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Craft Test Dummies

The Crafting Blog for Crafters, By Crafters

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January Craft Hauls from Target and Tuesday Morning!

February 29, 2016

I don’t know what has gotten into me lately, but I’ve been a pushover for discount craft shopping! I took trips to Tuesday Morning and raided their craft section, then headed over to Target for some bargains! I shared my craft hauls initially on Periscope- (by the way, you can watch the full replays on Katch.me, and even see the questions and comments!) But I did edit them a bit and posted them on YouTube. Take a look! And here’s Target! […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 8 Comments

Distress Backgrounds Two Ways

February 19, 2016

Distress Stamp Pad Backgrounds- two ways! Full video tutorial

I have really been having a blast with our One Little Tag challenge- and I got inspired to pull out my Distress Stamp Pads out of the mothballs and play with them again. I remembered this technique I saw once on how you could use plain water to get a fun patterns, so I made a Periscope to share (follow me there for LIVE videos/tutorials) and I recorded it onto YouTube for you. If you want to play along, these […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | Leave a Comment

Hearth Room Renovation and Fireplace Screen Makeover with Krylon

December 16, 2015

This summer we did a HUGE renovation of our kitchen and hearth room. The kitchen was a total tear-out, whereas the hearth room where we watch TV was more of a “facelift” maneuver. We updated the brick fireplace with stone and a new mantel from designs we found on a post on https://howtohome.com/. And while we hired out the “big” work, I added my finishing touch by making over our old fireplace screen with Krylon Supermaxx paint! Disclosure: this post […]

Posted in Home & Garden DIY, Sponsored Posts | 7 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving from #TeamCTD

November 26, 2015

From all of us here at CraftTestDummies, we wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! We’re going to take a few days off to enjoy our families, some good food, and maybe even a Black Friday sale or two. Cheers!

Posted in Jenny Sez | Leave a Comment

Heading to London town

November 7, 2015

I’m on the road again! Those of you who know me know that I love traveling (here’s a link to my crafty/travel posts), and searching out fun crafty adventures is always part of the plan. Next week (Nov 9-11 2015) I’ll be in London with hubby and paying a visit to my Italian Daughter. She stayed with us from September 2013 to June 2014 through AFS- a program I support and continue to participate in. (Right now we have a daughter […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 1 Comment

Fall Decorating with Krylon

October 8, 2015

AT LAST!! Fall is here, that cool breeze is in the air, and there are straw bales and pumpkins and fresh apples!!! I LOVE fall. And I really love decorating for autumn, outside and inside. Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Krylon but all images and opinions are my own. This year, I have a “new” entryway off of the kitchen post-kitchen remodel. A great excuse to decorate it, right? I had this old lantern that I picked up at […]

Posted in Home & Garden DIY, Sponsored Posts | 2 Comments

Powdered Dyes verses Pigment Powders

October 4, 2015

Lately there has been a LOT of buzz around powdered watercolors/dyes lately- products like ColorBurst, Brusho, and Magical have all been on the “hot” list this summer. But recently a reader asked, “What is the difference between Pearl Ex/ Perfect Pearls and Brusho (or another of the above.) While they are both powdered color, they are not the same. Some are powdered DYES, while others are PIGMENT powders. The main difference is that one is a DYE and the other […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 6 Comments

Fall Deck Cleanup with Thompson’s WaterSeal

September 7, 2015

This post is sponsored by Thompson’s WaterSeal- but all images and opinions are my own.   It’s hard to believe that summer is winding down. For my family, Labor Day weekend is the time to start our fall-clean up in preparation for winter. Luckily, here in Ohio we have a lot of lovely fall days, and we can enjoy our deck into November. However, summer is not very kind to the fabric goods on our deck. The sun has bleached […]

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Coloring Books are NOT Art Therapy

August 18, 2015

Earlier this week I had a twitter exchange with a British Paper-crafting magazine company that sent out a tweet that said something like, “Colouring is so great! It’s Art Therapy and will help you de-stress.” (Or some such thing, I didn’t keep it.) Anyway, this got me stewing. Because Art Therapy is NOT coloring. It may be a technique USED by Art Therapists in a practice, but Art Therapy is a recognized profession. From the American Art Therapy Association: It’s […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 10 Comments

Backyard Makeover with Thompson’s WaterSeal

August 8, 2015

This post is sponsored by Thompson’s WaterSeal- but all images and opinions are my own.  It’s summer, and here in Ohio that means taking advantage of the lovely weather. It doesn’t last that long, so that means a lot of weeding, gardening, and then just sitting out and enjoying the lovely results. Earlier this summer we started work on our kitchen remodel- so we were neglecting our outdoor spaces. I have a little corner of the back garden that has […]

Posted in Home & Garden DIY, Sponsored Posts | 2 Comments

Picnic Basket Makeover with Krylon

August 5, 2015

We are in full-on summertime mode here, with hikes, road trips and picnics! I got our “new” picnic basket at a yard sale for $10- it’s clean, sturdy and BIG! But it was also pretty plain. So I gave it a makeover using Krylon spraypaint! Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Krylon brand but all opinions are my own.  For this Krylon challenge, our color of the month was “Honeydew.” We were asked to pick some accent colors, too. And […]

Posted in Recycled & Green, Sponsored Posts, Summer Crafts | 1 Comment

Overview and Demo of the Photo Sleeve Fuse by We R Memory Keepers

June 28, 2015

One of the coolest tools at CHA 2015 was the new Photo Sleeve Fuse tool. Used to cut and fuse plastic sheets and scrapbooking page protectors, this heat tool creates opportunities to make custom pockets for scrapbooking, waterfall cards and pages, and even attach embellishments. I am pleased to team up with WRMK today to share with you this overview and let you know that there is a special bundle coming soon to HSN!  Disclosure: Samples provided for review purposes; however my opinions are […]

Posted in HSN Updates, Sponsored Posts | 6 Comments

Hostess Tray Fit for a Queen (Or a Princess Charlotte!)

