Brad Buddies

The latest innovation in Brads from Hot off the Press!

These seriously cute brad embellishments have not yet caught on that much in the UK with cardmakers and scrapbookers. This month at Kay Dees Crafts we have them on Special Offer for only £2.99 per pack to try and change that.

Brad Buddies™ make perfect borders for scrapbooks; they are also great for embellishing a photo, a tag or your journalling.

Cardmakers can add these embellishments to the front of a card as a focal point or as a surprise on the inside of the card.

Each package contains 2 each of 3 styles of jumbo embossed lightweight metal shapes, plus designer brads to attach them.

If there are any cardmakers or scrapbookers that have already used these fantastic embellishments let us know! We want to show off your work :)

Happy Crafting!

Feels like Christmas!

I get so excited when my deliveries arrive. It is very rare that I don't have a new product within those dull, brown cardboard boxes.

I rip them open and throw the packaging around like it's wrapping paper on Christmas Day rummaging throughout the contents until I find my 'surprises'.

Today I have been spoilt. 2 deliveries with new 'stuff'. One package I have been waiting for with baited breath for over a month....it was worth the wait!

I always look out for new products that are different from the normal craft ranges available online. I found Design House quite by accident, and I am not disappointed at all with the quality of their products. I find it very comforting to source products that are designed and made here in the UK.

We now have 9 new 6 x 6 paper stacks from Design House listed at Kay Dees Crafts, and they are gorgeous! Heavyweight 180gsm premium papers in some seriously cute designs:

I am still awaiting the last 3 designs in the range but hopefully they will be here with me very soon!

So now I have shared my excitement of this package, it is back to my next package which is in no means any less exciting for me. Oh happy days :)

Happy Crafting!

UPDATE

We now have the full range available from Paper House - delivery number 2 arrived :)

Embossing Stencils and broken shops!

Finally got around to listing our range of brass embossing stencils this evening.

They would have been added this morning, along with yet more craft buttons had I not 'broken the shop!!

As Kay Dees Crafts is a very new store, I am still adapting and changing things to make them more user friendly. I had the brilliant idea last night of adding thumbnails of the categories to our front page. I did think I was playing in the demo shop when I changed the shop template.....I was, but I was also signed in to my account which seemed to confuse matters somewhat. Before I knew it I had clicked the wrong button and applied the changes store wide!

Several hours later I finally got around to doing some listing. I would say it was wasted time, but I do think the store looks better for the changes. Dean can use it and as he is very non PC literate I do tend to use him as my guinea pig :) I have a few more tweaks and refinements I want to make but all in all I am very pleased with my handywork.

Pop over and have a look.....and please do keep passing on your feedback. It really does help and it is much appreciated.

Happy Crafting!

Thinking about it.....

....I have never really talked about my fibro in my blog until this evening when I was filling in my profile.

I found some very talented peeps (who's work really is quite breathtaking) and added myself as a follower! I will get the hang of this blogging lark soon. Anyway, everyone else had details in their profiles, and mine was soooooo blank.


I don't really talk about having fibro. I moan about the pain on occasion but having fibro was a cloud with a silver lining. If I didn't have it I would never have had to give up work - so I never would have taken the plunge and started Kay Dees Crafts. Hmmm. Would I rather not have fibro? Damn right! but I do and dwelling on it won't change anything or ease the pain.



I had the well meaning 'try yoga' comment a few weeks ago. Off I popped and bought a yoga DVD. I managed approximately 6 minutes of the DVD before my body told me 'keep this up and I will REALLY hurt you'. I listen to my body, sometimes its right :-) The after effects though were almost enough to put me off it for life!! Almost a week of excrutiating pain that no amount of pain relief would ease.

So my exercise is walking my dogs. It hurts but I love being out with them. Regardless of where we are or what the weather is like they never fail to make me smile with ther antics.


For those more interested in fibro visit my Living with Fibromyalgia .....be warned though - get a coffee and make sure you are comfortable as there is quite a fair bit of reading in there!


