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Good for the Price. These seem pretty well-made. The staples are not sticking out like some other canvases I have used. I also love the square pack. I like to use the 4x4 over the 8 x 8 and place it next to the 16 x 16 with some space in between. I did notice that the primer on the canvas could have been applied with more care, but it really doesn't show unless you are scrutinizing the canvas up close. I should say that I received these for free so that I could try them out and give my unbiased opinion in the form of a review. I chose to give them five stars because I actually really like the product. I like the different sizes in the pack, and I think the quality is satisfactory for the price. I do think it is a bit funny that this set is called the "Freedom Series" from "U.S. Art Supplies", but the canvas is woven and primed in India and then assembled in China. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
These brushes hold lots of water, keep their points, and distribute paint evenly. I paint watercolors, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much water these all-purpose brushes hold. You can spent a lot more for a watercolor brush (especially for natural bristles such as sable), but if you are a beginner or happy amateur such as myself, these De Dazzle brushes will work just fine. They keep their points, distribute the paint evenly, and are easy to clean.
This set does not contain any large round brushes, which you will definitely need for watercolor, but there are plenty of brushes you can use as small flats and riggers. Two of my favorite brushes that are not included in this set are the Cotman #14 and #10 rounds, and I also use a large flat brush for washes. This De Dazzle set plus the rounds plus a large flat brush for washes should get you off to a great and relatively inexpensive start in the wonderful world of watercolor.
***product supplied by vendor for review and test purposes*** | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great binding system. I've only used my Zutter Bind-It-All once but I love it. I used it to rebind a book that was falling apart and it looked great afterwards. I've, of course, had to order all kinds of different binding wires in different colors and sizes. My sister-in-law has one and has used it extensively. When I asked about getting one, she highly recommended it.
I was a bit surprised at how small the machine is. It doesn't take up a lot of space and is easy to move around (it's not heavy at all). I saw it on another site on sale and but was able to get it on Amazon for quiet a bit cheaper. The wires are generally cheaper on Amazon, too. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Multi-purpose Paper Roll. I have purchased this item no less than 5 times... Two times for my kids to use, and several times for gifts for others. Throw in a package of Mr. Sketch markers and you have a great, gender neutral birthday gift that any kid can make some use out of. I have used it to cover my kitchen table, whether to protect from arts and crafts messes or to just let the kids draw all over. I've also used it as wrapping paper and had the kids decorate it for a personal touch. It makes a nice, neutral back drop for taking pictures of items to sell. I've taped it to the driveway and let the kids go wild with paint. The weight is the same as regular printer paper. You can use paint and Sharpie markers and it won't bleed through, though within reason... if enough water is used or you color too hard with the Sharpie, it will bleed. It really is a great, and large, multi-purpose roll of paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Markers are truly metallic and can be used on cardstock and plastic. <div id="video-block-R21H2P5WTLJGND" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/C1nXU5Er91S.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/21f2w4T7qHS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> As a cardmaker and scrapbooker I'm always on the lookout for a good set of metallic markers. Most of the time, however, I am disappointed: either the markers aren't really metallic (just glittery), or they do not dry properly, or the ink is next to impossible to get out of the nib of the pens.
Not so with these! I was very pleased with these markers and they exceeded my expectations.
PROS:
The markers are truly metallic and not glittery. However, in order to see the effect you must use good quality cardstock either coated or uncoated (more on this later). If you use plain copy paper or watercolor paper then you will not see the metallic effect. This is because the ink will be fully absorbed into the paper. The metallic effect is best achieved when the ink is allowed to sit on the surface of the paper.
The markers worked very well on dark colored cardstock -- including grays, tans, browns, and black colored cardstock. I used standard 65lb Recollections brand cardstock purchased from Michaels. If you are planning on using the markers on light colored cardstock -- make sure to use a coated variety. I used Craft Smith brand cardstock purchased at Michaels. On uncoated light colored cardstock, the metallic effect is not visible, but the colors are still vivid and bright.
The markers are also waterproof once they are dry. If you want to enhance the metallic effect, you can layer the ink again without smudging or smearing the old layer. On uncoated cardstock drying time is almost instantaneous. On coated cardstock the drying time is 15-20 minutes.
