VOLUME NUMBER 3
SEPTEMBER 2018
Seashore
CREATIVE
WELCOME
It’s very easy now that we have reached September to start packing away all your beach towels and equipment for the beach, but don’t, because out of season our coastline offers some of the most beautiful opportunities for a holiday. September has long been a favourite month for late summer/early autumn holidays, but lately our climate has become quite unpredictable and a visit to the coast in the autumn and winter can bring unexpected sunny days, deserted beaches and welcoming shops and restaurants. Many of the companies listed in this magazine offer wonderful properties where you can stay throughout the year and there is nothing better than coming back to your own home from home after a bracing day on the beach, or exploring coastal villages. Shorter breaks are now very popular and you can make the most of a weekend break or even take time off mid-week for a costal recharge.We describe such a trip in our 24 Hour Road Trip feature. The autumn is a great time for developing new skills and we have a wonderful collection of the very latest crafting books with inspiration for all the family. Finally if you dream of running your own business, we have some ideas and resources to help you get started. Happy weekend reading! www.seashorecreative.co.uk Images throughout the magazine supplied by the various companies, or publishers featured.
Please Note All information about products and services are supplied to us by the individual organizations, or agencies acting on their behalf. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, it may be subject to change. Inclusion in this magazine does not imply endorsement by Seashore Creative. Seashore Creative does not accept responsibility for the content of any external site. The views and opinions expressed by the individual companies, agencies and other contributors are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Seashore Creative.
CONTENTS
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24 HOUR ROAD TRIP FEATURE
26 STARTING A CREATIVE BUSINESS 32 CREATIVE BUSINESS BOOK REVIEWS 46 GET CRAFTY BOOK REVIEWS 52 AUTUMN DAYS
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John Bray Cornish Ho
With over 300 of the best located self-catering cottages and holiday homes in North Cornwall’s loveliest Rock and Daymer Bay on the Camel Estuary, and Polzeath and Port Isaac on the Atlantic coast for almos coast. Short breaks out of peak season are welcome. For more information contact: lettings@johnbray.co www.johnbray.co.uk
olidays
locations. John Bray Cornish Holidays have been managing and letting holiday homes in and around; st 50 years, most with spectacular sea views, many are pet friendly and all are within a mile of the o.uk or call 01208 863206
24 HOUR ROAD TRIP
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When you run your own business it can sometimes seem impossible to take time to get away for a long holiday, but shorter trips are much easier to organize and it also means that you can be more spontaneous. In the midst of the recent very hot spell, we decided to put the business on hold for 24 hours and take off on a road trip to Cornwall. Our initial plan was simply to go to one location, however in the end we managed to pack in much more than we anticipated. One of the bonuses in shorter trips is you can travel very light, and it’s much easier to unload at the other end. On a short trip it is critical to plan when to travel, as the last thing that you want to do is to waste time in traffic. Also we had packed and made the car ready the day before. Making some quick business calls before we left, we managed to avoid rush hour traffic and we were soon on our way on the first leg of our journey.
