NEW PaperArtsy Release: Alison Bomber {June 2026}

A note from Leandra ..

If you have been following us on Instagram/ Facebook, you will have noticed that Alison just taught a retreat here at PaperArtsy HQ the past week or so, and wow, what an event it was!

Our June class of 2026 included 4 returning students from last year - that tells you something about the kind of event we offer; this is not intended as a 'bucket list' activity, this is an event that offers more than you can ever imagine in value. Just bring yourself, and we take care of everything, from class supplies to transport, accommodation  (or pick your own off site),amazing food and along the way you get to customise to your preference on the odd occasion where we do eat 'out'. The touristic sites we went to were all different from the June 2025 retreat we had with Seth -  in fact it is hard to pick where we take you - we are surrounded by so many fabulous places to visit that we truly are spoiled for choice!! So, if you get the chance to come to a retreat in the future, I am sure every participant will say 'do not hesitate'!

The view from the classroom is spectacular, in fact, I think this is my favourite room in our house, especially in summer when the pool is open! We are constantly rearranging the outdoor spaces to make the most of the view and the pool and to create shade where necessary. We are fortunate that there are several spaces where teaching can occur outside as well as inside!

Alison used the trip to Chateau Des Milandes (Josephine Baker's castle) to do some sketching and loose watercolour teaching, such a beautiful place to be inspired, be it by architecture, textiles or flowers. No experience required - Alison shared some brilliant techniques to make these skills are easily accessible to people of all abilities.

Friday night was the memorable pizza party. We invited PaperArtsy staff, their families and local friends to come and join us and our class of June 2026 to enjoy the music by Marc and Jacques. They played a range of chilled music that went down a treat with Pizza and a drink or two. The weather throughout the week was exceptional, you can see everyone comfortably glowing in the late evening sun!! A perfect evening!

And of course, the focus of the week was to learn from Alison. She packed so many great techniques into the 4 days of classes, from printing with found grasses to mini watercolour abstracts. All the recorded techniques ended up as pages in a vintage journal to be continued beyond the retreat, many students managed to get a significant number of spreads done in their books showcasing reminders of all the techniques they learned in class.

Not only did we wine and dine the class participants with delicious French foods by on site food guru Chef Fred, we took them to eat out locally on a few occasions. In the stunning nearby village of Villereal people could opt for something a bit high end with a Michelin taster menus or a lobster specialist restaurant (Hippocampe). For those wanting a lighter option they chose the local bistro is where all the French hang out or those at the creperie under the shade of Les Halles had a galette (savoury pancake with salad). While in Villereal we mooched around the Brocante hunting for vintage treasures.

A trip to the pretty Limeuil Panoramic public gardens earlier in the week offered amazing views where the Vézère and Dordogne Rivers converge. The Dordogne is a wonderful river to Kayak on, it is warm, and recognised as the cleanest river in France, so perfect for swimming too.

ArtsyCrafts retreats are a mix of creativity (4 days) and touristic explorations locally (3 days). If you would like to see more video of what we got up to, head to the PaperArtsy ArtsyCrafts highlight on Instagram and follow along to find out more about our next retreat!

ArtsyCrafts - end of an era

Another amazing group of fabulous crafters came to join Lin and I this last weekend at the DeVere Hotel, Daresbury Park, near Warrington for 3 days of crafting exploration.

Gotta say, I think it was one of our best events for variety. Variety of people from several countries, variety of textures; fabric, clay, metal, wood, crunchy, smoothly, crackly and metal, and a variety of old-to-AC (had to be careful how I put that) and many new-to-AC faces too. It was perfect! We always try hard to bring something new to the table for each event, and I think we ticked all the boxes on that count!!

The event was another sold out occasion, which is what we always try to aim for, but we feel a bit unsure with the economy how it is, and if the classes will appeal when we release the classes for sale. This time we allowed people to book 1, 2 or all 3 days, so we hope that helped people pick the classes they preferred and to suit their budget. It seemed to work well.

