Creative Remakery

29/03/2026

Last week our Northumberland Recovery College's Crafty Craic class were upcycling these paint tins into wonderful planters with the wonderful Sarah Bredin-Kemp! Sarah had also kindly taken in some house plant cuttings to plant into the pots.

The students enjoyed the session and were proud to have something to take home that they'd made with their own hands. There's something really special about making something yourself. Most students start the class saying that they aren't very creative - we beg to differ! 💚 The final product is all well and good, but it's the process that contains the real magic - getting creative is a winner for boosting confidence and wellbeing.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to Repurposeful CIC for their help with resources for the session - the paint tins and some beautiful fabrics!

We're looking forward to seeing what's in store for this week. If you'd like to join in, you don't need any crafting experience and all resources are supplied. You can contact Northumberland Recovery College - details on the poster below. It is free and open to anyone over 18 who lives, works or studies in Northumberland.
It's a really relaxed class and you can be certain of a warm welcome! Oh, and you can also bring your own craft project if you don't fancy what's on offer!

27/03/2026

Free Easter holiday fun! Join us for creative crafts and lots of upcycling and repurposing!

Join us at Hirst Welfare Centre for our Springtime Crafts sessions – perfect for the whole family to get stuck in, make memories, and take home some colourful creations!

✨ Free creative workshops
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Suitable for all ages (children must be accompanied by an adult)

📅 Choose one session:

Thursday 9th April, 9–11am
Monday 13th April, 12–2pm
Thursday 16th April, 12–2pm

📍 Hirst Welfare Centre, Alexandra Road, Ashington

Spaces are limited, so please book onto just one session to give everyone a chance to join in.

📞 To book: 01670 629385

Come along, get crafty, and celebrate spring with us! 🌸✂️

20/03/2026

The 18th of March was Global Recycling Day, aimed at promoting sustainable waste management and a circular economy.
We'd love you to join the thread below and help us to grow a more sustainably community.
At Repurposeful CIC, the focus is in reuse, repurposing and upcycling. Recycling should be the last alternative as it still takes a lot of resources to recycle and many items still have a lot of life left in them when they hit the recycling plant.

19/03/2026

Putting this here so I don't lose it!

19/03/2026

Our Northumberland Recovery College's Crafty Craic group has been super creative today making spring wreaths. Some students brought their own wonderful projects and there was some calming and relaxing colouring activities on the go too.

Our fabulous Sarah Bredin-Kemp led the class today (big thanks to her!!🙏🏻) with some industrious sewing to make some fabulous upcycled fabric flowers, teamed up with some fresh box hedge cuttings to give a wonderful spring vibe to these wreaths.
Everyone really took time to help each other and make something special. (Huge thanks to our fabulous Aunty Pat for making loads of flowers!)

The sunshine was a great reminder that spring is definitely on its way, and there was lots of talk about all the waves of flowers appearing this time of year - these sessions are held in Hirst Park Pavilion - it's a beautiful setting all year round but the park is really coming alive now...It's not locally known as the Flower Park for nothing! 🌹💐🌺🌷🥀🌼🪻🪷

18/03/2026

Today I went into the garage to get something then spent twelvety billion hours sorting a zillion resources! I wish I could do things little by little but no, all in one go. I really drive myself bonkers! 🥴
This was just a third of the space, the rest was like an avalanche!

17/03/2026

This Friday (20th March) marks the spring equinox, a moment of near-perfect balance, when day and night are almost equal and we transition into longer, brighter (and hopefully warmer) days.

For our ancestors, this shift was deeply significant. As the earth warmed, crops began to grow and animals gave birth, it was a welcome relief after the scarcity of winter.

Today, with year-round access to food and electricity, we’ve become somewhat disconnected from the rhythms of the Earth. Yet we are designed to live in tune with the seasons. Eating locally and seasonally, and aligning our rest and activity with the sun, supports our circadian rhythm and overall wellbeing.

Spring festivals help reconnect us to nature and the land. Ostara, a pagan festival, honours dawn, fertility and renewal, and shares themes with other spring celebrations such as Easter, Holi, Eid and Passover. Across traditions, this season reflects reflection, renewal and rebirth, freedom or spiritual cleansing, joy, gratitude and community

As I get older, I feel a growing need to anchor myself in these seasonal thresholds. It’s easy to rush through life and lose touch with ourselves - and the Earth - I certainly do!

So, to honour the equinox, I’ve created a small altar as a space to reflect on where I am, what I need for the months ahead, what I’m grateful for and what I feel called to do next. I needed some quiet, grounding time this afternoon, and found some joy in creating something using natural objects I’ve collected over winter - but also including of course, a repurposed paint tin from Repurposeful CIC, which is now wrapped in bark as a plant pot - and one of their wooden crates as the staging for my alter. 💚

I'm still feeling very much in winter mode, even with this lovely sunshine, so I know living more slowly and intentionally will be key for me this year. I always think of The Hare and the Tortoise - for 23 years of my life I've tried to be more tortoise and less hare - but I fear that will always be a work in progress! 🥴😆

Whatever your faith, sending equinox blessings. 💚💚

15/03/2026

More wedding decor ideas - the best thing about working with Repurposeful CIC is that I get to play with all of the wondrous resources!!! 💚💚💚

15/03/2026

Today we've been helping a bride to be with some table decorations for her wedding. Glass jars/bottles, some hessian, lace and artificial flowers! So easy, so effective and great for the planet - everything is preloved/repurposed! Oh, and some bark that had stripped from a fallen tree...Mr Creative Remakery was fuming when I put it into the recently hoovered car! 🥴 But sometimes there are casualties and sacrifices in the name of creativity! 🤷‍♀️😉

15/03/2026

Love this! The visual and the message...

13/03/2026

Lovely fb memory today...

12/03/2026

After what feels like forever being out of action, I'm tentatively dipping my toes back into the world. Just have to be mindful to pace well and not run before I can walk! 🥴

It's been wonderful to be back with my 1:1 tutee for therapeutic education sessions recently, I've really missed this - both the banter and the creativity!

Today has been a sorty kinda day - well, in between getting wet! 🌧️🌧️
As well as receiving and sorting donations at the wonderful Repurposeful CIC, we have been organising for some upcoming creative sessions with local Guide Leaders and Northumberland Young Carers.

I'm especially looking forward to doing more kids sessions this year. I really missed doing the kids eco clubs last year - stay tuned for dates release for a new eco club group coming soon!

The lovely Sarah Bredin-Kemp has been out doing Northumberland Recovery College's Crafty Craic today - it's a two week project so no photos from today but I can't wait to see the finished results next week!

For those of you who missed Scrapstore event last night, here's a new date for your diary - luckily, you don't have long to wait. 💚💚💚

HUGE thanks to Barbara from Hunter Theatre Arts for braving the rain today and dropping off some really exciting things to be repurposed!