Our first destination was the glorious and beautiful St. Michael’s Mount, and we were fortunate in travelling down in good time. However being peak holiday time as we got closer we ran into a traffic bottle-neck. Thankfully today there are many apps that can alert you traffic issues. Seeing both the tail-back of cars and a warning on the app we decided to turn the car around and make a detour to Truro, which we had planned to visit on our way back. This turned out to be the very best of decisions, with plenty of car-parks, we parked easily and spent a very pleasant couple of hours visiting the delightful shops, the beautiful cathedral and having a quick lunch. Checking the road was clear we set off again and soon reached our destination, checked in and indulged in the most amazing cream tea!! www.mounthaven.co.uk
St.Michael’s Mount
Mount Haven Hotel
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By now it was almost five o’clock and the time when many families start leaving the beach, so although we could have walked we drove down to the car-park which was now half-price and parked easily. Early evening on the beach is one of our favourite times, there is a joy in the late afternoon sun which sends sparkles all across the water creating stunning images. With less people around you can wander to your hearts content, also in the intense recent heat, it’s cooler in the early evening. Although one of the real benefits of Cornwall with the coastline surrounding it, is that there are often offshore breezes. St Michael’s Mount is a magical place, visitors come from all over the world to visit, and to walk the causeway. When we arrived the tide was just starting to go out and we saw the causeway just start to appear again. Marazion beach is a wide expanse of sand with some shingle where you can explore for seaglass. Returning to our hotel to change and have dinner we were treated to a beautiful sunset creating endless photo opportunities of St Michael’s Mount with the sun setting behind. When staying away, particularly by the coast, if you wake early, opening the curtains can often present the most beautiful views. Waking at 5.30 a.m. just as the sun was rising the skies turned through the most delicate shades of pink, lavender against a baby blue background. Again with St Michael’s Mount in the foreground it was a stunning photo opportunity. After a full “Cornish“ breakfast we checked out of the hotel and set off for another of our favourite places, St. Ives. Incredibly popular with tourists, travel to St Ives needs to be carefully managed. We drove to St Erth and parked and waited for the local branch train, offering one of the prettiest railway journeys in the country. The views from the train are truly spectacular and it is worth getting there slightly early so that you can take a seat on the right hand side of the train that affords the best views. The line hugs the different beaches as it winds its way into St Ives, and the colours of the water in the bays will take your breath away.
St.Ives The views from the train are truly spectacular and it is worth getting there slightly early so that you can take a seat on the right hand side of the train that affords the best views. The line hugs the different beaches as it winds its way into St Ives, and the colours of the water in the bays will take your breath away. Artists have always marvelled at the light in St Ives and this turns the sea into colours that almost defy description. As the little train deposits passengers onto the platform, Porthminster beach, the first of the beaches, is just below. From here you can wander around the whole of St Ives taking in each beach and it’s different characteristics as you walk. The tiny streets are full of little shops and galleries, as a favourite location for artists such as Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Christopher Wood, Terry Frost and Patrick Heron, there are so many reminders of their history including the Barbara Hepworth Gallery and Garden, and climaxing with the stunning St Ives Tate Gallery set above the beautiful Porthmeor Beach. On the upper outskirts of St Ives there is also the Leach Pottery celebrating the work of Bernard Leach, with a Studio, Museum, Gallery & Shop. If we were staying longer there are many opportunities to develop your artistic talents including art classes at The St Ives School of Painting, or family friendly creative sessions at the Leach Pottery. https://www.leachpottery.com https://schoolofpainting.co.uk Having walked through the town we stopped at Porthmeor Beach CafÊ for a light lunch, again the views from here are amazing. https://porthmeor-beach.co.uk/cafe/ One of the things that we love at Porthmeor beach is the sand, the sand here has a wonderful textured quality that makes walking barefoot an absolute delight! With crystal clear water the temptation to get in the water is overwhelming and whether you are equipped to go surfing, swimming, or just paddling the water is so refreshing. Knowing that we had the return journey to make we reluctantly left the beach and prepared to make our way back to the station. With time to spare, one of the must do activities is to sit on the beach and watch the sun go down. Cornwall provides some of the most spectacular sunsets around the coast.
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Rock
Whilst we could have spent so much longer meandering through the streets, knowing that time was tight and we still had a long journey home ahead of us, we took an executive decision and called a local taxi, who expertly worked his way through the traffic and deposited us back at St Erth in time for us to start our homeward journey. However, being spontaneous is part of our make-up here at Seashore Creative and so faced with the decision to work our way along the road home we decided to take a detour to another one of our favourite places, Rock, a delightful location tucked away on the sheltered Camel Estuary. The Camel estuary provides ideal conditions for all water sports including; kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, fishing, kite-surfing, water-skiing. Rock also has endless sandy beaches, perfect for families. It is also situated opposite Padstow, and a ferry operates between the two. Arriving at the end of the day meant that we could park easily and spend time wandering around Rock stopping for dinner in one of the friendly restaurants where we sat on the terrace overlooking the estuary watching all the activities on the water. Finally, we managed to tear ourselves away and following the coast road meandered our way back to our onward journey ready for work the next day. Taking with us precious memories of beautiful sandy beaches, crystal clear water, stunning sunsets and atmospheric sunrises.
