*This post is a collaboration with Viking Stationery and I received a fee to create this post, but all words and opinions are my own.

I was recently invited to the Viking Arty Party, which involved an afternoon of crafts, great food and wonderful people. What’s not to love?

After the Easter event was rescheduled due to heavy snow, I was super excited to travel to Sheffield to spend a day immersed in arts and crafts, as well as catch up with old faces and meet some new bloggers, too.

Photography: www.instagram.com/egphotographer

Viking is an online stationery brand that sells everything from pens and paper to office furniture.

When you think of stationary shops, you may not automatically think of arts and crafts. However, it just goes to show that with a little creativity and some quality paper, you can produce some amazing pieces.

Before I get into the day, I just want to big up the venue.

The Chimney House was a stunning spot to host the event. Decorated beautifully and adorned with fresh flowers, potted plants and candles, it was a blogger’s heaven, to say the least.

The oak beams and exposed red brick walls added a brilliant industrial vibe and this was offset by vibrant artwork and retro signs. It provided us with many a photo opportunity, let's just say.

My experience in Sheffield is quite limited as I’ve only travelled there for blogger events, the hospital and Meadow Hall. However, I’d love to see more of Kelham Island, which is where The Chimney House is located.

Anyway, onto the workshops…

There were three activities in total and we each got a coloured piece of card on arrival to denote the group we’d be spending time with.

My first session was calligraphy.

Now, this is something I’ve tried and failed at many times, but Joyce from Artsy Nibs kindly persevered with us all, teaching us ‘faux calligraphy’, as well as how to do it freehand.

I don’t think I did too bad. However, there’s definitely room for improvement.

Who knew that the position you are sitting in changes how you write?

If you’re local to Manchester, I’d definitely check out Joyce’s workshops. If not, her Instagram page is full of inspiration.

Origami.

Next up was the ancient art of Japanese paper folding. We created some beautiful origami blooms from basic coloured paper to fit in with the spring-time theme.

Even though it was chucking it down outside (Sheffield never seems to let me down when it comes to excessive precipitation), the little flowers totally got me in the mood for the warmer weather.

Jane from Tea and Crafting was an excellent tutor, too. The company is based in Covent Garden and regularly puts on all sorts of craft workshops. Where do I sign up for a job like that?

Stencilling.

The last demonstration was also provided by Tea and Crafting. This time it was Maddie who walked us through paper cutting.

I can’t believe I was trusted with a very sharp scalpel if I’m honest.

The fear of slicing off a digit or two certainly motivates you to create your best work, I’ll tell you that.

It’s actually easier than it looks and the method we used - which was to overlay our photo card cut out onto some coloured paper - was quite forgiving.

We can’t not mention that lunch…

The food The Chimney House provided was insanely good, so it’d be rude not to highlight it.

As I’ve recently gone veggie, I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer choice. In fact, I think there were more meat-free options on offer than “normal” ones.

For comparison, I went to Harvester that day for tea and ended up having garlic bread and chips because there was nothing I wanted from their veggie offering.

I had a delicious spicy cheese concoction served in the most beautiful bread.

Afterwards, I tucked into a huge pecan tart. Absolutely amazing.

I think the other bloggers would agree it was the cherry on top of a brilliant day.

Also, I’d love to say a huge thank you to Jennie and Alice, who did a fantastic job of organising this event and putting together the lovely goody bags.