The markers DO write on plastic/acetate film! But you have to be patient when working with plastic as multiple layers of the ink are needed in order to achieve completely opaque coverage. I had to allow at least 1 hour of dry time between each layer (2 layers was sufficient). Once dried, the markers were also waterproof and smudge/smear proof on plastic. However, if you wanted to, you could flake it off with your fingernail or a coin.
The brush tips are soft and very pleasant to use. They feel very similar to using a paintbrush. All of the markers were juicy right out of the box and I did not have any issues with dried out tips.
CONS:
The brush tips can be "pushed" into the body of the pen if you are not careful -- in fact it doesn't require a lot of force to do so! During my use, this happened to me twice. However, it is just as easy to pull the tips out.
Depending on the texture of the cardstock you are using, the pens can sometimes get "streaky". However, I find that if you apply a second layer of ink, this takes care of the problem.
TL;DR
Overall, these are a great set of pens to add to your collection. They can be used over large areas or just to add a little bit of extra shine to your cards. The metallic effect is best seen on dark cardstock and coated light cardstock. These are the only metallic pens that I've found to work on plastic! (requires layering and extended dry times). As a bonus, they are waterproof once completely dried!
***I received a complimentary sample of these pens for my honest and unbiased review***
If you have any questions regarding the markers, let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them. If you found this review to be helpful, I'd appreciate it if you could give it a thumbs up! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love it for artistic kids. We will get mileage from this. Great gift for my five year old twins. They had used up my art tracing paper which is expensive so I thought this would be a good solution. It is!
Comes with template sheets, you can draw and decorate a horse and a fashion model. I was a little annoyed at the gender profiling but they quickly tossed the included sheets aside and started tearing up coloring books to trace. I got them the "scribble pads" of paper which is like newsprint that I can always find at the Dollar Tree.
The light is bright enough in the house but you can make the box into a shaded tent for them to draw in for car use. The pad was also great as a flat surface in the car for non-tracing activities. Batteries weren't included.
My only suggestion to Crayola would be to include things other than fashion models and ponies to savvy girls. They like animals, sports and dinosaurs too (available only in the blue "boy" set). | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE. Bought my FIRST Slice machine from Jo Ann's (on clearance) and it never worked from the first time I tried to use it. I kept getting an error message. Called the company and waited for a call back. Took it back to Jo Ann's on day three after not receiving a call back from the company. (The company did call back a day later and were not happy that I returned the item to the store.)
Purchased another Slice machine, hoping the first one might have been a fluke (dropped or returned and put back on the shelf?) The second machine worked really well, for about 2 months and only 15 actual uses, now it will not cut properly. I did not keep my receipt because I trusted that it would continue to work properly.
There is a lot of "tweaking", or troubleshooting, that the manufacture's brochure recommends when the machine does not function properly. I have tried all of them, none of which worked.
Home machine
change blade
adjust blade depth
more glue
less glue
hold machine down tighter
Please read online the MANY other customers who were "duped" into buying this machine and received poor customer service from this company. I tried to rate it with zero stars, but was unable. CLASS ACTION SUIT? | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Too rough. I use my markers everyday and I usually love Sharpie pens of all varieties. I really want to like these It seems I am in an obvious minority based on the other reviews. I like the colors and I like the way they sparkle, but...the nibs on these markers are so rough ~ almost splintery ~ they make using them for anything serious impossible. A decent marker should glide across drawing paper. These drag and hang instead ~ they actually make a scratching sound on the paper when I use them! Making a fluid pen stroke is very difficult. Sometimes they hang up on the paper so severely that they splatter all over. The colors are fun & bright, but they are almost useless for me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beautiful Die Set. This is a beautiful set of craft dies. With so many nesting possibilities, the only limitation is your own imagination! This is one of my favorite 'go-to' sets when I want to make a card which exudes 'elegance.'
