be creative daily!

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

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