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Tombow Mono is one of the finest quality graphite pencils. One of of the finest quality graphite pencils i've used so far. Lets discussed the pro's and con's of this pencils set.
1. Tombow MONO has a legendary reputation for its Mono 100 graphite(indeed little pricier than this professionals) and Mono eraser.
it's supremely build and clearly you can feel the difference while sharpening.
2. It's one of the rare sets have consistent uniformity among the grades right from 4H to 6B(others are Staedtler mars Lumograph and Lyra fine arts graphite sets) i haven't used FC 9000 yet so i can't comment..
3. The graphite is extra refined so even hardest grade 4H is smoother .
4. It's not smearing like other graphite pencils like cretacolor cleos.
Con's
1. The softest grades 5B &6B are smooth but not darker like (Staedtler mars Lumograph's jet black 8B).
2. The plastic box is good but it's annoying to reach the second row ,we have to remove the entire pencils from first row to reach the second row.
Over all Tombow Mono is one of the finest quality graphite pencils and true value for money. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Very good and helpful first kit into adult coloring. Well thought out kit for those just getting into adult coloring. I got the owl coloring book and all the pages are adorable especially if you are a fan of owls in general. The case is well made, I've fit 4 coloring books in it easily to keep the originals safe. The water color pencils are of good quality, they sharpen well, lay down on pages smoothly and you can do light or dark color and blending easily depending on pressure applied. The standard colored pencils are of a harder core, they stay sharper longer, not as easily blended but smooth going down. My only issue with the set is the standard colored pencils tend to break while sharpening them so it's hard to get a good solid point on themy but that is totally the pencil makers issue not the kit designers. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Best watercolor sketchbook EVER! Heavyweight. I have tried a few brands looking for a good sketchbook that could take several washes and not blooom inmediately or buckle. I like the Pentalic sketchbooks as they are also very sturdy and come in a Landscape 5x8 format (hardcover) but the paper can be a bit waxy. This sketchbook is just amazing, the paper is sooooo strong! I have done no less than 7 washes (shown in pic) on a single page and have still been able to use the back of it. It won't buckle or even break when you're lifting some pigment. The Zeta is a smooth paper, which I like but i know that's a very personal thing, it gets a bit sandy feeling once the paint is dry if you've used several washes but nothing i truly mind, I think the colors look great and don't become dull. I will try the cold press to see if the texture is nice but honestly, judging by this one, i can say my quest for sketchbooks is over. I just wish they'd make the Zeta landscape 5x8 in hardcover too! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for the artist who loves watercolor. Came across this product as a Lightening Deal before Christmas and purchased on a whim for my daughter. She absolutely LOVES it beyond words and has already told me that I need to look into purchasing another set for her. She loves:
(1) the simplicity of being able to use the brush/sponge with water in the nozzle
(2) the variety of colors included
(3) the board provided for mixing colors to the exact shade needed
I did purchase an additional set of waterbrushes in order to ensure she had more sizes available. I am very pleased to say this was an excellent spur of the moment buy and highly recommend purchasing for the artist in your life. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This Yupo paper is quite different to do watercolors on and if you are a watercolorist you should really try it and see the amaz. One day I came across a video on YouTube of a guy doing a watercolor painting using Yupo paper and I thought it looked incredible and decided I had to try it so I immediately came to Amazon and searched for Yupo paper and bought this Yupo Paper Pad- 11"x14" 10 sheets.
This paper is incredible and I have done about 6 watercolor paintings with it and am simply stunned at how gorgeous the pigment looks on it.
This Yupo paper is quite different to do watercolors on and if you are a watercolorist you should really try it and see the amazing results. To get some ideas on how to use it with watercolors go search YouTube for watercolors on Yupo and you can see some amazing artwork tutorials.
I always love finding new ways to use my watercolors even though I have been a professional watercolorist for 30+ years and this has got to be one of my favorite alternatives.
Highly recommended 5++ | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Awesome Hardbound Journal. LOOOOVE THIS! I am addicted to Moleskin journals, but they can get expensive. I wanted to try something new, but worried about the quality of the new journal I chose. I shouldn't have been - this is fantastic! The pages are nice and thick, keeping media from seeping through. I love drawing on this paper with my mechanical pencils - the lead lays down beautifully, and it's so easy to erase without leaving stray marks. The only (very minor) complaint I have is that the lead smudges a little on the paper. I didn't realize that was even happening until I had to erase a good sized area. It isn't bad - like I said, I hadn't even noticed prior to erasing - but I also wasn't using the journal in the best light. (Yeah - I'm guessing that drawing in bed late at night probably reduced my smudge detection.) I still love this journal and am thoroughly enjoying my time with it. I've used lead, ink (pen and Dr Ph Martin's Hydrus), watercolors, acrylics, and ink from a stamp pad. I am really impressed at what this journal has been able to take - and I look forward to throwing many more products at it. I really love this hardbound little beauty! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great product! but two broke after a few uses. Have many colored pencils..Wanted something different..but affordable...and these are wonderful! Love the feel of them and the weight us more substantial than wood cased pencils. The colors are vibrant and color with ease. They also blend nicely. My new go to pencils when I want to color more simply. Sharpens well and no problem with breaking. Arrived in double bubble wrap packaging and arrived quicker than expected.
Update- Aug. 2017- I've had two pencils break in half in the past month. I am pretty careful with them and they go from a drawer to my desk- but not much chance of them being banged around and two broke- which is sad- because I don't know of anywhere that I can just buy the two colors I need. After using for several coloring pages-they are not my go-to pencils and I don't think I will purchase this brand again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Once the item was together it worked beautifully, but these are some of the worst instructions . Once the item was together it worked beautifully, but these are some of the worst instructions for assembly that I have ever used. The Ikea pictograms would have been an upgrade! The video that comes with it skips a step, and it is left up to you to figure out why you have extra parts (the thumb screws and rest that screw the screen into place.) It definitely needs to be bolted down to a table for increased accuracy. I have used it on my floor for a few test prints, and while I was able to get it to work, it basically acts as a giant lever. The hardware for mounting it to a table are not included. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
great stuff but. Everything in this package does exactly what it's supposed to. so if it's what you're looking for, then i recommend it.
but here are some things i failed to consider before i bought it.
1. CO2 is almost obsolete in the world of paintball. for many reasons (accuracy, consistency, affordability) high pressure air is way better. It's up to you what you want to use but i never used the tank that came with this.
2.also, the two fingered trigger is misleading. I had thought that i would be able to "walk" thee trigger with this setup but it doesn't change the resistance of the trigger pull so all it allows you to do is pull the trigger in the same way with two fingers.
3. the barrel is quite a bit longer than the stock barrel but it doesn't greatly improve performance. there are many more better barrels out there.
all in all those are just things i wish i wouldve thought about before buying but if you're not a real serious player, this is a great novice package. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Artist quality pigment and lightfastness. As a Watercolorist I've tried many brands and I've my favorites as everyone does. I did a lot of research on this product before buying it... This is a fairly new brand in the watercolor arena and most diehard Watercolorist refuse to try the tried and true older name brands. I understand the reason, being we have to be sure on lightfastness. This product has fantastic pigment and great lightfastness. Colors are bright, beautiful and true. They mix just as well and in some cases better then some of my other more expensive brands. My next purchase on my wish list is for the Crush line in the same brand that all the tubes contain pure pigment. After checking out the gouache line they have it is the same as this box but with white to mix into each to color. To me not worth buying the gouache set when you can do the same with this set. I completely recommend this product for artists. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good Quality and High Shine. I love crafting and I am especially into writing good old fashioned handwritten letters. I have a friend who I write with on a regular basis, and he and I always love to jazz up our letters and envelopes with adorable and seasonable stickers. When I found these, I was looking to stock up on some foiled stickers that I could use on the outside of the envelope of our Christmas cards. I loved it when I received these, as they are so shiny and good quality stickers. These are just beautiful and really popped on the red envelopes that I placed them on. They were not difficult to peel off at all, and they stayed put once I applied them. It drives me crazy when stickers begin to peel once you have applied them, and I didn't have that problem with these. I am into candle making, and since these are foil, I actually put some as decor on the outside of some of the candle jars that I made. These make adorable and inexpensive gifts! The seller shipped these to me quickly, and there are so many on this sheet, that I have a lot left over that I will be able to use on our Christmas cards next year. I will look into purchasing more of these in the future, as I found that these were a really good find for the quality versus the quantity versus the price. I am overall very happy with these. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Usable but could be improved. This product system does help me keep up with pill intake during the day. I was slightly disappointed in the quality of the plastic used on the individual day containers. Each one has a small tab at the end to help with its removal from the base. Three of these tabs were already broken when I received the product in the mail. This did not, however, prevent usage of the container. My only other problem is that the individual day containers do not snap into the base; they just sit in the base. This means that they easily fall out of the base in a suitcase or purse. I keep them in place by stretching thick rubber bands around the base container to hold the individual containers in place. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Better than a standard baby book. The thing I like about this entire Project Life system is that you can customize it and make it fit your needs. You don't have to include every card unless you want to. I mean, have you ever looked through a standard baby book? Most of those pages remain blank because how manyf of us can trace back family members past our great-grandparents? Or how many of us remember to keep dental records, etc. And most of the prompts are, well.... kind of stupid and irrelevant.
This system includes a lot of good stuff, and you can use as many or as few as you want. The only other thing you have to do is drop the pictures into the slots. Easy, peasy! And, unlike standard baby books.... you can add as many pictures as you want! If you're anything like me, I have a million pictures I want to include... not just one 4x4 photo per month. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice set that works for many "thank you" situations . Love this stamp and die set. It works for a number of "gratitude" situations (thanks for kindness, thanks for a gift, general appreciation, etc.).
I usually use the die to cut the "thanks" out of foil or glitter card stock, mount it "raised" with foam tape, and then stamp the rest of the sentiment. I also use the "thanks" stamp alone, stamped in Versamark, and then heat embossed using various colors of embossing powder to go with my card's color palette. The stamps are excellent quality (what I've come to expect from Hero Arts), and the die cuts beautifully in my Sizzix Big Shot die cutting machine.