People always seem amazed at the level of preparation we put into these events, and it is a labour of love when it comes to kitting and typing up the class notes, but Lin and I do enjoy our AC get togethers. The joint brainstorming magically produces a unique project with techniques we have explored or encountered along the way....this time we enjoyed the wonders of mica paste, illegal flowers, soldering through fabric, mesh-window clipping, satin glaze image transfers, plaster-resin buttons, and gilded clay...yes I guess you had to be there!

The crafters who came were again, such a lovely group, and even the brand newbies seemed to grab the bull by the horns and totally go for it. I love to watch how people take an idea we present and follow their gut instinct to tweak to their personal preference, whether it's colour, arrangement or whatever. It's so liberating to guide the people you teach rather than dictate how it should be done. I am all for people finding their own unique style and going with what they prefer! What they feel works or looks right. Lin and I might make suggestions, but people may or may not take our advice, or come up with something different. Building your confidence this way is how you stretch yourself to try new things and move forward. There is no right or wrong, it's all just fun and crafty exploration. There are no restrictive expectations, standards or boundaries.

From the feedback we got from the punters this weekend, they are so proud of what they achieved, and Lin and I were just as thrilled as they were. It's such a buzz to be a part of that , words cannot explain.

So, the clanger news is that Lin and I have come to the decision a few weeks ago that this will be our last ArtsyCrafts. It's really hard decide to discontinue an in-demand event that has given us so many warm fuzzies as a weekend like the one we just had. But, after 5 years with anything from 4-7 events per year, we are ready to call it a day. Lin, as you know retired last year. She intends to teach occasionally locally, but ArtsyCrafts is a big commitment, and she's ready to stop now that the retired lifestyle is calling to her loudly. I have several hats to wear running PaperArtsy, and certain hats really need a lot more of my attention. Clearing ArtsyCrafts off our schedules will free up a significant portion of our time to do the things we really should be doing. Yes, we will miss you all deeply, but we won't miss Quite so much the weeks and weeks of preparation, admin, spreadsheets and planning we put into each event.

So while you digest that bombshell, let me show you some more of the pictures i took over the weekend.

Friday was In the big room to fit all the sewing machines and allowed 3 people per large round tale - plenty of space16. What a sight that was. Lucky for us as the room is so huge, the noise wasn't bad at all. This class we made a fabric book, although some people opted to arrange it as a wall hanging. It took a couple of sessions to get into the groove, as this was unfamiliar territory for many, but we must have done ok, as Debbie and Lis, who had no experience whatsoever finished! And they loved it!

Saturday we hinged 2 Artemio frames together to make a sort of book filled with sewing notions, but not so much sewing on this, painting and other ideas went into this one.

Sunday was our 'Rusty Relic' class. Since finding out about rusting powder earlier in the year, Lin and I knew we wanted this to be used somehow. And we wanted clay, metal mesh and other unusual ideas incorporated. We though this was an unusual class, but many people decided it was their favourite as it was so different to the rest of the weekend. I think all the projects hit the mark. Thumbs up was the impression I got from our punters.

So there you have it, the end of an ArtsyCrafts era. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Lin, we seem to know each other inside out now, and she is fantastic! Of course we couldn't have done any of the ArtsCrafts weekends without 'The Mark's' (our husbands), and the other ladies who have helped over the years behind the scenes, particularly Karen, who has been the best kit-up queen, ever!

And of course, a big thank you to all of you who have managed to come to one or more of the many ArtsyCrafts events of the last 5 years. You were all amazing!

Take care and have a great week

Leandra

ArtsyCrafts {June 2012}

Lin and I had a fabulous time recently getting the last of the ArtsyCrafts details all sorted out. Now the orders are streaming in, and we are finishing up kits and all the other odds and ends that go into running a smooth event.

The classes are once again, a different assortment of options. I think its pretty hard to pigeonhole an ArtsyCrafts class, they have been so varied over the 5 years that we have been doing this. We do try to mix it up.

Lin and I have been on a real fabric kick this year, and ironically, it does seem that many of the large crafting manufacturers are on the same wave length, I have noticed a lot of soft embellishments products coming on the scene, and some are even printing their own fabric this season! So it was pretty inevitable that this whole fabric malarkey is being reflected in a couple of our classes on offer this time.

