Melissa Merchant, OwnerAfter leaving behind a busy legal career in the City to raise two children, Melissa rediscovered her interest in knitting, sewing and various other creative pursuits. She quickly discovered that those hobbies had become a little rusty during her legal years, so set about trying to find fun workshops to brush up on the basics, learn new skills and get inspiration for new projects.
Melissa found that too many of the courses on offer either required a 6 week commitment, were too old-fashioned or were in the evening or on weekends when she wanted to spend time with her family. There weren’t any fun and inspiring opportunities available locally.
Melissa did something about it and created MakeMe with support from her husband David. At MakeMe you choose a workshop which lasts a few hours, learn new skills and leave with your very own gorgeous creation. Law seems a very distant memory now as Melissa is knee deep in wool, fabric and loving it!
“We want to provide you with a fun filled few hours where you learn something new and leave proud of your creation. Making something from nothing using your own two hands and a little imagination is a fulfilling way to spend time. Meet new people, learn new skills and do something for yourself (and eat piece of cake or two).”
MakeMe Workshops invites you to come along with some friends or on your own to create something fabulous for yourself or as a gift.
David Merchant, Photographer
Melissa is still trying to convince David to teach a workshop or two but he seems happy to leave the creative stuff to her. He is the official website photographer though and is content to leave it at that.
Polly Levitton – Cupcakes
Polly acquired a real passion for baking after becoming a stay at home Mum to twins. Her background in Fashion and Product Development meant creativity was in the blood. "I was always baking cakes for friends and family but got hooked on cupcakes trying out different flavours and designs".
Polly loves creating mini masterpieces and loves how each cake can look beautifully bespoke. In between workshops and school runs she is currently setting up her own cake business - The Cobham Cake House. Polly would be happy to make cakes for your next special occasion, for further information contact thecobhamcakehouse@hotmail.co.uk.
Alison Peachey – Cake Decorating
Alison discovered her love of cake making by accident. Several years ago, Alison was asked to produce a cake for her grandmother’s 100th birthday celebration which was due to be attended by the press and the mayor. Undaunted, Alison rose to the occasion and produced a cake that gained as much attention as the event itself!
Motivated by this success, Alison trained at Brooklands College to further her culinary skills. This complimented her 3 year course in Advanced Culinary Techniques and Food Studies where she gained a distinction and led to a career in styling food for photography. Alison worked for over ten years with a freelance food writer, creating recipes for magazines and books and cooked for celebrities to promote their television appearances.
Alison continues to make cakes for all occasions and enjoys teaching the skills that she has acquired over the years.
Sara Jane Chapman - Chocolate
Sara Jane Chapman is the passion behind Sara Jane Chocolates and is pleased to be teaching at MakeMe.
Sara can’t remember when she hasn’t loved chocolate. As a child and teenager she would eat and love all of the bars available at the local shop. As an adult her tastes have changed and she now favour the bitter sweet taste of a rich dark chocolate. Sara first thought about creating her own brand of chocolates after being disappointed with a box she had bought from a top end, high street store. She began to think about Chocolate all the time and I had a crazy thought that I could make my own!
Sara qualified as a Certified Accountant many years ago, and worked in the City of London before having her daughter in 2008.With the support of loved ones, Sara created Sara Jane Chocolates. Her range includes gorgeous children’s novelty chocolate lollipops that look too good to eat and beautifully packaged wedding chocolate. You can see the full range produced by Sara at www.sarajanechocolates.co.uk.
Heather Grant- Cook Up Party (canapes and party food)
Party Expert Heather Grant has been passionate about food since inventing her first recipe at the age of 10.
This culinary interest paved the way for a career which began at the BBC and where she gained a reputation for providing great food for office parties. Winning Cosmopolitan Cook of the Year inspired Heather to achieve a Diploma in Food at Leith’s School of Food and Wine from which she spring boarded to becoming Queen of the Kitchens at Justin de Blank’s boutique hotel in Norfolk, cooking for many of London’s top chefs who stayed here.
Back in London, Heather set about organising smart parties for upmarket catering company, Duff and Trotter. From there she went on to set up a unique catering company specializing in devising and delivering outstanding bespoke parties, with her colleague Jane Lewis. Lewis & Grant has been organising parties and events since then, in locations as diverse as the Design Museum and Downing Street.
