Latest reviews

Ann Aitken reviewed: Holiday ceramic sculpture workshop for children 8+ (and adults)

"How fortunate we were to have been recommended to Beatrice's courses - the opportunity to learn from such a skilled sculptor who is also an arts educator and a therapist is rare! My 14 year old daughter attended her second course with Beatrice summer 2018, (the previous one was 18 months ago), and once again she thoroughly enjoyed it & produced a beautiful sculpture. Beatrice allows the participants to choose what to make, but provides many ways to inspire her students with animal figures, photos & other student's sculptures. Beatrice is an amazing teacher, providing guidance, advice & helping the students to develop their techniques."

Alexandra Back reviewed: Stained glass summer workshop in Hampshire by Stardust Stained Glass

"I was a little apprehensive but Sarah made me feel very welcome. She was a great instructor. It was a nice small group and I met lots of lovely like-minded ladies; all excited about cutting and shaping our first pieces of glass to make our very own sun-catchers! I would love to book again! Thanks."

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

"Fabulous workshop! I have really enjoyed the whole process- very therapeutic and beautiful execution of a wool painting with sort natural fibres. Professional tuition with individual approach . I love my painting and thank you so much to Raya Brown for a great day I spent at your Magic Wool Studio! Gill"

Pete reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"A very enjoyable two days spent indulging the "creative side". The course enables you to dive right in and start working whilst Sebastian is on hand quietly encouraging and advising when required. Thoroughly recommended."

Rosy, Pippa, Carol and Liz reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"This was one of our BEST Cousins’ Weekends ever! Thank you so much for all your help. It was lovely to meet you. We will definitely recommend your course to our friends. The course was the right blend of serious stonework, pleasant company and beautiful surroundings. We will all be taking home something we will be pleased with."

Les McGarrity reviewed: Handmade cards in Hampshire

"Since she started them, I have attended June's workshops on numerous occasions and she offers valuable advice to all levels of card makers. New techniques are demonstrated well and new products are highlighted on her Facebook page regularly. Baubles now are also being featured in her workshops - they are truly beautiful."

Cardinal Cards responded:

"Thank you Les. You always seem to go home covered in glitter! I'm happy you enjoy the workshops x"

Christine and Mary Scott reviewed: Percher hat making - blocking for beginners millinery workshop

"Rachel was very friendly and explained everything very clearly and fully. We spent the morning learning techniques and the afternoon making our own fascinators. She had masses of materials and samples of fascinators so we were spoilt for choice. She even supplied a beautiful strong hatbox for our finished creation."

Rachel Griffin reviewed: Handmade cards in Hampshire

"I have now been to June’s on two occassions and I’m so pleased with the cards I have made. June is a lovely lady and very helpful and knowledgable. It’s a very relaxed environment which makes you feel comfortable and I for one would never have thought I could make the cards I have with June’s help. Thoroughly recommend this course to anyone who would like to have a go at making cards with stamps."

Cardinal Cards responded:

"Hi Rachel. Thank you for your comments. It's lovely to know you are happy with your cards and it's a pleasure to share my experience with you x"

TJC reviewed: Handmade cards in Hampshire

"Wow! I was quite intimidated by stamping before going to the class but June has given me the confidence to experiment and shown me how it is easy to get great results with simple techniques. It's easy to learn in such a relaxed atmosphere. Thank you June, I'm sure to come back soon!"

Cardinal Cards responded:

"Hi Trudy. Thank you for your lovely review. I know you were not keen on stamping when you arrived, but it was lovely to hear that you were more than happy with your stamped cards and actually looked forward to more stamping in the future. Hope to see you again soon x"

Leona Haley reviewed: Handmade cards in Hampshire

"The group was highly recommended by friends so I joined with another group of friends . As a beginner the lovely June is patient, encouraging and willing to share her great knowledge, enabling us to make cards that we can't believe we made our selves. I would totally recommend the craft course, it is fun, value for money and really helps you to develop your card making skills."

