This Saturday, 25th of July, I will be demonstrating Craft Asylum and Sizzix dies at
Crafts U love.
Crafts U love.
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Monday, 20 July 2015
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Craft Conversations with the Pros: Dawn Bibby
Who else should start the Craft Conversations with the Pros series but someone that every paper crafter in the UK will know: Dawn Bibby!
(To read more why I started this series click here)
Since 2007, I have been quite close to her both professionally and personally, so I have seen her in many situations that people can only guess. I consider dawn a close friend and one of the few people who actually has gone out of her way to help me.
Without further ado, here you have her story.
Dawn, when and how did you start in the craft industry?
What type of job did you have at first? Did you started as a creative straight away?
What would you do differently?
Is it hard to work full/part time in the craft industry? Can you name your major challenges you face?
What do you think is more important to make it in this industry: creative talent, hard work or luck?
What is your favourite project type (mini albums, cards, layouts, home decor...) and colour?
EDITED: On the 28th of August, Dawn Bibby announced that she is to be one of the presenters at the new The Craft Channel, saying:
And finally, Do you remember when we first met? Any good/bad impressions?
Paula's version:
You can Find Dawn online here:
(To read more why I started this series click here)
Since 2007, I have been quite close to her both professionally and personally, so I have seen her in many situations that people can only guess. I consider dawn a close friend and one of the few people who actually has gone out of her way to help me.
August 2007, in her house making samples together.
Without further ado, here you have her story.
Dawn, when and how did you start in the craft industry?
Well I guess I started as a child drawing images and making cards but I really started making and selling cards when I was about 23 (25 years ago) when I was doing craft fayres and shows. I began making cards and selling them which then led me into selling the supplies for people to sell their own. I then couldn't find all I wanted so started designing and working with companies to produce them.
It was whilst at a show a lady said she thought my demonstration was very good and had I thought of selling on TV ? She gave me a contact and QVC and well the rest is history I guess! I was the first person in the UK to take rubber stamping and paper crafting on to TV.
And it was a battle believe me ... The buyers couldn't understand why anyone would be interested in pieces of paper and rubber stamps. And they down right refused to buy sticky dots for at least a year!!
What type of job did you have at first? Did you started as a creative straight away?
I started in this industry at 16 I guess when I went to college studying textiles and fashion. Specialising in knitwear and surface pattern design My first proper industry related job, while I was still at college, was in a knitting and sewing machine shop - Hobkirks. I demonstrated machines and helped advise and teach customers. While working there, I designed knitwear and started to sell my designs into shops and privately
After a while, I became disenchanted with my role and in particular the pay, so I decided to go for a higher pay working in a compact disc factory - Phillips and DuPont. I was still designing and selling and ran party plan through family and friends.
I then took 18 months out and became an au pair in Switzerland. I ended up designing for a boutiques in Zurich and doing private orders there too.
At the age of 21 I came home and set up my first proper business (with the help of my beloved mum) on the enterprise allowance scheme. I built my stock and started supplying stores and attending shows. I soon saw the potential for supplying product rather than finished items and set up a little mail order company - Topaz Crafts. Armed with finished garments and cards plus the fabric paints, glitters and stamps I toured the UK attending shows and selling. Hence my meeting the lady whom gave me the contact number for QVC.
At a QVC craft event in London Olympia 2009
Well my career developed more into creating TV shows and selecting product for them. Still designing but building a team of people to execute those shows, which included product selection, formatting kits, creating finished samples, planning the shows and then executing the live show on TV.
Approximately, 4 years ago I joined Create and Craft where I became more of a craft expert presenter.
What would you do differently?
Take more time to live and not be as career focused. Also listen to my head more than my heart. One should always follow your gut instinct and, sometimes, I did not!
Is it hard to work full/part time in the craft industry? Can you name your major challenges you face?
For me, working in this industry is a passion and a lifestyle choice. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything or create everything. If you are dedicated and passionate it's a wonderful industry to be in.
However I don't think we ever really get paid for the time and effort put into projects or work and to many people they cannot see value in the time spent creating. After all, it's just a card! Or just a handmade item, why should we be paid an hourly rate for a knitted jumper that took 72 hours to make? Get my drift? Or even £5 for a card that maybe took an hour and a half to make.
But we do it with love and passion and, nowadays, more people are respecting "handmade" and thankfully valuing it more.
Your proudest moment and achievement?
I think my proudest moment was the very first time QVC ran an advert with my profile and name in it! I was so excited to be given that opportunity and rang my mum screaming down the phone Mum was my biggest fan and without her I could not have achieved any of this.
What do you think is more important to make it in this industry: creative talent, hard work or luck?
Creative talent gives you the passion to succeed, but then you have to put the hard work behind it. If you work hard and are talented, people will notice then the luck comes to you - it's the Law of Attraction.
What is your favourite project type (mini albums, cards, layouts, home decor...) and colour?
My favourite projects constantly change - right now I'm loving knitting and making bracelets.
Favourite colour pink but I don't always use it in my creations. I'm quite into turquoise at the moment.
Where you go for inspiration?
Inspiration is all around me - nature is the best! and also, fashion. The colours and trends are always to be watched as they translate into every area of our lives.
What is next for you?
