Shoreside Craft Studio

19/09/2026

It's candle season 🕯!!

I love a TKMaxx candle haul as much as the next person but it can get expensive very quickly ....

I'm a big autumn fan, I love the glow of candlelight and I reuse old containers and make my own ❤️.

Today I used a kit from one of our lovely tutors but honestly you can pick up the bits you need quite reasonably wherever you shop for your crafty bits. You don't even have to use wicks if you have a candle warmer, even easier and cheaper!

It's not messy (unless you start bopping round the kitchen holding a jug of molten wax, ask me how I know 🤣) and is a lovely way to spend an hour on a rainy Saturday.

So start picking up those cute little jars in the charity shop and keeping your used candle containers.

I have a little rosebowl that I'm going to use next time - I'll keep you posted ❤️. xx

19/09/2026

14/09/2026

Crochet love is international ♥️

Spotted these creations on a recent trip to Budapest. Tucked away in Szimpla Kert, they brightened up a dark corner, unnoticed by most but hard to miss if you're a yarn fan.

Hungarian Guerilla Crochet - fab!

11/09/2026

Autumn is by far my favourite season. 🍂

There's something about the evenings getting darker, the first chill in the air and wanting to be tucked away somewhere cosy with a project on the go.

Yarn comes out.

The fabric gets rummaged through.

So tell me, what are you making now as the evenings get shorter?

Or perhaps the better question is…

What have you bought the supplies for but still haven't started? 😂

09/09/2026

"I can't crochet."

I hear this one a LOT.

But here's what I think:

Most people who say they "can't crochet" actually mean "I've never been shown how."

You don't need to start with a giant blanket or a complicated cardigan.

Learn one stitch.

Make a little something.

Get it wrong.

Undo it.

Try again.

And soon those funny little loops start to make sense.

Crochet is, at it's most basic, a lot of fancy knots.

You CAN crochet.

You just have to pick up a hook and have a go. ❤️

06/09/2026

Have you got a sewing machine hiding in a cupboard?

You know the one…

The machine you bought because you were definitely going to learn to sew.

The machine that's now been sitting quietly in the cupboard for approximately… forever. 😂

Here's the thing.

You don't need to know everything before you start.

You don't need to make a dress.

You don't need to understand every setting on your machine.

You don't even need to be particularly "creative".

Start with something simple. A cushion. A tote bag. Some bunting. Just sew a straight line and see what happens.

Once you've made that first thing, you'll probably be surprised how quickly you want to have another go.

So… if you have a sewing machine gathering dust, what would you LOVE to make if you knew how?

04/09/2026

5 things I wish someone had told me when I started sewing:

After years of making things, teaching people to make things, making things badly, making things brilliantly and occasionally wondering 'Why did i even start this?!', here are five things I wish I'd known at the beginning.

🧵 You don't need the fanciest sewing machine. In fact, you don't even need a machine at all depending what you're making.

🧵 Good fabric really does make life easier.

🧵 Unpicking isn't failure. It's sewing. We all do it. Your seam ripper is your best friend, you should buy one in every size 😉.

🧵 Pressing your seams properly can make an average project look much much better. I always say, a good press takes your project from homemade to handmade.

🧵 You don't have to be 'good' at sewing to enjoy it.

So if you've got a sewing machine gathering dust, some fabric you've been saving 'for the right project', or a craft you've always fancied, just have a go.

What's something you wish someone had told you when you first started making? 👇

02/09/2026

Last day of the school holidays and the weather was (and still is tbf) wet, damp and cold.

So, we retreated to the hideaway!

Once the fire was lit, we had an impromptu willow star wand-making session ⭐️.

Just a pile of willow, a warm fire and R happily weaving away.

The best kind of crafty days, where you hide from the rain, make a bit of a mess and end up with something lovely.

Our summer holidays officially ended with wonky willow stars and a very cosy hideaway.

I’ll take that! xx

01/09/2026

Well hello, September 🍂

It’s been a while since I’ve properly popped up on here.

Life has been lifing.The last few months have been a whirlwind of family, busy days, big things, little things and everything in between.

But today is 1st September and that can only mean one thing…

🍁 AUTUMN IS COMING 🍁

My favourite time of year!!

Cosy evenings
Chunky yarn
Gorgeous rich fabrics (i mean, velvet 😍)
Crochet, sewing, making, creating.
Pumpkins. Ghosts. Bunting. Christmas projects 😮

So I’m dusting off the studio, digging through the fabric stash and getting my crafty brain back in gear.

If you’ve been meaning to make something, learn something new, finish that project that’s been staring at you for six months, or simply spend a few hours making and chatting, then this is your season.

Hello September.
Let’s get making ❤️

25/08/2026

Four days to go until we’re hosting … so naturally, I’ve decided now is the perfect time to start a ridiculous sewing project.

Metres upon metres of stripe fabric, no pins, no measuring and no real plan.

Wonky seams? Absolutely.
Time to finish it? Fingers crossed 🤣🤞.

Anyone else start completely unnecessary projects with DAYS to go before an event?! Please tell me I’m not alone! xx