Craft Test Dummies

Chalkboard projects are all the rage.  When I saw these chalkboard card stock stacks from Die Cuts With a View (DCWV), my first thought was how much easier those projects will be by using this paper.  No more waiting for chalkboard paint to dry for 24 hours before being able to use it.  I dove [...]

I’ve been a fan of polymer clay for a long time. But what do you do if you don’t have an oven to cure it, or you want a piece that is super lightweight? Use air-dry or so-called “paper” clays. Today I’m trying out once such clay- Puffy Putty by ColorSplashfor S&S Worldwide. Here’s how [...]

Hello, Crafters! It’s Earth Week, and that means a special spotlight on a “green” or Earth-friendly tool or product is in order. So today, I’m turning my attention to X-Acto 9-inch Recycled Scissors. These scissors feature a green plastic handle that is made from recycled materials, and the blades are about 3.5 inches long. The [...]

I use a lot of decoupage type mediums in my art…whether as glue or as a sealer, or sometimes for other creative ideas…and there are LOTS of different kinds on the market.  A few months ago, I was given a couple bottles of Decou-Page by DecoArt to try out, and I’ve enjoyed using it. Let’s [...]

I was ecstatic when I came up to the Little Yellow Bicycle booth at CHA; I have grown to love this company over the years with their amazing quality patterned papers, cohesive color pallettes and coordinating embellishments.  I have always found their paper lines in the past very versatile and I was not disappointed when [...]

Today’s review is a fun one for me- I’m reviewing the Pick Punch that my dear, sweet son bought me for Christmas last year. I geeked out when I saw it in a catalog because it’s a great way to reuse old bank cards, gift cards etc. And you all know that I love “green” [...]

Fabric Paper by DCWV (Die Cuts with a View)  was on display at CHA Winter 2012, and all of us on TeamCTD got a little giddy. Fabric? That acts like paper? That’s ADHESIVE??? *Squee!* So let’s see how it works in real life! Ready? So first, let’s see how it’s described by the manufacturer: Newest [...]

At Winter CHA 2012 in January, there was a LOT of buzz around the Lucky 8 Punch from We R Memory Keepers. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Lucky 8 Punch is a monster of a punch, made to made both outside (edge) cuts as well as detail cuts (inside.) It has functions [...]

I’ve really been missing out all this time.  At CHA in January, the folks at Ranger gave us some of the new colors of Liquid Pearls which they released, and I have been playing with them for the last few days…and now I am wondering why it took me this long to find out how [...]

When I went to CHA this last January Lawn Fawn was on my top five picks of products that caught my eye.  Lawn Fawn is a fairly new company that started in 2010 with their amazing photopolymer stamps and this year they debuted a brand new paper line, “The Bright Side,” as well as more [...]

While at CHA Winter in January, I had the pleasure of meeting Dyan Reavely, the newest signature designer at Ranger. She’s developed a line of stamps, stencils, and ink sprays. Her line is notable for it’s whimsy and bright colors. Take a look at the video I took at CHA: So today I’m reviewing the [...]

Purple Cows really went all the way with it’s Craft Geek line of texturizers, trimmers, wire jigs, and heat tools. Now, I’m here to kick the tires on the Punch It tool- a craft punch that has alignment guides to make all kinds of filigree designs. Let’s dive in! The tool consists of a punch [...]

I have two little girls who love making art projects with their mama. And while I love sharing my stuff with them, sometimes it’s nice to be able to pull out something special just for them. This Glam Art kit from Fubulous Wubulous (part of Dot Art) is just the thing to keep your little [...]

My daughters definitely inherited my love to craft and create; my youngest could go through a full ream of paper in a week if I let her. My oldest wants to do craft reviews when she grows up, which I find absolutely adorable. They’re always asking if they can help me with my reviews (really, [...]

Art Journaling is all the rage in the scrapbooking/ crafting community- so it’s no surprise that someone should come up with an art journal geared toward kids! Artterro has done just that- they’ve created a kid-friendly kit that encourages drawing, writing, doodling, and collage. This kit consists of the mat board bound journal, pretty handmade [...]