Cardinal Cards responded:

"Thank you Leona. I know you are already a card maker so it's lovely to hear that you have gained more knowledge from the workshops and more ways to use what you already have. Hope to see you again soon x"

Sarah Gray reviewed: Handmade cards in Hampshire

"I have been a number of times now and I really do love it. I've learnt so much, it's fun, friendly, interesting and fantastic value for money. Would definitely recommend to anyone of any ability, I've been going with my 85 year old Nan and she loves it too!"

Cardinal Cards responded:

"Thank you Sarah. You have been coming regularly for almost a year and you have come on in leaps and bounds. You have learned a lot of new techniques and put them to good use when you come. Your cards are lovely and it's nice to see you happy with your own results. See you again soon x"

Eunice Spence reviewed: Creative Vibe - Glassblowing Sessions

"I had an absolutely brilliant day working with Ricky in his lovely studio. Ricky is a very kind, considerate teacher who patiently taught me how to create several different pieces of glass work, starting from a simple piece, getting progressively harder throughout the day. As there were only three of us on the day we all had plenty of time to get creative without any rush. I cannot praise or recommend the course highly enough, and would encourage anyone to have a go, you will be really pleased you did."

Eloise reviewed: Introduction to silk painting - workshop at The Mulberry Shed

"I had the most incredible time at the Silk Painting Workshop at The Mulberry Shed. Sheila is the most wonderfully talented artist and teacher as well as being the most lovely person to spend a whole day workshop with!! I had never done silk painting before and arrived with a couple of vague sketches but not knowing any of the techniques or what you can produce from silk painting. Sheila guided me through everything, starting with a hankie that I used to practice a wide variety of techniques before going onto a bigger piece which I decided to be an art piece rather than a scarf. A week or so after the workshop my silk painting and hankie arrived in the post all steamed, washed and pressed and I love it so so much. I never thought I could create a piece of silk painting art like this before the workshop! Absolutely lovely day, amazing teacher and an outcome to be very proud of! Can’t wait to go again soon!! Couldn’t recommend enough!"

Carol Pantling reviewed: Leather long stitch journal / artist's book (beginners)

"I could not wait to get going on making a journal and Lynne was so accommodating in fitting me - there were just two of us the day I attended and we had a fabulous day. Lynne was a great teacher, very patient, full of inspiration and tips, she was also open to any ideas and suggestions from us. Plenty of choice of leather colours, thread binding and elastic closures. All in all a wonderful day. Thank you Lynne"

Pam Hansford reviewed: Introduction to making mosaics (Beginner level)

"I thoroughly recommend this Making Mosaics course. Sally is an excellent teacher. She is very encouraging and patient. I really enjoyed learning to make mosaic coasters. I felt I had achieved all my aims. A really lovely day thank you Sally."

Nigel East reviewed: Creating a Viking knife an introduction to forging and knife making at Bearded Pig Forge

"Completed a one day blade course. Spike is engaging and clearly enthusiastic about his work. He spent time in discussing all aspects of the work we were doing, from safety aspects, management of the forge and in working the metal itself. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and can’t recommend it highly recommend enough! Looking forward to going again!?"

David Roberts reviewed: Wood turning courses in the Midlands

"The day with Mark was a present from my mum after mentioning wanting to give it a go on passing a few months before. Having not been on a lathe for 30 years since my A Levels, I was a little bit apprehensive to say the least about my level of skill and how I would fare throughout the day. I needn't have worried though. I soon discovered that my memory of working with wood was was a little patchy at best and it was a quick decision to start at the beginning and cover the condensed course. From the start, Mark put me at ease and was very clear about what we hoped to achieve during the day. His experience and knowledge was immense and his relaxed manner made learning easy. Even with an obviously sore throat, he explained, hinted, and corrected patiently and concisely with a good balance of demonstration and verbal instruction. As his advert suggests, there was also an ample amount of tea and coffee at hand! The day was superb and I cannot wait to get power up to my shed, fire up my lathe and put what I learnt into practice. It is certainly something I will be continuing with and I would definitely consider booking another day with Mark. Oh, and big thanks for the shopping list and advice - a huge help as it is a bit of a minefield out there!"