Here's a tip for using these very detailed dies which I have found to be immensely helpful...Dust the cutting side of the die with baby powder or your anti-cling pouch before running through in your die-cut machine. You will not believe how much easier it is to release the die-cut from the die as well as removing all the tiny bits and pieces (chad) from the die, itself. Works MUCH better than the wax paper method which leaves you with many bits of wax paper to pick out of the die. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Honestly A Great Deal, I Really Liked These. Okay, so you know when you see an affordable set of paints that kind of just seems too good to be true? 24 tubes of watercolors for only $25? That's literally $1.04 per paint. So you buy the paints, because who doesn't love a good deal? Then you try them. Now, you have low expectations, because there's no way you can get that good of a deal with high quality paints. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I spent an entire weekend playing with these paints, and I honestly really enjoyed these. They aren't too streaky, they blend nicely into each other, making it easy to create a gradient effect. You can easily re-wet dried paint and it's like it's fresh out of the tube. The only problems I noticed is that I had to create my own shades of pink or purple, as there is only one violet shade, that is quite dark, and the closest to a pink there was in this kit was a rose shade, that was almost red. I would definitely recommend this set for anyone new to exploring watercolors, or someone who is looking for a variety of colors to work with in an art class, or just experimenting with different techniques, and not wanting to use their more expensive higher end paints.
I did receive these paints to review, but this opinion is entirely my own, without bias. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Awesome!! Crafters Dream. I love love love This! My husband ordered off Amazon to surprise me as I had been wanting one. I nearly talked myself out of one by reading negative reviews, but then started watching YouTube videos on what you can do, and how to do it. Don't expect to be an expert as soon as you get into the design space, there is a learning curve, but the videos help so much.
You can upload your own images, and reposition on the cutting mat, something I read in a review here you couldn't do.
I just made my first 4 t shirts tonight for kids, absolutely no problems! Have had it a week, and have so many ideas I want to do.
You need internet service and Google chrome works much better than Firefox. Can't use explorer. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wonderful drawing paper. I have the 14 x 17 pad, but it's the same paper and series.
First of all, the paper is cream colored, not white. The quality is amazing. You can feel the texture, yet it's smooth. Your graphite pencils will love these.
Though of course it's a little bit expensive... this is definitely for projects of some sort, not something for random sketching.
Also I like how my drawings look for vintage or so, because of the color of the paper. Your pencils definitely glide, and the graphite of whatever pencil you have stands out.
I'd recommend this, again for like projects or something. I have to use this for school assignments. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but honestly not happy with it. Purchased this ink because I watched reviews showing it's versatility with Copic markers and watercoloring. I was told it would be darker than Memento tuxedo black for use with Copics, and I don't even see the difference. I paid twice what this item costs everywhere else because it was actually in stock here, but honestly not happy with it. Side by side comparison to memento tux black they look identical. As far as using for watercoloring, yes it works well and doesn't bleed but there are cheaper and darker waterproof inks available. Also it doesn't always stamp crisp and clear images. Because it has a quick drying time it stamps splotchy and almost looks like I have stamped with distress ink. As far trying to stamp a large background stamp with it, forget it, it dries too quickly and again splotchy results. Wouldn't buy again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Horrible! For an awesome starting set. Horrible! For an awesome starting set, if you're just trying pastels out to see if you'll like them or not, these are NOT it. They are grainy, powder easily AND are TOXIC. Do not buy these and let your kids play with them! They will be blowing the powder res all over the place and breath it in.
For an awesome cheap yet light and soft with vibrant colors, go with non-toxic Loew-Cornell Chalk Pastels, 24-Count. Combined with a good pastel paper, these are a blast to just start out. Once you feel soft pastels are your thing, move up into some of the handmade beautiful sets...can get STUPID pricy but you'll love the buttery soft texture and all the benefits of the upgrade. Hope this helps! No offense Reeves, yours was the first I tried but unfortunately not a good experience at all. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good for everyday use. Every artist needs a muse and mine is nature. I have a small sketchbook to take with me so I can pull it out whenever I need to. Instead of digging into my purse trying to find a pencil, I thought a set would come in handy.
PROS:
-I love the weight of these pencils. They feel really good in my hand.
-I love that I can take these with me where ever I need to go. It is very convenient as it comes with everything I need. Pencils, sharpened, and eraser.
