Craft Focus - Feb/Mar (Issue 71)

Tell me a little about the origin of Hunkydory Crafts. The story began in 1990 at a humble wool and needlecraft shop in Preston, Lancashire. The owners Ann and David Newhouse bought some peel-off stickers to add greetings to handmade cards. The couple were quickly hooked on this new idea and began to extend their offer into something far bigger. How has the company evolved since then? In 2002 Ann and David founded mail order company Cardcraft Plus, but soon found it difficult to source quality products to fill their regular catalogues. The in-house design team were also keen crafters and had shown real interest in producing papercraft items, which quickly joined the company’s list of bestsellers. Before long, fellow retailers had begun to enquire about stocking the innovative new range, and in 2007 Hunkydory Crafts was born as a card-making supplies and materials wholesaler. More recently the company has grown to become a premier papercraft manufacturer, supplying retailers across the globe with the latest trends. New collections are regularly showcased on the Create & Craft and Ideal Shopping channels. What are your key product lines? We’re predominantly recognised as a quality manufacturer of die cut and foiled papercraft items, but as our portfolio has expanded we have become known for other products too. Highlights include our Adorable Scorable cardstock and Adorable Scoreboard. We also make the Prism range, featuring alcohol markers, ink pads, pearlescent powders and watercolour pencils. The Premier collection includes blending tools, a glue gun, craft mat, trimmers and a screw punch while our Moonstone dies can be combined with our range of stamps or used individually. Lastly, For the Love of Stamps features beautifully designed photopolymer images covering a variety of different themes. Our papercraft category features something for everyone, with several main categories including DecoLarge Little Books, Whopper Toppers, Colour Families, Marvellous Mirri pads and Topper Decks. How often do you launch new lines? Across our brands, we bring out a new product virtually every week, whether it’s a single item like our Crafting with Hunkydory magazine or a full papercraft collection with coordinating upsells. Hunkydory has been at the forefront of papercraft for more than a decade. Trade sales manager Claire Hamer tells Andrea Ashfield what’s in store for the hugely popular brand house of cards 32 craft focus