Spellbinders Paper Arts Announces Collaboration With Simple Stories

December 9, 2024

Spellbinders Paper Arts is excited to announce a fresh collaboration with beloved papercrafting brand Simple Stories!

 It’s a match made in crafting heaven as Spellbinders’ expertise in die-cutting comes together with the adorable designs and scrapbook essentials from Simple Stories. Or perhaps it’s a match made in the 100-Acre wood! Simple Stories and Spellbinders team up to create a storybook collection around everyone’s favorite silly old bear, Classic Pooh, coming in January 2025. Spellbinders’ dies and BetterPress plates will be available on SpellbindersPaperArts.com starting January 10, with Simple Stories coordinating releases available at retail stores in mid-January.

 Simple Stories began in 2002, when the husband and wife team Amber and Kevin Crowell had a dream of creating a business for paper crafters and hobbyists to share their passion for memory keeping. With a small start-up business named MemoryWorks, the two began a journey of developing time-saving scrapbook products that inspire memory keepers everywhere to share their stories in a simple and accessible way.

As a busy mother passionate about keeping the precious memories of her family, Amber dreamed of creating beautiful albums, but quickly discovered that scrapbooking could be overwhelming, with too many photos and ideas, but never enough time. Fueled by a desire to create time-saving scrapbook products, Simple Stories was born.

For Simple Stories’ first collaboration with Spellbinders, stepping back in time with the nostalgic charm of the beloved Classic Pooh was a natural fit. With her origins in capturing stories of family life with young children, Amber was inspired by the days of sharing her own childhood favorite with her children.

The Say Cheese Classic Pooh collection features dies of the inhabitants of the 100-Acre Wood, as well as BetterPress plates reminiscent of the original illustrations from the A.A. Milne novels. Rounding out the collection is a set of sweet sentiments, an alphabet die set in a playful font, and a photo frame die with nostalgic charm. Combined with Simple Stories patterned papers, stickers and ephemera, the Say Cheese Classic Pooh collection is perfect for adorning simple scrapbook pages, charming handmade cards and so much more.

With more collections on the way, the collaboration between Spellbinders and Simple Stories is sure to delight scrapbookers and card makers for a long time to come. Check out the Simple Stories catalog at www.simplestories.com and subscribe to the newsletters from Spellbinders Paper Arts for announcements about the Say Cheese Classic Pooh collection.

Spellbinders Paper Arts Acquires Hero Arts

November 1, 2024

Two leading companies in the craft industry join forces to create new opportunities for creativity and innovation.

Spellbinders Paper Arts, a global leader in die-cutting, hot-foiling, letterpress, and crafting products, announced today that it has acquired Hero Arts, a family-owned company that has been producing high-quality stamps, inks, and accessories for 50 years. The varied strengths and expertise of the two iconic brands are coming together to create a dynamic and powerful force in the arts & crafts community.

"We are thrilled to welcome Hero Arts to the Spellbinders family," said Marc Petrine, President of Spellbinders Paper Arts. "Hero Arts is a respected and trusted brand that shares our passion for creativity and innovation. Together, we will be able to offer our customers more choices, more value, and more inspiration for their crafting needs."

Hero Arts has a long and rich history of beautiful designs and high-quality products that are beloved in the industry. With a vision towards keeping the Hero Arts style unique and distinctive, as well as maintaining the rich catalog of Hero Arts products, Spellbinders plans to streamline operational and back-end functioning for greater efficiencies that will benefit supporters of both brands. The convenience of ordering greater assortments from Spellbinders Paper Arts and Hero Arts from one trusted source will make shopping easier for both crafters and retailers.

Denzil Quick Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at NAMTA

March 30, 2024

Phoenix, Arizona – March 25, 2024 – Denzil Quick, Vice President of Innovation of Spellbinders Paper Arts, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Arts Materials Trade Association (NAMTA) at its annual Creativation Welcome Reception in New Orleans, LA.

This recognition comes as no surprise to those familiar with Denzil Quick's extraordinary contributions to the Arts & Crafts world. With decades of dedication, innovation, and passion, Denzil has left an indelible mark on the industry landscape.

