More New Craft Stuff!!

What, you thought I could stop at just five nifty craft items? Hah!

Here are some others in no particular order:

Love me some glitter paste! Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Kiss from Ecstasy Crafts has an applicator right in the lid!

Glitter goes on easily with Ecstasy Craft’s Glitter Kiss, which comes with its own applicator.

I can’t wait to try these new Translucent Gelatos® from Faber-Castell:

Translucent Gelatos give a watercolor look

The BowVy (a Creativation Innovations winner) from Little Pink Ladybug uses a hot filament to slice and seal polyester ribbon.

In action:

And a new online company, Love + Lemon, lets you pick from a plethora of craft supplies to suit every need:

Check out the sparkles:

Can’t you just imagine a box of these dazzlers showing up on your doorstep?

That’s it from the show for a while. It’s February and I have Valentines to post! So stay tuned … and thanks for stopping by.

Quick Creativation Recap

Hey … what happened to January? Can’t believe we are in February already!

I have some Valentines ready to go, but first I need to do a quick report on what was new, fun, and fabulous at Creativation, the big trade show for the craft and hobby industry (a recent report puts crafts and hobbys as a $36 billion-plus industry!)

So here are some quick shots:

More Distress Oxides? Yes, please, may I have another??? From Ranger.

Whaaaa? Macrame is back? Yes, but hipper and cuter. These are kits from Plaid. There was a lotta knottin’ going on….

Plaid also has a nifty acrylic marbling ink, just dribble from a jar. This opens up such possibilities! Check out this one:

Cool, eh?

Check out Tim Holtz in the cool shades, ready to show off his new 3D embossing folders for Sizzix:

(No, it’s not your eyes … you need the glasses to make sense of the sign!)

 

Here’s a folder:

There’s more to come!

Check out my Instagram account @RobertaWax.

Fabulous Finds Friday — Pop Ups & Laurel Burch

It’s Friday … and I have a few Fabulous Finds to share.

First, check out these fabulous pop-ups from Stampendous! And don’t even get me started on the Laurel Burch designs! Oh, those cats! I’ve always loved her colorful images and have some of her old, old stamps. So imagine my glee at discovering that Stampendous! is now carrying her brand. Check out the fab collection of designs here.

And speaking of pop-ups, Fran Seiford at Stampendous! has made pop ups easy by creating a full set of pop up dies.  Check them out here. I haven’t done a lot of pop-ups, but these dies make it so easy I’m going to make some this weekend.

Oooh la la! Gotta love the artsy stamps from Carabelle, a French company that is working its way into U.S. distribution:

Aren’t those designs gorgeous?

I also love the variety in their line. Here are a few more:

Find out more here. To find out where they are sold, Google Carabelle Stamps.

Have a great weekend!

Fabulous Finds Friday: Spellbinders Magic

I am always amazed and awed at the variety of styles Spellbinders presents each year. Here are a few catches from the latest release.

Love the soft watercolor look of these stamps …

… and the tiny details on stamps such as this one below:

… not to mention this pretty watercolor look:

And for something different, the mixed media stylings of the delightful Seth Apter:

Stay tuned for an upcoming project using THIS new Spellbinders stamp/die set! Have a great weekend.

Fabulous Finds Friday — Concord & 9th

One of the pleasures of attending an industry craft show is seeing new products and meeting new people. One of my favorite finds this time has been the stamp company Concord & 9th, which is less than two years old.

I am inspired by the company’s unique and innovative dies. I’ll try to explain two of them — the Happy Card Frame Die and the Love Notes Envelope die.

The Happy Card Frame die, with its interchangeable components, offers so many creative possibilities.  The smaller die frame has a gap in it where there is no cutting blade.  After you cut out the frame, the card portion is still attached. Then you add an insert die in that gap (in the above card the insert is the “happy.” There is also a pretty flower, which you’ll see in a minute). You line up the sides of the insert with the gap in the frame. When you run the die through again, with that extra piece in place, you cut out the sentiment and it is attached to the frame. Cool, huh?

But don’t listen to me … check out the excellent video  here!

(Again, check out the video.)

Both cards also use the coordinating Happy Words stamp set.

Here’s the die set using the flower insert  (flip the die around so the connection is now at the top of the card instead of the bottom):

There are so many other ways to mix and match the components (see the video!) For instance, you can also cut out that portion of the die and use it separately:

Pretty sweet, eh?

Stay tuned for a sample of the Love Notes Envelope Die — it’s a good one!

Thanks for checking in.

 

Fabulous Find — Lawn Fawn

I’ve always been a fan of Lawn Fawn stamps and dies, but the latest entries are sending me over the moon!

I love this pop-up box die:

The box folds flat to fit into an A2 envelope. Genius!

Here are some other fun finds from Lawn Fawn:

Clever dies to create boxes and stitching guides….

… and just overall cuteness…

Thanks for checking in!

