CraftDirect Blog

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 →

by Richelle Naegle Today, I made a couple quick Valentine's Day crafts using the Silhouette CAMEO 3. You can download the images you see here from the Silhouette Studio. If you want to save some money in the process, buy one of our download cards here at a discounted rate. This first image from my card project is called Woodland Love Squirrel Valentines. She is cut out at 4" tall, making her perfect for a 4" x 6" card. The Pebbles Loves Me collection would work perfectly for this card (and the scrapbook page that I made, as well). Raccoon Valentine Layout Naturally, I followed the card up with a Valentine-themed scrapbook layout. The featured photo frame is 5" x 7". I normally only take one picture for Valentine's Day each year, but if you want two photos, swap out my frame for a couple 4" x 6" frames. This adorable raccoon, once again, came from the Silhouette Studio. It's called Woodland Love Raccoon Valentines. I made him about 5" tall, and the word "Love" is from Love Dog w/ Balloon, but I left the dog out. I love the font from that design. Continue reading →

We hope you have all your paper crafting new year's resolutions worked out because it's time to get busy! We have free SVG downloads available so you can kick off 2019 in style. This month, we have three new designs, and we're bringing back our most popular download from last January. Check them out: One party props set (pictured here first); these designs will prove to be perfect photo booth accessories for the big event. A scrapbook layout; welcome 2019 babies to the world with fun photo frames and koala bears. There is a tea, cocoa, and coffee-themed mug design. And the design from last year is a congratulatory greeting card set. To download the files, scroll to the bottom of this post and click on the links. If you cannot see the links, it probably means you are reading this in the blog feed and need to click on the title to read the full article. For the baby-themed scrapbook layout, we have a few new collections that would be perfect: Hello Baby Boy by Echo Park Hello Baby Girl by Echo Park And this one isn't new, but a classic, Simple Stories Oh, Baby! Same goes for PhotoPlay Snuggle Up Baby Girl (this one has Koalas that would go with the layout) Snuggle Up Baby Boy Continue reading →

by Richelle Naegle Christmas is literally just around the corner, and I haven't really had any time to craft. I decided to dedicate my day to making various crafts with my highest priority being a scrapbook page, but first I created a Christmas card and a mini scrapbook. If you're looking for a good Christmas-themed paper collection, check these options out: Doodlebug Christmas Town Echo Park Merry & Bright Echo Park Celebrate Christmas Carta Bella Christmas Carta Bella Santa’s Workshop Pebbles Cozy & Bright Simple Stories Simple Vintage Christmas Simple Stories Merry & Bright PhotoPlay O Canada Christmas PhotoPlay Here Comes Santa Claus Snow Cute Christmas Card Here is my card. It was made using the Silhouette CAMEO, and the image is from the Silhouette Store (it's called Rudy with Snowman Winter). The card dimensions are 4" x 6", and perfect for sending to one of my friends who loves the snow. I think that this card turned out snow cute! Continue reading →

The biggest holiday of the year is just around the corner, and we have some free Christmas SVG designs to help you get ready. This month, Aaron has been extra creative in developing these projects. The designs include: One scrapbook layout (pictured above) – the design (called Santa's Helpers Layout) will perfectly frame your fondest Christmas memories. A silly phrase t-shirt – “Resting Grinch Face”. There is a door handle sign. And playful holiday glasses. A greeting card - send someone you love a hand-made note that lets them know you care. To download the files, scroll to the bottom of this post and click on the links. For project material, we have tons of Christmas paper and newly released holiday-themed paper collections: Christmas Town by Doodlebug Merry & Bright by Echo Park Celebrate Christmas by Echo Park Christmas by Carta Bella Santa's Workshop by Carta Bella Cozy & Bright by Pebbles Simple Vintage Christmas by Simple Stories Merry & Bright by Simple Stories O Canada Christmas by PhotoPlay Here Comes Santa Claus by PhotoPlay Continue reading →

by Richelle Naegle Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and I wanted to make a couple of fun Thanksgiving Crafts this year, so I started with these adorable turkeys. You can have the Pilgrim Turkey SVG design to make these feathered friends for free! Just scroll to the bottom of this post, and you can download this SVG File. And don't miss out on the other Thanksgiving SVG's we made. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Pilgrim Turkey Cards I made these cute turkeys originally for a scrapbook layout I was working on, but when they came together, I thought they would make the most adorable cards. I felt compelled to switch up my crafting plan. The cards stand about 4.5" tall and were cut out using the Cricut Explore Air 2, using mostly colored cardstock. Continue reading →