Latest news with #crafting
Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Times
Dragons' Den star Sara Davies increases stake in business she founded
A star of Dragons' Den is increasing her stake in the crafting company she founded as the owner of WH Smith sells its holding in the business. Sara Davies, a panellist on the popular BBC show, has increased her holding in Crafter's Companion after joining efforts to turn around the company when it filed for administration earlier this year. Davies, 41, founded the business from her bedroom at York University and built it into an international seller of paper craft, art and sewing products, with a reported valuation of more than £25 million in 2019. She returned as chief executive of Crafter's Companion earlier this year when it was sold through a fast-track pre-pack administration to Modella Capital, the investment firm that has since purchased the WH Smith store portfolio. Modella has now sold its interest to Maven Capital Partners, an investment firm headquartered in Glasgow, and Davies, who founded the company 20 years ago. Crafter's Companion swung back to profitability in May following Davies's return. She is now standing down as chief executive and will hand over day-to-day running of the business to Diane Sharp, who was initially brought in as a financial controller and was subsequently promoted to managing director. The company is opening a warehouse in the US in the coming weeks as its products were caught by the Trump administration's decision to end a tariff exemption on imports of goods valued at $800 or less. Davies had stayed as a non-executive with Crafter's Companion when it was sold to Growth Partner, a long-term backer, in 2024. She said the business lost its way when the new management team brought in to run the company shifted its focus from die-hard crafters towards a more general audience. She told The Times: 'We are excellent in our product development and our biggest investment in our company is in product development. They radically cut our product development teams down and wanted to source off-the-shelf product from China. 'Our customers are generally older, retired ladies who have time on their hands and plenty of money. The strategy pivot went after a much broader audience. And in my eyes, we have no right to win there. We don't compete on price; we deliver exceptional products which are at the higher end of the market.' The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed but it is understood that Davies will significantly increase her minority shareholding in the business, with Maven owning a majority stake.
Daily Mail
10-08-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
She'd endured every mother's worst nightmare, but was it a poisonous feud with the 'village witches' over her craft shop that drove a healthy Brit, 65, to end her life in a Swiss suicide clinic?
She smiled sweetly in pastel cardigans, chatting gently about yarn weights and showing off her stitched creations. But when crochet queen Amanda Machin revealed she had checked herself into a Swiss suicide clinic, what unravelled was more knotted than the trickiest tangle of thread. The 65-year-old - known to her 50,000 online followers as crafting influencer Amanda Bloom - recorded an emotional farewell before signing out at the controversial Pegasos clinic, where assisted death is legal even without terminal illness. 'By the time you see this, I'll be with my Jenny,' she said quietly. 'I know this is going to be a bit of a shock.' Amanda's only child, Jenny Machin, died in 2017 from a brain tumour aged just 19. She never recovered from the loss, documenting her grief in heartfelt social media posts over the years. Yet her final months became engulfed in acrimony, bitterness and claims of bullying in the sleepy North Yorkshire village of Bentham, where she had opened a crafting enterprise earlier this year. Within weeks, Amanda Bloom Craft Room had closed down. Beneath a sign announcing the 'temporary closure', someone plastered a sticker that simply read: 'Good!' In a final Facebook post, Amanda accused a 'little group of crafters in Bentham' of making her life 'miserable for months with your bitchy comments, cruel Facebook memes and untrue gossip.' She wrote: 'Please don't think it's ok to pass me in the street with a cheery smile and hello…as if nothing has happened. 'It's not ok. You've cost me my new business, my financial security and my home. 'Please don't kid yourself that what you've done is a bit of harmless fun. It isn't. There are consequences.' In a suicide note, later posted online, she said: 'I just long for Jenny with all my heart….the laughter, the feeling of loving her unconditionally and being so wholeheartedly loved in return. She was the one wonderful thing in my life and without her it's just too hard. 