The Craft Room Podcast

Hello and welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I'm so glad you're joining me today, as we are talking about forgotten gems. If you've been crafting for a long time, like me, then you likely have a LOT of amazing products and resources. Back in episode 40 I talked about The Craft Stash, and this is kind of an extension of that episode. Usually when people talk about forgotten gems, they're referring...

Today on The Craft Room Podcast, let's talk about something that most crafters will probably consider at some point in their lives … a no spend year. Sometimes it's a month, a quarter, six months … but most commonly I see people setting this goal for a whole year. It might sound drastic, even unthinkable to some, but in this economy, especially with the rising prices of craft supplies, there are p...

Hello and welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I'm so glad you're joining me today, as we are talking about the benefits of swatching. Yes, I am on a swatching kick right now and it all started thanks to my friend Sally. I went to visit her last month and she showed me her beautifully organised craft supplies, but more importantly she showed me her ink pad swatches. I knew the second I saw it that t...

Happy New Year!  Today is the first day of 2026, so I figure it's a great time to talk about new year crafting resolutions. Yes, I have talked about this before, back in episode 32, mainly focusing on planning and different types of crafting resolutions that can be done over 12 months. Today, I want to focus on something different, plus I have an exciting announcement. LINKS Episode 42 blog post E...

Today on The Craft Room Podcast, let's talk about my Big Announcement and Product Longevity.  Last week I made a really big decision, which led to a big announcement this week … it's time for me to close my shop. You can see my full announcement video on the home page, and most recent blog post, at dawnlewis.com.au. Closing the shop got me thinking a lot about how we use our products, inspiration,...

Today on The Craft Room Podcast, let's talk about the Craft Stash, which is near and dear to pretty much every crafter I've ever known, and that is the craft stash. If this is a term you're unfamiliar with, your craft stash is that collection of craft supplies, tools and resources you keep in your home, so that when you find yourself with unexpected crafting time, or inspiration strikes you can ge...

Hello, welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I'm so glad you're joining me as we look at ways we can set ourselves up for Success for a new crafting year. I have ten tips that you might find helpful. I was live in my card membership group a while back, chatting about this delicious week between Christmas and new year. The festive, yet chaotic energy of Christmas has passed, and it's my favourite time...

Hello … welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I'm so glad you're joining me today, because we are talking today about the upcoming Card Maker Success Summit.  I've been attending these summits for the past few years, and even though I've been making cards for over 30 years, I still come away from the event having learned something new, and loaded up with inspiration. So imagine my excitement when an...

Happy new year to you, and I'm so glad you're joining me today as I answer the most common question I've received so far this year, which pertains to glue. Way back in Episode 26 I talked a lot about glue, but I've learned a few new things this week, so I thought it was time to share updated information and answer a question that lands in my inbox almost every day … "What is the ETA on the Precisi...

I'm so glad that you're joining me for this episode, because it's a wild ride. Even if you're not into crochet (or parasols), I hope you'll stick around for the thrilling tale of how a 34 second TikTok video sparked a crafting odyssey. I have some hot tips to share that you might find useful in your own crafting life. I'm sure I'm not alone in this … you know that moment when you see something on...

Today we're talking about an important crafting topic ... cost vs value. This is something I mention a lot on the podcast, but have never talked specifically about, so we're going to talk about it today. In a nutshell, the cost of something is the price you pay for it. The value is what the product is worth to you. Todays episode is sponsored by Altenew. If you're unfamiliar with them, Altenew hav...

Today we're talking about a couple of very important things you need to know if you have Copic markers, or are thinking about starting your collection … maintenance and handling.   I want to start by laying out my credentials … I am a certified Copic instructor, and an Authorised Copic Stockist in Australia. I have been using Copic markers for over 13 years, and I created the Copic Subscription Bo...

In todays episode let's talk about those crafting goals you may have set in January, and ways you can set yourself up for success.   LINKS Blog post -  https://www.dawnlewis.com.au/podcast32 Ep 5 - Quilting - https://dawnlewis.com.au/podcast5/ Frankensteins Fabrics - https://www.frankensteinsfabrics.com/ Creative Fabric Fans - https://fans.creativefabrica.com/creators/dawn-lewis-imagery/ Unsplash...

In todays episode I thought I'd catch you up on what's happening with international shipping. Between pandemic and Christmas levels of demand, USPS has become overwhelmed and suspended all shipping to Australia (and some other countries). I have some insights, as well as suggestions for alternatives to shopping overseas. LINKS Blog post - https://www.dawnlewis.com.au/podcast31

In todays episode I'm answering a question from my awesome friend Renee who wants to host a swap for her online community. She wanted to know exactly how it's done, so I thought it would be fun to talk today about how you can be a great swap host, and also a great swap participant. I have talked about craft swaps in an episode previously, but this will be more about the technicalities of what goes...

Today, let's talk about embossing. Breaking it down to bare basics, embossing refers to a technique resulting in a raised area on your project. For those of us in the paper-crafting world, there are two main methods of embossing that we can achieve an embossed effect. There's dry embossing and heat embossing. They use very different methods and products, and there's a distinct difference between t...

I know it's been a while between episodes, but Covid and lockdown have kept me extra busy with the shop. I'm excited to be back … thanks for tuning in!  Today, let's talk about one of the oldest, most used, versatile and affordable pieces of kit that you can have in your crafting stash - stencils. Stencils are, essentially, a tool that helps you create a design quickly and easily by masking off th...

Today I thought we'd talk about digital craft resources ... essentially the way that digital resources have changed and affected and influenced us in the crafting community. In the last 20 years, I have seen a significant shift away from traditional resources like books, paper patterns, and in-person classes to a very big influence and presence of digital patterns and resources and classes. And I...

Today we are talking about adhesives, and there are so many different options, each suited for a variety of uses. Over the years I've found that adhesives fall into one of three categories … Spray adhesives Liquid adhesives Dry adhesives Having a sound understanding the strengths and weaknesses and the pros and cons of each different kind of adhesive is beneficial to all crafters. Having a good kn...

This is happening … I think we need to talk about crafting in isolation. If you're listening to this as it goes to air, it is towards the end of April 2020 and we're in a pandemic. Whether you prefer to say that you're stuck stuck inside or safe at home, self isolation is a thing. Now, I know you might be thinking, "Oh, she's going to tell us we should make the most of our time, seize this opportu...

Last month The Craft Room Podcast had it's first birthday, and I had my … something-th birthday, and that started me thinking about how tricky it can be to buy for crafters sometimes. Then the Coronavirus became a pandemic, and I've found myself sending cards and little gifts to people to brighten their day (and perhaps I bought myself some little gifts as well). During that time we had a blackout...

In January 2020 I attended Creativation ... a craft trade show in Phoenix, AZ, USA. I have wanted to attend this show for over a decade, and the 33 hour travel time was 100% worth it. In todays episode I'm answering the questions people asked me before, during and after the show, sharing my take-aways and some behind the scenes stories. You can find a full transcript of todays episode and a whole...

Before we get into todays episode, a quick content warning. I will be mentioning Australian bushfires, animal rescue carers and people who have passed away, including angel babies. It's not a graphic discussion, it's more part of the narrative about how we can help people in distressing situations. If these are sensitive topics for you, please take care of yourself when listening. Today we are tal...

I went on a craft retreat with my friend Marni a couple of months ago. It got me thinking about all the amazing retreats I have been on, ones I would like to go on and the differences between them. Craft retreats come with different durations, different price points, different levels of structure and different kinds of accommodation. You can expect a different experience from different types of re...