Artists and Christmas shoppers will be in their element at the NEC this week.
Anyone looking for fun and different Christmas gifts could do worse than visiting the Crafts for Christmas, Hobbycrafts and Art Materials Live shows which starts at the NEC this Thursday.
With over 200 crafts people exhibiting, Crafts for Christmas offers a huge selection of fine handmade crafts to choose from. Nostalgic toys, a beautiful necklace for someone special or a gift for the most hard to buy for in-laws, the exhibition has everything you need to make this Christmas extra-special. You can even learn how to wrap your purchases perfectly by visiting Arona Khan’s gift wrapping demonstration.
But it’s not just about presents for other people. The Festive Food and Drink aisle has a fabulous selection of goodies including handmade chocolates, marmalades, cheeses and wines for anyone who you want to really spoil – especially yourself.
The Prima Magazine Craft Theatre has clever ideas on how to add creative handmade touches and Christmas sparkle to your home. There will be demonstrations giving tips and tricks on how to customise Christmas cards and candles or create a joyful Christmas wreath and decorative table settings and tree decorations.
Running alongside this exhibition will be Hobbycrafts, the UK’s largest creative crafts show, bigger and better than ever this year with over 100 exhibitors bringing the best of the creative craft world together. There will be new products with an unrivalled choice of supplies, ideas and top tips for a wide range of creative crafts including papercrafts, felting, beading, stamping, parchment craft, decoupage, calligraphy and much more. Crafts Associations and Guilds will be displaying some of their member’s best work and will be on hand to offer advice, inspiration and encouragement. Daily on-stand demonstrations and mini workshops will provide plenty of inspiration for your own creative craft projects.
If that’s not enough, the UK’s liveliest and biggest art materials show – Art Materials Live – will feature leading professional artists who will be on hand to offer the very latest in art supplies, ideas and innovations as well as free demonstrations to leave you feeling inspired and enthused.
Visitors can vote for their favourite painting in the Simply the Best competition organised by the Leisure Painter & the Artist magazines or attend one of their pre-bookable workshops. Demonstrating artists include Bob Elcock who specialises in pastel pencils, Jeremy Ford who regularly features on the Painting and Drawing Channel, Fraser Scarfe who enjoys landscape painting in acrylics and oils and watercolour expert Matthew Palmer.
Crafts for Christmas, Hobbycrafts and Art Materials Live! is at the NEC from 3rd-6th November.
To buy tickets visit www.ichf.co.uk or call the Ticket Hotline: 01425 277988
More about crafts at the NEC here
