Craft Test Dummies

  My name is Amy. I am a 36-year-old crafty gal who has lived all over the country (a lot in the Northwest) and finally ended up in Atlanta. I was born from creative genes, so I’m carrying on the tradition. I have been knitting for 18 years, sewing for longer and decoupaging for just [...]

  Margot Potter is an internationally celebrated designer, author, trash to treasure trover, freelance writer, consultant, public speaker, performer and TV Host.  She invites people to not only think outside of the box, but to tear it up, repurpose it into something fabulous and stand on it to reach for the stars. Equally comfortable at [...]

    My name is Becky Striepe (pronounced “stree-pee,” like “sleepy”), and I am a freelance writer and vegan crafter living in Atlanta, Georgia. My life’s mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone!     5 tools or supplies you can’t be without 1. Vintage buttons 2. Ric Rac 3. [...]

 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1   I’ve been writing here on Craft Test Dummies for a while now (2 years this coming July). While at CHA in January Jenny and I started talking (Well, ok. The truth is that we NEVER STOP talking but that’s a story for another day) and [...]

  Every great once in a while I see something online and I think, “that is super cute” and I have to make it. Even if it’s not within the usual realm of my work. I mean, who says I have to stick with mixed media and jewelry making EVERY day? So when my Facebook [...]

    Haley reviewed Impress Art Metal Stamps for Craft Test Dummies in May last year. See the review here: Craft Tool Review: ImpressArt Metal Stamps. Since then, two newer products have come along from the people at Impress Art that I’d like to share with you today. They are the Metal Stamping Hammer and [...]

From the DMC website: Go 3D with Color Infusions Memory Thread – Shape it. Tack it. You’re done. Memory Thread is a soft fiber wrapped copper wire that you can use to embellish all types of needlework and craft projects. Memory Thread is colorfast, fade resistant and acid free. Memory Thread is available in 28 [...]

  I’m kind of crazy about the new Extra Small Kanzashi Flower Maker Templates from Clover USA. I mean, I loved the large and small templates but I’m a sucker for anything miniature or extra small. I noticed that Haley is also a fan of them and mentioned them in her CHA Winter 2013: Haley’s [...]

  As the Craft Test Dummy in charge of all things jewelry I have a hard time finding new products to get excited about at CHA amid all of the scrapbooking companies but this year Beadalon gave me something to get excited about.   The Jewel Loom was created by my friend Julianna Hudgins and [...]

Clockwise: Jenny, Vicki, Haley, Sarah, Angie and Polly   I am finally home and recovering from Winter CHA Show 2013 and thought I would share a few of my favorite moments with you. One of my favorite meetings was the Craft Test Dummies breakfast meeting on Saturday morning. Once everyone had arrived and settled in [...]

Making Fabric Jewelry by Marthe Le Van From the back of the book: Every day we dress ourselves in wonderful fabrics, so why not accessorize with them, too? The designers in Making Fabric Jewelry mined their imaginations to create spectacular, innovative fabric accessories. Dive into your stash and reuse remnants and scraps to create a [...]

I’m intrigued by new ways to create my own fabrics. Whether it’s for a home decor project or the background fabric in a mixed media project, I’m forever searching for new things to try. Enter Ink Effects from DecoArt. From the DecoArt Ink Effects website: Ink Effects are fabric transfer inks that absorb into the [...]

  Following my popular post 5 Basic Jewelry Making Tools You Need to Get Started (which is LOADED with supplies that a brand new jewelry maker will need) I have come up with a Top Christmas Gifts for Jewelry Designers (and aspiring jewelry designers alike) list to share with my friends here on Craft Test [...]

  Book Review: 30 Minute Necklaces by Marthe Le Van   From the back of the book: Ready to be beguiled? Intrigued? Energized? The super stylish  necklace designs in this book will capture your undivided attention for the 30 minutes it takes to complete them. Got wire? Of course! How about leftover copper sheet, beads, [...]

Who remembers the original Shrinky Dinks? Ahhh the ’70′s. Just so ya know I didn’t have the Glow in the Dark Shrinky Dinks. Lame. I know. And yes, I realize that I’m showing my age when I remember the ’70′s so darn well.       Book Review: Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk! by Kathy Sheldon   [...]

