Advantages: Full of inspiring ideas, everything for artists and makers of all things, open late
Disadvantages: Finding what you're after can be tricky, lots of tempting things for kids

...want to mount a print or drawing yourself. They also sell the knives to give your mount a fancy bevelled edge. A whole aisle is devoted to sketch pads, size, paper to support watercolours, oils, pastels etc. To complete the picture, you can peruse an excellent selection of frames in gilt, aluminium plus various wood and paint finishes. There are box frames for framing 3D displays, frames for displaying multiple photos, and glassless ones for canvases or boards. Haven't got a picture? No worries - they have a selection of posters featuring masterpieces by the likes of Monet, Picasso and relatively unknown modern day artists and photographers. Instructional books and videos help the beginner to the advanced involved in painting and drawing or various specialist arts and crafts pastimes. -CRAFTS DEPARTMENT- Crafts of every... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Everything under one roof at reasonable prices.
Disadvantages: Might not be one near you - yet.

...crafty, people flock there from miles around to get their hands on specific shades of card, new knitting needles and Fimo. ☼ HobbyCraft is the first superstore to deal exclusively with the arts and crafts. Before now, this was mostly done by obscure village shops and the odd knitting shop which, due to fading interest, and rising prices, have all but disappeared; where my Nana’s wool shop used to be, now stands a “Bargain Booze.” This happened a long time before HobbyCraft however, which seems to be making craft fashionable again, which may in turn bring the smaller shops back. ☼ HobbyCraft claim to cater for 250 different types of arts and crafts, in my opinion it must be more; the shop is full of exciting and different textures and colours in every direction. ☼ HobbyCraft caters for all ages and abilities, along... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cheap and cheerful
Disadvantages: Transfers don't transfer

...sparkly butterfly hair clips. There is also an instruction booklet with the instructions in several languages.The leaflet gives details of the ingredients, and informs the party person how to apply the transfers, as well as giving ideas on how to do nails (a whole sentence) ~~Price and Availability~~ As I mentioned, the pack cost £3.99. We bought ours from Toys R Us, but these kits are quite widely available. There are also other kits of the same type, sold in the same type of packaging, and are what I would describe as pocket money buys. These kits, all priced at £3.99, include: Friendship Barids Craft Kit Cool Cards Craft Kit Fab felt Craft Kit French Knitting Craft Kit Nail Art Craft Kit Make A face Craft Kit ~~Who is it for?~~ I would imagine anyone who wants to use it, although there is a warning that it is not suitable... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Craft projects with clear instructions, supplier directory by area, value for money
Disadvantages: Too many adverts to cope with!

...to "Meet the Team": Natasha Read, Deputy Editor; Holly Markham, Regulars Editor; and Lorraine Luximon, Editorial Assistant. I quite liked this very small section as it allows you to put a face to the names of the employees working hard to bring the reader the very latest from the world of crafts. The Content: = So, what crafts are covered? The main projects this month range from good old card making and scrap-booking to decorating ceramic mugs and knitting. Overall I would say that this magazine is best suited to card makers, scrap-bookers, and any other craft which involves using paper. Most of the projects involve a greeting card but the design is then applied to other areas such as decorating a wooden box or creating pages for scrapbooks. Most of the advertisements are for craft retailers, most of them focusing on cards... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Loads to look at, leaflets to learn from, workshops held, most crafts catered for, children and adults crafts catered for
Disadvantages: You can spend a long time in the shop perusing as there is so much to see

...My sister in law recently advised me that she would like me to decorate some candles for her for Christmas present this year - I am not in the least bit artistic and didn't have a clue where to even start so I decided to visit my local Hobbycraft Store which is in Southampton to see whether I could conjure up any inspiration. Hobbycraft is the UK's largest chain of dedicated Arts and Crafts Superstores. Since the first HobbyCraft Superstore opened in Ferndown, Bournemouth in 1995, the company has expanded to 19 Arts and Crafts Superstores nationwide. Hobbycraft sell over 30,000 products all associated with various arts and crafts. All their shops are laid out exactly the same so whether you visit the Southampton Store or the Nottingham Store if you are familiar with the layout you should easily be able to find your way around... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: so much choice
Disadvantages: want to buy extra items once you are there

