Every year at this time, the shelves in the newsagents are groaning under the weight of magazines and guides teaching us how to create the most beautiful gifts and decorations for Christmas. It's really easy and the children can join in and you'll save yourself a fortune in the process. Or so they say...

So obviously on the back of this I vow to get a little bit crafty myself. How hard can it be to knock up a handmade Advent Calendar or rustle up individual personalised Christmas cards to impress friends and family with? Quite hard actually! Well, maybe hard is the wrong word; more like time consuming, and time is something in relatively short supply at this time of year. Which is a shame, because there's a good deal of fun to be had at the kitchen table, making delicious home made fudge or transforming plain old olive oil into a culinary delight with the addition of a few herbs, chillies and a fancy bottle. I have visions of sitting beside a roaring fire, delicately stitching together a quilt cover destined to become a family heirloom, or knitting bang on trend cushion covers to rival anything John Lewis has to offer.

Sadly, once again I've left it too late. What the professionals, and the students of Southend Adult Community College are fully aware of, is that to produce a worthy display of Christmas collectibles you have to start somewhere in mid July at least! And no matter how easy the craft magazines make it look, there is actually a fair amount of skill involved in creating something you would be proud to display in your home or present to a loved one as a gift.

Fortunately these good people have done the work for us. Head to Leigh Community Centre on Saturday 24th November and see how the experts do it. An ideal opportunity to pick up a unique handmade gift and maybe some ideas for starting your own craft enterprise, Southend Adult Community College hosts the event not just to showcase skills but to offer ideas, hints and tips on turning a crafting hobby into a business.

With the cafe open for drinks and light refreshments why not go along for a browse and get nicely into the Christmas spirit.

If you're way ahead of me, and have actually been beavering away at your projects which you are now ready to present to the world, then you hire your own stall for £20.

I am determined that this time next year I WILL be taking up one of those stalls!

Contact details and times can be found on thebestof Southend's Events page.