| Product: |
Crafts Beautiful |
| Date: |
07/05/05 (485 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Craft projects with clear instructions, Value for money, Supplier directory by area
Disadvantages: Too many adverts to cope with!
Crafting Heaven!
A review by blingblings on Crafts Beautiful
April 27th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Pros: Craft projects with clear instructions, supplier directory by area, value for money
Cons: Too many adverts to cope with !
Recommend to potential buyers: yes
Full review
------------------------- -----------------------------------------------I really shouldn't be allowed out shopping! My partner and I only popped to the supermarket to top up on basics, yet I come home with a whole host of items that weren't on the list! I am, however, glad to say that one of these little extras was Crafts Beautiful, "Britain's best-selling craft magazine". I usually begrudge paying over a couple of pounds for a magazine, but in this case every penny of the £3.25 was worth spending.
I have been making cards for about 2 years now; nothing special, just the odd birthday card, new baby greeting, and all of my Christmas cards. Initially, I thought it would be an enjoyable hobby and probably a little cheaper than buying them from the shops. Wrong! Of course it's an enjoyable hobby that keeps me quiet for hours, but all the little bits and bobs needed to create a card you can be proud of can have your credit card quivering.
I am currently stamping and embossing my own wedding stationary, which is proving extremely difficult given the design that I came up with. I thought that a craft magazine might help to iron out the design and also give me something to curl up with on the sofa one afternoon. There were two magazines of this ilk on sale in Tesco's, but Crafts Beautiful really stood out and this particular issue (Vol.12 Issue 9) came with a free book containing 150 verses and sentiments for use within handmade cards and gifts.
The Magazine:
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This publication is of an extremely high quality and is of the glossy variety such as House Beautiful, You and Your Wedding, Which Car?, etc. Each issue clearly displays one of the projects within on the front cover, plus enticing adverts for other articles, such as "Get Hooked on Crochet", "Sparkly Bridesmaid Slippers", "Chinzy Stamped Stationary", and "Create stylish tags just like the experts". As this particular issue came with a free book, it was housed in a cellophane bag - I was most upset that I could not browse whilst cruising the aisles!
On opening the cellophane wrapper, I braced myself for the leaflet fallout. Astoundingly enough, there were no flyers within! The only other item that came with this issue was a folded "Pattern Pack" - printed templates of the projects from the main magazine.
Each month the magazine is broken down into sections that are listed on the double-spread contents pages: Regulars; Projects; Features; and Extras. These categories are also colour coded: blue, pink; green; and yellow respectively. A pink panel to the right-hand side of the contents invites the reader to "Meet the Team": Natasha Read, Deputy Editor; Holly Markham, Regulars Editor; and Lorraine Luximon, Editorial Assistant. I quite liked this very small section as it allows you to put a face to the names of the employees working hard to bring the reader the very latest from the world of crafts.
The Content:
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So, what crafts are covered? The main projects this month range from good old card making and scrap-booking to decorating ceramic mugs and knitting. Overall I would say that this magazine is best suited to card makers, scrap-bookers, and any other craft which involves using paper. Most of the projects involve a greeting card but the design is then applied to other areas such as decorating a wooden box or creating pages for scrapbooks. Most of the advertisements are for craft retailers, most of them focusing on cards and stamping. Don't get me wrong, people interested in knitting, pottery, and sewing, etc. will find something of interest, but I think the editors pander to the masses in order to generate sales.
Okay, I have forewarned you that this magazine has advertisements but there are literally hundreds of them! They're usually grouped together after a project page or two and contain really helpful web addresses, which any crafter will know is absolutely essential to get a good range of products. I prefer shopping at smaller online stores where you can actually get to know the owner, and Crafts Beautiful is nothing if not abundantly full of these ads. There is also a section dedicated to eCommerce stores entitled "Internet Directory" followed by a few pages where crafts stores are listed by area within the UK.
