I truly believe that time spent being creative is the best time of all. The act of doing something creative keeps your mind and your hands occupied – it’s as though time stands still while you’re lost in your creative world! And that is so, so important when we spend too much time being busy…
I don’t paint or draw but I take photos every day (usually on my phone, sometimes with my grown-up camera!), I like to write, I love to sew & crochet & even DIY can feel creative too.
Even in the early planning stages for the take time retreat, I knew that creativity would be a key element. You might find a new creative muse within you, or you may simply enjoy having a play. Either way, time spent making stuff is always time well spent.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.” Kurt Vonnegut Jr
We have creative time planned in the kitchen with Leah’s wonderful ‘cooking with spices’ workshop on our first afternoon and I will be hosting our ‘raw chocolate making’ workshop on our final afternoon.
Leah visits India as often as she can to haunt both home and commercial kitchens and add to her incredible knowledge of spices and expand her recipe collection. She is passionate about the health benefits of spices & inspired by the cooking styles typical of southern India.
As part of your ‘cooking with spices’ workshop, Leah will also lead you through the process of making a thali which we will share on our first evening.
I’m really looking forward to sharing my love of raw chocolate with you. We’ll make a really simple raw chocolate fudge, a batch of rich plain raw chocolate which can be used in several different ways, and I will also show you how to make the most amazing raw chocolate sorbet too.
Raw chocolate is made from raw cacao which is treated very differently to cocoa produced using standard methods. It contains no refined cane sugar, no dairy, no wheat or gluten no packers or bulking agents and no artificial additives, flavours, preservatives or colours.
And it tastes amazing!!
On our second day we will be welcoming Roz & Judy from Woolly Felters who will share with you their passion for needle-felting. If you haven’t tried it, you are in for a wonderful time creating your very own ‘frivolous fairy’ – perfect to go on your Christmas tree maybe??!
“Needle felting (or dry felting) is a real therapy in our chaotic world, using a barbed needle to sculpt wool into whatever shapes you want to create. The repeated jabbing of the needle causes the wool fibres to bind together and become firm. Shapes can be created which can be joined together to create wonderful animals and characters, like our frivolous fairy!” Judy from Woolly Felters
Roz & Judy are sisters who share a love for all things woolly. Their approach is to come at their craft with a smile & a sense of fun. It will be a great day having them at our retreat.
On our final afternoon you will have the opportunity to learn about ‘aromatherapy for you and your home’ from Vicky who created Evelyn’s of Sussex to share her hand-made, natural cosmetics. As part of the workshop you will create your own individual blend of hand & body lotion to take home with you.
All our creative sessions are run by people who are trained and experienced in guiding you throughout their workshops, giving you plenty of time to get hands on and as much support as you need. As an added bonus, you will also eat the food you create, take away recipes for the cooking workshops, and take home your own frivolous fairy & your personal blend of hand & body lotion.