Tips for Adhesive-Backed Felt

After spending some quality time working with our Stick-It Felt Sheets, Letters, and Shapes and our Quick Stick lines of products, I uncovered some fun tips to help make their use that much more enjoyable and your project longer-lasting.

1) To help remove the adhesive-backing on your felt, place the object in between your thumb and index finger and gently roll back and worth to help break the seal.  From there, just peel and stick to your space.

2) To acheive a stronger hold on your projects (as long as you are doing fabric-to-fabric), use an iron set on the lowest setting and a press cloth and gently press for a few seconds on your items.  This will help create a stronger hold.

Do you have any tips you picked up along the way?  Let us know!

Rid Yourself of Winter Blues!

Are you still waiting to see a thaw out from the past couple of week's crazy winter storms?!  Well, here is a neat and fun way to vreate that positive thinking that may lead to warmer days!  Try spreading Springtime thoughts with this melted snowman project. 

Add him to your window sills, desk, etc to help chase off those wintertime blues!

Find out how to make him here.

No Sew Felt Skate Ornament Project

This creative idea was brought to us by our wonderful friend Patti!

She transformed her scrap pieces of felt and some paper clips into these whimsical ornaments that are perfect for your tree or to add some extra charm to the winter season!

Find out how to make the Felt Skate Ornaments here and thanks again Patti for this wonderful idea!

Santa & Reindeer Project Idea

I finally have a house with a mantel and was so excited to add some Holiday decorations to it this year.  Well, these Reindeer and Santa characters were just the trick!

Using some scrap pieces of felt, google eyes, paint, doll heads, blocks, and clothespins I was able to create a fun sleigh scene in my home.  Best part is- I was able to get my nieces and nephews to help out with it! 

Find out how to make them for yourself here!

Toss out those gift tags!

Why not try a new holiday tradition this year?  Add some extra jazz to your holiday gift-giving by tying a suncatcher onto your presents!  They are a great way to add a personal touch to the season! 

A New Idea with Wood & Felt Characters

I was referred to Beansprouts by a co-worker this morning and couldn't wait to share them with you.  They make personalized growth charts for your little ones marking major milestones in their development.

And my favorite part, besides how adorable they look, is that they use our very own cast of Wood & Felt Characters to help add that extra special touch.  They have a variety of different themes to choose from.  I suggest you take a look at them this holiday season or get inspired to make your own project this Holiday Season!

Turkey Time!

I am so excited for this Thanksgiving!  I have so much to be grateful for and I am so blessed to be able to share this holiday with family and friends.
I am planning on playing a fun game right before Thanksgiving dinner with everybody.  It is "What Are You Thankful For?"
Using the project listed here, I will be asking my family and friends, before dinner is served, to create as many pins as they would like to show off what they are thankful for this year.  I can't wait to see what some of the answers are!

Try it with your loved ones tomorrow and see how it goes!

Easy Holiday Project Idea!

Get ready for Holiday decorating this year with a simple to make Felt Bulb Garland!
Our Glimmer Felt is a great way to brighten up your home without the use of any electricity.  Why not set aside some time after Thanksgiving to get started on your holiday decor?

Find out how to make this Garland here!

Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we have some fun and easy craft ideas to help add some Harvest flair to your dinner table!

Turkey Table Toppers

With a few simple cuts, you can add your very own turkeys onto your table. 

This is a great project to do to help get entertain the kids while you are doing your last minute touches around the house



Turkey Napkin Rings

Use these turkey napkin rings to gobble-up and dress-up your place settings.  You can easily personalize them with a name card in front and double-up and use them as a place card setting!

Get in the Holiday Spirit Early!

We just added a few new Holiday projects to our website!  Make sure to check back often in the coming weeks as we have a whole lot of new ideas, products, and offers coming your way.

To get your inspiration started, look at adding a little bit of extra cheer this year by making these Penguin Treat Cones.  Leave them around the house and leave little surprises each day for your loved ones.

Happy Veteran's Day!

With today being a day of celebrating and remembering those who have fought for our country, take a moment to reflect on their achievement and sacrifice.  
If you have a Veteran in your family, you can show them how much you appreciate them by creating this Star Frame for them and giving it as a gift! 

Choo Choo Train Frame!

This month is National Model Railroad Month.  In order to celebrate, we made this multi-dimensional Choo Choo Train Frame.  It is a great addition to a Train themed room or just to add some fun colors to a room.

Find out how to make it here!

Harvest Frame

There is no better way to show off all those hay rides and trips to the cider mill then with these Harvest Frame.  It evokes all the feelings of the season and is a great way to show off your favorite memories!

Learn how to make it here.

Have A Project Idea?

Do you have a project idea of your own you would like to see showcased on The New Image Group's website?

You can submit it with just a few clicks of your mouse!