I've already used this set to make several "thank you" cards for giving to staff on an upcoming cruise, and will be using it a lot in the future, too, as I make cards for the "courtesy committee" of a women's organization I belong to. I love being able to tailor my cards with various papers and card stock and this set will make coming up with the "thank you" cards a piece of cake. Solid 5 stars -- I love it! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good easel, but poor quality control. The easel, when built well, is a stable and useful part of the studio. It is solid and stable. Not too heavy, so it can be moved with a little effort from here to there. It holds canvases solidly. The shelf is very useful. Quality control is not good at the manufacturer's location. Eight self-tapping 1" wood screws which held the base rungs to their supports were over-zealously screwed into place by someone at the factory, thus stripping all the wood out of the holes. The legs just came off in my hands! I am a good carpenter, and a good fixer-upper, so fixed it by using 1.7" long deck screws and some spare thin wood shoved into the existing holes. The legs are now solidly attached and not going anywhere. The 1" screws are in the trash. The easel now would get five stars! Too bad that the people at the manufacturer site missed this obvious defect. Would I recommend this product: yes, especially if you're good at light repairs. I would give you warnings if you were not into working with wood. This might be the one bad egg from the factory out of a thousand... and I hope that is the case. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The pencils are nice quality, though. 2 stars from me and 1 from my daughter - total 3.
I read the other reviews but I bought it anyway because of the pink case (which is about the size of an open dictionary) since no other company I could find sells pink cases. One of the latches broke (my daughter is gentle with her art things) because it is cheaply made, plain and simple.
The notepad actually has about 15 sheets total. The sharpener is a cheap, pink one. The pencils are nice quality, though.
We bought her another set with a mannequin before Christmas (so she can have more paper and 2nd mannequin) for $10 at AC Moore and the whole kit is better quality than this one. The mannequin for this kit fits in my palm (about 4-5 inches) but a regularly one is a little shorter than a Barbie.
Overall, it is all right but not worth $40 (not worth 20, even..) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I ordered the SG400 model startup package from Coastal Business Supply (they were great to deal with and this review is no reflection . If I could rate this company less than one star, I would. I ordered the SG400 model startup package from Coastal Business Supply (they were great to deal with and this review is no reflection on them). Sawgrass boasts this system to be "plug and play" so long as your system meets the minimum requirements outlined on their site. My system exceeds those requirements. The problem started immediately upon installing the software. The software had some type of glitch that caused it to install incorrectly and show the printer as "not responding" I contacted customer service via telephone and after a very short hold time I reached an operator who was very helpful, friendly, and promptly resolved this issue. I WAS PRINTING! I thought it would be great from then on. I was dead wrong. I noticed after about 5 minutes that every thing I printed was scaled nearly 10% smaller when it printed. again and again no matter what I tried this issue kept happening. I checked all my setting at least 3 times, followed the tutorials step by step and I was STILL having scaling issues. I called the tech support hotline once again and started to experience the "real" sawgrass. I listened to the same repetitive hold music for 92 minutes before I gave up and decided to try the next day. I slept off my frustration and woke the next morning hoping that this was just a fluke. I called again. 124 minutes later, I grew tired of holding. I went about my day and called again, placed the phone on speaker and decided to wait it out, but this time I also tried the Chat tech help line. after about 10 minutes on the chat line someone popped on and started asking me questions. we danced around with these issues for about 2 hours and the tech finally gave up and "escalated" my problem to the teir 2 dept. it would seem that you can not call this department, you must wait for them to contact you firs... so i waited, and waited, and finally at 652 PM i got an e mail stating that this department was open monday through friday until 7pm (this was on a friday) and that I would have to wait until monday afternoon to get a remote session with these "experts" I promptly responded begging for an immediate remote session, or phone call, or even chat session with them. My response was snt at 656 pm and what did I hear??? Crickets, the sound of silence, nada, nothing, zilch. I guess everyone cut out 5 minutes early on that friday night. did I mention I had an order due for a large client on saturday? So I took a step back and called the helpline once again, after a 20 minute wait I remembered that they do not answer the phone so I headed to the chat once again. After a few moments the gentleman popped on with "Im sorry you have been escalated to our Teir 2 dept. there is nothing we can do for you here" I begged, I pleadd... please try SOMETHING, ANYTHING to try to help me fix this problem... He refused. I asked to speak with his supervisor "I am the supervisor" he clarified to me that he was the most senior member of ALL the sawgrass employees that night. So after a $600 dollar investment into a piece of sawgrass crap, I was basically told to pound sand until monday afternoon when it would be convenient for them to listen to me. the level of customer service is terrible, the equipment is poorly built, and the software is just plain baaaad. my company has lost a tremendous amount of time, money, and maybe even customers and they just do not seem to care at all. If the problem is not resolved, what choice do I have but to never buy anything from this company again. I will never recover the loss and damage this has caused my company and as a small business man, pennies count. I guess they are just too big to understand that logic. Really, really, sad. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
CAN YOU USE SPELLBINDER DIES ON THE BIG KICK. does anyone have any idea how to use a spellbinder die on this machine? The first time I used Tim Holtz alterations Thinlits--pine bough & holly leaf dies, made 20 cuts--perfect-but when done the plates were so warped! So i ordered new plates, Sizzix sent me a link for a tutorial which was no help. Watched another tutorial where the video showed using Cuttlebug plates. This worked and now its the only way i can cut anything out by using the Cuttlebug C/B plates.
I followed the tutorial on using spellbinder dies--it does not cut out, I even bought a precision base plate-which is still not thick enough to run the die thru the machine. I emailed Tim Holtz--have never received a reply back-only the link for the video
anyone have any ideas please let me know. I love my Cuttlebug but this BigKick does a great job WHEN IT CUTS!.
Wish i would have stayed with the Cuttlebug
thank you all | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cuts good so far. Software is okay. So far, I think this is an okay product, You have to use their software online. It also downloads something to your computer that runs on startup which connects to the online program. I don't like programs that run on startup or that connect to an outside company. Can you say potential for hacking? It also slows down my computer when I start it. So minus one star for this. My computer is running Windows 8 and did not automatically load the drivers for the cutter. The website does tell you how to do it, however, I can see this will be a problem for the technically challenged because it requires you to access the device manager and browse for the driver.
The software is fairly easy to use. I just uploaded some images, printed and cut them. They were mostly clean images that I cleaned up in another program, but cleaning the image on Cricut seems easy as well. It lets you print on your printer then cut. I don't like that there is a lot of wasted space on my paper. I don't know if I can change the margins on this, but for a cutter that will cut on 12x12 paper, it should not only cut a 9x6 area on my 8.5x11 cardstock. It does need to print a black frame around the cut area to allow the cutter to find the right lines. My printer will print with .2 inch margins or less.
The first thing I cut was on 110 lb cardstock from Neenah paper. It doesn't feel heavy as light chipboard. It cut great with the regular cutter. I bought the tool set and found the spatula is useless on the cardstock, it just rips it. My fingernails worked better. The standard sticky mat holds very well, at least when new. So anything lighter may be hard to remove. I would recommend the lighter grip mat for anything thinner than cardstock.
I will update as I try other papers.
I bought this and 4 days later they dropped the price by $13. This really annoys me and lowers the rating by a star. Amazon no longer matches the price for products it sells. This was not sold by a third party, which I could understand, since Amazon would not have control over the deal There should be a time limit on these things, since it wasn't a sale price, just a dropped price. I totally get not matching lightening deals. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice, did the job and great price! Couple of. This worked out well. Ive made so far 10 books of time sheets of about 50 pages each book. With a 3/8 wire and it worked with other wires from another brand. The directions are easy. Just and once you do a couple you will be listening to the tv, like I did, in the background. I bought a clear piece of plastic cover sheets and a black backing. The plastic pieces cut fine. The last one in the back seems to need an Xacto knike to cut a couple pieces off the back. And make sure the paper goes all the way back. You can do that by making sure there are no pieces of paper left on the top. I did this by just looking and using a paper clip that I opened to make a straight long wire to clear it out sometimes. Its like using a regular 3-hole punch. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Paper is too thin to not have "bleed thru. I knew from the other reviews that this paper would be thin...however as the description stated it was strong enough to not have bleed through issues with felt tip markers, I went ahead and bought it. Unfortunately it doesn't hold up if you are trying to use markers. I was hoping to have it for my granddaughter to draw on and to make charts; no way is it strong enough for either of those. I will say if you are needing a tracing paper to make patterns that it seems perfect for that, and maybe even a little bit stronger than the paper todays sewing patterns are printed on. I wasn't sure whether it merited 2 or 3 stars...2- stars for what I wanted it for..3+ stars for anyone wanting a paper to make fabric patterns with. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
MY new obsession. I LOVE THIS MEGA SET!!!!! Liquid chalk paint makers have become my new obsession. Save the hassle of having to buy individual pieces of liquid chalk markers by getting 8 different bold color in one big pack. Comes in white, yellow, orange, pink, red, green, blue and purple in each kit. Great choice for artists, teachers, business owners, parents, students, kids and more. Direction on how to use these markers are clearly listed on the back of the packaging. Any drawings or writing done with these markers will easily wipe off. You will know that your markers are ready to use when the white tip changes to the color of the designated marker. Before you use these markers on any surface, test it out first so you will know that it will definitely come off when you want it to.
EASILY ERASABLE WATER BASED INK - With just a few simple wipe with a damp cloth, you can easily erase the ink from non-porous surfaces (e.g. chalkboards, whiteboards, blackboards, LED writing boards, windows, mirror, mason jars, restaurant menu) as the ink is washable, allowing you to reuse your drawing surface for more creative writings.
Another thing to point out is to try and use it with it more of an up/down position what you're righting on. If you have it just sticking out, like pointing at you, I notice that the paint has more of an issue coming out and you have to work it to start back up. This is also not just this brand this is among the several that I've used.
i received this product at discounted price for my honest review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Vibrant and does the job. The colors are vibrant, especially the red and green shades. I've only used it on glass and chalkboard; it goes on smooth and wipes away clean with water and a cloth. It is important however, if you are trying faux calligraphy with these pens, write one letter at a time instead of writing the entire word then going back to fill in the down strokes. The first time I used these pens on chalkboard, I made the mistake of writing the entire phrase then going back to fill in the downstrokes- the ink had already dried up and started to flake off. But now I only do one letter at a time and it does not flake off.
The company often sells these at a discounted price, so wait for a sale!
Overall, these markers are great and does the job! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Decent for light use. I bought this product for my girlfriend, an avid painter. It's only been in our house now for about 2 weeks, and it seems like a great product, except, as many have already noted, it's a little flimsy. You definitely wouldn't want this in a room where a dog, cat, or playing children may come into contact with it. It seems that, with the slightest nudge, this thing is going over and taking whatever your painting with it. Mine was also missing a few pieces of the hardware (i.e. - screws, nuts, and washers) so I had to get some spares sent from the manufacturer to properly assemble it. There are no assembly instructions included in the box, but I thought it was fairly easy to figure out on my own using the picture on the box itself. However, when I did contact the manufacturer about that hardware, they sent me assembly instructions as well.
