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 don’t have those on hand) can be transformed into fun puppets that you and your favorite kiddo can make and customize together. The book is […]
Craft Product Review: deColourant by KandiCorp
DeColourant by KandiCorp was one of the new and exciting products I saw at CHA last winter. It’s a product that you apply to fabric and it will either a) remove the fabric color or b) remove the fabric color and deposit a new color onto your fabric. Here’s how it’s described on their website: Have you ever tried using Discharge Pastes to remove the color from fabric? If so, you KNOW how messy and smelly the process is, and […]
Craft Product Review: Claudine Hellmuth’s Sticky Back Canvas
I like stickers, and I love the texture of canvas. Leave it to Claudine Hellmuth to come up with a product that combines the two! Manufactured by Ranger, it’s a perfect craft-to-art crossover product- that is, it introduces the crafting world to higher-quality art supplies. Here’s how it’s described on the website: It’s a self-adhesive canvas sheet that you can decorate with paints, inks and dyes, then cut out and stick onto canvasses, cards, scrapbook pages, and more. Prime with […]
Craft Book Review: Beasties by Diane Schoenbrun
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.) While it’s taken me a while, I finally carved out some sewing time and made a few creatures from the book! First, let’s just do […]
Craft Product Review: Clover Flower Frill Template
It’s mid-February, and I’m yearning for spring! What better way to get in the “spring” frame of mind than with some fabric flowers? And with Clover’s new Flower Frill Templates, I’m learning to whip up full, lush fabric blooms in less time than it takes to watch a sitcom. The Flower Frill template package comes with 2 templates of 2 sizes each and instructions in each package. The templates themselves are made of a waxed cardboard and are scored for […]
Craft Product Review: Nestabilities & Grand Nestabilities Dies by Spellbinder
A while ago I posted a great recycled soda can craft using the Nestabilities Dies made by Spellbinder- and then I realized that I’d never really reviewed them! If you follow CTD with any sort of regularity, you see these dies popping up all OVER my crafts. (I’ll have a list at the end for you, too, so you can see for yourself. ) So, you know the drill…what can it cut? Take a look… Another surprise- FOAMIES! It also […]
Craft Product Review: Mod Podge GLITTER!
Um, OK. So in the past few days I’ve shared my unabashed love for Mod Podge (satin and glossy), shared my new appreciation for Mod Podge Shimmer and now….buckle your seat belt…there’s GLITTER MP, too! It has a lot in common with it’s other Mod Podge bretheren. Just to recap: It’s a glue, a finish, and a sealer It has a mild, distinctive odor. Has a tendency to show brushmarks. (Use a sponge-type brush to help this.) Has the viscosity […]
Craft Product Review: Mod Podge
This is a version of a post I put up at CraftsUnleashed.com, but with my special “CraftTestDummies” touch for you! Mod Podge is a true crafting staple, and every crafters’ closet should have a bottle or two. This miracle 3-in-one product is a glue, sealer, and finish, all in one bottle. What’s more, you have a choice of finishes: gloss, satin, and even sparkle and fabric versions! So here’s what you should know about Mod Podge: It’s a glue. You […]
Craft Product Review: Lisa Pavelka’s Signature Craft Foils
Here’s an article I wrote for CraftCritique back in May of 2009, and I realized I’d never shared it here. As you may know, I love Polymer Clay (and Lisa Pavelka), so it deserves another mention here, with a few edits. Enjoy! I love shimmer, shine, and glitz, so I was excited to get my hands on the newest mylar foils sold by Lisa Pavelka under the “Signature Series” label. I got the “Expressions” colors, which has one sheet each […]
Kid’s Craft Product Review: Artterro Needle Felting Kit
This is another open-ended craft kit sent to me by ArtTerro– this time it’s a needle-felting kit they’re calling “Paint with Wool.” The Paint with Wool kit includes four 4X4 inch wool felt squares that are off-white, lots of strips of colorful wool roving, and 3 needle felting needles, and a basic instruction sheet. This kit is geared for ages 8 and up, but I tried it out on both my 9 year old son and my 5 year old […]
Craft Product Review: Bic Mark-It Markers
While I’m not sure permanent markers really count as a “craft product” per se, I don’t know a single crafter worth his/her salt that doesn’t have a stash of permanent markers. And while another brand has kind of dominated the market, I was really drawn in (pardon the pun) by the Bic Mark-it colors and design. Good enough excuse for me to shell out some cash for a new set of markers and PLAY! For this review, I’m really focusing […]
Craft Product Review: Fiskars Tailor Shears
I have more pairs of scissors than I can count. Paper scissors, pinking shears, embroider scissors, kid’s scissors. I even have my “special” fabric scissors that I use for my heavier-duty cutting. However, none of them hold a candle to the Fiskars Tailor Shears that I just got! First of all, they’re made by Fiskars, which in and of itself ensures quality. (I mean, when you think scissors, you think “Fiskars,” right?) Secondly, these shears, made specifically for sewing/tailoring, are […]
Craft Product Review: Simply Spray
I have done a number of projects now using Simply Spray, and I have to admit I’m a fan. I noticed today, though, that I’d never posted a review here on my blog, even though I’d written one for CraftsUnleashed.com. So I’m re-printing my review here with links out a slew of Simply Spray projects! I love the look of tie-dying, but sometimes I need to get a project done NOW- without mixing up colors or waiting for pots of […]
Trendspotting at CHA Summer 2010- Banners!