Charisma, charm and great people skills, combined with a comprehensive understanding of what constitutes a brilliant event have assured Heather’s reputation as a top planner. Heather’s creativity, down to earth approach and meticulous attention to detail ensures each element of an event is a resounding success.
A desire to share her knowledge of healthy eating and balanced meals for all occasions, has led Heather to work with children and adults, educating people on all aspects of food. From working on the Healthy Schools Task Group at a Wandsworth secondary school to meeting with Tony Blair and Patricia Hewitt at 10 Downing Street to discuss how to improve the wellbeing of the nation, Heather’s passion for sharing her knowledge shapes her daily life.
A member of The Guild of Food Writers, Heather has written for many national papers and magazines. Married to publisher, George Grant, and mother to two film mad teenage boys, Heather now lives and works in Kingston upon Thames.
Annie Genower - Cake Toppers
Annie Genower started making cakes for her 3 children over 30 years ago. This grew, starting with orders from family and friends. Then a friend suggested she try teaching at Adult Education classes, she approached them, was taken on and has been teaching for Kingston Adult Education and in Elmbridge for Surrey Adult Education ever since.
Annie also runs her own classes at a village hall in Long Ditton. She specialises in making models (including Bart & Marge Simpson for a wedding cake) and painting on cakes (even Hogwarts castle) and especially enjoys creating any type of novelty cake. She has also done cake-decorating demonstrations for various organizations and numerous workshops for children. To contact her about cake orders or classes e-mail on anniegcakes@yahoo.co.uk.
Leslie Grant - Cake Push Ups
Born in the United States but now living in the UK., Leslie had a 20-year career in investment banking before discovering that she was passionate about baking. Leslie loves the science of baking and is a perfectionist about her cake recipies, designs and decorations. Unfortunately, while baking to her heart's content, she discovered that her husband and three sons were no dessert or pudding lovers. Citrus? Coconut? Cooked fruit? NO! One son didn't even like chocolate dessserts/puddings!
Not wanting to eat all the cakes herself, tempting as it was, Leslie started baking for her extended family and friends several years ago. The business grew by word of mouth from there. And Leslie's passion for all things gorgeous and delicious found culinary success in a growing business, Leslie's Cakes.
You ca see more about Leslie's Cakes at www.lesliescakes.com and www.facebook.com/lesliescakes.
Ann Holliday - Sewing
Coming soon...
Sarah Dodd – Sewing
Sarah graduated in 2010 from Winchester School of Art in BA hons Textiles, Fashion and Fibre, specialising in Textile Art.
Sarah has always had a passionate interest for free hand machine embroidery and has for a long time enjoyed making machine embroideries as a hobby. Her main outlet is her free hand embroidered greeting cards business by the name of Lotus Blossom, with over 250 designs in outlets across the South of England.
Sarah's main interest in life is being environmentally-friendly, so endeavours to make her products as eco-friendly as possible. She uses recycled card, biodegradable packaging, and found and re-used fabric to create her gorgeous designs.
You can view her work on her website www.lotusblossomcards.co.uk
Celine Reid – Sewing
Everything that Celine does is self-taught which she says shows that anyone can do it! She has always enjoyed making things but found herself distracted by the corporate world where she pretended to enjoy herself for a few years. Thankfully, the arrival of her children put an end to that and reignited her passion for craft.
It all began with a bag that Celine made for her daughter when she was very little. When Celine realised that there was no end to the possible combinations of fabrics and shape, she had to keep making more! In the end, Celine decided that it is all about fabulous fabrics - not just the making of the object but also the pleasure in choosing the fabric combinations and textures and putting them together.
Celine set up Apple Juice in 2004 selling her own gorgeous creations in the UK and Europe. Celine produces fantastic oil cloth bags and decorative and practical items for the home. The business has kept Celine very busy but has so far allowed her to spend time with her children as well as working.
Celine always has a project on the go and is constantly looking to use recycled materials in her designs when she can. When Celine sees something on the High Street her first thought is how can she make that? Celine’s designs particularly appeal to children and include many items for a child’s bedroom. Celine enjoys crafting for kids because the customer is (nearly) always satisfied!
