Creativation 2018

Hi Blog Readers. I'm hoping to get back on track in 2018 with updating this blog more regularly. I thought I would begin again with some Creativation 2018 highlights. For those who don't know what Creativation is it is a large trade show held for retailers every January. Many manufacturers take the opportunity at the show to unveil new products.
Crafty Capers headed down to the show a few days early to attend some exclusive presentations and workshops. Here are some of our favourite photos from the show.

These samples are from Elizabeth Craft Design. We had a class with them as well. Our class samples will be on display at Crafty Capers Feb 17 Creativation Open House.

Here I am reading a catalogue. Not sure whose though!

Some of you may have seen this photo on social media. Tim Hotz's new catalogue is partially in 3D and comes with 3D glasses! Pretty fun but is really trippy to look at without the glasses.

Taylored Expressions is making a stamp exclusively for Crafters Home store. Crafty Capers will be the only store on the Island to carry this stamp and only 1 of 2 stores in BC to carry it. It should arrive mid February.

Here is a card done with the exclusive stamp made by Taylored Expressions.

A fun Easter card made with Taylored Expressions dies and stamps. They will be in the store mid February.

We did a fun class with Dina Wakley

Some Hero Arts samples

More Hero Arts samples

We will do a few more blog post over the next few days. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

I taught a fancy fold card class a week or so ago using a kit from Bobunny. I wanted to show the class participants how I finished my card up. For those that missed the class we do have some kits left they include all the papers, instructions, and ribbon. Cost is $10 plus taxes. Contact Crafty Capers if you are interested.

The card is quite large so I knew I needed to use it as a hand deliver card. My parents recently had their 50th wedding anniversary so thought the card would be perfect for that! I found a bunch of photos of them together, printed them off, added a 50 using a Sizzix die out of gold mirror cardstock and some tiny black hearts out of leftover Bobunny paper from the kit.

Closed view. The card is 12" tall but it could easily be scaled down.

Inside view. Lots of room for photos.

View from the top to show the folds

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather (on the west coast at least) this Victoria Day weekend.

Answering some questions

Back in February, at our Creativation Open House we made this card with a Sizzix die called  Happy Birthday Drop-In Card die that was due out in March.

 The die has been hugely popular but we have had a few questions about how to cut it out so I thought I would do a quick tutorial. Thanks to Sandra H for the idea for this tutorial.

The die looks like this in the package:

It cut the card shape align the dies like this:

You want to make sure the bumpy side of the die is touching the paper. These photos show it the opposite way. I wanted to show you how the dies should line up but with the cutting part touching the paper! 

 I used my Big Shot Express (electric machine) to cut my shape. LOVE this machine BTW!

After cutting you will have a shape like this:

Cut out the Happy Birthday Die included in the package and you have a super quick card. Hope this helps. Stephanie Barnard has quite a few dies with this sort of design and they all work the same. So if you have already bought the die how are you using it??

Thanks for stopping by.

New Distress Oxide inks are here!

It has seemed like we waited forever but it was only actually a month but I am excited to let you all know we have our Distress Oxides ink stock now! These inks were the hottest topic at the recent Creativation show. They are so new I have not even had a chance to play with them but I'm hoping today is the day! :)

The Distress Oxides come in 12 wonderful colors and we have them all in now but I expect they will sell out quickly. The colors are: worn lipstick, fired brick, spiced marmalade, fossilized amber, peeled paint, cracked pistachio, broken china, iced spruce, faded jeans, wilted violet, vintage photo and walnut stain.

Hope to see you soon.

So many new items!

Thanks everyone for attending our Creativation Open House on Saturday! We had so much fun and hope you all did too! We have posted a bunch of photos from the event on our Facebook page. Be sure to check it out and it you are not already a fan do that too while you are there!

Since the open house we have been swamped with new orders from Creativation. We now have the new Lawn Fawn stamps, dies and papers in the store, today new Tim Holtz stamps from Stampers Anonymous arrived, and tomorrow we have new Penny Black hitting our shelves! The new Bobunny paper lines Life in Color and Petal Lane plus we ordered a bunch of fun dies and stamps from Bobunny as well.

Stop by to see all the fun new goodies they are sure to spark your creativity!

Come check out Crafty Capers new look!

I figured with a new year it was time to make some layout changes around the store so the past few weeks we've been busy moving furniture around the store. It is still a work in progress but the comments have been very positive! You should come by and see them! We have also been busy receiving boxes and boxes of new product! I'd say we have about 1/3 of the orders we placed at the Creativation show in Phoenix.
I thought I would post a few photos of some of the "new" around the store to give you a sneak peak!

Our die wall is jammed packed and in the same spot for now....

The biggest change is our cash desk has moved! It gives us more space!

New Concord and 9th Stamps and Dies are here and we might have another order arrive today!

Not really new but we have the Tonic Crystal drops and they are our hot seller right now.

New Simple Stories Domestic Bliss papers, washi and stickers!

New Kaisercraft Hanami Garden papers and embellishments definitely have an Asian flair.

Our cardstock racks are still in their original spots but they could move you just never know

Graphic 45 Nature's Sketchbook paper is in its new location. It has been quite popular.

New Hero Arts stamps are here!

Hope you enjoyed the sneak peak of the changes. We are having a Creativation Open House tomorrow at Crafty Capers (2137C Bowen Rd, Nanaimo). Feel free to stop by and see all the new sights! :)

Final day of Creativation

Well, it is the final day of the show and it has been a ton of fun and we have even learned some new things too! :)
To date we have placed 13 orders and we have quite a few left to so we will be closing out the show floor this afternoon.
Here are some of our highlights of the show and be sure to check out Crafty Capers Facebook page for more fun stuff.