Glass By Design
location_on Penarth, Cardiff
local_activity classes: Glass Fusing • Felting • Glass Painting and Stained Glass • Glass and Mosaic • Textiles • Paper Craft and Ink • Painting
5.0 (136)
1k followers
Angelina and Cathy met by chance whilst selling their work in Penarth, Christmas 2013. Their shared love of all things glass saw them develop a friendship and continue to work together.
Their first idea was to develop an Open Studio trail for any local artist/crafter during the annual Penarth festival that following summer. It has fast become an established part of the festival and is developing year on year.
They then joined a designer-maker section in a local Penarth shop where their customer base was steadily growing. Customers embraced the idea of bespoke, locally made pieces, rather than mass-produced imported ones that have saturated the marketplace.
Their next logical step was to be able to work on-site and pass their love of the process of hand-making in glass to others. Hence, Glass By Design was born.
Classes
Reviews
(136)
Alice Varnava • Apr 2024
I loved every minute! I went to this felting class (making a hare) because I’d been to the framed-picture felting class last year and really enjoyed it. I’d never done felting before but our teacher was great - showing us individually what to do and fun chit-chat in between, making the whole 3 hours enjoyable. THANK YOU!
Irene Watkins • Apr 2024
Loved the classes I have had here - glass fusion, clay jewellery and today’s seascape bubble glass hanging. Well informed and instructed by the tutor- it’s a fun class with something beautifully made at the end (my photo is pre fired!)
Susie Phillips • Apr 2024
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Fantastic course, very well run, friendly & sociable we’ll be BACK … so look out Angelina
What a great way to be creative.
Sian Withey • Mar 2024
Great session. Cathy was really helpful, explained what to do and how to make some beautiful glass pictures. It was suitable for all abilities and lovely to see such different designs
Louise Phillips • Mar 2024
Really great day. Start to finish, it was really enjoyable. Angelina was a great host for the day. Richard is very knowledgeable and generous with his time. Got to make lots of pieces and try out techniques. Will be looking out for the next course to book a spot! Thank you!
Tarel Lavelle • Mar 2024
Starting from zero knowledge we were taken step by step instruction and hands onnoractice through cutting, copper foiling, assembly, soldering and finishing in a very small class so Angelina was able to support each individual. By the end of the day we were indeed proud of our finished panels and inspired to learn more. Friendly, well planned and resourced and a lunch at a local cafe. Highly recommended.
Jacqui Caley-Hawker • Jan 2024
It was a Christmas gift from my husband's mum who since giving it to us, has passed away. So it was really lovely to have enjoyed the workshop and have a beautiful keepsake to remember her. Well set up & prepared space, good choice of coloured glass, helpful instruction. We all finished just after an hour so it would have been nice to possibly make another one to use more of the 2 hrs. Not sure what it cost so I sense it was a good value workshop. We loved how mindful it was and got us into a lovely zone.
Rachel Cole • Jan 2024
Another cracking workshop. Fabulous ladies and new venue is perfect. Good lighting, enough room for 8-10 people and great friendly atmosphere. Can’t wait to book another workshop later in the year.
Lacea • Jan 2024
Very welcoming,
friendly and clear instructions given. Looking forward to seeing the final product.
Many thanks will definitely book again.
Sharon Hortop • Dec 2023
Had a lovely hour decorating a Christmas themed glass tile with my daughter. Thank you glass by design
Helen Clare Graham • Nov 2023
Only 4 of us there so we had attentive teaching. Lovely chance to be creative and spend time as a family. Great materials and fantastic end product!
Susan Hoddell • Nov 2023
Clear and detailed instructions from a very encouraging and supportive teacher. Allowed us all to produce original work and enjoy the process and the end product
Alice Varnava • Nov 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Fantastic course! I’ve never done felting before, but thanks to a knowledgeable, creative and encouraging teacher, I finished the course with a lovely piece of art (if I don’t say so myself!).
Julie • Nov 2023
Excellent step by step tuition for a small class of beginners. Everyone learned so much in a day, and the glass panels were all stunning! Venue was well equipped, with all tools and materials provided. Will definitely book further courses
Daniela • Sep 2023
Angelina was fantastic, explained everything so well, was there to help when you needed her. 5 was the perfect number of people to have as she had time for all of us. The amount of different glass colours and textures was great and designs too.
The boxes with all you needed worked so well. Lunch was lovely and great choice too.
I absolutely loved the whole day and would definitely recommend it to friends and go back myself.
Thank you Angelina :)
Karen Phillips • Sep 2023
Really enjoyable! Excellent teaching and a great sense of achievement at the end. Highly recommended if you want a different experience and chance to learn a new skill.
Sian Coleman • Aug 2023
3 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews
A very fun morning spent making a needle felted Fox. The teacher was amazing and I had a great experience. I will definitely book another class in the future.
Joshua McKenzie • Aug 2023
Absolutely loved the class! Me and Alisha have never done anything to do with glass and we loved it! Defo recommend, Cathy and Angelina were lovely and super helpful. Next stop - Picasso!
Jas Bolla • Aug 2023
I spent a great Saturday with Carol and friends learning about fused glass and learning how to make a picture with glass.
Carol was great in explaining techniques and answering all my questions.
I’m already thinking about booking a new class and finding this creativity that we never know I had
Anne Miles • Jul 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Angeline is a great teacher; friendly and very knowledgeable. She explained every step of the process in stages which was easy to follow, was helpful when any of us needed help and gave advice if we weren't quite doing the right thing.
The venue is well equipped and lunch across the road was lovely. Thank you for a great day.
Penny Howarth • Jun 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
I would really recommend this course, Debbie Court is an excellent teacher with many many years experience making total masterpieces with exceptional likeness and detail.
