Have you been in to see us lately?

As you all know Crafty Capers has a new owner.

Toni took over the shop on July 1st and has been working very hard creating samples, ordering lots of new stock and designing classes 

Jill is still here creating amazing samples and teaching the lessons and Nat is now writing the blog and Facebook page.

If you haven't been in to see us lately then this is what the shop looks like now.

See you at Crafty Capers.

Curiosity......

These cards are currently up on display.

To create this display we used the Kaiser Curiosity papers, paper pad, collectables, pearls and the Decorative Labels 22 Spellbinder die. 

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Saturday 21st September is

World Gratitude Day!

Here is a little challenge from Jill. 

(great idea Jill)

Who are you grateful to or for?

Who do you appreciate?

Who would you like to thank?

Why not make a card for someone or you can make one and have it ready for when you need it. It can be a Thank You card or a card that you can send to someone to tell them how much you appreciate them or something they did for you. 

What a lovely surprise for someone to receive a card in the mail  from you when they are not expecting it.  

Before you pop it in the post please email us a photo or bring it into the shop and we will take a photo of it for you. We will then feature the card on our blog and facebook page for all to see. 

To be featured on the blog and facebook page please ensure that you use at least 1 item (or more) on the card that has been purchased at Crafty Capers.

So, what are you waiting for, time to get cracking. 

Who will you make a card for?

Please have your card/photo in to us by Monday 30th September.

We can't wait to see what you create.

Thank You

from Toni, Jill and Nat.

More gorgeous stamps.....

Last week I featured a lovely stamp from Darkroom Door called Surfboards. This stamp was used on the August class card and the sample looks amazing. 

Darkroom Door is a great Australian Company which makes a variety of rubber stamps and card making products.

Their stamps can be stamped as is, stamped and embossed and also coloured in. The images look fantastic when coloured in with Distress Markers or Spectrum Pens

Here are some other great Darkroom Door stamps that are in store now at Crafty Capers.

Click on the links below to see a sample card of each stamp.

Background stamps

Flowergarden 

 Crackle

Brickwall

Butterfly Eclectic Stamp

Wooden Frame stamp

Photo Stamps

Roses 

Tree Line 

Old Truck 

Rubber Stamp Sets

Kimono Volume No 1

Kimono Volume No 2

Yuletide Volume No 1

I  found this great video on how to trim the unmounted stamp sheets. It really is easy and Rachel from Darkroom Door explains they make their stamps in this way.

We also have some metal tins in store that are ideal for storing your unmounted stamp sets in and are only $4 each.

Happy Stamping!

Distress Markers

If you love all things Ranger and Tim Holtz then no doubt you have seen the Distress Makers that now come in 49 colours. The Markers match the colours of the Distress Inks and other Distress products which means there are so many fabulous colours to choose from.

The Markers feature a water-based dye ink which is perfect for stamping, colouring and much more. The ink is reactive with water and can give you a watercolour look that looks amazing. This can be done with a water brush and craft sheet. You can colour directly onto the back of a stamp and stamp the coloured image onto watercolour paper . We use Prismatics or Bazzill Orange Peel and both work really well. Gloss card can also be used. For a more intense look you can also stamp out your image using Archival Ink or Staz On Ink and colour your image with the pens directly onto the paper. The ink is acid free and non toxic. The pens are dual ended and have a brush nib and a fine point nib. 

If you already own some Distress markers then click here for a colour chart that you can make up yourself using the pens you already own. Making up your own colour chart is a better way to match ink colours as the results are a better representation of the actual colour of the ink than a pre-printed colour chart.

Click on the videos below to see how to use these wonderful Markers. 

The lovely card below was complete as a lesson last month and has been coloured in with Distress Markers. The stamped image is an unmounted rubber stamp from Darkroom Door. The printed paper is from the Bo Bunny Serenity collection and the starfish is from our amazing charm collection. We also have silver starfish in stock now as well.

To complete this card you need the stamp, Distress Markers, Archival or Staz On ink pad, water brush pen, non stick craft sheet, charms, printed paper and card stock. 

All items needed are available at Crafty Capers.

Charms - soooo many to choose from

We have gorgeous new charms in store now. 

There are lots to choose from and these are the best priced charms I have ever seen. They are sturdy and have a great quality finish to them. 

The display is constantly changing as we source them from a local supplier and add to the selection regularly  Make sure you check out the display (located on the counter) each time you visit.

Here is a small selection of the charms that are in store now.

Here are the new ones that arrived at the end of last week and were added to the display.

