Latest reviews

22 May 17'

Victoria reviewed: Introducing Macrame Knots and Intricate Designs

"A great introduction to Macrame. A lovely afternoon spent learning the basic knots and taking home a finished sampler."

22 May 17'

Jayne Edwards reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"i treated a work colleague to an evening at Smartsy for her Christmas present. i had done some sessions with Ali at Palmers but this was the first time at her own workshop. there were 7 of us the session and we made trinket dishes and spoon rests. it was a lovely evening and my colleague loved it as it was her first time working with glass. the results were fabulous. Im looking forward to going for another session ASAP !!!!"

22 May 17'

Julie Ward reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"I have been to several glass fusion courses. Excellent evenings, a chance to be creative and have a little me time. Good company and time flies past. My glass pieces are lovely, and I look forward to the next course."

22 May 17'

Ghislaine Wood reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"I recently went to one of Ali's workshops for a glass artwork based on Birch trees. It involved painting on glass as well as using and cutting glass. The two hours flew by, and I am so pleased with the end result, which is now hanging at my kitchen window. Having done numerous workshops with Ali, I have to warn, they are VERY awaddictive."

22 May 17'

Isobel Reay reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"Went with my craft group to a glass fusion workshop & am now really hooked. It was excellent & Ali is a brilliant tutor. So pleased with what I produced & can't wait to do more sessions. Would recommend to anyone - give it a go & I guarantee you will have a rewarding time."

22 May 17'

Wendy Hardy reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"I be attended two fused glass sessions and a stained glass one .all fantastic.the studio is charming.Ali and Mel were friendly and professional.I can't wait for my next one ..beach huts and seascapes!"

22 May 17'

Jackie Chilton-Thomas reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"I attended my first bowl making session in March. I had a great time, really enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere was relaxing and friendly. I am really pleased with the result of my glass bowl. Well worth the money."

22 May 17'

Jenny hunter reviewed: Fabulous felt picture 2 day masterclass near York

"A very enjoyable informative 2 day course. Had a very limited knowledge about felting and the process of felting. Was shown how to build up my picture from the foreground to the front and the fine detailing after the felting process. A very relaxed and pleasant environment to learn in and Bridget is a very informative and competent tutor. Really enjoyed it! Many thanks Jenny"

22 May 17'

Tracey reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Laughing whilst handling hot chunks of metal is not something I had ever envisioned but laugh we did...all day! A great group of people from all walks of life and a brilliant taster session into the basics of metalworking. Okay...so my keyring was a tad left field, and my dragon coat hook may take a little interpretation or a degree in modern art to grasp my effort, but it hangs proudly in the spa at home now as a towel holder (Him indoors was tasked to position it immediately and it hasn't fallen apart).......However in all seriousness, Adrian and Andy are master craftsmen who gave me the confidence as a women who didn't know which end of a hammer to hold, to have a go - to let go and they were on hand if needed to offer support (to fix the wonky dragon head - thanks Andy!). Catering supplied by Debbie was outstanding - clearly Debbie is to catering, what Adrian is to Metalworking - vast amounts of food, all homemade and thoroughly scrummy! I cannot recommend this course and these guys enough - an absolutely brilliant day and I didn't want it to end - suffice to say, I'm awaiting the 2018 courses and I'll be back for more......"

22 May 17'

Naomi Barnett reviewed: The Annie Sloan complete chair makeover Workshop at La Di Da Interiors

"The chair makeover was fantastic and Steph was very helpful and patient. We all achieved amazing results. My suggestions are to do with the catering aspect. Firstly you need a proper coffee machine and ideally homemade cakes (or at least cakes from a bakery, placed on a plate). Secondly, I would suggest that fish and chips for lunch are not ideal. Surely some sandwiches from Waitrose or something similar would be easily sourced. A fabulous day that could be improved."

22 May 17'

Karen Withers reviewed: Annie Sloan Method with Chalk Paint for Upcycling Furniture at La Di Da Interiors - The Basics

"I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Stephanie was a brilliant tutor and explained and answered every question that was raised. I have gone away with lots of ideas - I just need to put them into practice! Thank you."

22 May 17'

Peter reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Absolutely brilliant. Adrian and Andy were beyond helpful, went through everything slowly enough that you could understand and remember the steps, but not too slowly that you felt you were standing around for ages. The pieces we got to make (dragon coat hanger and keyring) were challenging enough to forge without being too hard for a total beginner and the atmosphere was light hearted, so you never felt you were being rushed on to the next task. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my day and can't thank everyone involved enough. I'll hopefully be back! Peter P.s. THE FOOD IS AMAZING!"