Roger Davies reviewed: 2 day blacksmithing courses

"My buddy and I had a great weekend with Aaron. he has a happy knack of adjusting the course to suit the students. We learned a lot, and had fun doing it. The smithy is well equipped. This is a very good course."

Lori Sather reviewed: The spirit of Shetland knitting holiday

"Very informative and great classes"

Danny King-Smith reviewed: Creating a Viking knife an introduction to forging and knife making at Bearded Pig Forge

"What a great day! Spike is very knowledgeable and passionate about blacksmithing and it shows in how he talks about what you're doing and why you're doing it. A great learning experience, I highly recommend and am planning on doing more of his courses in the future."

Shivani Murarka reviewed: Beginners candle making private workshop - Marlow, Buckinghamshire

"I attended a workshop run by Sarah in August. Sarah was just fantastic with great knowledge. She taught and guided me to make the most beautiful variety of candles. She made sure to not only give useful hints and tips but also take lots of photos and note to help us remember ever small detail of the process. I've done a candle making course before but what I thought was unique about this course with Sarah was the way she taught me to use different waxes for a whole creative range of candles - from moulded candles, to t -lights to stick candles, floating candles we made them all! After this workshop I can’t wait to start experimenting with candle making at home. Thank you Sarah!"

Nicholas Rogers reviewed: Wood turning courses in the Midlands

"Many thanks to Mark for a really good day. Mark's patience and knowledge for wood and woodturning make him a perfect teacher. Plenty of tea and coffee throughout the day and Mark's teaching abilities are second to none. I didn’t really know what to expect because I had only been turning for a few months and maybe had some bad habits but Mark takes his time to make sure that you are fully comfortable with the course material, rather than rushing through to meet a pre-determined finish time. At the end of the day I was able to take home my very first oak bowl and other exercise pieces with plenty of reference material and a knowledge to carry on turning as a hobby. Since the course, Mark has been more than happy to answer any questions I have regarding technique and equipment. He is a very nice person, and clearly has a passion for teaching, and I would not hesitate to recommend his wood turning course to anyone. I will be joining a club soon and look forward to seeing him teaching again."

Kay reviewed: Introduction to fused glass (1 day) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire

"Really good course conducted in a friendly and encouraging environment. There are plenty of books and examples of completed projects available for inspiration. All materials and tools are provided in a designated workshop with plenty of adjacent parking. Refreshments and toilet facilities available next door throughout the day in a nice clean cafe and drinks available in the workshop. Course started with instruction on how to cut glass shapes and layer pieces to make a sun catcher, then progresses to cutting and encapsulating foil and paper designs,, using glass powders and glass shapes to make coasters and a bowl. Martin is an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and patient teacher who encourages participants to develop their own creative ideas. By the end of the class everyone had produced several pieces with an amazing variety of styles and techniques. We all enjoyed the course and were left wanting more. Highly recommended."

Mary Flynn reviewed: Piano Lessons

"My 7 year old daughter has been having lessons with Laura since earlier this year. She is clearly very passionate about her music and has an excellent background knowledge. My daughter has progressed really well and loves coming to the lessons each week!"

Pauline Parr reviewed: Heritage teddy bear making - residential

"I warmly recommend this course. My friend and I had a lovely weekend spent making a charming little bear in a beautiful part of England! Lyn helped us all to create a jointed bear in our choice of mohair. All materials are included in the cost of the course, making it good value for money. Lyn is an excellent teacher - patient and very encouraging. Most of us were new to bear-making, but we all went home having completed our own bear, each with their own character. To finish, we had to 'stick at it' over the two days and some of us had a bit of stitching to complete as 'homework', but the finished bears were well worth it! The number on the course is limited and Lyn ensured that we received individual attention when we needed it, as well as keeping us well-supplied with tea and coffee. My friend and I stayed at Kathy's guesthouse. We enjoyed her hospitality and cooking, and fell in love with her two dogs!"