“Denzil Quick's contributions to our industry cannot be overstated.” said Leah Siffringer, Executive Director of NAMTA. “Throughout his illustrious career, Denzil has consistently demonstrated unparalleled creativity, unwavering leadership, and commitment to excellence. Denzil is the compass we can all turn to during challenging decisions, a collaborator who skillfully navigates complexities. He is truly deserving of this Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Denzil’s journey has been one of innovation and inspiration. He began his career in the creative industry after distinguished tours in the United States Navy and Naval Reserves. His lifetime passion for photography led to a job with a photography store in Ohio where he helped grow the business into a large regional chain. In this position, Denzil began making contacts in the creative and crafting world that would one day become the most coveted Rolodex of movers and shakers in the industry.

Recognizing the shift towards digitization that would change the very nature of the photography business, Denzil moved west and went to work at Ellison for 12 years, eventually serving as their Director of Product Development. Denzil was responsible for countless innovations throughout his tenure at Ellison.

In 2014, Denzil moved from southern California to Phoenix to join Spellbinders as its Vice President of Business and Product Development, a position he has held for nearly a decade.

Upon receiving the award, Denzil Quick expressed his gratitude, stating, "I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award from NAMTA. It has been a privilege to be part of such a vibrant and dynamic industry, and I am grateful for the support and encouragement of my colleagues, mentors, and peers throughout the years."

The Lifetime Achievement Award is a testament to Denzil Quick's enduring legacy and serves as a reminder of his profound impact on the Arts & Crafts industry. As he continues to inspire and influence future generations, Denzil's contributions will undoubtedly influence the Arts & Crafts landscape for years to come.

Spellbinders Paper Arts Announces Collaboration With Lisa Horton

March 21, 2024

Spellbinders Paper Arts is excited to announce a new collaboration with Lisa Horton of Lisa Horton Crafts!

Lisa Horton is a celebrated designer and educator with a passionate fan base in the UK, and Spellbinders is delighted to bring her signature “CAS” or Clean and Simple style to craft lovers across the globe. After having followed the growth of Lisa Horton Crafts, the Spellbinders team was eager to partner with Lisa in designing her collection, entitled Spotlight Frames and Florals. Spellbinders Product Development Director, Robin Beam, said of the process, “Lisa is a product manager’s dream – such a pleasure to work with. She has a wonderful understanding of how to show the versatility of each product, and how the various products work together to truly create a collection.” The Spotlight Frames and Florals collection showcases Lisa’s timeless, crisp designs in a series of versatile products crafters will reach for again and again. The collection will be previewed at Namta and will launch to the public in May 2024.

Lisa Horton Crafts is well known in the industry for creating outstanding 3D embossing folders, which are often teamed up with layering stencils and cutting dies. The stencils are designed to pair beautifully with the Ulti-Mate 2 tool, which “makes the layering of your stencils one of the most easy systems you will find” and also includes a die that allows for other brands of stencils to work well in the system. Lisa Horton Crafts carries a full range of stamps, dies, mediums and brushes – with more innovative products to come in 2024 and 2025.

Though Lisa has been a crafter “since the moment I could pick up a pencil,” she began her professional career working in a craft store before transitioning to opening her own shop in 2011. From there, she began working with Creative Expressions and quickly progressed to demonstrating on television and launching her own collections. In 2020, Lisa decided to branch out on her own and Lisa Horton Crafts was born. Of owning her own company, Lisa says, “I absolutely love the freedom it has given me to be super creative and bring products to experienced and brand new crafters.”

Lisa is passionate about inclusivity in crafting, education and creating high-quality and timeless products. She “loves to share creativity, inspire people and ensure that anybody, experienced or new, can pick up one of these products and not feel daunted by it. I love that their result will be equal to mine.” Lisa strongly believes in supporting her product releases with educational content and inspiration so creatives feel confident in reaching for her designs time and time again.

Spellbinders Paper Arts helps crafters worldwide to pursue a more creative life by offering the top-of-the-line Platinum series die-cutting and embossing machines, as well as a vast library of beautiful dies, embossing folders, hot foil plates, letterpress press plates and curated accessories. In the twenty years since Spellbinders came on the crafting scene, they’ve led the industry with masterful die designs that do triple duty by cutting, embossing, and stenciling, allowing crafters to add new levels of dimension and detail to their projects. Spellbinders’ product lines consist of over 3000 products, allowing crafters, hobbyists, artists, and teachers to create one-of-a-kind crafted projects that spark joy.

Spellbinders is thrilled to bring Lisa Horton’s designs to the United States and looks forward to a successful partnership with the UK creator.