Craft Test Dummies

Spellbinders is again expanding their line of papercrafting into mixed media and home decor with new dies, embossing folders, and now…… rhinestones and trims! I was invited to the media breakfast and snapped these pics and video for you. I’m hoping we’ll get some of these goodies to review for you, too!     I […]

I am the undisputed queen of punches. (Paper punches, darlings. I’m a lover not a fighter.) And punches that make tags or labels hold a special place in my heart- so I was happy to try out the Fiskars Tag Maker and Eyelet Setter when Fiskars offered it to me to review.   This unique […]

Hello crafters!  Today I want to introduce to you the six newest colors from Ranger Ink designer, Wendy Vecchi, in her Archival Ink line.  We have already done a full review of Archival Inks on Craft Test Dummies that you can see here.  There are now 12 colors total in Wendy’s Archival ink line, and […]

Hey Crafty Friends! After missing a few months of the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit Club, I’m BACK! I really liked these fun, retro colors and I knew that the bunnies would be a big hit. By the way, if you have any questions about the Kit Club itself, check out the FAQ here. I’m […]

Happy first day of Autumn! I’m not gonna lie, fall is my favorite. I like the cooler days, the crisp apples, and the happy advent of the mega crafting season! Today I have  a flash-back card for you- one I did for CraftsUnleashed back in 2011. I’m reposting it because I still kinda like it. Is […]

The other day my new friend Linda posted some GORGEOUS cards- and they knocked my socks off! I got so smitten with the technique, I had to try it myself. And while I was on a roll, I had to make a video, too!     Here are some of Linda’s cards…beautiful, right? I’m completely […]

Earlier this week I shared an overview of Gamsol, an odorless mineral spirits used for dissolving the wax in colored pencils so that you could blend and shade them the same way you can with oil paints. Naturally, though, my curiosity got the better of me and I wondered if better (artist-grade) colored pencils really […]

I love painting and drawing, so seeing a product that I could both paint and draw with, intrigued me. I was sent 10 of the 29 colors of Tsukineko‘s irRESISTible Pico Embellishers, to test out and do a product review. These are a resist, designed to work with their Texture Spray. It can be used with watercolor […]

You may remember that earlier this spring I visited the set of Scrapbook Soup and filmed two segments. If you follow along with me on Twitter or Facebook, you may know that last spring I was a guest on Scrapbook Soup for a few segments. I demonstrated how to use the Brother Scan N Cut […]

Sometimes you just need a little creative kick in the pants, and I’ve found that a kit can do just that. I have ordered some Simon Says Stamp products recently, and decided to take the plunge and try out the Card Kit of the Month. Since July is my first one, I thought I’d share […]

Hello crafters!  I am so excited to show you the new Distress Marker Spritzer from Ranger and Tim Holtz!  When I first saw Tim demoing this at CHA last January I was ecstatic!  It works so well with masks and stencils and you can pretty much use any marker in your crafty stash with it.  […]

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already gotten a sneak peek. Monday was Memorial Day, and I committed a good 2 hours to making AnyHero Cards for Operation Write Home. For those of you who maybe don’t know, I make cards out of the supplies I get here to review on CTD and then […]

Last week I was traveling- and while I loved being on vacation with my family, that meant there was NO TIME for  crafting! I was eager to get back into the studio and when the Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge of the week hit my email box, I was ready to rise to the occasion. […]

Last week I was watching my friend Christine of ScrapTime use Wendy Vecchi stamps that came with their own stencils and masks for adding layers without over-spraying the background. But then I got to thinking- why couldn’t I do that with my Brother Scan N Cut? The answer is YOU CAN. And it’s EASY. You […]

After playing around with the Brother Scan N Cut Canvas software (see the link for my video tutorial of that) I got inspired to make a card. I’d watched a video by Jen McGuire using an “inlaid” technique with her thin dies. It occurred to me that you could do the same with your electric […]