Just fill in all the necessary information on our project submittal form and we will notify you if we will place it on our site as one of our featured crafts!

We look forward to seeing your suggestions!

Harvest Decor- Fall Leaves Wreath!

With Halloween behind us, it is time to start decorating for Harvest.  This easy to make felt leaves wreath is a perfect way to begin the season! 

Find out how to make it here!

Trick or Treat Frame

With the march of trick or treaters on the horizon, it is the perfect time to create a Halloween inspired picture frame that shows off your favorite moment with your trick or treaters.  I made this and gave it to my brother  and sister-in-law so they can show off their daughter's first Halloween!

Get everything you need to make it right here!

Great Source for Halloween Project Ideas!

I received this great Halloween craft resource from our friends over at Martha Stewart.  They are some of their favorite Handmade Halloween craft projects!
Below are just a few of the ideas they have highlighted. 

Via Martha Stewart

Creative Wood Staining Methods

While out shopping yesterday, I stumbled across the Chartpak Woodcrafter's Marker.  My fellow co-workers told me that these have been around for awhile but they were new to me and I had a lot of fun enhancing the beauty of our natural unfinished wood using these easy to handle wood stain pens!

During this experiment, I also discovered that our Kelly's Crafts glass stain is also a great way to enhance the natural wood look but by adding a little bit of color.  This was just with a simple one coat of our turquoise stain pen!

I can't wait to incorporate this into more of our project ideas!  I love being able to keep the wood grain and add an extra dimension to my crafts.  I hope it is as inspiring to you as it is to me!

Become a Fan of The New Image Group!

Did you know that we are currently on facebook? 

Become a fan of us and receive special discounts and other offers before the masses do! 

Also find out first when new products and projects are added to our website.

Uncover a new world of ideas with just a click of the mouse!

Become a fan now!

Fun Felt Project Idea!

I don't know about you, but between all the rain we have been having and the cool temperatures setting in, outdoor activities have been hard to come by.

Well, we over here at New Image Group have made new project that allows you to bring some of the outdoor fun inside regardless the time of year.

With a quick trip to your nearest craft store, you can pick up all the supplies needed to make this great Hopscotch Mat! Make sure to check out the world of ideas available at The New Image Group project page.

Easy Halloween Craft Project

Whether you have a Halloween party to prep for or are in need of a great classroom activity, these Felt Bat Treat Cones are the perfect project to show off all the treats this Halloween season.  Get all the "how to's" here!

3 Simple Steps Never Looked So Good!

Kelly's Crafts recently added on to their already extensive mix of suncatchers recently with a new line called Color Clings. They are a fun, new way to add some fun to your windows!

All you have to do is three simple steps and you are ready to light up your house with beautiful scenes from fairies to bugs. You just have to Stain, Peel, and Cling! My niece loves the whimsical design of the characters and has spent plenty of afternoons telling me stories about them as they flutter about different rooms in the house. It is a great project that keeps giving after it is done.

Fun Halloween Craft Project

It is getting to be the time of the season when ghouls and witches will be knocking on your door saying "Trick or Treat!"  We have an easy wood and felt based project to help get your house in the spookiness of the season. 

These critters are great to just put around the house or if you are having a Halloween party, you can have the kids make them or make them ahead of time and use them as place card holders. 

Click here to get detailed step by step instructions.

Felt is Felt?! Take another look!

We here at New Image, and especially CPE, often hear this dreaded phrase from family and friends when we start getting passionate about what we do: "What is the big deal?  Felt is felt!"  Well, you couldn't be more wrong my friends.  We have a wide range of different styles of felt that are appropriate for different projects.  For some inspiration, check out our project pages to see all the different ways to use it.  Here is a quick cheat sheet for your crafting needs:

Soft Felt

• These are the typical felt sheets you see in craft stores.  They are great for all general purpose needs.  You can buy them in 9 x 12 Sheets, 36 x 36 Craft Packs, or by the yard.
• Our Classic Soft Felt is also sold by the yard in 72" width and is perfect for costumes, banners, drapery lining and general crafts.  We achieve our soft hand by using a fine fiber and needling over 3000 punches per square inch.  You have to feel the difference!
• Our Quick Stick felt is soft felt with adhesive backing.  It is great for creating your own stickers to embellish your projects, scrapbook pages, or add a little extra touch to your accessories.

EZ Felt

• Our EZ Felt is made up of Soft Felt that has been stiffened.  It allows you to add some structure to your felt projects by being a bit more durable than standard craft felt.  Available in 12 x 18 sheets.
• Our EZ Felt also works with a variety of personal cutting machines.  You can create your own beautiful shapes for your crafting needs!
• Stick-It Felt is our EZ Felt line with an adhesive backing.  These are available in 9 x 12 Sheets and the majority of our Felt Stickers are made up of Stick-It Felt.

