Top 10 easy ideas to make the most of Easter creativity
Top 10 easy ideas to make the most of Easter creativity
Top 10 easy ideas to make the most of Easter eco creativity
13rd April 2022
It’s nearly time for an Easter break and this year, unlike last, we’ll be out and about visiting our loved ones, at last!! But don’t forget! Easter is still a brilliant time to get crafting! And it’s even better with company. Get creative and have an energetic, eggsuberant Easter full of colourful crafts and cracking creativity!
All these ideas are great whether you want to get kids involved or you just want some crafty you time. Enjoy!
Top 10 Craft ideas for Easter
Decorate some eggs - This one is a classic! Make sure you drain the egg from your shell before you paint and use it for something yummy! Make a pin hole in each end of the egg and use a straw to blow the contents out. Decorate your eggs with anything you can find! Paint, glitter, flowers, leaves, cut out cereal boxes. Anything, just get creative! You can also use natural dyes to change the colour of your eggs! Check out the twinkl link at the end for more. If you fancy exploring natural dyes even more, why not try our wooden bead or t-shirt dyeing kits.
Make a rag wreath - Wreaths don’t all have to be about Christmas you know! I’m seeing way more Easter decorations around these days and a spring rag wreath is a super addition to the festivities! It’s a great way to use up old fabric, even old tea towels or t-shirts. Just cut out fabric strips as long as your forearm and tie them to a ring. This can be an embroidery hoop if you have one but some garden wire or an old coat hanger work just as well. A trim at the end helps you get a neater look but don’t worry too much. You want a rustic look!
Rag wreath
Make an origami tulip - A real celebration of spring flowers and all you need is paper! Don’t worry to much about getting the right colours. I’ve seen paper flowers made from newspaper and they’re brilliant! I made my flowers using this YouTube video.
Homemade Easter treats - Cut down on all that Easter egg packaging and make your own Easter treats! You can buy Easter egg moulds to create your own eggsellent egg masterpieces or just go with an amazing chocolate cake to share with everyone! My absolute favourite is a chocolate and Guinness cake. It’s sooo easy and it’s delicious! You won’t miss the eggs, and yep, it’s child friendly as all the alcohol cooks off.
Get your camera out - It’s Spring remember! Get outside and see what’s growing. There’s so much going on in nature at this time of year. Every day I go for a walk there is something different to see. Dust off your camera or just use your camera phone and document the season.
Crafty spring clean - Dip into your crafting draw, cupboard, boxes and discover your leftover, unloved crafty stuff. You never know what you might find. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood for a particular craft but if I pick it up later, then it’s just the best. Go a bit mad and get creative with a craft mash up, mixing kits or techniques together. Who knows what you’ll make!
Make a mandala - I love the example below of a nature inspired mandala but you can make a mandala from pretty much anything. Just aim for a geometric pattern. Circles are most popular but they can be any shape. Use, dots of paint, felt tips, coloured sand, even Easter eggs! Mandalas are meant for meditation so use this make to reconnect and relax.
Nature crushing! - OK, I know it sounds a bit odd, but it’s really fun and nowhere near as destructive as it sounds. This is an awesome way to get back in touch with nature and to start to notice the environment around you. Get outside and go for a little walk. Collect small bits of flowers, twigs, leaves, grass etc as you go. When you get home, take a white piece of paper and smush your finds against it. You’ll get some cool colours and textures! This looks great if you note what you found in pencil next to the smush and put it in a box frame. Super cool.
My nature smushes
Create a wildflower tin pot - Ah REUSE, the often forgotten R. Tin cans are so useful and so easily upcycled into a crafty wonder. Rescue one from the bin and decorate it with paint, ribbon, string or dried flowers. Plant it up with some wild flower seeds and you’ve got something that looks pretty and keeps the bees happy. Lovely!
Try some group crafting - This Easter will be a time for reunions, in person and, for some still, over Zoom. A brilliant way to reconnect with your special people is to craft with them. It’s just real quality time to create and share together. I’ve been really inspired to hear how much people have enjoyed making together and I love it when people order a few of the same kit to send across the country to friends for a group crafternoon. Check out our selection below and order some for a group of you as a crafty Easter treat! Let me know how you get on!
And, of course, if you’d like to try a more full on project this Easter, look no further than our eco craft kit shop. Order yours now for instant craft fun!
For more awesome ideas to make your Easter Eco, check out this brilliant blog from twinkl!
More cash for trees!
More cash for urban trees in Reading!
More trees please!
2nd April 2021
I’m pleased to say that we’ve made another donation to Ethical Reading’s brilliant urban tree planting project! We’re now up to £75 so far and every Craft Box Club subscription means we’re donating even more to this awesome cause.
what we’re doing
From February 1st 2021, we have supported Trees for Reading by sending them £1 for every new subscriber. Trees for Reading is a brilliant project from Ethical Reading. Their aim is to plant more trees in Reading. It’s a fairly new project but they’re already delivering by planting new trees in the urban environment in and around Reading.
Why plant urban trees?
I’ve been looking at carbon offsetting for Craft Box Club. These schemes usually involve planting new trees for a monthly fee. The main purpose of this is to use trees as carbon dioxide absorbing machines to help in the fight against climate change. However, I’ve chosen not to go down that route but instead support this local scheme.
Although the trees planted by Trees for Reading will, of course, absorb CO2 and help to tackle climate change, this is not their main aim. Urban trees, in particular, have additional benefits. They can reduce local temperatures by creating shade, filter pollution, regulate water flow and improve water quality, provide much needed habitats for wildlife and, I think we can all agree, just make the world a nicer place to be! In fact, you can see a measurable positive impact on mental health just from people having more trees in their lives!
How can I help?
If you’d like to find out more about Trees for Reading and find out more about the amazing benefits of urban trees you can do using this link.
If you’d like to get creative and plant trees you can join Craft Box Club today and we’ll send £1 to Trees for Reading.
Thanks so much for your support!
Top 10 easy ideas to make the most of Easter creativity
Top 10 easy ideas to make the most of Easter creativity
Top 10 easy ideas to make the most of Easter eco creativity
23rd March 2021
It’s nearly time for an Easter break and, yet again, most of us will be going no further than the ends of our gardens! But never fear, your Easter needn’t be bland! Get creative and have an energetic, eggsuberant Easter full of colourful crafts and cracking creativity!
All these ideas are great whether you want to get kids involved or you just want some crafty you time. Enjoy!
Top 10 Craft ideas for Easter
Decorate some eggs - This one is a classic! Make sure you drain the egg from your shell before you paint and use it for something yummy! Make a pin hole in each end of the egg and use a straw to blow the contents out. Decorate your eggs with anything you can find! Paint, glitter, flowers, leaves, cut out cereal boxes. Anything, just get creative!
Make a rag wreath - Wreaths don’t all have to be about Christmas you know! I’m seeing way more Easter decorations around these days and a spring rag wreath is a super addition to the festivities! It’s a great way to use up old fabric, even old tea towels or t-shirts. Just cut out fabric strips as long as your forearm and tie them to a ring. This can be an embroidery hoop if you have one but some garden wire or an old coat hanger work just as well. A trim at the end helps you get a neater look but don’t worry too much. You want a rustic look!
Rag wreath
Make an origami tulip - A real celebration of spring flowers and all you need is paper! Don’t worry to much about getting the right colours. I’ve seen paper flowers made from newspaper and they’re brilliant! I made my flowers using this YouTube video.
Homemade Easter treats - Cut down on all that Easter egg packaging and make your own Easter treats! You can buy Easter egg moulds to create your own eggsellent egg masterpieces or just go with an amazing chocolate cake to share with everyone! My absolute favourite is a chocolate and Guinness cake. It’s sooo easy and it’s delicious! You won’t miss the eggs, and yep, it’s child friendly as all the alcohol cooks off.
Get your camera out - It’s Spring remember! Get outside and see what’s growing. There’s so much going on in nature at this time of year. Every day I go for a walk there is something different to see. Dust off your camera or just use your camera phone and document the season.
Crafty spring clean - Dip into your crafting draw, cupboard, boxes and discover your leftover, unloved crafty stuff. You never know what you might find. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood for a particular craft but if I pick it up later, then it’s just the best. Go a bit mad and get creative with a craft mash up, mixing kits or techniques together. Who knows what you’ll make!
Make a mandala - I love the example below of a nature inspired mandala but you can make a mandala from pretty much anything. Just aim for a geometric pattern. Circles are most popular but they can be any shape. Use, dots of paint, felt tips, coloured sand, even Easter eggs! Mandalas are meant for meditation so use this make to reconnect and relax.
Nature crushing! - OK, I know it sounds a bit odd, but it’s really fun and nowhere near as destructive as it sounds. This is an awesome way to get back in touch with nature and to start to notice the environment around you. Get outside and go for a little walk. Collect small bits of flowers, twigs, leaves, grass etc as you go. When you get home, take a white piece of paper and smush your finds against it. You’ll get some cool colours and textures! This looks great if you note what you found in pencil next to the smush and put it in a box frame. Super cool.
My nature smushes
Create a wildflower tin pot - Ah REUSE, the often forgotten R. Tin cans are so useful and so easily upcycled into a crafty wonder. Rescue one from the bin and decorate it with paint, ribbon, string or dried flowers. Plant it up with some wild flower seeds and you’ve got something that looks pretty and keeps the bees happy. Lovely!
Try some group crafting - This Easter will be a time for reunions, in person and, for some still, over Zoom. A brilliant way to reconnect with your special people is to craft with them. It’s just real quality time to create and share together. I’ve been really inspired to hear how much people have enjoyed making together and I love it when people order a few of the same kit to send across the country to friends for a group crafternoon. Check out our selection below and order some for a group of you as a crafty Easter treat! Let me know how you get on!
Talking craft subscriptions as a Rebel business!
Sooo, I was on a podcast!
Small business meets silicon valley
I’m excited to announce that I’m on a podcast! 2 years ago I was inspired to start Craft Box Club when I attended a week with the Rebel Business School. They taught me how to get my craft box subscription business off the ground with out spending loads of money. I started by testing ideas at local craft workshops for a year before really going for the subscriptions.
Alan now has a podcast which is in it’s 2nd season. I’ve listened to every episode. It’s great entertainment and inspiration when I’m making up craft kits. It’s always brilliant talking business with Alan and it was awesome to be able to talk to Silicon Valley guru, Jennifer Vessels. They gave me loads of ideas and support to help me take my small craft business to the next level.
You can listen here.
Do you have a dream business that you’d like to get off the ground? Well have a listen to the podcast and check to see if the Rebel Business School is coming to your area to run another one of their brilliant free business courses!
Check them out here.
What did I learn?
I just loved talking to Alan and Jennifer about Craft Box Club. They have so much experience and energy between them! To start with, I guess it feels like I’ve arrived. It has been just a dream for so long so it was pretty cool to be on a podcast as an entrepreneur. When I met Alan the course, he asked me what the product was. I think I said “errr creative things to do for everyone!”. I had no idea what I was doing really.
It took me months to work out that I wanted to make eco friendly, accessible craft kits made from natural materials. I love it when people subscribe as I’m passionate about helping people make creativity a habit! It’s good for us if we can make time for ourselves to create on a regular basis. I’m pleased to say that a few hundred eco friendly creatives so far have liked the idea!
I find it really useful to knock ideas around with people who are keen to give you constructive criticism. We jumped into my website and found a few points that needed improvement. It’s important for potential customers to have a super easy experience when they sign up.
One of the takeaways was that I needed to make the key selling points of the craft kits more obvious on the website. I think I said they are, to learn new skills, boost your self confidence through making and help with mental health. I’m still not sure I’ve cracked this but I’m still working on it!
There were also a few ideas like getting people to craft together over zoom which I tested briefly but haven’t really given enough energy. I love the idea of helping people to connect through craft!
How’s Craft Box Club Today?
I’ve spent the past few months making the whole business better for my awesome customers. I’ve done some boring stuff like updating my systems which makes sending out the kits easy so I can spend more time on good stuff. The business is now more eco friendly. I’ve switched to wind energy, I get the printing done by a carbon negative printer and the materials and supply chain are greener than ever. I’ve also made the guides better with printable photo guides to complement the videos. The website is easier to use and I think it does a better job of telling visitors what we’re all about!
I can’t wait for the next steps of my Craft Box Club journey. Thanks so much to all of my customers. You are just brilliant, lovely and creative. I’m here to support your creativity and I’m committed to making Craft Box Club better and greener for you. If you have any thoughts about what you’d like to see from us in 2021, let me know by email or in the comments below!
Not a member yet?
If you’d like to get creative now, join Craft Box Club today and we’ll get your first craft to you asap. Your purchase will also help to planet urban trees!
Top 10 Super Simple Ideas to Live and Craft Greener
Top 10 Super Simple Idea to Live and Craft Greener
Top 10 Super Simple Ideas to Live and Craft Greener
18th February 2021
Last year Craft Box Club went plastic free and this year we’re aiming to make a positive environmental impact by supporting the planting of urban trees, using carbon negative printing and cutting even more plastic from our supply chain!
I also wanted to make sure that I live the eco message at home, so I’m true to my vision and also because I run Craft Box Club from home, the business and my life are pretty much intertwined. I was really surprised how easy some of these eco swaps were, sometimes even getting better products whilst saving you money! I want to share these with you so we can all work together to make a greener planet!
Top 10 ideas for…
…a greener life
Switch to a green energy tariff - I used Uswitch to find a green energy tariff and it was sooo easy! My energy now all comes from wind power. It’s pretty complicated how it actually all works but buying a green tariff is at the very least a positive vote for climate action.
Eat less meat - As well as being planet positive, this is also a brilliant money saver and has really helped reduce my food waste. Save that extra cash or spend it on some better quality, more adventurous veg!
Get your food plastic free - I switched to getting all of my veg from Riverford a couple of years ago and never looked back. It’s super low on packaging and amazing quality! This is just a top company and I just love their whole ethos!
Plant more trees - Trees help prevent climate change and just make the world a better place to live. We’ve started supporting a local project to plant more urban trees this year. Find out more here. You can also use sites like ecologi.com to use tree planting to offset your own carbon emissions.
Support green businesses - There a loads of other eco businesses out there right now. Look out for eco credentials when you make your next purchase. Think packaging, product and projects. Are you just paying for plastic? Will the product last and is it made from good stuff? Is your purchase supporting the kind of planet you want to see?
Google green - Set www.ecosia.org as your default search engine. Every search plants a tree!
Green your kitchen - I’ve used sponges in a couple of the past craft projects. I was amazed to discover that you can get sponges made from plant fibres. Super easy! You can also get material ones that you wash and reuse again and again. Check out www.ecofriendlystuff.co.uk for loads more eco swaps.
Choose eco subscriptions - Subscriptions really show that you care and repeat business really helps to support the kinds of products that you want. My faves are whogivesacrap.org and smol.
Make your own stuff - OK yes you know we’re all about the making! If you’re new to making, start with small handmade cards or gifts. It feels amazing for someone you love to put even a small bit of effort into crafting something just for you. It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece, it just needs to be made by you!
Look after your stuff - always buy reusable over single use and treasure your belongings. Even better, try to buy things that are specifically made to be repaired. If you have the money, brands like Dulait and Barbour design with easy repair in mind. Choose reusable bags and masks over their throwaway alternatives!
Top 10 ideas for…
…greener crafting
Understand your materials - Some plastics are hidden! If you can, swap acrylic paint and yarn for non-toxic versions. I use powder paint and merino wool and have cut all acrylic from my boxes this year!
Reduce waste - It’s so easy to get over excited and order loads of the wrong thing. Oh no the needle is too small, the yarn doesn’t fit the hook, this paint isn’t the colour I wanted! Get hands on with a craft at a workshop or with a kit before getting too far. Here at Craft Box Club I run 1 on 1 sessions with subscribers to help you when you’re starting out.
Invest in good kit - Once you’ve worked out what you need, buy good stuff that will last. For me, I just love the feel of wooden tools over plastic. They also last longer and are easier to repair at home.
Look after your kit - Keep a tidy craft space so you know where everything is. Treat things well and it will serve you well for many years to come!
Choose whole crafts - Especially if you’re a crafting pro, buy materials you need in bulk to save you money and reduce pollution from packaging and transportation.
Make crafting a way of life - Turn your hobby into a useful skill. Make things that you can use around the house. Turn your crafts into special gifts to bring joy, save money and reduce pre-packaged consumerism. Make or upcycle clothes or furniture and help extend the life of second hand stuff.
Turn your waste into art - I once went to an exhibition of art made from tumble dryer fluff! That’s pretty extreme but projects like rag rugs or wreaths (see below) are brilliant for using up left over fabric! Old candles can be melted to make new. Wooden palettes make amazing garden furniture!
Get inspired by nature - I’ve been taking early morning walks recently. The patterns made by the frost are just beautiful! Every seasons has something different to offer, take a camera, capture some of nature’s beautiful and connect with your environment.
Craft with nature - While you’re out in nature, collect a few twigs, leaves, stones etc. and make something out of them. It doesn’t need to be anything incredible or even permanent but it gets your creative muscles flexing and strengthens your bond with nature and the changing of the seasons.