Celine is also a sought after contributor to craft books. Making Stuff for Kids and Pretty Little Presents are two recent craft books which have featured her designs.
Check out Apple Juice (www.applejuicehandmade.co.uk) to see some of Celine’s work or go to http://applejuice.canalblog.com to read her blog.
Alix Chan - Hand Sewing (Kids)
Alix graduated from Winchester school of art in BA hons knitted fashion and textiles.
Although her love of knitting spurred her on to finish her degree she has always had a passion for sewing and creating. After leaving university she decided to settle down and get a full time job as a sales support for an IT company. Although the change from university to being out working was a welcome one, after a while the itch to make was too strong!
After a year of working full time she decided that she needed to continue making and crafting and this started her small business Le Petit Pois selling handmade gifts made from felt and crochet. Selling her creations online or at craft fairs keeps her fulfilled, inspired and constantly thinking about the next design.
You can view Alix's gorgeous work on her website: www.lepetitpois.co.uk
Lisa Waller – Sewing
Lisa has always been creative and interested in fashion, so it was only natural for her to study at the London College of Fashion for her OND and HND in clothing. Her time there was well spent designing, pattern cutting, grading and making garments. From there Lisa went on to university to study for a degree in Design and Media Management combining creativity with business skills.
Her career in fashion started as an Assistant Merchandiser working in Women’s wear for a well-known brand. After a number of years working in London it was time to seek a new challenge and Lisa now works as a Personal Trainer, a role that offers flexibility to work on alternative projects and pursue her sewing and design ideas.
Georgie Roberts - Style Make Up
Georgie Roberts spent 10 years working in TV for the likes of Channel 5, ITV and Sky News as a journalist and presenter. She worked as a presenter for Channel 5 Sport when it launched and then spent 7 years as Sky News’ Showbiz Correspondent both in LA and London covering the Oscars, BAFTAS, world premieres, MTV Awards and the Grammys.
Those up-close-and personal moments on the red carpet inspired her interest to work in make-up and styling. Georgie trained at Hampton Court Studios with highly regarded tv makeup artist Rachel Pring. Now Georgie is a proud mum of 3 and enjoying her new career path.Most recently Georgie has been working on the set of ITV 1’s Secret Diary of a Call Girl and with Lily Allen for the launch of Lily’s vintage clothing boutique. Georgie also works with the London School of Modelling and Vintage at Goodwood.
From creating dramatic looks and fresh faces for aspiring models, to re-creating vintage looks from the 1930's to the '80s, Georgie’s work on photo shoots, TV, editorials, and bridal make up, gives her a rich and varied portfolio from which to draw.More information about Georgie and her work in commercial, tv, photographic and bridal media can be found on her website www.georginarobertsmakeup.com.
Isabel de Felice - Colour, Style and Trends
Isabel is the owner and founder of Imagewise Image Consultancy based in Walton on Thames, Surrey where she lives with her husband and three children.
Isabel studied modern languages at university and gained a BA (Hons) degree in French and Spanish with Economics. But after a few years working in property management, teaching and financial services, Isabel followed her heart and retrained as an opera and jazz singer. She joined the English National Opera as a freelance chorister in 1994.
Isabel's time at ENO was full of creativity, music, team spirit and great clothes. Working alongside the best costumiers, Isabel picked up many of the design tips that she now uses in her image consultancy work.
Wanting to spend more time with her young family, Isabel retired from the West End lifestyle, and started to look for a new career where sheI could use all her previous experience and indulge her passion for clothes, fashion and personal image.
After undergoing extensive training, Isabel joined Colour Me Beautiful, and in her first year won their best newcomer award. Further awards for outstanding achievements followed in 2009 and in 2010. And then finally she launched my own image consultancy, ‘Imagewise.'
Isabel's aim is to help women and men look and feel confident regardless of their size, shape or budget.
Isabel is regularly invited to give entertaining talks and presentations to companies, schools, charities, clubs, women's groups and networking groups. She also hosts personal shopping events at top High Street retailers LK Bennett, Kew and Planet. In 2010 she gave her first radio interview for Radio Surrey.
