be creative daily!

19/07/2019

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

28/03/2019

Bespoke Workshops Just for You

We offer a lot at Crafty Arts. Not just Arts and crafts items, do you know about our bespoke workshops? It’s so easy, all you have to do is get in contact with our customer service team, check the times and dates to see if the tutor and room are available. It does take a bit of organising so as much notice as possible is great. Prices depend on how long the workshop is and if you want the tools provided. Past and Planned Bespoke Workshops So far we have hosted Private... Read More

21/03/2019
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Dishwasher Safe vs Outdoor Mod Podge

Have you ever wondered what is the best Mod Podge to use? Can you use Dishwasher safe instead of Outdoor because they are both waterproof? Well, here we compare them and show you the differences. The task at hand We thought to aid your choices we can give a comparison between the Outdoor and the Dishwasher Mod Podge.  There are benefits to both of these as they similar They both act as a glue, varnish and sealer Non-toxic, safe for the kids Starts off opaque, but dries clear Works on any... Read More

15/03/2019

Quick and Easy Spring Time Project: Crochet Flower Pot Holder

The sun is out, the flowers are starting to bloom which means that spring is round the corner. I was looking for a quick and easy crochet project as I am in the middle of making a blanket but wanted a break from it, so needed a small project in between. Us crafters love to have more than one project on the go. So I decided to spruce up my aloe vera plant. I decided to crochet a cover for the flower pot. He was a bit lonely sitting on... Read More

07/03/2019

Inspirational Female Artists Who Challenge How We Look at Art: Women’s Day

I thought in today’s blog I would mention 3 female artists that I love. As it’s International Women’s Day these ladies deserve a shout out for their beautiful and sometimes controversial artworks. As most artists’ paint with a clear point of view, I thought it would be beneficial to see how they challenge us and society. How strong powerful and fragile their works of art can be. Art is a conversation between you and what is in front of you. The artist may want to convey something to you but your interpretation and reaction... Read More

14/02/2019
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How to have a more ethical wedding

First of this is not a blog to make you feel guilty. Being ethical is something we should all be thinking about and it’s a lot more simple than you think. Here we give you a few tips on how to have a more ethical wedding. You can do all of it, or just a few bits a have total piece of mind. Wedding Stationery I have spoken about the bin of destiny before. All you carefully crafty wedding invites, menus, rsvp cards will end up in the bin, maybe... Read More

07/02/2019
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Love letters: Sealed with a Kiss

I love a wax seal. Today’s blog I am going to write a love letter and sealing it with a (wax) Kiss. My friend had these on her wedding invites in the most gorgeous yellow. The moment I had received the invite I knew who had sent it just from the colour of the seal. Wax comes in so many colours you are spoilt for choice. You can choose from the wax guns, to the melting spoons, or if you don’t have any fancy equipment you can use the wax... Read More

31/01/2019

Handmade, Homemade, Made with Love: Craft Trends 2019

If your search for craft trends for 2019 it is all about getting personal and doing it yourself. But us crafters don’t need to be told that handmade, homemade, made with love. We have been doing it for years. Here I just talk you through the two strong craft trends that are to be popular this year. Now just to warn you, these aren’t really Trends…. just constant hobbies and pursuits that Crafters love and will never give up. Yes, we know we can get most things made in China... Read More

17/01/2019

How to Bullet Journal: Here are some great tips on creating a great planner

I have only been Bullet journaling for 3 years but I am addicted. I thought I would share with you some advice on your Bullet Journal. Planning can feel daunting. Putting dates and filling out the year may seem like an endless task. Or it can make you feel stress-free. I know at a glance if I have plans if I need to do things. What tasks I have completed, what things I still need to do. My planner has all this information and I couldn’t live without it. The... Read More

10/01/2019
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Engaged at Christmas/ New Year: 2019 Wedding Trends

Engaged at Christmas / New Year, how exciting! Now breath! Take some time to enjoy this. Take as much time you like to tell your friends and family. Do it in person or over the phone but then just take some time for yourself. Time is going to fly (8 months and counting ahhh). You can check your secret Pinterest board for ideas that you like and talk to your partner about the budget, what time of year and what themes if any you are having. Will it be a... Read More