Create and Craft is excited to welcome multi-award winning Crafter’s Companion to Create and Craft TV.
Crafter’s Companion has stated that the new partnership will give it the chance to offer greater variety, deliver more innovation and the ability to concentrate more on educational and inspiring demonstrations, all of which are really important to company founder Sara Davies and are sentiments echoed by everyone at Create and Craft.
Crafter’s Companion was set up in 2005 by Sara Davies MBE from her university bedroom while she was studying for her degree. Sara had a bright idea while working in a local craft shop, where she spotted a gap in the market for a tool that could create bespoke envelopes for handmade cards. Soon after, she set about designing the Enveloper with her Dad, a retired engineer. After securing a slot on shopping channel Ideal Word, the product became a big hit and led Sara on to develop even more new and innovative products for the craft market.
A decade on and Crafter’s Companion is now a global craft retailer, selling over 46 million products to over 30 countries worldwide. They have launched an impressive 14,000 new products and have won 100 craft and business awards combined. Crafters Companion have more than 200,000 customers in the UK and more than 40,000 in the US.
Jamie Martin, Chief Executive Officer – Create and Craft, commenting said: Sara and Simon Davies have built Crafters Companion up brick by brick since Sara was at University. Today Crafter’s Companion is the largest TV craft brand in the world by sales and we are delighted that Sara and Simon have chosen Create and Craft as their new UK TV sales channel. Crafter’s Companion’s constant innovation, forward thinking and speed to market make them a formidable partner to have here at Create and Craft and we can’t wait to get started!
Sara Davies – MBE, Company Founder – Crafter’s Companion, commenting said: I’m absolutely delighted to be once again partnering with Create & Craft on what is set to be an exciting time for both companies. Their vision for growing the UK craft market is one that I feel passionately about and I can’t wait to support them in this journey.
Create and Craft also have the pleasure of welcoming seven new crafting demonstrators to the team from Crafter’s Companion:
Sara Davies – MBE
A self-confessed chatterbox, Geordie lass and hugely passionate crafter, Sara is the founder of Crafter’s Companion. Sara gets to work with the first-class team on product development and is often found enthusiastically demonstrating a new product on TV shopping channels.
Leann Chivers
As someone who’s crafted all her life, Leann has found her dream job as head of product development for Crafter’s Companion. When not playing with pretty new craft supplies, Leann is heading up the team designing new concepts and sourcing the best materials for their award-winning products.
Fiona Clayton
Since discovering papercraft 10 years ago, Fiona has been hooked! When not being a guest TV presenter for Crafter’s Companion, Fiona spends her spare time creating in her craft den. Fiona adores sharing all her creative ideas and knowledge with her fellow crafters!
Debbie Fisher
Debbie has been papercrafting and scrapbooking for many years and is a crafter through and through! After a stint on the Crafter’s Companion Design Team, Debbie is living the dream as a guest TV presenter and can’t believe her luck that she gets to play with so many gorgeous crafting goodies for a living!
Lizzy Curtis
Lizzie has always been a sewer since being taught to stitch as a child, and had her own successful dressmaking and alteration business early in her career before becoming a TV demonstrator for Crafter’s Companion. Lizzy’s biggest joy is teaching at workshops and sharing her love of sewing.
Debby Robinson
A huge crafting enthusiast who ran craft classes and retreats for many years, Debby was an accredited demonstrator and helped to run the Crafter’s Companion Chesterfield store before her transition to full-time TV demonstrator. Debby still has to pinch herself to be in a career that she is so passionate about and can’t wait to share her love of CC products on TV!
Jan Brown
Jan became addicted to papercraft after a friend sent her a hand-crafted birthday card, and loves nothing more than getting inky and messy creating her own backgrounds! After teaching arts & crafts in schools and working on several design teams in the past, Jan is thrilled to now be the newest member of the CC TV team!
Craig Laird
Craig has been crafting for 18 years, when he discovered papercraft on a TV shopping channel after a bout of ill health. Craig has a wealth of TV demonstrating experience in his background, appearing on both Create and Craft and Hochanda TV shopping channels for various different craft companies, and working as an in-store demonstrator at various points in his career.
About Create and Craft TV
Create and Craft, part of the Ideal Shopping Direct Group, is an award winning multi – channel craft retailer. Create and Craft broadcasts live on TV and online in the UK and US to over 70 million homes. It offers paper craft, jewellery, sewing, cake decorating and knitting products. Create and Craft is part of Ideal Shopping Direct Limited, one of the UK’s leading multi-channel home shopping retailers with a growing team of 700 based in Peterborough, UK. Ideal Shopping Direct is the most prolific broadcaster of live television in the UK and the No1 direct retailer in craft in the UK. Create and Craft won GOLD in seven categories at the 2016 International Craft Awards including; Best TV Shopping Channel for Crafts, Best for Quality, Best for Customer Service, Best Website, and Best on-line shop. In September 2015, the business was acquired by US private equity firm Blackstone.
US customers access Create and Craft via its dedicated channel on Dish TV channel 221, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android or Apple apps via createandcraft.com 24hrs a day.
UK customers access Create and Craft via Freeview channel 23, Sky channel 683, Freesat 813, Virgin 748, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android or Apple apps and via createandcraft.com
