By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Join Mable on Facebook to socialize and share with other crafters!

Twice a year the Craft & Hobby Association Conference & Trade Show (CHA) is held to discuss, what else, crafts! During the conference we get to see the new products manufacturers have been developing and get a sneak peek of the new designs and ideas. Industry experts come together to discuss trends and promotion of the craft industry. I like seeing all the incredible booths and displays!

At CHA we met the Crochet Dude and Tim Holtz! And our CreateForLess team had dinner with Mark Montano! Mark Montano! He delighted us with us entertaining stories and awesome craft ideas! Can’t wait for your next book Mark!

The Best Booth Award went to the DieCuts with a View & Blue Moon Beads!

The peacock is made with DCWV paper, glitter and lots of glue!

This display was made completely out of Blue Moon Beads.

I want to make this beaded waterfall for my bathroom! Check out more of the DCWV & Blue Moon Beads booth here.

An exciting part was the appearance by Tori Spelling! She is working with Darice on her jewelry making line {Styled} by Tori Spelling. What I loved about this new product line is you can make your own custom jewelry without needing tools or pliers.

You can mix and match the chains, pendants and beads to create and re-create your own designs.

Check out this video to see more of Tori’s designs!

We’re so excited to introduce our newly redesigned CreateForLess website! After months of planning, the day has finally arrived to share our brand new look and features with you. Many of the changes we made came from your comments and suggestions, and we wanted to thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

We’ve been working hard to bring you a cleaner and updated look and feel. And now you can finally buy just 1 item, no more purchase multiple requirements! But you can still buy in bulk and save, with our bulk quantity discounts. What hasn’t changed is our large selection, everyday low prices and commitment to offering an easy online shopping experience.

We hope you love the new design as much as we do. Take a look and tell us what you think about our new site. We’d love to hear your feedback, as we’re constantly looking to improve your shopping experience.

Happy Crafting!

The CreateForLess Team

By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Join Mable on Facebook to socialize and share with other crafters!

Every New Years I try to make a resolution that is helpful, but also enjoyable. After several months of making Christmas presents for other people, it’s time to focus my crafting on me. Since you are reading this you’re also a crafter, so I’m sure you understand. I craft for fun, but I would be more productive if I knew where everything was in my craft area. My crafting space is a disaster! Not only is it unorganized, but it’s just sloppy. My resolution is to get organized!

Last year my resolution was to learn to make my own jewelry. It was fun, but led to more craft supplies which made my area even messier. I was going to show you my craft area, but pictures of craft organizers are just more fun. Then you can picture what you’d do with them!

First, I need something to keep my beading tools and supplies in. I really like ArtBin because you can stack them, and most of them are clear so you can see what’s inside. ArtBin has different organizers depending on what you’ll be using it for. For example the ArtBin Tarnish Inhibitor Bead Boxes are made with special additives to protect your metals like Silver, Brass, Gold, and Copper to prevent tarnishing. They have a few different sizes and you can all add dividers to change the sizes of each compartment.

To organize my area to have a workable space, I should get something to put my small notions in. I’ve collected buttons, various needles, snaps, needle threaders and pins. It would make sense to put all my buttons together, needles together and so forth. It’s so silly that they are spread out now, I’m almost embarrassed how unorganized I am! I should organize all my small notions in a sewing basket, duh!

I also need a thread rack. I could free up so much valuable drawer space if I got one of these:

A box just for patterns! Might make my life a little too easy…

We wanted to send our sincerest thank you to our wonderful customers, some who have been with us for many years, we couldn’t have made it to 10 years without your support of our business. Listening to our customers has always been a top priority, and your comments and suggestions, have helped us improve our website, expand our shipping options, and even more exciting changes to come…stay tuned!

CreateForLess celebrated their 10th anniversary and to thank you for your business, you got the gifts! Your prizes were shipped to the address on your entry form!

WEEK 1 – Punch Studio Nesting Boxes

Winner: Beverly Y. from Tallahassee, FL.

WEEK 2 – Xyron Creatopia Machine 12″

Winner: Carole W. from Knoxville, TN.

WEEK 3 – AccuQuilt Go Fabric Cutter Baby

Winner: Marcia B. from Antioch, CA.

WEEK 4 – Boye Yarn Ball Winder Electric

Winner: Michelle B. from Oceanside, NY.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Beads”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Knitting Needles”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

Congratulations to Virginia who was randomly selected as our Free Stuff Friday winner and the scrapbooking idea books by Autumn Leaves! “Designing with Paper”, “Designing with Notions”, and “Designing with Vellum” includes all manner of techniques and treatments, plus fun projects, clever page layouts, and a potpourri of gift ideas.

If you’ve got the notion, Autumn Leaves has the know-how. Now you can use all those treasures you’ve been saving—beads, charms, ribbons, etc.—to create charming, contemporary projects like scrapbooks, cards, and gifts. Explore over 150 new ways to use dozens of embellishments and enjoy hours of experimenting with ideas and designs of your own!

Virginia’s winning answer to “Who was your favorite teacher?” was…

“That is a hard one. I liked most all of my teachers. I guess I might say Mr. Duken. He was my 6th grade teacher (about 52 years ago). He was just out of college and so cute! (of course he was married) He was very nice and I still keep in touch with him mostly at Christmas. Every now and then I run into him while home on vacation.”

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Tote Patterns”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Glue Dots”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Glue Gun”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Fabric Painting”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

This month marks the 10 year Anniversary of CreateForLess, and the day in August 2001 when we first launched our Internet craft supplies store. We began from humble start up beginnings, with just 3 employees and an idea. The idea was to use the power of the Internet to bring together craft enthusiasts, and offer access to bulk quantities and discount prices. I’ll never forgot that first day when Kim and Jennifer ran into my office to say “We got our first non-family or friend order!”, and we were officially in business! We have continued to grow our business over the years, through a tough economy, the launch of Google, blogging and Facebook, multiple web site revisions, and ever changing technology and craft trends.

We wanted to send our sincerest thank you to our wonderful customers, some who have been with us for many years, we couldn’t have made it to 10 years without your support of our business. Listening to our customers has always been a top priority, and your comments and suggestions, have helped us improve our website, expand our shipping options, and even more exciting changes to come…stay tuned. I’d also like to thank our many vendors, advertising partners, blog writers and affiliates – you’ve all helped contribute to the growth of CreateForLess and greatly appreciate your hard work. CreateForLess is not only a fun place to shop, but it’s a blast to work here too, that’s why those original 3 employees are still here. Many more employees have joined, but our office culture remains the same – to work hard but to never take things too seriously, as you can see from my photo below.

CreateForLess may be an “old and wise” 10 year old company now, but we haven’t forgotten our original mission – to offer the best selection, prices, web site and customer service. Thanks for a great decade and we look forward to serving you for many more years to come!

Sincerely,

Dennis

CreateForLess President and Founder

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Magnets”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Red Heart Yarn”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Jewelry Making”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Thimble”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Rick Rack”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Felt”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Scissors”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

CreateForLess is turning 10 years old and we’re giving you the presents! To celebrate our 10th year in business, we’re giving away 10, $10 gift cards every day, all month! Visit Think Crafts every day and enter for a chance to win! All you have to do to enter is comment with the “Word of the Day” below.

“Kid’s Crafts”

To enter to win, write a comment with the word of the day in the comment box. Limited to one entry per person per day. Winners will be contacted via email every Friday in August, and receive a $10 CreateForLess e-gift certificate. The giveaways end August 31, 2011.

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.