-Different consistencies so I can go from dark to light as I wish.
-Excellent for shading.
CONS:
-It is very difficult to get a clean, crisp line from these pencils. They shed too much. That's why they are great for shading but when I just need a simple, clean line, it's almost impossible to get it. If the material were packed together a little tighter, there wouldn't be a problem.
-The lightest shade isn't as light as I would have liked.
-I personally don't use this set for very important pieces. I use these for everyday scribbles that I make in my sketchbook. I only use these in important pieces for shading and very carefully!
I am still searching for a set that I can use for more important pieces than everyday scribbles. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know! I need something that makes clean, lines but still good quality. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not worth the money, very poor quality. The quality of the paper was not that impressing when it came to water coloring. I have done wet on dry painting, and wetting the paper and painting on with water color and they both seem to make the paper buckle and peel when painting. It was a beginners choice in selecting a lesser price of water coloring paper, but this was not that good at all. I ended up using the rest for my Pastel drawings instead of water coloring which in pastel it gave it a nice texture and finish to my drawings. But for water coloring, this missed the mark for me in my opinion. I would not recommend getting this one even for beginners. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Easy to Use and Amazing. I have found the the Cricut is very easy to use. Compared to hawling out all of my supplies to use my Sissix or Wizard, I find the Cricut to be a space saver and very simple to use. I love how you only have to load the paper and type what you'd like and hit 'cut' and it does the work for you!
The cutting blades stay sharp and last a very long time. There are also many different cartridges to choose from for unlimited creativity.
As a long time Wizard, Cuttlebug, Sissix user, I really love the layout of this machine and the easy to use format. With my other cutters, I have broken the plastic plates by loading them wrong and fumbled with all the plates and don't bring it out all that often due to the hassle. With the Cricut, you just have the machine, the cutting mat, and the pre-cut paper and you are ready to make some cool things. It's great for cutting out words or names especially.
The only minor problem I have had is with loading the paper, sometimes I have to restart loading because my cutting mat gets hitched wrong in the loading which is nothing major. You also have to make sure you have the cutting pressure up high enough to cut or the blade will not go all the way through the paper. The basic settings may take a little while to get used to but that's the case with all the cutters.
This is a great machine. If you do a lot of scrapbooking or crafting the Cricut is a great investment. I am really enjoying this product. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Over-Priced Inferior Quality Product. This is an art kit my daughter-in-law bought for my grandson. I purchased an identical kit at Michael's in Emeryville for $1.99. I expect this quality for the latter price, but NOT for nearly $10!?
The crayons are extremely waxy with poor color; the markers are tiny, with flimsy tips that will maybe last through 4 uses. The color pencils are not bad and even sharpen with little problem. The paints are okay, but you'll need to get a better brush to use with them than what is provided.
Wait until Crayola items go on sale at your local store and buy them. Put into a nice plastic box with a few cleaned containers from frozen dinners to use as water holders for painting. This will work much better than buying this stuff. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Happy with these markers. I am the go-to person for chalkboards amongst my family and friends. I also used to work for Starbucks and created some of the chalkboards you see in stores. I have worked with a lot of different types of chalkboard markers and these are definitely a new favorite. Initially, I wasn't a fan. I gave the markers another shot and followed the directions on the box precisely, and haven't had any problems since! The colors are bright and vivid, the ink goes on smooth, and they wipe off easily. The interchangeable tip is awesome, because it allows you to change the style without buying a new marker. I am very pleased with this product and its quality, they are a great value! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
this is horrible vinyl. do not buy it. this is horrible vinyl. do not buy it. first what i should have realized was my first issue was when i got the package it was actually FOLDED IN HALF! so it has a perma crease. which what seller sends vinyl like that. horrible! then i did my first sheet and some of my words stuck some did not. i though. oh i just need to get a new blade. i went and got a new blade and printed on 3 of the 4 remaining sheets. i start to peel apart the vinyl from the backing and half my words stuck to the vinyl. please keep in mind this was my FIRST cut from a new blade. zero reason why that should happen. so i put in an different brand of vinyl that i picked up with my new blade today . cut like butter. no issues. clearly it was JUST this vinyl. save your money. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
awesome pens but smeary. I think the pens were really nice. They write smoothly and the colors are beautiful! the sparkle is really shiny and noticeable. I brought these pens to school and all my friends loved the pens!!!!! I was almost popular for my pens!! They said they all smell good and I agree with them. The smell is strong and yummy like it said on the package! One day my pens got stolen and one of my friends brought that set of pens to school!!!!!! I wasn't sure if she stole it or just brought a pack but I said nothing because i didn't want to accuse her. The thing i don't like about these pens is that they smear a lot if you draw on something other then paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Too wet but okay for select things. This brush is tricky because it starts out with a small amount of liquid and then gets progressively wetter as I use it, even if I'm careful not to be squeezing. On some of the thin papers I find a blender brush much more effective because this one is so wet and makes the paper wrinkle. But I will play with it more on thick watercolor papers. I do like that it's much easier to clean than the blender pens. One swipe on a cloth or paper towel removes the old color and gets it clean and ready to blend a new color.