 

 

More Fabulous Finds from Creativation

Here’s another look at some of the Fabulous Finds found at the Creativation craft and hobby show in Phoenix last month:

 

(Layering stamps clockwise from top: large roses, Hampton Art; koi and rooster, Hero Arts; small vintage roses, Altenew)

Stamp layering (images you layer to create depths of color and design) is so pretty … and still oh-so popular, with more and more companies producing layering images. And ditto for stamps with coordinating dies. I became a huge fan of Altenew stamps, a company that elevated the stamp layering technique, when I first saw the company a few shows ago. They really ignited a trend.

Also fun, Hero Arts (love the koi and rooster and … a croissant? Whaaaat? So yummy); Waffle Flower  (marble, cross stitched cacti and roses, and more); Hampton Art, and more.

Here’s a cute layered/stitched cactus from Waffle Flower:

… and a nifty marbling stamp, also from Waffle Flower.

I also love the flower border stamps!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fabulous Finds Friday from Fiskars

(Wow. How many times do you get to write a five-F sentence???? Without using a dirty word?)

Anyway … For cutters, scissors and punches, Fiskars is still golden.

Fiskars has a tool for every need, but my focus is usually on those that are particularly useful for paper crafters.

For example, it was punch lust at first sight when I saw this adorable XOXO punch:

This was perfect for Valentine’s Day cards — so fast and easy. But I see more uses. I have several weddings coming up and I think this could be a card making winner. Here’s a quick one I made, inspired by some scraps on my desk:

(The sequins are from Lawn Fawn.)

The punch was also perfect for some foiling:

(I am somewhat obsessed with foiling since I’ve been playing with various foils and adhesives from Therm O Web. But that’s another post…. stay tuned. The background embossing plate on the above card is the grid folder from Spellbinders. Love it.)

At the Januray CHA show, crafters of all types were checking out the new Paper Trimmer with Aluminum Cut Rail*.

I sometimes get a little wobble with smaller personal trimmers, so this should be a boon to my cutting. The reinforced aluminum cut rail (with a locking system) promises to eliminate cutting wobble – which is a problem with my old personal trimmers. (Or maybe it’s me? Either way, this one is a delight.) Other nice features include a paper clamp/smudge guard (something else I need!), a self-leveling extension arm that stretched to 15 inches, and an extra wide base for a bigger work space.

(Here’s my big admission — I was recently working on a small, crowded desk and put the trimmer on my lap so I didn’t have to move to a larger, cleaner work table, assuming I could find one. I know, I know … lazy crafter. Don’t judge. But the good news this, this is so sturdy, it still cut fine with just my flabby thighs for support.)

More exciting Fiskars punches are in the works.

*Fiskars was kind enough to send me this cutter to try. 

Fabulous Finds Friday — CHA Treats

I have a few quick hits on some Fabulous Finds from CHA.

I’ve always been a fan of Avery Elle, and this year’s collection of new stamps and dies prove my point. Check out these two adorable cards:

Cute, right?

Last year we were introduced to Ken Oliver’s Colorbursts pigment inks. This year he made it even easier to get that beautiful look but without the mess — just use his pre-printed sheets. Check out these samples:

Ken Oliver paper

So pretty!

(For more inspiration, check out Ken’s blog here.)

Stay tuned for more highlights!

CHA Highlights: Spellbinders

Spellbinders® always has a delicious booth at the CHA MEGA Show, but this year’s entry was a delightful mix of artistic styles that gives the company a fresh appearance, with something for everyone.

There are also some cool new tools, including the Platinum™ Die-Cutting & Embossing Machine, billed as Spellbinder’s most powerful machine to date. I’ll post more on the new tools later.

There was a decided Southwestern look to the booth, with lots of clean, simple geometric shapes – all very on trend.

“We’re looking for a modern, contemporary (feel) while staying true to our roots,” said Spellbinders CEO Greg Tipsord. And that they did.

The company teamed with some of my favorite designers to create these fresh looks. “Creativity is more than selling a lot of products,” Tipscord noted. “Designers are a big part of who we are.”

Here are a few of the designers, including some new (to Spellbinders®!) faces:

Mixed media artist Seth Apter’s first release with Spellbinders® includes dies, embossing folders, stamps and a journal/planner/artist book set.

Here is a closer look at his display:

Tammy Tutterow, whose blog is on my “must visit” list, also joined the Spellbinders® team with dies, designs and embossing folders perfect for her shabby chic style:

The third designer added to the team is Debi Adams, who created the Quite Contrary™ collection with her signature clean and spritely style. The collection includes stamps and beautiful steel rule die flower shapes.

Don’t those flowers make you say “Yay, Spring!”?

Here’s a closer view:

I’ve long been a fan of Becca Feeken’s stunning Amazing Paper Grace line (and blog), so I was immediately drawn to her display of the Amazing Paper Grace Wedding Collection with its gorgeous array of elegant, delicate, swirling die designs.

Here she is with designer Donna Salazar, who brings a load of new dies and stamps to her “Girlie Grunge” style, including my faves, Cascading Butterflies die and Flower Bouquet, a stamp/die flower combo.

Spellbinders® founder Stacey Caron has gone all out with a gorgeous, elegant selection of Art Deco dies, which I covet! But we’ll have to save the rest of my Spellbinders® report for another post.

Stay tuned for more on Spellbinders®, including a look at some of the samples seen at the show!