.... The Southampton branch has the following classes: Silk Painting Glass Painting Pottery Painting and Decorating, all ages welcome. Birthdays and parties catered for. Certified Ross Instructors – Bob Ross wet-on-wet oil painting technique classes Kids Crafts Adult Craft Parties Rag Rug Making Modelling and Tile Making with Clay Rubber Stamping and Mosaics Calligraphy and Craft/Card Workshops Encaustic Art If you can’t manage to visit your local store an order service is available by telephone or e-mail. There is a minimum postage of £3.00 to pay but this varies depending on the weight of the item/s purchased. I really enjoyed visiting the Southampton branch and now that I have been once I will definitely be visiting it again. It was a very enjoyable afternoon and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys arts and crafts.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fun, good transpotation, lots going on!
Disadvantages: too crowded sometimes and pickpockets!

...I have been to Convent Garden many times and I love it! Everytime you go, there is something new wating for you! I mean all the shows! Magic, muscial, talk shows, etc, the yare different everytime I go and the yare always of the high quality of show! Furthermore, there is something for everyone! There is expensive label designer store, such as Paul Smiths, French Connection, Agenes' b and many more! There is also less expensive items in the 'apple market'! There is all kind of things in the market, such as painting, jewellery, antiques, funky shoes and little handmade arts and crafts! Transpotation is really easy! The underground station of Convent Garden is really close to the market, or alternatively, you could get off in piccadically circus and then walk up to convent garden and do more and more shopping on the way up! However... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Raising money for good causes, having fun
Disadvantages: Can take up a lot of your time!

...doesn't melt it just burns, I used baby soap) in a pan then add essential oils and colours (like lavender or citrus) and cool in improvised moulds The moulds thing is tricky, I once tried cake cases which looked great until the soap dried and they shrivelled. Best result was from a craft book - roll small amounts into balls between your palms and leave to cool. Package in pretty boxes or cellophane bags with a little potpourri or sequin shapes sprinkled in. I found it difficult to make these look really good, the soap never quite melted enough to give a smooth texture. I enjoyed trying though. Do not use real lavender heads as one book suggested, I found it just made the soap look dirty and unattractive. ~~ 6. Value packs ~~ This isn't exactly a 'craft', I used to trawl round cheap shops and supermarkets looking for large packs... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: cheap, every craft under the sun
Disadvantages: I always spend too much when I go in

...your self onto at customer service desk. Some are free and some are chargeable, depending on the material used. There is a list of up and coming workshops when you go in on the display board. HobbyCraft also provide a good range of How to..... leaflets which cover lots of interesting ideas. One thing that this shop is invaluable for is kids crafts. As well as a huge range of kits for kids, they also lots of little packs of things for you to stock up on for a kids craft box. Things like - pom poms (29p), beads (49p), feathers (99p), felt (25p a square), googly eyes (30p), PVA glue (89p), gummed paper (60p pack) etc etc. The list is endless. We bought 2 yellow pom-poms and googly eyes and felt to make a chick at Easter and he cost under £1 to make. Often you can buy bigger packs, but if just buying for a one-off activity it's great... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Full of info, great looking, glossy
Disadvantages: none at all

...This Dorling Kindersley hardback craft title is an absolutely exquisite book for anyone interested in papier mache. It is the type of book you pick up over and over again as the papier mache art featured is delightful and definitely something to strive towards. The introduction tells us the history of papier mache, all the basic materials and equipment needed for the craft, then comes the beautiful projects which start off relatively easy and get more complicated throughout the book. With these wonderful projects you can make delightful objects d' art, functional pieces, jewellery, clocks, all beautifully photographed with easy to follow instructions. This book is definitely one for your coffee table - it looks sumptuous, gives great instructions and is an absolute bargain at £9.99... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful