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!
New kit: Wisteria Flowers Felt Mobile
Introducing our latest craft kit! We’re felt flower making!
The new Wisteria Flowers Felt Mobile craft kit!
11th August
With heat waves and down pours in the forecast, it’s great to have a few craft projects on the go, and this one is perfect for bringing that summer colour from the garden indoors.
I love the colour and the fresh smell of lavender that comes out at this time of year. It’s so refreshing and energising! For me, it’s the flower that really tells me that summer is in full bloom.
Summer lavender
For this make, I really wanted to celebrate this beautiful summer colour, but this lovely felt didn’t seem to suit the tough upright stalks of lavender so the design transformed into rows of luxuriously flowing Wisteria flowers.
A stunning photo of wisteria
I love how these designs transform in front of me. You never quite end up with what you intended to make. That’s just one of the wonderful things about creativity, standing back and watching it evolve and take on a life of it’s own. I usually make 2 or 3 prototypes before the final make on the video guide. They never look quite as good but I think you can tell when there’s some potential.
One of my earlier designs. The final craft kit gets an upgrade on the felt which makes it look much better quality and I’ve adjusted a few things to make it neater, but the basics are there!
The Eco Credentials
Who doesn’t love felt? At some point in our lives we’ve all crafted with soft, fluffy, multi-coloured felt. It’s one of the first things that we craft with at school. But how many of us know what it really is?
Traditionally felt is made using wool. A barbed needle or set of needles are used to slowly mesh the fibres together to make a sheet of felt fabric. You can have a go at making felt from wool if you grab our Needle Felting Heart Garland kit from the online shop.
Nowadays, most of the felt you’ll find is made from polyester (plastic). Why? It’s cheap! So cheap! You can get a stack of plastic felt for pennies whereas 100% wool felt can be at least 10 times the price. 100% wool felt is incredible. It’s so soft and strong and is an amazing insulator. So if you’re making something special or adding it to clothing, you’ve got a winner there. But, luckily for us eco crafters on a budget, there is a more cost effective option.
Wool/viscose blends! This is wool blended with cellulose from plants. It’s not as cheap as plastic felt but it’s much much cheaper than 100% wool and it performs and feels much more like a wool felt. That’s what I’ve chosen for this mobile and it wouldn’t work without it.
Love these summer purples together
Go Get creative
Fancy having a go? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
New kit: Bargello Tealights!
Introducing our latest craft kit! Bargello tealights!
The new Bargello Tealights craft kit!
30th June
This crafty summer full on sunshine and rain keeps rolling on and I have another kit to introduce to you! I’m really keen to make kits that fit the seasons and I think this one does the trick. The kit makes 3 woolly, Boho tealights. I can just see these making the perfect addition to a late night barbecue in the garden! They each come with 3 soy wax candles so you’re all sorted!
What is Bargello?
Yes, good question! You might not have heard about it, but it’s one of this year’s biggest crafting trends. It’s a type of needle point using regular geometric patterns, usually in bright colours. People are really loving now easy this craft is and the eye catching designs you get. Originally Bargello was used as a way to embroider furniture as it’s so hard wearing.
Close up you can see the squares in the jute
I’ve wanted to try some embroidery for a while but I’m not a massive fan of anything fiddly with a needle. When I found Bargello I loved how easy it was. The patterns are super easy to follow and you can get into that really lovely, mindful, repetitive action.
This is also just a super craft to make in the sunshine. You’re working with short lengths of wool and you don’t really need a work surface. I made lots of versions of these sitting in the garden!
Lids off and ready for lighting!
The Eco Credentials
The trend this year is to use plastic needlepoint canvas but, of course, we’ve put an eco-friendly spin on things. Rather than the plastic canvas we’re using super sustainable Jute. I just love the stuff! I have tried plastic canvas and I find that often the needle gets stuck in the holes. Jute feels much smoother to work with and it’s still really strong.
We’re using my favourite yarn in this kit as well. It’s a Merino/silk blend. It’s lovely and soft to work with whilst being sustainable and strong.
I know it’s hard to get excited about glass jars, however, I’ve ordered these from one of my usual UK suppliers and they’re awesome at packaging with the absolute minimum amount of plastic! Thanks guys!
Nearly finished!
Go Get creative
Fancy having a go? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
The Craft Box Club Story
The Craft Box Club Story
On a mission to spread eco crafts!