Aside from all of that, my girlfriend seems to love it. She's cautious with it and always makes sure to close the room off when she's not in there painting to keep our animals out. The price is definitely great on this, just wish it were a little sturdier. My guess is it's ideal for beginner artists and painters. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
get the real deal. after a little while with them they dry out the colors are ugly and too bold and won't layer and I want more for 20 bucks. Yeah you get 48, but it's 48 D+ markers so IDK tombow is the best and last and the black box if you get it at and art store like DickBlick and not Amazon is fine. otherwise just get a 20 pack of crayola from here and make due, or even better go to dollar tree and try your luck. I've gotten lucky with 3 bucks worth of dollar tree markers from off brand fine large and an 8 pack of basic primary, secondary + black & brown Disney markers and made some darn fine art until markers gave way here and there and i still got the project done...Like 6 years ago, also I've had my Tombows for a decade and only like 4 have dried out on me out of the 96 which is why I got these to fill the gaps which worked but nit as well as spending the 20 on a 10 or 8 pack of real tombows. TomBow is the top but A few others at okay prices are here too. just buy at dickblick or a bulk art store online. Sometimes walmart has good stuff but that's hit and miss. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fun item with potential professional capabilities. I got this for my daughter who is a college junior majoring in costume design but I wanted to do a product review from the perspective of a non-artist - me. I believe that my daughter, definitely an artist will find professional uses for this in mocking up costume design prototypes, cosplay, etc.
The instructions were simple and my attached images show my first attempt. I learned that controlling the heat, speed of the filament and having a steady hand (at 69 years old, I don't) make a difference. I am left handed but the button layout makes it a non-issue. I thought that the filament that comes with the pen would run out but not at all. I hardly used any with the example. I did note that you want to have a smooth action with the pen. Constant starts and stops leave dangling pieces of filament that you will need to cut away later. Also, realize that you want to have all the filament connected so when you stand the results up, it holds together. You will definitely want more colors. I gave it a 4+ vs. a full five because, at the price it really needs a full manual and even a plastic example of what you can do. The 4 images show the image I wanted to work with, then covered over with wax paper, Then note the little strings of filament I had to snip off and the final 3D image resting on my TV. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not really "Navy Blue. I usually use Rit dyes but decided to give the Dylon dyes a try. I dyed a blouse that was 96% cotton/ 4% spandex, so it should have dyed true to the color that was indicated on the package (dark navy blue). I was expecting a true navy blue, but it ended up being more of a medium teal color (medium blue with a hint of green). I was pretty disappointed. The color wasn't horrible, so I can still wear the shirt, but it wasn't at all what I expected. I have used Rit dye in Navy Blue and was very satisfied, so I'll probably go back to Rit at least for navy blue. I had also bought some Dylon dye in hot pink but now I'm a little scared to try it. Kind of a bummer. :( | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Lifetime Guarantee is Right! No Kidding! Amazing Markers and Customer Service, too. The first package I bought weren't that great and I told the company. They not only replaced the bright colored package I purchased, but included a free package of their new earthy colored markers.
I wasn't sure I even wanted them, as the first batch wasn't that great. Turns out it was me that wasn't great and the markers are amazing.
You have to not only shake them, but press the markers on paper until the tips fill with ink before you use them. When you do that, you have the best writing implements you have ever used. Period. Hands down.
My granddaughter loves the earthy toned markers the best - who knew? When you're six, that makes sense, as you do make a lot of landscapes and what better for landscapes than earth tones? They're still plenty bright and they work so well. Even a kid can make nice and thick, restaurant-menu quality lines without effort or fuss.
Seriously, get these markers. They work well on my chalkboard and it isn't some fancy high-end thing, so they'll work on yours. The colors wash off with a wet washcloth very well, too.
Nobody paid me to say this and I don't write a lot of reviews. I haven't been this happy with a purchase for a long time. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
So disappointed. I was super excited to get this machine. I had been watching tutorials for a couple weeks, and was so excited to start. So when mine came I set it up and got to it. Could not have been more disappointed... I got the Silhouette bundle that came with the vinyl samples, because I mainly got this machine to do vinyl cut outs and for my own stencils for glass etching. My very first cut out was terrible. It was a phrase that I had bought on the Cameo store. It was by no means small, and still the letters came out terrible. The vinyl was getting stuck to the blade, it pulled off some letters completely And every single corner of every single letter or picture got bent up as it was printing, so when it came out it was a complete mess. I tried trouble shooting and called customer service, still could not get it to print anything right. It will be going back. The setup was easy and purchasing designs is easy, just wish it printed the way I thought it was going to... bummer. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Here's why this stuff is crazy good: 1. This stuff is incredible. Really.
I work at a summer camp running the craft shop, which is basically an outdoor shed where campers can come and paint pottery. Campers who come one week and leave the same week, which means I have little time to train them on how to properly clean their brushes. It's hot in the mountains, and the glaze gets stuck on the brushes and dries out and in no time the brushes are awful.
Here's why this stuff is crazy good:
1. We no longer have to throw away "dead" brushes. I set someone loose with this bucket and a hundred dried out brushes and in no time they were all soft and clean.
2. It is safe enough to be used by even the youngest kids and isn't harmful on your hands.
3. The bucket application makes it easy and even appealing for the kids to use as they wash out their brushes. As the summer wore on I made the kids use it every time they washed out their brushes. It was fantastic!
Although I wash my personal brushes out really well, I'd like to get some of this for myself, and you should too. A+, The Masters!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Super Quality. I'm not a professional watercolor artist, but have been painting for several years. I've bought a lot of brushes hoping that they will make my paintings better. Well, none of them have done the job until these Silver Brushes. This one I recently purchased is a #12 round. It is absolutely amazing!!! Hold just the right amount of water and has an awesome tip....very resilient. The point is great for very fine work. I also have the #8 round and for some reason it just doesn't seem to react just like this one, but it could very well be me!? Most of my paintings are small to make into a greeting card and I never thought a brush this size would do me well, but it is great. Would definitely recommend these brushes to any watercolor painter. Don't do what I did and cheap out in the beginning with brushes from the hobby stores, even their "better" brushes.....go with these good brushes from the very beginning! You will be very happy you did. Just FYI....same goes for paper. Purchase 100% cotton paper from the start....you will become a better painter sooner than I did! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This light box is awesome. This light box does everything you want a light box to do, and it does it in a nice thin, light weight package. The construction is simple and is pretty durable; I travel with mine back and forth to school almost daily, and it seems to be holding up great so far (I've had mine for 2 months). The brightness is impressive, in a room with subdued lighting, it is easy to trace through 2 sheets of Bristle board. This light box has saved me countless hours of work, it was a great investment. I do have one minor complaint; the power button is pretty sensitive and it is easy to inadvertently brush your hand across the touch button and turn the light box off. This won't be as much of a problem for right handed people (go figure) since the button is mounted on the left side (if you have it oriented so the button is away from you), but as a lefty this is something I'll have to deal with. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Convenient to use, and good customer service. These watercolor brush pens is one of the best inventions for me. I can draw, paint, and create illusions anywhere for hours by simply bring along my watercolors, some watercolor papers, one or two kitchen towels for wiping off the watercolors from the brushes, and fill the water in the tubes of these brushe pens.
Two of the brushes leak; one of them I could manage, but one leaks badly when I squeeze it lightly. I contacted Arteza about the pen that I wanted to return for replacement, instead of returning the defective pen, to my surprise, four days later I received a new set of four pens from Arteza. No complaints; I will continue to buy them again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Smooth, bright, and easy to write. This smart color art 80 piece gel pens is thebest quality set I have come across. I rememver playing with these in the 90's and now they are making a huge comeback with the adult coloring books etc. out there. Here are some things I like and noticed about the product:
-This set is HUGE I literally have just about every shade of color and a variety of finishes. The finishes are milky, metalic, regular, neon, and glitter.
-After testing all 80 I found that two of the regular/standard pens (black and blue), the white milky/pastel, and one shade of purple neon were not as smooth as the rest. That being said 4 pens out of 80 laid down super smooth and none of them required a quick scribble to prime the ball point, they were ready to use.
-The smear test done showed that the metalic and glitter needed a few extra seconds to dry to avoid smearing and once set I had no smearing or mess after passing my fingers across my writing.
Overall this is by far the best set I have come across, the pens all worked and their ink looked fantastic, I had no damaged ones, and for the price this is a huge deal and I would recommend them to anyone of all ages looking to use these for arts and crafts.
I did receive this gel pen set at a discounted price in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion/review of the product after using it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
it sprays out a little , then it can spray out more, with a little TLC it can spray even more.-Me Likey. I started airbrushing not too long ago, and this guy is what i end up going to for its simplicity.
for 1/10 the price of an iwata of similar configuration, this seems to be good enough for me. pressure adjusting valve at the back, which is a must have for me and quick disconnect with seemingly easy part changes, i like this brush a lot.
i also have the iwata HP-CS eclipse, which needs more experience in the flow department, and find myself a little disappointed at their stem valve adjuster which is always leaking air at angles, and at 5 times higher in price ratio , i do think its kind of pricey and not good value. In iwata defense though many people swear by them and its longevity seems to be much highly regarded, but i can buy 5 of these and toss them out whenever they fail and that seems really good to me.
THis item works as stated in its literature- my stamp of approval-mad shopping club-nein caveats here. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Major software problem. I have spent HOURS trying to get the software to install for my wife's Cameo on her laptop. Numerous calls and e-mails to their Tech Support people, and additional hours reading Technical support/explanations of why a certain error message appears as the installation "freezes"
What's worse, at least one of the tech forum questions came from an individual over a year ago with exactly the same issue, and he/she displayed a copy of the e-mail response rec'd from SilhouetteAmerica with suggested solution. It is EXACTLY the same solution they sent to me, one year later. . . and it STILL doesn't resolve the problem.
Yes the tech support team are pleasant to deal with, and easy to understand, but if they don't have a solution available, what good are they??
The software installed without a hitch on our desktop running Window 7, 64 bit, but apparently there are serious issues with Laptops running Windows 7 64 bit that simply have not been addressed by the Silhouette company. At least that is the only common connection that I can make from all of the complaints, questions, and answers that I have read.
I'm unable to report on the actual operation of the machine, it's features, or available images etc. because in it's current state it is a $250 table decoration.
Be very aware of what operating system and sytem type you plan to install it to.
At this point I am still waiting for yet another reply from Silhouetteamerica tech support to try another suggestion. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great Water Color Pencils. I received my water colored pencils today and couldn't wait to play with them. They are exactly what they described. I love them! I used them drawing on paper and then adding a wet paint brush and also a paint brush to grab color on the end of the pencil. They work the best way drawing on paper and then using a paint brush. If you want a very light color you can use it the second way I described. They have a soft lead feel to them which I like. I have used some that don't apply the color very well to the paper, but these work very well! I'm taking a water color class on line and will experiment with them further, but am happy with them now. Great Product! (I bought these pencil at a discount to review them and am glad I did!) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The little curly bits don't always cut. I'd been looking high and low for a 'Happy Birthday' die and this one from Sizzix is quite lovely. However, when used with a Cuttlebug machine, it doesn't completely cut out the letters, especially the curly bits, and I have to go after them with a craft knife. It sometimes takes half an hour to free the letters from the surrounding paper, which isn't what I would call a time-saver.
