Craft Buddy Blog — craft buddy

I first discovered Crystal Art during the Pandemic when the shops and restaurants were all closed and social distancing was being enforced.  It was actually my boyfriend who bought me my first Crystal Art kit - a Birthday present in lockdown.  The design was titled Leopard and featured a stunning wild leopard with piercing blue eyes so lifelike it seemed as though poised and ready to jump out of the picture to growl at you.

As I slowly unwrapped the package I was filled with a sense of excitement tinged with some trepidation.  I glanced at all those tiny glistening and twinkling sparking, shiny beads.  I wondered if I would ever complete such an intricate design and how many hours it might take.

Hi, we're Martin & Angela, a husband-and-wife team who are lucky enough to own Blueberry, a small independent gift shop in Minehead, West Somerset. We're always looking for new gift ideas and we became a Crystal Art stockist after their sparkly artwork caught magpie Angela's eye at a trade show. We find that it's a great way to create something beautiful, the process itself contributing to sense of mindfulness - a therapeutic effect that many of our customers also comment upon. 

We stock a variety of projects, from sticker motifs and greetings cards to the large canvases, so that all of our customers can enjoy the art, no matter their craft experience.

Below is a little bit more information about us that we thought you might like to read.

How long has Blueberry been in business for?

We celebrate our fifth birthday in June! It only feels like yesterday we opened our doors :)

What do you enjoy most about running Blueberry?

It might sound a bit corny, but we do actually love to make people's day. It makes us happy when we've helped our customers find the perfect gift for themselves or their loved ones.

During normal times, do you take part in at any local fairs or exhibitions?

We try to get out to the local markets in Watchet and Minehead where we can - Crystal Art has been our best seller there, to the point where we have been exclusively trading it at the markets. We found a lot of our regular Crystal Art customers through these markets.

Do you find people keep coming back for more Crystal Art?

We do get a lot of repeat customers, often looking for bigger, more challenging projects! In our experience, it's always good to have a 30x30/40x50 canvas on the go so that people can try it - the kids seem more willing to have a go than the Mums & Dads! Being mounted on a wooden frame is definitely a plus & we've even converted a few who are experienced Diamond Art-ers with the convenience of not having to find a framer!

Do you have any sizes are designs that are particularly popular in your shop?

We find that the cards, 30x30 and 40x50s are our best sellers, especially the Anne Stokes designs 

What sort of town is Minehead and are there any other nearby towns customers would come from?

We're a little seaside town, most famous for having one of the last remaining Butlin's in the country as well as the longest steam heritage railway in England, so we get a lot of visitors from all over the country :)

The image below of the Stags at the Waterfall, was actually taken on Minehead beach, with Minehead's most prominent feature, North Hill. The Stags were a particularly good sellers for us because we're right on the doorstep of the Exmoor National Park which is famous for stag/deer :) 

For more information about us please visit our website - click here. We also post out and delivery to the local area, so if you are in Minehead or surrounding areas, please do get in touch – we’d love to hear from you. You can also find us on Facebook - Click here 

I have been very crafty from a young age, always looking at ways to make literally anything from bits and pieces around the house. Ever since I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the world of henna art (temporary body art created using intricate designs drawn using natural plant extracts). Being from an Indian background, I used to love to go to weddings, just so I could get some henna on my hands and always wished I was able to do it myself.

I started drawing patterns on everything and anything whenever I had a pen in my hands, even now, if I am on the phone or procrastinating, I doodle.

I always love to try my hand at new things; from jewellery making, paper crafting, to designing my own candles and other homeware goods.