Meet Dawn Bibby at the Stitch & Craft Show

Calling all craft fans!

Fancy meeting our queen of craft Dawn Bibby? Then get yourself down to the Stitch & Craft Show at the Olympia II in London.

As well as running craft demonstrations in the Demo theatre, Dawn (right) will be answering your questions in a live interview, signing autographs and meeting her fans at the Papercraft Inspirations stand.

The show runs from Thursday 19th - Sunday 22nd March and Dawn will be appearing there on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st March.

To find out more about this event, check out the Stitch & Craft Show website.

To book tickets for this event call 01473 320 407 or visit www.twistedthread.com.

See Dawn's range of craft materials available at QVCUK.com

Rosemary Merry wins Scrapbooker of the Year

Let's say a big congrats to QVC craft regular Rosemary Merry who was awarded the accolade of Scrapbooker of the Year in the International Craft, Hobby & Stitch Awards.

The winners are chosen by the readers of Cardmaking & Papercraft and Quick Cards Made Easy who voted in their thousands for their favourite designers and products.

Dawn Bibby and Anna Griffin were runners up in the Scrapbooker category and Dawn also merited an honourable mention in the Cardmaker of the Year and TV Presenter of the Year categories as a runner up.

Congratulations to Rosemary, Dawn and Anna, and long may their crafting success continue!

Read about QVC's success in the 2008 Craft Awards
Go to QVC Craft

See Catherine Huntley's handcrafted cards for Craft Day

Attention all craft lovers!

Catherine Huntley has been busy card making, and you can get a sneaky peek at some of her handcrafted cards made using tomorrow's Today's Special Value kit (with or without a little help from Dinky the cat).

You'll also find out what to expect from tomorrow's Craft Day.

Visit Catherine's blog here.

Crafts Beautiful editor speaks to QGossip

Sarah Crosland, editor of Crafts Beautiful magazine, appeared on QVC on Tuesday 10th February to officially present us with our 2008 Craft Awards.

QGossip caught up with Sarah to ask her a few questions about the awards and about the world of craft in general.

What would you say is QVC's most important strength as an award-winning shopping channel?

Quality, value for money and excellent customer service.
 
What do you think sets Dawn Bibby apart from other card designers?

Dawn has a great eye for design and colour. She knows her target audience and which cards and papercraft ranges will work well - the designs always look stylish, yet are easy to achieve. Often it's the making and giving of the card that is the pleasurable part and Dawn gives people the confidence to have a go, whatever their skill level.

Success for QVC in the 2008 Craft Awards!

We're really delighted to announce that QVC have been awarded not one... not two... but three awards in the Crafts Beautiful 2008 Craft Awards. Get us!

Categories we won...

Best Website for Customer Services - QVCUK.com Craft

Best TV Shopping Channel for Craft - QVC

Best Mail Order - QVC

Also among the winners were a few QVC favourites;

Best Overall Card Designer 2008 - Dawn Bibby (right)

Best Independent Store - North of England - Topaz Crafts, Lancashire

Plus, regular guest Leonie Pujol walked away as runner-up in the Best Craft Book category.

The winners were all voted for by Crafts Beautiful readers and craft enthusiasts across the country. You may remember that we asked QGossip readers to cast their votes for QVC, Dawn and Leonie.

So, a huge thank you to all of you who voted to make QVC and our friends such a huge hit in the Crafts Beautiful 2008 Craft Awards, and here's to 2009!

Alison: New Year's resolutions, crafting and my cats

Having read all about my colleagues' New Year's Resolutions, it's made me feel somewhat ashamed into admitting I haven't come up with anything very original!
If I'm to believe all that I've read in their blogs, I'm up against some mighty competition to attain maximum fitness, stop eating chocolate, drink more water, improve my tennis skills and to try not to let the ironing pile reach the ceiling..! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Last week I had some truly enjoyable hours in the company of Leonie Pujol for our Craft Outlet hours. I'm still in awe of her incredible skills and although she very modestly says she's been doing it for years to be able to transform a plain piece of paper into a work of art is amazing. With Dawn Bibby as her mentor though, anything is possible I know. Of course I also realise so many of you are also experts - the beautiful cards you sent to me at Christmas are a testament to that.

Learn to... Craft

If you're new to crafting and unsure where to start, we've got some top tips to set you on your way. Plus check back during the week for more from our Learn to... series.

1. For complete beginners, a starter kit can be a good idea. They generally contain everything you need, except for basic tools like glue and scissors. They also often come with an inspiration sheet to give you some ideas.

2. When choosing themes, always go for something you love or care about - that way you will never be stuck for ideas or inspiration.

3. Keep an eye on Catherine Huntley's Craft Etc. for craft news, tips and expert advice.

4. If you struggle for ideas check out our video presentations which are  available on the QVC website for most products. You can also invest in some monthly magazines - Crafts Beautiful, Papercraft Inspirations and ScrapBook Inspirations are great ones to look out for.

5. Essential tools you'll need are a cutting mat, pens and pencils, scissors, glue, a ruler and a craft knife.

For more top tips and inspiration make sure you tune in on Tuesday 6th January at 10am.

Shop our full craft range.

Catherine: Our Christmassy call center in Liverpool

I ran up to our QVC call centre in Liverpool last week to judge their team Christmas decorating competition. It all looked wonderful, as you can see by the picture of a penguin on a trapeze(left)!

See more of these fantastic decorations and read all about it in Craft Etc now.

Have a very merry Christmas everybody!

Love,
Catherine x

Vote in The 2008 Craft Awards

Calling all crafters!

Love QVC craft? Have your say and vote for QVC in the 2008 Craft Awards - you could even win some fabulous prizes!

Dawn Bibby and Leonie Pujol are also up for awards in the categories of Best Overall Card Designer and Best Craft Book respectively!

Find out more in our sister blog Craft Etc.

Anna Griffin speaks to Craft Etc.

Do you want to know what makes craft designer Anna Griffin tick? Don't miss her interview in our crafting blog, Catherine Huntley's Craft Etc. to find out her craft tips, favourite products and what inspires her.

You can also check out Anna's range of craft products here.

Enjoy!