I have found that it makes an awesome eraser if you get an area too dark with marker ink or watercolor pencil or put color where you didn't intend. I layer a fair amount of water on the spot I want to fix, then immediately dab it off with a paper towel or q-tip. I repeat as needed until the unwanted ink has faded. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not going to make an accurate cut. I do not know how this product got so many great reviews! I was new to card making and was convinced by the reviews and price to buy this trimmer. I have not been able to get it to cut a straight line since I bought it. Also the fold out arm does not lay out straight so if you are cutting past 5inches it will never be precise because that arm is always crooked unless you hold it down the whole time which is impossible with only 2 hands. I have since resorted to scoring my paper before I cut because the guides on this trimmer are not accurate enough. I'm going to spend more to buy something more sturdy and we'll made. I guess you get what you pay for and if you are buying this you are paying for a poorly made piece of plastic. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Perfect and adforable for experienced painters looking for a bargin or beginners who need something to with which to paint. I'm in heaven! I haven't had new paints in a while, so it was a treat when Element paints offered me a set of their Acrylic paints to test and review. They are well made colors and they feel like genuinely nice acrylic paints that you could paint pictures with or even if you had a project of some type they'd be perfect. The colors offer a wide selection and the top of the lid even lists how to mix to get certain colors, so this is a great set for beginners as well. Teens and older children with an interest in art would enjoy these as well. As for me, I haven't had the time to paint anything of substance with them yet, but I have a feeling it'll happen as soon as I get myself a new canvas to paint. Thanks, Element Paints! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Disappointed. I thought these would be a pretty good color pencil for the money but to my dismay when I started sharpening them the cores were broken inside the pencil. Then entire color core would pop right out after sharpening which in turn leaves you with nubs for pencils and there goes your money into the trash pail without even using them.
UPDATE:
I planned on returning these pencils for a refund but decided to keep them after the company sent me another one. The company cares about their reputation quite a bit to the point of relentlessly contacting you through emails. I honestly felt hounded by them to give them a better review and they will just not leave me alone until I boost my review. I give my reviews based on my honest opinion and no matter how many emails I receive can change my opinion. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I was amazed and what it contained. These pencils are fabulous! Let me start off by saying that I did NOT receive these for free or at a discount. I purchased and paid full price for them. When I opened the box, I was amazed and what it contained. A full set of soft core colored pencils, a full set of water color pencils, neon pencils, metallic pencils, drawing pencils and graphite pencils all beautifully concealed in a lovely canvas bag that zippers shut. I spent last night using them to color this picture. I tried the soft core pencils, metallic and watercolor. I was so impressed! I like them as much as I like my more expensive pencil sets. I had no issues at all with breakage and sharpening them was a breeze. I will absolutely be buying Thornton's pencils again as I need to replace them!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I like these a lot. I like these: a lot! Why? Well, they are soft-core pencils but they do not leave the waxy build-up that so many of us become frustrated with. They rarely break- I've bought 2-sets now and have found this to be true of both. Also, they are affordable. So, for the price- they are pretty close to perfect. They are NOT lightfast but they are good pencils. I will be buying them again- OH, WAIT! I did! :) Mine did include a black. The case is nice as well but I have a pencil case I put them into for ease when traveling- even if I am traveling up or downstairs! I love how easily they blend without leaving the awful track marks which I found with another brand. Further, there are lots of shades of blue and greens- great for those of us who sketch landscapes. I also really like the fact that there are more than 2-shades of red. BONUS!