What is next for me on this incredible journey ? Well now that would be telling.... I'm currently on a well earned break and busy designing and creating and will soon be setting up a Facebook page selling some of my handmade creations.
But I will be back working in the industry from September! so you must keep your eye on my official Facebook page and Twitter.
EDITED: On the 28th of August, Dawn Bibby announced that she is to be one of the presenters at the new The Craft Channel, saying:
I am very excited to be working with people who are not just brilliant and talented people, but some of them are also very old and dear friends.
And finally, Do you remember when we first met? Any good/bad impressions?
When we first met Paula - I think it was in Amsterdam on a craft event. I thought you were lovely , a little bit flustered but so full of fun and love for crafting. We soon became good friends and you shared your love of exquisite dark chocolate - introducing me to Hotel Chocolat!
May 2007, in one of the QVC prep rooms
Paula's version:
I met Dawn in Amsterdam at a trade event. I remember clearly how nice she was with me and anyone else who speak to her. Soon after that she asked me to do some work for her and from then onwards we became close friends.
I feel that Dawn is one of those few people who actually listens to what you say even if you do not think she does. It is a rare quality!
You can read and hear a lot of things about Dawn Bibby. Not everything you read out there is true.
You can Find Dawn online here:
Introducing Craft Conversations with the Pros
I am starting a bit later today with a new weekly feature in this blog: Craft Conversations with the Pros.
It will be a series of interviews with more or less the same questions and I will be asking every week, on a Thursday to a different professional crafter. I will start with some of my closest and oldest friends in this crazy and beautiful industry of ours.
However, as I am fortunate enough to have a lot of good friends in this craft world, I thought I would ask them some questions relating to working in this industry. I specifically asked them to be as honest as possible, as often when I read interviews on craft magazines, it is more about how great all is (which is true) but I also think it is important to say if it is incredibly hard work.
I also wanted to share more about how important it has been for me personally to meet all these great and talented people. I have made great friends and I am very thankful for the friendships that working in this industry has brought to me. The personal aspect is a very essential one! That is what you will see a more personal question at the very end.
This is something that I have been thinking of doing for the last two years. It is taken me two years to actually write the questions and send them to my craft peers. Crazy or what?
I have some great names lined up, it is going to be a very interesting read!
The first one is going to be: the one and only Dawn Bibby!
You can read other Craft Conversations with the Pros here:
Dawn Bibby | Pete Hughes | Kath Stewart | Karen Burniston
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
A visit to Sizzix Europe HQ!
This year I was invited to visit Sizzix Europe HQ in Wales as part of a blogger meet. As I used to be a full time employee of Sizzix not that long ago, I love going to Sizzix to see everyone who works there and specially meet the bloggers that I have been following for a while.
It was quite an internattional affair with (from left to right): Silvia Curti from Italy, Karine Cazenave-Tapie from France, Quim Diaz from Spain, Gerry Van Gent from Holland (though originally from Bulgaria) and Annika Flebbe from Germany. And then, me representing the UK and Spain I suppose!
Its always a sight to see the Sizzix showroom. With gorgeous samples made by Pete Hughes and Angela Southey, the in house creative designers.
The Big Shot Plus, of course place of pride.
Its always lovely to see that projects I did a couple of years ago are still gracing the walls of Sizzix.
And all those beautifully made quilts and patchwork elements. Angela is so talented!
When you have so many bloggers and Instagram addicts, this is what happens when someone gives you a pretty little something.
We did some crafting on the creative room. This is where Pete works daily.
We visited the warehouse so we had to wear this very attractive vest, but Silvia was rocking hers. The luck of being italian!
The next day, it was just Annika, Gerry and myself (the other three had arrived a day earlier and left a day before us), we had lunch in this lovely meeting room. Create and Inspire, good creative words to have around!
And then it was my turn to record some tutorials. I have never seen my name on a clacket board. I got all excited! (To be fair, it doesn't take much to make me over excited!)
Quite a professional set up!
And I had to take this photo! I thought it was so funny!
And then it was time to say goodbye to one of my favourite people in the world, Pete Hughes, such a joy to see him and spend some time in the craft room like the old times. This time though, I had to share him with great talented people.
On the way to the hotel I suggested to Gerry, Annika had already left for the airport, to go to the beautiful village of Llangollen, as it is not far at all. Such a pretty place
We had fun!
It was a great little trip and I came back full of inspiration, thank you Sizzix!
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Monday, 13 July 2015
Craft Asylum blog post!
Monday, 6 July 2015
Friday, 3 July 2015
New video: A DIY solution to Adding extra permanent pressure to your dies
Another video with die cutting tips, this time about adding extra permanent pressure to certain dies or certain areas of the die so that you don't need shims.
You can do the same tape technique with wafer thin dies, just make sure that no sticky is exposed!
The sticky back plastic I used is this one:
Film Self-Adhesive Transparent Protector Fablon
It comes in several lengths. Of course, I chose the super sized one!
The dies I have used are:
The Butterfly from the
658300 Sizzix Big Shot Starter Kit (Powder Blue & Teal)
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
Another Paperarsty blog post! Excited!
Today I am back at Paperartsy doing a Guest Blog Post!
And it is a layout using the lovely and talented Emma Godfrey stencils.
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