Well this is not me working is it? I have managed to add about 200 products on Kay Dees Crafts so far.......only another 800+ to go!!!

Happy Crafting

Paper Paper everywhere!!

I am up to my eyes, well knees really, in Dovecraft designer papers!

My best friend Helen is an avid paper crafter. She makes cards, scrapbooks, notes and just about anything she can with paper. She loves it....but she doesnt like to have loads of the same paper design. Helen is a mix and match girl.

I like Helen. Apart from being my best friend she is also my best customer...and I always listen to my customers. So when she asked "why dont you split your packs down into value packs with one of each design?" I asked myself why don't I sell papers like that at Kay Dees Crafts!?

I started selling these value packs before Christmas and they are a huge hit with my buyers. Thank you Helen!





Rather than buy 72 sheet packs, 6 of each design, I sell them as 12 sheets with just 1 of each design. At 65p for 12 sheets of 6" x 6" premium papers, its a bargain.

There are papers for every occasion, mood or theme and the results really do speak for themselves!

Happy Crafting!

Is it really that time!??

Its past 1am....

Had a long day today rephotographing craft buttons (well some of them) but I do think the end results have been worthwhile. I have also opted for the lightbox to show the enlarged photos, after much urging from Dean who thinks 'its ace'. It is, admittedly, particularly good at highlighting the detail on our fabric stickers.

I have been playing with the site options for buyers, hopefully I am getting it right! I have now added available quantities and also a back button to make the site easier to browse. Although they are subtle changes we do think they are important.

I am debating on the customer reviews that are at the bottom of our product descriptions. Dean thinks its a yes, I am still at the maybe stage. Be nice to hear our buyers views on this one.

The dogs have got it right - they are both fast asleep next to me on the sofa! Time we were hitting the sack too. Another long day tomorrow with the site and also deliveries of new product ranges arriving too! I will pop an update on here, but do look out for the new ranges at Kay Dees Crafts.

So its good night from him

and goodnight from her

Happy Crafting!

Smirk!!

After a fair few hours (ok many hours) Kay Dees Crafts is starting to take shape.

I have now uploaded the Smirk range we currently carry.

Stamps : full range now available, both wooden stamps and clear stamp sets.

Smirk Rubber Stamp - Groovy

Albums:

Smirk memory album - Love & Friendship

Ribbon Stickers:

Smirk ribbon stickers with glitter - Naughty

Papers:

Smirk paper - Love & Friendship

Decoupage:

Smirk decoupage kit - Nice

Take a peek!

Anyway back to work for now - the rest of our ribbon stickers to organise!

Happy Crafting!

All hands at the helm!

Wow!

Building the first Kay Dees was hard work, but I only had about 200 products then. With over 900 lines now this new site is hard work. I have no FTP access so everything is having to be added individually.

Dean has got the ironing board out...not to do the huge pile of ironing we have, but to package our papers and wrap ribbons for our customer orders. My son Robert is busy doing household chores, which at almost 21 you would think was no severe hardship.

The dogs are now used to getting their walk after we have dropped the mail off at the sorting office.
I however feel like the PC has become a part of me! Dean is convinced that if it wasn't for the dogs I would actually morph into the computer - bless him!

My dad emailed today (Hi dad x) and I am waiting with baited breath for his opinion on the new site. He, being the father of just one daughter, thinks it is all wonderful which is always good to hear :-)

Everyday I realise how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. Without their help and support I would never have got this far...nor go any further.

I am currently listing our Funky Brads, not many of those thankfully. But then I have to get down to listing our craft buttons. With over 150 different designs of all shapes, colours and sizes that bit will take some time.

Thanks also to all our regular buyers for putting up with our change over - your support and encouragement keeps us all going here at Kay Dees Crafts!

So think of me whilst you are enjoying your martini's and Happy Crafting!

Karen

We are moving

The time has come to say goodbye to our first website.

Kaydees was great for a first webstore but was unfortunately hosted by a somewhat unreliable server. As business started picking up server errors became more and more regular and my limited scripting knowledge was holding us back.