June 1, 2015

I had this old hostess tray sitting around, and it really needed….something. It was plain and cheap, and faded into the background. I decided it needed some “oomph” and that when I used it, my guests should feel like a royalty! (Or maybe even me, on Mother’s Day?)  So I set to work. Here’s a sneak peek! (Disclosure: this is a sponsored tutorial designed my little ol’ me on behalf of Krylon. They supplied the paint and compensation. Thanks, Krylon!)    […]

Posted in Craft Projects, Home Decor, Mother's Day Crafts, Recycled & Green, Sponsored Posts | 3 Comments

New “We Made It” Craft Line by Jennifer Garner for JoAnn Fabric And Crafts

May 19, 2015

Today I ran across a little tidbit on JoAnn Fabric And Crafts’ Facebook page: they are partnering with actress Jennifer Garner on a line of kid’s crafting kids, called “We Made It.” Here’s how it’s described on the website: Jennifer Garner presents a new line of creative kits and projects for kids ages 4 to 11… coming exclusively to Jo-Ann this June. We Made It by Jennifer Garner is more than 100 durable, high quality choices designed to last as […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 2 Comments

Overview of the PixScan Mat from Silhouette (Paper)

May 7, 2015

Last fall I attended Quilt Market in Houston, and Silhouette was really making a splash with the new PixScan Mat. They gave me one to try, so I here are my first impressions! Disclosure: This is an unsponsored review. Product was provided for review. All opinions are honest and my own and based on my personal, first-hand experience with the product. Links below may include affiliate links and purchases made using them support CTD. Here’s the description from the Silhouette website:  […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 2 Comments

Craft Field Trip in Melbourne and CRAFT HAUL!

April 6, 2015

I really had SUCH an amazing time in Melbourne Australia…. and part of the reason why is that there were so many artistic and crafty places there. Graffiti Alley, great architecture… and CRAFT STORES!   I made you this video- it’s almost 10 minutes long, so fair warning- but it includes photos of my trip and a video of my craft haul at the very end. I hope you enjoy it! I hope you enjoyed this crafty field trip around […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 8 Comments

Glue Resist Wall Art Featuring Faber-Castel Gel Crayons

April 2, 2015

Here’s a fun project that you can do with your kids or even for yourself! Make some wall art that speaks to you! You’ll need: canvas paper (it comes in pads and is very economical) or a stretched canvas if you prefer Gesso (read my primer on gesso if you are not sure what that is or why you should use it pencil white glue or gel-style glue. I found that the glitter glue from Elmer’s worked best. (affiliate link) Faber Castell […]

Posted in Kids Stuff, Paper Crafts, Sponsored Posts | 3 Comments

Review: Faber-Castell Gel Crayons

March 31, 2015

Faber-Castel Gel Crayons

What do you get when you cross a twist-up crayon and watercolor paints? A GEL CRAYON from Faber-Castell! These “crayons” are very soft and creamy- like a lipstick- and they are water-soluable, too. So it’s a two-fer. Here’s how they are described on the website: Budding artists ages 3+ love to experiment by drawing on different surfaces. Gel crayons are a great way of drawing on large surfaces, with their soft stroke and bright colors. Super soft and buttery Gel […]

Posted in Jenny Sez | 15 Comments

DIY Travel Accessories Tutorial

March 30, 2015

Thanks again to Fairfield World for sponsoring content on CTD. Please visit their site for more product information and free projects!  As I was preparing my post about Poly Pellets and Micro Beads for Fairfield World, I got inspired to get out my machine and make a few things. I had a pair of my daughter’s old leggings and knew that the knit fabric would be great to recycle – so I created a travel neck pillow AND a stress/sleeping […]

Posted in Fabric Crafts, Recycled & Green, Sponsored Posts | Leave a Comment

Stuff It! Micro Beads or Poly-Pellets?

March 26, 2015

Howdy Crafty Friends! Today I’m here with a little “the more you know” moment courtesy of Fairfield World. We’ve teamed up to help you pick the best stuffing for your project, as well as to introduce you to two of their products- Poly-Fil Micro Beads and Poly-Pellets Stuffing Beads. So let’s just dive right in! First, let’s take a look at….well, how they LOOK. Micro Beads are white, super teeny, and a little squishy. Pellets are twice as large, clear, […]

Posted in Sponsored Posts | Leave a Comment

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Hi! I’m Jenny, the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS and the Head Dummy behind CraftTestDummies.com where you’ll find craft product reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news.

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CraftTestDummies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Jenny Barnett Rohrs is Head Dummy and Pied Piper behind CTD, which focuses on reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news. Jenny has appeared on HSN, Scrapbook Soup PBS series, and is currently the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS.

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Copyrighted Content Permission All images and tutorials on this blog are copyrighted material. Please contact me if you would like to borrow any media (photos, video or audio files), tutorials, or ideas from this blog. 99% of the time I would be happy to allow you to use one photo with appropriate credit and link back to CraftTestDummies.com (preferably to the same post it was borrowed from.)
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