#LauraAshleyCrafts • Laura Ashley Craft Workshop in Bristol

The marvellous thing about blogging is how an internet based activity becomes a real life collection of meetings, greetings and friendships. 

When you are a blogger you have the ability to connect with so many people, from all walks of the web and it was a pleasure to be amongst bloggers from every corner of the community last Sunday. Fashion bloggers in fashionable floppy hats, incredibly creative and talented seamstresses, friendly faces from the family blogger world, new bloggers and veteran lifestyle bloggers all came together to take part in a Laura Ashley craft workshop.

I have loved Laura Ashley and their distinctive and iconic pastel prints for decades. Their country casual style fits the perfect rustic charm interior look I adore and I flick through their latest catalogue, like it's a limited edition magazine.

We started the workshop after lots of school girl screams (Mostly from me!) and warm hugs. I was thrilled to spot an empty seat next to Keri-Anne who writes the stunning floral filled blog Gingerlillytea I admire so much. Just along from us was the pink haired maiden Emily I had the pleasure of meeting last year at another event and at the opposite end of the group was a firm blogging friend of mine Gemma. 

The Crafty Hen company were on hand to guide us through the craft activities (You can't actually believe how Keri and I managed to take 4 times as long as everyone else to cover a notebook in fabric. Perhaps a wee bit too much chatting...) and at the end of the workshop we had two beautiful handmade gifts to take home. 

I've been searching for fabric for our sitting room window seats. There are two that need covering and my hunt for a print that will tie in with the grey, blue and brass colour palette lead me straight to the navy lace ribbon and gold buttons!

All you need is double sided tape and the ability to fold in the right places and you can recover all those "they were cool when I bought them but now they look a bit naff" notebooks we all have hidden away in a drawer somewhere with mostly empty pages. 

The afternoon whizzed by and it was great to have some time over lunch to chat with the team from Joe's Bloggers and the Laura Ashley fabric experts! I came straight home and poured over the catalogue searching for my perfect blue floral pattern! I rather like this abstract print, or maybe the stripes, or the birds... decisions, decisions! 

Thank you for inviting me Laura Ashley to spend a lovely afternoon with lovely people and have a peek at your lovely products!