Early Spring Flowers Watercolour Workshop
2024-02-13 09:45 - 15:45 (Europe/London) | Toolerstone House, Norley Road, Sandiway, Cheshire, CW8 2JN, United Kingdom
In this relaxing and informative workshop our tutor, Allie Pottinger, will demonstrate many creative techniques, including how to capture the finer details of spring florals, textured background washes, creating your own beautiful, nature-inspired masterpiece.

Introduction to Leather Workshop
2024-02-14 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-04-17 09:30 - 16:30
Our one-day leather workshop focuses on making premium small leather goods, such as a wallet, notebook holder, card holder or passport holder.
Join us for a wonderful introduction to leather in this workshop with Jason Stocks-Young of Diamond Awl. You will learn the core basics of traditional leather working techniques including marking & cutting, preparing leather for hand stitching, bevelling, burnishing and finishing. Make a leather item of your choosing and you can personalise it with your initials or you could choose the initials of a loved one as this would make a wonderful gift.

Hare Willow Weaving Workshop
2024-02-15 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-03-27 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-05-01 09:30 - 16:30
The willow Sarah uses is from the Somerset Levels and is a renewable and sustainable crop. It is the ultimate green product absorbing carbon from the atmosphere as it grows.
The sculptures are made entirely of willow. Sarah’s workshops are run at a steady pace and are suitable for beginners. You will be expertly guided through every step to create a wonderful sculpture of your own.

Feel Fabulous Fridays
2024-02-16 09:30 - 15:30, 2024-03-01 09:30 - 15:30, 2024-03-08 09:30 - 15:30, 2024-03-15 09:30 - 15:30, 2024-03-22 09:30 - 15:30, 2024-04-19 09:30 - 15:30, 2024-04-26 09:30 - 15:30, 2024-05-03 09:30 - 15:30 and 1 more date
Our Feel Fabulous Fridays are all about taking time out for yourself in the beautiful, tranquil surroundings of Toolerstone House.
Book a class (or 2) and enjoy our Coffee Shop, which is open exclusively to those who have booked on to one of our sessions throughout the day. Have a light bite, a brew and enjoy the garden view. We will be serving from 9am until 2pm with last orders at 1:30pm. Please note that we will close at 3pm.
Please note that ALL bookings for Feel Fabulous Fridays need to be made directly with the tutors via the links provided in the details in the Event Details Tab.
We recommend you wear suitable attire and bring your own exercise mat.
If the weather is kind we will hold the classes outside on the lawn.
All classes are low impact and suitable for all abilities. As with all exercise please ensure you are fit & able to take part and if you have any concerns about this please contact the individual tutors as directed below.

Botanical Vase and Coasters Pottery Workshop
2024-03-05 09:30 - 15:30
Inspired by the beautiful gardens at Toolerstone we will be exploring nature to identify flowers and foliage that we will then use to create lasting impressions in clay. Using your imprinted clay your tutor will guide you through hand-building pottery techniques to create vases and coasters. You will then add colour to the surface decoration enhancing the botanical theme and producing a range of items that will look stunning in your home.

Nature Inspired Wire Workshop
2024-03-06 09:30 - 16:30
Join us in our glass room for a relaxing and nature inspired workshop. You will create wire sculptures reflecting florals and seedheads influenced by the gardens here at Toolerstone. Learning how to handle various gauges of wire.
Our tutor Judith will guide you every step of the way.

Garden Bird Embroidery Workshop
2024-03-07 09:30 - 16:30
Join us for this gentle day of stitch focusing on the familiar birds that we see in our gardens. Choose from a set of images brought in by our tutor, Rachel, who will guide you step by step to transfer the image onto fabric using Bonda web and a sponge and water.
Learn to split the embroidery threads and embellish the bird image in a wooden embroidery hoop with 2 simple embroidery stitches, running stitch and French knots.
Each person will have a wooden block to paint. The embroidered fabric is then cut into a square shape and then ‘glued’ onto the block.
The final block can stand on a shelf or go on the wall.
This is a good workshop for those who are not confident with embroidery, as the photo of the bird is underneath and even a small amount of stitching looks successful.
We all love to see birds in our gardens, as they busy themselves next building or searching for insects. Bring the Spring into your home as the weather warms up.

Bee Beauty Product Making Workshop
2024-03-13 09:30 - 16:30
In this workshop you will learn how to produce a range of practical beauty products using beeswax, pollen & honey (from the hives at Toolerstone?) combined with a wide range of beautiful cosmetic & botanical ingredients using a variety of techniques.
Items made may include: Lip Balm, Temple Balms, Glycerine Soap, Honey & Sugar Scrubs, Shampoo Bars, Hand & Body Balms, Baby Bellly & Bump Balms variety of salves & unctions! Expect to take home at least 8 items.
You will be working in pairs, but will choose your own scents, colours & ingredients working from/adapting tutor tried & tested recipes.
Please note that this workshops assumes that you are able to weigh & measure ingredients accurately & that you are able to move around the room/stand for periods of time. Should you need any assistance with this or need adaptations before the workshop please make us aware.
Those who are allergic to citral should not attend the workshop.