I just ran across a new site (to me) that does sketch challenges for card-making: My Favorite Things Blog. It’s a stamping website (and I have no affiliation with them) and I saw this sketch and liked it alot: Since I had to make a few cards using the Pantone 2014 Fall Colors, I dug […]

One of the best thins about the crafting/artin community is that I’m constantly getting inspired by other blogs. One of my favorites is BalzerDesigns.com- Julie is an amazing mixed-media artist and I’ve been lucky enough to appear on her show “Scrapbook Soup” the past few years. Last week, she shared a canvas that she did […]

Hello, crafty friends! It was a crazy January and between travel and CHA, I had precious little time in the studio. I’m finally back in th swing of things and have been a card-making mo-sheen! I got really inspired this week by the Operation Write Home Sketch challenge (210) that they put out this week, […]

Some of you may know that once-upon-a-time I was a Music Therapist, and back when I was a student in college I spent two summers working at Highbrook Lodge, a camp for the visually impaired. The wonderful training I received there has stuck with me my whole life, informing how I “see” the world and […]

Ok crafty friends- today I have the EASIEST 5-minute craft ever for teachers, crossing guards/bus drivers, even little neighbor gifties. Behold the 5-minute Post-it Note Holder!   You’ll need: Heavy-weight cover or cardstock cut to 3 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches (you can get 4 out of a 12X12 sheet of paper by making your […]

Hey Crafty Friends! Last week I reviewed the Candy Box Punch Board from We R Memory Keepers. And as I was playing, I started getting all of these ideas for making (slightly) large sizes AND for making different things with them! So today I want to share them with you! I made these step-out collages […]

The Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner and I’m doing some last-minute crafting and decorating. I decided that this year each person would get their name on their plate along with a little treat. I used the Candy Box Punch Board by We R Memory Keepers to create my Holiday Place Setting Treat Boxes […]

After last years’ success with the Envelope Punch Board, it only made sense that We R Memory Keepers would up their game and come up with new versions of the punch board. At CHA last summer they debuted FOUR new ones- and today, we’ll take a closer look at two of them: Gift Box Punch […]

Earlier this summer, Carolina reviewed the new Mod Melts line from Plaid. Almost immediately, we got a comment asking what was the difference between Mod Melts and traditional hot glue sticks. I took it upon myself to do an extra round of testing- and I’m sharing my results with you today! Both are extruded from […]

Do you have a purse littered with stubs and bits that you mean to scrapbook one day? Do you have pics on your phone or photo-sharing stream (such as Instagram)? Lastly, do you have a stack of paper that you really don’t care for anymore? Well, you can make this Instagram-friendly “Smoosh” (Smash-style) book in […]

Halloween is one of my families favorite holidays…and this year it’s even a little more special because we have a foreign exchange student celebrating with us. (Did you know that Halloween and Trick-or-Treating has spread to Italy? Go figure.)   To get geared up, we put out some decorations and I whipped up this little […]

I mentioned that last week I went to the set of Scrapbook Soup to share some fun projects for the upcoming season. Wanna sneaky peek? Here’s one of them! This project is great for using up some of the craft supplies you probably have on hand- watercolor paints and Mod Podge! Here’s what you need: […]

As you may or may not remember, I’m using a lot of the crafty goodness sent to CTD WHQ to make cards for our troops via Operation Write Home. I figure I’m blessed with an abundance of craft supplies, so it’s good karma to pay it back with some charity work.  So today I want […]

So, rarely do I share scrapbook layouts here. First off, I’m not a big scrapbooker in the traditional sense, and secondly…well, I’m just not that good at it! But when I was asked to come back to Scrapbook Soup and tape some segments for next season, I thought I’d better dust off my scrapbooking skills […]

OK, I know  I have reviews stacking up to the ceiling. But before I buckle down and get a-testing, I needed to play a bit. You know what I mean? Of course you do.  Crafters are like that. We can *have* to make a gift or card, but really we might be itching to do […]