The Projects:
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This section is broken down into subsections covering Paper, Stitching, Painting, Rubber Stamping, and Other. Each project is accompanied by fabulously clear photography, helping you to reach your goal. A short introduction precedes step-by-step instructions for each item within the project, i.e. a card, tag, or box. To the left-hand side you'll find a list of the goods you'll need to complete the project - always helpful - and to the right-hand side a "Where to buy" list, tips and comments from Crafts Beautiful.
The instructions are written in plain English and would suit even the most inexperienced crafter. The only improvement I can think of would be the inclusion of a small biography on each "Project Designer". It'd be nice to know how they started, how long they've been crafting, and what they do now.
Features:
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The May 2005 issue features two articles: Forever Friends and Clay School. Forever Friends details how to meet other crafters and gives a comprehensive breakdown of the different ways: courses, groups, craft holidays, and penpals to name a few.
Clay School introduces the new fashion of "Pottery Cafés" where anyone interested in pottery can spend a morning, afternoon or even a whole day sculpting and decorating their own work of art. I recently spoke to a lady online who had been to one of these events and she couldn't sing its praises enough! She had a fabulous time, met new friends, and fired her very bowl, which now has pride of place in her kitchen.
Regulars:
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In each months magazine there are snippets to keep you up-to-date with the latest craft trends, shorter projects, readers' letters, and general craft tips. Writing to Crafts Beautiful can win you a prize or two! Each published letter is rewarded with a copy of "Celtic Knotwork Designs" , by Elaine Hill worth £4.95 and one crafter wins £150 of HobbyCraft vouchers! There are also a few penpal classified printed next to the letters. I was quite surprised to see that most of these penpal listings contained peoples' addresses! I know that you need an address to write to someone, but surely Craft Beautiful could provide a forwarding service for the initial contact? Having been the victim of a cyber stalker, I am now highly aware of the dangers of giving out personal details, even an email address. Be warned!
Where to Buy:
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As you know, I bought my copy in Tesco's alongside my groceries, but this publication is available at most newsagents and you can also subscribe. Currently subscription to Crafts Beautiful costs £39 for 12 issues - £9.50 every 3 issues by direct debit, saving you around 9p per issue. Until May 15th you'll also receive a universal hole punch/setter worth over £22. I'm not particularly interested in using this tool so I definitely won't be subscribing this month! You can pay for your subscription by cheque, credit/debit card, or by setting up a direct debit. As with most magazines of this type, you can buy a subscription as a gift - this is a gift I'd be extremely pleased to receive, if anyone's interested?
The Verdict?:
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Hmmm, can you guess? I absolutely loved this magazine. It really catered to my particular interest, yet I learnt a lot about other crafts, which I may like to try in the future. The advertisements did get a little monotonous toward the end of the mag, but I will keep this issue for future reference as I'm always trying new suppliers.
After being brought up with my mum collecting a couple of craft type publications, which were boring, repetitive, and always came with binders, I found Crafts Beautiful to be a breath of fresh air. Its approach to the crafting world is up-to-date yet would suit any age group. The classifieds I mentioned weere from people aged between 21 and 50-something.
Some of the projects were rather contemporary whilst others were old fashioned and sometimes a little twee for my liking. Again, there really was something for everyone and for all ages.
I can happily recommend this title to all crafters, and will be doing so on the online message board that I monitor!
Further Information:
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Crafts Beautiful is published by Aceville Publications Limited and their HQ are based in Essex.
It is a monthly publication, with the June 2005 issue due for release on Friday 6th June. Each issue costs £3.25 or slightly less if you subscribe.
To subscribe see their website (which I found slow to load earlier in the evening) www.craftsbeautiful.com. You can also ring 01778 392081 or fax 01778 421706.
Many thanks for reading!
xxxClaudsxxx
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raehippychick - 12/05/05 I'll have to get a copy of this - I love crafts but I've never thought of gatting a amgazine - I can foresee days of fun (and mess!)
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