Latest reviews

Ella reviewed: Make your own Hiking Staff, Walking Stick or Foraging Crook

"I booked this as a birthday gift for my dad to attend with him and what a wonderful day we had. Hannah was so friendly and welcoming when we arrived and you could tell from the off how experienced and knowledgeable she was not just in staff making, but a wide variety of bush courses. My dad absolutely loved it, as did I & we had such a lovely time together and with the other “students” on the course. When looking for another “experience” or course gift, I’d be sure to look at Hannah’s other available courses as based off the staff making, it would be fabulous! "

Natural Pathways Bushcraft responded:

"Thank you so much, Ella. I'm delighted that you and your dad enjoyed the Staff Making Day, and that he appreciated his birthday gift. A big thank you as well for recommending our courses, it truly means a lot. I look forward to seeing you again soon!. Best wishes Hannah "

Maureen Campbell reviewed: Fluid Art-Acrylic Pouring

"Thoroughly enjoyed this course. Lorraine was very informative and helped us to produce some super pieces. Definitely recommended and would certainly return at some point."

Art By Lorraine Kim responded:

"Hi Maureen/Mike, Thank you so much for the lovely review x"

Tommy reviewed: Mosaic tile taster class

"Had a great time with my mum making mosaics! Will be back again soo to do some more."

Mosaic Workshops in the Garden Room responded:

"It was a fabulous class and you made some super work. You would be very welcome to come again. BW Ali x"

Beth reviewed: Stained Glass using the Copper Foil Technique

"Spent a fantastic day with Elaine, she's incredibly knowledgeable and a great teacher. Every single process was explained well and she was on hand to help if needed at every stage. I've come away with a piece of art which I'm incredibly proud of, which is already on display. Can't recommend this enough!"

Stained Glass by Elaine Alexandra responded:

"Thank you for reviewing your workshop. I am so pleased you are proud of your project and I hope you will enjoy looking at it for a long time to come. With Best Wishes Elaine"

David and Kirsty reviewed: Full day pottery experience, Heskin Chorley

"My wife and I attended this course in July. We were warmly greeted and made to feel comfortable. The day included wheel throwing, coil building and painting. We chose to complete the thrown pots rather than paint, so that we could return to glaze them at another session. Thoroughly enjoyed the day. Highly recommended. "

The Crafty potter responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review, you both did amazing- your pots are drying nicely. see you soon Sharon xx"

Juliet reviewed: Dry flowers-half wreath making

"I had a lovely time and took home a beautiful wreath "

Stuart Hillston reviewed: Create a mosaic in a day in Yorkshire with professional mosaic artist Sue Kershaw

"What a perfect day this was. A lovely location, a superb tutor who was engaging and patient, and a course which was well-balanced and paced to enable a beginner to complete a piece of work they can be proud of. The venue was excellent, and I enjoyed spending time with the other participants. I highly recommend this course, and any other Sue runs!"

Sue Kershaw responded:

"Thank you Stuart, I really appreciate your kind comments. It was really lovely to meet you and look forward to seeing your raku tessearae."

Laura Pugh reviewed: Two day wood carving course at Hanbury Hall

"This course was even better than I hoped it would be. The expert help from the teacher was clear and tailored to my needs. There was a great balance of advice and leaving us to try out what we were learning about. Very happy with the finished product. Could not have enjoyed it more! ...the outside classroom was beautiful and perfect lighting too! 5 stars without a doubt."

Marj McDonald reviewed: Create a mosaic in a day in Yorkshire with professional mosaic artist Sue Kershaw

"Sue was very welcoming and very organised, with everything to hand. She explained the mosaic process clearly and was on hand to assist, give advice and encourage us at every stage. Our group of 10 were a friendly bunch and we all enjoyed a very sociable, interesting and informative day. I went home with a mosaic tile that I felt proud of, and confident that with the grout and instructions Sue had given me, I would be able to complete my work at home. I am delighted with the finished result. Thank you for a lovely day Sue. "

Sue Kershaw responded:

"Thank you Marj for such a lovely review. It is really appreciated. It was great to meet you and I am so happy that you enjoyed the day. Hope your journey north again was smooth."

Sarah reviewed: Make a beautiful felt bag in The Forest Of Dean

"Great day with excellent tutor who clearly explained the wet felting process. I'm very happy with my bag. Lovey lunch provided by her husband who had grown all the salads. "

Christine Waygood. Contemporary Textiles. responded:

"Hi Sarah, Thank you for your lovely review. I hope you you got home safely, and manage to complete the finishing touches on your bag. I had a lovely day with you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Kind regards, Chris"

Graham and Michelle reviewed: Stained glass one day course for beginners: for two people

"A truly wonderful experience. Emma's patient and clear instruction meant we were able to complete our project without drama. Conversation flowed well with lots of laughs plus tea and biscuits. The studio is a wonderful place full of little treasures. We would highly recommend anyone giving it a go. It might feel daunting at first but Emma will look after you. Well worth the money."

Glenn Fleet reviewed: Introduction to Traditional Leaded Stained-Glass Course, 2 days

"Excellent course. Learnt so much. You could have not asked for a more excellent instructor. Highly recommend course."

Stanwick Lakes Art and Craft Courses responded:

"Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are pleased you enjoyed the class. Best wishes, The Stanwick Lakes team."

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

"Never had even attempted stain glass but Martin put me at ease and I have a new found love for crafting with glass. Definitely will be back to make other projects!"

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Thank you for the nice review."