However, the results are very pretty. See customer image above for one of the greeting cards I made from this die, plus a die from the <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Spellbinders-S5-051-Mega-Dies-Fanciful-Flight/dp/B004KW630K/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Spellbinders S5-051 Mega Dies Fanciful Flight</a> package.
Here is the layering technique that, after much experimentation, I learned gives the best results with this Sizzix die in the Cuttlebug machine (from the bottom up):
A Plate
Cuttlebug manual (for padding)
B Plate
Happy Birthday die with cutting edge face-up
paper with decorative side face-down
B Plate | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Stamping booklet. I ordered: Inkadinkado Stamping Tips, Tricks and Tools Book. Note that it is called a book, but was actually a booklet that was slightly informative. It was not what I expected. I got more information in one hit on the internet on the subject. The price was too high for this booklet. It is 5 1/2 ins. by 8 ins. with 16 pages plus covers and weighs about the same as 8 sheets of copy paper. It could have been sent in a small manilla envelope with 2 postage stamps, but they sent it in a package that would have held a case of these booklets and the shipping was almost as much as the price of the booklet. I will never order from EK Success again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good quality paper that works great with markers and pencils. I was gifted this sketchbook for Christmas by a family member who knows I love to draw, and I was very happy with it. I have since used every page of it, and I am likely going to buy another one. I use markers for inking lines quite a lot, and the paper was dense enough to handle it without any bleed at all. Pencil marks look smooth and erase well for the most part, even with the worst erasers that smudge pencil marks on every other kind of paper that I have tried. Colors look great on this paper, and it was very durable. It stood up to my bad habit of playing with page edges and tearing them. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fantastic company. The worst pencils I've ever used. I won't usually be so inclined to write a review but, I just had to. I love coloring in my books and when I saw these pencils I was ecstatic! Lo and behold the first time I went to sharpen them it was a disaster! The wood chips and some of them you couldn't even sharpen. I do not recommend this product. Throwing your money away!.... So after putting one star why do I now have 5? I had an experience today that absolutely blew me away. As I was at the table the phone rang and it was the company that makes these pencils. They were checking my review and wanted to apologize for their products performance. They assured me this was probably just something wrong with that set and offered to send me out a whole new set! How rare today to find a company that takes that kind of pride in their product! I am completely in awe of ARTISTS CHOICE! I am anticipating a wonderful product. The gentleman I spoke to was named Miles and he was so kind and genuinely was trying to do anything to accommodate! KUDOS to ARTISTS CHOICE! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love Spellbinders. I first bought this set about 4 or 5 years ago. I couldn't figure out how to get the card stock out of the die, so I gifted my purchase to a friend I suspected was a lot more patient than I was. Since then, I have learned about using waxed paper and rolling a white candle over the die to aid in release. I have also rubbed the die with a bar of soap. Now that I have all of this figured out, I repurchased the dies and am completely happy. I am also more skilled at shimming just parts of a die and checking to see that the cuts went all the way through. I also flip dies 45 or 180 degrees and run them through again. I have learned to use removable tape when necessary. Spellbinders should really offer video instructions like Cherry Lynn does. All intricate dies are a bit of a challenge, but there are lots of ways to get them to work. I think they are well worth the small amount of effort it takes. The Amazon purchasing experience was a breeze. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
SO TINY. SO CUTE!!! SO PERFECT!!! THEY CUT GREAT. This is a sweet little set of banners -- just what I was hoping for. They are meant to be one part of your total design -- not the total design like some of the larger banner/flag designs. Yet they are still large enough to accommodate my smaller alphabet stamps. I plan to use them to personalize my cards with names and greetings -- especially on my flip-it cards.
THE DETAILS ABOUT THE DIES:
The four banners and banner bar are each about 3 1/2" long and the little flags on them are 1/2" long. The oblong flags on the bar are 1/4" wide. The triangles on the bar are 3/8" wide. There are 3 dies for various sized holes -- one hole die (and the star die too) are so tiny that I can't seriously imagine anyone using them for anything. Perhaps the tiniest hole is meant to cut holes to string the flags on baker's twine or thread. The double-pointed flag measures 6/8" Long x 1/2" wide at top. About 7-8 of these flags will fit on the empty banner pole. The scalloped triangle banner is 5/8" long x 1/2" wide. About 7 of these will fit on the empty banner pole. The double -pointed oblong flag is 1/2" long x 5/16" wide. about 10-11 of these will fit on the empty pole. Some of the flags are smaller and therefore more of them will fit on the pole. The two bows are only 1/2 " long. They are adorable and cut great!!!
Now for the great news: These are all comparatively tiny dies, but they all cut really well!!! I didn't cut the circles or heart so I can't vouch for these dies. I used these dies to cut both paper and card stock. These dies cut both perfectly. You will, however, need a very thin point to poke the holes to release the bows from the dies. All other dies release paper from the die very easily. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works great with gel pens. I received this black paper for free to try and review; regardless this is my 100% honest opinion. This paper is true to the descriptions size with the exception of the holes used for the spiral binding at the top, they take up about 1/2 inch of the useable paper. The pages are not perforated so you will have to leave them in or tear/cut them out if you want to remove them. The paper is thick and a true black, not a dark grey or faded black like some types of paper look. This works really well with drawing with gel pens, light and bright colors show up the best and really pop. Some of the darker colors can be seen, but they blend a bit because of the darkness so I would stick the light and bright myself. My daughter has been using this and really likes how her drawings with gel pens are turning out. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
WORKS WELL, BUT SEAMS BURST & FABRIC STAINS. I'd love to give the Tai Pad 5 stars, because it is the best book/IPad/e-reader holder we've found. It works far better than any of the wooden, wire or bean bag holders we've tried. The overstuffed pad holds it's shape and holds it's shape perched on a lap, as well as on a table. But the combination of overstuffing and thin, fragile silk fabric means the seams don't hold. It's so bad that this one (our third) split a seam in less than 2 weeks! That's just ridiculous for an item that costs this much ($45). In the past, I've taken our Thai Pads to a tailor to have the seams restitched, which helps for awhile. But they eventually also wear through at the the inner seam, where the pad bends. After repeated use, the fabric fabric frays, leaving long holes. So don't expect a long life, even with some mending. I don't know why Levenger Co. just doesn't use sturdier fabric, which would solve these problems. One other note: We ordered our previous pads in cranberry and dark burgundy, but neither of these colors were available this time. Stains didn't show on those red shades, but any drop of liquid immediately expands and leaves a glaring stain on the pale lavender silk. I imagine it would show any dust/dirt, as well. I don't know if the blue would be any better at camouflaging. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I enjoy using this brush. I enjoy using this brush. well made, sprays well. two things caused this to lose a star, one I did not get the fan air cap, but Amazon replaced it fast like the champs the usually are. two ALL my other brushes use a 1/8" npt hose. This one uses something different which is smaller. I don't know the reason why. It does come with its own hose that works, and its not a big deal except if I am using multiple brushes for multiple colors, to switch instead of using the quick connector I have to stop turn of the compressor, let out the air and change hoses. Looking to find a solution. Otherwise this was a great purchase. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
perfect for the budding Monet. I must say I am very very happy with this purchase and super excited to work on it. I have been looking for an easel for almost 1 year because I was not sure what to get. I roamed in stores like Michaels, hobby lobby and blick but always held myself back because it seemed very expensive especially for a budding artist with a limited budget.
I think I made a great decision buying this one because it's everything one could ask for. This easel is very well finished, sturdy and guess what , you don't have to assemble it! It unfolds into this magnificent French easel! Plus you can use it as your art box, carry it around and use it as a table top easel too. The canvas holder is adjustable you can fit in upto 24 x36 canvases although I'm sure you can work with many other dimensions. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works well. I am always on the look out for a good set of detail Brushes. It seams previous sets are too flimsy. This is not the case with this set. They have a good stiff ness, but not too stiff allowing me to get a good line.
Info wood art. Nesting dolls and other small things.
These worked well. No loose bristles. Easy to clean.
Shipped in a box, I was thankful for that. This helped protect them brim damage in transit.
When it comes to their life duration, I can not say.
Disclosure: I received this sample product at a discount or free in exchange for an honest appraisal of the item. I was asked to review it truthfully, no matter what star rating I gave, and I intend to do that. I do test out every product I get so I can give a worthwhile review. I hope that my review has helped in your decision to purchase this item or not | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wonderful set of colored pencils, work fantastic as watercolors. ::::::::::
I have turned into a coloring fanatic it seems. I find it so relaxing and stress-free, other than what picture I want to color and what I want to color with. Along with all of the books and printables to color, I am really enjoying trying out the different kinds of supplies I can use to color with. I have tried markers, gel pens, colored pencils, and watercolor pencils. Yes, you do get a difference between using regular colored pencils and using watercolor pencils. These are the perfect colored pencils to use as watercolors.
The roll up bag is nice also, though not as highly rated as the colored pencils. Along with the watercolor pencils, you receive the bag, a brush, pencil sharpener, and eraser.
Pros:
* Pencils: Soft core, easy to color with without putting a lot of strain on my hands
* Pencils: Once blended with water, these look so beautiful, the colors really pop, see images
* Pencils: A great range of colors making them nice to blend or use on their own
* Pencils: Sharpen easily without breaking, do not need sharpening very often
* Roll-up Bag: Secure snap
* Roll-up Bag: Wide elastic to hold pencils in place
* Roll-up Bag: Easy to roll and snap
* Roll-up Bag: Bottom flap keeps pencils protected
* Includes extras that most sets don't like the brush, eraser, and sharpener
Cons:
* Pencils: None, love them!
* Roll-Up Bag: My bag only has 47 elastic loops to hold the pencils instead of 48, not the end of the world though
* Roll-Up Bag: The bottom edge does not lay flat, could have been a little wider
* Brush and sharpener are very basic
Overall I am extremely happy with this set. I plan on spending many hours with it, coloring. I think these pencils are certainly good enough for a beginner and probably good enough for a serious colorist. A professional artist may need a different product but you won't find it in this price range. I did deduct one star from my rating due to a few problems with the bag. Instead of three accessories maybe they should have spent a little more on just one item, perhaps providing a really nice brush or sharpener.
I hope you take a look at the images I am attaching. You can certainly see what a difference there is in the colors once water is added. I can't wait to try these pencils with Vaseline now instead of water. They have such a nice soft core already, I think they will spread like butter!