The Fabric Book (Fri June 8th, 9am-9.30pm)  

sold out

This book opens up in an unexpected way, with each page decorated with layers and layers of fabric, paper, crunchy, crackly, ribbons, flowers, washi tape, beads, buttons, charms and more.

Taught over 5 teaching sessions in the day/ evening, we kick off each section with a technique, and then are on hand to help you attach and arrange the layers to the suggested template, or tweaked in a different direction depending on your level of confidence.

You will have some lovely stash in your kits, to inspire your muse. You might start off a little unsure, but by the end of the day I think you'll be utterly hooked into this way of crafting, and it's so enjoyable to add carefully selected embellishments to each page.

The Sewing Room (Saturday June 9th, 9am-9.30pm)  

sold out

It might sound like a fabric project, but actually this is very much a mixed media affair. A double niche vintage-hinged wooden frames will end up looking like an old-fashioned book, with metal decorated cover and a clay name plate.

The 2 facing niches will include many sewing-related trinkets to decorate the interior. Clay and paint is just the beginning, we also have some plaster-casting, some soft furnishings, jewellery-making skills and tissue-stamping to master, oh and a touch of UTEE.

This is going to be a lovely day with plenty of fun ideas to enjoy along the way.

  
Rusty Relic (Sunday June 10th, 9am- 6pm) 

Sold Out

A fascinating project, shown here in a truly masculine distressed black/ rust tones, but would also look amazing in creams and rusty brown, or even patina blues/green...the choice of course is yours. Will will accommodate your personal preference.

Worked on 2 levels, inside the niche, and on top of the mesh, there a sneaky peeks through the mesh to reveal some interesting features.

Paint, bespoke mica paste (yes we have developed a new technique), mica sheets, image transfers, puff paint, wire and of course rusting powder are all incorporated to get your brain whirring with the possibilities of where you could take this concept.

And it doesn't stop there; clay, sheets of gold leaf, our newest product Crackly (soon to be released), and plenty of charm-ing embellishments are baked into the mix! So melt pots will be on hand too.

 

This event is not many sleeps away, and I think we are feeling pretty organised and ready to enjoy 3 days of creativity with those of you who have booked to come along.

Not only will we have the mysterious 'Crackly' product to release any day....

We also have 4 new sets of fabulous brand new stamps designed by the inimitable Lynne Perrella, in her iconic style that is proving so popular with stampers.

And Mark has been working on a stunning collection of haberdashery Hot Picks that we have been planning for about 18 months to fit in with this event.

Lin and I have made the decision this is going to be our last ArtsyCrafts. It's been a big commitment for us putting on at least 2 events every year for the last 5 years, as well as enjoying the opportunity to host some fabulous international tutors. The whole experience has been an absolute pleasure for Lin and I.

We have had so many light-bulb moments in the process while developing classes and techniques! And of course, not only have you made new friends, but you also know Lin and I (and the wider team behind the scenes) have all become firm friends in the process. 

I guess many of you will be disappointed we will not continue with ArtsyCrafts, but of course you will continue to see us demoing together at crafting events in the UK. Lin will launch her own new classes in the Midlands this summer, and Mark and I really need to get a lot more stuff uploaded to the too often neglected PaperArtsy you-tube channel and Blog. So we will all still be around, but more online than in-person. 

So a big thank-you to everyone who has ever come along to an ArtsyCrafts event.




Take care


Leandra

ArtsyCrafts {June 2012}

So much has happened already here this year with shows, trade shows, and now it's time to look forward to ArtsyCrafts already! Ohhh how exciting

We have got 2 classes done and dusted, the 3rd is still a work in progress...but the description gives you a pretty clear idea about where it is heading. Lin and I are both so excited about all of these classes.

They are 3 entirely different projects, and to suit all budgets and interests, you can book, 1, 2 or all 3 days. If it were me I would want to do them all, but then i always say that! That's not very helpful is it!

