DIY BDSM Toys and More!

Writer Kayla Lords takes a look at what makes Kink Craft and their love for DIY BDSM toys so kinktastic for the BDSM community. Full disclaimer: She also writes for Kink Craft.

When you hit the Kink Craft website, it’s hard to know where to go first. Do you head off to learn how to make your own flogger? Do you listen to a podcast episode featuring a great sex blogger or educator? Maybe you check out the articles to learn more about DIY BDSM toys. 
 

Kink Craft is one of those places where yes, you can buy products and get your kink on, but the proprietors, Andrew and Pixie, also want to share their knowledge and let others share what they know, too. In kink, it only works as long as we’re all open to listening and learning new things. Kink Craft embodies all of that which makes it easy to forget they sell kinky sex toys, too.

OK, first things first. Who is Kink Craft?

We are Andrew and Pixie. We started Kink Craft about two years ago because we saw a lot of really great products on the market, but no one was really talking about how to make your own. There is plenty of advice on the Internet, but finding something that is concise and explains the process thoroughly is very hit and miss.
 

So, we decided to change that while bringing a little fun along the way. We teach people how to make DIY BDSM toys through online videos and kits that make the whole thing a lot less intimidating for beginners. Or you can just buy the finished product without having to do anything. Neither of us really identify in the kinky community. We know plenty of people in it, and we have a lot of friends who love it. We have run workshops on DIY BDSM toys at a number of kinky events, and it is always a lot of fun.

Before starting Kink Craft, were you already into making DIY BDSM toys? What was the catalyst for saying, ‘This is what we need to do?’ And why paracord?

Pixie has always been crafty in many ways, from designing clothes to creating stained glass. So making things has always been easy for her. Andrew is much less crafty but has learned to make our own kits at events.

We decided this is what we needed to do because no one was doing anything like it. The idea of showing people how to make their own kinky toys has never been done. We both love teaching and helping other people, and this was a way to bring a little kinky fun into teaching people new things.

Why Paracord, blame Andrew. It is a very versatile and colourful material that is very easy for anyone to make things from. When we are making floggers at an event, anyone can sit down and have a go without having to worry about special tools or complicated processes.

You offer kits, ready-made toys, and online courses to teach people how to make their own DIY BDSM toys. Do people seem to have a preference? Do people share their creations with you after they buy a kit or take a course?

At shows, we run a workshop so people can sit down and make a flogger out of paracord in about 30 minutes. Right now we have made about 500 of them over the last two years. So that is by far our most popular product.

The one product people buy the most is the bondage cuff kits. There are three designs, but the figure-8 is the most popular. The most popular colour is, as always, the classic black. But purple and red follow along closely behind.

We love sharing other people's creations, and there have been some stunning versions of our designs. One of the reasons we wanted to give people the means to make their own toys was so they could make a version that is unique to them, and so many have. It has been amazing.

Make your own flogger in a DIY BDSM toys workshop

You work with a variety of writers and an excellent artist to add meaningful, thoughtful content to your site about kink and BDSM. What fueled that decision? How do you choose what topics you want to cover?

Helping people is at the core of who we are, so talking about sex and sexuality is something we all need to do more off. We decided to open up that discussion by tackling some of these subjects. As a consequence of having the articles, we would end up having a discussion on the topic ourselves. So we decided to make that discussion public, and we have been surprised by the results.

We find we get a mixture of people who come to Kink Craft for different reasons. There are plenty who have found the podcast first then jumped into all the other things we do. There are those who love the content and look forward to seeing it in their news feeds every week. Then there are those we have met or already know who discover we also have this fantastic blog.

Pixie forces Andrew to sit down once every few months to discuss the upcoming topics. We normally pick a theme for each month then come up with article ideas and concepts we want to hit that month. Then we throw those ideas out to the writers we work with. They can pick those ideas up or pitch new ideas to us. But we do like to have a mix of fun/fluffy articles and much more hard-hitting ideas.

You’re heavily involved in the sex writing community - sponsoring Molly Moore’s Top Sex Blogger list, being a part of Eroticon for the past few years, etc. When and how did you first become involved in this part of the community? How has it impacted you personally and in your business? What do you hope to add to the community?

We first got involved as part of Eroticon two years ago. We offered to run a making workshop for them, and they took us up. The love of the writing community really grew from that; they are an inspiring group of people to be around. They are incredibly welcoming and supportive and direct and forthright in their views. You couldn’t want for a more challenging and enlightening group of people.
 

I think the thing we took away from the first Eroticon we went to was how hard writing is if you want to be good. It surprised us both how much work the writers put into honing their craft. That is when we realised we just couldn’t write as well as they could. It has really all grown from that, wanting to support them however we can.

Not only do we want to continue to support the events taking place (we will be at Eroticon in March running three workshops). But we view our blog and podcast as platforms where all the writers get another way to express their thoughts. It isn’t just about pushing us as a business but getting the ideas out there, discussing them, and doing something to open others to the ideas.

The snake whip is one of the favourite DIY BDSM toys

Let’s end with kinky sex toys, shall we? What are your favourite items in your store, the top sellers, or the best courses people should check out? Do you have anything new on the horizon?

I think the most beautiful of our current products are our wooden-handled floggers. You can buy them ready-made, or you can make your own. It took us about seven months to work out how someone could make their own, but we did it.

One of the DIY BDSM toys Pixie loves making is the snake whips, and Andrew does love to throw them around in meetings. They are something that we are finishing the course for right now so anyone can learn how to make their own whip. We have a few others planned for this year that are still being worked on.
 

Our next big launch is going to, again, be something very different. We have just finished the photoshoot for our plus-size latex designs. We have designed a range of clothing for UK size 14 - 28 specifically to flatter the curves of a plus-size body. This isn’t something anyone else is doing, and we feel the curvier woman deserves consideration.

Kayla Lords is a freelance writer, sex blogger, and a masochistic babygirl living the 24/7 D/s life.

Do you have any experience with making your own DIY BDSM toys? Have you ever been to a sex toy workshop? Spill all in the Fetish.com forum. 

Images: via Kinkcraft.co