The card below has been featured before. The robot charm used on this card is so popular we keep selling out. It is back in stock again so make sure you pop in very soon if you want one or two or three.

See you at Crafty Capers!

(105 sleeps)

Hi from the new Social Media Director

Hi all,

Nat here. It is great to be back in a part time capacity. Just helping the girls out as they are so busy at the moment and will now be even busier as Christmas is coming (how many sleeps was it?) Sorry, just couldn't help myself with counting down to Christmas.  I gave my self the title of the Social Media Director as I am now taking care of the blog and the Facebook page for the girls and we might even start a Pinterest page for the shop. We will keep you updated.

If you would like to get the blog posts emailed directly to you then scroll over to the right hand side of the screen - go across and find the photo of the shop front. Then scroll down until you find "Follow by email". If you put your email address into this space then the posts that I write will be emailed out to you.

Don't forget to also jump across to the Facebook page. I would love to hear from you so leave us a comment and "Like" us if you enjoy reading the post. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafty-Capers/410480268965552

You can still read the Facebook page if you are not a member of Facebook. It allows you to read the last few posts that we have put on and even look in the photo albums. It will let you see so much and then it will ask you to sign in.

If you haven't been into the shop in a while then pop in and say "Hi" to Toni and Jill. There are lots of new samples on the wall and lots and lots of new stock to look at.

See you at Crafty Capers!

Core'dinations card

106 sleeps!!!!!!

David Jones put their Christmas display up 2 weeks ago - Christmas is coming!!!!!!

Have you used Core'dinations card stock before?

Core'dinations card stock is in store now at Crafty Capers and there are so many amazing colours to choose from. 

Click here  to see some of the amazing colours in store now. There are 12'' sheets as well as 12" card packs in store.

The 12" card can be used for scrapbooking and card making and can be used as the base or as a layer. The card has a core colour which core'dinates with the surface colour.  You can use the card as is and keep the core colour hidden or you can reveal it by sanding, tearing or embossing the card (as we have done below). 

Click here to see how to use the card and the different ways to reveal the core colour.

The sample below was embossed with an embossing folder through the Sizzix Big Shots machine. Depending on what look you what it can then be left as is with a bit of the core colour coming through or you can gently sand over the top to get more of the core colour coming through.

Here are some amazing samples of what you can do with this very clever card.

Below are some more techniques on how to get a variety of looks from this card. Click on the 3 links and be amazed.

Lay outs and cards

Crazy with Core

Core Tidbits

Have a read of the Core'dinations blog to see what else they create with this gorgeous card.

This card is normally valued at over $1 per sheet but it is only 80c per sheet at Crafty Capers.

Make sure you have a look at the huge colour selection of this wonderful card in 12" sheets and 12" card packs next time you are visiting Crafty Capers.

107 ?

107

That is the important number people.

107 ?

It is 107 sleeps until Christmas!!!!!

Have you started your Christmas cards yet? Toni and Jill have.

Are you free this Friday or one day next week?

Click on the "Make and Take" tab above to get all the details for this months classes that start on Friday.

Seriously you really should start thinking about your Christmas cards. 

We hope to see you at

Crafty Capers soon for a value packed and tremendously fun lesson.

I love this card!!!!!!

I love this card. I loved it from the first time I saw it. 

It is a simple design but as I always say "a simple design is often the best if you get your colours right".

 It is a combination of the colours that have been used along with the lovely smoothness of the colouring that caught my eye.

This card was coloured in with alcohol based pens. You could also use Tombows, Distress Markers, Distress Ink pads and a water brush, water coloured pencils and the list is endless. 

If  purple and green are not your colours then don't despair. 

Choose your favourite colours to colour in with and find a printed paper to match. We have lots and lots of 12" printed papers for you to choose from and we can help you match it up and find mtching card as well.

The stamps come from the Sizzix Framelits Die Set called Flowers and Butterflies. This set comes with 6 stamps that stamp out beautifully. 

The stamps are unmounted stamps and have the printed image on the top of them so you can see what and where you are stamping when you attach the stamp to an acrylic block.

 Below is what the stamps look like when they are stamped out.

Once you have stamped the images you take the matching Framelits metal die, place it over the stamped image and cut. Now you have a perfectly and precisely cut out image. These thin metal dies will go through most leading brands of die cut machines. They definitely go through the Sizzix Big Shots and Cuttlebug machines.

The sample below is from the Sizzix site and is another way of how to use the wonderful set of stamps and dies.

See you at Crafty Capers!