Latest reviews

Ewa reviewed: Naked Christmas Ladder Tree

"Great experience. Well packed kit, lovely instructions, rustic item (natural decor) but elegant at the same time! Thank You a lot for your care. "

Craftkits responded:

"Thank you for your lovely review and so pleased that you love your kit. Lorna "

Ben reviewed: Furniture making woodworking skills for beginners

"Andrew was excellent. Knowledgable and chatty. Not only does he show you how to do it, you come away with an amazing looking box. Would recommend for sure!!"

WoodWorker responded:

"Thxs Ben for the thoughtful review, glad you enjoyed the day. Andrew "

Fran Reed reviewed: Make a set of stacking rings: an afternoon workshop with Hampshire School of Jewellery

"What a brilliant class! This was such fun and expertly guided by Laura, she explained things very clearly with clear demonstrations and was already ready and willing to guide and reassure throughout. I am recommending this to everyone I know! I wonder how many stacking rings are too many for one person.....!"

Hampshire School of Jewellery responded:

"Thank you so much for your wonderful review Fran; I am so pleased you enjoyed the class on Saturday. Thank you also for spreading the word; I really appreciate it. Ps- you can never have too many rings ;-)"

John McCarroll reviewed: Regular wood carving classes Mondays 9am to 3pm at Dukeries Community Workshop, Ollerton

"Could not find the venue waiting for a reply from an email I sent"

Dukeries Community Workshop responded:

"Apologies John. I have sent you a message and will be able to give you more details I know it can be difficult at first to find us, but it's worth it Regards Alan "

Jackie Kilbride reviewed: Beginner's Candle Making Private Workshop - Marlow, Buckinghamshire

"I spent an enjoyable afternoon on this candle making course. Sarah was very knowledgeable & we came away with some lovely candles. I would definitely recommend."

Candle by Events responded:

"Thank you Jackie for your recommendation, I am glad you enjoyed the workshop."

Jo reviewed: Pottery throwing sessions on the potter's wheel in Norfolk

"Fantastic morning on the potters wheel making pots. Really looking forward to collecting them once they are fired. Was very relaxing and therapeutic, thank you. "

Pat Southwood responded:

"Hi Jo, many thanks for you kind words, so glad you enjoyed yourself, I will let you know as soon as your pots are fired and ready. "

Amy Rubin reviewed: Adding textures to fabric with hand stitch (workshop only)

"This is a wonderful course. It has beautiful examples and Jessica is so creative and inspiring. I have taken a workshop with her before, first becoming enchanted with her in 2019 at Knitting and Stitching Show. Her inspiration will carry on in much of my work. So pleased ! Thanks, Jessica"

Jessica Grady embroidery artist responded:

"Thanks so much Amy and hope you continue to enjoy trying the techniques and ideas in the workshop! Best wishes Jess "

Deborah Papa reviewed: Daytime glass fusing workshop with Paula Andrews

"My sister and I were visiting the Staffordshire area for a few days so finding a creative craft that fitted in with our plans was a real treat. As a novice in the art of creative expression I found glass fusing a very therapeutic way of building confidence in my ability to create a piece of art I could be proud of. Paula is a very experienced and patient teacher and I look forward to seeing how my 3 pieces turn out once they’ve been put through the kiln. "

Paula Andrews responded:

"Thank you Deborah, I enjoyed sharing my practice with you. Your works are making good progress in the kiln and shall be ready shortly. Best regards, Paula "

Bryony reviewed: Half-day pottery with Marina -for two

"Really lovely time with Marina, she allows you to try and test out the fun stuff yourself whilst still being hands on with helping you create something good enough to take home! We did the two hour session and wish we did longer but still managed to create 6 pots and bowls between us for Marina to then glaze later and fire. "

Marina Randall Ceramics responded:

"Thanks Bryony for the lovely review. Marina 😊"

Philippa Ward reviewed: Make a copper bowl

"I went with my friend from work to the copper bowl workshop. Myself and my friend were delighted with our end result. Lizzie was patient and helpful throughout the morning which whizzed past too quickly I would highly recommend Lizzie and plan to come again , to try blacksmith class Thanks so much for a wonderful day .my husband has the bowl now "

David Gratton reviewed: Beginners half-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"Really informative practical hands-on experience"

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

"Hi David, Glad you enjoyed the session. Happy turning! -- Simon"

Gaynor Pharoah reviewed: A Workshop in Acrylic Techniques

"Another fantastic day with Shirley. I've waited fifty years to get back into art and to discover Shirley and her wonderful way of presenting the classes has been a joy! Thank you Shirley - Gaynor xxx"

Shirley Davis Dew. Art 4 All responded:

"Thank you Gaynor. It's always a pleasure teaching someone who wants to learn and is enthusiastic. I'm glad you liked the workshop. You're a natural. Shirley "

Nina Perrott reviewed: Glass painting taster day

"Spent a great day on the one day painting on glass course with Derek in his lovely studio. A very informative practical class in a relaxed environment. Would highly recommend. "

Derek Hunt Artist responded:

"Thank you Nina, and so glad you enjoyed the course! Best wishes, Derek"