7th May 2021
“On a mission to show that crafting doesn’t have to cost the Earth”
I was always a creative kid. I wish I’d known! My childhood was filled with lego creations. The kits never lasted long before they were altered, embellished or transformed into something completely new. Bath time was for mixing potions, carefully left to brew overnight with the expectation of something magical, one day…surely! I used to obsessively make little flip books or adventure stories where you could choose your ending. I discovered a passion for music, teaching myself bass and crashing as many after school bands as I could. Whilst travelling, I taught myself some Green Day songs on a borrowed guitar. At uni I formed an indie rock band writing songs and playing loads of gigs.
“People would say, “you’re quite creative aren’t you!”. I used to laugh “are you kidding! Have you seen my awful handwriting!”.”
People would say, “you’re quite creative aren’t you!”. I used to laugh “are you kidding! Have you seen my awful handwriting!”. I’m dyslexic. Handwriting lessons were the absolute pinnacle of oppression. Creative, to me meant, you can draw, you can paint, basically, you can see something in real life and make it appear in front of you as a neat and finished work of art!
I’ve learned that creativity is both, much more and much less than that. Creativity can be about music and design and programming and philosophy and changing the world. It can also be as simple, silly and fun as putting some lab coats on and throwing paint at each other. At it’s simplest, it’s just making a thing. And that’s what I love. So I get it now, I am creative!
“We all have a desire, to make, it’s within each one of us and it’s deeply human.”
We all have a desire, to make, it’s within each one of us and it’s deeply human. We wouldn’t have got to where we are as a species without making. We all have a need to take what’s inside our heads and make it tangible. Creativity gives us purpose and grounds us in the world. Like many of us, I struggled for years to try to find creativity in my corporate job. Working as an analyst I’d design more and more outlandish graphics and learned to code to build the best interactive apps and dashboards. But it wasn’t enough.
I was hungry to make something more tangible, and to learn real life craft skills. First, I tried craft workshops, but it was really tough to fit in workshops around work and time with my daughter in the evenings. Then I turned to craft kits, but they just didn’t work for me! The instructions were hard to follow, the designs were never really anything I wanted to keep and, worst of all, these kits were full of more plastic than crafts! I wasn’t alone, I knew loads of people who’d get painting kits as a gift but never got round to using them. They’d inevitably end up in the bin and add to the ever-growing landfill.
“Craft Box Club is my reaction to this problem. I want to empower people to feel their own creativity. To have a safe space to learn real life craft skills and give them the “I made that” moment.”
Craft Box Club is my reaction to this problem. I want to empower people to feel their own creativity. To have a safe space to learn real life craft skills and give them the “I made that” moment. I want them to actually want to make the design in the kits. It should be really easy for people to understand what to do, a fiddle free, enjoyable process. I want people to be able to make without the need for any plastic packing and kit that breaks after a single use. I want creativity that doesn’t cost the Earth.
So…all the craft projects are designed to be something that you want to show off. I spend loads of time sourcing the best natural materials available. I go to great lengths to find the most sustainable packaging whether it’s traditional material like wood wool or innovative biodegradable “plastics” made from cellulose. All the kits come with really easy to follow video and step by step guides as well as optional one to one sessions with me to sort out any niggles.
I have absolutely loved connecting with people over craft. I’ve had wonderful reviews and have been told touching stories of families and friends sharing crafts over lockdown. I’m most moved by the part that crafting can play in completely changing people’s lives. Giving a relative something to keep loneliness at bay, an excuse to reach out to a support group after a loss, reigniting a long forgotten passion for creativity. I love how crafts can improve lives and, when you craft with nature, connect you with life, your environment and our precious planet.
Go Get creative
Have I inspired you to get creative yet? YES!? Amazing! Good choice! Just click below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
New kit: Painted Pink Beach Houses
Introducing our latest craft kit!
The new Painted pink beach house craft kit
25th May 2021
I have to say that went I planned on releasing this kit in May, I was imagining longer, warmer days, bathed in sunshine! It’s not quite turned out like that has it? My part of the world has been battered with storms and soaked with endless downpours all month! Though this kit might not be hailing the summer, at least it provides some hope of blue skies ahead!