Premium Soft Felt

• This style of felt works better for the majority of your sewing projects, as it is designed to withstand wear and tear. Premium Soft Felt also has a great anti-pill quality so the fabric will remain as lovely as the day you brought it home. Available by the yard. It is machine washable and again the use of our fine fiber gives a great soft hand to the felt.
• We recommend projects such as making purses, mantle covers, play mats, and other decor out of premium felt.

I had a blast making this hopscotch mat with most of the different felt varieties. Now that you know there is so much more to Felt, what will you make today?

Easy No Sew Felt Projects!

Often times with fabric crafts, you are limited to options if you have access to a sewing machine.  Well, here at The New Image Group, we heard your cries loud and clear and have offered up some great fashion pieces out of our new printed felt designs that don't need your typical needle and thread.

For those of us that don't need to carry a lot with us while running errands or want your children to have a place to store valuables while at school or out and about, there is the easy to make no sew felt wallet.  It can hold three cards or two cards with a space for some money. 

For the fashionista in all of us, we also have a no sew felt clutch.  It is inexpensive to make and you can easily change the design up for each season.  They also make great gifts for birthdays, etc.  I am making a bunch for my bridesmaids that coordinate with my wedding colors.

Show us your crafts in action but uploading them to our flickr inspiration page.  Maybe you can inspire your fellow crafter into a great new project idea!

Natural Wood Ideas

Lara's Crafts Unfinished Wood Pieces provide great building blocks for some really interesting and innovative projects.

I really have just started crafting with the various pieces and parts of the Lara's line (I have always felt a bit more comfortable with fabric) but I have fallen in love with the ability to really customize wood pieces and turn them into something truly inspired.

My favorite project I recently completed is the collection of "Learn Your Colors" Wall Art. I used some 5 1/2" Wood Rectangles, 1 1/2" Wood Discs, and our Wood and Felt pieces to bring my idea to life.What is your favorite project? Post it to our flickr page!

Wood & Felt Shapes Fun!

I love how cute the Lara's Crafts Wood and Felt Shapes are and I find fun and interesting ways to use them.  Well, it appears that I am not the only one.

A friend of mine referred me over to Simple.Messy.Fun where they showed a great and fun game to play incorporating our Monkey Wood and Felt Shapes.

The blogger uses them as a fun counting game while singing "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed."  The best part- she used a small magnet on the back of them and keeps them on the fridge for storage and cute magnets when not in use!

What other ideas can you think of?

Via Simple.Messy.Fun

Fun Back to School Projects

With the school year back in session and the fun of summer activities over, why not stretch that family time into some great back to school projects?

My personal favorite was making these pencil toppers this past weekend at a birthday party. The kids had a great time making either a flower, bee, alien, or just painting some good ol' wood beads. And, the best part of all, I got to keep the title of being the greatest Aunt ever to the parents and the kids!

Another easy one to make with the kids is this no sew felt pencil pouch. With just a little bit of glue, you are on your way to having the coolest back to school accessory on the block. I love how you can customize it with any of our Stick-It felt shapes.

A great gift I made this year for my niece's first day of school was this Back to School Frame that looks like a school bus. It is simple to make and is a great way to show off that big milestone for all grades to come.

Lastly, a great project that will help reinforce what your young ones are learning at school and at home are these adorable Learn Your Colors Wall Art made from our Lara's line of products. You get to show off your creativity and aid your children's advancement all that the same time. Plus, they also make great bright additions to the bedroom or the classroom.

I hope these offer some fun moments with you and your loved ones this season and make sure to check back often for more great project ideas!

Fun Suncatcher Ideas!

Just because they are called suncatchers doesn't mean they are stuck in the window! There are plenty of fun things to do with them once they are painted.

Here are some of our favorites:

1) Gift Tags

This a quick and easy way to add an extra touch to any present. We just added ours onto the ribbon and made an extra pop for our loved ones. This is a great idea for children to add their own handiwork on gift giving!

2) Zipper Pulls

With the snap of a lanyard hook, you can jazz up anything with a zipper. It is a fun way to rotate out the seasons on your child's backpack or to show off their favorite things. My nephew loves Monster Trucks and shows off his to all of his friends.

3) Ornaments

With just a bit of ribbon, you can easily transform your space into one of bright and awe-inspiring color. They look great on Christmas trees as the lights help add a little extra twinkle to your suncatcher ornaments.

Welcome!

We figured since we were rolling out our new and improved website, we should finally get around to starting that blog we always were talking about.

Please join us at The New Image Group family of brands to discuss what inspires you, frustrates you, and get some helpful tips and techniques on your latest projects!

We look forward to many conversations and check back often for new project ideas and special offers.

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