Craft with us! - Craft Box Club is dedicated to eco friendly crafting. All kits are plastic free and full of great natural materials. You won’t have any waste apart from bits left over just in case and you’ll have the perfect kits suited to the project.
For more help developing more sustainable habit, visit the fantastic Ailuna!
Want to get crafting?
If you’d like to get creative now, join Craft Box Club today and we’ll get your first craft to you asap. Your purchase will also help to planet urban trees!
We help plant trees!
More trees better planet
Supporting trees for Reading
24th January 2021
As well as bringing you beautiful natural craft kits I really want Craft Box Club to be a force for good in the world and have a positive impact on the environment. Until now I’ve focussed on cutting out all plastic from our kits and massively reducing the plastic in our supply chain. However, I want to go further. Like most businesses, Craft Box Club takes from the Earth in terms of resources to make the kits and will contribute a small amount of pollution from sourcing and delivery kits to you. It’s time to start giving back.
what we’re doing
The first big announcement is that, from February 1st 2021, we will be supporting Trees for Reading by sending them £1 for every new subscriber. Trees for Reading is a brilliant project from Ethical Reading. Their aim is to plant more trees in Reading. It’s a fairly new project but they’re already delivering by planting new trees in the urban environment in and around Reading.
Why plant urban trees?
I’ve been looking at carbon offsetting for Craft Box Club. These schemes usually involve planting new trees for a monthly fee. The main purpose of this is to use trees as carbon dioxide absorbing machines to help in the fight against climate change. However, I’ve chosen not to go down that route but instead support this local scheme.
Although the trees planted by Trees for Reading will, of course, absorb CO2 and help to tackle climate change, this is not their main aim. Urban trees, in particular, have additional benefits. They can reduce local temperatures by creating shade, filter pollution, regulate water flow and improve water quality, provide much needed habitats for wildlife and, I think we can all agree, just make the world a nicer place to be! In fact, you can see a measurable positive impact on mental health just from people having more trees in their lives!
How can I help?
If you’d like to find out more about Trees for Reading and find out more about the amazing benefits of urban trees you can do using this link.
If you’d like to get creative and plant trees you can join Craft Box Club today and we’ll send £1 to Trees for Reading.
Thanks so much for your support!
My story
Make creativity a habit!
My name is Adam and I started Craft Box Club to help you
craft with nature
Well that’s half the story.
I am not an artist
For the last decade I’ve been a catastrophe modeller for an insurance company in the city. It was actually pretty cool. Since I was 8 years old I’ve been kind of obsessed with the weather. So getting to learn about, study and analyse natural disasters was kind of a dream come true. It had been good, but I felt more and more that I needed to create and express myself.
I’ve always been a bit creative. I’ve dabbled with bands and the theatre. I play a few different instruments which I fiddle with in the evening whenever I get a chance. I was, and kind of still am, passionate about bringing data to life using colourful, engaging and err… pretty visuals. But I wanted more and was drawn to visual art and crafting as it’s so tangible. Once you’ve made something, it’s there for everyone to see, forever!
I tried
Youtube art tutorials. Most of them were garbage or aimed at people who were already experts. When I found ones that made sense to me then it was hard to get my hands on the kit and by the time I’d found what I needed, I ran out of time to make. I tried arts and craft classes, but most of them were so expensive I could only really afford to go a few times a year or they were during work hours or weekends when I was looking after my little one. I had a go at muddling through on my own but found a strange, but common, fear of being presented with a blank page. Where should I start? Should I draw or paint or…? What if it looks rubbish? Maybe I’m just not a creative person?!
I’m just not creative
Is something I have heard loads since starting Craft Box Club. In my heart I just don’t believe it. Humans are born and driven to create. It’s part of us! But more on that later.
I want to give people the awesome feeling of making, that is affordable enough to do regularly and where anyone could get a good result. So…
Craft Box Club
was born. Each month I go through the process of researching and learning the first thing about a new craft. Let’s be honest, learning the first thing about anything is the most fun right? I make a super clear and quick how to video to teach you everything you need to know. I source or make the right materials to get you crafting. All of this gets lovingly packaged, plastic free, into a craft box which gets delivered straight to your door.
On top of that I’ll be sharing some hints and tips for how to squeeze more creativity into your life. Sign up to the mailing list to hear all about it!
So now you know the whole story, Craft Box Club is for you, but it’s my journey too. I hope you can join me!