'When I originally applied to Pegasos, I had hoped to go in November…to have one last summer and autumn, and to carry on running my lovely shop for a bit longer, but after the bullying escalated and made my shop feel unsafe to me, I decided to go as soon as possible. 'So I'm done. I give up. I just want to be with my darling girl who was always kind, always compassionate. I don't know what lies ahead. Maybe we'll be together, maybe there's only oblivion.' Amanda continued: 'I've sent letters to my nearest and dearest which hopefully you'll have received before seeing this. Nobody needs to do anything. All the official stuff has been taken care of. 'I know this isn't very rock and roll but I wanted to be sure that I would leave no mess or trauma for anyone to have to deal with. I've been able to plan and be organised. And for myself, I was assured of a certain, dignified, clean, pain free death.' Amanda confirmed in her goodbye that she had applied for assisted suicide after reading an article about another grieving woman who had chosen the same path. Friends say she reportedly paid £10,000 to die on her own terms. The application had been made months earlier, with an original date set for November. But, she wrote, harassment from locals forced her to bring the date forward. In a suicide note, later posted online, she said: 'When I originally applied to Pegasos, I had hoped to go in November…to have one last summer and autumn, and to carry on running my lovely shop for a bit longer. 'But after the bullying escalated and made my shop feel unsafe to me, I decided to go as soon as possible. 'So I'm done. I give up. I just want to be with my darling girl who was always kind, always compassionate.' Even in death, Amanda's story has bitterly divided her former community in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales. Supporters accused a small group of women of carrying out a 'hate campaign' against the grieving mother, who lived in a £400-a-month charity-run almshouse. One friend told Mail Online that Amanda had been the victim of 'nasty and unceasing bullying from a community of crafters', describing it 'like something from the film 'Wicked Little Letters', only in this story it has ended with somebody's death'. But women accused online as supposedly bullying Amanda insisted the claims could not have been further from the truth. Andrea Taylor, 61, told MailOnline: 'Don't portray Amanda as being this nice, lovely woman who's been upset by the public. 'Bentham has got really good people here. People did try to help her when she first came back and she turned nasty. 'She could be very plausible online - if you only saw the last posts before she died, you'd think 'poor woman.' But believe me, she had a very nasty side. Ms Taylor, a former police employee, added: 'She has followers who are making out me and others are bullies, when we're not. 'We're standing up for good people. And Amanda wasn't. She really wasn't. 'She's taken her own life and I don't wish to sound insensitive, but I'm not having friends that are genuine and caring being upset.' Amanda's supporters, many of whom purchased her popular DIY crafting kit subscriptions, claim she was hounded out of Bentham by a clique of 'pathetic harridans'. One wrote online: 'Your puerile and vile behaviour cost a lovely lady her business, her home and her peace of mind to such an extent that she felt she had no reason to stay alive any longer.' However, MailOnline was told by multiple sources in the market town that Amanda had in turn become hostile to friends who had tried to reach out and support her. Amanda accused a 'little group of crafters in Bentham' of making her life 'miserable for months with your bitchy comments, cruel Facebook memes and untrue gossip' Following the closure of her shop, the windows of Amanda's shop were covered with sheets of A4 paper bemoaning 'bullying' and affirmations such as: 'Blowing out someone else's candle doesn't make your shine any brighter' One, a woman aged 79, was injured at her high street shop in April after Amanda was said to have slammed a door on her hand. North Yorkshire Police was reportedly investigating. Shortly after, the cosy yellow-fronted shop shut permanently. Soon its windows were covered by Amanda with sheets of A4 paper bemoaning 'bullying' and affirmations such as: 'Blowing out someone else's candle doesn't make your shine any brighter'. Amanda wrote on Instagram in May: 'I was hoping that the bullies would have moved on by now but they haven't, so I'm just keeping to myself for these last few days until I can leave Bentham. 'I'm so sorry to let you down but it's just not worth the aggro.' Retired textiles crafter Lynne Massey, 69, claimed Amanda turned against her after the pair both moved to Bentham in 2020. She said: 'I did my best but she disliked me from the beginning. I didn't do anything against her. 