Seaside beach huts, inspired this kit
The inspiration for this kit came to me during a long weekend in the beautiful little seaside town of Lyme Regis last year. It was my first holiday with girlfriend Emma and it was just heaven! We managed to squeeze it in between lockdowns and it was amazing to get to spend so much time together after so much time apart.
I loved the little painted beach houses that you find in so many of the shops in town. They were all totally unique and full of pretty pastel colours. I was quite touched when Emma bought me 2 mini beach houses for Christmas last year and I’ve wanted to see if I could recreate them ever since.
Though these houses are definitely connected with the British seaside, the pink colour takes me back to my childhood spent in Bermuda. Most of the houses of the little island are painted bright colours. The most popular colour of all, pastel pink, to blend with their pink tinted sandy beaches!
Sandy Bermuda beach
The craft - Powdered Earth Paints
This is a super simple craft. It’s all about painting and decorating little seaside houses. First you apply a based coat, then paint on the details to make it look just little a little model house. I’ve supplied string, glue and a few extra to decorate the house. The guide shows you how I finished my design but I’d definitely encourage you to go freestyle if you feel it.
Even though the design is simple, there is some fine detail to apply here. The best approach is to slow down, take a deep breath and relax into it. I found it really meditative. And don’t forget, if it’s not perfect, don’t worry! Beach houses are never perfect. The style is rustic and lashed by decades of salty winds!
The Eco credentials
Oh no, there are plastic bags in this kit! NO! Don’t panic! It might look like the paint comes in plastic bags but it’s not plastic, it’s cellulose. That means that everything is home compostable.
The paints are the star of the show in this kit. They’re powdered earth paints so they’re made of pure earth minerals. Nothing nasty added and you just add water! I still can’t believe the diversity of colours you can get using earth paints and they’re just so much better for the environment than acrylic paints in little plastic pots.
I love the rustic look of the string which outlines the roofs of this design and you get a few other materials to make your house look extra beachy.
The video guide that comes with this craft kit gives you super clear instructions of how to recreate my design but I’d love you to go freestyle!
Painting video guide
Go Get creative
Fancy having a go? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
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!
New kit: Needle Punch Jute Bag
Introducing our latest craft kit!
The new needle punch jute bag
20th March 2021
It’s March and the first day of spring! I really feel like I’m coming out of hibernation. The days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer (slowly, this is England after all), and the garden is starting to explode with colour! The latest Craft Box Club kit has a super spring vibe with Daffodils all over the place!
Spring Daffodils, inspired this kit
I’ve been trying to green up my work space recently as, like so many of us, I’m spending way more time at home than ever and the winter weather has been keeping me indoors more than usual. I’ve invested in this little chap, Cedric the Cheese Plant to green my office. I love this feeling of bringing the outside in and it helps to strengthen my connection with nature!
The craft - Needle punch
If you’re new to needle punch, you’re in for a treat! It’s a super simple way of embroidering fabric, particularly good for anything with an open weave. You thread your needle with yarn or thread and push it into the fabric, usually something like cotton monks cloth. Each stab of your needle leaves loops in the fabric which create a pattern.
Many needle punch kits you’ll find will show you how to create a decorative pattern in an embroidery hoop which is great, but I know that my subscribers love their makes to be practical. That’s why we’re going to be decorating a super cool, super useful, jute shopper!
The Eco credentials
Yes the shopping bags in this kit are make of strong, sustainable jute! A brilliant choice for a reusable shopping bag! But watch out! When searching for these bags I found out that most jute shoppers are lined with, yes, PLASTIC! I couldn’t believe it. Beautiful natural material on the outside but for some reasons people seem to think they need a layer of plastic on the inside. Why!!?!?! So I’ve gone for the unlined version.
The yarn in this craft kit is from one of my fave suppliers, World of Wool, based on Yorkshire. This wool is amazing quality and plastic free. It’s a merino wool and silk blend. Again, strong and sustainable! Thanks guys!
Top Tips for needle punching Jute
OK, so needle punching into Jute is a bit different. Yes, it’s harder work than punching into monks cloth but I think it’s worth it so you can create an brilliant effect on an awesome, robust material.
Be careful! - It might not look it but the end of the needle is sharp and you’ll need to push pretty hard.
Get in the flow - Make sure that your yarn can flow easily through the needle.
Keep it close - Keep the needle tip close to the fabric. Don’t pull the needle away too much or the stitch will fall out.