I wrote this article for CraftsUnleashed, but I wanted to share it over here, too- because this is a trend that isn’t slowing down any time soon! What is “CHA”? It’s the Craft and Hobby Association trade show and it happens twice a year. I’ve just returned from the 2010 Summer show in Rosemont, Illinois, and I thought I’d share some of the trends I spotted. Following last year, BANNERS are still hot, hot, hot! Banners made of paper are […]
Knitting Looms and Jury Duty
Last week was quiet here on CTD, because your crafty friend was called up for…JURY DUTY! I can hear the collective groans from you readers, but really, I didn’t mind too much. First of all, I believe in our judicial system and my civic and moral obligation to serve. The other reason I didn’t mind so much was that I knew that I could catch up on my crafting with all that waiting around! So after a quick think about […]
Craft Tool Review: Westcott Spring-Assist Scissors
Every crafter I know has a ka-jillion pairs of scissors. And every crafter I know probably needs or will buy one more pair if they are worth it. Today I’m talking about that pair- Westcott Spring-Assist Scissors. Actually I have TWO pairs of Spring-Assist scissors- the 9″ Titanium Ultra-Smooth scissors and the 6″ “Blooms” . Let’s start with the larger of the two, the Titanium Ultra-Smooth, which have a mildly blunted tip. The overall length is 9″, but the blade […]
Craft Product Review: Freestyle Mouse by Purple Cow
I love my rotary cutter for cutting fabric. And I love my paper trimmer for cutting paper. If those two tools got together and had a love-child, it would be the Free Style Mouse by Purple Cow- and I would adopt it and take it home! As you can see from the picture, it looks a little different from most of the other paper-trimmers and rotary cutters out there on the market. Why, it looks kind of like a computer […]
Shamrock Yo-Yo Maker by Clover
If you’ve been around CraftTestDummies a while, you know I’m a huge fan of Yo-Yo makers by Clover. (Read my review of the heart-shaped yo-yo maker here.) This year I saw that they came out with the “shamrock” shape and I had. To. Have. It. Like the other yo-yo makers, the Shamrock Yo-Yo Maker set consists of a template and a tray, which pop together. You put your fabric, right side down into the tray, then pop in the template […]
Glitz-Up Hot Fix Crystal Review up on Craft Critique!
Yeah, I’m crafting like a fiend these days…and my latest crafty play date and resulting review is on a vacuum-powered hot-fix crystal setter by Viva-Decor called the “Glitz-Up.” While I loved the idea, but it had a few issues. It didn’t knock my socks off, but still it’s a pretty cool tool. Head over to Craft Critique to read my review of the Glitz-Up (disclosure), and then follow this link to read my review of the Crystal Crafter (disclosure) to […]
Craft Product Review on Craft Critique: Perfect Pearls
I need to make a confession. Even though I’m a pretty hard-core multi-crafter, I’d never tried Perfect Pearls. Sure, I’ve used straight-up pigment powders for stamping and on polymer clay and I like those just fine. However, Perfect Pearls boasts that it has a built-in resin to help it stick to surfaces, and I thought it was high time to give them a go. First off, I’ll say I like the “kit” factor- PP’s are packaged to give you 4 […]
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