Student Focus - Amanda aka Grannie Duck!

Meet Amanda, aka Grannie Duck – A Creative Force at Bus Stop Studios

If you’ve been to a class or popped into the shop, you may already know Amanda—though you might know her better by her affectionate nickname, Grannie Duck. She’s a firm fixture at Bus Stop Studios, and we’re thrilled to share more about the amazing woman behind the nickname.

"Hi, I’m Amanda aka Grannie Duck and I love Bus Stop!"Literally just across the road from her seaside home in St Leonards, Amanda found Bus Stop Studios and hasn’t looked back since. “I moved here just before lockdown,” she says, “and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

A seasoned Grannie with five grandchildren (three of whom live Down Under), Amanda brings a wonderful mix of warmth, wit, and life experience to every class she joins. Her working life included time at Selfridges, Harrods, the Burton Group, and many years with Laura Ashley before moving into charity work. As a community fundraiser for Barnardo’s, she later founded and ran a creative charity supporting people in recovery from mental health challenges through arts and crafts—a cause very close to her heart.

Creativity has been her lifeline.“In 2000 I was diagnosed with bipolar and hospitalised. I had a moment of dah! when they took me to an art room and told me to make something... I haven’t stopped since—and my mental health has always thanked me for it.”

Amanda’s creative journey at Bus Stop Studios is an impressive one. She’s taken part in tarot, wreath-making, natural dyeing, lino printing, machine sewing, tambour beading, knitting and soon crochet (there's probably a few others she’s forgotten to list!) What she loves most is combining different skills to make something totally unique and a little bit bonkers. “I love the process more than the outcome. My current project is always my favourite.”

At home, she’s surrounded by a joyful collection of the things she’s made—pieces full of colour, texture, and personality. “And that makes me happy,” she says simply.

You’ll also find her in the shop—usually with a story to tell.“My best moments are when you walk in and are greeted by two beauties yapping and laughing—and, of course, Amy’s cheerful face!”

Amanda’s love for learning has grown into something more focused: she’s now honing her skills to develop her own creative practice. “I’ve learnt to make things to a higher standard and with more knowledge. It’s helped me set my own projects.”

Her big dream?“I want to make my own wardrobe of simple clothes that work for me—patterns I can repeat when I want a change. I’m determined to be an old lady with a wardrobe of my own designs that I can wear till the great day comes!”

She’s already on her way, and one of her proudest purchases from the shop is a beautiful pair of dressmaking scissors—tools to help her snip and sew her way into that dream.

Oh—and those little glass jars you get when you buy sequins or beads in the shop? Those are Amanda’s too. Former yoghurt pots, lovingly donated for reuse. Just one more way she quietly supports the creative community around her.

Thank you, Amanda, for your energy, humour, and endless creativity. You truly embody everything we love about Bus Stop Studios.