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Carbis Bay Holidays
Carbis Bay Holidays specialise in luxury 4 & 5 star self catering accommodation in St Ives and Carbis Bay, they are proud to offer a selection of over 150 properties. Short breaks available. enquiries@carbisbayholidays.co.uk 01736 630015 www.carbisbayholidays.co.uk
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Toad Hall Cottages
For nearly 30 years, we’ve been helping guests find the perfect Westcountry holiday cottages. With over got something for everyone. We can even accommodate your four-legged friend as over half of our prope hearing from you. www.toadhallcottages.co.uk
700 properties throughout Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset and the New Forest, we’ve erties welcome dogs. Visit our website or give us a call on 01548 202020 – we look forward to
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Coastal Cottages
Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire have over 500 cosy, family and dog friendly cottages nestled along th which to discover the beauty of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. A unique concierge service enab hampers on arrival to in-cottage private dining to ensure its memorable! To Book Call 01437 765765 www.coastalcottages.co.uk
he Pembrokeshire Coastline, which provide a perfect location from bles you to add those extra special touches to your holiday from
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Dream Cottages Find your Dream View
Dream Cottages are Dorset’s leading cottage agency with a portfolio of more than 320 properties peppe rolling countryside, to modern apartments with views over the Jurassic Coast, we have something for ev we welcome all members of the family, even the four-legged kind! Our team of friendly property advisor individual properties. www.dream-cottages.co.uk
ered throughout the county. From traditional picture perfect thatched cottages with views of the veryone to enjoy. More than 150 of our properties are pet friendly, with some allowing up to 4 dogs, so rs are extremely knowledgeable about the local area and are on hand to offer first hand insights into
All images copyright of Š Dream Cottages
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Bramley and Teal
Established a decade ago, Bramley and Teal offer a selection of over 200 holiday cottages across Kent an perfect for your next escape to the South East. https://www.bramleyandteal.co.uk
nd Sussex. Whether you’re after a seaside break or a countryside retreat, their cottages are
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Sykes Holiday Cottag
Give yourself something to look forward to with a holiday from Sykes Holiday Cottages. With over 12,00 when planning your next getaway. To find out more, visit our website or give us a call. www.sykescottages.co.uk
ges
00 self-catering holiday cottages throughout the UK and Ireland, you’ll be spoilt for choice
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Baileys
In this beautiful coastal location right at the entrance to Chichester Harbour and within easy reach of the with the world famous ‘Glorious Goodwood’ horse racing, ‘Festival of Speed’ and ‘Revival’. Baileys offer a situated directly overlooking the beach www.baileys.uk.com/holiday-lettings
e Cathedral City of Chichester and Goodwood a wide selection of self-catered properties, many
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Starting a Creative Bu One of our passions at Seashore Creative is the importance of unlocking creativity. With the increasing focus in our schools on exams and conformity, we are in danger of suppressing the creative talent that is present in all of us. Refreshingly it is the parents and grandparents of our young people who disillusioned with the workplace, are seeking new outlets for their talents. As we move into the Autumn, now is a great time to start thinking about new ideas and future plans. Lots of people make New Year resolutions in January, only to find they lose motivation and energy in the colder winter months, but like the start of the school year, September is a much more sensible time to start building your business ideas. Autumn is a time perfect time for planting the little seeds of a business idea in your mind, like the bulbs you plant in the ground, ideas formulated and sown in the Autumn, nurtured and developed through the winter can bloom beautifully in early Spring. Many businesses start and flourish in the Spring when there is a spirit of optimism and the days become longer. If you are launching a new product or service there are often exhibitions and shows in early Spring that you can have as your target launch date. Setting up a creative business is no different from any other business in the fundamental legal and financial requirements, but what is different is the opportunity to explore the potential before taking the serious step of becoming a full-time business.
