business advice - Craft Focus Magazine
business advice - Craft Focus Magazine
business advice - Craft Focus Magazine
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
creative card making<br />
Business is booming for card makers. We spoke to several card-making<br />
experts who share news of products, tools and equipment need to make<br />
the best handcrafted cards<br />
Bumper kits<br />
China Butterfl y feel that<br />
bumper card-making kits<br />
are very important into<br />
today’s market. “We feel<br />
that these kits are becoming<br />
increasingly important to<br />
both new card makers and<br />
experienced card makers<br />
alike as people are looking<br />
for value for money and<br />
when you have a kit you<br />
know everything is going to<br />
work together and no bits will be left out or mismatched,”<br />
said Sarah Gee of China Butterfl y. Not surprisingly therefore,<br />
some of their newest products are bumper card making<br />
kits which include everything needed to make at least 20<br />
cards. There are three themed kits, ‘Something for the girls’,<br />
‘Something for the boys’ and ‘Animal lovers’. All contain<br />
20 card blanks and envelopes in various sizes plus doublesided<br />
tape, foam pads, glitter glue and brush, gems/pearls<br />
papercraft and decoupage sheets, toppers and sentiments.<br />
The kit also comes with an ideas sheet with 20 card makes,<br />
all possible with the supplies included. “The great thing<br />
about our bumper kits is that they represent really great<br />
value for money. With an RRP of just £16 each kit makes at<br />
least 20 cards, absolutely everything is included right down<br />
to the adhesives and the ideas sheet if you are stuck for<br />
inspiration,” added Sarah. “We also feel that customers<br />
are becoming more aware of supporting UK designers<br />
and manufactures, and are buying local. All our papercraft<br />
sheet and kits are designed, printed and packed in the<br />
UK and this has proved to be a good selling point for our<br />
customers,” she said. Further info T: 01704 831709, E: info@<br />
chinabutterfl y.co.uk, www.chinabutterfl y.co.uk.<br />
Getting started<br />
Introducing beginners to the craft<br />
and providing complete kits<br />
are also priorities for Sizzix.<br />
To cater for this market,<br />
they have introduced the<br />
Big Shot Starter Kit, “the<br />
must have tool for anyone<br />
starting out in card making, or moving from one craft discipline to another,”<br />
they explained. In the beginning of 2011 there have been several breakthrough<br />
trends in card making, but one of the most interesting has been the move<br />
towards more sophisticated techniques involving mixed media and vintage<br />
materials. We see a lot of cards featuring lace and scalloped effects, chipboard<br />
and fabric, as well the traditional paper and cardstock. “The Sizzix Starter kit is<br />
perfect for this kind of card making as the Big Shot machine will cut through<br />
all of these materials and much more. Included in the set are a Bigz Die, two<br />
Sizzlits Dies and an embossing folder, giving the consumer all they need to get<br />
started with their chosen craft, be that papercrafting, home décor or clothing<br />
embellishment,” said Sizzix.Further info www.sizzix.co.uk.<br />
New license agreement<br />
Well known craft supplier docrafts prides itself on<br />
providing an abundance of inspiration, tips, techniques<br />
and know-how, covering a wide range of crafts, to<br />
enthusiasts all across the world. From the 1st May<br />
they also have an exclusive license with Carte Blanche<br />
Greetings Ltd for a paper craft range called Me to You.<br />
“This new license means one of the most recognised<br />
greeting card brands is made available to the growing<br />
UK crafting community,” they explained. The Me to You<br />
collection is an all-occasion Especially for You collection<br />
which features the Tatty Teddy brand and includes<br />
exclusive wood mounted rubber stamps, coordinated<br />
printed papers and decoupage packs as well as a<br />
selection of embellishments to accent and enhance<br />
any project. Becks Fagg, Head of Product at docrafts,<br />
commented “We are thrilled to be working with the<br />
delightfully charming Tatty Teddy brand. Our designers<br />
have been excitedly working to create a comprehensive<br />
paper craft range which includes many techniques, and<br />
for the fi rst time provide crafters with a fully coordinated<br />
collection.” Later this year docrafts will be adding more<br />
well known brands to this collection, such as Tatty Teddy’s<br />
Little Blue Friends. Further info T: +44 (0)1202 811 000, E: pr@docrafts.com.<br />
50 craftfocus
Change language