Botanical Beauty & Spring Spa Products
2024-03-14 09:30 - 16:30
In this workshop you will learn how to produce a range of professional quality beauty spa/pamper products using a wide range of beautiful English botanical ingredients using a variety of techniques.
Items made may include: Glycerine soaps, salt or sugar scrubs, whipped body butters, massage oil, cuticle balm, hand cream, foot soaks, temple balms, hot oil hair treatments, clay masks & bath teas. Expect to take home at least 10 items.
You will be working in pairs, but will choose your own scents, colours & ingredients working from/adapting tutor tried & tested recipes. Please note that this workshops assumes that you are able to weigh & measure ingredients accurately & that you are able to move around the room/stand for periods of time. Should you need any assistance with this or need adaptations before the workshop please make us aware.
** Those who are allergic to citral should not attend the workshop **

Hare’s Head Willow Weaving Workshop
2024-03-21 09:30 - 16:30, 2024-04-24 09:30 - 16:30
The willow Sarah uses is from the Somerset Levels and is a renewable and sustainable crop. It is the ultimate green product absorbing carbon from the atmosphere as it grows.
The hare’s head sculptures are made entirely of willow. Sarah’s workshops are run at a steady pace and are suitable for beginners. You will be expertly guided through every step to create a wonderful piece of willow art of your own.

Lino Print Workshop
2024-03-26 09:30 - 16:30
Join us for a wonderful workshop where you will learn the basics of lino printing with our tutor Kirsty Hall. Lino printing is a very relaxing pass-time, creating print after print with different inks. In this workshop you will create a design of your choosing. It could be a wild hare, a fox, country scene, pattern or abstract landscape– the choice is yours!

Open Garden Mondays
2024-04-15 10:30 - 14:30
We are excited to announce that we are opening up our gardens on Monday afternoons from 10:30 to 14:30. For a small contribution of £10 (book in advance on line) you will be able to come along, enjoy coffee and a cake (included in the price) and escape for a few hours in this lovely, green space.

There is a small gift shop stocked with artisan products from local makers. We hope that you may wish to bring a camera and get stuck in to some photography, or maybe use one of our portable ‘sketching’ chairs and settle down for an afternoon of art.
Simon, our Head Gardener, will be hosting garden tours and answering questions for any keen gardeners. In warmer weather feel free to throw down a picnic blanket and chill out under the shade of one our willows down by the pond.

Spectacular Seascapes Watercolours with Allie Pottinger
2024-04-16 09:45 - 15:45
Join us for a day painting coastal scenes with Allie, who will share her process for capturing a spectacular seascape. Demonstrating different skies to set the mood, you will learn how to create a good composition & how to capture distance. You will have time to practise, explore and have fun with what you have learnt.

Smart Phone Photography With Jane from Love Your Lens
2024-04-18 09:30 - 16:00
Getting the most out of your phone’s camera
Join us in the glass room with our tutor, Jane, for a photography workshop that will show you how to get the most from your smartphone.
Do you wonder how people take such amazing shots with their phones when you are looking at Instagram and Facebook?
We all know smart phones have great cameras and can supposedly do all these wonderful things but where do you even start with it?
How do you know what to do with things like composition, depth of field, and what to do when the light is tricky?
If you ask such questions then this is the Smart Phone Photography workshop for you. Jane will take you step by step through the day and you will learn …

How to use all your phone camera features.
How to take photographs of a wide range of subjects and how to cope with different kinds of light conditions.
How to compose your image creatively.
How to edit your photos to enhance them and make them stand out from the crowd.
Tell a story with your images

Spring Wreath Workshop
2024-04-23 10:00 - 15:00
Join us to make a beautiful, fresh, spring floral wreath to decorate your home in our workshop with our tutor Kayleigh of ‘Happy Bloom’.
The unique and beautiful style that is reflected in the stunning arrangements are taught in this step by step workshop. You will learn the skills to create a unique wreath. No experience is necessary as Kayleigh will be on hand to guide you every step of the way.
Your front door will most certainly be the best dressed in the street, you may even want to keep your wreath on display indoors as a table centrepiece so you can admire your own handy work!

Book Launch of Creative Abstract Watercolours with author Kate Leach
2024-04-25 13:30 - 16:30
Kate began her teaching career right here at Toolerstone in 2021 and we are beyond thrilled that Kate has chosen Toolerstone for her book launch, we hope you can join us for this unique event.
Kate is an artist and illustrator based in Hertfordshire, her original artwork features beautiful watercolour techniques and mixed media details in metallics. Kate founded Essoldo Design in August 2020 – she has sold pieces to over 18 countries across the globe and has successfully licensed her work in the UK, Europe and the USA.
In this unique step-by-step book, you’ll discover watercolor techniques, tips and tricks to create your own vibrant art, letting the natural watercolor flow to help form your composition and inspire further mixed media embellishment.
Through a variety of projects, including simple shapes, abstract botanicals, and expressive landscapes, you’ll learn easy techniques to combine color, texture, and contrast in exciting ways, and how to add gorgeous embellishments using gel pens and metallics to make your abstract pieces shine.
Using this book, you’ll be able to create art that you’ll be proud to display in your home, gift to friends and family and develop your own portfolio, while having a lot of creative fun in the process.

Spring Wreath Workshop
2024-05-07 10:00 - 15:00
Join us to make a beautiful, fresh, spring floral wreath to decorate your home in our workshop with our tutor Kayleigh of ‘Happy Bloom’.
The unique and beautiful style that is reflected in the stunning arrangements are taught in this step by step workshop. You will learn the skills to create a unique wreath. No experience is necessary as Kayleigh will be on hand to guide you every step of the way.
Your front door will most certainly be the best dressed in the street, you may even want to keep your wreath on display indoors as a table centrepiece so you can admire your own handy work!
Please note that the materials used will be seasonal and may differ to those in the images.

Bird House Willow Weaving Workshop
2024-05-08 09:30 - 16:30
The willow Sarah uses is from the Somerset Levels and is a renewable and sustainable crop. It is the ultimate green product absorbing carbon from the atmosphere as it grows.
Learn how to make an organic bird house sculpture made entirely of willow. Sarah’s workshops are run at a steady pace and are suitable for beginners. You will be expertly guided through every step to create a wonderful addition for your garden. You can then make a small bird sculpture or bird feeder to go with your creation.