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usiness
Whatever your ambition the key is to take your idea through a number of important stages and ask yourself some searching questions. • Why do you want to run your own business? • Do you want to use it as a supplement to your main income? • Do you want to start part-time while continuing in employment? • What are your long term goals? • And perhaps even more importantly what do you want your business to do, what is the creative talent that you would like to share? • Imagine yourself back in a deckchair, or lying on a beach towel with the sun shining and your mind drifting to all those pleasurable ‘what if’s’... • What if you didn’t have to go back into an office, what would your dream day look like? • Imagine not having the daily commute, but could get out of bed and walk into your studio/ home office, what would you like to see waiting for you to create that day? • What could you start working on right now that could take you down the path of earning money from your creative talents? One of the absolutely critical factors is to be able to get yourself into the right headspace to be creative and this isn’t easy. In today’s crowded lives there are always so many demands on your time, either from others, or self-created. But importantly we all need to find ways to take back time for ourselves. 27
This is part of the reason for the growth of mindfulness, or to spend time ‘unplugged’ from technology and social media. In the early days of working as a self-employed sole trader life can be lonely and frustrating. Managing your time is critical, especially as the first business arrives. Do not stop planning, evaluating and marketing. Be critical of how you are dividing your overall time. Are the competing needs of the business and the family leaving you no time for yourself? What happened to that monthly day for relaxation you promised yourself and that you know you need in helping you unwind? One of the elements you should be building into the plan is the need for a balanced lifestyle. Many people have a dream of having the freedom to run their own business, and in recent times self-employment has rocketed, and being passionate about your business idea is an important pre-requisite, but like running any business there are important reality checks to consider before you take those important steps. What support do you have? Working for yourself, particularly in a creative business can be lonely, seek out like-minded people, join groups, network both through social media and locally. Do you have a mentor? For the smaller business, the guidance of a mentor is really valuable. If your business is going to be as a sole trader, initially your life will probably be a lonely one, especially in the first few months as you start to develop your ideas. A mentor with whom you can critically discuss plans and progress, can be the difference between success and failure. In the early days this doesn’t have to be a
formal arrangement, meeting other people who are running their own businesses can help you share ideas, and inspire you. Your business plans should coincide with your personal long-term goals, on a more positive note, this really is a time when you can evaluate what you want to do and what those short and long-term personal goals should be. There isn’t space here to go into all the details of starting your own business, but on the followin pages are some ideas to get you started and at the end of this feature there are some suggestions of where you can find further information, see books below and reviews at the end: Happiness: How to Get Into the Habit of Being Happy - Gill Hasson This will help you identify ways of increasing your satisfaction with your life in general and can help as part of your analysis about why you want to run a creative business. Making & Marketing a Successful Art & Craft Business - Fiona Pullen However talented you are once you venture into moving from a hobby into a business, there are a number of legal and financial requirements as well as marketing and selling. This guide will help you indentify many of the underpinning activities that you will need to undertake in order to run a successful business. Entrepreneur Revolution - Daniel Priestley Packed with important lessons, expert advice, innovative strategies and implementable activities, this energising book will help you avoid trial and error and get closer to achieving your potential. Importantly for more established small businesses he suggest ways of taking your business to the next level of moving beyond being commercial and becoming remarkable. 29
