The Upholstery Workshop

Today at The Amazing Blog we’re giving you an opportunity to escape to the country and learn another new creative skill. The Upholstery Workshop offers you just this, all set in the rural countryside on the Herts/Worcestershire borders.

The Upholstery Workshop is set in a 15th century red brick and timber farmhouse at Huntlands Farm, a rural retreat with wonderful views of the countryside. They have rooms to rent at the farmhouse from as little as £75 a night for a double bed – so you won’t have far to travel for your workshop!  Founders are Lucy and Stephen, Lucy Brodie holds a qualification with the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishings having been trained in the use of modern and traditional materials and methods.

There are a choice of workshops either during week or at weekend workshops. We’re suggesting their two-day course where both traditional and modern upholstery techniques are taught. The course mainly entails working on small furniture project, such as a drop-in seat for a stool or a bed headboard; all incredibly useful for giving your home an uplift. On the curriculum you’ll learn anything from a simple furniture repair to handling fabrics and tools correctly, and the health and safety guidelines. It is recommended that you bring with you a piece of furniture, some tools (they will suggest what you need), an apron, your own fabrics.  You may also want to bring a camera to record the stages of your work among other things. Don’t panic if you haven’t any furniture to bring there are many local resources nearby to nip out and get some.

The course starts from £180 including home-made lunch and snacks. You'll benefit from seeing a variety of works be completed alongside your own project. They offer a reduced rate for accommodation at £60 a night and an extra £20 if your partner wishes to join you. The cost is not inclusive of the materials used and will be charged at the end of the workshop. See here to look at available dates and book your retreat and enjoy what the countryside has to offer. 

Friday Favourites: Sculpture School Workshops

Summer is almost over, meaning more than half of the year has flown by; we wonder how you’re doing with your New Year’s resolutions? At The Amazing Blog we are trying to keep on track with a few, one of which included having fun whilst learning a new skills. Before the end of the year, we hope you’ll join us at The Sculpture School for a workshop to tick off that ‘do something new and creative’ resolution from all our lists.

Located in Devon, The Sculpture School, is one of the few establishments in the UK dedicated to teaching contemporary realist sculpture. It’s opened its doors to a new studio and workshops - perfect to help get your creative juices flowing. Tutored by Andrew Sinclair MRBS, the world-class sculptor behind the infamous David Bowie bronze sculpture in Aylesbury. You’ll have the chance to learn professional techniques and methods in order to create your own masterpieces.

Andrew Sinclair’s portfolio has an impressive range of works of art from commission at the Royal Box at Ascot, Epsom Racecourse and Crosby Hall, to his most recent work a monument for the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment; unveiled in May in Halifax (home of the Regiment for over 300 years). His techniques have taken him around the globe, with Andrew is his colleague and co-founder Diane Coates, whose renowned for her dynamic forms, anatomical detail and sensuous lines; so who better than these two to inspire and teach you how to sculpt? Diane had always focused on painting and pastel arts; however, in 2006, she ventured into the field of sculpting. In particular, she’s recognised for her naked bronze sculptures, and has taken her work internationally with collections across Europe and the Middle East. Together they founded The Sculpture School, with the aim of changing education in sculpture and craftsmanship.

Whether you are a beginner, experienced, or a professional sculptor they’ll be a workshop tailored for you, plus you’ll even leave the course with a sculpture of your own. These are some of the upcoming dates available:

•       10-13 September: Level 2 Figurative Sculpture

•        18 September: Taste of Sculpture

•        1-4 October: Tutored Sculptor’s Retreat

•        25-27 October: Moulding and Casting

•    5-8 November: Level 2 Portrait Sculpture

•        3-6 December: Level 1 Figurative Sculpture

Price wise, the workshops range from £65 to £645 per person and have a length of one to three days long. The price rates vary according to the duration of the program and the type of workshop. To see the full price list, sign up and learn more, visit The Sculpture School website here and see some of the great testimonials here.

Christmas Candle Feature

As winter envelops us here in the UK, we all at The Amazing Blog, are looking to create that cosy warm hygge atmosphere. There is always something very special about lighting a heady and atmospheric candle. Not only the flickering light casting shadows but the gorgeous evocative aromas that help to create the right ambience. And we can't wait to share with you some of our  favourites candles to get you in the mood .