Isabel also offers these additional services - Personal Styling, Full Image Makeovers, Makeup Masterclasses, Professional & Business Image, Wardrobe Weeding, Personal Shopping, Seasonal Fashion Updates, Special Occasion Dressing, Mens Image, Full Bridal Service, Parties, Workshops & Corporate Image
Contact: 01932 224302 or 07777 664713
Email: isabel.defelice@cmb.co.uk
Dr Mariette Jansen - Meditation
Lisa Parkes - Children's Life Coaching
Lisa is an experienced Child Coach who believes in helping your kids feel great from the inside out. Her toolbox for getting the best out of your kids includes creativity, games, music interpretation, activities and exercises. Lisa is the founder of SuperKids (http://www.lisaparkeslifecoaching.co.uk/superkids) . Lisa says, 'Life skills for kids such as decision making, cultivating self belief, forming healthy relationships, meeting new people, handling pressure, having self respect, being assertive, developing good values, finding our passion usually come from our families and friends. My job is to built on that and give your kids their very own toolkit! A lot of the work we do at Superkids comes from knowing the self and having a clear sense of identity. When we know who we are and what we want, we are solid in our foundations. That makes dealing with life's little hiccups easier.' Lisa is CRB checked and a member of the Association for Coaching.
Oorla Morgan – Craft Jewellery (adults and children)
After qualifying as a teacher with a visual studies degree from Oxford Brookes University in 1990, Oorla taught art in primary schools in Oxford and Croydon for 16 years. She noticed a gap in the market for high quality, reasonably priced wedding stationery and jewellery so developed her own range. Now she runs her own business making sterling silver and semi precious gemstone jewellery.
Her passion for colour and quality materials has enabled her to build a varied collection of beads and charms sourced from all over the world. Having had many years experience training children and other teachers in art and craft techniques, she is very excited to be teaching for Make Me which combines all her favourite things: making gorgeous jewellery, chatting and eating cake- all in a beautiful environment!!!
Oorla also takes commissions for one off, personal necklaces and bracelets for special occasions including initials, birthstones and zodiac charms.
You can contact Oorla to discuss her work or to commission bespoke pieces by email Oorla@talktalk.net or call her on 07725 009 333.
Marsha Hall - Shoemaking
Marsha Hall is a local award winning bespoke shoemaker. Graduating from the London College of Fashion with a diploma in footwear construction in 1996.
Marsha also has a degree in fashion design and loves all things creative. Inspired by not being able to find the shoes she wanted in the high street shops she was determined to do something about it.
Starting off working from home, Marsha opened her first showroom in 2009 in Great Bookham where she also has a workshop to make her bespoke shoes and runs one and two day shoemaking workshops. Marsha has been featured in many of the glossy magazines as a female shoemaker making ladies shoes is a rare thing.
“I’m so happy to be working with MakeMe Workshops. Being surrounded by like-minded creative people discovering talents that they might not have realised they had. I find that so inspirational” .
Clare Yarwood-White is the award winning jewellery designer behind the bridal jewellery business Yarwood-White which was launched in the autumn of 2003. Yarwood-White was awarded Bridal Accessories three years in a row in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by Wedding Ideas magazine and was a finalist in the Wrapit Wedding Awards Accessories category in 2007 and 2008.
Clare has designed jewellery for celebrities including Cheryl Cole, Katie Price, Danii Minogue, Charlotte Church and Sharon Osbourne. Her jewellery was worn by contestants on the X-Factor in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Her jewellery was also used by Trinny & Susannah in their book The Survival Guide.
Clare’s first book, Bridal Jewellery, was published in 2007 by A&C Black as part of their Jewellery Handbook Series. Clare is passionate about jewellery and MakeMe is pleased to have her teach the Christmas gift jewellery workshop.
Yarwood-White designs are stocked in a number of prestigious bridal boutiques throughout the UK. Take a look at Clare’s beautiful pieces for yourself at www.Yarwood-White.com.
Kelly Smithson - Craft Jewellery
Kelly studied fine art, painting, at Sheffield Hallam University before moving into TV production, working for Global Production and Sky. Her passion for jewellery design flourished following the birth of her two children and her family’s move from London to Guildford. Cabbage White Jewellery was established in 2005.
