Latest reviews

Jane reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"I had a really great day with Simon. He's an excellent tutor and despite this being my first experience working with a lathe I ended up with a very beautiful bowl. "

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

"Hi Jane, Thank you for your praise and so glad you enjoyed your experience. Any future help required, please don't hesitate to get in touch. -- Simon"

Gill Smith reviewed: Individual 'Have a Bash' at Blacksmithing course in Shropshire

"After receiving vouchers for my birthday I decided I wanted to have a go at blacksmithing to make a poker for our stove. I chose the two people course so my husband could come too. I think he was a little sceptical about how much he would learn as he works in construction and is used to making and welding parts etc. We were both blown away with how much we learned and how well our items turned out. Jake was a brilliant tutor and I was thrilled to be able to make a tool to lift the hot plate from the top of my stove with Jake’s expert help modifying my poker. They look fabulous hanging next to each other on the hooks we also made. Thank you so much Jake I had a truly memorable birthday present and we both thoroughly enjoyed our time with you in your workshop. I would love to come back again soon. "

Lyne Looker-Revell reviewed: Woodwork Day Course

"Both my Son and I enjoyed our day learning important new skills. Ted was very patient and understanding. Would love to come back to learn door hanging! Looking forward to having a practice at some joints at home. Thanks Ted!"

Teds Woodworking/ instrument making Courses responded:

"Thanks Lynette you and your son did very well on the day and You had a good hand skills which was a pleasure to see up close. Look forward to seeing you soon ??? Kind regards Ted "

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

"5 Star Service from a 5 Star Sara! Absolutely fantastic time learning with Sara, and created my very own ring under her skilled watch. Ever so knowledgeable, Sara imparted her expertise deftly to the group spending time with each of us to aid in our creations. I’ve since used Sara on a couple of occasions to fix some broken jewellery and am so happy, and impressed with her skill. Her own creations in her shop on Etsy are so beautiful that they’re definitely worth a 2nd look (& a purchase or 2!). Thank you Sara for a very enjoyable day and I will absolutely be back! "

Silver Designed Personally responded:

"Sarah - thanks so much for your lovely review and shout out, very much appreciated. You were a total pleasure to work with and I loved your ring :-) Sara"

Russell and Debs reviewed: One day pottery workshop, wheel throwing and handbuilding techniques.

"My wife and I took this course last weekend. Absolutely brilliant. Jo has changed it up a bit so that people who don't want to be on the wheel all day can try different things. We loved the wheel though, so mostly did that. We made goblets, bowls, a tankard, flowerpot, and did a little bit of pinch pot and coiling while waiting for the pots to dry before turning them. Jo and Mark were great teachers (and brew makers), and couldn't have been more helpful. Would heartily recommend the course, fingers crossed that all the pieces survive firing. Looking forward to picking them up in a few weeks."

Greenfield pottery responded:

"We are really pleased you enjoyed the day and you both did really well for your first time on the wheel. The coil pots and minion were great too! Will be in touch once they are all fired and finished. Many thanks for the review."

Heidi Pepper reviewed: Blacksmithing Experience in Grassington (3 hours)

"This was the best experience! I’ve loved everything about it. It was easy to book, easy to find, great communication. The day itself was great ( I was very excited to have a go at this!) Richard was a great teacher and explained the process well including the science behind blade making. It was a very friendly environment. I was super pleased with the finished product, I made a toasting fork. I will definitely be returning to make something else? Thank you Richard for a fabulous experience "

Marion reviewed: SAORI Weaving Discovery Session

"Highly recommended! A really enjoyable evening in a very relaxed and friendly environment. There was plenty of easy to follow instruction with helpful suggestions of things to try and to experiment with. It was also good to be left to my own devices to 'do my own thing' whilst knowing I could ask anything at any point. It's also very reasonably priced. "

Kirsty Murphy reviewed: Pottery wheel & glass fusing private half-day

"I bought the half day pottery and glass fusion class as a Mother’s Day gift for myself and my mom. We had a lovely time and have some fab…maybe questionable but fab nether the less items that we made to keep as memories. Both Sarah and Chris were very welcoming and friendly, easy to chat and joke with. I also came down with covid a few days before we were due to go and they were very accommodating and professional about it. Great experience and would highly recommend."

