For those of you who want to keep busy and creative during lock down, Crafts in the Valley is now selling Home Felting Kits, Beeswax Wrap Packs and Gift Vouchers through my online shop.
Click this link to SHOP
Here’s a link to my latest Newsletter.
https://mailchi.mp/9cda5d70b3b3/crafts-in-the-valley-sending-love-in-lock-down?fbclid=IwAR3-wEt0R2h66OGJPIob7cpj1QkQ_13A82AP6FKE-GZsxOOlyYg-1Wh2bBA
I’m now running even more Fused Glass workshops, including half day workshops and evening classes at my studio in Cragg Vale, near Hebden Bridge.
Click on this link to see my latest newsletter – https://mailchi.mp/758953a0dc34/exciting-new-opportunities-to-make-beautiful-fused-glass
Click on the link below to catch up on my new textiles workshops.
https://mailchi.mp/f3cd952339f3/crafts-in-the-valley-new-textile-workshops
Beware, Fused glass is addictive! I was first introduced to Fused Glass by the fabulous Alison Zwaard who runs Handmade in Netheredge
in Sheffield. If you enjoy arts and crafts, delicious food and great company you must do one of her workshops. I met Alison in 2013 when I was in the early stages of developing Crafts Afloat, my floating craft business. Since then Alison has become a wonderful friend and business mentor. Her openness to share her expertise, and her enthusiasm to support others to succeed is so inspiring. After just a few hours in Alison’s beautiful studio, I was hooked on Fused Glass! The effects you can create, the colour, bubbles, sparkle and texture are just amazing. Opening the kiln to see what magic has happened overnight never fails to excite me, I look forward to it every time.
Many of my workshop participants feel the same, so I developed the Next Level Fused Glass workshop for people who have completed my beginners class. During this class you can create a hanging light catcher, a small slump dish and two pieces of float glass jewellery. As a final larger project, you will have the opportunity to make a bowl, a platter, an arched candle holder, a framed piece of glass or a set of four coasters.
These workshops are run once every two months. Beware though, you’ll be buying your own kiln next!
Buying someone a unique experience for Christmas, where they can spend quality time with friends and family is such a lovely idea!
“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show”.
In my family, we decided a few years ago to stop buying stuff. Although the stuff was appreciated, it was often things we didn’t really need, or have space for. As I live on a boat, I have very little space for material possessions. The No Stuff Please rule began. Now, each Christmas we put our pennies together to do something fun and different together.
We have been to see Cirque du Soleil in the Albert Hall, we’ve done a wire jewellery workshop in North Yorkshire, a craft course at Handmade in Netheredge in Sheffield, we hired a beautiful cottage in the Scottish Boarders, we visited Plockton which is a stunning coastal village on the North West Coast of Scotland and recently we treated ourselves to a hot, sunny week on the Greek Island of Kefalonia! We have lots of lovely memories from these experiences.
Most of my workshop guests are groups of friends or families who come to spend some quality time together, doing something new and interesting. Often women come on their own to my scheduled workshops and meet new people too. The fantastic thing about my job is, that I get to spend time with these great women, chatting, laughing, sharing stories and being creative in an inspiring space. Maybe a gift of a craft workshop would make the perfect present for a friend or family member, and you could enjoy the gift too!
Crafts in the Valley offers gift vouchers that are emailed to you and can be printed out to put in a card. I currently offer full day workshops in Fused Glass and Felted Textiles, at the Creative with Nature studio gallery in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. Workshops start with morning pastries with tea or real coffee. I provide lots of inspiration to help participants plan their creative work and the gallery is filled with beautiful art and craft work made by local artists. During the workshop you work with top quality materials and equipment and can be given as much or as little support as you require. Lunch is served at Kava cafe where you can choose from wholesome soups, bakes, pasta dishes and salads. The food is delicious and you can have a cheeky glass of wine to help the creative juices flow! After lunch I serve cake and coffee back at the studio while you finish off your creations.
Creative Escapism!
Check out my reviews on Facebook if you need further persuasion!
To buy a gift voucher follow this link CONTACT me through the website.
Avoid high street stress this Christmas, support small, local business and artists this year. xx
I think I may have a new craft addiction…. Willow weaving! I recently went on an amazing craft weekend in Hereford at Woodland tipis and yurts. http://www.woodlandtipis.co.uk/tipis-and-yurts/ ,
In a magical setting, we had the opportunity to experiment with a range of traditional crafts; black smithing, hammering copper jewellery, willow weaving, green wood crafts, pottery, needle felting and recycled bug making! Willow weaving with Helen from Wonders of Willow was brilliant, I think I’m hooked! https://www.facebook.com/wondersofwillow/
Luckily, here in the Calder Valley we have the fantastic Joe Gregory who runs Creative with Nature. I can’t wait to go on her two day basket making course with my mum in February! Check out her courses.
http://creativewithnature.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/…
Lots of fabulous glass work now fired and looking beautiful! All this can be created in one day, a coaster, a slump dish, a star, two pieces of dichroic glass jewellery and a decoupage jewellery box. And we still have time for lunch and a glass of wine!
More Fused Glass workshops coming in the new year under my new business name Crafts in the Valley! Workshops will take place at the lovely Creative with Nature studio in Todmorden.
I love this joyful, rainbow piece of felt created by Sian on Saturday’s Felting Workshop. Colour is so magical!
Check out her Facebook page for the Art and Craft work she does in Leeds – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1343678672396664/?fref=nf
This weekend has been the first weekend of workshops after a summer of boaty maintenance and time out. The wonderful Linda Lewis is running a guest Spinning and Weaving workshop, so I get to be the student not the teacher!
It’s a weekend of wool with a Felting Workshop too.
Over the weekend we will be carding wool, spinning wool, weaving wool, wet felting wool, needle felting wool and free motion machine embroidering into wool! It’ll be a very wonderful, woolly weekend!
Linda makes spinning look like magic and so easy! It is actually really quite difficult, you often feel like you need an extra set of hands and fingers. I very excited about having Linda come and teach this workshop, she is a very talented women, who knows an awful lot about wool. We have plans to do a Weekend of Wool Course together in March 2018. If you’re interested in booking, keep an eye out on Facebook and the website, more details in the new year.