22 May 17'

Margaret reviewed: Make a colourful fused glass dragonfly 9” x 7” plaque with glass artist Matt Sorrell

"This is what I was doing yesterday , very relaxing. An enjoyable afternoon at Alford Craft Center"

22 May 17'

Michael reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Had a fantastic day on Saturday. To say I'm not incredibly useful with my hands is an understatement, but on Saturday I bent metal to my will (ish). I've creates a keyring and a dragon, learned to taper and bend and use hammers, tongs (tricky as hell BTW, there's no grace to a tong, it's just there to make you feel inadequate, trust me it's the tong) and had first class education in steel, how to heat it and other small techniques. This won't make you an ace blacksmith, but it'll certainly give you the bug and confidence to go set up a small forge, get a hammer and mould metal to your will for longer. I warned my partner that doing this course would be expensive. I'm about to drop £200 on an anvil, so the course is great value for money, the hobby may hurt more."

22 May 17'

Amanda Patel reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"We attended a Glass Art session during our Learning at Work week. The 90 minutes by far exceeded my expectations and was extremely enjoyable, rewarding and relaxing, and I will definitely be sharing this with people I know, and hope to book on to another course very soon."

22 May 17'

Kate Lee reviewed: Fused Glass Workshops for beginners & experienced

"We ran this course in work for our Learning at Work week and it was fantastically received - the feedback has been amazing. Ali was great at explaining how to make our pieces of glass art and then we were let loose to create. Colleagues found it relaxing and as they are collecting their glass art today their is a definite sense of pride in what they have created. I will definitely be looking at other sessions that Ali runs and doing more art for relaxation!"

22 May 17'

Georgie Mackie-Forrest reviewed: A one day spoon carving course

"An excellent course! Sharif has endless patience and is an excellent teacher. He is also very knowledgeable and so skilled. He guided us all though the process of making a spoon from green wood, how to use the tools and basic techniques. He's always on hand to inspire and guide you through any tricky bits. It was a totally absorbing day in a beautiful old stone barn in the Devon countryside. I met some lovely people, including a couple who were there to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary ( wood), but be careful as it is completely addictive. None of us wanted to leave! Thoroughly recommended"

21 May 17'

Robert (Bert) Parker reviewed: Firebird Forge Blacksmithing School

"My wife paid for me to do a 1 day course in Knife making, and I loved it. The forge has all the tools you could imagine, plus a few more. Mort is a great guy, and a very helpful teacher. He talked me through the proper technique for using a hammer on the steel, and kept trying until he found the right way to describe it for me. I was amazed with the piece he helped me create, and the pieces he makes look incredible. I would recommend this course to anyone intersted in knife making."

21 May 17'

Maree Showler-Smith reviewed: Landscapes in Fleece

"Such a wonderful day. Loved every minute and so proud of my new skills learnt and the creation of a wonderful stag head! Want to do it all again tomorrow. Sally-Anne is a fab teacher, full of knowledge and helpful tips and ideas. My stag looks amazing, so chuffed to bits with it. Can't wait to sign up again on next weaving day."

21 May 17'

Ann Marie Kewis reviewed: Lampshade Making Workshop with Clare Cosens

"Never done this before but in two hours I produced a professional lampshade that I am proud to have in my house. All as a result of really good tuition, and I loved it."

21 May 17'

Valerie Male reviewed: Silver Clay Taster Session

"I have attended Helen's taster course. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The setting was wonderful; quiet and peaceful, and Helen provided refreshments in the sessions. There were other people on the course which was lovely as we had chance to chat whilst still getting personalised tuition. Helen guided me through each step, from design to finished, polished, product. I chose to make a pendant which I love and wear often. I had such a good time I've been to additional workshop events."

21 May 17'

Peter Payne reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"Well organised. Clear instructions and well tutored. Refreshments excellent. A great bunch of people, the structure of the course means that strangers at the begining of the day soon learn how to work together. I would thoroughly recommend it.5"

21 May 17'

Christine Barber reviewed: Landscapes in Fleece

"Fabulous day today. Thank you so much SallyAnne. Excellent teacher and company. Can't wait until the next one."

21 May 17'

Dave Lee reviewed: Blacksmithing Beginners day courses in Yorkshire and the North East

"What a great day! Coffee and home made biscuits to get you going, followed by a great day learning new skills. When it went wrong, Adrian and Andy soon sorted my mistakes! Put a great lunch between the morning and afternoon sessions, with a pair of excellent tutors in blacksmithing, and it doesn't get better. Will definitely go back for more!"

21 May 17'

Noelle reviewed: Beginners patchwork with Calicoclair

"I'd not sewn more than a button for 25 years and I'd never used a sewing machine. Clair took us through the processes step by step and at our own pace. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and found it incredibly relaxing after a busy day. The cakes and company were also fabulous!"