Contemporary Knitting workshop

Come and make these beautiful knitted bangles and more on Friday 6 July at this wonderful workshop. More details here

Contemporary Knitting workshop

We're coveting the necklaces! We'll look forward to seeing you there. Oh and tea and cake will be plentiful as usual.

Best

Annie and Sherrey

Upcycling; French Chateau Chic

Mid way through beautifying a useful but not so attractive table and it's looking good.

I am using a lovely light grey-ish blue paint from Craig and Rose called Study Room Blue. It's a chalk-based paint and you can buy it locally from B&Q. It suits my French-Scandinavian style conservatory perfectly.

One coat of paint done, hoping to finish the project this weekend. Wish me luck.

Sherrey and I love upcycling furniture and creating a bespoke look. We are planning a few restoration workshops in our Autumn programme so we can share a few of our tricks and tips with you. Watch this space as we will be unveiling our Autumn workshop programme soon.
Best
Annie

 

Step by Step so you can make Bunting at home

Here is a Step by Step guide to making Bunting for all those who couldn't make our workshop last night or who live too far away, now you can try making your own bunting at home.

Click here to find the Step by Step on the Make at Home page on www.Oxford Makers.com. 

You can post photos of your successful bunting-making on our facebook page www.facebook.com/oxfordmakers 

Best

Annie and Sherrey

Brilliant Bunting-making at The Curtain Shop

Strings of beautiful bunting were created by all Makers at our first workshop at The gorgeous Curtain Shop in Summertown, Oxford.

Janet, the Manager of The Curtain Shop, made us all extremely welcome and we all raised some funds for Helen and Douglas House Hospice by donating money in exchange for some beautiful designer fabric remnants.

Have a look at our photos and you will see the bunting is so very different and unique. One string will be brightening up boy's bunkbeds, another adding an elegant twist to a garden party and a third will be given as a gift to an unborn baby to welcome him or her home from hospital very soon, to describe just a few.

Sherrey showed different ways to make up bunting and a variety of bunting styles and everyone chose to do something different. Janet from The Curtain Shop was brilliant throughout the evening sharing some tricks of the sewing trade and tea and cake was enjoyed by all. Well it wouldn't be an Oxford Makers night without it! 

For Sherrey and I, some of our Makers made our night with some amazingly lovely comments. One Maker said she had wanted a sewing machine for ages and now we had taken away her fear of sewing machines, she was going to treat herself. Another said she hadn't used a sewing machine in ages and then quickly whipped up a metre of bunting in no time on the machine and said it had all come flooding back. We really had a wonderful making evening with lovely people.

If you fancy joining us, we are holding our next craft FLASHMOB at The Curtain Shop on Thursday 19 July at The Curtain Shop, Summertown, Oxford. It's a free event and everyone is welcome. Please bring along anything you are mid-making or come and try one of our making projects. We'd love to see you there.

Best

Annie and Sherrey

Upcycling frenzy

Phew, one minute sipping coffee, the next attacking and upcycling a useful but ugly table in my conservatory. The table is one of my latest bargainous finds and is exactly the right size and folds away like a dream, but it isn't going to win any designer furniture prizes any time soon...yet!

Sherrey and I love upcycling furniture finds and giving tired old pieces a new lease of life while creating a totally personal look.
This morning's project was a duck-yellow pine table that does not suit my colour scheme. After a bit of elbow grease it is now ready for painting with the final colour and I'm planning to try a new pot of light grey paint to rock the distressed French chateau-chic look. I promise to post photos of the end result in a couple of days together with a step by step so you can try this out at home.

Sherrey and I are also planning an upcycling furniture workshop to show and share with you a few of our tricks and tips. Watch this space as we will be unveiling our Autumn workshop programme soon.

Best

Annie

Creating our own studio space

Our kitchen tables are lovely places to work but as Oxford Makers grows, we are both craving dedicated studio space.

Luckily we have both been given a craft space to call our own, at home! Sherrey's space is a vibrant garden shed and my space is a light blank loft canvas.

Both will make beautiful studios eventually. Sherrey's looks out over her whole garden and is next to her kitchen garden and my loft has a view of the dreaming Oxford spires. 

We will be posting pictures of our studios as they get more snazzy and we're hoping to pick up ideas and tips from other crafters along the way. Wish us luck.

