Sometimes I get sucked into a booth at CHA not because the displays are so spectacular, but because the PRODUCT LOOKS SO YUMMY. This happened at winter CHA show 2014 at the Imagine Crafts booth. Er. Meh Ger. So much luscious color and inky goodness! Take a look: I just love this display of color, […]
March 4, 2014
Card Share: My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #163
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 […]
March 3, 2014
Book Review: Aimee Ray’s Sweet and Simple Jewelry
I haven’t been this charmed by a book in a long time. Really, get ready for a love-fest, because I’m about to dish about the fabulous book Aimee Ray’s Sweet & Simple Jewelry. Here is what the publisher has to say about the book: Aimee Ray, the bestselling author of Doodle Stitching—along with top Etsy […]
February 28, 2014
Creating Layers in Mixed Media Art Book by Michelle Brown and Giveaway
I love the creative community of artist and crafters. Every day I “meet” someone online or in real life and we connect just because we create. A few months ago I was contacted by Michelle Brown of MixedMediaArt.net and she graciously asked for an interview for her website. (You can see that here.) In the […]
February 27, 2014
Whipped Spackle Texture Medium from Design Memory Craft
I love how art products are making their way into the crafting world. One such products are embossing pastes and gels (see my linked post about that here.) And lucky for us, companies like Faber Castell are actually improving them! Such is the case with Whipped Spackle Texture Medium from Design Memory Craft. On the […]
February 26, 2014
Fall 2014 Fashion Report from Pantone
While I’m not a fashion blogger (heck, I’m not fashionable in any sense of the word) I DO love to see the color forecasts from Pantone. They’ve recently released their Fall 2014 Fashion Report, forecasting color trends for both women’s and men’s fashion. For women, the colors are rich and certainly not dull. Notice that […]
February 25, 2014
Greeting Cards using Duck Brand® Craft Tape
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. Last week I shared that I'd had the luck and pleasure to head to the Duck Tape Headquarters to see the Duck Brand® Tape being cut and rolled, and to see more kinds of Duck Tape […]
February 24, 2014
Book Review: Flip Dolls and Other Toys
If you’re looking for a fun book on making stuffed toys that do double-duty, you may have found your match with “Flip Dolls and Other Toys that Zip, Stack, Hide, Grab, and Go”. This book packs a lot of bang for the buck! Here is what the publisher says about the book: Why make an […]
February 21, 2014
Fun with Metal Foil Tape
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 […]
February 20, 2014
Surfacez Multi-Surface Ink Pads from ColorBox
If you’ve been to CraftTestDummies before, you know that one of my missions is to find the best products for the job at hand. And smooth, non porous surfaces such as glass, plastic, leather, and metal require a very special ink. Up until now, there are have been very few options- but now we’ve got […]
February 19, 2014
CHA 2014: Behind the Scenes with Vicki
I’m sure you’ve been enjoying all of the great new craft products Team CTD found for you at CHA this year but have you ever wondered what goes on BESIDES walking the show floor? A LOT! I thought I would share a little behind the scenes look a la Vicki O’Dell The Creative Goddess […]
February 18, 2014
CHA New Product: True Angle Rulers
If you’re a quilter or papercrafter looking to take your designs to the next level, you’ve probably considered adding unique angles to your work. But angles are hard. It is hard to get them accurate. They are not easy to measure. But not anymore. Thanks to the folks at Quint Measuring systems. But before I […]
February 17, 2014
CHA 2014 – Tim Holtz Idea-ology Booth Tour
Hello Crafters! It was a great season for Tim Holtz‘ idea-ology line with so many new products to ogle over! Personally, I love the new adornments, letterpress blocks, Found Relatives cards and ephemera packs! But don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty more to see and get excited over! I filmed a little video tour of […]
February 14, 2014
Duck Tape “Stuck at Prom” Meet-and-Greet with Michelle Lesniak (AND GIVEAWAY!)
While on snowy days like these it may be hard to remember why I live in Northeast Ohio, there are some distinct perks- on is living thisclose to Avon, Ohio, which is were Duck Tape World Headquarters is located! ShurTech Brands (the parent company) actually has it’s manufacturing plant down south, but it’s at the […]
February 13, 2014
CHA 2014: New Product: SandIts
I’ve gone to CHA for a couple years now, and hands-down my favorite part of the show is the new products section. This year, one of my favorites was SandIts. Paul and his son (who is manning the camera for the video below) were charming, and their product is just plain neat. Paul told me […]
February 12, 2014
CHA 2014: Spotlight on New Products
As expected, CHA did not disappoint in showing off the newest products that all of the paper crafting companies were on hand to launch. After wandering up and down aisle after aisle of awesomeness, I’ve narrowed down all of the cool things that I saw to my top 5 favorites. Are you ready to see […]
February 11, 2014
CHA 2014: Trend Spotting – Needle Arts
Part of the fun of going to CHA is trying to spot new emerging trends. One trend I spotted coming out of the CHA Mega Show this year has to do with needle arts. I’ve done some looking around since I’ve been home as well and I’m pretty sure all sorts of needle arts will […]
February 10, 2014
CHA Show 2014 Product Update: Gelatos Double Scoops!