Although her initial designs focused on beaded jewellery, Kelly is an accomplished silversmith and today offers a wide range of handmade jewellery for all occasions. With a strong emphasis on personalised pieces she has developed a wide fan base of people who love to have unique pieces made especially for them and their loved ones.
Kelly’s designs are inspired by her favourite things in life: fashion, interior design, nature and long walks with the family and their Border Terrier in Cornwall.Kelly’s jewellery is currently sold through a number websites including the nationally well-known NotOnTheHighStreet as well as Cabbage White's own website. Cabbage White can also be found at numerous fairs throughout Surrey and South London including the Guildford Craft Market, Wimbledon Village Fair and the handmade specialist fair, Craftacular, in Guildford.
Kelly is married to Ed. They have two young children, Albert and Poppy and Herbie the dog. She lives and works in Guildford.
Take a look at Kelly’s work www.cabbagewhitejewellery.co.uk.
Sarah Cox - Craft Jewellery (adults and children)
Sarah has recently escaped the corporate world to concentrate on her two loves polymer clay work and face painting. She has always been involved in anything ‘crafty’ but in the last 10 years has built up a face painting business and developed jewellery designs with polymer clay.
She specialises in fun designs for children and runs jewellery making and bead making parties. These include making cake and sweet beads and everything from miniature teddy bears to mice and elephants which are incorporated into beautiful bracelets.
She also runs adult workshops teaching face painting and more intricate polymer clay designs. These include cane, millifiore and stone design beads, the design possibility with these beads is endless.
Sarah is now running a craft shop with her partners Kim and Simon featuring local artists work in Chobham called Flora Lou and can be reached on 07766225329 and is currently developing her website.
Fiona Bliss graduated in History of Art and worked in publishing as a picture researcher for many years, on magazines such as Country Life and Country Homes and Interiors. After having children she went to college again and completed a City and Guilds course in gardening followed by the RHS Diploma in Horticulture.
Fiona has worked as a gardener and designer for the last six years running her own small business in Surrey, Gardening Bliss. She has a number of regular clients and takes on projects from transforming a patio in the summer with beautiful containers to re-designing borders and entire gardens. Plants are a consuming passion. At Christmas time this enthusiasm extends to creating beautiful hand-made fresh door wreaths, using a variety of natural materials and festive decorations. From early December Fiona welcomes orders for bespoke wreaths as well as offering her own range of styles, from the popular and very traditional wreath to something more contemporary. All tastes and types of front door are catered for.
Fiona is keen to pass on her skills to a wider audience and teaching people to make their own wreaths in a workshop environment is an ideal and inspiring springboard for doing this. A fun way to get the creative juices flowing.
Fiona’s own wreaths are reasonably and competitively priced (and include delivery to the Cobham and Dorking areas). For more information or to place an order please contact her on fiona@roybliss.com or 01306 884566 or 07970 731626.
Margaret originally trained as a graphic designer at Kingston University, subsequently working for BBC Television where she produced and designed moving sequences, involving many inventive techniques, for different types of programming and channels in the UK and Europe. She won the Broadcast Design Award (silver) three times, the bronze once and a Royal Television Society award.
She now combines her art and design experience to produce work in a mix of medias, including fabric and fibre, wood, metal and found objects which she exhibits at Fire and Iron, Red Biddy and The Medicine Garden galleries. She shares ideas and techniques at a variety of workshops, leading craft and design projects. For the last two years, Margaret has devised and taught art and design projects for Primary School children with a focus on encouraging connected thinking and linking visual art techniques with music and literacy.
Margaret’s creative creatures have been a big hit with children at a primary school in the vicinity of MakeMe and have arrived here by popular demand! (Margaret is CRB checked).
Jo's initial training was in wood graining, marbling, gilding and specialist decorative painting. She then attained a Cert Ed. and took other short courses (life drawing, interior design and printing) while she was teaching part-time at a further education college. She became full-time after 2 years and taught on a wide range of courses - Art & Design Pre-Degree Foundation, Interior Design, National Diploma, OCN short courses - for both adult and 16-19 year old students. After 7 years she left fuyll-time teaching to up-skill and develop new work by taking a variety of short courses at Central St Martin's College of Art. She is now a self-employed designer/maker and divides her time between exhibiting and selling her work and teaching a range of workshops across the country. She collaborates with other designers, undertakes commissions and is also a speaker for the WI.