So this weekend I took the plunge and have created a new store with a new fresh look. I had forgotten how time consuming listing everything was but I am getting there slowly but surely.

The change has come at a peak time for Kay Dees too. We have expanded our product range even further and now have over 300 lines.

New this month was the Smirk range from Dovecraft.

The Smirk Love and Friendship collection - for the one your love or a favourite friend. Cute characters say ‘I love you’ or simply ‘thanks for being a friend’ in an adorable way. Soft colours and meaningful words mix delightfully in this range of paper craft products.

The Smirk Naughty but Nice collection is full of mischievous characters and innocent angels which are perfect for a party princess or a little devil. Colourful characters and funny, good humoured, sentiments make up this cheeky range.

With brads, papers, decoupage, stamps and ribbon stickers there is no end to how and where to use them.

So I should be busy adding products to our new site http://www.kaydeescrafts.co.uk/. Do pop over and see us in our new home.

Using Brads

What is a brad?
A brad is a bit like the old style of paper fasteners, often used in stationary products and as an alternative way of securing envelopes. It’s a metal pin with two prongs going down its stem and the top can be coloured or decorative. Brads come in all shapes and sizes and are great to use on your scrapbook pages or within your handmade cards. They add colour, texture and charm to layouts and cards. Brads are one of those great embellishments that are both functional and decorative.

How to use brads:
Make a small hole in which to stick the brad through. I use a paper piercer to poke the hole in the paper/card. You could also use a small hole punch, the tip of your scissors or an sharp craft knife. The piercers do make a neater job of it though. Another useful piece of equipment is an old mouse mat – the type that has a spongy underneath. Turn the mouse mat over and place on top of a cutting mat or a magazine - not on directly on your table top! Place your paper/card flat on it and push through your piercing tool. Then insert your brad whilst it is still on the mat. Put the prongs of the brad through the hole and open up the prongs on the backside of the paper.

Brad Buddies™
Brad Buddies™ are lightweight metal shapes held onto paper with brads. To attach a Brad Buddy™, simply place the metal shape on your paper and mark the holes with a pencil. Remove the metal shape and make a hole at the pencil mark. Use the included brads to attach the metal image to your paper.

That’s it!
As you can see brads are really easy to use and require no special tools. That is one of the reasons these little embellishments are gaining so much popularity. Another reason for their popularity is that they are fairly inexpensive too.

A few ideas on how to use brads on your layouts:
connectors on paper piecing for moveable parts
attaching vellum
centre of flowers
centre of letters
spell out words (outline letters)
corners of picture mat
nails in a fence
"stone" in a ring
attach elements on a page by wrapping wire or fibre
to form "bullets" for a list of things
as an accent on the tail of a letter
in the hole of a tag
M & Ms
buttons on a shirt
decorations on an Easter egg
lights on top of a police car or fire truck
the "dot" on an i or j
attach handle to a basket
use as nails on wood
use to embellish the corner of tags, borders or titles
use star brads to replicate a night sky
Buttons on a dress

Most brads are shiny and perfect looking. If you like adding a rustic touch you can sand the top of your brads with sandpaper. This will scratch the brad up and if the colour is painted on it will allow the metal to shine through giving it that great shabby chic look!

If you find yourself in a pinch without the perfect colour of brad for your layout, do not fear. I have painted the tops of brads using regular acrylic paint. You can also use your markers too on silver or gold brads for a great look.
Another trick for brads is heat embossing the tops. Dip the top of the brad into ink and then into embossing powder. Heat with a heating gun and you will have a shiny embossed brad. This is also a great tip for getting the perfect colour to go with any layout. NB Try not to over heat the brad as this can cause it to become fragile and the backs may snap.

When you’re using vellums or some types of delicate ribbons, you’ll find that certain glues show through and can look unsightly. Brads come in very handy in such cases, as they can be used to fix vellums or ribbons to a project instead.

You can also add peel offs and rub ons to the top of some brads…the list really could go on and on!

Happy Crafting!