be creative daily!

12/09/2019

An update on our Marathon Training

So we don’t have long to go now till our Half Marathon starts so we thought you would like to hear a little update from us. Couch to 5k has bumped us up to 5-10 so we are on our way. We have also have been working on our fitness at our local Nuffield gym so it has been a lot of 6am starts so it gets us in for work. Push ourselves We are really going to have to push ourselves  if want to be running 21k. Upping our... Read More

05/09/2019
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Tombow: An illustrators secret weapon

Here at Crafty Arts my weapon of choice is often a Tombow. When I teach the children Manga and Illustration I start off with Promarkers and Copic pens but then I slowly wander across to the more fluid art pens. These Tombows I treasure like no other. I have written a few blogs over the years about how they are so great for calligrapghy but I feel that this is just a tiny slice of what they can create. What you can achieve with them is endless.. Not Just a... Read More

29/08/2019
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Watercolour: Getting started with beginners Tips & Tricks

Getting started with watercolour can be tricky because watercolour and learning how to use them takes time. It’s about building up the colour gradually rather than applying paint when and where you want it. That doesn’t mean you can’t make any piece of art from playing with it because you can! Colour mixing is like all painting, learning your colours is key. So again just start with three colours and make a whole colour wheel. You only need the smallest about of paint. I find that generally, I am messier... Read More

22/08/2019

Crafty Arts Summer Camp for Kids

Can you believe the summer is almost over and school is about to start again? We can’t. It has sped by so fast and busy planning all our after school clubs, Home Education lessons and a few more Adult workshops to add to the list. |It may be the end of the summer but we still have workshops to entertain the kids. This week is our last week of workshops and we have some gems left for you. Tuesday starts off with Mono printing. It’s the art of printing, you... Read More

22/08/2019
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Drawing for Beginners: Don’t Hold Yourself back

Drawing is a skill and what puts beginners off continuing to learn is self-doubt. Yes, some people are naturally gifted and can draw what they see. Some can sit there and create worlds from their imagination. Natural talent is real but everyone can draw. It just takes practice. When you are naturally good at something ,generally you enjoy doing it, so you do it. If you struggle with anything then you put off doing that. We like to put ourselves into boxes of I can or I cant. But what... Read More

15/08/2019
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Introducing Lynda – our Stamping Queen Contributor

About Me Hi. I’m thrilled to be introducing myself to you all here on the Crafty Arts blog, where I will be sharing some crafting projects, hints and tips over the coming months, especially when it comes to stamping. I’m Lynda, and I live in Hampshire with my husband, two teenage daughters, and three rather bouncy dogs. As if they don’t keep me busy enough, I also run my own thriving childcare business from home too . My life is hectic and constant, and for me, like many others, crafting... Read More

08/08/2019
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Docrafts x Natural History Museum: What Else Can You Do With Printed Paper

Natural History Museum has collaborated with Docrafts to create the most incredible printed paper. Printed paper, from the National History Museum. Could it get any better? I am a bit of a fan of everything Natural History Museum. I remember being a little girl looking up at the giant blue whale suspended over my head. My brother was, of course, obsessed with Dippy the dipolosaurus. Now I just love every part of the Natural History Museum and what they do. At the Natural History Museum You can do movie experiences,... Read More

01/08/2019
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Fimo Leather Effect Clay: An Introduction to a Jewellery maker

Hi, my name is Valerie Anderson and I am a jewellery maker. I won a competition to try out the new Fimo Leather polymer clay and here is an introduction of me, what I do and what I thought. I hope you enjoy. Crafting I have loved crafts since I was a child doing everything from sewing and knitting for my dolls (and later for myself and my own children) and sketching ideas. My mum taught me to knit and sew and I also did it at school. Which I don’t... Read More

26/07/2019
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Welcome to Crafty Arts – Watch our story

Welcome to Crafty Arts We’re an established family business, with a passion for arts and crafts. From humble beginnings, we’ve spent the last 28 years committed to caring about our customers, our community, the products we sell and the service we provide. Watch the below video you will learn all about us, our store and our workshops. Learn more about what Crafty Arts means to us and to you. Here’s our story…   Our Mission Statement At Crafty Arts we believe that by putting customers first and through listening to... Read More

19/07/2019
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Crafty Arts sponsors Mind: Wings and Wheels

This year we are proudly sponsoring Havering Mind. Mind is a charity close to our heart. If you’ve read our previous blogs, you’ll know we’re doing a half marathon in October. Before we get to the marathon though, we are sponsoring an event right here in Havering. Mind’s mission is to provide advice, support and to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They do this by providing services, raising awareness and promoting understanding. Studies show that there is a link between Mental Health and creativity. So, we decided to... Read More