The underpinning business model will be based around the following key steps: What is your business offer? On the creative side you need to evaluate very carefully what you would like to offer, the opportunities to be creative are endless, you only have to look on social media to see examples of people sharing their creative businesses. What may have initially started out as a hobby, has for many turned into a serious business opportunity. Importantly what has worked for someone else may not necessarily work for you and while seeing someone else’s work may inspire you, you need to think about developing your own original ideas. Identifying what you would like to offer can be a very creative and enjoyable process, examine every opportunity to be creative, what do you really enjoy doing? Could you sustain doing it over and over again? Would other people buy it? Explore the potential and the financial and legal implications It is vitally important to critically examine the costs of creating something and whether there is any profit in your idea once you have purchased the materials and spent time creating it. Depending on what you want to do, you also need to think longer term, is the business idea scalable, what happens if demand increases will you be able to meet the demands? Financially, how will you continue to meet your ongoing commitments while you build your business? Do you need to raise capital? What has the potential to be sold? What are the commercial opportunities? What are the health and safety implications? There may be patent or trademark implications. Take advice about tax and VAT. Ultimately why would someone want to buy it and can you charge a realistic price for it? Research the marketplace and your competitors Before you launch your business take time to look at other similar businesses, today more than ever before there are endless opportunities to see examples of successful small businesses, but equally there are examples of small businesses that perhaps haven’t succeeded as well as they had hoped. Take time to listen and learn the lessons from others. Create your brand Your brand should reflect your total belief in your offer and, as such, should come from the heart. From the moment you start thinking about building a creative business start jotting down ideas and words that mean something about your business.
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Everything that you write about your business should reflect your underpinning values and the reason why you are in business. When you write the details and when you explain your business to others it must sound genuine; you should be proud of your business. Your brand values should be reflected in absolutely everything you do from the words on your website, the design of your logo, the name of your business, the way you respond to enquiries, the way you package customer’s orders and handle complaints. Test the market
This is a really important stage, however passionate you are about your creations, designs, or business ideas, you really need to identify if there is a market for what you want to offer. Those very first tentative steps are important to see if people will like your work, or want to buy what you are offering. For creative people this is one of the most challenging moments and as such you need to see it as a test-bed from which you can learn and refine. From this early stage you can gather valuable information that will help you plan how you will sell and market your creations. Routes to market Today more than ever before, there are a myriad of opportunities to sell your creations. From online to local markets, or more commercial outlets there is a huge interest in creative and artisan products. As hopefully you will have identified in the earlier test process, you should be able to identify the best home for your products. Each opportunity will have a cost implication whether you set up your own website and handle the sales yourself, or you sell through an outlet, there will be marketing and selling costs. It is also important that the route to market for you reflects your brand. Launch and constantly review Whether you are launching online or as a physical entity, having a launch date is a great way of focusing your mind. Everything that you have done before is leading up to this moment. Take time to celebrate what you have achieved, and recognize that from this moment, you can continue to build and grow. Identify what people like, have conversations with your customers, find out why they like what you are doing. Be prepared to share your inspiration, recognize that people have different tastes. Nurture your advocates, if someone says something nice about your work, ask if you can use it as an endorsement, either anonymously or by using their first name. If this is your first experience of self-employment, you are about to enter an exciting and challenging period. Warn your partner and your family it is all-encompassing and totally time-absorbing, but ultimately it can be one of the most exciting times!
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If you are serious about starting your own creative business featured below are three books that can help you move forward:
Aristotle believed that happiness was comprised of pleasure and a sense of life well-lived. Today’s research agrees, suggesting that “happiness” is defined by your overall satisfaction with your life as well as how you feel from day to day. This book shows you that happiness is a skill made up of a particular set of habits that you can bring in your life starting today. • Identify your own, personal definition of “happiness” • Learn why we need to be happy and what often gets in the way • Develop habits that help you create and maintain happiness long-term • Learn how to be happy when you’re stuck in an unhappy situation • Discover the often-overlooked happiness that surrounds you every day While happiness is not feeling good all the time you do have the ability to control how you feel
Happiness: How to Get Into the Habit of Being Happy Gill Hasson
Happiness gives you the skills and perspective to recognise happiness and pursue a happy life—whatever that may mean for you.