'She told me never to speak to her, so I didn't, and then she told everybody I was ignoring her and not speaking. 'It was like this for four years. 'She upset me, but I put that out of the way. But there were people in my community that she was having shouts and screams at. Once she came out of the shops and called me a tatty-headed, scruffy old bitch. 'She's upset so many people. I stopped going out for quite a while, just kept to myself. 'I thought 'I don't need this hassle'. I'm too old for it.' Amanda's mental health struggles were not new, according to those that knew her. In 2010, she hit headlines when she accused an Anglican vicar of fleecing her out of £160,000 during a time of severe depression after her marriage broke down and her sister died. She claimed he told her to stop taking antidepressants and instead offered 'deliverance ministry' to expel demons, telling her to make a list of everyone she had ever had sex with, and burn it. 'I was so low and believed he was the only one who could cure me, so I did whatever he said,' she alleged at the time. 'He has fleeced me out of thousands and robbed my daughter and I of our financial security.' Amanda's social media profiles are awash with claim and counterclaim, with those accused of bullying being blamed for her decision to end her life. One former neighbour suggested that some residents were angry that she had opened a crafting business, when one was already operational in the town. They said: 'There was already a craft shop and some people thought she was taking business away. But she wasn't selling things. She was running classes, trying to find happiness after her daughter died. 'It sounds pathetic but there are some horrible old bitches in the village.' Another suggested there was consternation that Amanda had been housed in accommodation designated for the destitute, despite appearing to be able to pay rent and rates for her business premises. NHS worker Rachel Martin, from Bentham, spoke in defence of both Amanda and those accused of bullying. In a lengthy Facebook post, she said: 'Amanda was often distressed and hysterical, accusing people of bullying her, stalking her and harassing her. These things never actually happened. 'This whole situation centres around a lovely lady who suffered the tragedy of losing her daughter and struggled with her mental health. 'Her actions were driven by that, but caused a lot of stress and upset to the people who had bent them over a period of many months. 'Those people who did their very best to support a troubled friend are now being vilified online and accused of driving her to suicide.' In Switzerland, where Pegasos operates, there is no requirement for terminal illness to be a factor in approving an assisted dying application - unlike proposed legislation in the UK. Amanda informed friends of her decision via letters sent from the airport. The clinic later confirmed her death to an unknown 'designated contact'. This week, Amanda's one bed cottage had been emptied and a new arrival was due to move in. Neighbour Fred Carter, 88, said he was stunned to learn of her assisted suicide. He said: 'To me, she seemed fine. I used to take in her parcels - loads of them, sewing machines and things like that. I never saw anything wrong with her 'She never said a word to anyone about going or what her plans were. I just can't work it out. But you never know what's going on in someone's mind. 'She was a good neighbour, always spoke nicely. I didn't have a bad word to say about her.' Amanda's best friend, crafter Julie Park, posted online how the pair said a final goodbye before she left North Yorkshire in her campervan for the last time. She said: 'We Facetimed every couple of hours right up until the last time when she was in the clinic. 'And even then, I told her it wasn't too late. I could get a flight and go and get her. 'She could come back here, we could make a she was happy and content and utterly unwavering in her decision. 'The longing for Jenny was overpowering and even if she was heading for oblivion, she said she was walking through a door that Jenny had gone through and that nothing else mattered.' Eight weeks on from Amanda's death, her ashes are still to be returned from Switzerland - a wait that has done little to quell whispers in Bentham that she may actually still be alive. In one of the village's three pubs, one local said: 'It's sad and people want to draw a line under it. 'But there are so many people who don't even believe that she's done it, and that she might just turn back up. 'Nobody knows for sure, do they, that she's gone?' Friends from the crafting community have since raised over £7,000 for a bursary for budding artists. The fund will enable an artist to stand at Yarndale, one of the biggest crafting shows in the UK, held annually at nearby Skipton.