10/07/2019
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Beginner Painting Acrylics with the Artiste Range from DoCrafts

New from Docrafts comes Artiste: an ideal set for all those who are new to acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is a great medium to work with especially if you are a beginner. It is a waterbased paint and like watercolour, you don’t need any fancy mediums to get started with it.You can just buy your paints, brushes palettes and paper or canvas and get going. Acrylic paint was invented to imitate oil paints but without the smell or the mess. This paint is still a still a little messy, and... Read More

25/06/2019

Star Gazers Noteworthy Constellation Stationery

Love stationery? Always got your head in the stars? Love to get organised? Get ready to be excited. This stationery collection from Noteworthy brand from Docraft is beyond gorgeous. If you love anything constellation themed then you will be stargazer happy. Already know you love it? Shop the collection here.     If you are organised then you will love this collection they have thought about all areas of organisation. However, if you are not very organised then maybe this is the set that will help you achieve this. We... Read More

19/06/2019
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Mer-Mazing Card: Step by Step Stamping with Pink Ink Stamps

I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited to create an inspiration piece for the Crafty Arts blog using some of the incredible sea-themed stamps from Pink Ink Designs. As soon as I first saw this range of stamps I fell in love with them. They are such stunning and unique images that really appeal to my personal taste as I love anything a little mythical or quirky and these definitely tick those boxes. As a stamper I also find the quality of the Pink Ink stamps superb. There’s nothing... Read More

06/06/2019
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A DIY Bride is a Lonely Bride Here’s How to Not Let That Happen

With every peony that opens, we know that wedding season is upon us. I just love weddings, I really do.  Through my experience and watching my friends getting married I have noticed a similar theme.  A  bride who is doing it alone can be a lonely bride so we thought we would share how not to make that happen. Brides often don’t ask for help because they either don’t want too many people to know what their wedding is going to look like or they confide in the people who... Read More

03/06/2019

Best Ecommerce win for Crafty Arts!

As we approach our 28th birthday, we received an early gift. We’re delighted to announce that we are the proud winners of the Best Ecommerce Award at the European, Middle East and Africa Business Excellence Awards 2019. Who ever said “hard work pays off” certainly wasn’t lying. It seems that 2019 is destined to be our year!   What It Means To Us? Being recognised for such an accolade fills us to the brim with pride, honour and above all, sincere gratitude. Gratitude to all those that help us along... Read More

23/05/2019
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It’s Our Birthday, Celebrating 28 years in the business

Can you believe we are 28? As our business continues to grow we thought we would reintroduce ourselves. We are a small family run business made of 15 members of staff. Being a small company means that we are a close-knit group who rely on each other to multitask and help out when it’s needed. We do have separate departments but we all like to get involved.  Heading up Crafty Arts is husband and wife team Jay and Natasha Necati. These first generation owners of Crafty Arts were thrilled to... Read More

16/05/2019

Making time for yourself: Mental Health awareness week

  We all lead busy lives, whether you work full time, part time, raise your kids, raising animals, raise your partner (sometimes it feels like that). Look after your friends and family. It is so important to make some time for yourself. This is Mental health awareness week so it’s a good time to focus on ourselves and seeking help when we need it. That doesn’t mean sitting in front of the box and watching your favourite shows although there is nothing wrong with that. With all the hectic things we have going... Read More

02/05/2019

Mind Over Matter: Our Running Journey

What have we done? Crafty Arts running journey After a meeting with Mind Havering the whole team got really excited. We signed up to run our first half marathon. Not so bad you may think? But none of us run. We thought it was time to get our Minds on the run.  I half heartily stared running last year for about half a minute. I got to 5k and then stopped running. We hope we can achieve mind over matter and push ourselves to complete this in our running journey.... Read More

18/04/2019

Easter Trees and four days of bliss

Easter is here, is your Easter tree up yet? Four days of bliss Or a bit of panic. Whenever we challenge ourselves to make something special and put some effort it takes work. If we do it alone then it is even harder to do. decorating and theming a room or meal takes talent. You may not appreciate into Easter is a bit like Christmas, just on a smaller scale. It all about friends and family and gathering around for a big roast dinner whatever you feast on. This is... Read More

17/04/2019
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Inspiration: Easter crafts we want to try

Easter is all about being creative, school challenges with children and their Easter bonnets, egg decorating and other crafts. Sometimes we need a bit of inspiration to act as a bit of motivation? Here we show you all the crafts that we would love to try and maybe if you ask us we will attempt to make them next year! Easter crafts we want to try: Paint splattered eggs Galaxy paintings are really on trend at the moment. Even John Lewis had a gorgeous Space Christmas tree filled with spacemen, aliens... Read More