My plan for craft workshops in Newcastle

My plan is to set up some craft workshops in Newcastle upon Tyne, which will hopefully begin in November 2016. This will give me time to get everything set up and I’ll be running a few to ‘test the water’ so to speak. Then if they are successful I’ll look to create a more regular schedule. These workshops are for adults (sorry, kids!) and will have a limited number of spaces for each one. I have so many ideas of things that I think could potentially make brilliant workshops. I’ve actually had to put a notebook by my bed again for when I wake up with ideas in the middle of the night! Haha!

I’m obviously working this around Little One as she is my number one priority, so the workshops will be on weekends at first. Some people might think I’m a bit mad trying to get this up and running with a (currently) 3-month old, but I feel like now is the time for me to go for it. I want to raise her knowing that she can give anything a go, so I’m doing the same  I would always rather go for something and if it doesn’t work, then at least I’ve given it a go. This is so much better than forever wondering if it would have worked!

So at the moment, I’m working on things for an hour or two a day once Little One has gone to bed. I’m setting myself small targets and making a little progress on my project every day. I’m so very excited and I hope the people of the North East will be too!

Craft workshop survey

I’m still at the very early stages of setting up my new venture, so I’m currently carrying out some research in order to find out what people are interested in making. I’d also like to find out a bit more about potential locations and hear any other thoughts and suggestions that you might have. So to do this, I have put the skills from my day job into practice and have created a short online survey to find out more! If you live in the North East and you are interested in attending workshops in Newcastle, it would be brilliant if you could spare a few minutes to complete it. It is completely anonymous and you don’t need to provide any personal details. This research will help me to provide the workshops that people would really love.

Please click here to take part in my survey.

Edit 14th November 2016: My survey is now CLOSED. Thank you to everyone who took part!

If you know anyone who would be interested, please do share it with them too. As much as I love my readers from all around the country (the world, even!), please only complete this survey if you live in the area and are interested in attending craft workshops.

I really appreciate your help – thank you so much! I’ll be keeping you updated with the latest news here, and on my social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

WORKSHOPS UPDATE!

My shop is now open and you can book workshop places for November and December 2016 I’m starting out with a vintage floral embroidery workshop, followed by a felt Christmas decorations workshop. Both are suitable for beginner/intermediate level and I’d love to see you there!

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This weekend I went to York to spend some time with Mum and Dad before our wedding, which is now less than 2 weeks away! Mum wanted us to do something crafty and booked us into a workshop at Softpots on Stonegate. Softpots is run by the lovely Annie Austen-Meek, who invented the concept over ten years ago, originally to transport plants practically and safely. Softpots are flexible and are kinder to plants, allowing them to ‘breathe’ and drain freely. Not only are they practical but beautiful, and it is very therapeutic making them.

We spent an hour with Annie and she showed us the basic techniques of making softpots, how to decorate them, which shapes to use and what does and does not work for a softpot. The workshop was incredibly informative and invigorating, and just left us wanting to make more! We made two pots each in just one hour, and in fact, are already planning our next pots! Here we are with our creations:

We’re so pleased with our pots – I’m particularly proud of my pink softpot, which I have nicknamed ‘The Mystic Beetroot’!

I love the hanging softpots too – the whole concept is so versatile:

Annie has also created The Softpot Garden, where you can admire and even buy your own softpot to take home. It’s like a little oasis in the centre of York!

You can make your own softpot in workshop sessions starting at £10, and we would highly recommend it! Check out the website or find out more on Facebook. Thank you again, Annie – we hope to come back and make more softpots with you!

The post Making Softpots appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

I mentioned a long time ago that I had begun working on a new crafty venture with my fab friend Daria. Well, it has taken a while but we’re super excited to have announced it to the world today! We believe that everyone should take time out to be creative, and through Less Grafting More Crafting we’d like to help you do that – whether you’re a complete novice or a pro, we’ve got a perfect project for you!

We’re still working on launching our online shop via Etsy, but in the meantime please check out our website or find us on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you!

The post Introducing…Less Grafting More Crafting! appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.