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Category: Craft

Following on from the success of this April's workshop I have now arranged to hold the Spring 2013 workshop based at 'Mincarlo' for the following dates: April 15th to 19th 2013 – 4 nights.

The cost of the workshop will be £610.00 per person. This includes bed and breakfast as well as all boat charges to and from the outer (or 'off' islands) and taxi to and from the St Mary's airport to Mincarlo, our base. And, of course, includes my guidance and help and choice of the very best locations.

Read more: Isles Of Scilly Photography Workshop 2013

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Category: Craft

Record numbers of visitors from all over the UK flocked to this year's wool and natural fibres extravaganza, Wonderwool Wales, to enjoy a show that was bursting at the seams with creativity and inspiration.

Fibre enthusiasts were able to shop 'til they dropped at a show that was livelier than ever, with an increased number of exhibitors (more than 175 this year) offering a wide and vibrant selection of yarns, fibres, equipment, books and designer-made products covering all the fibre crafts such as knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving and felting.

Read more: Wonderwool Wales Fibre Show Attracts Record Crowds

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Category: Craft

Neil Machin was originally apprenticed as a joiner and these skills have allowed him to develop his unique technique of jointing wood, allowing him to create dramatic, life-sized sculptures.
Neil is inspired by the scale of the marble sculptures of the Great Masters, which has driven him to emulate the intricacy of their work adding the warm nature of wood. He lavishes a similar amount of care and attention to detail on each piece, whether it be the sinews of a galloping horse or the folds of an umbrella blowing in the wind.

Read more: Big Ideas From Begelly House

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Category: Craft

Pineneedles will be attending the NCT sale at Bishop Gore School, Swansea this Sunday morning from 10.00am until 1.00pm. Pineneedles are makers of hand-made gifts, many of which can be personalised with a name, making them a perfect present.
They will have a selection of their handmade name plaques, jigsaws etc and some special gifts for Mothering Sunday. If you wish to order items to collect on the day please phone 01792 371231 as soon as possible.
Visit www.pineneedles.co.uk for more information.

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Category: Craft

Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd April, 10am – 5pm
Learn how to make your own individually designed rubber stamps and create a selection of stationery goodies and gifts with your stamps, such as greeting cards, books and more.

The craft retreat at Glaspant Manor, Capel Iwan, Carmarthenshire, will be hosted by Candida Bradley, a book artist from London who produces traditionally bound books as well as artistic pieces.  She has exhibited in London, Cambridge and Dalbeattie and her work can be found in the Book Arts Collection at Tate Britain. 

Candida will discuss with the group the variety of uses for your own carved stamps and provide examples of how she has used them for her own work. She will offer some inspiration on the types of surfaces you can use as well as ideas for stamp designs. Candida will also demonstrate how to make a few simply bound books which lend themselves to the use of stamps.
Glaspant Manor hosts a variety of creative workshops and retreats throughout the year, as well as offering accommodation in a very comfortable 5 bedroom traditional farmhouse attached to the Manor. The grounds extend to 7 acres with views overlooking fields and the Preseli Hills. The workshop will take place in the large and light studio space which, in conjunction with a spacious barn, is used in the summer for exhibitions.

Workshop fee: £90 includes tuition, tools, materials and lunch. Accommodation and evening meal is available on request. For information or to book contact email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or tel: 01559 371860 or visit: www.glaspant.co.uk

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Category: Craft

Wye Lavender was started by Zoë Griffiths and her partner Chris Powell in 2009 with the planting of nearly 4,000 hardy lavender plants. Their small farm in mid Wales, nestling in the Cambrian Mountains, 1100 feet above sea level, is surrounded by stunning views of the Welsh Wye Valley & the Elan Valley.
 
Growing under organic principles, with no fertiliser, pesticides or GM, all plants are tended and harvested by hand, so Zoë and Chris can keep an eye on the quality of bunches and the health of the plants. The plants all have a very good colour and a strong perfume which last for several months and makes them very desirable for craft makers and foodies alike.
 
Four varieties are grown, mostly Imperial Gem and Grosso, followed by Royal Purple and Maillette. The lavenders have been selected for their individuality, versatility, hardiness and excellent scent. The lavender fields also benefit the environment as they attract thousands of bees and butterflies. Zoë and her team plan to harness this by installing hives to produce lavender honey.
 
Wye Lavender is one of the few hands-on lavender farms in the UK growing solely for fresh and dried bunches and loose flowers on a large scale. In 2011 Wye Lavender sold around 5,000 bunches with deliveries going all over the UK and even as far as Singapore!
 
This year they will have doubled that amount and are looking for other outlets that may be interested in stocking and selling their fresh or dried lavender bunches. Customers have been delighted with the quality of the lavender and, most of all, are pleased to be able to buy British/Welsh.
For more information visit www.wyelavender.co.uk or call 01597 810627
 

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At Gorsewen Arts, James and Bryony Singh work hard to run an environmentally responsible and low impact business. James and Bryony use a variety of media to create their contemporary jewellery and other applied arts objects. They often work with reclaimed and organic materials and their tactile and covetable pieces are infused with the natural world. Even the silver work contains a strong link to the beautiful Welsh countryside, with many ranges drawing inspiration and form directly from our rich plant life.
 
Probably the first item of jewellery many of us ever wore was a daisy chain, and fewpieces can be as naturally charming as the daisy chain bracelet, retailing at £190. With pure silver flower heads and Sterling silver stems threading through each thumb pinch, they are robust yet delicate, vibrant and subtle; so now daisies are for ‘grown ups’ too!This range features not just daisy chains for wrist and neck, but pins, earrings, and pendants too, starting from as little as £30.
 