So before you book anything make sure you read all the info here about cancellation policies, accommodation, facilities, what to bring, class times, venue etc etc

Then if you click here, you can see each of the 3 classes and you can add them to your 'shopping basket' to book for them. If you click on the picture then you will see the class description. Here is a summary of each class: 

FRIDAY: A fabric meandering book, although you could easily do this as a wall hanging if you prefer. Layers of fabric, lace, ribbon, and some wicked image transfer ideas, how about some soldered holes into gauze, and we have found all sorts of cool stuff to work with. We adored creating this class, quite a new medium for us but so easy to adapt to, and a clean tidy class! You don't need to be a machine sewer by the way!!! In fact it's an advantage NOT to be good on the machine! 

SATURDAY: A double hinged niche for the altered, painty people who like to fiddle and faff and arrange - this class has a sewing theme with lots of fun elements that will surprise you along the way. We have some gorgeous fun elements to put into these niches, new PaperArtsy products, and its very painty, but there will be the opportunity to work with fabric and metal - don't panic... nothing too difficult! We also have metal, clay, threads, mica sheets, metal charms and more in this class!!! 

SUNDAY: The rusty relic. You will have to book this class based on the description for now, but pictures will be available at the start of April. Think stamps and images transferred onto clay, gilding flakes, rust, distressed metal, mica sheets, wire, mesh and much much more! I am really looking forward to this. We have so many great ideas for this class, and I think its going to emerge into a little beauty of a relic!

I know people are always amazed at how we provide everything for you to use, and healthy quantities of everything too! We do it this way so you don't have to wait to use supplies, you can just get on with it. It also means for those flying in from overseas that they don't have to bring a load of stuff with them. When I teach elsewhere, people are often given a massive supply list of things to bring to class, and the teachers generally provide the bare minimum. We generally want you to bring as little as possible so you can kick back and enjoy.

As we have not got the massive expense of international guest teachers this time round, we have been able to drop the class fee considerably. We try to organise the event so that the fee covers room hire, your meals, tea break and snacks, class kits/supplies, and that is about it. In other words, what you pay to us is what we pay out in expenses to run the event. So I think you will be happy to know the classes are £100 ea (incl VAT) for Friday and Saturday. Sunday, which finishes at 6pm instead of 9.00pm is £75 (incl VAT)

Booking opens Monday evening, March 12th. Just go here, and add the class(es) you wish to book for to your shopping basket. You will get paperwork confirmation sent out by return.


But before you pay, just one small request....

Because we have a tight operational budget, please can we ask when you pay, don't use paypal. The fees are so high compared to worldpay or secureform, which are both alternative and equally safe ways to communicate your credit card details to us. For example, we can pay up to 8% of the transaction value or more to paypal (£22 per person if they book all 3 classes), and only 1.7% (£4.67) with worldpay, or even better, if you use a debit card, it might be as little as 30 pence fee per transaction. With paypal it's frustrating for us to pay £20 or more in fees per person, plus don't forget another 20% goes to the government for vat (£75 if you booked all 3 classes). So if we can remove paypal out of the equation, it means we don't have to find that 'lost' money from other aspects of the budget (class supplies!) I normally don't explain this to you guys, but if you understand why we ask you not to use paypal, we hope you will be more than happy to use worldpay or secureform instead. Ultimately it means we have more funds to spend on YOU for use in class kits or class supplies. 

As a long time merchant with paypal we do have some of the better rates with them, but this can change from month to month depending on the volume of funds going through our paypal account. If you are not a merchant with paypal yourself, you are probably blissfully unaware of the cost of receiving funds. We only offer it because it is an easy way for international customers to pay for their orders.  But obviously we would rather all our regular customers used one of the other methods we offer instead.


Thanks we do appreciate your understanding with this.


So roll on June, and we hope to see you all there with buttons, lace and all your rusty bits! 

If you can't make it to Warrington, then you are going to have to wait a whole year for ArtsyCrafts 2013, which will probably be in Newport Pagnell, unless general feedback demands it stays at Warrington.


Have a great week


Leandra

Fabric Fascination

 What fun we have had this weekend. Lin arrived Friday morning for our first proper ArtsyCrafts exploration session. We had a few ideas floating that we have been discussing for a few weeks, so after refining them somewhat, we decided to embark on a fabric kick. This entailed spending most of the day shopping....one of our most favourite things to do!

We arrived back at PaperArtsy HQ, armed with a whole lot of stuff that sounded really alien and started to play. Lin needed a quick lesson on my sewing machine, and we were off, cutting, embellishing, trimming, transferring, burning, melting...you name it, we tried it.