Book Review: 30 Minute Earrings by Marthe Le Van   From the back of the book: The earring designs in this book will WOW you, INSPIRE you, and MOTIVATE you to drop everything else for 30 minutes and create a pair of SUPER STYLISH earrings. Beyond the obvious (gorgeous) rewards, each project will help you [...]

  Book Review: 30 Minute Bracelets by Marthe Le Van From the back of the book: Do bracelets make you HAPPY? Are you PASSIONATE about cuffs? Wouldn’t you LOVE more bangles? Good thing it takes just 30 MINUTES to make each of the FABULOUSLY FASHIONABLE projects in this book!       30 Minute Bracelets [...]

    Jill Wiseman’s Beautiful Beaded Ropes – 24 Wearable Jewelry Projects in Multiple Stitches is to beaders what the newest, hottest Halo game is to gamers. It’s for serious beading geeks. Like me. Well, I’m only a little bit of a beading geek. But I’m working on it! I’m madly in love with stitching [...]

  Book Review: 30 Minute Rings 60 Quick and Creative Projects for Jewelers by Marthe Le Van From the back of the book: “60 Ring Projects by 40 top jewelers in 30 minutes flat!” “Are you smitten with silver? Gaga over gold? Wild about wire? Then don’t waste another second because you can make totally [...]

  Darice Hole Reamer   I have quite a few of these little metal awls (hole reamers, piercing tools) in my studio. I use them for lots of different purposes. This one can be found at Consumer Crafts and is only $1.47. It’s perfect for paper and lighter force applications as I have been known [...]

I tend to have what I call a “Global Nomad” aesthetic. Even though I don’t really travel the world in a gypsy wagon I do in my imaginary world. Maybe that’s why I’ve been madly in love with everything 7 Gypsies since the day I first spotted some of their wares on a store shelf? [...]

If you have a product to sell in the crafting universe it’s a good bet that you’ll want to have a booth at the Craft and Hobby Association (otherwise known as the “CHA Summer”) trade show. But in order to drum up even more excitement about your product you might want to do some make [...]

  I always love when I get new jewelry making books to review. Back when I lived in New Mexico I took a geology class and I’ve been fascinated with gemstones, fossils and other “rocks” ever since. When I saw Beading with Gemstones by Valérie MacCarthy I was excited for the chance to get to [...]

This may come as a surprise to you but… I’m not much of a doodler. I think I was, when I was younger, but somewhere along the line I lost my doodle. I’ve been thinking about how I might get it back. It seems that it would fit so well with some of the things [...]

I have to admit that “Chains Chains Chains: 25 Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings” by Joanna Gollberg and Nathalie Mornu sat on my TO BE REVIEWED shelf for a little while. Basically because I was afraid that the projects might be too hard. I mean, I’d never MADE my own chain before. Now I just feel [...]

Inspired Remnants, Curious Dreams  Mixed-Media Projects in Epoxy Clay by Kerin Gale is a book that features Epoxy Clay, as you may have guessed. I have to tell you, when I received the Apoxie Sculpt Epoxy Clay (read the full review of that product by clicking the link) from Jenny along with the book. I [...]

    A Bounty of Bead and Wire Earrings by Nathalie Mornu is full of 50 fun, fast jewelry projects. In the introduction Nathalie says that your face is the first thing people notice about you so why not dress it up with pretty earrings. Makes perfect sense to me! A Bounty of Bead and [...]

I had a few minutes to chat with fellow CHA Designer Rebekah Meier this past January at the CHA Winter Show and found out that she had a new book coming out. When I found out it was about fabric collage I offered to review it for her here on CTD. How could I resist [...]

  Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects from Lark Jewelry and Beading A few things you might want to know about this book: Hard cover – lays flat for easy reference 126 pages Diane Fitzgerald’s Favorite Beading Projects includes 24 projects There is a project gallery at the end of the book for further inspiration The [...]

As a gal who started out in Floral Design I was really excited when I got this book to review. I. LOVE. FLOWERS!! AND as an extra bonus I’ve been collecting wool here and there when I’m out on my thrift store jaunts. I haven’t really done much with any of it so I was [...]