Be gentle but firm - Apply gentle pressure to the needle when punching into the fabric.
Give a helping hand - You may need to give each stich a pinch from behind the fabric to hold it in place.
The video guide that comes with this craft kit gives you super clear, up close instructions to make this work.
Needle punching guide
Go Get creative
Fancy having a go? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
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!
New kit: Heart Felt Garland
Bold, bright and beautiful way to bring love into your crafting!
The new needle felting kit - the Heart Felt Garland!
14th February 2021
It’s Valentine’s day and I’m feeling pretty loved up! I really wanted to bring that into the new kit this month! I’ve also loved all of the rainbow art that I’ve seen everywhere over the past few months. Rainbows have been adopted as the symbol for so many causes but at their heart, they stand for hope. Right now, I’m hoping for an end to lockdown and a return to a more normal way of life. But more than that, I’m hoping we can carry on all the positive things from this past year; more remote working, seeing more of our kids and getting more in touch with nature!
Needle felting
If you’ve not tried needle felting, you should! I’ve such a beautiful, accessible craft. You really don’t need special skills so you can jump right in a get creative, making 2D art or 3D sculptures. You start with handfuls of fluffy wool which you stab repeatedly with a special felting needle. This action meshes the wool fibres together and creates felt in any shape you like!
My introduction to this craft was creating a dog sculpture, it was super fun but I find that, when you’re new to needle felting, animals can come out looking a little off. I always make sure that Craft Box Club craft kits are really easy for beginners and that anyone can get a great result. That’s why I love the heart shapes in this garland. They are so familiar and easy to sculpt. They also feel so nice and squishy in your hand!
Top Tips for beginners
Start simple - Just get used to the action to begin with, craft a simple shape in one colour
Believe! - This is one of many crafts which a little patience really pays off. It’s hard to believe that stabbing some wool with a needle will do anything at all, but stick at it will all happen in front of your eyes!
Be careful! - Felting needles are really sharp and it’s easy to get distracted while your felting. Make sure you keep your fingers out of the way.
Get the right kit - There are a range of grades of felting needle out there. Some will felt fast but will be hard to get the detail, others will take ages to get a result. Do your research before you buy, or, hey let us do that for you and grab this kit.
Get creative - Experiment with loads of different shapes and colour combinations.
Craft plastic free - It’s really not been a challenge to make this kit plastic free. If you want to take this craft further, buy awesome quality wool and ask for plastic free packaging. I buy from World of Wool who will pack plastic free on request and have great natural products in beautiful colours.
The heart garland!
These materials are awesome!
As usual, this kit is plastic free, that’s the packaging, the materials and the tools! It’s such a cool kit to open, the first thing that will catch your eye is a brightly coloured rainbow of wool! You’ve got just the right kind of felting needle and some brilliant heart templates to make your shaping super simple!
Another great thing about this kit is that you get some stuff that you can reuse for other creative fun! The heart templates can be used as cookie cutters and the sponge (made of wood fibres) which you use as a base for felting, can or course be reused as a kitchen sponge or for various other more artistic purposes.
The needle felting craft box!
Go Get creative
I just know this kit is going to be a hit!
Not signed up yet? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
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!
New kit: Lino Cut Letters
An eco friendly twist on an awesome traditional craft
The new Lino printing letters kit
22nd January 2021
I know I always say that every craft is my favourite, but this one takes me right back to school! I’d never really felt comfortable in art class. I’d never thought of myself as being creative. I thought, “even my handwriting is terrible, how can I be good at art!?”. But then we had a class on lino cutting and printing. I absolutely loved it! Cutting the lino is a brilliant process, it’s also super forgiving and great for beginners as you can sketch out your design on the lino and then shape it as you cut.
The eco friendly twist
Lino printing isn’t new, it’s been used to make art since the turn of the 20th century. Linoleum itself, although it looks like plastic, actually isn’t! It’s made from things like sawdust and cork all held together with pine resin and burlap. There are modern, plastic versions out there, but we’ve gone traditional and biodegradable.
Printing ink can be made from all sorts of things but it usually contains acrylic which isn’t the best for the environment by itself and needs a plastic container. We’ve made the swap to natural earth paint that you can mix yourself. Totally not toxic and it can be packaged in paper!