Breathing the scent of flowers when arriving home is the ideal way to start the evening. Sloane Home Topiary Garden with its fresh and floral notes help you create the peaceful atmosphere we are all craving for during those cold nights. The Sloane Home candles are all handmade, cooled, labelled and packaged. The Topiary Garden candle is made with mineral wax and beeswax, the top notes include apple and bergamot, the heart notes are juniper berries, patchouli, rose and jasmine and the base notes are vanilla, moss and ambergris. These ingredients make a modern, classic yet wonderfully scented candle. Purchase the Topiary Garden Candle  here for £32.00

When looking for a more luxurious and relaxing ambiance The Wakefulness candle by Aurelia Probiotic Skincare is our favourite. Specially crafted to energise and uplift your spirits this candle instantly install a sense of well-being in your home. The candle is made with a unique blend of oils including rose geranium oil, palmarosa, neroli and ylang-ylang oils. To complement the floral notes, the brand added grapefruit and mandarin to bring a fruity and fresher scent to the candle. The combination of these most relaxing and revitalising oils instantly put you in a peaceful and relaxing mindset. The candle is made from natural wax and is contained in an elegant ceramic vessel that perfectly complements your room décor.

Purchase the Wakefulness candle here for £55.

Strawberry Thief scented candle is a rich, earthy grounding candle made by Morris & Co’s. The candle is a rich and luxurious blend of scents including amber, sandalwood, patchouli, incense and vanilla, the heart notes include rose and violet, and the base notes are red berries, mandarin and bergamot. More than the delightful scent, what make us love this candle is the wintery and festive packaging it sports. The candle is contained in a colourful and printed glass with Morris & Co signature design and it  burns for up to 50 hours. Purchase the Strawberry and Thief candle here for £25.

In our opinion, Skandinavisk makes some of the most beautifully scented candles you can buy. We sampled their SKOG  candle which instantly transported us to a Scandinavian forest – in fact, Skog is Norwegian for forest.The Boreal forests cover half of Scandinavia. Unbroken, the forests stretch right from the far south to the arctic circle. The rich and natural scent of the pine candle is complemented by notes of subtle leather and lily of the valley. SKOG candle is hand-poured and made with 100% cotton wick. This candle is the perfect way to add a sophisticated festive and scandi feel to your home. Welcoming and warm, the mini candle will instantly transport you to somewhere a little more beautiful and peaceful. Purchase the Skandinavisk SKOG candles from Cotswold Trading here £15 for the mini candle (16 hours burning time) or here £29.99 for the regular candle (50 hours burning time) there is also a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of 10% at the time of publishing this feature - enter code CANDLE10 at checkout. 

Is there anything better than having a nice beauty sleep and a peaceful night after a long working day? Scentered candle after a year of research and creation created a therapeutic and most relaxing candle that they named Sleep Well. The name says it all; the candle is specially crafted to help you relax, calm your mind and uplift your spirit, thus helping you to have a good night sleep. Formulated with 100% natural ingredients including lavender, chamomile, palmarosa, Ho Wood, Geranium and Ylang Ylang this sophisticated candle combines all the soothing and therapeutic benefits of its components. Fragrance your room with these calming scent, relax and have a good night.You can purchase the Sleep Well candle here for £32.95.

Last but not least, and probably the most glamorous candle of all is the delicious new ‘Bacca’ scented candle from Ancienne Ambiance . This is a must-have when it comes to Christmas candles. ‘Bacca’ which is Latin for small ‘small round fruit’ perfectly describes the vibrant and fruity scent of redcurrants, blackcurrants and an array of freshly picked bursting berries in the candle. This candle is truly 'berrylicious' and has an excellent burning time or 60-65 hours, which from our experience has a scent lasts throughout. The beautiful and sophisticated scents of bursting berries were loved by the Romans, Etruscans and Greeks as they were thought to have medicinal properties. We just love the added bonus of this feel-good factor.

The candle comes beautifully packaged in hand-crafted luxurious gift boxes made in the UK, making them a perfect gift or a gorgeous mantelpiece. Each candle is hand poured in the UK using a unique slow burning natural wax blend and a lead free wick. We want one of these candles burning on our Christmas Day! Purchase the Ancienne Ambience ‘Bacca’ Candle here for £40.

Whether you are looking for just a gently scented relaxing candle, or a rich and luxurious fragrance to set the party scene; we certainly think you'll that find one of these here. 

Christmas Special - For Him

We don’t know why but all the amazing girls at The Amazing Blog find it tough picking the perfect gift for a man. We might have found the way that can save you from buying your boyfriend just a pair of socks this Christmas due to last minute struggles.

