If you need a relaxing Saturday with three amazing artists and an incredible lunch look no further……..
At the end of the road where Broadstairs Location House is located is the sea…….. If that isn’t enough to entice you then read on….
View from the end of Dickens road, Broadstairs.
I had set off from home at 7.30a.m after a fretful night sleep worrying if I would a) get blown off the Dartford Bridge or b) Forget to pay the toll ( why does everything have to rely on online payments!) . But after a seamless journey I glided into the quirky and endearing town which is Broadstairs……
I arrived at Dickens Road to a warm welcome from Hester and Clare and Virginia ( whose beautiful house this is) We began the day with coffee and sublime home made biscuits, everyone chattering excitedly in the living room. Many of the people had come from Deal, Margate or Broadstairs but several people were making a weekend of it and had wisely booked trains and hotels in Broadstairs to have a proper get away…..
We chose fabric scraps from a beautiful selection which Hester had bought. The aim was to make a little padded square with some added spices in the form of cinammon, cloves and cardamon…. you could add lavender, chamomile or thyme or any herbs or spices that you find deliciously scented……
First workshop - Sewing with Hester.
We chatted and sewed and throughly enjoyed the process of just being with our needles and threads and fabrics and new found friends. Our little fabric coasters soon took shape with their delicious spices encased inside and we all felt a feeling of satisfaction and something else……… hungry for lunch, which as luck would have it Virginia had been preparing all the while in her beautiful light filled kitchen.
An area of the beautiful light filled room of Broadstairs Location House Kitchen which is available for photo shoots and filming locations.
The absolutely delicious lunch we enjoyed from Virginia. all vegetarian.
Just before lunchtime the lady I had most been anticipating to meet arrived Margot In Margate arrived!!!!…. We have spoken for a long while on Instagram and I had found out about todays event through Margots Instagram post so I was especially excited to meet her in real life today…….
Margot came armed with a beautful selection of baskets full of “charity shop find plates” and some paper and pens… If you haven’t seen her beautiful “faces” plates on Instagram here is a link Margot generously allowed us to choose three plates each to decorate with a special pen she had bought with her which can be fired in an oven to make the pattern fixed to the plate. We all had tremendous fun first of all flicking through a selection of books Margot had bought to inspire us…..
Many of the finished illustrated plates from Margots workshop.
One of the books many of us found inspiration in was Fine Little Day
The beautiful book by Fine Little Day which I took inspiration for my plates.
My plates on the left and right were inspired by images from Fine Little Day and in the centre I have combined those influences with inspiration from my favourite childhood book One eighth of a muffin and my houses of course…..
One of Margots illustrations on the wall here.
Following tea and a choice of three delicious cakes courtesy of Virginia we were eager to participate in the collage workshop run by Virginias sister , well known collage artist Clare Youngs . Clare works by making sheets upon sheets of markmaking with a variety of tools, paper and colours which she was generous sharing with us today.
Finished collages on the wall.
Clare provided us with a huge selection of mark making tools, paints and papers and we spent a happy hour making our own collage papers to then cut up an layer into illustrations. We all commented how we felt we were so grateful to have the time to “play” and feel free. We were all so loosened up after a morning of craft and a delicious lunch and afternoon tea we were all chatting and laughing freely which really let the creative process flow and I am sure I wasn’t alone in feeling I was in the middle of a “jolly night out with few glasses of wine.” But obviously without the wine……
We spent ages making these beautiful papers, some we didn’t want to chop up!! But the majority were then hacked to pieces to then become collage pieces in their own right.
It was such a wonderful, playful day.
I enjoyed every minute of my day at the Three Artists Workshop at Broadstairs Location House in Kent today. I have not been paid in any way to endorse this visit - I am sharing from one maker to another to go and join in the next round of fun to inspire and excite you and have a jolly delicious lunch!