Best

Annie and Sherrey

Craft FLASHMOB in July

Diaries ready?! Our next craft FLASHMOB is set for Thursday 19 July from 6.30pm at The Curtain Shop, Summertown, Oxford. 

We'll be asking you to bring along anything gorgeous you're mid making! We love to see what people are working on and last time seriously coveted some hand-made paper flowers and chicken doorstops. We'll also be asking everyone to pitch in and help with our group make - a surprise, you'll see on the night ;-). We'll also have some of our own makes for you to try out and take home.

Excited already. Stick the date in your diary and please let us know if you are coming as it helps us plan how much cake to bring ;-).


Here's a pic from our last FLASHMOB. The guys were helping finish our group make - a Decopatch chair. Hope to see you in July if not before.  
Best
Annie and Sherrey 

Make bunting and raise cash for local Hospice

Pop along to our Bunting Workshop this Thursday at The Curtain Shop, Summertown, Oxford and you will be taking home your own hand-made string of bunting and making a donation to Helen and Douglas House Hospice.

Our workshop will be held at The Curtain Shop in Summertown, Oxford this Thursday (21 June) from 6.30-8.30pm. You will be able to choose from an array of beautiful fabrics from the remnant basket at The Curtain Shop to help make up your bunting in exchange for a small cash donation to local charity, Helen and Douglas House Hospice. The remnant basket is full to overflowing and remnants will cost 20 pence or 50 pence depending on size. A bargainous price and the money will be going to an amazing cause.


Once you have chosen your fabric, we will be showing you some hints and tips that will have you zipping up beautiful bunting in no time and we've also got some fab ideas to share about you can personalise it too with children's names, the alphabet and numbers.

As with all Oxford Makers' workshops, we will be stopping for a tea and cake break in the middle of our creativity session. Everything stops for cake! 

We are really looking forward to seeing you at The Curtain Shop on Thursday for our first Summertown workshop. 
Best
Annie and Sherrey

Try Life Drawing this Friday

We're holding our second Life Drawing workshop this Friday (15 June) from 6.30-8.30pm at St Anthony of Padua Church Hall, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7SS.
We'd love as many people as possible to come and join us whether you are an expert or are looking to try something new. Book a place on our website www.oxfordmakers.com

This week our model is a man. Once again we have some new drawing challenges up our sleeves to get you in the mood, loosen you up and introduce you to a few concepts if you are new.
For those who are new, we dont do anything without tea and cake and there will be plenty.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Best Wishes

Annie and Sherrey

Gorgeous fabrics in remnant sale

News for fabric obsessives, The Curtain Shop, Summertown, Oxford is holding a remnant sale on Wednesday (16 June) from 10am. We are both fabric-mad and also love a bargain so we can't wait for Wednesday. The Curtain Shop is our new discovery. We couldn't believe our luck when we stumbled across this local shop selling Designers Guild, Clarke and Clarke, Emily Bond and Jane Churchill. 
Anyway if you are into fabric, this event is for you. They are doing rolls of fabric for £5 a metre, curtain poles, blinds and wall paper. 
We are hoping for some material to jazz up our home studio spaces...and we will be blogging about Project Studio soon.
Maybe see you on Wednesday.
Best
Annie and Sherrey

Beautiful prints, wonderful people & outstanding printmaking! Well done all!

Thank you to the fabulous makers that came to our Mono-printing workshop this evening.
The artwork created was fantastic, new skills were tried for the first time, alongside much chatter and lots of tea and shortbread of course!

Here are some of the lovely images created this evening.

Printmaking workshop tonight!

Brighten up this windy wet Friday and  try your hand at Printmaking! Pop along tonight to our very popular Mono-printing workshop! It is the easiest form of printing, quick and great for beginners!

To book your spot see www.oxfordmakers.com, to create and take home your very own, personalised range of Oxford inspired placemats.

Simkin the Sock Monkey

Meet Simkin the Sock Monkey the newest member of the Oxford Makers team. If you would like to make your own Sock Monkey Mascot then check out our website for a workshop coming soon.

Simkin loves to explore the creative hub that is Oxfordshire, more photos to follow of him doing what he loves best 'Meeting up and Making.'

Here he is getting into the Jubilee spirit!