The sponge that you’ll use to apply the paint to your stamp is made of wood fibres! To be honest, before researching this kit, I didn’t even know they were a thing. A super easy eco kitchen swap! You can pick them up from my friends at Peace with the Wild.
Finally, you also get lots of brown recycled paper cards to print on! The black mono print looks super cool on the brown card!
The box!
The design
You can go really complex and detailed with lino cutting, but at Craft Box Club, we prefer to start simple! This design is based around a letter and tree silhouette template. Both letters and leaves are super easy to cut and they produce an awesome effect as well. If you’re going for your own design, try to keep it simple to start with before experimenting with all the amazing effects you can get from a lino cut!
Oh and it’s A because I’m Adam but the kit contains templates for the whole alphabet!
Go Get creative
I really hope you enjoy this kit!
Not signed up yet? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
We're here to help!
Here to help get your crafting!
Here to get you crafting
2/1/2021
We’ve been wracking out brains over a little Christmas holiday to think of ways that we can support you in your crafting. We’ve had loads of people joining over Christmas and we’re already starting to see people who want to take up crafting as a new hobby or a new year’s resolution. It’s really exciting and we’re super keen that you have an awesome experience!
So here’s the first thing that we’re offering to all our active subscribers…
oFFICE HOURS/Drop in sessions/crafting sos!
You can now book 30 minute sessions, over the phone or via video conference so you can have personal help if you’re getting stuck. Just find a time that suits you, it’s that easy! Don’t be afraid! We’ll find out where you’ve gone wrong and, if possible, craft along with you to get you right back on track!
Easily find a craft guide
You have a link to the online craft guide in each kit plus a QR code that takes you right to the page you need. We know that sometimes that’s a bit fiddly, so we’ve created a library of all of our craft guides. Find your kit and click the link.
All this can be found on our new Members Hub…
This service is only available to active subscribers, not signed up yet? Hit the button below and join our super community of eco crafters!
HAPPY CRAFTING!
New kit: Pom pom and Tassel Christmas Rings
Introducing this year’s Christmas Craft Kit!
Introducing the Christmas Craft Kit
21th November 2020
Here it is, in all it’s glory, our Christmas Craft Box! I’ve been planning this for ages and I’m really please with how it’s turned out. I think you’ll really love learning how to make pom poms and tassels. I really wanted this Christmas box to be something that you could make and show off at Christmas but that didn’t look out of place hanging up in your home all year round. These magic rings look great on a Christmas tree or hung up as a wall hanging. The video for this kit is super fun. I’ve loved finding Christmas music to a little bit of extra Christmas sparkle to give you a Christmas crafting boost. I’m so excited that people getting this kit as a Christmas present might get all the family round YouTube to watch the video on Christmas day. Let’s hope we can get together with our loved ones safely this year!
Making Pom poms
I hope you love making pom poms as much as I have! They’re so versatile, they can be used to make so many things! The wreath below is made from all my left over yarn from this year. I really love it! Huffle the penguin is made of poms too! Amazing huh? Who else loves the googly eyes?
The kit shows you how to make poms the traditional way but if you want to make enough pom poms to make a wreath like this then I’d recommend getting yourself a pom pom maker. I’ve tested loads recently. There are wooden pom makers available but I’m sad to say that I don’t think they’re as good as the plastic ones. I don’t mind recomending these plastic pom makers though as they’re well made and you’ll get so much enjoyment from them! Here is a link to a pom making craft kit from my friends which includes the good makers.
Pom pom wreath
Tassels
You can use tassels to add a bit of glitz to loads of craft projects. I couldn’t believe they were so easy to make! All you need is your hand and a pair of scissors! A great one for Christmas crafting with the family this year!
Pom and Tassel history
Did you know there are references to tassels in the bible!? In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to tell the Israelites to make tassels on the corners of their garments, to help them to remember all the commandments of the Lord and to keep them and as a sign of holiness. They have been widely adopted as a symbol of status to adorn clothing and furnishings over the years.
Pom poms have their routes as a military decoration for topping hats. The colour, shape or size of the poms helped soldiers to differentiate between regiments. Meanwhile, off the battlefield, the pom-pom held great significance as well. In South America, traditional garments of both men and women were being decorated with differently colored pom-poms as a signal of their marital status. In Rome, clergymen wore square-peaked caps called birettas. The color of the pom-pom that crowned each biretta signified the wearer's order.
