Keep up to date with our new craft ideas as well as Christmas Crafts now available.  View our latest Newsletter sent today:  

Newsletter for November 2009

Happy reading

KidzCraft have chosen to ship all packages to UK Mainland delivery addresses via our usual courier, Business Post during this unsettled time with the on-going Royal Mail Postal Strikes. Express Orders continue to be shipped for Next Day Delivery.  Customers can be assured that their order will be delivered safely and promptly.  Non mainland UK orders will be shipped via DHL or Special Delivery to again ensure delivery is guaranteed.

Following the news from Royal Mail for a 2 day post strike on Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd October, KidzCraft will guarantee all deliveries will be made via a reputable UK courier, UK MAIL LTD to ensure our customers all receive their goods ordered as soon as possible and without worry of getting stuck and lost in the masses of undelivered mail sitting in Royal Mail sorting offices around the country.

 

Do you panic over the thought of whether to do 'Party Bags' this year for your little one's party?  What little goodies will you put in the party bags?
Don't worry, its a common feeling amongst parents.  Party bag filling can run away with you if you're not careful, all the little bits and bobs you put in e.g. sweeties, balloons, toys, jewellery, badges etc etc, they soon add up raising your birthday party costs higher.

Instead of trying to fill bags with lots of bits, why not get the kids to decorate their own bag which is a great party activity and will keep the kids entertained for a little while.  They can draw, colour and stick lots of great decorations on to make their bag unique.  No sticky glue mess, just simple colouring and sticking fun.  Its always great to see the end results - usually quite intriguing!  The bag can then be filled with anything they do, make or win at the party with just a few sweeties.

They will be more impressed with their party bag than what's in it!

 

For more creative Party Bags ideas, visit KidzCraft

One of the most important priorities for an online seller to provide is a SECURE PAYMENT SYSTEM for their customers.  KidzCraft chose RBS Worldpay to provide this facility for our customers. 

Worldpay does not forward any card information to the seller thus making online shopping easy, safe and secure.

When an online transaction is made, Worldpay do not hold information about the goods ordered, any delivery status nor can it  provide refunds or cancel your order for you.  If you have a query regarding your order, you will need to contact KidzCraft direct, quoting your order number as stated on your confirmation email.  

Customers are encouraged to sign up whilst shopping to the Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode.  By signing up you will prevent a fraudster using your card details on participating sites as they will not know your password.

If you experience any problems whilst making your transaction when placing an order with KidzCraft, please call us on 01793 327022 or email us at sales@kidzcraft.co.uk and we will be happy to help.

For more information on how to order with KidzCraft online please visit http://shop.kidzcraft.co.uk/services.asp

 

 

  

    A favourite craft party activity
   and our top seller at KidzCraft

  Great idea for a children's
  birthday party, perfect for a
  summer garden party too! 

 

 

 

TIPS for running a successful t-shirt painting party:

• Cover your table with a good large plastic table cover, alternatively use the floor but cover with paper not a plastic sheet as this may be slippy.
• Make sure there is enough space for all the children to work in, its difficult to get creative if you are cramped
• Lay out all the fabric paints, fabric marker pens, paint brushes, sponges, water pots and kitchen roll along the centre of the table so everyone can reach them easily.
• Use paint palettes and decant fabric paint which makes it easier for kids to use lots of colours
• Sponge painting gives a great effect on cotton t-shirts (but it will use more paint up than brushing)
• Rinse and dry brushes between colours
• You need to put some card inside the t-shirt to stretch is out to make flat and also to stop colours running through to the back or front which you are working on. 
  An excellent tip is to save up empty cereal packets or ask all the children to bring one along to the party with them.

TIPS on getting the kids creative:

• Provide the kids with lots of colour choices in the fabric paints,  pens and also 3D pens
• Experiment with different methods e.g. brushes, sponges, stamps or fingers
• Stencils either bought or homemade out of card e.g. shapes, animals, letters
• Print out some great templates from the internet, there are some great A4 colouring sheets you can use which gives the kids lots of theme ideas
  Place the A4 sheet inside the t-shirt and then the kids can draw over the lines to create their picture and then paint and colour inside the lines 
• Offer some cool embellishements for that extra bling e.g. jewels, fabric shapes or ribbons

T-shirt painting can be done in the house or the garden in the summer, so its a great summer birthday party idea!

I love this time of year, all the school fayres, end of year class performances and plays and not forgetting sports day.  Its my last year of having children at Primary School so its a little sad leaving and moving on into a new era.

