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Getting up to monkey business!

As usual Efco have added to their range of Pappart shapes this year. Unicorns look set to be a new trend for 2017 but personally we think these monkeys look like loads of fun! Painted in bright colours they would make perfect decorations for a child’s bedroom. They can be personalised to suit the child whatever their interests might be e.g. football supporter, biking enthusiast, etc, and they have been especially designed with curved tails and paws so that they can be hung from each other too!

Check out the Trends Catalogue Spring/Summer 2017 for details of the latest Pappart additions.

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Jewellery making with Cernit

Cernit polymer clay is one of the strongest and most hardwearing clays available today. It is especially popular amongst doll makers due to the wide range of flesh colours and its porcelain-like finish. Once baked it is more flexible than most other clays and so is idea for creating fine details in jewellery making and modelling. Crafters can create stunning pieces when Cernit is used in conjunction with Efco’s jewellery backings.

To see the full range take a look at the Technical Hobbies section of the catalogue (pages 558-563).

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Chalk it up!

Efco’s chalkboard fabric can be hand or machine sewn. It can also be stuck with adhesives making it suitable for use in a wide range of craft projects.

It is now available in red and green as well as black!

Check out pages N61-62 of the Trends Spring/Summer 2017 catalogue to see the complete range.

Click here to view the Trends catalogue.

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Colour me happy!

You’ll find some great new products in the Efco Creative World 2017 Catalogue including the new Doodle Art range…

and six new themed selections of Oaki Doaki Fabrics!

Click here to view the Creative World 2017 catalogue as a pdf. (Link will open in a new tab.)

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Happy Sparkling New Year!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Sparkling New Year!

Cernit Sparkling powders are extremely fine mica pigments available in 10 different shades of metallic/interference colours. Either apply them to raw clay with a finger or brush to give a metallic or pearlescent finish.

They can be used on acrylic paint too. To do this the paint must still be moist so that the Cernit Sparkling adheres to it. Moisten a sponge with water and briefly express it in a cloth. Pick up some pigment on the damp sponge and gently stroke the paint surface to create exciting textures.

You can view the range of Cernit Sparkling Powders in the new Trends 2018 Catalogue.

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Magnets from Wooden Discs

Most people pass the fridge several times a day so it makes sense to use it as a noticeboard to share notes, schedules, shopping lists and dates.

These cute owl decorated wooden discs with Efco’s extra strong magnets are perfect for making sure all your lists stay put.

Materials & Tools needed:

2406502 – Wooden Discs ø 3-5cm
1662012 – Owl Family Tree 3 ply Napkin
1056011 – Extra Strong Magnets ø10mm
1802532 – Comfortline Hobby Scissors
9315210 – Decoupage Medium
1880406 – Synthetic Hair Flat Brush, Gr 6
9311433 – Mixing Palette, 24 x 19cm
1945820 – UHU – Max Repair Extreme Glue
1802830 – A4 Cutting Mat

First cut out the desired owl from the napkin. Remove the back two layers of the napkin so that only the printed upper layer remains.

Brush the wooden disc with a good layer of decoupage medium and lay the owl motif over the top. Pat it down before carefully brushing more decoupage medium over the top.

When dry, fix a magnet to the back of the wooden disc with the adhesive. Leave to dry and you are done!

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Nabbi Bead Threading Tool

Nabbi® beads are not just for creating patterns and pictures. You can also use them to not only decorate but also protect headphone cables. In fact any cable which has a diameter not bigger than 2mm can be decorated with Nabbi® beads eg. phone charger cable or mouse cable.

Materials Needed:
Headphones
Nabbi® Beads (1082380)
Nabbi® Bead Steel Tool (1830099)
Comfortline Craft Knife (1802523)
A4 Cutting Mat (1802830)

Use the craft knife to cut one side of the Nabbi® bead.

Slide the Nabbi® bead onto the tool until it opens up the cut.

Insert the cable through the gap created and slide the tool out, allowing the bead to close. Repeat until the cable is covered!

To view our range of Nabbi® beads check out pages 30-34 of The Basics Catalogue

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Woodies Stamps

Efco are the only UK distributors for Woodies stamps and ink pads.

Manufactured by RoyalPosthumus (one of the oldest and largest stamp manufacturers in Europe) they are made from 100% fair trade, renewable raw materials from European suppliers: FSC-certified beech wood which has been painted with UV-resistant varnish, 2mm of foam rubber and 100% natural rubber.

There are 96 designs in all covering 12 different themes including Wedding, Handmade, Invitation, Baby and Christmas. Each theme is packaged in its own display which is in keeping with the Woodies natural look. The round ink pads, just perfect for Woodies stamps, are available in 25 delicious colours. In 2015 RoyalPosthumus extended their stamp range to include 72 miniature motifs which are available in 8 different collections.

For more information check out the Everything for Paper Catalogue (pages 63.67 – 63.87).

(All images copyright of RoyalPosthumus)

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Cork Mobile Case

Working with cork leather is easy as you can see in this craft tutorial from Efco which shows in a few steps how to make a great looking, durable phone case. In fact it’s so easy a child could make it as a gift for Father’s Day!

Materials and tools:
Template
Pencil
Cork Leather, 45 x 35cm, 0.65mm (33 706 ..)
Velcro Fastener 20mm Black (25 520 89)
Scissors Soft-Cut Premium Line (18 029 11)
UHU – Allcraft Transparent Flex + Clean (19 450 40)
Wooden Clothes Pegs 30mm (14 024 01)
Aluminium Ruler, 30cm (18 027 30)

Step 1. First create a template for the phone plus a closing flap. Allow for seams down the sides too. Mark it on the cork leather and cut it out with scissors.

Step 2. Apply a thin line of adhesive (approx. 4mm wide) down the long sides of the cork leather. Leave it until it is touch dry and then squeeze the edges together and secure them with clothes pegs for at least 2 minutes. Leave the short side open.

Step 3. Glue the flap centrally on one side of the phone case. Cut about 2cm of Velcro. Stick the fluffy part at the end of the flap on the underside. Stick the hook part to the corresponding area on the case.

Tip: The phone case can also be sewn with a sewing machine on the denim setting. First place the Velcro on the flap and sew it in position with a zigzag stitch. Sew the other piece on the pocket before sewing the sides together, again with a zigzag stitch.

For more information on the complete range of Cork Leather, Fabric and Paper contact us.

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Fiona Jones, Reply

New Stripe Mix available in Nabbi® Beads

Nabbi® Melting Beads now come in a new bag of mixed striped colours which are great for children’s projects and birthday presents.

Here’s a great idea from Efco…

Materials and Tools needed:
Iron and Ironing Pad
Greaseproof Paper
Nabbi® – Melting Beads – Striped Colour Mix – ø5 x H 5mm (1082380)
Nabbi® – Mixed Heart Pegboard 1 (1082222)
Snap Hook with Keyring 50mm (2188350)

Position your chosen Nabbi® beads on the pegboard leaving one peg empty on either the left or right upper area of the heart. Lay the greaseproof paper over the top and iron to fix the beads. After briefly leaving it to cool, carefully remove the beaded heart from the pegboard. Iron the back to stabilise the heart. When cool, push the keyring through the hole left by the missing bead.

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Fiona Jones, Reply

Efco creative emotions