be creative daily!

19/11/2019
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Printing your own wrapping paper

Printing your own wrapping paper is ridiculously satisfying. This year I am trying to be more conscientious so I won’t be having plastic shiny paper or glitter ones as they end up in the bin. Glitter and shiny paper cant be recycled. I will use up what I bought last year. Loving colour at Christmas doesn’t mean I have always prefered brown wrap anyway, I like pretty ribbons and using decorations instead of tags. Trying to be mindful just exacerbates my inner hoarder so I don’t care. I save my... Read More

15/11/2019
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Adding Luminance to your pencil drawings

Sorry for the pun but I couldn’t help it. Today I will be writing about luminance pencils and how they really do add luminance to your pencil drawings. We all know I am a huge fan of Caran D’ache, I just rate them as incredible pencils with unmatched quality. Let’s talk about the actual pencils The pencil are lusciously thick and creamy with a 3.8mm core. This is a wax-based pencil range and although when laying down the colour it is thick and creamy, the core is not ridiculously soft... Read More

Toneontone 31/10/2019
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Autumn Crafting

Autumn is definitely here, the trees are turning into gorgeous shades. The nights are darker. The heating is sporadically on and hot drinks have replaced ice-cold glasses of water. Yes, these crafts are ideal for all year round but there is something about creating them for Autumn. Making things bright and cosy! Rock painting Yes, you can do this all year round but now that the garden is starting look bare again. Perhaps by painting plant pots and hand painting rocks, you can add a bit more colour to your... Read More

24/10/2019
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Getting started with Face Paint

Face paint is easy but you need to have a few basics and be confident enough to practise! You don’t need lots of expensive equipment, just a few essential tools… That’s it, that’s all you need to get started but there are always extras like face paint sticks, gems, glitters gels, biodegradable glitters and stencils. You can go to town on colours but really when you get started you just need the basics. If you have some ideas of the faces and colours you want to use then start with... Read More

17/10/2019

Inktober: Halfway through

To be honest with you, the whole process of sharing my sketches with you is fairly daunting. We are halfway through the Inktober challenge and it has been, well, challenging. I do like a challenge, don’t get me wrong. 31 days of drawing is a challenge It’s very exposing Putting your work out there, and not my best work either just quick sketches and 2-minute drawings makes me feel exposed. That people will look at them and judge me and my work. Some have taken me twenty minutes to draw,... Read More

10/10/2019
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Half Marathon: Our first one. We Did It!

So, we did it! We just completed the challenge of running our first Half Marathon. It really was a challenge for all of us. We all agreed we needed to train more but we were really lucky, with the weather and with the community spirit. The crowds cheering you on really does make you feel great, it also forces you not to walk because you don’t want to let them down, even if you are tired and just need a minute.  I think we would all agree that having our... Read More

03/10/2019
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Christmas Crafts: Pink Ink Festive Stag with Lynda

Christmas is nearly here. Which means it’s time to start Christmas Crafts! Have you seen the recent festive release from Pink Ink stamps yet? If not you really do need to take a look at them as every set is incredible and really versatile. I had to get them all as soon as I saw them and I am having so much fun with them. Today I would like to share with you my first creation using the absolutely stunning Stag set. I have also used a few other sets... Read More

27/09/2019

Inktober: The Competition

As you might have seen in our Autumn blog, we are going to be doing Inktober this year and we want you to join us. Throughout the month of October, we will be looking for our favourite Inktober submissions from you all and at the end of the month, one of your will win our Inktober challenge. The winner will receive the below bundle – worth over £60! Inktober: The Rules The rules are simple: you follow a brief and you have to draw a doodle from it every day.... Read More

25/09/2019
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Autumn, our favourite time of year: time for a new challenge

We had a bit of a funny summer, lots of sunny days but a fair few days of MEH. Autumn is our favourite time of year. It’s the calm before the storm that is Christmas. So, although at work we are busy little bees, we are looking forward to cosy nights and bright cold days. Autumn is the perfect season. Even more perfect is the amount of autumnal arts and crafts projects that we can get started on. Let’s Get Cosy The heating is starting to go on, the coffee... Read More

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