The Viking Arty Party in Manchester had been a date in my diary for some time as something to look forward to; a chance to meet other Manchester bloggers whilst crafting in one of Manchester’s newest boutique hotels, the King Street Townhouse.
Viking Arty Party in Manchester
Organised months in advance, my invite to the Viking Arty Party in Manchester, at the King Street Townhouse, offered three fabulous crafting activities: block printing, calligraphy and notebook customisation, all hosted in the luxurious setting of Manchester’s King Street Townhouse.
Arriving in an unusually bright Manchester, early yesterday morning, I knew I was in for a treat when I discovered the event was to be hosted on the sixth floor. I had checked out the venue beforehand on Instagram and had seen the wonderful views on offer, I certainly was not disappointed.
These days, I tend to arrive at events alone and although those initial first few seconds are sometimes awkward, it’s wonderful to be able to meet new people with whom I may never have spoken to before. On arrival, I was pleased to see Raimy, a fellow enthusiast of children’s literature, who I missed talking to at the #LivBloggersIgnite event at the start of the month.
We had each been given a coloured piece of card which denoted which group we would work with, my purple card indicated I would start with notebook customisation, lead by the Crafty Hen. This was an activity that took me back to my high school days when I would deliberate over what to back my exercise books in, frightened to make the wrong choice and risk being ridiculed. Staying true, I chose bright colours alongside geometric shapes (trust me, it sounds more impressive than it looked).
Breaking for lunch, we adjourned to the King Street Townhouse’s balcony, which overlooks Manchester’s town hall. Maybe it was the sunshine, or maybe it was the company of Codie, from Codiekinz, but lunch was definitely one of the best parts of the day. It was lovely to sit and relax, chat easily and in such a lovely setting.
Next up, block printing. As a person who enjoys craft, especially embroidery and sewing, I was eager to try a new skill. We were shown how to create our own stamp, using erasers, to create a unique print. This was when my creativity departed me and I chose a pattern of three triangle. Sally and Gwen made amazing prints of fruits and leaves, which looked stunning when their box files were complete.
Our final experience was calligraphy with Joyce, of Artsynibs who I had the pleasure of meeting at Joanie Clothing’s November festive event. Joyce reminded us of the correct posture for calligraphy, explaining this was to protect our tools as well as helping us create wonderful lettering. Of all the tasks, this is the one I enjoyed the most. Joyce was patient and cheerfully answered every question I had (she even wrote my blog name in the most beautiful style!)
After four hours spent socialising and crafting, the event finally drew to a close and we were fortunate to be gifted with a #VikingArtyParty gift bag and a calligraphy set from Artsynibs. Thanks to Viking for the invite, their marketing team for all of their hard work and Matt for providing images.
