Scrapbooking » Product Reviews

Product Review – Basic Grey Precision File Set

Francine Clouden — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:12:23 +0000

Today I am beginning a new bi-weekly series: Product Reviews. I will be reviewing products that I currently own and have been using in my personal projects, not ones solicited from manufacturers, so my reviews will be based on my crafting experience of the last few years.

From the manufacturer: Explore the “sharper” side of scrapbooking with the Basic Grey Precision File Set. All of those tiny ruts and spaces are finally within reach. Perfect for smoothing or distressing chipboard, plastic, paper, metal.. all with “sharpening” results. Each file in the Basic Grey Precision File Set features a rubber-coated grip for comfort and ease-of-use.

I confess that I not only love tools and gadgets, I also love to add distressing to my projects. So buying this set was a no brainer for me! I found the set easy to use, and it lives up to its promises. With two large flat files, and four smaller precision files, I found that I was able to get into even the tiniest spaces between my chipboard letters and shapes. The flat files are perfect for sanding the bigger areas, like the edge of cardstock, chipboard and patterned paper. I’ve used the larger files on Core’Dinations cardstock with a great result!

A few examples:

After covering this chipboard album with patterned paper, I was able to get a nice even finish on the edge with the flat file.

Other uses for the files include

Distressing the edges of photos
Filing off the little “nubbies” that stay when you press a shape out of a die cut sheet
Filing away painting “oops” on the edges of items

The files are easy to hold and use, and more comfortable than using a piece of sandpaper. They are very effective, it just takes a couple swipes to get a smooth finished edge. And the sound it makes while filing is less grating than sandpaper. I highly recommend this set!

Product Review: Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

Francine Clouden — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:21:26 +0000

Stephanie Wheeler reviews the Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher from Idea.Ology. Click here to go to review.

Article: Spending Your Scrap Budget Wisely

Francine Clouden — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:14:26 +0000

Karen Buck, the Cincinnati Scrapbook Examiner, has wirtten an article on some tools and gadgets you may want to avoid purchasing. Click here to go to article.

Review: Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist

Francine Clouden — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:10:23 +0000

Andrea Fewkes, the Salt Lake Scrapbooking Examiner, writes a review on this software program for digital scrapbooking. Click here to go to review.

All About Cricut

Francine Clouden — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:10:55 +0000

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Cricut and Cricut Expression machines on the All About Cricut website. Click here to go to site.

Review: Copic Markers

Francine Clouden — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:04:10 +0000

Sue Landsman reviews Copic markers on Green Diva Mom in an article entitled ” Environmentally Sound Markers for Scrapbooking and Stamping” In the article she explains why the Copic system makes these markers an ecologically sound choice for crafters. Click here to go to article.

Review: Journaling Pens

Francine Clouden — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:15:13 +0000

Reyanna Klein reviews a variety of journaling pens on the Craft Critique blog. Go to review.

Review: Stamp Storage

Francine Clouden — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:27:26 +0000

Looking for a way to store your unmounted rubber stamps? Check out this review of the ScrapOnizer as one potential option.

[tags]scrapbooking, stamps, organisation, organization[/tags]

Hybrid Scrapbooking with CVS Photo Center

Francine Clouden — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:10:32 +0000

Available online [www.cvsphoto.com] and in-store [Kodak Picture Kiosks], the Photo Center provides photo books and a number of other items that make it easy to combine digital photos with the embellishments and details of traditional scrapbooks.

Sometimes the best creative pieces come from marrying the worlds of digital and film! The Photo Center offers a variety of creative items to suit crafting needs, like calendars, collages, and cards. Additionally, the Photo Center’s photo books provide a sleek foundation with images [up to 72] already placed in the positions you want. Once printed, you can then arrange your embellishments on the pages, thereby preserving your photos from wear and tear but still creating the detailed, layered effect of traditional scrapbooks.

While in-store, the touch-screen Kiosks automatically detect USB drives, memory cards, and CDs, and organize your images by date and folder so they can be found quickly for a variety of crafting projects. The menus are simple and straightforward, allowing you to navigate through a project in just a few minutes time. While at home, the online Photo Center allows you to quickly upload images and customize personal items – it also removes the heavy burden on your computer’s memory by providing free photo storage, photo editing [with before-and-after views], photo-sharing and slideshows. You don’t have to be seasoned techie to use the tools with ease, and you’ll be well on your way towards creating amazing keepsakes for your family.

[tags]hybrid scrapbooking, photos[/tags]

Idea Book Reviews

Francine Clouden — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:28:50 +0000

Jill from A Matter of Memories has posted two reviews about recent scrapbooking idea books.