Synopsis: Get into the habit of being happy!
https://www.wiley.com/
We may all have different abilities, interests, beliefs and lifestyles, beliefs but there is one Seashore Creative Review thing that we all have in common: We want to As you start thinking about developing a be happy! creative business, understanding what makes Happiness shows you how to be happy by you happy could be a very positive first step. adopting lifelong “happiness habits” that bring We particularly like Chapter 4 – Identify and and fulfilment and pleasure to your days. indulge in Small Pleasures – which is an uplifting These habits will help you manage life’s and inspiring way to recognize moments of inevitable ups and downs; consistent practice happiness every day. will develop your happiness abilities and help you live the happy life you want.
Creative Business competition, making sure the price is right and setting goals. Also included are sections on product photography and videography, branding and legal matters. Particular emphasis is placed on online selling, with detailed information on markets, blogging, using social media and the importance of analytics and SEO (search engine optimisation).
Making & Marketing a Successful Art & Craft Business Fiona Pullen
Information on offline selling is included too, with notes on selling at craft fairs, trade fairs and markets, selling through retail outlets, running courses and workshops, and featuring work in the media.
Every chapter is supported by practical activities to help you apply the lessons to your business, along with insights and advice from dozens of Synopsis: Successful craft business owner successful business professionals including Fiona Pullen, owner of The Sewing Directory, Debbie Shore, Torie Jayne and Laura Strutt. explains how to turn your hobby into a fulfilling https://www.searchpress.com/ and rewarding commercial success. Anyone wanting to use their craft or art skills should read this clear, accessible and thorough guide.
Seashore Creative Review
This is a really comprehensive guide, absolutely A revised and updated edition of Craft a Creative packed with information and advice from Fiona, Business, this is a must-read guide for anyone plus other creative business owners. wanting to turn their hobby, craft or art skills There is so much information, it is worth taking into a successful business. your time and reading a section at a time and Fiona Pullen, owner of The Sewing Directory, planning how to put it into practice. covers every aspect of setting up a small creative business clearly and simply; giving advice on the importance of identifying markets, focusing on a USP (unique selling point), assessing the
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and implementable activities, you will avoid trial and error and get closer to achieving your potential. Gear up for high performance as you learn how to: Tap into your brain’s entrepreneurial centre Develop successful routines and habits Navigate the rollercoaster of entrepreneurial emotions Increase sales and recruit your team members Turn an idea into scalable products and services Fine-tune your lifestyle to your “entrepreneurial sweet spot”
Entrepreneur Revolution Daniel Priestley
Small businesses are embracing technology, facilitating high performance and attracting the top talent. Don’t get left behind - join the Entrepreneur Revolution to transform the way you do business and create the future you want. https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Synopsis: The rules of work and business have changed. Today your ideas have more potential Seashore Creative Review than ever to be valuable and go global. What are you going to do about it? What we loved about Daniel’s approach in this book is it is so accessible. This is a book that Change your mindset, change your business and you can literally read cover to cover and feel change your life. Take part in the Entrepreneur totally motivated and inspired to take action. Revolution. It’s a book that you can return to over and over After working closely with over 3000 again and find new wisdom. Importantly for entrepreneurs in the UK, USA, Australia and more established small businesses he suggests Singapore, Entrepreneur and best selling ways of taking your business to the next level Author Daniel Priestley can show you how to of moving beyond being commercial and succeed in the entrepreneur age. becoming remarkable. The updated Entrepreneur Revolution is a call- If there is one book to move you to take action to-arms for people who want to make the most it is Entrepreneur Revolution! We loved it! of the times we are in. Packed with important Highly Recommended! lessons, expert advice, innovative strategies
“CHANGE YOUR MINDSET, CHANGE YOUR BUSINESS AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE”
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Coast and Country Co
Coast and Country Holidays in Pembrokeshire – 220 plus holiday cottages, around the coastline Cottages accommodate between 2 and 12 people, - varying in style from modern and contemporary, to t Remember all our Staff live locally and between us we have personally seen every property, so you can e Call 01239 821910 – our office is open 7 days per week! View properties and book online at www.welsh-cottages.co.uk
ottages
traditional and cosy – all in great locations. GOOD NEWS- Prices are being Held for 2019! easily find out more detail by speaking to someone!
