellent taster."

Glen Upward reviewed: Shrink Pot Making Course

"This was an exceptional course on making shrink pots. A stunning location, a warm welcome, and a day full of craft, cakes, and coffee. Jacqui and Pete made me feel welcome and shared the extensive knowledge of wood carving. Strongly recommended to anyone who wants to explore the subject, or just wants to try something different. Very relaxing and rewarding, and can't wait to the next course. A big thank you to Jacqui and Pete for a wonderful day"

Stephanie Beckett-Davies reviewed: Asymmetrical basket making courses - two days with Joe Gregory at Creative with Nature Todmorden Yorkshire

"A wonderful well-paced 2 day basket course. My mum and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and have beautiful baskets to show for it. Thanks Joe and the other ladies for such a great time xx"

Creative with Nature Ltd responded:

"really glad you enjoyed your time and superb baskets made. well done! joe. xx"

Sushee reviewed: Full day leather craft workshop

"My Dad and I did the one day workshop with Rosanna. We had a lovely day, learning and doing different techniques. We were really pleased with what we made; the items looked great! The workshop setting was great, the cafe provided the best, freshly cooked food. So glad we went. Can highly recommend the workshop and Rosanna. Just go for it!"

Caroline reviewed: Mosaic Craft Kit - Unicorn

"The Unicorn Mosaic kit arrived nice and quickly and was received eagerly by myself who had seen the kit in the Saturday Telegraph. The unicorn was so well photographed I just couldn't resist the beautiful colours of the pearlescent tiles even though I felt a bit of an imposter being rather older than the age bracket for who the kit was suggested ! ? As soon as the kit arrived I was on the case and completed the unicorn within 24 hours of arriving. My daughter (31) also got in on the act and took charge of the two stars included in the kit...so we both enjoyed the kit very much. Have still to really tidy up the edges and polish up the tiles...but essentially its done. Thank you! A winner!"

Montet Designs responded:

"Hi Caroline Thanks for your great review! I'm delighted to hear you and your daughter enjoyed creating the unicorn and star mosaics. No-ones ever too old to love a unicorn!! ? ???"

Natalie Olson reviewed: An Introduction to Glass Fusing

"A very enjoyable day spent with Dorothy at her glass fusing workshop. A very patient teacher. Would love to do again,"

All Things Glass responded:

"Thank you Natalie, would love to welcome you back..."

Matthew wade reviewed: Bristol Bronze Club - 2 day lost wax bronze casting workshop

"I attended the Bristol Bronze Club in October 2020 David is a great host, a lovely Chap and very knowledgeable. I had three days of excellent bronze learning and practical hands on experience. He answered all my questions and I came home with some brilliant ideas and some lovely bronze pieces! Location of the foundry is great, I stayed in the city (Bristol) and drove from there every day which took around 20 minutes. If you’re thinking about trying bronze casting, want to expand your knowledge of the subject or just want a gift for someone who would appreciate it, I strongly recommend this course."

Ore and Ingot responded:

"Thanks Matt. I look forward to seeing your future casting endeavours as they progress. Best Dave"

Julia Phebey reviewed: Private or private group silver jewellery making / silversmithing workshop half-day at Silver Designed Personally

"I booked this workshop as a surprise for my friend's special birthday. Neither of us have artistic leanings at all and my friend is not really into crafting so I really pushed her out of her comfort zone. Sara assured me that we would be able to go home with something that we had designed and made ourselves and would be proud to wear. How true that was. Sara's instruction, demonstration and patience was brilliant. I managed to make a pair of stud earrings that I have been wearing since our workshop in October and my friend has a lovely necklace. We both have pieces that we are proud to wear and that have such special memories attached them. It was such a lovely morning spent with Sara and I would love to do it again and would certainly recommend it to anyone, no matter how inexperienced."