While I’m doing less and less scrapbooking, I’m still going strong in the paper crafting area. I’m making cards, gift tags, and even custom stationery. So I still have  a need for a good corner punch to add that little “oomph” to my designs. Today I’m going to put the Fiskars 3-in-One Corner Squeeze Punch [...]

There are so many mists and sprays these days out on the market and each and every one of them seem to be different and special in their own way. I am a bit of a spray, “hoarder” too, they’re just so much fun, versatile and I consider them a good tool to have in [...]

I’ve known Stacy Rich, the creative mind of StacyStamps for well unto 15 years now. She was the co-founder and previous owner of Stamplistic, THE place to go for stamping/scrapbooking/mixed media supplies as well as the leader of many great classes. Along the way, Stacy started designing rubber stamps- her trademark is that most of [...]

I love to make handmade cards and embellished tags. Sometimes they need just a little “special decoration”- and Design Adhesives can do the trick! These clear “rub-on” type stickers allow you to put a little design almost anywhere, but then customize it with your own glitter, flocking, chalks, even embossing powder! Here’s how they are [...]

My son has been learning to fold Origami at school this year, and he came up with this idea for his class Valentine’s all on his own. He’s made folded hearts with a little note tucked inside, and a foil-wrapped chocolate candy attached to the outside as an embellishment. To make each Valentine, you’ll need: [...]

So many of us like the look of stitching on our paper crafts….but it can be tricky to get that look “right”- uneven stitches, problems piercing the paper, inability to make those cool designs. Now, though, there is a cool tool on the block from We R Memory Keepers- the Sew Easy Stitch Piercing Tool [...]

This is an exciting time for crafters- products that were almost unheard of a few years ago are now common for paper crafters. (Gesso, anyone?) And almost EVERYONE is really making “mixed media” art now, combining different materials and techniques for everything from card-making to scrapbooking to canvas art. If you are interested in dipping [...]

I’m ashamed to admit that with my vast array of stamps and art supplies, I have great difficulty getting handmade cards created in time for birthdays and holidays.  That said, it is one of my goals to work on this year.  In fact, this pin on Pinterest caught my eye and gave me some motivation! [...]

I have a problem; I take too many photos.  And then I get stuck in a rut of either trying to scrapbook all of them on 12×12 pages or make mini-books out of special occasions. Eventually I get overwhelmed and never get anything accomplished. Sometimes I just wished there was an easy way to put [...]

Prima Marketing has been synonymous with gorgeous flowers, blingy rhinestone embellishments, and mistable resistant canvas. Now they have really rounded out their product offerings (along with lovely scrapbook papers) with clear stamps and  rubber stamps. Prima has really put on a show with all of the lines they’ve come out with- Ruby Violet, foam stamps [...]

To start off, let’s talk about the difference in types of dies that Sizzix has available. I previously showed you how to cut fabric with the new Framelits dies from Sizzix…

Perfect Layers is a craft tool that has been around since the early days of scrapbooking- a set of clear acrylic rulers that have “bumpers” on the underside that make it possible to cut mats (or layers) without measuring. But do they work, and are they still a handy tool to have on your craft [...]

Scoring boards (tools designed to assist with making scored lines on paper) are fairly new on the crafting scene- it’s a specialized tool for die-hard paper crafters. Even within that group, scoring boards are primarily helpful to folks to make cards, envelopes, and boxes. But for those who do, scoring boards like the Scor-Pal are [...]

If you love the look of glitter, but dislike the mess, then you probably gravitate toward glitter glues. So now let me introduce you to the Cadillac of glitter glues- STICKLES by Ranger, Ink. Stickles are super glittery and come in a wide range of sparkly and iridescent colors. They are a great way to [...]

So what is an embossing folder?  My non-crafty friends think I’m speaking Greek when I use words like this!  Embossing folders are made of hard plastic, have a front and a back, and have some sort of design on the inside.  One side of the folder has the design recessed, and the other side of [...]