Top Five Crafts for 2016 15 January 2016  |  Nicola

There’s something exciting about a brand new year in the craft world; after the rush of Christmas making, it’s nice to slow down and think about learning new skills and trying new things. Here’s a list of our top five projects to get stuck into for the year ahead.

Pressed Flower Crafts

We’ve just started stocking some pretty fab flower presses, and there are some nifty little tutorials on the way; pressed flowers are hugely versatile and can be used to make anything from clay ornaments and bookmarks to cards, garlands and jewellery. The image above is from a great tutorial from Capture by Lucy on how to make your own pressed flower phone case – the perfect accessory for Spring!

Colouring In

It might take you back to your primary school days, but colouring is one of the hottest craft trends at the moment; forget pictures of dragons and princess castles, our adult colouring books feature hugely intricate patterns and have the potential to become wall-worthy pieces of art. Our Wild Flowers book is great for anyone who loves anything botanical, while the Free Spirit book is packed full of mandalas, feathers and dream catchers.

Lampshade Making

One of the things we’re most excited about is getting stuck into making our own lampshades; our kits come in a range of shapes and sizes, from the small 30cm drum to the larger 70cm drum, and can be completely personalised to suit any interior style. Use vintage fabric, stitch doilies together, crochet a cover or even print your own fabric – we’re going to try them all!

Wood Art

We stock loads of wooden products, from discs and slices to driftwood sticks, and we’re looking forward to investigating ways to use them. The contemporary rustic style has never been more popular, and 2016 is almost definitely going to be the year of the nature craft – print onto them, drill into them, even burn them using the Pyrographic technique. The possibilities are endless!

Clay Craft

Clay is such a versatile craft medium, and there are so many things you can do with it – this year we’re looking forward to getting to grips with some air-dry clay techniques; we’re going to be making beads, hanging planters, plant pots and some pretty nifty ornaments. Watch this space!