Let’s start from the inner artist that every man masks in his core. If in the past months he’s been bagging you to visit Dismaland, Banksy’s theme park, or his main talent is drawing on walls, L&S Prints Banksy cushions will keep his creativity alive and satisfied.

Signature pictures and Banksy’s quotes replicated on a black, white and red base collection. Young choice on a not too serious sofa, these cushions are the extra touch of folly a stylish house always needs. The fabric is so indulgent and soft it can easily be considered as the best company for sweet dreams. they’re all completely machine washable, the colour won’t fade and will stay bright and vibrant as the day you bought it. Available in two sizes here for £10.99 and £12.99.

From Ross&Ross Food arrives something that – we still cannot believe it – has never seen before: The Homemade Curing Kit. Imagine having for breakfast free range eggs and bacon? Not so difficult, is it; but what if we say that for your bacon you can go better than your local grocery shop?

Finally awakening the farmer in you, curing and producing your own personal bacon becomes possible with this kit. Everything you need is inside, included gloves, a little hook and mixes for smoked, sweet and original flavour. The instructions are pretty clear but some extra help can be found on their YouTube video. The entire kit is available here for only £20, just improve it with your favourite piece of pork!

Question. What’s men best ally and personal pride? Not his car as many could think but his beard. For Christmas you can show him how much you care about it with Annabel James  Shaving Gift Set.

It contains all the essentials for an impeccable shave. After using the pre-shave treatment, one of the famous Edwin Jagger brushes, made with natural badger hair, not too rigid and soft enough to caress his skin, will evenly spread the shaving cream. Indispensable to avoid redness and dry skin, the aftershave lotion also included. All the products are in a practical sample size and wrapped up with an elegant Edwin Jagger ribbon. Let him feel like the groomed king of the manor every day, this fantastic set is available at £18.50 here.

We all love a man that takes care of himself, however, when they take longer than you to perfect their hair, it becomes a bit of an issue. Which is why Jamie Stevens has created the MR collection designed to combat hair loss, grooming for men couldn’t be easier.

We tried the Thicker, Fuller, Stronger collection and within days, the girls were envy of the men in the office’s new hair locks. The MR Collection features three categories, Thicken, Style and Disguise and can be bought here individually from £10- £18.

We have the right gift if your Mr. Right thinks that a perfect Christmas night means sitting around the fireplace and the taste of great whisky in his hand

Formahouse  selected from SPARQ Home the newest and most unusual whisky rocks; the collections we love the most are the Holiday Set and the Man’s set, of course, keeping your whisky cold enough, for the perfect drink.

They are all made by recycled soapstone and will keep your drink nice and cold without water. They can also be used with hot drinks as they’re microwave-proof. The Holiday Set (snowflake, Christmas tree and ginger-man) is available here  for only £15; same price for the Man’s set available here.​ 

Nutrabiotics

It’s winter, we get it. Energies are running low and the cold doesn’t help at all. But here at The Amazing Blog we found some interesting supplements that can give a boost to your daily life.
Today we’re talking about Raspberry Ketone Extract and One a Day Multivitamins from Nutrabiotics.

First of all we’d like to tell you more about Nutrabiotics Multivitamins. The package says already about how the brands love for natural things, as is 100% biodegradable. It contains 60 tablets, enabling you to carry around in your handbag all through the day. One a day and you’ll give your body all the vitamins it needs: A, B, C, D and E.
If this doesn’t ring the bell yet, let’s go through the ingredients list!
Irons good to keep high your energy level, Vitamin K and D3 essential for stronger bones and helps to prevent heart disease; and what about Vitamin B5 and B6, they both help transform what you eat in important energy stocks. A healthier and better lifestyle in a one pill!

Moving on to the Raspberry Ketone Extract, we’ve been told hundred times how important it is if you want to keep your weight under control. But what you don’t know is that this natural ingredient is also helpful when it comes to hair growth and skin elasticity; besides raspberries are famous for their content in vitamin C and beta-carotene.
As the Multivitamins, the raspberry ketone is easy to ingest and you can carry them with you as capsules are wrapped individually. And if you have any issue swallowing just sprinkle the content of a capsule in a glass of water.

Don’t just imagine a healthy body, start building one. Both Multivitamins and Raspberry Ketone are vegan and vegetarian and available for £14.99 here and here.