Her enthusiasm for her art and what’s involved was infectious.
We learnt every process needed to create the sculptures starting with making up the paper clay from the raw ingredients, then making a paper armature, learning how to add the clay bit by bit following the anatomy and how to finish and smooth the clay, art working and making paper clothing.
Everything was provided to make the sculptures and we had a lovely space to work in.
I would love to do more courses with Debbie, I had so much fun.
Thankyou
Annie Campbell • Apr 2023
Had a lovely morning learning to needle felt a very cute little badger. The teacher, Suzanne, was excellent and guided the class at just the right pace. Very knowledgeable. The materials she supplied were of great quality and she explained where she had sourced them and how she had prepared them for us. She took us step by step through how to make a little badger. The venue was lovely and easy to get to by train. Would highly recommend!
Debbie Stein • Apr 2023
3 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
We had a lovely time at a family glass Workshop. Three generations went and all thoroughly enjoyed it. Even one of us who isn’t the most artistic! The instrictions were easy to follow, the facilities were great, toilets and coffee offered. Big selection of different types of creative glass to create our masterpieces. The teacher was helpful when needed but also left us to try things out. We weren’t rushed to finish on time, which was much appreciated - thank you ! We can’t wait to pick up our art now.
It was a lovely present for the person who has everything. Quality time together with a gift at the end ❤️
Natalie Ellis • Apr 2023
Fantastic session! The teacher was supportive and very encouraging. Perfect length. We never felt rushed and we finished on time. Not getting to cut the glass ourselves was no issue and did not take away from the experience at all, as we still got to choose from lots of colours and textures of glass.
Really enjoyed and would highly recommend!
Katie Thomas • Apr 2023
This was a birthday gift off my partner and the class was really fun and educational of the process of stain glass. The artist running it was lovely, friendly and was showing us every process as we moved from each step. The wide range of glasses to choose from was the difficult part! The class was small and was a nice way of meeting new people and chat about ourselves and the project itself. Highly recommend it and I want to see what other courses they do!
Chris Warlow • Apr 2023
Very relaxed atmosphere from the outset. Clear and simple advice from Cath our instructor who was present and attentive throughout.
The actual process of creating our glass pictures was very absorbing, (apparently my wife has never heard me so quiet).
I found that my confidence working with the medium grew during the session.
I was also very happy with my creation and look forward to having it back after it has been in the kiln.
Overall a great experience a lovely birthday present.
Hemma Sungum • Apr 2023
Thank you for this small intimate class with a dedicated teacher. Leant about fritz and strings, different techniques used. Small enough class to leant optimally and any uncertainties were promptly met. Lovely atmosphere and would highly recommend this class.
Shirley Valentino • Mar 2023
Excellent felting class…Cathy and Angelina made me feel so welcome and at ease with the new to me experience of felting. We made a cute little mouse and all instructions were delivered in an easy to understand step by step process. The workshop was offered in a relaxing atmosphere of their lovely workroom and tea and coffee was part of the relaxing morning….Don’t forget to browse around their fabulous shop. Thank you guys I know feel confident in making another little mouse friend at home warmest wishes Shirley
Lowri Beecher • Mar 2023
What a lovely class me and my friend had, definitely recommend to those just wanting to spend more time with friends or family and have fun whilst doing too. Felt really comfortable and safe there definitely would recommend to everyone.
Charlie Proctor • Mar 2023
What a great morning of learning stained glass. Angelina was such a good teacher, so experienced and knowledgeable with the right balance of helping and letting us get on with it! I am so pleased with my stained glass tealight piece and am already wanting to do more!
Rachel Skews • Mar 2023
Brilliant day! Well organised attentive teachers! I had NO experience working with glass but at the end of the day I had a beautiful stained glass piece with stand! Lovely lunch and tea when ever we wanted! Definitely will be back thanks so much xxx
Rachel Evans • Feb 2023
Excellent tuition. Relaxed atmosphere to experiment with fused glass techniques. Highly recommended:)
Thank you Cathy.
Ruth McDonald • Nov 2022
The children absolutely loved the World Cup fused glass workshop. The teacher was kind and patient and they all engaged well at are looking forward to collecting their finished pieces. Would definitely recommend Glass by Design.
Mammy • Aug 2022
Everything was perfect including the teaching, instructions, supplies, venue. Would highly recommend! Loved it and will do it again in the future!
Hayley Griffiths • Jul 2022
What a wonderful experience!
Angelina was brilliant at keeping us to task yet explaining and demonstrating each part of the process with great skill.
The workshop area was perfectly set up and we had everything we needed within arms reach.
This was such a cathartic mindful immersive experience and I’m left wanting to do more!
I will definitely be back, both to buy things from the shop, and also to do further workshops.
Penny Howarth • Jul 2022
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
I would really recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn a new skill, I felt like I came away from the course with the confidence to attempt my own projects at home.
Our course leader And teacher Angelina made me feel very welcome and gave excellent clear instructions.
Her passion for stain glass was infectious, and her knowledge was vast.
We were fed and watered very well over the course of the day too.
I came away from the course feeling a great sense of achievement and with the inspiration to do more stain glass in the future.
Excellent experience.
Penny
Roz Atkinson • Jul 2022
Amazing to be back working with glass! Brilliant time with Cathy today making a pendant and earrings. Can't wait to see how they turn out when they've been fired . Thank-you Cathy for your patience and expert support .
Victoria Johnson • Feb 2022
Cathy was welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable. She made us feel settled quickly. Cathy explained safety procedures then how the class would proceed. Nothing was too much trouble. Everything was provided and she was well organised. Cathy was resourceful, creative, chatty and we were delighted with the whole experience. We would highly recommend this class and our wonderful teacher. We look forward to receiving our finished work.
