CraftDirect Blog

To some, this post may seem like it's here a little prematurely, but I was surprised to hear some of my friends' kids have already returned to school! What's up with that? It seems like it's happening earlier and earlier every year. Well, never fear, we have some free SVG design downloads for you to celebrate another summer done and gone. Kick your kids out the door and get to crafting. For August, Aaron has created: A photo prop design - this is great for your back to school pictures. Fun phrases - get the perfect back to school phrase for your projects. And, a T-shirt design - your kid will love his/her custom-made back-to-school tee. And we've also included an SVG for last year's most popular download. For those who don't know, you have to use these SVG files with electronic cutting machines. All you have to do is select the image that you want to cut, and then watch as the machine does all the work for you. Now, to the projects: Back to School SVG Projects Continue reading →

by Richelle Naegle Have you had a chance to check out the NEW Sizzix Chapter 3 2019 release yet? If not, then now is your chance. This is the release you have been waiting for all year! If you like Tim Holtz, as every crafter does, then you will love these Halloween and Christmas projects. These dies aren't guaranteed to be around for long, so if you are in love with any or all of them, I would suggest you grab them now before they are gone! Since Halloween is coming soon, let's start with your favorite fall holiday first. Continue reading →

by Richelle Naegle This year we decided to bring in Graphic 45 paper and we couldn't be happier with this new line. They have lots of paper collections that offer the unique style of the 1920s and 1930s. The design team is made up of a Mother and her daughters, and I just love that they must have so much fun working together in this industry. With vibrant colors and irresistible texture, these scrapbook collections will inspire you and you will enjoy creating beautiful projects. I decided to show off their fun designs in this blog post with a few Graphic 45 Magic of Oz projects. Of course, these characters come from L. Frank Baum's 19th-century classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I hope you like them as much as I do. Without further ado, let's get to the projects: Continue reading →

It's already July, and Independence Day is one of our favorite holidays! We're pleased to offer you a few new, free downloadable SVG designs for the occasion. Take advantage of these delightful projects and share the wealth with your friends. For July, Aaron has created: T-shirt Design - Although this is a t-shirt design, any crafter with experience will tell...

It's June, and we're so happy to be back offering free downloadable SVG designs. Sorry for our absence! We made a major update to the site and we were not able to share SVG downloads until this week. So here we are again, and this month we have a few awesome designs from Aaron Meyers that include: Father's Day Tees...

by Richelle Naegle This year, Sizzix has changed how they do their releases. Now there will just be four releases throughout the year (so they are bigger). This Chapter 1 2019 Sizzix release has some great new dies from some of your favorite designers, such as Tim Holtz, Jen Long, Katelyn Lizardi, and Stephanie Barnard. But we also have some fun new designers that you likely have never heard of, for example Olivia Rose, Georgie Evans, Carrotcake and more. Regardless of what catches your fancy, don't forget to check out all these new designers. I thought I should try some of these new Sizzix dies so I could show you some different projects. The first project I made was this adorable fabric sloth using the Sizzix Sloth Bigz Die. You can cut felt and other materials with Bigz dies, so don't limit your creativity. This little sloth is made out of felt and I hand-stitched it all together. I'm not much of a seamstress, but even I could stitch this done rather easily. Continue reading →

It's March, and you know what that means...it's time for some free downloadable SVG designs. We have new designs every month, and right now we have Easter designs (all by our very own Aaron Meyers) for you to enjoy. The March 2019 downloads (scroll to the bottom of this post to find the downloadable links) include: Animal icons - there are 8 fun images to choose from, including a lion, dog, bunny, bear, brown panda bear, tiger, cat, and fox. Two different t-shirt designs - both with Easter themes. A phrase and hatching chicks for Foil Quill (and other foil solutions) projects. In order to use these designs, you need a compatible electronic die cutting machine. It will cut the image or phrase out of your material with precision, while you sip on cocoa. Easter SVG Designs This is the Easter Animals Icons set. There are a thousand ways you could figure out how to incorporate these cute animals into your projects. Bring them to life with our discount colored cardstock. Only a few of these actually relate to Easter, but that's what we're calling it, so deal with it! ; ) Continue reading →

by Richelle Naegle This year, I decided that I needed to keep a diary, but I've never been much of a journal person. Recently, we've brought in lots of cute travel journals, and that's kind of where my inspiration came from. I got a lot of travel journal ideas from just looking at the products. I think the hardest part of the whole process for getting started was deciding which journal I wanted to use. There are so many options to choose from, from great companies like Simple Stories, Heidi Swapp, Crate Paper, and Webster's Pages. I started by considering what is the functional difference between them? What makes one better than another? And what's the difference between a planner, a travelers journal, and Journal Studio? Shop our discount planners and travel journals So, here is what I figured out. Planners have dated calendars. I have seen recently that some people use them to track memories. Instead of using it as a to-do list calendar they are using them as a done list. I think it's a super great idea, but wasn't quite what I was looking for. With regard to travel journals (also referred to as pocket travelers) vs. Journal Studio, I couldn't really find a difference. They are the same size, and the inserts are similar. In fact, they come with one that is blank and one with either lines or grids printed on them. The components are pretty interchangeable. So when choosing your planner and inserts, I suggest picking the ones that make you happy based on taste. Most Popular Travel Journals Here are some of our best sellers. They're hard to keep in stock, for good reason! Soft Lila Suede Pocket Traveler by Webster's Pages Buffalo Plaid Traveler by Webster's Pages Carpe Diem Typewriter Floral Traveler's Notebook by Simple Stories Journal Studio Rose Journal Kit by Crate Paper Last, but not least (and featured in this blog post), the Journal Studio Stripe Journal Kit by Heidi Swapp Continue reading →

With two of the most popular craft holidays coming up, we've got a few fun and free downloadable SVG designs. We have new designs every month, so stop by frequently to check out the latest releases. Here are the February 2019 downloads: Valentine's cards (see the featured image) with a very lazy theme. A t-shirt design for Valentine's Day. A home decor project involving fun little Valentine themed monsters. And last but not least, a St. Patty's Day scrapbook layout. In order to use these designs, you need a compatible machine. Scroll to the bottom of this post to find the download links. If you can't see the links, you need to click on the title to see the full article. If you're looking for some good scrapbook collections for these holidays, try: Doodlebug Lots O' Luck Crate Paper La La Love Doodlebug French Kiss Continue reading →

Some of the world's famous craft designers have or will be releasing new amazing product collections for upcoming holidays and spring themes, as well as new solutions for any kind of project. Richelle just returned from CHA 2019, and she's so excited for the entire year, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. In our 2019 winter craft product release, we are excited to offer you: Foil Quill This will maybe be the most popular product of the year! We R Memory Keepers Foil Quill allows you to transform your Cricut machine or your CAMEO into a foiling machine. The collection includes heat-activated pens, foil sheets, foil rolls, and designs from some of your favorite designers. It works with any artwork (SVG and PNG), but you will love these USB design drives that include 200 icons, phrases, and more. The best way to get started is to buy the All-In-One Kit. Designers include Heidi Swapp, Amy Tangerine, Kelly Creates, and more. Speaking of foil and Heidi Swapp, there was a MINC release, too. In addition to some cool new accessories and projects, they released several tools that should make your projects better. One last thing before we get away from We R Memory Keepers: they have also released Big Happy Jig supplies, which revisits last year's popular release of the Happy Jig. As you might've guessed, the new Happy Jig is bigger and allows you to do larger wire-bending projects. Continue reading →