James and Bryony take orders by phone and through email, as well as selling at craft fairs throughout the year. Most items are made to order, allowing each individual piece to be created precisely to suit. 
For more information visit: www.gorsewen-arts.co.uk

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Pineneedles are makers of hand-made gifts for children, many of which can be personalised with your child's name, making them a perfect present and this weekend they will be exhibiting at Get Welsh in Swansea Food and Drink Show. The event includes craft stalls for the first time; it takes place on Saturday and Sunday in Castle Square and Princess Street from 10.00am until 5.00pm.
Pineneedles will be showing a range of their handmade gifts including Name plaques, jigsaws, name key rings, Starboards...lots of which will have Welsh names on!!!

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Category: Craft

Annie Sloan’s renowned range of Chalk Paints has its first stockist in Wales. 

Kindle House, which has shops in Ystradgynlais and Brecon in South Wales, sells a wide range of home, garden and lifestyle products. Owner Emma Purvis is delighted to be chosen as the first Welsh stockist of Annie Sloan’s chalk paints. Kindle House is selling a wide range of Annie Sloan products, including Chalk Paints, Waxes, Brushes and the paint legend’s best-selling books. Kindle House will also be running the popular Annie Sloan painting workshops from its shops shortly.

About Annie Sloan Chalk Paints
The latest colour in the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint range has just been launched - Antoinette – a pretty plaster pink.
The Chalk Paint range comprises 29 decorative and historic colours which provide a simple way to transform furniture, floors and walls. The Paint provides excellent coverage, with one litre covering approximately 13 square metres. Prices are £16.95 for 1 litre pots and £5.45 for 100ml tester pots.

Often referred to as “The Best Paint in the World!" this is no idle claim, as Annie Sloan’s millions of followers around the world can attest to. The Chalk Paint does not follow the rules but allows users to work in an independent, intuitive and creative way. As Annie says: “Painting with our paint should always be a pleasure … It is designed for people who love to paint.”

The chosen colours and techniques come from Annie’s initial training as a fine artist, which encouraged the use of historical colour and design. Annie has been painting for over 40 years and her paint has been made by having expert knowledge of paint, pigments and art history. 

Annie's particular interest is in the 18th century and the early 20th century. The Chalk Paint colours have been inspired by European 18th-century furniture and have been made bright and rich, bearing in mind that they may be darkened with wax. Like all Annie Sloan Paints, none of the colours, except Graphite, contain black pigment, allowing for combining colours, further mixing and layering without the paint dulling. 

Painting furniture - this unique Chalk Paint allows furniture to be painted without priming or preparation as it adheres to almost any surface, from old waxed pine to melamine and varnished wood. This is the ideal paint to use for the painted French and Swedish look on furniture where the paintwork shows a patina of history. The Chalk Paint is soft and easy to patinate, taking wax to give it a beautiful mellow and protective finish. By diluting the paint with water you can make a wash to show the wood grain. 

Painting floors - for wooden or concrete floors, you can simply roll the paint straight on and finish with an extra strong varnish.
Painting walls - walls are given a completely matt, velvety finish. Walls are allowed to breathe as this is a simple eco friendly water-based paint - with virtually no VOCs – and is, therefore, good for the environment.
Other uses - the paint can even be used on garden furniture and pots, whether it is wood, metal, plastic or terracotta.

About Annie Sloan
As one of the world’s most respected experts in the field of decorative painting, Annie Sloan is often deservedly given the title of “a paint legend”. Annie has been largely instrumental in the painted furniture revolution, through her easy to approach, lively and creative attitude to painting. Annie has a strong desire to communicate and empower people creatively, which she does through her books, blog, workshops and paint.

Annie trained as a fine artist and turned to decorative work after university in the mid 1970s, whilst painting murals in houses as commissions. By 1987 Annie had written the phenomenally successful book 'The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques', which is considered to be the industry bible on the subject. Unable to find the paints that she wished to work with, Annie used her knowledge of colour, paint, pigments and art history and developed the first Chalk Paint range in 1990. In 2000 Annie set up a shop in Oxford, England, to showcase her Chalk Paint range, run courses, and offer interior design services.

Annie has now written over 20 books on traditional paints, colours and techniques which has led to total sales of well over 2 million books worldwide, printed in eleven languages. Annie’s latest books are the highly successful 'Creating the French Look' published in April 2008 and 'Quick & Easy Paint Transformations' published in April 2010, both published by CICO books and more are currently being worked on. There are now close to 100 stockists in the UK and also in Ireland, Europe, USA and beyond. Annie trains her hand selected independent stockists to run the popular Annie Sloan Workshops throughout the world, where enthusiasts learn how to use Chalk Paints, Waxes and Fabrics to re-work fabulous interiors and to simply up-cycle furniture pieces.

Annie lives and works in Oxford with her husband David who runs the business with her. Born in Australia to a Scottish father and a Fijian mother, she came to England to a farming life in Kent when she was ten years old. With spells in Southern Africa and connections to France, Cuba and the US she feels she has world roots. Annie has three sons all in their twenties and has lived in Oxford for the last twenty-five years.

Kindle House shops can be found at:
74-76 Commercial Street, Ystradgynlais, Swansea, Powys SA9 1PJ . Opening times - Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5.30pm, telephone 01639 849 159 and at
6B The Bulwark, Brecon, Swansea, Powys LD3 7LB. Opening times – Monday to Thursday from 10am to 5.30pm; Friday & Saturday 9.30am to 5.30pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm. www.kindlehouse.co.uk