After years in the crafting industry and going to the CHA tradeshows, I’m used to seeing die-cutting everywhere. I was really surprised, though, to see digital die-cutting and the way it’s taken over the sewing and quilting industry! I knew that the Brother ScanNCut actually debuted at Quilt Market last year and that it had a great toe-hold in the sewing market. Brother is continuing to develop new accessory packages as well. You’ll see vinyl, glitter sheets, printable stickers and […]
Archives for October 2014
International Quilt Market, Houston 2014: Overview
This year I decided that CraftTestDummies needed to branch out a little and attend more trade shows. After all, I started off quilting the year I turned thirty. I still love to sew and do art quilting, and I know a lot of our readers here also sew or quilt. That was all the justification I needed to head down to Houston to the International Quilt Market to take it all in. In this installment, I just wanted to give […]
Episode of Scrapbook Soup Live: 404
Hey Crafty Friends! This week another episode of Scrapbook Soup in which I appeared has gone live online. This will be available to view in it’s entirety from October 24- 31, 2014. It says that I’m there to talk about technology, but we actually talk about mixed media and the growth process of creativity!! Take a look here, just click the link! http://www.scrapbookmemoriestv.com/ And the projects by Joe Rotella and Kazan Clark are wonderful. Enjoy!
Craft Countdown with Heather Mann
Today I have a great Craft Countdown with a blogger that is the mastermind behind Dollar Store Crafts. Meet Heather Mann! Heather has been hard at work this past year on her first book- CraftFail! Based on the website of the same name, CraftFail takes a good-natured look at crafts that go horribly wrong. All of the projects are either Heather’s or user-submitted; and it’s all in good fun. I was surprised at how many useful tips there are in […]
Teal Pumpkin Project
Hey Crafty Friends! For those of you who celebrate Halloween, can I ask a crafty favor of you? Make one more craft- a Teal Pumpkin. Did you know that 1 in 13 children has a food allergy? That’s a LOT of trick-or-treaters who are getting a whole lot of nothing in their candy bags. For the past 2-3 years, I have handed out glow sticks, vampire teeth, stickers and even pencils for kids who have food allergies. My daughter’s […]
New Bottle Design from Aleene’s & Thoughts on Product Design
HEY! Do you love Tacky Glue? Yeah, me too. But sometimes it’s a bit of a pain when you are ready to glue something and you have to wait and wait for the glue to get down to the nozzle. (Remember that old ketchup commercial?? “An-ti-ci-pa-aaa-shun!” Just like that.) Well, now the folks at Aleene’s and iLoveToCreate have innovated the packaging so that’s it’s like the NEW ketchup containers (and syrup and shampoo) so that the nozzle is on the […]
Martha Stewart Crafts Deluxe Scoring Board and Paper Trimmer
A while back I got a request from a YouTube fan asking me to compare the Martha Stewart Crafts Deluxe Scoring Board and Paper Trimmer to another scoring/trimming tool. So of course I thought I should give this combo tool a once-over to see how it works. Let’s take a look. At first blush, it’s pretty impressive- it has a movable cutting arm, on-board tools, and envelope tool AND a bunch of easy-to-follow project templates . Here’s how it’s described […]
Does Duck Tape Scents Really Smell?
Earlier last month we got some of the new Duck Tape Scents in here at CTD WHQ. Of course, my kids junior assistants were super-interested in them… so I figured, let’s ask THEM if they smells are good and/or accurate. Take a look at this video we shot: I think it’s worthy of not that my son had that tingling sensation in his nose… and the “phantom smell” lasted for about an hour for him. But there was no real […]
New Episode of Scrapbook Soup Live This Week
Hey Crafty Friends! This week you can watch one of the segments I taped this May, LIVE on ScrapbookSoupTV.com! You can see my project in this show: 403 Stencils This show offers lots of new tips and techniques using stencils. Create your own stencil and learn about masking with Jenny Barnett Rohrs. A short interview features Stacy Julian as she shares her system of “get it done fast”. Then, Julie demonstrates a layering technique using new stencil designs. Last, Julie […]
Review of the Epson XP 820 Small in One Printer
Photos. Journaling. Custom labels. Printables. These are all things for which a crafter might need a printer. And I don’t really give much time to my printer, unless it’s out of ink or starts to malfunction. (Which mine just did!) So the Epson XP 820 Small in One Printer was right on time! I made a video for you, but first I want to you know a bit about it: The Expression Premium XP-820 Small-in-One delivers unbeatable photo quality2 for […]
Craft Product Review: LoopDeDoo Bracelet Spinning Loom
Every now and then I’m cruising through a craft store and something will catch my eye. (Or my daughter’s eye.) I’m not sure which one of us saw this product first- me or her- but I knew that we were going to be buying it and bringing it home to try out. The kit we bought was for bracelets, and it included the spinning loom, tray, and thread. Here’s how it’s described on the website: Design your own friendship […]
Overview of the Durathon Iron
It seems like I’ve missed National Sewing Month by a few days, but it’s always a good time for a sewing-themed review. Even if you are not a sewist, you probably use an iron for clothes or crafts- so you’d better have a good iron on hand. I have a tendency to be hard on my irons- I iron all kinds of un-ironable things… and drop them frequently. So I was in the market for a new one. Thanks, Hamilton Beach, for sending me […]
PRODUCT REVIEW: Etchall Etching Creme
This week, I experimented with Etchall Etching Creme. This is an etching cream (I did a review of the liquid/dip version of this product here>) This product can be used with stencils and the Designer Tip Kit for etching glass and ceramics. Along with the Etching Creme, I used their Designer Tip Kit, a custom hand cut contact paper stencil, a paint brush, and a plastic stencil with a sponge pouncer. Disclosure:product provided for review purposes. Links below may be affiliate links and CTD will receive […]
PRODUCT REVIEW: Etchall Dip ‘N Etch
This week, I experimented with Etchall Dip ‘N Etc . This is an etching liquid, where you can dip your glass or ceramic items for a more uniform etching. The etching liquid only etches glass and ceramics, so it’s safe to put inside a plastic container that your object will fit inside. Disclosure:product provided for review purposes. Links below may be affiliate links and CTD will receive a small commission from your purchase. Opinions are 100% our own and based on first-hand […]
Frankenstein Party Lanterns
If you have smaller kids, sometimes you don’t want to Halloween to be so scary or gory- so here’s a little fun Frankenstein Lantern you can whip up. He looks great sitting on a mantel or you can put him outside in good weather- he lights up and would look great guiding trick-or-treaters to your door! I’ve included some Amazon links to make your shopping easier. I’ll earn a few pennies if you choose to make a purchase, so thanks […]
Craft Countdown with Lisa Fulmer
Time for another Craft Countdown! Today we have Lisa Fulmer of LisaLizaLou.blogspot.com, and the author of the NEW craft book Craft Your Stash! Here’s a little bit about Lisa: I am an artist, crafter, teacher, writer, on-air talent, as well as a marketing consultant. I’ve worked in the craft industry for many years and I’m an active member of the Craft & Hobby Association. I’ve designed projects and video tutorials for many manufacturers including Spellbinders Paper Arts, Ranger Ink, DecoArt, SmoothFoam […]
Review it & DO IT! Spooky Goblets using Krylon Frosted Glass Effect
I love to decorate for the different holiday seasons-and I especially love making crafty items for our parties and family get-togethers. (And Halloween crafting is my FAVORITE!) But what if you don’t want to *store* all of those decorations and supplies? Well, then make something that you can re-use for the next season, of course! And today I’m going to show you how you can use Krylon Frosted Glass Effect to make a spooky design on your goblets… and then […]