Craft Test Dummies

When Jenny asked me if I wanted to review The Big Ass Book of Crafts 2 by Mark Montano I JUMPED at the chance. I have all of Marks other books and I always find lots of ideas and inspiration in them. I couldn’t wait to dig in! Stats: A hefty 383 crafty pages Chapters [...]

Reviewing the book Crafting With Cat Hair: Cute Handicrafts to Make with Your Cat resulted in, hands down, two of the most bizarre projects that I’ve ever made. Strangely enough, they also ended up being two of the cutest. Keep on reading and you’ll see what I mean! Crafting With Cat Hair: Cute Handicrafts to [...]

The Cloth Paper Scissors Book  – Techniques and Inspiration for Creating Mixed-Media Art by Barbara Delaney   I was totally excited when I got this book in the mail a few weeks ago. I’ve been a subscriber of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine off and on (mostly on) for several years now. While the book is [...]

I actually purchased this book a several months ago, brought it home and put it on a shelf to read later. Something about writing book reviews for Craft Test Dummies and National Sewing Month got me to pull it off the shelf to dig through it. Boy, I’m glad I did. Because I finally got [...]

I’ve been a fan of Alisa Burke for a while now, her blog is in my daily feed and I have another of her books. I’m crazy about her messy graffiti style and the way she uses and layers color. In Sew Wild, Alisa still uses her messy layers, colors and even some lettering and [...]

Let me start by stating the obvious: I love recycling and making crafts out of objects that are headed for the trash. So when I heard of Tracie Lampe’s book “Upcycled Accessories: 25 Projects Using Repurposed Plastic” published by North Light BooksI was half sold before I even opened the cover. Let’s start with a [...]

Have you ever wondered what inspires others to create their own signature styles? Or have you needed ideas or inspiration for creating your own? “Signature Styles” by Jenny Doh reveals how 20 women are influenced to develop their own unique looks. Women who are authors, bloggers, entrepreneurs and more share some of the events, people [...]

There are few things that crafters find quite as irresistible as a beautiful book filled with adorable, quirky plushies, and Steampunk Softies delivers just that! The cover boasts “Scientifically Minded Dolls From a Past That Never Was,” and the projects do not disappoint. Each doll has its own personality, with just the right amount of [...]

I’ve heard about Maker Faire for years now, but have never had the chance to attend. They were either too far away, I had another obligation, etc- but this weekend, the stars were in alignment so I packed up my kiddos and headed up to the Motor Maker City to go check out what all [...]

I love a good crafty book- especially one that offers tips for organizing, decorating, entertaining, gardening and more. I was offered the chance to host a review and giveaway, and thought you all would love it! So let’s get started, shall we? Home Made Simpleis a book that came out of a new online community [...]

I now own FOUR Cricut machines, and even have demonstrated them for ProvoCraft- but who couldn’t use a little more help when it comes to learning to use a tool? Enter Megan Gravener of Above Rubies Studio. She came out with Cricut A to Z, and instructional DVD that helps even “advanced” Cricuteers get more [...]

Last weekend my 6 year old and I took a spontaneous field trip out to Lake County to visit the FarmPark. Only 30 minutes east of Cleveland, the FarmPark is a gem for city-slickers like myself! It’s a place where you can see a working farm in action, and learn about the almost-lost arts of [...]

So, after my visit with the Bermondsey Craft Club (make sure you read about that part of my trip here) I was itching to get my hands on some crafty UK publications to see how perhaps the aesthetic or products were different than what I see in the US. Here are some of the magazines [...]

I love polymer clay, and have played with it for quite a while. I even teach local classes on occasion. So I look at a book called “Polymer Clay 101″ and I wonder- is it really easy enough for beginners? Will it have anything to offer experienced clayers? After reviewing this book by Angela Mabray [...]

Remember a few months ago when I reviewed “Beasties” by Diane Schoenbrun? Well, I enjoyed that first book enough to join up for a craft-blog-hop for her new one, “Puppet Play.” Like Beasties, this book features creatures you can make from things you have on hand (mostly.) Dishcloths, socks, cans and even legwarmers (ok, I [...]