Sarah Greening Glass responded:

"A great Mother/daughter activity - so pleased you both enjoyed it so much! Thanks very much for leaving a lovely review!"

Emily reviewed: Introduction to traditional stained glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"My father loved the course, would recommend to anyone!"

April reviewed: Introduction to candle making workshop

"Pauline was so fun and engaging throughout. I loved that she spoke us through what we were doing but also gave us the independence to make our own judgement when creating our candles! We got to make a few different candles in different colours and scents which is amazing value for money! P.S. there’s a fun game at the beginning that we all loved as an ice breaker ! "

Bonita Candles responded:

"Thank You April for your lovely feedback. I'm so glad you and your friend enjoyed it. Enjoy burning the lovely candles you made. xx"

Kaye Locke reviewed: Beach Art Workshop Wales

"Spent a wonderful morning learning how to produce beautiful and huge 'sacred circles' in the sand. We all appreciated Bill's knowledge and passion, and were surprised and delighted when we saw the results of our work taken from above by Bill's drone. Would recommend as an enjoyable, mindful, and satisfying learning experience."

Anna reviewed: Macrame - Wall Art

"Spent a lovely afternoon with a friend doing the macrame wall hanging. Wendy went through the steps at our pace and, when necessary, was excellent at identifying where we had gone wrong and how to correct ourselves. The course could be improved with an handout to remind you of the knots names with ‘how to’ reminders; we were concentrating so much, we forgot to write anything down!"

Pamela Ratcliff reviewed: Mosaics for Beginners - West Sussex

"I attended this course yesterday and got thoroughly absorbed in it. Wendy was very knowledgeable and gave lots of advice, hints and tips. The range of tessarai was impressive, lots of colours to choose from. Kind and friendly course."

Inga reviewed: ‘Winter dream ' wool painting face-to-face textile art course in Worcestershire

"What an amazing experience -creating a painting with loose wool fibres! I never knew that I could create a picture with wool fibres! This is a totally absorbing and therapeutic art and craft! I love my new hobby! Thank you so much Raya for your expert tuition, inspiration and new ideas! I would recommend your course to anyone interested in art and textiles. "

Magic Wool Art and Craft Studio responded:

"Dear Inga, I am so pleased that you loved the wool painting course! Good luck exploring your new hobby further! I hope to see you again at my courses in the future. Regards, Raya"

Jo reviewed: One day Traditional Lead Stained Glass Course

"I shouldn’t really write my review because you are likely to book up all the places for future courses and I want to come again. I had such a great class - laughing most of the day and loved learning my new skills. It took a while to not be afraid of the glass but once I was over that with Cheryl’s great support then I was off. Have fun & bring your sense of humour and creative vibes. "

Cheryl Powling Glass responded:

"Haha Jo I’m still giggling from our conversations.. us girls really did have fun together Please return again it was great having you here xx ? "

Paul Roscoe reviewed: Beginners 1-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"That was a great day! I've not done anything like that since school. Great teacher, clearly very experienced in both woodworking and teaching, I would love to look at some other courses there. I've already started looking at lathes on Ebay. "

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

"Hi Paul, Really glad you got so much from the day and excellent that you’re considering it as a hobby; please get in touch if you need any help in the future. —Simon"

Gill Balfour reviewed: 'Let's start! mastering sourdough starters' live on Zoom (Saturdays)

"Sharon lead me through the process on zoom. She also sent online two booklets to help. One was a diary day by day to help making a starter. Also she was available by email to help along the way with any difficulties. She also researched local shops online to help me find suitable flours! I would certainly recommend this course. "

Learn Sourdough responded:

"Thank you Gill for your 5* review. I'm delighted you enjoyed the event. It was a pleasure meeting you. Wishing you many happy years of making nutritious and delicious sourdough bread. Kindest regards, Sharon"

Nikki Forte reviewed: Jump into abstract painting (evening)