Hannah Bramble reviewed: Spoon carving taster session

"I joined my husband for a session with Dave and we had such a wonderful time. I'm not that practical or practiced with knives or axes and yet even I found some ability and came out the end with something that really resembled a spoon. A lot of that credit goes to Dave's skilled teaching. Very grateful for a wholesome afternoon learning an interesting skill. "

Woodwyrm responded:

"Cheers Hannah, I really enjoyed our afternoon. You were both excellent students. Many thanks, Dave"

Joe Bramble reviewed: Spoon carving taster session

"My wife and I spent a lovely afternoon with Dave. He's a very knowledgeable teacher and we learned a lot while with him. We were so engrossed that the time absolutely flew by and we ended the session with two very unique but useable spoons! I'd recommend Dave to anyone interested in carving as he'll definitely set you off on the right path. I now intend to buy my very own tools and will be attempting to complete the whole cutlery set!"

Woodwyrm responded:

"Many thanks Joe, It was a splendid afternoon. Really happy to hear you're going to carry on carving. Have fun and keep your knives sharp. Cheers."

Paul reviewed: Blacksmithing experience day

"This was a brilliant day. Arian firstly showed us the basics of blacksmithing and we then practised the techniques to produce a sample piece. There were four of us on the workshop and we each had an anvil. There were two forges and so there was no queueing for anvil/forge. Having made our sample pieces we then decided on our main project of the day. What was great about this day was we were able to decide on the object. I chose to make a pair of tongs and the other three people chose quite different products. Arian was very supportive in us choosing what we wanted to make and gave valuable advice throughout. The split between talk and learning through doing was just right. The refreshments provided through the day were very welcome. I appreciated that the workshop didn't finish on the dot at 4.30 but we were able to continue to complete our projects. To summarise - thank you Arian for a really enjoyable day when you taught us a number of techniques and for your patience when things didn't quite go to plan."

Arian's Forge responded:

"Kind thanks Paul for this thoughtful review. I'm really glad that you managed to complete your chosen project, and I hope the fire tongs will serve you for years to come. Yes, as you say, I enjoy supporting the participants to come up with their own ideas and designs, based on an introductory set of skills and techniques. Thank you again, and you're welcome back any time ! "

Liz & Alan reviewed: "2 Crafts in 1 Day!" pairs - woodturning & pottery experience

"Great day out with Louise & Simon. Thoroughly enjoyable and fun whilst learning 2 new skills. The time flew by and would definitely recommend. Also fabulous lunch provided "

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

"We're so pleased you enjoyed your Pairs 2 Crafts in 1 Day experience with us here in the Blended Monkey studios :-). You both rose to the challenges of woodturning and pottery; creating some beautiful work in the process! Thank you for your lovely review. We hope to see you again sometime."

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

"What a great day! Martin is a terrific teacher - patient, clear instructions and always on hand to help out. The time flew by and we all left with our project completed. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn something new. Thank you Martin!"

Martin McAssey Glass responded:

"Glad you enjoyed the workshop, I hope to see you again."

Shaun Laycock reviewed: Yorkshire Rose stone carving class

"A brilliant day out I had a fantastic time at the Yorkshire rose stone carving class. It was definitely harder than it looks but that made it all the more satisfying. The day was relaxed and the teaching excellent - patient, clear, and encouraging throughout. Whether you’re a complete beginner like me or have some experience, it’s a great hands on way to try something different and challenging. "

The West Riding Stonecarving Association responded:

"Thank you do much for your great review. I am so pleased you enjoyed the day!"

Aaa reviewed: Two day wood carving course at Hanbury Hall

"Excellent wood carving course. Really enjoyed the two days"

Nicholas Fitzgerald reviewed: Beginners Epoxy Resin Workshop

"Very well presented course by Richard and would highly recommend if you’re planning on taking on resin projects "

Ryan reviewed: Forge a Knife- Blacksmithing and Knifemaking Experience Day

"Had a superb day with John at Kerr Forge making a beautiful kitchen knife with my dad. Wanted to make something that I could eventually pass on to my daughter, and the whole experience really did not disappoint. After some initial design discussion and the unavoidable health and safety brief (the forge can reach 1,500 Centigrade so understandable), we were let loose on some steel. John will provide as much or as little guidance as you want, so you really will get a lot out of the day either way - we enjoyed a lot of autonomy, and particularly liked John’s explanation of what was happening and why during the hammering, shaping, grinding, normalising, hardening, and tempering stages. Side note - this is an actual, working forge, so please do bear this in mind when you visit - this isn’t an immaculate hobbyists shed, so be prepared for an authentic interior; I felt this really added to the experience to be honest, and reminded me of visiting my grandfather’s workplace when I was a child. The finished product really is stunning (and very sharp, as demonstrated by John shaving a bit of his arm ha!) and has left us with a great day of memories, and a physical reminder that will serve for many years I am sure. Highly recommended!!!"

Joanne Stephenson reviewed: Mandala Creation Dotting Workshop in Derbyshire

"Great afternoon with Tamsin who took us through the basics of mandala dotting to being able to complete a piece of art to rake away. All in 4 hours! Tamsin has the talent to know when to help and when to step back and let your creative thoughts take over. I enjoyed it so much I bought a mandala beginners kit so I can continue at home. "

Tamdala responded:

"So lovely to meet you Joanne and thankyou for your lovely words. Im really pleased you enjoyed this creative practice and want to continue at home. Your mandala was brilliant xx"

Linda reviewed: Pole lathe course - Make a Mallet

"I took part in the pole lathe course on Saturday and had such a lovely and absorbing day with the group making my mallet. Both the tutor and assistant made it such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with supportive and informative teaching. The experiential style of teaching suited me perfectly and I got so much out of it. I’ll be on the look out for similar courses. Thank you so much! 🙂"

Malcolm Shield reviewed: Beginners Knife Forging Day

"Had a great day set at a relaxed pace which was informative and instructive. We all came away with functional fully completed knives. Alex is a good teacher. "