I used to scrapbook more than I do now. It seems to be such a HUGE task, and my time is short…so I constantly put off my scrapping. (For example, my 6-year-old still does not have a baby scrapbook. Sorry, BK!) So I was open to reviewing The Big Book of Scrapbook Pages: 500+ Designs [...]

I find it amusing and beyond coincidence that the majority of PBS craft shows are shot on the East side of Cleveland. Every week, my favorite crafty people fly in, shoot their segments, and fly away back to their busy lives. Imagine how thrilled I was when one of my new crafty friends, Julie McGuffee, [...]

A while back I reviewed the ecosystem artist’s journals, and I absolutely loved them. Imagine how thrilled I was to find out that they have come out with a NEW version- a sketch book! Lucky for me, I got my hands on one to review. The reason I love these books- and are including them [...]

Hi!! My name is Christine and I am the Host of Scrap Time!! Today I am here at Craft Test Dummies to share a review with you on the book ‘Wee Wonderfuls’ by Hillary Lang! I love Handmade Dolls!! I had a pile of my daughter’s clothing and I though instead of giving it away, [...]

Plushies. Stuffies. Monsters. Whatever you want to call them, they are all the rage: hand-crafted fabric creatures for kids and adults alike. Last fall I got a copy of Diane Shoenbrun‘s book, Beasties: How to Make 22 Mischievous Monsters That Go Bump In the Night (and one to give away, but more on that later.) [...]

Lo, many moons ago I wrote a rather snarky post about Zentangles VS. Mandalas and how all the fuss really just seemed to me like a marketing ploy. (Let’s remember the $50.00 kit price.) So fast forward a few years and what falls into my hands? Zentangle Basics. The lovely and charming Marie Browning herself [...]

I love keeping journals. I don’t write in them religiously, but I do keep several going at one time for ideas, lists, art journaling, and as travel diaries. Usually I just buy what is on sale at the craft or bookstore, without any thought to the actual notebook- manufacture, recycled materials, etc. Until I received [...]

Here’s another super-adorable book by Irreference (a Quirk Books Site): it’s Creepy-Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots and More! As soon as this book hit my door, my 9-year-old son grabbed and began frantically thumbing through it. Then came The List. As in, this is “The List” of items he expected to make for me. In [...]

Honestly, my favorite season is fall and one of my favorite celebrations is Halloween. I love decorating the house, wearing orange/purple/lime green and black (I mean, when else can you pull THAT color combo off??) and making fun nummy treats for the kiddos.  So I was ready to dive into “Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cute [...]

So often I see a cute craft with a great image- I’m particularly attracted to vintage images such as old-timey postcard. While at the Country Living Fair recently, I saw a lot of Halloween decorations with these types of images, and realized it was time to dig out the “Old-Time Halloween Illustrations” by Dover Publications [...]

I love a good road trip- especially one that leads me to crafts, antiques, recycled and upcycled goodies, and…um…lemonade. (I’m a sucker for fresh-squeezed lemonade. But I digress.) My crafty BFF Vicki O’Dell, the Creative Goddess invited me to take a ride with her and her cousin down the Ohio State Fairgrounds to check out [...]

So, if you don’t know Drew “The Crochet Dude” Emborsky, you should. He’s a righteous crochet designer, and a good egg to boot. (And we won’t even start on what he can do with an egg….!) Anyway, Drew is a prolific designer with now 6 books under his belt. This latest one is “for the [...]

Wonder what a CraftTestDummy does on a weekend? Sometimes I make a big mess….and sometimes I go shopping. I took a little field trip to Stamplistic, and wonderful (and sadly my ONLY) semi-local independently-owned scrapbooking and stamping store. What makes Stamplisitic special is that they carry such a marvelous collection of scrapbooking, stamping AND mixed-media [...]

Just found out about this craft-tastic fundraiser via Vicki Howell, and felt moved to pass it along. Watch the video to hear about Jason and Mojo Fest, then do what you can. Craft on!

If you read my post yesterday about the Martha Stewart “Blogger’s Night Out,” you know that I left you hanging with a tease about my private tour of the MSLO offices. Let’s just take a moment to savor those words, shall we? Private. Tour. It was almost as nerve-wrackingly exciting as going to the actual [...]