Suzanne Raffellini reviewed: Glass painting taster day

"I’ve been watching Derek’s inspiring videos and tutorials for some time and when I saw that he was running a taster day I signed up immediately. I had to wait 6 months to attend as I couldn’t make the earlier dates he had available. I was so impatient! Sometimes when something that has been anticipated for such a long time it can fall down flat when it finally arrives, but this was certainly not the case here. Derek’s course was stimulating right from the word go. I have some experience with stained glass painting but felt there were holes in my knowledge base and found that to be true. The participants had a range of previous knowledge starting from zero but everyone had the chance to learn. There was lots of time to chat as well as paint and I got the opportunity to pick Derek’s brain about all sorts of questions I had. I also tried out new techniques that I hadn’t tried before. Derek was so generous with his time and knowledge – it’s fantastic to be taught by an expert. Derek’s studio is an absolute gem in a beautiful village setting, he and his wife were very welcoming and when I got lost on my way there, making me late, went out of their way to put me at my ease. I had the most amazing day, learning, experimenting, being with like minded people. I can’t wait to go there again."

Derek Hunt Artist responded:

"Thank you Suzanne for your lovely review, its very much appreciated. Best wishes, Derek"

Charlie and Tom reviewed: "2 Crafts in 1 Day!" pairs - woodturning & pottery experience

"My partner and I had a great time learning the 2 in 1 crafts, the woodturning was especially eye opening, realising how much skill it takes and what a gentle touch you need. The wheel pottery was brilliant, it was great to finally get on a wheel after a few years doing hand building. Louise and Simon are both great teachers, they took the time to explain the crafts well and you can see the passion they have for their individual crafts. "

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

"We're so pleased that you guys enjoyed your 2 Crafts in 1 Day experience! You made some lovely spindle-turned pieces with Simon in the morning and you both created some fab pottery items in the afternoon - well done with the throwing :-). It was lovely to have you in the woodturning and pottery studios and thank you for the great review!"

Alex Smith reviewed: Christmas Fused Glass Taster Session

"Absolutely brilliant. Such good fun. "

Glassification responded:

"Thank you Alex, it was a pleasure to have you on the course. I hope we will see you again soon. Nikki"

Davidkinshuck reviewed: Wooden mechanical toy (automata) making

"I attended yesterday, this was the most wonderful course. Personal tuition, I learnt how to use all the tools and make the model, Stef is enthusiastic and a very clear and helpful teacher. I really enjoyed the course,and will start to make my own models."

Penlan Crafts responded:

"Dear David, thank you for your kind review and glad you enjoyed the course!"

Jackie Blay reviewed: Silversmithing-rings/bangles at Larkswold

"Went to this course last Saturday with my daughter in law. We had the best morning such a warm welcome with coffee and cakes… The course was great very enjoyable and great value. Would highly recommend and will def do again."

Larkswold responded:

"Thanks Jackie! "

Sue reviewed: Willow sculpture at Larkswold

"Great course, really enjoyed it. Fabulous food provided all day in a great environment. Definitely recommend "

Larkswold responded:

"Thank you so much Sue! Hope to see you at Larkswold again soon."

Jacqui & Mick Taylor reviewed: Make a copper bowl

"My husband and I really enjoyed making our copper bowls under Lizzie's expert guidance. Everyone is talking about these heritage crafts at the moment, in light of the popularity of tv's The Repair Shop and King Charles' support for all the heritage crafts with his apprenticeship schemes. Lizzie too has a real passion for working with copper and shared with us some of the other projects she has worked on. She is a very talented lady and we'd highly recommend this experience"

Urban Crafts Foundation responded:

"Hi Jacqui, Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Lizzie"

Amy reviewed: One Day Mosaic Workshop - Indirect Method Technique

"I really enjoyed this course. It’s well organised and friendly and I learnt loads. Hope to go back and do it again sometime! "

Jean Ross reviewed: Mini bee needle felting kit

"Lovely kit, including frame. Quick delivery. Good instructions. Can recommend it."

Natural Craftings responded:

"Hi Jean I’m so glad you enjoyed your bee kit. Thank you for the kind review Happy Felting, SallyAnne "

Rachel reviewed: Introduction to candle making workshop

"Such a fun afternoon! I was lucky enough to win my place through a competition in a local magazine but I will definitely be booking another one. Pauline and the other staff were lovely and talked us through everything. The refreshments at the end were lush!"

Bonita Candles responded:

"Thank you Rachel. I'm really happy that you won the competition. I could see how much you were enjoying the workshop. iI look forward to seeing you again. xx"

Ben Grocott reviewed: Half-day 1-2-1 sharpening (woodturning gouges) workshop for 1 person

"I can't recommend Blended Monkey highly enough, Simon's passion, knowledge and calm teaching style made for the most wonderful day and I left with some real skills that will serve me forever. If you are thinking about trying a Blended Monkey course, don’t delay, you’ll have such an amazing time, the facilities are incredible. I will definitely be back. "

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

"Ben, Thanks so much for a glowing review! Great to have you in the workshop and look forward to seeing you again. — Simon"

Steve Elwood reviewed: Beginners half-day 1-2-1 woodturning workshop for 1 person

"Had a great half day honing my technique. Simon was a great teacher with a good “guiding hand”. Would recommend wholeheartedly. Thank you "

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

"Hi Steve, Glad to know the session was helpful. Do get in touch if you need any further help or guidance. — Simon"