Jo specialises in experimental surface decoration combining gilding with print and hand painting to create a range of contemporary pieces using antique lace as inspiration and main material. Her work includes framed gilded antique lace and prints, jewellery, fashion and interior accessories, Christmas cards and decorations.
In her workshops she demonstrates many techniques and processes, introduces different media and encourages her students to experiment and explore widely within an open and friendly environment.
See Jo's work at www.jmdecorativeart.co.uk
After completing a BA (Hon’s) in Knitted Textiles, Alison went on to Kingston University and completed a Masters in Fashion and exhibited her Workshop and Catwalk during September 2010 London Fashion Week. Knitting is Alison’s passion. Since graduating, Alison has taken on the role of Senior Knit Technician at Bucks New University and is currently embarking on many exciting projects, one of which is working on a new collection.
Alison has also been working with a London based Knitwear designer, Sid Byran since 2006. He allows her to take an active role in the design process – she assists in the design of the fabric, attends meetings and works with the design of the overall garment. Recently Alison has also worked with Armand Basi, Jasper Conran, Giles Deacon, Emmanuel Ungaro, Todd Lynn and also on Sid Byran’s own knitwear line Sibling. Working within the knit field has allowed Alison to see that Knit is functional, traditional and modern. Knit is everywhere you look and creating something individual stands you out from the crowd and that is the one main thing you get from these workshops. Learn to be able to create individual accessories and clothing for yourselves and for others.
www.alison-mafashion.blogspot.com
Vicki Knights - PhotographyVicki Knights is an award-winning baby and child photographer and owns the lifestyle photography business Vicki Knights Photography. She uses natural light only and her style has been described as natural, contemporary and creative.
All of her sessions take place on location, either at clients' homes or in one of the many beautiful places Surrey has to offer. She loves to use the seasons to her advantage, whether it's a colourful autumnal shoot in the woods, or a gorgeous summer shoot in a lavender field.
Vicki has been passionate about photography since she was a child but she didn't pick up her first digital SLR until she was pregnant in 2007. After getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of photography training that speaks in plain English, she ended up teaching herself to take beautiful photographs by spending hours upon hours with her head in photography books and on forums! She has condensed much of what she has learnt into a dynamic and intensive 3 hour workshop without any boring, complicated photography jargon! She'll teach you how to take much better photos without having to read the dull manual from start to finish!
To find out more about Vicki's business see her website here www.vickiknights.co.uk. To see some of her recent work take a look at her blog www.vickiknightsblog.com.
Caroline Millard Atkins - Bath Products
Caroline has always enjoyed using beautiful bath and body products but due to a change in financial circumstances she found it increasingly hard to indulge in these small luxuries.
After doing some research via friends and the internet she started making her own in 2010 then began giving them as presents. They became so popular among her friends that she decided to start selling them, harder than it first seemed due to the strict EU regulations surrounding the sale of cosmetics. She obtained her cosmetic assessment and liability insurance and then Caroline’s Creations was born.
Caroline is a busy lady not only running her own small business she also manages a Sure Start Children’s Centre and is mother to two rapidly growing boys.
She is really looking forward to sharing her love of these products with you.
Lisa Cox - Garden Design
Lisa Cox is the owner of Lisa Cox Garden Designs and works throughout Surrey and the South helping her clients to create their dream gardens.
Her real interest in creating gardens came when she finally got her own garden 10 years ago and became inspired to transform it from the “back yard” that it was then into a place where she could relax and lose herself.
Lisa passionately believes that it is her role as designer to understand what her clients want to achieve and she works very closely with them to design and develop gardens that fit in with their lifestyle and enhance the way they use their outside living space.
Her use of colour psychology enhances the design process as it enables her to truly understand her clients’ personal style and how this should be reflected in the garden she is designing for them.
If you would like to read more about Lisa and her work, you may wish to have a look at her website www.lisacoxdesigns.co.uk or her insightful blog, which is full of tips and design inspiration www.blog.lisacoxdesigns.co.uk.