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The Pier
The Pier stands proudly overlooking the picturesque harbour and the confluence of the Stour and Orwel Harbourside on the first floor of The Pier, is renowned for using locally caught seafood, much of which is lobster and crab are nearly always on the menu served whichever way you’d like. Stay over and capture must! www.milsomhotels.com/thepier
ll rivers. Long established in Harwich, the hotel boasts four stars with two rosettes for cooking. The s landed in the harbour opposite. Our Head Chef takes much of his influence from the sea so Harwich the ambience of this delightful old town, a night in The Mayflower suite, complete with telescope is a
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Number One Dart Ma
Number One Dart Marina is an exquisite home in a breath-taking location by the River Dart in Dartmouth within a few steps of Dart Marina Hotel & Spa, perfect for a getaway, see more at www.dartmarina.com/number-one
arina
h, Devon. For an exclusive destination with a stunning combination of views, luxury and style,
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Quality Cottages
The tight knit family business based in North Pembrokeshire represents over 450 fabulous holiday prope began their business even before the Welsh Tourist Board existed and when they finally caught up Qualit in Wales, probably setting the bench mark for future standards. www.qualitycottages.co.uk
erties throughout the most stunning coastal, countryside and mountainous regions of Wales. They ty Cottages was the first company to be awarded a gold medal for services to self catering holidays
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Coquet Cottages
Coquet Cottages is the epitome of gorgeous Northumbrian holidays. From cosy chocolate box cottages s tubs, there is something for everybody, including your four-legged friends! Specialising in 4 & 5* breaks, www.coquetcottages.co.uk
sleeping 2 in the heart of the Northumberland National Park, to grand coastal retreat with hot luxury and splendour comes naturally to us.
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Get Crafty each of the individual components and working through the techniques and tricks that Cassie herself applies to create her stunning floral displays.
The Kew Book of Sugar Flowers - How to Make Beautiful Floral Cake Decorations
The Kew Book of Sugar Flowers is the perfect book for the established sugarcrafter looking to develop their skills and take their cakedecorating capabilities to the next level. Readers with a particular interest in flowers and plants will also love this book for its painstaking recreation of flora in flower paste (gum paste), and the book is endorsed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew giving extra credibility to the stunning realism of the flowers that Cassie Brown has recreated.
Includes a Foreword by Eddie Spence M.B.E. Eddie Spence MBE has enjoyed an illustrious Synopsis: In the Kew Book of Sugar Flowers, career in confectionery and cake design and his sugarcraft specialist Cassie Brown teaches you superior skills have earned him the opportunity how to craft stunning, authentic-looking flowers to decorate many cakes for the royal family, and foliage using flower paste (gum paste). including Her Majesty the Queen herself. Cassie Brown
Learn how to create beautiful bouquets and stunning sprays, from the early stages of germinating your ideas taking inspiration from nature and making moulds from real flowers and leaves to creating floral cake decorations with an exotic or wild flower theme for a special occasion. Through clear and concise step-bystep instructions, Cassie explains every facet of crafting sugar flowers, from gaining an appreciation of the flower itself, to preparing the flower paste and colouring it to wiring the flowers into an attractive and realistic bouquet. There is a veritable garden of delights to choose from, from ornate orchids to delicate daisies. The method for crafting each individual flower is demonstrated in stunning detail beginning with an ‘exploded flower’ photograph that illustrates
https://www.searchpress.com/
Seashore Creative Review This book is an absolute delight! Beautifully illustrated with stunning photography and step-by-step instructions. What we particularly love are the close-up images of the flowers, illustrating all the details to enable you to create your own very realistic versions of some truly beautiful flowers. As well as illustrations of the gorgeous flowers, there are also examples of leaves, shoots and embellishments, and compositions. Cassie also includes an Introduction, how to get started, guidance on the materials and tools that you will need and a very comprehensive guide to techniques. This is an outstanding book and we absolutely loved it! Highly Recommended!