The first craft I mastered as a young child was sewing. I learned how to smock and embroider by 11 years old at school- I was always finished first, and mine was always the neatest in class, it just seemed to be really easy for me.....but I had spent hours at home mucking about on Mum's sewing machine just for fun, so maybe I had a head start without realising it at the time.

Through high school and University I more often than not sewed my own clothes. When the kids came along I went to quilting classes, and enjoyed hand-sewing teddy bears (which I taught Mark's Mum to do), and I usually had a cross-stitch or 3 on the go as well as a quilt, beach bag or Christmas stocking... Now, after 10 years of paper-crafting I'm trying to deliberately sew as wonky as possible. 

How times change. Loose threads, ragged edges, crooked seams...I am unlearning all the things that mattered - which makes me think that anyone can do it. If you were a train crash sewer at school then this is perfect for you! There is no skill involved in this kind of crafty fabric construction.

Have you tried it? machine sewing? With paper or fabric? A line of machine stitching is the fastest, cleanest and easiest 'gluing' method. 

Layering fabric is pretty much the same as layering paper, except you get to fiddle with transparent, chunky and lace layers, then one row of stitching combines the lot in a blink. I'm in love with fabric all over again, but attempting a whole style that is completely new to me. But I'm thrilled how my paper experiences give me ideas for good composition with fabric. Stamping is easily incorporated, so it's a familiar process, but softer and very exciting to explore.

And (uh-oh)... Lin now wants (*needs*) a new sewing machine. She must have said it about 50 times. "I'm loving this. I need one like this. I've got to get one soon." over and over and over. 

After 3 days of fabric play (1.5 more than we budgeted...) we have dreamed up a really cool fabric project for one of the ArtsyCrafts days. The pics here are a few early sneaky peeks. I think class is going to have to be BYO machine...but you will probably need 1 machine between 2 or perhaps 3 people, but that's do-able, isn't it? 

Do you guys have machines or access to one from a friend, Auntie, Mum or Gran that is stashed in the back of a cupboard somewhere!? We have a handful of people who travel by air, and I know those people would be able to share with those UK based lovelies who come by car. You only need straight and zig zag stitch, so a basic model is ideal....it doesn't need to be an all beeping, computerised gizmo ....but that could be interesting to watch in action!! This event will be at the Warrington venue which has a HUUUUGGGGEEEEE room, with loads of sockets for electricity and lots of tables and plenty of space. 

So we know 1 of the 3 classes will need a machine, but the other 2 days won't, so if you really don't want to tackle a fabric item, then there will still be 2 other days of painty, metallic and other crafty tasks to get stuck into! And we have a couple of great ideas for those too, but they need refining further before we can spill the beans!!

The purpose of this blog post is to get some feedback on your thought about working with fabric. The piccies give you a taste of where we are heading with this idea. Do you likey? Are you happy to bring a sewing machine with you? I promise the sewing is all flat layers, there are no seams, inside outie complicated stuff. Simple simple simple.....

Please, take a moment to give us your honest thoughts, ArtsyCrafts isn't until June 8,9,10 so we have lots of time to make changes, but you are the ones who come to these events, so tell uswhat you think. Thanks for your time.
Leandra

Hip Hip {Ho Ho}

Festive Greetings to one and all!

 

We haven't seen any of this white stuff this year down here (yet).

 

Despite no snow- it's been a fab Xmas season here.

All children present and accounted for. Millie and Ella were hoping to go to NZ this year, but due to GCSE exam commitments that was a no go, I think they have enjoyed snuggling up with Ma and Pa bear and siblings this year. 

This is our new gingerbread PaperArtsy HQ for the festive season!

 

The house is full of Christmas baking aromas. It all started pre-Xmas with the gingerbread house. Miss Millie designed the plan, we found a recipe, and the rest was just a matter of gluing together and decorating with royal icing. Our piping skills are not so great, but we had a lot of fun doing it.  We have decided that dismantling will commence on New Year's Eve. Might need a hammer -that icing has dried rock hard!