The Sun
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I've kept 5m kids entertained with cheap, minimal-mess activities – the best hobby to keep them busy for 3h+ this summer
IN a spin about what to do with the kids this summer? You're not alone. The six-week break can be stressful, especially when you're low on cash and inspiration. 5 5 But crafting queen and married mum-of-two Kimberly McLeod, 39, has been throwing lifelines to millions of mess-hating, activity-averse mums for a decade, with fun videos and easy-to-follow print-outs on her @bestideasforkids social media platforms and website. Based in Toronto, Canada, her five million-strong community of parents, grandparents, teachers and carers love her simple, creative ideas for kids of all ages, attention spans and interests. She even counts singer Alanis Morissette and Meghan Markle's comedian pal Mindy Kaling as firm followers. But there's nothing fancy about her content, and therein lies her appeal. Think toilet rolls, washing up liquid, twigs and lolly sticks, and you'll get an idea of how accessible her activities are. A self-confessed 'mess-hater' with screen-loving kids, this influencer is refreshingly honest about the challenges of entertaining young kids at home. 'It's a constant battle to wrestle kids off the screens ', she says. 'And I know crafting can feel overwhelming with the mess-factor and not knowing where to start or what to do. 'But it doesn't have to be messy, and you can begin with a few basic supplies that you probably already have. I think parents just need a bank of ideas, it's as simple as that. 'The best bit though, is that parents get a bit of peace when the kids really get into something, especially in the summer holidays. The schools close for eight weeks here in Canada, so I feel that pain!' On her rise to mum-preneurship, Kimberly says: 'I liked art at school but I never thought of it as a career, until I did a few crafting activities with my son as a toddler (now aged 11) and posted them on Pinterest. Unbelievably, they went viral. 'When I went back to my Brand Manager job after having my daughter (now aged nine), I was struggling with the juggle, so I took the leap and quit, going all in with Best Ideas for Kids. 'I posted more activities on my socials and things blew up very quickly. People were sharing my content and I soon had this loyal community of followers. It just keeps growing!' Getting started Kimberly says: 'To keep things tidy and organised, consider getting a craft trolley. Fill it with a few simple bits like sellotape, acrylic paint, glue, crayons and cardboard to start with. Kimberley's top activities: Bouncing bubbles Cost: A few pence You will need: ¼ cup of sugar ¼ cup of washing up liquid 1 cup warm water Mix everything in a large bowl and leave overnight to ensure the sugar fully dissolves, making the bubbles stronger and more stretchy so they can bounce. Then, make the accompanying bubble wands, below. 5 Bubble wands Cost: Under £3 Playtime: 1-2 hours You will need: 1 x pack of pipe cleaners (roughly £3 from Amazon) Jewellery beads (optional) Shape the ends of the pipe cleaners into circles or hearts (squares or stars too, but they're trickier) leaving enough length to hold. To stretch the activity out, you can pimp them up by threading beads onto the 'handle'. Then dip into your liquid solution and start blowing bubbles of all shapes and sizes. They'll bounce if you're careful with them! 'I'm Bored' jar Cost: Under £3 Playtime: Whole morning/afternoon You will need: Handful of old or bought ice lolly sticks (pack of coloured sticks available from Amazon) Empty glass jar Pens 5 Ask the kids to think of at least five things they enjoy doing and then get them to write (or write for them) each activity on a lollipop stick. It could be 'make up a dance routine' or 'build a Lego house'. Pop the sticks into a jar. Every time they're 'bored,' they can dip in and choose an activity. When they're bored with that one, send them back to the jar, and so on. Leaf printing Cost: Under £3 Playtime: 1hr 30mins - 2hrs (including scavenging time) You will need: Acrylic paint Paintbrush Large sheets of card (or paper) A collection of leaves Go outside to gather leaves in different shapes and sizes. Cover the back of your leaf with a generous, even amount of paint. Press firmly onto your card, making sure to rub and press every part of your leaf so the veins on the back of the leaf will make an impression. Freestyle any picture! A rainbow, a leaf person - anything you like. Nature scavenger hunt Cost: A few pence (for printing) Playtime: 1hr - 1hr 30mins Perfect for getting the kids outside, they can take this sheet to the park or on a walk. You can raise the stakes by making it a challenge - who can tick off the most? Even the