My hope is that sharing my opinion, perspective, and actual experiences with products I use in my everyday life can be beneficial to others as they make their own purchasing decisions. How many times have we all bought something only to find it didn't live up to our expectations or the advertised description and think to ourselves, I wish someone would have told me that! Likewise, everyone loves to find that perfect thing they have been searching for that is also a quality product.
I ordered this set by <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dainayw-Soft-Core-Colored-Pencils-professional-Quality-Watercolor-Pencil-Perfect-for-Adult-Coloring-Books-Secret-Garden-or-Childrens-Gift-Free-Pencil-Holder-sharpener-Eraser-brush-48-Colors/dp/B014T3HMM2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dainayw Soft Core Colored Pencils,professional Quality Watercolor Pencil - Perfect for Adult Coloring Books Secret Garden or Childrens Gift, Free Pencil Holder,sharpener, Eraser,brush .48 Colors</a> on Amazon and received it for free in exchange for inspecting, testing, and using it from a consumer point of view and then providing my honest and unbiased review. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. I am in no way associated with the manufacturer or seller. I received no other compensation. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
:::::::::: | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Did exactly what I wanted it to do. I wanted this cartridge so I could make cute goodie bags/boxes for my daughters birthday party. I wasn't sure at first because a lot of the reviews I read or videos I saw mentioned how small the boxes are or didn't really show the size of the box in comparison to something else. However, I was able to make a pretty decent sized box that is perfect for a goodie bag! I didn't really find it difficult to cut or assemble (for a bigger box you use box side 1 and box side 2 cut on separate sheets of 12x12 then glue sides together). The only thing I had a problem with was how to use the scoring blade with the cartridge, I couldn't not get it to line up properly. I don't use CCR so that might be the problem, i ended up just using the paper trimmer with the scoring tip, it worked perfect. But overall I LOVE this cartridge and I can already imagine many uses for it!!! I will upload a picture of my box with a comparison so anyone who wants can get a good comparison on size, you probably couldn't make a box too much bigger then the one I made, maybe a inch bigger. I cut mine at true size 10.5 inches. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Super value. Packing for shipment could be better. It comes 90% assembled. In my case, though, some hardware had unscrewed itself in transit and was loose in the box, which had a hole in it. Everything was there, fortunately. It took just a few minutes to put the stray hardware back where it belonged and add the lower tray and upper canvas holder, which is all the assembly that should be required. There are no instructions, but assembly is pretty obvious. It would be difficult to go wrong. Once together, I was delighted with the sturdiness and the variety and ease of adjustments. The mast, lower tray, and upper holder all move independently. The independent mast movement means ceiling height won't be an issue. The whole frame can be adjusted to lean pretty far back or beyond vertical so it leans a little forward. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Holy Bananas that's a Spicy Shipping Cost. If I wasn't so desperate to gain access to these pencils (which in the current situation I am), I wouldn't have spent the money on these. Though I'm excited to receive them in the mail, the fact that the SHIPPING COSTS MORE THEN THE ACTUAL PRODUCT is absolutely ridiculous and in retrospect it would be smarter to have just bought them from Michaels who would have charged me more for these but I'd have same day pick up and no surprise at the fact that my bank account was drained just having these sent to me.
If you really are desperate you might as well, but for a STANDARD SHIPPING OF 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS, there is no worth in receiving these because all your money goes straight to the bus tour to your city rather then the product itself. I'm shocked and all my friends laughed when they heard, and to be honest I laughed too. I'll be finding a different way to replenish these in the future that's for sure. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good Draft. Cool product. I've been wanting/needing a drafting desk for years. I'm a crafter. Finally decided on this one. The reviews helped with decision - and not disappointed. The glass helps a lot with being able to trace and see (thru) cards and papers. It was easy to assemble (note I assemble many products) - with the exception of the drawers - it took an extra hour to figure how to get the drawers to connect/attach (this was because I didn't want to press to hard and break the plastic material). I got it attached eventually when I decided to just press down. This is also one of the reasons the product doesn't get the full 5 stars. Its great but the drawers were frustrating and its a little less sturdy than I expected. Otherwise its a great production. I would recommend to a friend. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The pan holder comes out of the case for better access to the pans. The case is solidly built. The pan holder comes out of the case for better access to the pans.
After reading the reviews, I had pretty high expectations of the paint. The truth is, they are pretty standard artist quality paints. They're no better than my favorite brands (M. Graham and HWC), but the are significantly more expensive.
This was my first pan set, and I didn't realize how small pans actually are :) A pan set isn't really suited for large paintings. However, they are the perfect size for travel and watercolor sketch notebooks.
As far as I know, this is one of the best pan boxes you're likely to find. Very sturdy and serious looking. It's quite attractive. If I had to do it again, I'd probably just buy the empty box and fill it with my own colors.
Probably goes without saying, but this doesn't come with any extra pans, so you'll need to purchase those at cheapjoes or jerrysartarama. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great yellows for once, fun rainbows. This is a nice set. There aren't as many regular colors as I'd like (in relation to the neon, metallic, and glitter), but unlike many of these sets, it has a nice range of yellows and even 2 browns. That seems rare. Many gel pen sets have several yellows, but they all end up being on the neon end and nearly green. So you can do a nice range of moods well with the set. The rainbow pens are interesting, and I have some photos of how they come out. You have to be using them in a large enough space that the various colors come out, because they're not small transitions. You can see the ink in them, which is helpful, because despite the pen lid, they all have a similar, though slightly different, range of colors inside. As usual, there are a few pens that aren't as smooth as the others. This always seems to be the case in the green-orange range. But it's not all of the green, which is unusual and nice. I'm really enjoying this set.
I received this product at a discount in exchange for an honest review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Buyer beware! Don't buy it unless accuracy and clean writing are NOT what you want it for. Bought it two days ago (at a local store) to sign/date very small handmade items for sale. It seemed to work on its first use so I went out and bought a silver extra-fine, to label lighter colored items where the extra fine black might be distracting.
The silver did not work properly right off the batits "extra-fine" tip was making a much wider line than the black had made the day before, so that was irritating, but it was also ceasing to write at all, then suddenly blobbing or dripping, which if you're trying to label things for sale, RUINS what you were planning to sell. If you try to depress the tip as you did to prime it initially, it blobs all over the paper and a lot of ink is lost... and still, it does NOT begin to write well again.
I decided the silver must not be ready for prime time and gave up on it, then went back to labelling things with the blackwhich was only one day old.
Turns out the first day must have been a fluke. Labelling the same materials as the day before, but now the black stops writing, refuses to restart when gently run on a piece of scrap paper, blobs and drips if you try depressing to reprime, writes for a second (yes, literally a second) at some unpredictable and wildly inconsistent line width (depending on how much paint is oozing out of the edges of the top of the nib, *not* where paint should be coming from)and at last, the pen gave up entirely and now will not write anything at all. No way I've used it up in less than 20 minutes of writing over 2 days, even with all its leaking. It's just completely dead.
Will be returning both colors tomorrow, and going back to my old methods of labelling. VERY disappointed, stuck with ruined, handmade merchandise, and the task I bought them for is still in front of me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Okay, but the dies are relatively useless. I make and sell greeting cards to benefit our local library, and this is the first combination stamp & die cut set that I have tried. I stamp the pictures first, then fit the dies around the pictures and cut them with my Sizzix Big Shot. These dies yield a good, clean cut but to tell the truth, it would have been almost as easy to cut the stamped images by hand. You will have to do some hand-cutting in order to remove the waste paper from the center of the rings. I would have much preferred to have a die that cut out the center of the rings.
It's relatively difficult to find stamps and dies for wedding cards, so I was happy to find this set from Sizzix (I paid much less for the set at scrapbook.com). Please see customer image for a wedding card that I made with these stamps and dies (the rings). | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The color pencils that came along with the set are extremely poor quality at best--right out of the box. This is clearly not the same product as what we had in our yesteryears. The color pencils that came along with the set are extremely poor quality at best--right out of the box, 2 of the 4 pencils had a broken tip--sure, no big deal, it happens. I've got a sharpener and used it on the first one. Every time I thought I had a successful sharpening, the tip broke off. The pencil is approximately less than half its original size now. The same goes for the other pencil that came with a broken tip. The quality of the pencils that came with this set is obviously (for some reason) much cheaper and weaker than the ones you can pick up from the local dollar store. Speaking of the quality of the pencils, the color (as stated by some previous reviews) are not very vibrant and will require a lot of pressure if you want to see some color.
There are several plates where it took several attempts to get the detailing of the pattern to transfer to the paper properly due to the height of the raised imprints not being even. I found that raised areas closer to the frame were more difficult to get a good transfer on since there wasn't much spacing between the frame and the raised areas that were on the edge to run the black crayon on easily.
The positive: The case is compact and allows you to store most of the necessary pieces for travel with the exception of storage for the paper. If you expand the plate collection, more than likely you will not be able to store them all within this same set. They cleverly made the pull out "lockable" whereas you cannot pull out the tray easily unless if you unlock/lift the plate holder first. Keep this in mind, otherwise if you're struggling to pull out the tray, you can potentially break the plate holder. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Embossing pads damaged my Big Shot cutting pad. I'm new to card making, new Big Shot, some Sizzix embossing folders, and I bought these Spellbinders Embossing pads to use. Set up with the Big Shot embossing sandwich combo, my Bristol card stock was showing some tearing when I used the embossing folder, so I decided to open the folder and try it with the new Spellbinders Embossing Pad. These embossing pads did have a particulate type debris on them when I first took them out of the packaging, which I wiped off with a dry microfiber cloth, then put the combo through the Big Shot.
The embossing didn't work the way I'd wanted, but I was SHOCKED to see my new clear plastic cutting pad was now permanently stained by something from the Spellbinders Embossing Pad!! It also dulled and reacted with the Sizzix embossing folder!! And it doesn't clean off, the originally smooth Big Shot cutting pad is tacky in the discolored areas. Needless to say I won't be using these again, not sure if I got counterfeit embossing pads or what, but this embossing pad material will react with other materials. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect color match. Used this to dye a faded denim jacket to match a new navy maxi dress I purchased. Perfect color match, perfectly restored jacket! I'm so excited to have a "new" jacket to wear with my fall wardrobe this year. I didn't use the washing machine method since I have front loaders, but it worked just as well to do it in the laundry room sink. I just put it in the sink with the salt recommended on the instructions along with super hot water and stirred it with tongs for 5-10 minutes, drained and rinsed it thoroughly, and then ran it through the wash cycle in my machine twice. Came out very crisp and saturated, I'd highly recommend it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
8 brightly colored liquid chalk markers. Very nice set of liquid chalk markers, the colors are vivid and bright. I found the ink to be slightly thinner than a few other brands I have tried, but they still show up nicely. The 5mm fine bullet tip writes very well, you can write with the tip or hold it sideways for a thicker line.
