I’ve been running sea glass craft workshops for nearly 2 years now and they are still as popular as they were when I started. There is usually at least one person in attendance who always says, “I am not in the least bit artistic and I have no idea what I’m going to do,” yet always leaves with a smile on their face. So if you think this is you, this blog will attempt to allay your fears and convince you to give it a go.
What are the benefits of crafting?
If you’re a regular reader of my blog then you will know that I’m always spouting the benefits of crafting. According to research, crafting, especially crafting with others, can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, depression, loneliness and even dementia – this is taken from the Crafts Council website. To find out more, check out the full article here. It’s no surprise to me that crafting was the first thing I turned to when I was furloughed during the pandemic.
The process of creating something is cognitively beneficial, good for your motor skills, encourages you to be present which is great for anxiety and gives you a rewarding feeling of satisfaction when you finish and sit back to admire your handiwork. My workshops are between 12 and 20 people so you also get the chance to be sociable and meet new people with similar interests to you.
What is the format of the workshop?
I always provide tea, coffee and a sweet treat so I general start by putting the kettle on while I’m waiting for everyone to arrive. This is a good chance to say hello and get settled into the room. Everyone has their own little goody bag containing a frame, little bottle of glue and card on which to create your design. I spend a bit of time at the start talking about sea glass, showing you some of my favourite pieces I’ve collected, explaining how to glue your design and showing you photographs of previous examples that you can use for inspiration. Everyone has their own little tub and after we’ve gone through the basics, you can go up to the ‘buffet table’ and choose pieces of glass, shells, driftwood, pebbles to make your design with.
After that, you have about an hour or so to create your picture, which is plenty of time to make something really nice and I am on hand to offer advice and help you out if you get stuck. For those who are extra creative, I also bring along various paints, coloured pens, printing blocks and other crafty items to embellish your ideas. You’re also welcome to bring your own beachy finds if you’re a fan of beachcombing.
Where is it held?
Recently I have been using St. Andrews Centre in Pershore for my workshops as it has everything we need, is clean and nicely heated in the winter. If you look at the booking options you’ll see a fully accessible option which means the downstairs room. It’s a larger room so you can expect slightly more people in this instance. I also use the upstairs room for some sessions and this can only be accessed via a staircase as there is no lift. This is also a much smaller room so these sessions will have no more than 12 people present. As my sessions are almost always evening or Sunday, the parking outside St. Andrews is free as well as in the Abbey Car Park.
If you have a few friends who are interested, and you would like to book a session in the comfort of your own home, please just give me a shout as I am more than willing to arrange this if there is enough interest.
Can Children Come too?
Children are welcome at my sea glass workshops and actually really enjoy it. However, you will notice some sessions are marked as ‘adults only’ and some as ‘children welcome’. The only reason for this is to allow for different atmospheres at each event. Some of you will want an evening out with other adults and I feel that it’s nice to create a child-free zone on that occasion. I would ask that you can please respect this for others who have booked onto the course already by not bringing children to events that are marked as ‘adults only’. I also always ask that children are accompanied by an adult, though this doesn’t have to be a fee paying adult, you can pay for one ticket and share the activity if you want to.
What do I get at the end of it?
You will leave the session with your lovingly created piece of sea glass art in a 12cm box frame and a lovely sense of satisfaction at having done something you maybe haven’t tried before. Hopefully it will inspire you to have a go at other similar ideas when you get home and even start your own sea glass collection… be warned though, once you start collecting it’s fiercely addictive!
What have other people said about it?
You can check out the review section of my website at any time to see comments made by others who have attended, but here is a flavour.
Hopefully this has answered some of the questions you might have about the workshops, if you are interested in booking you can do so here.
Would you like to try making a sea glass picture by yourself? Why not try my sea glass starter kit, which also makes the perfect gift for creative friends.
Thank you for reading and I hope to see you very soon. Many thanks, Helen x
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