little ones are guaranteed to spot a few of the things on the sheet, with simple things like 'moss', 'insect', 'rock' etc. What do kids think? Mum-of-three Emma Lazenby put a couple of Kimberly's activities to the test... With her limited crafting supplies and skills, Emma gathered her kids, aged 11, nine and six and got crafting! She says: 'I loved the idea of the 'I'm Bored Jar' and ordered a pack of multi-coloured lollipop sticks from Amazon (£1.25 for 50). The kids miraculously engaged with this immediately, scrawling their favourite activities, like 'draw a monster' and 'play a Screwball Scramble tournament'. They kept coming back for more and this filled most of a Saturday afternoon, which was a result! However, I wish I'd have separated the activities into 'no-help-from-mum-required' and 'mum-needed' jars, as my youngest son's first selection was 'bake a cake', which I hadn't signed up to, but had to do - this being the rules. Next up, making the bubble solution and wands in fun colours, shapes and sizes. It was all very easy, despite the fear of our solution falling short on bubble size. But we spent a good 45 minutes in the garden as the kids took it in turns to perfect their bubble-blowing while the others chased them, bursting each one before it had the chance to bounce. Obviously! Egg box garden Cost: Under £3 Playtime: 1hr - 1hr 30mins You will need: 6-egg box Coloured buttons Coloured card Green acrylic paint Ice lolly sticks Strong glue 1. Cut off the top of the egg carton, paint it green and let it dry. 2. Paint the lolly sticks green (for flower stems) and let them dry. 3. Draw out and cut out 6 flower head shapes (think tulips and classic petal designs) on your coloured card. 4. Glue the buttons to the centre of the petal flowers. 5. Glue the petal flowers to the tops of the lolly sticks. 6. Draw some leaves onto a green sheet of card (or paint a white sheet of card green) and cut them out. Glue the leaves to each flower stem. 7. With a pencil, poke small holes at the top of each egg box cone. Push the flowers into the holes. If they don't stand up on their own, use some glue to keep them in place. 'Oobleck'-making Cost: A few pence Playtime: 45 mins - 1hr You will need: 2 cups cornflour 1 cup water Simply mix the water and cornflour together in a bowl until it comes together. Inspired by kids' favourite Dr Seuss and his book 'Bartholomew and the Oobleck, this doughy mixture is perfect for sensory-seekers and little scientists, making a fun alternative to slime. Oobleck isn't a liquid or a solid, it's a 'non-Newtonian' fluid and shows how changes in pressure can alter materials' properties. Pick up the oobleck with your hands and form a ball. Then let go and watch it melt into your hands like magic! It will only last a day, so let it dry out overnight and then you can smash it to pieces before you throw it in the bin.
CNET
15-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
Cricut Slashed Its Gear by Up to $700 During Their Christmas in July Sale
If you love making home décor, stickers, or cards, then maybe a cutting machine or hot press might be for you. These are a boon for teachers, business owners or people who enjoy making and designing cards for special occasions. Right now, Cricut is putting on a Christmas in July sale. They're offering discounts of up to $700 on equipment such as hot presses and cutting machines that give your crafts and designs a more professional look. Amazon is also offering deals on Cricut equipment and supplies, so you have twice as many ways to save. These deals are great time to shop if you've been looking for a way to up your crafting, and they could help you avoid higher prices if you have any tariff concerns. One standout machine is the Cricut Autopress, which is now down to $300 and is a massive $700 off right now. This press reaches temperatures of up to 400°F, includes dual voltage and can be closed easily thanks to its Zero effort design. For safety, it turns off automatically after 13 minutes of no activity. You can also save on the Cricut Explore 4, which is down to $229 right now and saves you $20. This is perfect for making stickers, vinyls, t-shirts and more. If you like to work with metal, banners and have larger projects in mind, you can also score the Cricut Maker 4, an upgrade over one of our favorites and shows the same amount of promise. It's now down to $379 and saves you $20. Other cool deals include the Cricut Mug Press, which lets you print designs directly onto your mugs for merch, gifts and more. Thanks to these deals, it's now just $100, down from its regular price of $200. It can print designs on mugs between 11 to 16 ounces easily thanks to its presets. Cricut's Christmas in July deals include a discount of up to 50% on materials, such as t-shirts, vinyl, iron-on supplies and more. If you want to get creative but aren't sure if these deals are for you, check out our list of the best 3D printing accessories and best iPad art apps for more options. Why this deal matters Cricut's Christmas in July sales offer massive savings on cutting machines, hot presses, supplies and bundles. Some of these discounts amount to up to $700 off, and buying now could help you save on potential increased costs due to tariffs.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- General