However, with all the Summer Fetes around the corner, you may be looking for some craft activities for the kids to try on the day.  A fundraising idea which the kids can enjoy.  Simple, quick and little supervision necessary is probably what you are looking for as well as a profit earning element for the Fundraising Committee.

The following craft ideas may be of help to you:  

       Party Crowns                             Face Masks

                     

These crafts can be simple and fun using a variety of crafty bits for some great sticking fun. 
The Crowns come in a pack of 6 different colours which can then just be decorated.
The Masks are white card which can be painted or use felt tips pens to colour and add some fun decorations e.g. poms, feathers, spangles
After some crafty fun the kids can wear their Crown or Mask around the Fete.
All the necessary craft supplies are available in the KidzCraft Online Shop.

You could even have a Competition for the Best Crown and Best Mask of the Day!

We hope you all have a great time at your Summer Fayres and happy fundraising!

Where did the last 6 weeks go?  Schools out again - half term holiday here we come.  Who knows what the weather will be like, you never can tell but its looking good so far.  Lots of bike rides, picnics, swimming etc ahead.  You may also be looking for something creative the kids can do in their time off school.  Something they can do indoors if the weather is not so good or in the garden if the weather is fine.  I have always enjoyed getting a large plastic table cover out, laying out some paints, palettes, brushes and some bits and pieces for some sticking fun and let the kids use their imagination.  Its great to give them the freedom of art and craft.

If you would like something a little bit more structured then have a look at the KidzCraft online shop for lots of craft activity ideas that you may like to get for the holidays

e.g. kit bags to design and colour with fabric paints and add ribbons and jewels.  Great for sleepover bags! 

 

 or Face Masks to create a disguise!

and there's more . . . have a look around the shop.

Have a great time with the kids!

 

Birthday Party Fun! 

Time flashes by so quick these days, I think we are all trying to fit in so much more, constantly juggling work, kids, shopping, cleaning and an attempt of a social life too.  Suddenly, your son/daughter's birthday is this week.  Panic!  Deciding, finding and buying the best present ever is one thing, but organising a last minute party is another.  We quite often receive phone calls from customers wanting to place an urgent last minute order for craft party materials for a party this Saturday or even tomorrow!

Sometimes, parents have organised a fantastic garden party with a bouncy castle or a barbecue and games and then the good old English weather knocks your plans completely.  Plan B into action - as the heavens are about to open.  So, a Super Express Order is made for a fun packed craft party for the children to enjoy together.  The good thing about this though, is that if the weather does turn out to be ok on the day, the party can be held inside or in the garden just as easily so its a win win situation.

We had a phone call today at 3.30 for a party tomorrow afternoon.  The order was placed, processed and shipped within the hour, so these kids will enjoy a fun crafty time tomorrow.  We don't know the reason for the late order, not our place to ask why, but it just shows how easy it is to organise, order, receive and run a Craft Party is. 

We hope they have a great time!

Its a popular question we are asked here at KidzCraft.  Customers are sometimes unsure which type of paint to buy for children to use e.g. poster or acrylic.

We recommend 'acrylic paint' for the majority of craft painting activities using wood, paper mache, card, canvas, metal etc.  Its a great high quality water based non toxic paint so its safe for kids to use and easy to wash off hands too with a little warm soapy water.  It provides a great finish on all these materials.  These acrylic paints can be intermixed to create more colours too so the kids can get busy making new colours.  We have chosen a bunch of lovely bright fun colours that we know the kids will love, especially for parties.

Poster paints are great for younger children painting on paper and just having fun experimenting with colours. 

We have noticed recently that a lot of Pottery Cafes are starting to offer more craft activities for parties held in their studios giving their customers more choice.  This is a great idea to entice returning customers.  Fabric Painting seems to be the most popular craft idea that is suitable for these studios.  Holding stock of all the fabric paints, marker pens which can be used for more than one party makes it very economical.  Of course, paint palettes and paint brushes are items that are used for pottery painting parties so no big outlay there.  KidzCraft supply children's t-shirts in 5 sizes from aged 3 to 13, as well as baseball caps and fantastic cotton bags to get creative with together with a wide variety of fabric paints, marker pens and fabric embellishments for that little extra.  A great opportunity then for any Craft Workshop to broaden their children's craft activities party range.

Welcome to our blog where we hope to provide you with interesting ideas and tips for children's craft activites, craft parties, workshops etc.