An Amazing day!

For many people learning craft skills form their mum, nana or aunty are no longer an option. The pressures of leaving home to look for employment in far away cities/countries is a common reality and so the family unit becomes more disperse which can mean that passing down ancient craft knowledge is something they can no longer tap into quickly and directly.

image © http://cphpost.dk

Fortunately there is an alternative! "The Amazings" - I'm sure you've heard all about it already, they are creating quite a buzz!- is just that... a web site where learning and passing down skills through the generations is encouraged!

You can sign up and buy on line classes from elders who are experts in many fields. Not only do they have years of experience but they are still practising and making beautiful craft.
You might think it's all about dated crafts like doilies and crocheted tea cosies but you'll be glad to hear that it's far from that... these elders are truly in tune with today's modern craft trends, are engaged with technology and ready to collaborate with new designers. And collaborate we did! I had the privilege of  working with Sue Pearl, a fab felter with a huge heart, an amazing eye for colour and an awe inspiring Juke Box collection! I have worked with needle felting and used felt as a material for a long time but I had never actually made the stuff.

Me and Sue making beautiful felt!

We started off the day as strangers but by the end of the class I felt a huge affinity and craft crush for Sue plus now I can make my own felt too! She is quite an inspiring teacher!
If I could chose a surrogate family member she'd be at the top of my list! She reminded me so much of my great aunt Lila both in a physical sense but also in her humour, wit and love for craft.
We laughed, we made some awesome things that afternoon and I for one think that there is still so much to learn from our elders.
Having this on line resource is both practical and a stroke of genius. To begin with; and I have to admit this; I was sceptical at how that human contact we get from craft making would translate into a pre filmed tutorial but... it works! Having watched a couple of The Amazings on line tutorials I can say that it's... erm, Amazing! You can pause, rewind and watch over as many times as you need to. It's fab and the personalities of the elders shine through so each class is engaging, interesting  and endearing plus by having the option to contact the tutors leaves you feeling like you are being lead by a caring expert hand!
So if you would like to see more or even sign up to the class then visit The Amazings web site:
https://www.theamazings.com/online_activities/21

A special thank you to Claire Hair for the amazing hair cut and styling... she is a phenomenal hair magician! For hair and beauty appointments please call: 07963057210

The Amazings are coming to a screen near you!

There's a buzz around the Craft world at the moment and it's all about experienced people teaching the younger generation about making! It goes by the name The Amazings?  Have you heard about it? No?! OK so you've either been on a long holiday or living completely off grid because The Amazings are the hottest topic around at the moment!!! We'll forgive you for it because we know how quick information moves and just how darn hard it is keeping up with everything! But we'll tell you all about it...

Through out time elders have passed on skills to younger folk...

mosaic plant pots...one of the classes available to join!

So what are The Amazings?
The  Amazings  is  an  online  platform  where  retired  and  retiring  people  pass  on  craft skills through  classes and courses.
There  are  now  over  200  real  life  workshops  on  offer.
Demand  for  the  classes  has  far  outstripped  what  the  individual  Amazings  can  provide, so  in order  to  widen  the  availability  of  the  courses, they  will  now  be  available  through  a  digital platform.

Beauty is not just skin deep... learn to make it from the experts!

Knitting got you in a twist and granny doesn't live close enough to pop in to teach you? Fear not you can learn from an elder on line!

We love the concept behind this project and because we've been harping on about "Sharing your craft skills" for the past 5 years or so we're very happy to see it's something others are also aware of and striving to keep alive!
It's so important that we as a society pass on creativity because a society with out CRAFT is like a banjo with out strings!!! More and more people have become engaged with making as the modern world moves at a colossal rate people of all ages have found craft a therapeutic respite from the constant evolution in technology.

Jewellery making!

Learn from others and maybe one day you too can pass it on to the next generation!

So how do you get a piece of the action? Online classes will be offered in everything from knitting and sewing, to bookbinding and retro-hair dos. Courses consist of  2 hour video tutorials, commentary, teacher’s notes and you'll also be able to ask the teacher a question!
Once  enrolled, users will be able to watch  a class anywhere, anytime, and for as long as they like. That's the magic of the inter net and we think this offer is magic too!!! So no hurrying as you'll be able to watch and learn at your own pace and whenever you have time.

Fun and fab... make a dress from a shirt...

...just another brilliant workshop by the people at The Amazings!

So if you're after some creative classes here's a list of what will be available:
*Make Natural Beauty Products
*Three Retro Hair Dos
*Make a Mosaic Flower Pot
*Learn to Patchwork Quilt
*Try Altered Books
*Turn a man’s shirt into a summer dress
*Create a Silver Metal Clay Butterfly
*Loom knit a woolly hat

Altered Book...

And because we love to share the creativity The Amazings have offered an exclusive and brilliant treat for our blog readers... so if you'd like to book an online class visit www.theamazings.com and get your first class for free!
You'll need this code to access the freebie page, just sign in and follow the steps:
http://bit.ly/11tdram