"We really were not sure what to expect when we booked this class for a birthday treat but it exceeded all our expectations. Margie is a great tutor with a lot of patience and enthusiasm. We learnt a lot in a short period. You really can't make a mistake! Margie is always there with ideas if you do come across a mental stumbling block. We all came away with amazing pieces of work and enjoyed a lovely evening together. Definitely recommend this course. "

Hampton Court Studio responded:

"Hi Nikki, Thank you so much for your wonderful review. I so loved meeting you all and I’m so happy that you enjoyed the evening. You all quickly grasped the techniques and did an amazing job. You can be really proud of your masterpieces! Well done to you all! Regards Margie"

Jameel reviewed: Work of Iron | The Forge on the Firth of Forth | Edinburgh | 1-Day Blacksmiths Knife Making

"I had a brilliant day forging with jack, I learnt a lot and had fun doing so. If you want to learn blacksmithing work of iron is the place to go with jacks 10+ years experience in the trade! will be back soon. "

Rayner & the girls reviewed: Powertex art journal/canvas workshop

"3 of us ladies of varying artistic abilities attended Marie's Powertex course in June after originally booking it pre-pandemic. It was SO worth the wait!!!!! Firstly, I, as a complete NON-ARTIST attended purely as the chauffeur on the promise of Strudel. Not only did the homemade strudel not disappoint, but Marie unlocked the artist in me and I couldn't get enough, leaving at the end of the afternoon with a piece I am extremely proud of. My mum and our friend Lynn, are both mixed medium crafters and both left feeling inspired. What amazed me was how different all of our pieces were!!! I expected us all to follow Marie's lead and stick to the ideas all around her beautiful studio, and yet we all created something completely unique and learned clever hacks and techniques along the way. Above all, we all left feeling really relaxed - powertex is quite a therapeutic medium, along with the chit-chat and laughter we all enjoyed as a group of girls, including Marie, who we felt like we'd known for years! We all slept brilliantly that night! Thank you for a truly unique and fantastic experience, Marie. We're looking forward to having another go!"

Liz Rowland reviewed: Clay sculpture workshop

"I spent a wonderful weekend with Jan on her 2-day sculpture course, a valuable and rewarding experience. Jan was welcoming and attentive, demonstrating great patience with her students. Jan is gifted, experienced and able to demonstrate her techniques and to successfully coach a novice. I left the studio inspired to go on and practice the skills I have acquired, and I'm happy with my end results. I thoroughly recommend the 2-day course, for all levels of ability there will be much to gain from the experience."

Jan Sweeney responded:

"Hi Liz thankyou for your kind remarks i enjoyed it too! I hope you continue to sculp, as you did some good work Best of luck Jan "

Neil Herbert reviewed: Rustic Furniture Making – 2 day course

"Throughly enjoyable course, and came away with a presentable stool."

Stanwick Lakes Art and Craft Courses responded:

"Thank you for the great review. We are so pleased you enjoyed the workshop and look forward to seeing you again some time in the future. Best wishes, The Stanwick Lakes team."

Mandy Harris reviewed: Stained Glass : Mosaic Applique Lantern

"Lovely relaxed class, brilliant venue. Had a really good day and have received lots of compliments on my lantern. "

Jan reviewed: An introduction to decoupage

"Definitely recommend the decoupage course, thoroughly enjoyed it great way to spend the afternoon in good company. Hope to come back again. Many thanks Laura"

The Summer Lane Collection responded:

"Thank you Jan, great to meet you and your husband. I hope you carry on decoupaging ? and continue enjoying your holiday. Looking forward to seeing you again next time you’re in the area. All the best Laura "

Tracy Passey reviewed: 2 Hour Fused Glass Workshop with Glass Quarter Designs

"I really enjoyed my morning with Jane at Glass Quarter Design. I wanted to learn about fused glass and Jane was really knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. I was shown lots of different techniques from cutting and smashing glass to drilling. I drew out my design and Jane guided me suggesting subtle colour changes and ideas. I could quite happily have stayed all day ? Really looking forward to collecting my finished, fired item next weekend. I will definitely be back to do another glass course soon. Thank-you!!"