Stripy Blankets to Crochet Haafner Linssen 20 gorgeous designs with easy repeat patterns
A Beginner’s Guide to Kumihimo
Synopsis: Nothing says I love you quite like a handmade blanket, so grab your hook and Donna McKean Smith discover the joy of crocheting stripes in this Synopsis: Learn the basics of kumihimo beautiful book by the author of the bestselling braiding and beading to create more than 12 Mandalas to Crochet, Haafner Linssen. pieces of jewellery. Inside, Haafner takes her readers on a journey Kumihimo is a popular jewellery-making into the world of crocheting stripes. These technique with origins in Japanese tradition. patterns are relaxing to create (taking readers This colourful and informative beginner’s into a state of what psychologists call ‘flow’) as guide to the craft explains how to use a circular they are pleasingly repetitive, can be worked up kumihimo disc and a variety of braids and beads quickly and don’t have lots of ends to sew in. to create 12 stunning pieces of jewellery, plus The patterns for the 20 beautiful stripy blankets colour and style variations, for any occasion. vary from simple designs that use only the most Kumihimo is a transportable craft so once you basic stitches perfect for an absolute beginner have mastered the basics of placing your braids to more complex creations that use special over the disc in different formations to make a stitches. variety of patterns and motifs, you can create https://www.searchpress.com/ kumihimo jewellery wherever you go. https://www.searchpress.com/
Seashore Creative Review
We love this book! There are so many wonderful designs with delightful names reflecting Another stunning book! Beautifully illustrated Haafner’s love of travelling, the instructions are with step-by-step instructions, we love the easy to understand and the book has beautiful variety and delicate styling in the examples photographs of the finished blankets. included in this gorgeous book. A wonderful opportunity to create beautiful jewellery for If you are looking for something for the autumn nights ahead this practical book is a perfect yourself, or as gifts for friends and family. source of inspiration!
Seashore Creative Review
Gone Crabbing
At Gone Crabbing you will find a range of both kids t-shirts and hoodies – designed and made in Turkey mug, aprons, oven gloves, beach towels, stationery, their best selling line of soaps along with many othe their flagship store in North Norfolk – the original British crabbing store. www.gonecrabbing.co.uk
concentrating on top quality fabrics and prints. There is also a myriad of giftware from tea towels, r items to fill your bucket. The whole range can be found online at www.gonecrabbing.co.uk or at
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St. Brides Bay Cottag
St Brides Bay Cottages offers delightful cottages in superb locations around the North Pembrokeshire Co scenery is spectacular, the air is crystal fresh and the villages are full of character. The rugged beauty off www.stbridesbaycottages.com
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oast. “Welcome” might be a small word, but here it has a very big meaning. The fers the perfect backdrop for a real get-away-from-it-all holiday.
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AUTUMN DAYS... NOW THAT SUMMER IS ALMOST OVER WE LOOK FORWARD TO AUTUMN DAYS CLAIMING BACK THE BEACHES ENJOYING THE SENSE OF FREEDOM THAT AN EMPTY BEACH CAN BRING. THE DAYS MAY BE GETTING SHORTER BUT THE SUN CAN ALSO SHINE BRINGING DRAMATIC SUNSETS. AS WE HUDDLE UNDER BLANKETS AND WATCH THE SUN GO DOWN IF THE WINDS GROW STRONGER AND THE WAVES BEGIN TO CRASH, WE CAN GO SEEKING UNUSUAL BITS OF DRIFTWOOD AND BEAUTIFUL SEAGLASS!
SEASHORE CREATIVE WWW.SEASHORECREATIVE.CO.UK