 

In mid November I had kids home unwell, so I distracted them from headaches and runny noses by getting them a busy making tags to go on a few presents to match the gold wrapping papers under the tree. Manila tags, fresco paints and archival black ink was all it took. The stamps were all from Ink & the Dog Noel Plate 4 

 

We all headed up to the stunning Cambridge just before Xmas. Mark recently found this snapseed app that does a wicked blurry effect, so now we have a bunch of blurry pics.

 

My sister Emma, has recently moved from NZ with her boyfriend Nic to Cambridge to do some post grad study. I booked an apartment at the end of their street for us to stay in.

 

Kids were a bit gob smacked with the decor- as were we! 

Very rich colours. We loved it, seemed very opulent.

 

Check out the red and gold lounge - Hugo didn't take long to settle in, chuck his coat about and find a remote or some other device.

 

This was the other bedroom in rich blues.

Courtney choreographed this picture of the munchkins in the phone boxes just off the central town square  L-R:Hugo (11), Millie (13), Ella (15), Courtney (17)

Emma organised for us all to go to see the local panto. With the flat in such a central location within 5 min walk of everything it was fantastic to be able to access everything so easily. Cambridge really is a beautiful place to be and there are lots of interesting quirky independent retailers.

 

And while we're doing family pics,who can forget the day the awesome All Blacks won the rugby world cup! Just thought I'd drop that in there - lest we forget... This was Mr PaperArtsy and moi on the morning of the big final. Nervously trying to eat breakfast at the autumn ArtsyCrafts event in our AB supporter strips. Course we are thrilled to finally be world rugby champs!!

 

Millie and I (on our baking mission) tackled macaroons yesterday. Pistachio green and flavoured. Something she has been wanting to do since Ed Kimber won the first Great British Bake Off. They taste great. I think she would have entered the GB junior bake off, but just as the auditions was announced she turned 13 and the max age is 12. Never mind, we are constantly on the receiving end of her experiments...usually all good.

Here's a sight you don't expect to see in London in December

On the first 3 days of Christmas week, Ella and I went up to London to a method acting drama course she had booked for. This meant I took a different buddie with me days 1 and 2 (Millie and Mark), and boy did we walk all over London.

 

We walked miles and miles and miles and miles....But it was so lovely to have a good look around with no fixed agenda. Loved borough market, in fact got our Xmas dinner there - a chicken stuffed with a pheasant with almond/apricot stuffing ... It was perfect on the day too.Enjoyed a glass of mulled wine from the south bank Xmas market, and the antiques at Coventry garden, and Camden Passage were interesting as ever.

 

I've also had a few days over the last few weeks to plan some classes that I'll be teaching at Version Scrap. It is a wonderful show in Paris in Spring. Lots of classes and scrummy exhibitors that are so different to anything you see in England. Last year the attendees were keen to see more about using metal, and as it's a scrapbooking show, I have reflected that in this particular project. I'll be teaching 2 classes, this is one of them, a layout framed by a metal niche. Papers, paints, embellishments new, made and found. Lots to learn in this 3 hour class. 

 

The other is a re-vamped ArtsyCrafts class with layered grungeboard letters and die cut shapes, over-painted and wiped back with our gorgeous Fresco Chalk finish paints - and I mean lots of layers and layers of acrylic paints  I loved that class this year, one of my faves. We embellish with ideology and found objects. This looks wonderful on the wall in my lounge - it gets loads of comments.

 

I think booking goes live in the New Year. The show is the first weekend in April (March 30th - April 1st, 2012)

 

The PaperArtsy stand got pretty busy last year! Here you can see Mark and (stamp) Sally almost finished the set up 

 

And this was how it looked later in the show.

 

And I managed to get a pic of Lin chatting and demoing too. The ladies were fascinated with what we demo.

So that's my news update. Always guaranteed to be an epic tale. And so much I left out!

Wishing you all a safe and celebratory end to 2011. Thank you so much for your friendship, custom, shared laughs and your presence at shows and ArtsyCrafts events this year. We love to get out and about to see you in person, online or passing through the online shop. I'll be back in the New Year to keep you in the loop. If you fancy a chat, then see you on twitter, I usually check in late in the evenings.

Leandra & Mark