Engaging in practical creative workshops has always been a passion of mine, and I recently had the opportunity to explore the art of millinery at Central Saint Martins in London. The Millinery Workshop Short Course, expertly led by the talented milliner Judy Bentinck, offered a unique experience that combined technique, creativity, and a deep appreciation for hat-making.

Back in April of this year I had the incredible opportunity to attend the ‘Botanical Sketchbook Study: Intermediate’ course at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London. This course offered a perfect blend of art and botany, drawing in fellow plant enthusiasts and artists alike. The class was taught by the wonderful botanical artist Lucy Smith who shared her work and process with us over the three day course.

A river cruise on the Danube through Hungary, Slovakia and Austria on the Tui Skyla.

Nicki Miles - surface pattern designer - learns how to sew a dress at a beginners dressmaking class, using the Tilly and the Buttons Lotta dress pattern.

Earlier this year a friend and I signed up for a beginners dressmaking class. Ever since I started designing surface pattern designs I have dreamt of wearing a dress made from one of my very own fabric designs…

City mini breaks are our favourite way to travel. My husband and I used to aim to do two a year before the pandemic, one in the Spring and one in the Autumn. One city that we fell in love with instantly was Barcelona due to it’s perfect mix of beach, city and culture.

As a History of Art and Architecture graduate I couldn’t wait to explore the city and was particularly fascinated by the architecture of Gaudi. Gaudi’s Park Güell has been one of the main inspirations for my new Barcelona surface pattern collection - from the jagged irregular shapes of the mosaic tiles to the beautiful bright colours that perfectly pop against the clear blue skies of the Spanish city on a sunny day. I have even drawn inspiration from the famous mosaic lizard that sits prominently on the main staircase at the entrance to the park.

A few years ago my husband and I had a short Autumn city break to Oslo and it quickly became my favourite city in the world. Oslo is a beautiful, clean, and friendly city with a perfect balance of culture and nature. It has amazing art galleries (Edvard Munch has always been a favourite of mine), museums, restaurants and of course the stunning fjord.

The garden always provides so much inspiration for my artwork. The shapes, colours and ever changing nature of it all just fascinates me. Dahlias are stunningly beautiful and fill the garden with colour at the end of summer when so many other flowers have faded and gone to seed. They are bold, colourful and unapologetic.