It takes a few minutes to start the ink flowing for the first time. You push down on the tip to release the pressure, recap and shake tip side up for about 30 seconds, then hold the marker down on the writing surface (I used a paper plate) with the tip pushed in until you see the ink flowing down. It took a couple of minutes of keeping the tip pushed in before I saw the ink appear.
Once the ink starts flowing you can use these to draw or write on any non porous surface. Since they are water based the in can be wiped clean using a damp rag or paper towel. These would be perfect to decorate the windows for the holidays, or used on wipe boards. You can decorate glasses and use as place markers for parties too.
When not in use store them on their side and keep them tightly capped so they don't dry out. These chalk markers are fun and easy to use!
Product sample received for review purposes. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Magnificent, Fabulous, Exceptional. This brand is "GREAT"! I got my pack @ United Art & Ed. for just a hair cheaper, but now that I know I can get them sent straight to my doorstep, I will suck up the extra some odd cents and get them here the next time I need to replenish. Truly can't say enough good about these tortillions. They work great with my Prisma,Fabre-poly's, & Derwents. They don't get fuzzy when sanding them, or blending. Even if your a beginner, you should start and stop with JR Tort's. Price point, quality, & quantity are spot on!
I did not receive these in exchange for my opinion or review. I just wanted to share my honest opinion and experience with this product! Hope it helps. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
the desk works great! There's a perfect bar underneath to mount a . The front piece where the pencil guard is supposed to connect to was welded on backwards, so I couldn't access the pre-drilled holes and connect it. Thankfully my family is handy and we were able to drill our own holes into the front of the metal, but it was still discouraging to get the whole thing put together and then not be able to finish the very last step.
Other than that, the desk works great! There's a perfect bar underneath to mount a light and turn the glass top of the desk into a light table for tracing. As long as they don't get a minorly defective one like mine, I'd recommend it to others!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not worth the cost. This grab bag was not worth the cost. That is the chance one takes when buying grab bags and this time I lost out. Half the pieces are cute, one is okay and three are absolutely meant for the trash can! Of the trash can variety, there is a close up of flames, a black cat pattern and something I am guessing is meant to appear as pixels. It is of such low quality, I cannot be certain. The other patterns are polka dots, chevron stripes and a Lilly inspired pattern. This was on the top so I thought the rest were going to be great as well. It was disappointing to find what was underneath. I have not measured the vinyl but all pieces are similar in size. There are not two that are exactly the same size. The cuts are smooth, but all are not straight. This is not something that bothers me, but is an issue to others. All are Oracle 651 and have the backing sheet from the company. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Does not adhere to slightly textured wall. This vinyl is a beautiful color (metallic rose), but that is about where the positive ends. I was attempting to use this for heart wall decals (approx 3 in size) and they simply would not adhere to the wall. Nothing I tried worked cleaning the wall with rubbing alcohol, using a credit card to rub against it, using a hair dryer to heat the adhesive.... the decal would just fall off the wall within a matter of minutes. The oracle 631 vinyl I was also using adhered beautifuly, so I know it was an issue with the vinyl itself. The only reason Im not giving this one star is because I was trying to apply it to a slightly textured wall, so Im assuming this would possibly adhere to perfectly smooth surfaces...? That and the color is nice. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great as long as stays clean. I have had this for about six months, and I am happy with it.
The six nibs with the copper colored portions are a lot harder to keep clean due to ink getting inbetween, they require far more TLC tan the two other nibs displayed on the bottom right of the pack. I love the round nibs, they are brilliant for coloring things in.
The other two nibs, are VERY easy to clean, there are no nooks and all that is needed is a wipe every few minutes or so and then that is it.
With the smaller pen and nib they also work well, they requited no more cleaning than simply a q-tip in some cleaning solution. However, I did end up breaking the small, fragile, nib. After that I purchased another, and broke that one as well. BE CARFUL WITH IT. Many times have a carelessly stabbed myself with before it broke.
Great pruduct, will buy again if and when something tragically happens to the set I have now. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
These are NOT 100% stain free. These markers promise "mess free coloring" and say that "colors ONLY appear on special paper". And that's a lie.
While we haven't found stains on anything else (skin, furniture, other clothes, etc.) last night these markers met their match. My daughter came home from ballet wearing a long sleeved leotard (which she had only worn for the second time, and which she had only been wearing for an hour and a half at that point). She went to work coloring in her Frozen Color Wonder book with these markers. She wasn't using any other coloring implement. Yet she ended up with large stains in the same color as the marker all over the sleeves of her leotard! The leotard is made of 90% nylon, and 10% spandex, if that's helpful for anyone.
I haven't yet attempted to wash it out. I'm worried about doing it right so it doesn't set the stain. I will update with my results once I do.
I used to be really comfortable letting her use these markers, and now I don't trust them. I think the ink itself might not stain when applied directly to another material, but once the ink is on the paper, I think it can easily transfer to other surfaces if it's still "wet". You can see in my picture of the page she waas coloring how the color transferred to the page above it as well. You can also see how the color on her leotard sleeves matches the color she was using while coloring that page in her book. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Terrible trimmer. Thought I would upgrade my standby Fiskars trimmer so gave this one a try - what a disappointment! So many things wrong with it I'm not sure where to begin. One huge issue is that there is only ONE paper stop on the whole board so you can't be sure the paper is really square before cutting. And that stop is at the far end if you're right handed so unless you're standing up to use the cutter you can't really put the paper against it to see it well. The stop is slanted a bit for some reason so even when the paper is against it it's very easy for the paper to slide up and get out of place. Another issue is that the magnets on the blade holder make it very difficult to pick it up and there is no place to get a good hold of it. However, even though it sticks too hard to the base of the cutter, paper still slides around underneath it. The storage space for the boning knife is handy but it becomes next to impossible to get it out without opening up the extension and reaching onto the underside of the cutter. If I hadn't thrown away the packaging when I opened this it would definitely be going back! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
How easy is THIS. I came across this neat little paintbox, and bought 2! I do not know if I will use the H2O brush included, or my own,but I really like the style of this kit alot! Lovely color cakes in a broad range, plus it's tiny size makes it perfect for travel around town, or cross country! Nowadays with travel restrictions, this will work perfectly for the on the go artist. I look forward to taking mine along on our next cross country trek! Truthfully, it is all you need besides a good quality H2O pad. I recommend a Moleskine, like the other reviewers did. Painting has never been easier! Whether you are an utter novice like me, or a professional, get this! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
and the fast speed is super fast. (So fast that my husband made a . We did A LOT of research before buying this model. Most of the models move really slow, this one doesn't have that problem...the slowest speed is just slightly faster than ideal, and the fast speed is super fast. (So fast that my husband made a cool spring by putting a pencil in an electric drill, melting a start bead of plastic onto the pencil, then turning the drill and the 3d pen on at the same time.) We thought the 3d pen broke really quick, but it turned out using a lighter on the tip of the pen unclogged it and we were able to continue without further problems. The three loops of plastic they send you is only enough to play for a day or two, you'll want to buy more...but as a silly toy this is really great. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
THIS GEL PEN ADDICTS REVIEW. Beautiful, smooth, lovely gel pens. So much glitter!! I love them. They even have numbers, no color name, but there are hard to read numbers on the ink and refills. I took off a star because of the very difficult way they have numbered the pens to make it easier to match the refill. I had to use a magnifying glass to read the numbers on the ink pen and even had to take several of them apart to see the markings that are the pen numbers. Other reviewers have mentioned this as well. I would still purchase this item again as the flow of the ink is smooth and the colors are very pretty. I would like to see this brand in a wider range of glitter colors like another pack I have of 90 unique colors. Tanmit Glitter Gel Pens come packaged in a sturdy PVC container that has a slot for each pen. I took this to my Dr Appt yesterday and it fit neatly in my purse. I would definitely purchase again even though the colors are hard to identify. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Easy for anyone to use right out of box. The Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Machine make easy work of any cutting project for even the most novice of users! I have some limited experience with a Zing Cutting Machine that I use occasionally at work. I have only used that one for cutting cardstock. So my review will kind of be comparing the two.
When I received the Silhouette I was surprised how light it is. Compared to the heaviness of the Zing the Silhouette was like lifting nothing.
The Silhouette came with the following:
The cutting machine itself
USB cord
Power cord
A cutting mat
Cutting Blade
Crosscut blade
Credit to Silhoutte online designs
Software to install on your computer
I was operating the cutting machine to cut vinyl (my first time ever cutting vinyl!) In a matter of a half hour (that include design time)
First you will upload the software to your computer, Then after unpacking the Silhoutte and installing the cutting blade - I had no problems getting mine to sit correctly in the slot. I actually think it is a lot easier than the Zing. Design your desired project then connect the Silhoutte to your computer with the provided USB cord then cut.
The touch screen on the Silhoutte is very user friendly and easy to follow and understand. I liked that you can either choose Load Cut Mat or Load Media - I used Load Media for my vinyl project and it cut perfectly.
The instruction booklet is very easy to understand and follow.
The machine itself is a little bit on the loud side, I was a little surprised how loud it was, but this wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.
I love the Silhoutte Cameo and will probably be bringing my projects home from work to cut with it instead of using the Zing at work. (I think the Zing software is a little more complicated to use and the machine is SO much heavier!)
Highly recommend this one if you are looking for a cutting machine! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not good for ALL media at all as it claims. The Crescent Rendr is supposed to do everything I want it to do in a sketchbook...lay flat and use with all media. I use a variety of materials in my art so having a sketchbook that I could use gouache, markers, ink and watercolor paint was important to me. Unfortunately this sketchbook did not live up to its claim...the pages do not lay flat, I have to use clips to hold it open nor does it work well with water based media. Watercolor and gouache is a nightmare to use in this book...the pages buckle when wet and if you brush over the page the fiber of the paper balls up. It does really well with markers and the paper is quite smooth and a dream to draw on but thats about it. I don't enjoy pencil work due to the smooth texture. The one positive is that the paper doesnt bleed through likenit claims so one star for that. I am 3/4 of the way done with this sketchbook and can not wait to finish it so I can begin a sketchbook with better paper and one that lays flat. I do not recommend this for artists that use wet media. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Big let down. I really wanted to love these markers, especially after they came so highly recommended by a friend. The colors are bold, bright and cheerful. I purchased them in October 2016, just in time to allow my 3 year old to help me use them to create a birthday present for my husband. At that initial use, I found the markers to be frustrating; the ink flow was inconsistent and would completely stop altogether on certain markers. We didn't have much of a choice, so we put them away and used other markers to finish the gift. I tucked these away to try again another time. Today was that time - my daughter has her first day of preschool tomorrow, and I wanted to use the markers to fill in a "first day of school" chalkboard for her to use for photos. This time, 3 of the 8 markers won't work at all, though there is plenty of ink available in each (I can see it was well as hear it when I shake them). The remaining 5 again have an inconsistent ink flow. I am incredibly let down by this purchase and would not recommend this product to anyone. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
You won't regret it. These are probably the best colored pencils I've used by far. I've been using Prismacolor Softcore for years but the points always break very easily, even while sharpening. I guess it was a convenience factor and it was the only ones available at my local store when i was younger so i stuck with it.