Remember how I shared some of the new/and or improved products of CHA show? Well, this is the first one I’ve gotten in my hot little hands- Gelatos Double Scoops! Look at ALL THE YUMMY COLORS. Yes, even the metallics have been “super sized.” Compared to the original version (bottom one) you can see that […]
February 7, 2014
OWH Sketch 210 and “Just Sayin” Stamps from SU (and Giveaway)
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, […]
February 6, 2014
How-To: Braille Valentine’s Day Cards
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 […]
February 5, 2014
CHA 2014 – Spellbinders A Gilded Life Booth and Video Demo
This year at CHA 2014, Spellbinders debuted their new line with A Gilded Life. We caught up with A Gilded Life desiner, Shea Fragoso, at CHA 2014 where she demonstrated a make-and-take for us, creating a gorgeous necklace in mere minutes! I was very excited to see the new acrylic covers that come with all […]
February 4, 2014
CHA 2014 New Product: Amazing Tape
As I was strolling through the new product section at CHA, I came across a product that I’ve seen in my Local Quilt Shop, but might be new to lots of crafters: Amazing Tape. What’s so amazing about Amazing Tape? First: it isn’t tape. That’s right, it has no adhesive at all. It is best […]
February 3, 2014
New at CHA 2014: We R Flower Punch Board
Hands down one of the coolest new tools that I spotted at CHA was the brand spankin’ new Flower Punch Board from the geniuses at We R Memory Keepers. You may remember that Jenny has reviewed their envelope punch board, their gift box punch board, and their candy box punch board previously and has even […]
January 31, 2014
CHA 2014: Spellbinders Media Mixage Demo with Ken Oliver
CHA is kind of like the the most fun, crazy family reunion ever. While there, I get to meet up with some of my favorite designers and see what they are up to! I couldn’t miss a chance to see Ken Oliver at the (amazing) Spellbinders booth and film his demo of Media Mixage elements. […]
January 30, 2014
CHA 2014 Trends: Things are Getting Sticky
After a long weekend at CHA, I had an even longer drive home (about 7 hours), and I thought about all the things I’d seen in my 2.5-ish days at the show. And there was a lot. Lots of lots. But I kept coming back to one thing. Sticky. There was a lot of sticking […]
January 29, 2014
CHA 2014: Recap of New (& Improved) Product Highlights
I love scouting the show floor for new products at CHA- sometimes they are not necessarily “brand new”- but tweaks/ improvements on existing products. So let me show you some of the highlights I found! Impress Art has developed new soft-strike metal jewelry blanks that look like sterling but a fraction of the cost. And […]
January 28, 2014
CHA 2014: 3Doodler Printing Pen
I have been intrigued by 3 D printing machines ever since I first heard from them. However, with a price tag of over 2K, it’s not really in my budget. But this little gizmo I spotted might be a fun fill-in (forgive the pun) until the price goes down: the 3Doodler. I had to stop […]
January 27, 2014
CHA 2014: Collage Clay Demo from Plaid
Can I just admit flat-out that I adore Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza? In addition to creating fun & inspiring videos AND being some of the nicest people on the planet, they also create spectacular new craft products. This year they are adding to their Mod Melts line and are debuting Collage Clay! If you […]
January 24, 2014
Friday Giveaway: ICE Resin Swag Bag from CHA show!
First off, I had an amazing time at CHA Winter (you can click the link to see all of the articles so far from the show.) But the REAL thing I want to tell you is how amazing some of the companies/brands are! Today we are going to give some love to ICE Resin and […]
January 23, 2014
Jenny’s Picks from #CHAshow: Spellbinders Tool-in-One
As I mentioned earlier, I often have folks ask me what my CHA show favorites are. Sometimes it’s a wowzer new machine like the Brother Scan-N-Cut, but sometimes its a simple thing that makes life easier. Enter the new Spellbinder Tool-In-One. This cute little gizmo features a rolling brush and a little tool kit to […]
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March 5, 2014
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