Free Christmas Decoupage

Last week I produced a free booklet of Christmas Decoupage, Pyramid and reverse pyramid papers. Its seems to have been very popular with over 600 downloads so far. If you'd like a copy just right click on THIS LINK as select "Save TArget As...." or "Save Link As...."

Free Cross Stitch Charts

Well I have now added a new section to http://www.freecraftdownloads.co.uk/ .... Free Cross Stitch charts. It's taken a little bit of learning on my part as I didn't really know much about Cross Stitch when I decided to do this.

I'm producing charts in a range of sizes and counts. To start with I just used anchor colours but I have added keys for DMC colours now as well following requests for users.

I did start letting people know about the charts in the Free Craft Downloads Email Newsletter but have just launched a seperate email newletter specifically for the Cross Stitch. I've realised that, although there is a small cross over between Stichers and Paper Crafters not all Paer CRafters want to be reading news about Cross Stitch Charts and visa versa.

Anyway why not visit the new Cross Stitch section, any comments about what I have done would be most welcome as I still obviously have a lot to learn.

This Years Crafts Show

Personally I think there's something strange going on this year... despite my gloomy forcasts I have done two shows this year, both with Living Heritage and both turned out to be a success.

I don't really understand why, I thought people wouldn't be spending this year and would be staying at home! It could down to a reduction in the number of craft shows being put on this year oir it could be down to the hard work put in by Kiving Heritage to ensure they get the people through the gate. Whatever the reason I'm glad to say this year is turning out far better then last (so far).

I will keep you posted....

Tile (Kaleidoscope) Maker

Would you like to make yours own Tbag Tiles or Kaleidoscope Designs using your own pictures? Now you can using the Free Online Tile Maker at freecraftdownloads.co.uk

[Sorry this is sounding corny even as I'm writting it]

Useful for Card makers, Scrap Bookers and other papers crafters this programme will enable you to make 5 different sizes of tiles in 6 different styles.

The programme is currently "Beta" but very usable, the publishers are asking for feedback on how people get on with it so they can make improvements before the next release.

There are instructions for using the Tile Maker on the page we have linked to below and a bit of discussion about it in their forum. THere is also a short video about using it which is below.

You can find the tile maker at
www.freecraftdownloads.co.uk/tile_maker.php

Free Craft Downloads and Other Stuff

Well I've got most of my shows booked for this year. Doing some craft shows and some festivals. I don't high high hopes, with the financial situation being what it is at the moment and think we are in for a really tough year however it would be nice to be pleasantly surprised :-)

Free Craft Downloads is going stunningly at the moment, proves just how popular Card Making is in the UK at the moment (or maybe its people just looking for free craft downloads at this moment in time).

The on line Backing Paper Builder has proved to be a great success, much would than I would have hopped for when we launched it. We re now going to try and make a version which others can embed into their own websites.

Well after a lot of hard work we have now launched our "Backing Paper Builder". This is an online system which allows you to make your own customised backing papers in 3 different sizes and 2 different orientations.

BACKINGPAPER BUILDER

We have been really really pleased with the feed back we have had on it so far. Everyone who has used it seems to have found it very straight forward and simple, which is what we intended it to be like when we first set out building it. We will ofcourse develop this further over the coming months so more feed back would be welcome either here or in our forum

There is a tips page and a lot of information is being put in the forum.

At different times of the year will will be adding different backing templates (you can choose to use these or solid colours) to reflect upcoming celebrations. At the moment we have some easter ones on there.

We are also experimenting with different fonts, the latest additions were to sets of "Wing DIngs" so you can use differnt types of symbols instead of words. This can give some lovely effects.

In the end the best thing to do is go to the page and have a play around. You can save any results you are happy with to your own computer so you can use them again and again and again. Here is an example of a very simple paper I did using just one symbol from one of the sets of WingDings.

New Forum and Article

Well we have started a new forum which is for both the Free Craft Downloads and the Free Craft Stuff sites. There are obviously a lot of craft forums around at the moment so I don't expect this one to be too busy but at least it gives somewhere where people can make comments / suggestions about the sites. You can find the forum at www.freecraftdownloads.co.uk/forum . Stop by and say hello if you have time.

I have also written an article on Craft CDs about print quality and DPI. I wont bother repeating it all here but if you buy craft design Cds it may make interesting reading for you :-)

A Difficult Year

There is no doubt that this is going to be a difficult year for craft companies both on and off line. Towards the end of last year several of the smaller online craft companies ceased trading and more are sure to follow. There were far too many of these small online companies to be sustainable but it is a shame as many of these smaller companies were run by real craft enthusiasts.

I've noticed already that several craft fair organisers have cut down on the number of shows they are running so this will cut down on the choice for crafters. As incomes drop and stand prices increase crafters will have to think hard about which shows they book. Unfortunately most finished craft items are not a necessity for the buying public and we shall have to wait and see how much they continue buying.

All is not doom and gloom, as normal in this situation there are bargains to be had as craft companies compete for the smaller amount of custom around. Keep you eyes on your favourite craft websites and you will see more reduced prices and sakes.