Recently I've decided to use color again but i didn't want to go through the frustrations i had to prisma and decided to go with Derwent Coloursoft ( since i have a set of the graphite and they are amazing as well). I could tell the different immediately as I sharpen my first pencil - the color, the wood were perfectly aligned and got a sharp point on the first try! The point didn't break as easily as prismas would when you applied pressure on paper, it was awesome and worth every penny. The range of the 72 are simply amazing - and blends very well, a burnisher would make it shine. I went for the 72 first because getting a smaller pack usually mean i don't have the range i need for testing - and would make me spend more eventually. I used to think Prisma was top of the line - but other brands are so much better, don't go for convenience- I think these are cheaper as well. The prisma grey scale markers are still nice though - i still use them. The prisma pencil quality are trash. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I LOVE my Slice. I am thrilled with my Slice! I am devoted to paper crafts and adore making cards in particular. This machine allows me to create unique combinations of embellishments and expressions using any paper design and color I need, instead of being limited to the pre-determined color palettes and sizes found in packaged materials. I particularly love the embossing and shadowing options, as they allow for even more diversity in the look of the pieces I've created. I have used my Slice for years now and would love to get the Elite version in order to be able to cut thicker materials, but it's hard to justify the expense when my old one is still going strong! :-) I highly recommend getting the Hands Free mat and collar, though, as holding the machine in place while it cuts can be bothersome, especially if you are doing a lot of cutting in one session. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Glitter fun... everywhere. I got this for my 7 year-old daughter, who enjoys crafts of all kinds, and she loves it! Essentially, this set contains adhesive-topped stickers that you brush glitter on to make a sparkly, glittery design in the colors of your choosing. The set comes with four different colors of glitter - purple, silver, gold, and black - and 60 different stickers, as well as a little dusting brush, a few rhinestones, and a little plastic workstation to put everything in.
Anyway, making the stickers is easy enough that my daughter can do it by herself, and my daughter considers the finished stickers to be extra special. She's used them to decorate her LeapPad, DS, and school notebook covers, and they not only look great but they last really well. Yes, glitter gets everywhere, but I'm not the kind of mom who minds as long as my daughter's having fun and is willing to help clean up the mess when she's done. Anyway, we've really enjoyed this, so much that I'm planning to buy one of the $12.99 Blingles Glimmer refill packs for my daughter when the stickers this set came with are gone. Definitely recommended! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I thought my brush was clean. I had never used this before. It arrived today and I used it for the first time tonight. After painting I rinsed, then washed my brush with soap and warm water. I washed it really well. I rinsed it until the water came clear and then I thought I'd try the new brush cleaner. I wet the brush and rubbed it around the cake of cleaner in the jar. I was surprised to see the color I had just used. There was a lot of paint left in the brush! I rinsed the brush and the soap cake and then rubbed it around again and sure enough there was more paint coming out. I rinsed and repeated one last time and it was finally clean. The scent of the cleaner is very light and fresh, sort of citrusy. It's clear that this works better than the regular soap and water method. I will continue to use this product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The tool picks up an good amount of fluid for line work and delivers it . The Colour Shaper Double-End Masking Fluid Tool was purchased along with the Grafix Original Incredible Nib and the Pro Art Ruling Pen.
Comparison of Line Application with Incredible White Mask:
Incredible Nib - this instrument has a point and a chisel end. It appears to be made of a dowel with shaped ends. The tool picks up an good amount of fluid for line work and delivers it all at once. I could not make a thin line. It cleaned easily.
Colour Shaper - the application of Mask transferred a bead from its silicone nib then feathered out into a fine line with good coverage. It will take a lot of dipping with this too to get medium to long lines done. The silicone end cleans easily,
The Pro Art Ruling Pen has a time tested design for holding fluids in drafting and architecture work. It is designed to hold fluid and make lines. It did the job very well and I was able to make long lines the initial blob at the tip was smaller than the other two. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I was Distressed by how Distressed This Was. I got this journal and I was disappointed. I had hoped it was going to be just as nice as my Saddle Brown Rustic Ridge Refillable Journal. Distressed seemed to scream used and I sent it back. It had more lines and creases than I had expected to see. I know, I know, "Did you read the post?" Yes, I read the post. I knew it would be distressed but I didn't expect it to be "that" distressed. I had hoped to use it for something special but that sent me shopping again. If you like the used to well used look, you will find it with this journal. It looks used. If you don't like the used look, steer clear of this journal and go for the more traditional one in Saddle Brown by the same people. Don't get me wrong, they make great journals, I was just horribly disappointed with this purchase. But I think my disappointment is a reflection of taste rather than a reflection of craftsmanship. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Lots you can do with this. We have a tradition of chalk drawing and painting on our pool deck on the 4th-of-July. We set out lots of colored chalk sticks (see Crayola 48 Count Sidewalk Chalk), a couple trays of chalk paints (see Crayola Washable Sidewalk Neon Paint Tray), extra-cheap long-handle paint-brushes, cut sponges, and this year added a chalk sprayer (see Play Day Chalk Paint Sprayer), a chalk marker (see Play Day Washable Chalk Marker) and some of these refill packets of powdered chalk >Play Day Chalk Paint Refill<.
We used these powdered chalks mixed with water in the sprayer and the marker and in both cases they worked really well. I stocked up on several packets in the full rainbow of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. A little seems to go a long way. The chalks laid down well on the deck and washed away again easily with the spray hose. I am glad I stocked up on these and will enjoy experimenting further with them. Now I am thinking, next year I should wrap them in cheesecloth and let the kids use them as a pounce bag. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Versatile and inexpensive alternative to Cricut. The Silhouette is complete in one box. There is nothing else to buy, except replacement blades and cutting mats down the line, but the ones you get are going to last a long time. There is no software or cartridges to buy, and you are able to use any of the thousands of TrueType font or dingbat you can find online. The software is extremely easy to use, and the first day I owned it I was downloading shapes from antique image archives and resizing and cutting them with ease. There is an online training tutorial which explains everything in the clearest possible terms. If you wish, you can purchase very inexpensive .gsd files from the Quickutz site, or download any of the hundreds of free or purchasable .gsd files from independent designers online. There are several online discussion groups which deal with these cutters and others. Note that your Silhouette is the same machine as the CraftRobo used by artists and designers worldwide. This is not just for scrapbookers by any means, though they will love it. I use it for cutting layered paper shapes for collage. Quickutz is well-known for the excellent customer support. Why lock yourself into the expensive and cutesy cartridges or after-market software for the Cricut when for this price, you can use your own originality and imagination, let alone all the design resources of the entire internet?
One more note -- my laptop is the 64-bit Dell Studio, and Quickutz offers a 64-bit driver for this machine. It works perfectly with Vista as well as XP, and I have run it off both kinds of machines with no problems whatsoever. I recommend this product 100% and wish I had bought it years ago. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Missing crucial parts. This is a beautiful desk. Great glass work top, and sturdy base.
There are many issues, however.
-Packaging: The glass top was packaged well, but the rest were not. It was haphazardly thrown into a large flat box with a few styrofoam pieces thrown in. The shelf lip had come apart from the shelf because of the lack of packaging. I was able to repair it with glue and clamps. This desk was also missing crucial pieces. There was one foot missing, and one crucial metal thread insert. It's a part that should already be in the pedestal and not part of the hardware list. Since I am quite handy, I was able to find the metal threaded insert and a replacement foot (not matching, but functional) at a local hardware store. The missing metal threaded insert would have made the desk worthless.
-Assembly: The directions are fairly straight forward. The parts are well made. I had to muscle the U-bars a bit to fit into the holes. I would suggest you put the U-bars in when you put the table top clamps on. That way you can put them on when the table top is on the floor and not swinging back and forth on the pedestals. It took me about 2 hours to put together minus the trip to the hardware store.
-Adjustability: It says it has height adjustability, but in reality it does not. If you chose to have the desk at it's lowest position, you have to give up the support the inner knob will provide. The inner knob only has one screw in position at it's maximum table height. Since I work at my desk with a severe slant: approx. 60-70 degrees. The bottom of the table is quite low. I use a regular chair or stool to sit at. It's not as high as you might think even at it's max. height. I may put blocks or casters under the feet to give me a few more inches. Adjusting the slant is quite difficult since the table doesn't seem to want to stay square. There is a lot of resistance when moving the slant. You have to loosen both knobs before adjusting and re-tighten after. So, it's not one you can change quickly. Height change is the same way. You have to loosen 4 knobs to adjust.
I do plan on keeping the desk. It has an industrial look that I love and will serve my purposes. To recap: count your parts and check for damage. Studio designs does have a website to order missing parts. I have my order in for a new foot. We shall see how quickly they get back to me on that. The top seems to be sturdy. I can erase with acceptable amount of wiggle. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Very Happy. I am SO GLAD I decided to give these a try! I have Derwent, Prismcolor and Faber Castell Sets and I love them all, but I really wanted a set to travel with and these fit the bill beautifully. They compare very nicely with prismcolors as far as blending, etc. The case has a space for the pencil sharpener with cover, and I have also managed to put a small clip-on light and an eraser in the case and the case still closes nicely. I removed the silver and gold colors and replaced with two prismcolor blender pencils. Now I'm set and ready to go. I have had one pencil (Spring Peach) that has had the breaking problem, but that is the only one. I already have the refill set in my cart at amazon! Very Happy. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but I do like to color sometimes. I am not an artist, but I do like to color sometimes. I wanted a nice set of colored pencils but not too expensive, but not cheap. I did a little research and saw that US Art Supply does make quality products. Are they top of the line? No. Are they better than cheap colored pencils you get in the school supply section at your local discount store? Yes!
As I read more about colored pencils, I learned there are "water color" pencils that when you color and then lightly paint water over them, or dip the sharpened pencil tip in water before coloring, they give a water color effect. I thought that was pretty cool. I decided to purchase watercolor pencils because I could color normally with them, or use them like water color paint...one product for two purposes...and pencils are highly portable. I tend to color when I am on the go--vacations, overnight stays, etc.
This 36 piece set of artist grade watercolor pencils from US Art Supply has not disappointed me at all. They color smoothly, the colors are bright and true on the paper. They "paint" nicely too, when water is added...and the price cannot be beat! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
However. Ok, so I gave it 5 stars because they DO give you what you order. This is exactly what I received.
