New goodies and popular re-stocks

Hi again, doesn't time fly? Sorry it's been a while, we've had a very busy few weeks here at A Crafty Pause HQ.

Wow! Only 5 weeks from now, Christmas Day will be done and dusted and there will be plenty of people nursing hangovers, whether from too much food or too much fizzy stuff, or both! And no doubt you will be desperate to get back to your sanctuary, your crafting space, for a little peace and quiet!

In our house, it's slightly different at Christmas. We used to try to cram it all into one day - opening the presents, cooking the roast dinner with all the trimmings, and playing games together, and having some kind of buffet tea too. But it all became a bit much, and used to end up being such a frantic day, not relaxed at all. So, a few years ago we changed things, and it was the best decision we ever made. We now spread it all over two days, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and it's so much more relaxed and suits us down to the ground.

Anyway, enough chit-chat! Back to business, and we just wanted to tell you about the latest new arrivals at A Crafty Pause, plus some restocks.

We finally have the lovely sunflower charms and the adhesive enamel dots which complete the Craft Consortium Happy Harvest collection - these were delayed at their entry port hence only just arriving now but hey, better late than never!

We've brought in gorgeous stamps and stencils from Designer Boutique, Woodware and Andy Skinner, which are perfect for all kinds of projects from cards to mixed media wall art.

We have the WOW! Fab Foilers sets for you to use with your Fab Foils. These packs give you lots of options for words, sentiments and backgrounds, all of which can be foiled in whichever colour you want for your project. All you need is a laminator and you're away!

And whilst the main focus may still be Christmas, it's also time to look ahead to next year, and to this end there's also a brand new Valentine's collection in stock! This includes stamps from Woodware and Sam Poole, some lovely DL stencils, new Wordies packs and an A4 card pack full of lovely pink hues. This collection is perfect for card making, gift making and creating beautiful packaging for those romantic gifts too!

And last, but by no means least, we have Jamie Rodgers' new Sentiment Dies in stock - perfect for lots of different occasions and in a lovely font too.

We've re-stocked lots of the ever-popular Craft Consortium Essential Papers, including Tartan, Eastern Influences and many more, plus their fabulous premium collections Tis the Season and Candy Christmas. Oh, and we've added Made By Elves too!

We've also re-stocked the fabulous FolkArt Enamels Gloss Acrylics, which are hugely popular and fantastic for working on glass and a whole range of other surfaces, and dry to a lovely gloss finish.

And we've re-stocked the WOW! Fab Foils, just in time to use with the Fab Foilers!

Finally, we have added a section on the website for Dies, to make them easier for you to find.

So, whether you're making cards, special gifts or prefer playing with paint, we've got you covered!

Until next time, happy crafting!

Glass Painting with Gallery Glass and FolkArt Enamels

Hi everyone

Do you love painting on glass or other slick surfaces? Do you love the idea of creating your own stained glass effects on windows, mirrors and doors? If you do, or you'd like to have a go at these hugely popular crafts, then we have just the products you need!

Gallery Glass, from Plaid, is a range of paints specifically formulated for use on glass, perspex, plexiglass, acetate and more. Available in a great range of colours, you can create everything from suncatchers to stunning stained glass effects on your windows! There are also strips of faux leading, called Redi-lead, for a true stained glass effect, together with liquid leading in black, gold and silver for filling in little gaps between pieces of redi-lead or for providing hand drawn outlines and definition in your pieces.

You can even make your own clings.  Just draw your design onto a piece of glass and then paint it. Peel it off and apply it where you want it. If it's applied onto glass then it can be removed later but if you apply it to acetate, or any other plastic surface, then it cannot be removed.

Then there is FolkArt Gloss Enamels, which again are specifically formulated for use on glass and other slick surfaces including metal, to create the look of enamel. They are opaque with a lovely gloss finish once dry which is durable and scratch resistant, and once oven-cured they are even top-rack dishwasher safe!

You can create all sorts of beautiful home decor pieces with these paints, either for yourself or to make unique gifts for others, so why not give them a go?