Get Creative With Type by Brian Tippets

The Busy Scrapper by Courtney Walsh

[tags]scrapbooking, idea book, review[/tags]

The Busy Scrapper Book Review

Shellie — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:54:46 +0000

Jill over at A Matter of Memories has written up this great review of Courtney Walsh’s Book “The Busy Scrapper”

Jill breaks down the 6 chapters and gives you a detailed review of each section. For the full review visit her blog to read more.

Written by Guest Editor Shellie Wilson

Life Is A Beach At Provo Craft Or Is It?

Shellie — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:49:36 +0000

Provo Craft have been in hot water a few times now and their lack of good customer relations (check out the complaints board here ) is starting to take it’s toll on small store owners and now the individual scrapper. Word of mouth is very popular and people are having less and less Nice things to say.

Here is the problem (this time) . People pre-ordered the new Life Is a Beach cricut cartridge based on the Pre-order artwork release. It turns out this artwork was only preliminary and some of those images did not make it to the final retail product.Basically people got their cartridge in the mail to find images missing un aware they had been pre-viewing a rough draft of a final product.

Here is what Provo had to say about it in their online statement.

Of course we still love their products and that is what is motivating so much of their sales…..

** Updated**

If you ordered your cartridge between February 25th – April 14th and you wish to return it, they will give you a full refund of your purchase. Just send them back the cartridge and a copy of your receipt and they will refund you for 100% of your purchase. Check out the details of the REFUND PROCESS here.

Written By Guest Editor Shellie Wilson

New Review Site

Francine Clouden — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:44:59 +0000

The Scrap Review, a new site for reviewing scrapbooking products, will launch March 1st. The site will kick off with a week of giveaways, March 1st to 7th.

[tags]product review site[/tags]

Familiar Faces

sarah hodsdon — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:34:16 +0000

Part 3 of CHA Thoughts

In addition to hanging out with our very own Jennifer Perkins over at the Duncan booth at CHA, I was geeked about some new things Duncan had hanging there on the wall….Crafty Chica was in the house! For many scrapbookers, Kathy Cano-Murillo may not be one of those immediately recognizable names but, for those involved in any of the Craft Mafias or from the Phoenix area, you know and love her crafty glittery self. Kathy has a warm contagious smile and, is a crafter through and through. Her product line is designed for folks wanting to really enjoy themselves and have fun making things. Obviously, there is a strong Hispanic influence in her product line which adds to the overall cool vibe but, it’s the vibrancy and colors that make me want to just be carefree in creating and enjoy the moment. Her line truly has introduced the fun and playfulness back into making random things and I will tell you folks, that cute little chihuahua is a MUST have for any creative workspace! In terms of things you can use on your pages, GLITTER, GLITTER and more GLITTER. I was instantly smitten with the colors of glitter…..my personal favorite being the Bollywood Blue although, those pinks had me at hello as well. I am really proud of Duncan; they had a welcoming booth with really cool make n takes and fun people.

Another loverlie that folks would not normally associate with scrapbooking was Claudine Hellmuth over in the Ranger booth. Now, being a mixed media artist by trade, I have followed Claudine’s career for some time. Leave it to her to introduce her line of gel mediums and acrylic paints coupled with wonderful canvas paper to make it all the easier for scrapping folks to take their art to the next level. Of course I loved her fresh and versatile color palette but, it was actually the canvas paper with the adhesive backing that caught my eye. I could instantly see the applications for those desiring to add texture and another dimension to their pages and projects. Canvas in general is one of those materials that can withstand a lot of rough handling and many layers and surface treatments. It is also more natural in it’s composition which makes me feel better about my scrapping choices as well. This was the first time in a while that Ranger came out with something that really was designed to equip the consumer, take their creative process up a notch and inspire their muse. Having referred many of my students to Claudine to take classes, not only is she a professional in every sense of the word, she truly loves to teach and it shows in the way she designed this line.

Brenda Pinnick

sarah hodsdon — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:50:48 +0000

Designers are the unsung heroes in the crafting industry. To borrow a term Walt Disney used, they are the “imagineers”. I figured you’d like to meet some of the folks behind the scenes that drive the scrapbooking industry and feed your muse with their amazing creativity. Brenda Pinnick is one of those creative folks who is passionate about what she does and has inspiration oozing from her pores. For anyone who has ever used the Wedding dies from Sizzix, you perhaps already know how amazing and versatile Brenda’s designs are. For those who are meeting Brenda for the first time, you will be blown away by how insanely talented she is.

Welcome Brenda Pinnick

SH – Give us a real quick bio about who you are and what you do?

BP – I’m educated in both fine art and design. I studied painting in college (years ago) and more recently graduated from Creative Circus in Atlanta, a prestigious portfolio school. I’ve received awards and recognitions in both genres and refer to myself as an artist/illustrator/designer. (makes for a crowded business card). I’ve worked in-house for Hallmark Cards as a Designer and for Plaid Enterprises where I headed up the papercraft/stamp team of product designers. I continue to create fine art for gallery sales and I license my work for a variety of products including textiles, scrap booking, paper crafting & stationery products.

