It’s March. Spring is on its way! Or at least we think it
is? Okay it has been mostly snowing and FREEZING cold, but we can’t help but
dream about Spring. Spring is a crafter’s heaven, the pastel colours, the
Easter décor, the desire for fresh starts and new craft adventures! As a team
we all have notebooks jam packed with workshop ideas and our own personal craft
makes to do lists. The word Spring just makes so many delightful arts and
crafts opportunities ‘spring’ to mind!
Seize the day and ‘spring’ into action by learning new
skills and treating yourself to crafty activities with us.
Our Spring festival is less than 20 days away and we cannot
contain our excitement. We host two annual BellaCrafts Festivals each year and
our Spring one 23rd, 24th and 25th March is guaranteed to be one of our best
yet! As well as a whole host of workshops and demos you’ll be the first to see
our new stock, grab a promotion and refreshments are on offer all weekend!
We promise to ensure you are immersed in a craft haven all
weekend.
Here at BellaCrafts we always invite a special guest to show
off new ideas and techniques!
Donna Mcghie is our special festival guest and
will be here on the 25th to teach Powertex. Donna specialises in Powertex,
murals, face painting and sculpture- to name a few. Her work is completely
unique.
The team at BellaCrafts had the opportunity to interview
Donna, so you can have an exclusive insight into the local artist’s thoughts
and feelings about all things arts and crafts, her sentimental motivations and
her tips for trying new craft activities. Enjoy!
BellaCrafts: Have you
always had a strong interest in arts and crafts?
Donna: Yes always. As a child I had a wall in my bedroom that
was my ‘mural wall’ which I was free to paint on in any way I chose to do
so. I’m sure this encouraged my love of
working in a large expressive fashion. I
also used to doodle over everything in sight, including my clothes. (I still do
this, it is very rare you will see me in a pair of undoodled on jeans)
BellaCrafts: What artists have inspired you previously?
Donna: I love really expressive artists like
Van Gogh, Frances Bacon and Klimt. The
bigger and bolder the better for me.
BellaCrafts: What are some of your favourite materials to
work with?
Donna:I love finding stuff
that has been discarded and using Powertex to upcycle it. Old boots are great to rework, along with old
bottles and dolls that have been thrown away.
I love a scavenge in that little shed place at the council tip – all
sorts of goodies to be found in there
BellaCrafts:What artistic creation has been your favourite
to work on?
Donna: I think probably my
dragon’s head ‘Kimberley’. I didn’t really have a plan in mind for her,
just went with the flow, and ended up adding all sorts of bling in the form of
discarded costume jewellery which I think really enhance her. She is up for sale, but I have to admit I
will be quite sad to say goodbye to her.
BellaCrafts: What are
your three top tips for trying a new craft activity?
Donna: One;Don’t worry about getting it wrong
– that is how we learn what works Two;
Don’t compare and despair – we all have our own unique style, and that is just
as it should be Three; Do enjoy
experimenting – for me, it is as much about enjoying the process as the end
result.
BellaCrafts: What can our customers expect from your
workshop?
Donna:To be encouraged to
develop their own style. I love to see how people’s personalities shine through
in what they make. You will get messy, so do please wear old clothes. And you will definitely have a lot of fun.The
other thing that is very important to me, is that my workshops are Art 4 A
Heart Workshops, which means that £5 from each person gets donated to the Papworth
Hospital Charity as a way of saying thank you as my husband had a life changing heart transplant in 2016.
BellaCrafts:What is your favourite thing to make using
Powertex?
Donna: This changes on a
regular basis, but I think my favourite thing at the moment is upcycling old
boots. I did a workshop recently where a
lady wanted to do a boot in memory of her father, who loved walking. What she made was absolutely beautiful and I
felt really honoured to have played a small part in helping her create such a
meaningful tribute to someone she loved very much.
BellaCrafts: If you
could attend any one of our upcoming workshops (apart from your demo) which
would you choose and why?
Donna: I think
it would be the silk painting, because of my love of colour. It would also be something that I could
incorporate nicely into some of my Powertex work as well.
Donna’s Powertex Journal workshop will allow you to learn
amazing Powertex techniques to create beautiful textures with fabrics. Donna
will talk you through all the basics and is perfect for complete beginners or
experienced crafters!
Visit here to book your place: https://www.bellacrafts.co.uk/festival/
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Donna as much as we did
and we are over joyed and extremely lucky to have her as our upcoming special
guest.
Don’t forget to visit our website,
https://www.bellacrafts.co.uk/festival/ or call us:
023 8051 7054 for further
details about our Spring Festival, or to book your place before we fill up!
Remember if you book onto any of our Spring Festival workshops you will be
entered into a free prize draw!
Plus there are loads more workshops coming up for Spring and
Easter themes too!
We wish you a happy bright sunny Spring filled with great
times crafting.
Much Love
The BellaCrafts Team
Much Love
The BellaCrafts Team