- Forbes
5 Tips For When It Is Time To Quit
HAMBURG, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 10: A Team of nine women and one man set a world record of the longest ... More distance running in high heels on a treadmill in thirty minutes at Holmes Place on November 10, 2014 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by) Last fall, I attended a workshop and spotted a young woman wearing the most beautiful shawl. I asked her where she got it and she said, 'I made it myself.' When I asked her if I could pay her to make me one, she replied, 'It took me about 250 hours. It would be very expensive plus the materials.' She inspired me to take a lesson at a local craft store. After attending an initial 90-minute lesson, the instructor sent the class on our way to finish our scarves. Since I knew I was making mistakes, I returned to the store twice to have them set me straight and get me on the right track. But I didn't want to make a scarf. I wanted to make sweaters and shawls! A few weeks later I was having coffee with a friend in her 60s who showed me a photo of the sweater she made for her granddaughter. It was lovely. She told me she has been knitting since she learned at age eight. I told her my knitting story and realized, 'I don't have time to learn how to knit.' Knowing When To Walk Away It gave me peace to realize I don't have time to learn how to knit sweaters. I was reminded of the book 'Quit: The Power of Knowing When To Walk Away,' by Annie Duke, a former professional poker player. She talks at length about how society rewards being persistent and staying with something rather than quitting. Quitters are considered losers. Duke explains that we can reframe quitting as an opportunity to better use our time, energy, and focus. When we do so, we have the permission to move onto something else. Duke said she wrote 'Quit' because 'I think that the stopping things part of the equation is very neglected.' In contrast, Angela Duckworth wrote a popular book called 'Grit: The Passion and Power of argues in her book, 'Success is less about talent and more about a combination of passion and perseverance.' She calls this combination grit. Duckworth encourages readers to cultivate long-term dedication to their goals, overcome setbacks, and maintain a growth mindset to achieve excellence. The most important lesson from 'Grit' for me was the emphasis on having a growth mindset. Duckworth distinguishes between a growth mindset, which is focused on improving versus a fixed mindset focused on proving yourself and not making mistakes. Having a growth mindset is about improving yourself yet accepting those aspects that no longer serve you. But I decided my life runway is too short to learn how to knit sweaters. I was not enjoying the process – mainly because it was going to take me too long to learn the skills needed to accomplish my goal. Since I have other hobbies where I can apply a growth mindset such as photography, I could spend more time learning and improving. In fact, I signed up for a photography tour in Guatemala next fall. This allows me to use my equipment, practice my Spanish, and travel to a place that has been on my wish list for a long time. As Duke would say, stopping learning how to knit gives me an opportunity to better use my time and energy. Tips For Quitting The Right Things/How To Quit Like A Pro So I am not going to be a knitter. And I don't feel like a quitter. The key lessons from Duke's book reminds me: Carol Orsborn, a writer and expert on aging, tends to focus on wisdom, balance, and meaning rather than traditional notions of productivity. Her work often challenges the idea that productivity is about efficiency and output. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of intuition, personal fulfillment, and integrating work with a deeper sense of purpose—especially as people age. Orsborn encourages people to shift from a purely goal-oriented mindset to one that values reflection, life experience, and authenticity. She suggests that true productivity isn't just about doing more but about doing what truly matters. What are you doing now that does not bring you joy? What do you enjoy that you would like to spend more time doing? Now might be time to be a quitter!