SH – Documenting our memories is one of those insanely personal type things, how do you define scrapbooking in your world?

BP – I see “scrap-booking” as a very loosely defined activity. I view it as any means through which you put your memories into either a “written or visual expression”. Who’s to say that an audio recording is NOT a scrapbook? Of course, working in the crafting industry, we DO hope that people continue using products! I’m happy that many people who do scrapbook allow it to become a personal expression of not just memories but also of their dreams and aspirations.

SH – What Inspires You?

BP – Passion. You know it when you see it… People who are absolutely dedicated to a cause, a goal, an issue or even a hobby.

And people who are “givers”, people who share knowledge, who are encouraging to others and love to see other people succeed, also inspire me. It saddens me to see the cut-throat, competitive nature that shows up in certain, well-known scrap booking forums. I mean, this is where passion has gone astray. It’s a hobby for crying out load!

Artistically, all sorts of things inspire me, nature being first on the list. Not just colors, but patterns as well. My latest obsession is the patterns you see from the sky, looking out the airplane window. It’s just fascinating!

SH – If you are stranded on an island, what 5 art things do you bring with you?

BP – Paint, pastels, paper, canvas and my bucket of brushes.

SH – We all wear so many hats. How does being a Designer affect your work? What I mean is, if you know someone is going to use what you create, does it change the process for you, do you think about your work differently?

BP – Absolutely. This is the difference between design and art. In the crafting world, it’s all lumped into one descriptor, “DESIGNER” but in the rest of the world, the activities are much more clearly defined which I think the craft industry should adopt.

Design is purpose driven, meeting the needs of the client and the end-user. Design is not self-indulgent or self-serving. Art, on the other-hand is of a personal nature, done to satisfy the creative soul we each possess. I believe we are all artists of some type, but not everyone is a designer. This requires training and discipline. I do choose to go in a general direction of what I, as a crafter would want to use. It’s important to keep a “hands on” approach by actually being a consumer/scrap booker so you can gain a good understanding of what products are missing from the category and how you can fill that need.

SH – What did you think the first time you saw your designs being used by someone else?

BP – It was a blast! I’m very versatile in my design, meaning I see a million different ways to do things every time I approach a project. When I see totally different takes on what I envisioned, it’s refreshing and very satisfying. I love it when people send me pictures of their creations; it helps me become a better designer.

SH – The Sizzix is such a versatile machine. Talk about your dies, why you created them and how you envision them being used?

BP – The first collection, which is available now is a Wedding theme, but the beauty of it is, much of the collection works as all occasion or “general”. Flowers, butterflies, foliage, hearts, etc.

These types of icons work for both scrap booking and card crafting, not to mention collage work. And of course, many Sizzix dies can be used with fabric, foam, chipboard, shrink film, etc. The creative opportunities spill over into many other areas such as home décor, fashion and jewelry making. It’s a wonderful product and I feel many people don’t realize the huge creative potential of using dies.

SH – This is a Gossip Blog; can you share with us any pre-CHA secrets?

BP – Well, I can say that my new, yet to be announced collection is debuting at the Sizzix booth where I’ll be making some appearances at the “make and take” table. Please stop by and take a look, “don’t be scared”, (hint).

SH – Lastly, what interesting Trends do you see?

The difference between trends and fads is longevity so I’ll mention the shift that I see happening in scrap booking; I’m loving it that there is so much cross over in categories happening at the consumer level. Scrap-bookers are using fine art supplies; fine artists are incorporating crafting supplies. I’m glad to see more personal expression and I’m hoping this will lead to less copycatting, also called “lifting”. Aren’t you tired of every project in the magazines looking the same? I am. A lot of manufacturers and even “designers” of product are using clip art, just resizing, layering it, etc. No creativity or inspiration involved, just more of the same. And the digital scrap-booking genre is even worse.

SH – Where can folks see your work?

I’ve had scrap-booking products on QVC for a year and a half and they continue to be top sellers! There are several new kits coming later this year, one of which is from my new collection, “Kirkwood”, (my maiden name). This kit is fabulous, (in my humble opinion!) very different in format with art that is warm and homey. Color is my passion and I always bring unique, original color ways to my products. By the way, plans are for this collection to become a textile line, possibly launching next spring

SH – Anything else you’d like to plug- classes coming up, projects you are involved with?

BP – I keep saying that I’d love to do a class tour or teach at retreats. I’d really like to teach a mixed media class. I want to help people learn to use paints and other fine art mediums in their scrap-booking. And, I need a change of scenery so I may pursue some opportunities later this year.

I would also like to thank Brenda for her continued hard work on making more people aware of the Orphan Works Legislation. You can learn more about it and how it could effect the way you document your memories online here.