After checking out the new Studio by Sculpey clays, Super Slicing Blades, and 5-in-1 tool, I thought it was time to test drive their version of texture sheets. I bought 2 sets, each with 2 mats in the package. I got the Swirls and Scrolls, as well as the Chantilly Lace and Text.
The sheets measure about 5 X 7, and are a thin rubber mat. They are tinted a soft green (there’s that branding again!) and are pliable. The thickness is similar to an unmounted rubber stamp sheet.
I got right to work, misting a sheet of clay and rolling the texture sheet and the clay through the thickest setting. Craftastrophy! The mats are so thick that it shredded the clay, even when using the thickest setting.
Bummer. On the whole, I am a lazy crafter and I like the easiest and most fool-proof way to get the job done. Which means I like my pasta machine a lot. But anyway, I rolled out a new sheet – again on the thickest setting – and set it down on my handy-dandy manilla folder (my new favorite work surface: cheap and disposable!) I misted the clay with water and laid the texture sheet right side down on the clay, and using a roller, pressed the mat down into the clay.
Ha! Success. The mats are deeply engraved, which left a nice and substantial texture. The sheet also peeled up very easily, not distorting my design. However, since th mats are small-ish, I needed to repeat this step twice to get enough textured clay to cover the picture frame I was working on.
Now, the question is: are these real value or not? Couldn’t you just use your regular rubber stamps? Well, sure you could. But there is one distinct advantage to these. Because they are semi-tranparent, you can see where your design is falling, and can reposition or match accordingly. With a traditional unmounted rubber stamp, it’s orange rubber and opaque- you have no clue where exactly your design is.
This feature, in fact, really came in handy for me when matching the 2 sheets of clay on the picture frame I was covering. At the seam, I used the sheet to “fill in” some of missing texture. And because I could see through the sheet, I was able to match the pattern pretty well, covering up that seam effectively. Ha! Craftastic!
So, all things considered, the $7.99 is a good price. Especially if you are using a 40% coupon at JoAnn’s.com. (Which, as far as I can tell, JoAnn’s ETC and online are the only places to buy them so far.) I give them a thumbs-up, and will be playing with them a lot more!
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
And one last thing: there is a product you can use to make your own texture sheets… check out CraftyGoat’s You Tube Video to learn more about making your own!
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