Let’s not forget their use as part of traditional dress in Scotland. Men wore a floppy beret called a Balmoral bonnet that was topped with a bright red pom-pom iconically known as a Tam o’ Shanter. Check out some lovely examples on Esty.
Go Get creative
I really hope you enjoy this kit!
Not signed up yet? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
New kit: Wool and Rope Basket Weaving
So much fun and an amazingly useful skill to learn!
The wool and rope basket weaving kit
13th November 2020
This has been on my crafting wish list for ages! Yes it’s a long list. I’ve been inspired by the rope and wool rainbows that have been everywhere this year but I wanted to see whether I could use a similar technique to create a basket. I think it’s worked really well. The traditional stitches provide the strength to the basket and the wool provides the colour and a lovely fluffy feel.
It’s all about the rope
After doing loads of research on rope baskets and having a couple of failed attempts, I’ve discovered that the type of rope you use is super important. Lots of rope is made from plastic which is horrible to work with and especially tough to get a needle through it. This craft kit uses cotton rope, making everything much easier!
The finished basket
craft history
It’s widely thought that basket weaving is one of the oldest known crafts. Just imagine how useful it would have been to turn materials like sticks and grass into baskets to help carry things long distances! The process of interweaving twigs, seeds, or leaves for baskets and mat making is one of the most universal crafts, ranking among the most ancient industries.
As these baskets would have been made from natural materials very few of them survive. However, the weaving techniques have been passed down through the generations and they survive to this day!
The oldest known baskets were unearthed in Faiyum in upper Egypt; radiocarbon dating has shown them to be between 10,000 and 12,000 years old. Other Middle Eastern sites have produced baskets up to 7,000 years old. The earliest dates for baskets are older than any yet established for pottery.
New craft kit testing team
I’ve started to test all the new crafts out with my girlfriend Emma. We had the best afternoon making this kit together and checking that it would be easy and fun for all the awesome CBC subscribers to do. We’re going to do this now with every kit as our little crafty partnership starts to develop.
Thanks Emma!
Beautiful merino wool
Go Get creative
I really hope you enjoy this kit!
Not signed up yet? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!
New kit: Circular loom weaving
Super soft crafting!
Introdction to Circular Loom Weaving
12th October 2020
Another month flies by and once again I’ve found the very best crafts for you using no plastic and lovely natural materials! I feel like I’ve really struck gold with this one! Here’s the story behind the kit…
Find inspiration everywhere!
You know those days when you don’t really have much planned but you just take yourself on a mini adventure? Don’t you find that they’re always the best ones? The one’s you remember and the days that give you the biggest boost.
Last month, my girlfriend Emma and I met up for a countryside walk. We pretty much just picked the spot that was between us on the map and that had free parking. We ended up on Overton in Hampshire. Actually really lovely! Super coffee and a nice walk!
We drove around for a bit after the walk to find a picnic spot and by complete chance, and slight hungry desperation on my part, stopped at Whitchurch Silk Mill. Aside from being absolutely stunning outside, I loved having a look around the looms and other machinery, which would have originally all been powered by water wheel.
Inside the mill
I left feeling really inspired to have a go at some basic loom weaving and I’m so pleased to be bringing this craft to you!
History of loom weaving
Humans have been weaving since the Palaeolithic era. Flax weavings are found in Fayum, Egypt, dating from around 5000 BC so we’ve been weaving for a very long time to produce fabric for all kinds of uses. The process has undergone several stages of improvement and industrialisation over history including during the Industrial revolution when weaving switched from hand to machine. John Kay invented the flying shuttle in 1733 and enabled weaving of wider fabric as well as made it faster. The first factories for weaving were built in 1785. The Jacquard loom was invented in about 1803. It could be programmed with punch cards which enabled faster weaving of more complicated patterns.
merino wool
I want to take you back to hand weaving and help you get to grips with these wonderful materials shown below. This kit includes merino wool from Yorkshire which is one of the most sustainable materials. The wool comes from Merino sheep which is prized for it’s soft feel and it’s strength among many other qualities. If you’d like to find out more about it then I can seriously recommend watching this film!
Beautiful merino wool
Go Get creative
I really hope you enjoy this kit!
Not signed up yet? Just click the button below to explore beautiful eco friendly crafting. Start your creative journey here!