Silver Designed Personally responded:

"Julia - what a wonderful review, thank you for your very kind words, you both made such lovely pieces and am so glad they are being worn a lot. I really enjoyed our time too and will look forward to perhaps seeing you again some time. Sara"

Jenny Southam reviewed: Introduction to Creative Printing and Pattern Making

"I have recently completed this course and enjoyed it immensely. The studio has plenty of space and so I never felt cramped and all the materials necessary were on hand. We started off by bringing objects in as a starting point to develop ideas and then experimented with simple printing techniques. We made stencils and tried out some colour and textural designs. We moved on to making more complicated designs plus extending our vocabulary in printing techniques, including screen printing. Six weeks flew by but each week I felt that I learnt a huge amount. Carrying out some homework each week, if only to write down processes carried out helped with idea generation and planning for the next week so that one could make the most of the time there. I went there with no pre-conceived ideas about what I was going to produce, went with the flow of sometimes feeling somewhat outside my comfort zone and control, and was extremely pleased with the results indeed. Paul is a very competent teacher; a good listener and good at getting the student to draw their own ideas out. He is generous with his knowledge and skills and I'd gladly do it all again!"

Tracy Skidmore reviewed: Mandala drawing - Beginners

"I really enjoyed learning how to draw a mandala with Kathryn. She really put me at ease with no pressure to rush my drawing. It was very relaxing and rewarding to see how much I could achieve in 90 minutes. I also enjoyed learning about the history of mandala and the use of them in psychology. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this course! Brilliant ... thank you so much Kathryn for sharing your expert knowledge."

Mandala Meadow responded:

"Thank you, Tracy. It was my pleasure. I hope you'll join one of my more advanced classes once you feel ready and in the meantime there's the informal catchup for my Facebook group. I'll let you know the date soon."

Lesley Goss reviewed: Introduction to Creative Printing and Pattern Making

"I have just completed this course with Paul Singleton and really enjoyed each session. All of the materials, dyes and equipment for printing were available at the studio. I was encouraged to develop a theme, from my chosen staring point, by experimenting with screens, colours, textures and torn paper, with help and discussions with Paul. I was very happy with my printed fabrics, and felt I had learnt a lot during each session. The technical information to achieve good printing results and to learn about the finishing process was very good too."

Miriam reviewed: Fused Glass Lanterns with Crafts in the Valley

"A workshop session with Melanie is a joy and an absolute tonic for the soul. The atmosphere is lovely, Melanie is a wonderful teacher and the set up re Covid is so well planned that this is the only workshop setting where I have felt confident & safe. I have been to a few classes now with more booked when lockdown ends and I can’t wait. Can’t recommend highly enough. ?"

Crafts in the Valley responded:

"Thanks for the review Miriam, it's great fun having you on the workshops x"

Rachel reviewed: Vegan Eco Soy Wax Candle Making Kit

"Kit arrived very quickly. Instructions were clear and easy to follow. A really fun kit, have enjoyed making the candles."

Linda Shephard reviewed: Fused Glass Wave and Dichroic Glass Jewellery Workshop with Crafts in the Valley

"My friend & had a lovely half- day workshop learning how to decorate a glass wave. It was very absorbing & the time just flew past. Would highly recommend this. So sad that we can't do the Christmas workshop due to lockdown, but we'll be back !!!"

Crafts in the Valley responded:

"Great to hear you'll be back to do more fused glass! Thanks for the review xx"

Rhys Powell reviewed: 1-to-1 Beginners Leatherworking Workshop

"Such a great experience. Having been interested in leather craft for sometime I was given a 1 to 1 lesson with Pipa as a present. Such a great present it was. The day was spent working through all aspects of leather work, learning so many little tips and tricks that only a true pro would know. Pipa's knowledge is vast but her love of the industry is obvious and her excitement at what can be done and in passing on this knowledge is infectious. Ask the wife, I talked about it non stop for weeks! The additional book she supplies, is great at help you out on the first steps and is a great resource, which is super useful as I got so into what was being taught that I didn't make as many notes as I wanted. Oh well, guess I'm going to have to do another course with her in the future!"

Rosemary Gray reviewed: Felted Landscape Pictures - Full kit, instructions and LIVE online tuition.

"I attended the online felting course earlier this year and I'm hooked! The Zoom course worked surprisingly well and Melanie's instructions were clear and encouraging. She is a great teacher and the course is well designed and clearly communicated."

Crafts in the Valley responded:

"Thanks Rosemary! I really appreciate your feedback. xx"