12 unique craft workshops to try for your next date

Palola Custom Leather Slides Workshop, $345, by Palola

Credit: Palola

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Whether you're wearing them to the beach, to run errands, or do just about anything, a pair of slides are one of the few wardrobe essentials that we happily find ourselves wearing day after day. And while we can easily buy a pair straight off the rack, nothing beats making our own pair of slides from scratch. You heard that right.

Over at Palola, they are offering you a chance to do just that at their Palola Custom Leather Slides Workshop. During this hands-on workshop, you can expect to learn the ropes of making your very own pair of Made-To-Order Palola leather slides. Whether it's for a gift for your loved ones, or even for yourself, there's no denying that this shoemaking experience is one for the books.

Prior to the workshop, you'll have to visit the Palola boutique itself (located at Citylink Mall), for a personalised fitting appointment where you'll get to choose the size and colour of your slides.

As for the shoemaking experience, you'll have to head over to Palola's very own studio located at 8 Jalan Kilang Barat. Here, the workshop is guided by bespoke shoemaker and co-founder of Palola, Josh Leong, of which you'll learn the whole process of making your own pair of leather slides with the use of traditional shoemaking tools and materials. More importantly, you'll also get to bring a pair of leather slides that you can call your own after the workshop, so you can add them to your capsule wardrobe and easily pair them with all your outfits.

The workshop is priced at $345 per pax and it is three hours long. It will be held at 8 Jalan Kilang Barat, #07-02, Singapore 159351. Book your slot here.

For skincare enthusiasts, we have just the thing for you. Make toxin-free skincare products tailored to your skin in this beauty workshop. During the session, you will learn how to craft your own Clean Beauty products and how to safely use the ingredients and equipment.

The certified professionals will help you along the way to formulate bespoke products just for your skin.

The best part? After the class, you can bring home not just the products you made, but the equipment and formula sheets as well. This means that you can recreate the products whenever you need to. The products you make will come in bamboo and frosted glass jars and bottles so you can reuse them for your next batch of skincare goodness.

The workshop is priced at $200 per pax and it is two hours long. It will be held at 71 – 2B Tras Street 2nd Level Singapore, 079010. Book your slot here.

Have you always loved the idea of traditionally bound books? In this workshop, you will learn how to bind your own with the Japanese Stab Binding technique that uses threads.

You will learn four variations of the binding technique. They are called the 4-hole, hemp leaf, noble, and tortoise shell. The books you will bind are totally customisable as you can choose the colour of the cover and the thread you will use.

At the end of the day, you will be able to take home not one, but four different notebooks to showcase your hard work.

The workshop is priced at $120 per pax and is three and a half hours long. It will be held at The Bee’s Knees Press on 14 November 2021 from 1pm – 4:30pm. Book your slot here.

Have you ever seen people making their own upcycled paper and wondered how you can do it too? This workshop allows you to do just that by turning paper pulp into handcrafted paper.

The trainers will assist you in making it, but all the creativity comes from you! You can create papers of various colours and even mix the colours together to get a multi-coloured one. All the materials are provided and you can make as many pieces of paper as you like.

The workshop is priced at $32 per pax and is one hour to one and a half hours. It will be held at their studio at Blk 3011 Bedok Industrial Park E #03-2014 Singapore 489977. Book your slot here.

If you love scented candles and have always wanted to know how it’s done, this workshop fits the bill. The candle is fully customisable, meaning that the fragrance, wick, and container will all be chosen by you. You could say that whatever you create would be one-of-a-kind.

The session also includes making a scented wax Christmas ornament, which is just in time for the jolly season.

The maximum capacity for this workshop is two, so you can bring along a friend or your partner and have fun together.

The workshop is priced $46.90 per pax and it is approximately one and a half hours. It will be held at 1 Pemimpin Drive. Book your slot here.

Macrame can seem tricky, which is why you might want to try it out before diving head-first into it. Knoette offers many different types of macrame workshops, from plant hangers to more elaborate wall hangings.

In each session, you will learn at least three knots to create your pieces. All materials will be provided and their functions will be explained.

Take note that their workshops are only for those 16 years and above, so if you want to bring your kids to one, you will have to drop them an email to make arrangements.

The workshop is priced from $78 to $120 per pax with varying lengths. It will be held at Thomson Hills Drive, Thomson Hills Dr, Singapore. Book your slot here.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing or mending broken pottery with lacquer most commonly dusted with powdered gold. It is a metaphor for embracing our imperfections and learning to accept them.

In this workshop, you will get first-hand experience of repairing pottery through this method. In an effort to upcycle, you will use beautiful pieces with slight manufacturing defects for the purpose of the session.

This activity was created with the purpose for participants to settle down and face their own imperfections, so if that is something you feel that you need, this may be the workshop for you.

All the materials will be provided, and you will be able to bring home your artwork. Just remember that the restored piece will no longer be food safe. But that doesn’t mean it won’t look good on display!

The workshop is priced at $128 per pax and it is two hours long. The exact location is not disclosed to the public until the booking is confirmed, but the closest MRT is Beauty World MRT. Book your slot here.

Why spend time searching for a bag online when you can make one yourself and learn sewing skills from it? Applelulu Crafts offers a variety of bag-sewing workshops catered towards participants of different sewing skills.

Those with no experience can go for their basic tote bag sessions or drawstring tote bag sessions, while those who know how to operate a sewing machine can try more advanced bag designs such as a Poketto Mini and a laptop bag.

The workshop is priced from $88 to $306 per pax with varying lengths. Book your slot here.

If wooden crafts are more your thing, this cheese or chopping board workshop might be right up your alley. You can choose to either make a cheese board or a chopping board during the session, and you can either follow the templates they have or create a design unique to you.

This activity is definitely one you can do with friends or family, so don’t forget to ask someone to follow you along!

The workshop is priced at $90 per pax and is three hours long. Book your slot here.

With the whole country gearing up for Christmas, limited edition festive workshops are also popping up! In this one, you will learn how to make a Christmas trinket tray from scratch using water-based resin, non-toxic epoxy resin, and glitter (yes please!).

You will be taught techniques such as colour blocking and marbling, and you can customise your tray with initials and Christmas icons.

It is open to children aged seven and above as well, so you can attend with your kids for a day of fun.

The workshop is priced at $100 per pax and is two hours long. It will be held at 37 Beach Road (at the end of Purvis Street) #02-02, Singapore 189678. Book your slot here.

Just because Spring is over in Japan, that doesn’t mean cherry blossoms aren’t beautiful year-round.

In this workshop, you will be given ready-made Sakura charms and other accessories to create jewellery with. From earrings and bracelets to brooches and hairpins, you can create whatever you want. The best part? You can create as many as you want!

You will learn the skills needed to make your own creations, including sanding and basic assembling methods.

This workshop costs $75 per pax and is two hours long. It will be held at Primz Bizhub, 21 Woodlands Close, Singapore 737854. Book your slot here.

Ikebana is all about thoughtfulness and letting nature inspire your design. In this workshop, the founder of Studio Poppy SG, Sarah, will share with you her signature style that makes use of shapes and patterns found in nature to design.

You will create a table centrepiece and learn how to arrange flowers using a foam-free approach, as well as how to work with colours to create.

Of course, you can bring home your masterpiece and impress your partner with a beautiful flower display on the dining table.

The workshop is priced at $280 per pax and is one and a half hours long. It will be held at 7 Ang Mo Kio St 66 #01-04 Off Cactus Road, along Road 56770. Book your slot here.

This article was first published in Singapore Women's Weekly.