Queen & Co... as promised...

National Craft Month!

Press Release:
For the past 14 years National Craft Month has been a time to celebrate art and the benefits of crafting. This year, CHA combined the popularity of general crafting with the latest fashion movement to create Fashion Crafting as the theme for National Craft Month encouraging consumers to create handmade, personalized clothing and accessories.

Today we are seeing the crafting and fashion industries blend. The Do-It-Yourself boom has enabled consumers to utilize craft products to alter existing items and create customized, wearable art and hip couture. This trend provides enormous opportunities for the craft industry.

http://www.craftplace.org/

Does it really ever get to this side of the pond?

We have a Craft Month - but I dare to bet that it is not as high profile ;)

The biggest campaign I have seen is the Marie Curie Cancer Care Campaign - and Hugh Grant (Mmmmmm melt!) is involved with the Radio/TV coverage. Anyone Creating A Card For Cancer Care? I am going to have a go this weekend... as 2 of my SIL's mums died of Cancer late last year - making the recent Mothers Day quite sad. I guess the stats show that most of us know someone who is affected... so it touches us all personally.

So if you have some spare bits and pieces and 10 odd minutes (of peace and quiet) why not create a card, and send it in so Marie Curie stores can sell your work and make money!

Later, Becks x

CHA - SEI

I loved some of the SEI new lines... is that saying something about me or them?!

CHA (more random*)

The new Little Yellow Bicycle line from De ja Views... catchy stand; but don't ask me to be able to spot their products from 100 paces - as it did look very same-old-same-old.



7gypsies... and Simply Renee New Ribbon Rack

CHA - Dream Street Pics

...click any of these smaller pics to make it juicy and large to swoon over ;)

CHA (random*)

Pink Paislee; Anna Griffin luggage;

I love Catherine (founder of Scrapbook & Cards) - love clever women!! They insire me.

Also found a little booth in the New Exhibitor hall that just had a tonne of the acyrlic clear albums. Great display projects!

CHA - Prima

Apologies for the fuzzy-ness on some of the images. I was that excited that the camera kept jumping out of my hands... ;)

The VOILA range was a HUGE hit... and continues that whole 'die cut' multi-media trend. I suppose if the Cricut brings out some great designs you could start your own production line... either that or just jump with both feet (and your credit card) into the Pazzles machine.

The sepia overlays are very cool (and original) with even more paintables (this time in the overlay media... perfect for acylic albums et al.) Autumn Leaves may have kicked off this trend - actually a few years after L'il Davis (under the Jenni Bowlin banner) had a line of these... so trend setting goes back some!

CHA - BasicGrey... and Mag Shout Out!

I love the new BasicGrey lines... and have some advanced samples for the designers I am working with on a brand new magazine! More details to follow on that one... but I do NEED your help. I need a gallery of reader layouts using the following products (limited to them as much as possible...)

BasicGrey

Doodlebug

Bazzill Basics

Inque Boutique

PaperMania

Just email me jpgs of your layout and the ones we choose to print will need to be sent in for photography. I love to see handwriting or some sort on journaling on EVERY layout that I will be printing... and I know that is a big ask... but sometimes we need to get back to the roots of why scrapbooking ever really took off. Tell the story - warts, tantrums and all!

You can email me via my blog - or use editor@freecraftmag.com. Who knows, we may also spot a new Design Team member...!

Becks x