However, I do think that there are some issues with the product. It doesn't advertise as self adhering, but it leaves very little room for you to add tape to the sides to tape it to skin/wall/chalkboard/etc. I purchased this so that I could use it as a stencil for some scales on my side for Halloween. With someone else helping me, I can use it and it works very well over and over. It's odd because the pattern seems very big for such a small stencil, and when you use it appears smaller, but not too much so than the stencil. Do I recommend it? It's something I would say is perfect as an add on only. Yes it's usable, but it isn't perfect and has downfalls. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Instructions . I recently received the larger kit (more brushes), and have no doubt that it will suffice for a beginner like me; but I have not used it, because instructions are lacking regarding the use and maintenance of a brush. For example, how does one
1. prep the brush before use,
2. charge it with ink,
3. hold it,
4. make broad and thin strokes,
5. clean and dry it,
6. and maintain it?
I could experiment and, perhaps, find answers, but I might also estlablish bad writing habits. What is the proper technique for making ink, and how does one check foe proper consistency? BYW, what's that little plastic spoon for?
Right now I'm casting about on the net for answers. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works Great. I purchased this item due to a high priced designer recommending it to change my silver wood frames to gold. I was hesitant since I paid several hundred dollars for the frames but my only other alternative was to replace the entire frame at a frame shop at several hundred dollars more. So, with little instruction from the designer, I went to work. At my surprise, it was super simple, looks fantastic and definitely a professional appearance. My only recommendation is to wear gloves, preferrably surgical and apply the thick buff to a board, spread somewhat evenly on a cloth before applying. In other words, it comes out in a thick log, similar to toothpaste. If you apply it that way, it spreads on heavy which is not always the best way to apply. Start with a small amount for a less clumpy look. Tube is small but goes a loooonnngg way...one tube covered two frames 4' x 4' with 1/2 a tube left over. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Loved it. I am 1 chair away from finishing and have lost all drive to complete it but this was my first paint umbers and I loved it. I have a ton of almost every color (aside from black) left over and not sure how anybody ran out unless you let them dry. I used a dinner plate to glop a little and use that instead of leaving the container open.
With some colors you will need multiple players but its better to do a few thin than one floppy because it won't look even.
I followed other peoples advice to do the dark colors first and Im not sure I liked that very much. It kinda makes sense but the light colors can still paint over the dark ones and if you mess up (you will) and end up on a dark color you have to redo the dark color.
It was not awful of hard for a big inner but it took me a few months of 1 or two hours in the mornings when I felt like it to complete.
All in all its gorgous, looks just like the picture and I had so much fun. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love these butterflies. Love these butterflies! There are 24 gorgeous butterflies in this pack for under 5 bucks. I was weary seeing complaints that the butterflies were flimsy and delicate (they are, but not as much as I was expecting), but honestly, Im super happy with this purchase because a) the designs on the wings are gorgeous, I love how they are unique designs and of different sizes b) they are super cheap - under 5 bucks with free shipping and c) they are completely delightful and add a whimsical pop of 3D color to pretty much any space you'd like to put a butterfly.
I put some in my work cubicle, gave a couple to other coworkers and even planted some around the office :P
Check out the pictures I uploaded, I definitely recommend getting these! I already put in the order for the yellow and green ones :) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not recommended for glasses cleaning, but MAN does it do a GREAT job. Like many people, I was looking for a way to remove the chipped anti-reflective coating from my plastic lenses. I read on many sites that this is the product to use. My lenses are very expensive, so I was very cautious about doing anything that would damage them further. I purchased this product, and tried it on older spare glasses before using it on my current lenses. It did a good job, so I decided to try it on my main pair. I covered the lenses with a small paint brush and let them set for the same amount of time as my test pair. When I washed them, I thought my worst fear was realized. the lenses were cloudy and completely unusable. After close examination, the cloudiness was the the coating starting to dissolve. I covered them again and let them sit for about two hours. This time after washing, I had pristine, crystal clear lenses! They look brand new! I am VERY happy with the results with Armor Etch! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fun but the Software Needs Major Improvements. I decided to purchase this since it wasn't too expensive. I likely won't use it too much though I love stamps.
Pros:
- design your own stamps
- wooden blocks are reusable
Cons:
- items purchased from the Silhouette store don't necessarily work well with this product. Items maybe less crisp or not even usable.
- the software is super basic. It's not similar to the Silhouette at all (no tracing, cutting, etc.).
- only usable with Silhouette ink
- a lot of ink seems to be wasted in the initial inking of the stamp
If the software was similar or built into the other Silhouette software, I'd probably up my rating a star or maybe 2. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Definitely will fit all your needs and its large size definitely makes a huge impression or buy the giver and recipient. This is a sturdy book. The typical use of scrapbooks or photo albums is for reminiscing every once in a while. If used in that capacity, I believe that book will last a long time. My mother has books similar to this one that is over 30 years old. There are two unintentional pockets formed by the covers that probably will never get used but they are there nonetheless. The only down side of this is the color. The picture shows a rich and deep dark blue but its actually a flat blue. The color makes it looks like something out of the 80's. But the color is a small issue. If it is used as a scrap book, I'm sure most users will decorate the cover anyway. This book is definitely refillable. There are two screws that are nicely hidden that can be removed. I highly recommend this memory book and I will be buying another. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Pretty good for the price. We have a graphics design business where we mainly design and print posters. We wanted to get into printing on mugs and did not want to spend a lot of money on a mug press so we chose this product. The product is small but has some weight to it and it is for the most part manufactured well. The instruction manual is not in depth so we had to do testing with different temps and heating times. The optimal temp we found is 360 degrees with a heating time of 275-300 seconds. Immediately dunk the mug in a tub of cool water once the timer goes off. One thing to remember is this press is designed for printing on 11ounce mugs and not the larger and more popular 15 ounce mugs. We were printing on the 15 ounce mugs and we bent the screw that secures the mug wrap. You need to buy sublimation paper and use a printer that prints with sublimation ink. Mugs come out with vivid colors. We also have printed on metal water bottles with ease. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wish I had bought one sooner. This Light Box is one of the best purchases I've made. I use it to help me pick stained glass colors as well as match colors in a panel. Before, I would have to try to hold them up to a window or light fixture which would not produce the greatest clarity or accuracy in matching glass. This helps take the guesswork out of that and also helps to reduce wasting glass that doesn't look good when I'm trying to replicate a real object. My only regret is that I didn't find this box sooner. It is very sturdy, you can dim it to various shades, it's lightweight and measures 14" across X 18" tall/long, and
3/8" thick. If you're tracing a pattern to/from paper, glass or vinyl transfer sheets pretty much anything that backlighting is needed this will work great!
You can see the difference between having it and not in the photos. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I like that they're child safe and non-toxic. The markers come in a reclosable plastic carrier which is convenient for storage or transporting. They say to store them flat, but they have pocket clips on them.
I like that they're child safe and non-toxic. They even list the ingredients, which I don't think Ive seen before. The markers contain Tio 2, titanium dioxide, to provide whiteness and opacity to the pigment. Its widely used in sunscreen and even used in foods and toothpaste. They also say they are low odor. Im sensitive to chemicals and I detected no odor at all.
The instructions say to shake well. I shook each marker 30 - 60 times. Then you have to press the marker tip down repeatedly to quickly get the ink to flow. Four of my markers started quickly and were so wet I needed to roll them lightly, along the edge of the envelope I was using to activate them on, in order to remove the excess paint. Some of the others took over 60 plunges to get the ink to flow and more to get complete coverage of the tip. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
EXCELLENT FACE PAINT. I have been using Neocolor ll watersoluble wax crayons for face painting for 20 years now. Years ago I had reached a representative of the company in California (can't find this reference anymore) and was told the company approved it's use on the skin. The USDA doesn't because this is a Swiss product.
I have very sensitive skin and have painted thousands of children and there has never been a bad reaction.
I always use a towel over the child's shoulders though, it will stain! I really like how it dries so quickly especially if it is damp outside when you are painting. There are many wonderful professional facepaints on the market and I would use them if I was going to paint close to the eyes, but I avoid this at festivals anyway.
Since I prefer to use brushes or sponges I shave off the crayons into a palette well and press it down slightly then fill with DISTILLED water barely cover. The next day it is a heavy creamy paint and I smooth the paint out in the little palette wells. It will dry in a day or two, cover and store. After a day of painting I let the palette dry completely before storing, I use round covered tins found second hand.
I also scrub out little squares of paint on a small clayboard and I have a little portable "Palette" for easy painting on a hike or trip. It is such a wonderful paint but I wouldn't consider it a childrens product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
These brushes work great, created a very smooth finish. I received this product for free in exchange for my unbiased review. These brushes work great, created a very smooth finish. I used them for painting a wicker basket that I converted into a summer serving tray. There was a lot of wicker to cover in hard places and these brushes did the job! I worked them pretty hard! Clean up was easy and did just have to use soap and water, I was using a the magenta stain so had to be sure to clean good to get all the stain out. I would definitely put this brand of brushes on my list of craft products to buy. I have used several of the Folk Art products over the years and have never been disappointed. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Another great product. I've only used the Riptide Glimmer Mist and the Decadence Chalkboard Glimmer Mist that came with this system and they are both gorgeous! The Riptide is a beautiful deep aqua with lots of shimmer and the Decadence chalkboard is a soft beige with a more subdued shimmer. I've tested the rest of the system and I'm not quite sure if I'll use the Glimmer Glaze. It's a beautiful deep, rich burgundy color but its also a very intense shade. If you have just the right project I'm sure it would be awesome and it's not quite as sparkly as the rest of the system. The Glimmer Glam Glitter Paint is a lovely deep evergreen color with lots of glitter and is more opaque than glimmer mists. All in all, I recommend this product and will buy other systems. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Don't seem high quality, but I still learned from using them. This is the only gouache I've tried, and I bought them because I was a beginner and wanted to try out a few different types of painting and drawing mediums. The color variety is good with light, medium, and darker versions of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, and a gray, black, and white. There is only one, small tube of white, so don't expect to use it often. It also seems more for lightening colors than for use by itself as it didn't seem to cover over other colors very well even when no water was added. I tend to work small (8.5"x11" is large to me), so these paints are lasting a long time even with regular use. However, I'm not planning on buying more once these are gone. The colors are chalky. I knew gouache was opaque, but I guess I didn't realize exactly what that meant to the color clarity. Also, the water separates from the pigment in the tube, so i have to knead the tube or I'll get a very watery squirt with little pigment when I try to get some out. As I understand it, a good quality gouache or watercolor won't separate like this.
I don't regret that I bought this set as I learned a lot about how watercolor works and the different types of marks the different brushes make. However, I doubt anyone but the most basic learner would wish to stick with them. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
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