The case is one which will stay closed, the pencils DO stay in place, and it includes 3-layers of pencils. They can be tricky to remove but this is a good thing because it means they are not rolling about in the container which causes breakage.
I would also like to add that the company is really good and seems to care that you like their product. I like this because it usually means: I WILL! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Still learning the ropes - but this is definitely THE airbrush to start your journey with. Standard Amazon shipping to Australia, arrived within a week of purchase, pretty happy about that.
As the title says I am still learning to use an airbrush and have only had a handful of chances to give it a proper go so far.
I've been a good Miniature painter for many years, and decided to finally pull the trigger on a proper airbrush setup as I have a couple of large commissions on my plate now - after MUCH research (over a course of a couple of years actually) I decided upon the Badger Patriot 105 as my general detail & starter brush, I have been very happy with my choice after holding it in my hands and getting to know it better. It's quite a forgiving airbrush for a newcomer to airbrushing which is definitely a big perk.
Would recommended this excellent airbrush to anyone after a general duty - or - starter airbrush. This will be your go to brush for many years to come, even if you do go out and by a higher end brush for your extreme detail work.
It is comparable with quite a few tip sizes which can be bought online:
<comes with the large needle and you can buy these for it as well: Medium / Fine /super Fine (may be named slightly diferent depending where you buy from. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Best acrylic paint brushes I've ever used. These brushes are excellent for acrylic paint, which is the reason I purchased them. I had a very old set from years ago & wasn't even sure I'd be able to find the same brushes again, but I got lucky. I'm so glad these are still being made! High quality at a great price. These brushes will last you for years & years of use if you take good care of them & follow brush care protocols. I had my old set for around 4 years with heavy use, then I quit for 10 years & just went back to painting. I expect these to last me at least another 4 years so at this price that's a great bargain. They have a good variety of brush size as well & there are other sets available, for example, flats. I highly recommend them. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Wishing I saved my money. I definitely wish I had saved my money to buy a cricket or the BigKick and a set of die cut cards. This machine seems great, in theory. I've had mine for less than 3 months and it's STOPPED working. First, the designs were cut a little off, so I homed the blade, but to no avail. SO I trimmed my cuts with detail scissors and the items looked fine in my scrapbook. Next, the machine started to cut the designs diagonally!! NOW it doesn't work!! I've called customer service twice, only to be told the first time that all of the representatives are in a "meeting" and the second time I received no answer...I've emailed the company, currently waiting on a response.
At this point, the machine's design cards have some great and adorable images, but unfortunately the machine has way toooo many issues for me. I'm very disappointed, here I am, spent roughly $150 for the machine, bought extras (i.e. writing pens, embossing tips, hands-free kit, spray glue, tool kit, extra design card...) when I should've just gotten a damned Cricut.
Go figure.
Don't be like me, take the other reviewers problems (and mine) and run away from this machine. RUN AWAY!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fits Cricut Machine Perfectly. I purchased this bag so I could lug it from home to work without carrying the huge box that the Cricut machine came in. It does the job! I have read many reviews that people said that the bag is super tight - that nothing else but the machine could fit in, the bag is cheap and ugly, yada yada, so on In all honesty, this bag fit the Cricut machine perfectly without any problems I have a Cricut One and a Cricut Gold edition. Plus, I was able to put the power cord and USB cord in it with no problems. And then I just take the mat and bend it a little bit to stick it around the top of the machine. The smaller stuff, I just store in the storage space in the Cricut itself. Now with all this stuff in there, the Velcro strap will not work which I don't mind. Im able to lug it around with no problems of anything falling out. The fabric is high quality as well! I got both colors and it true as pictured on here. Slate or denim it is what it is. Traveling with it is super easy now and so glad that I got the bag. For $8, you cant beat it! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good idea in theory, terrible in actuality. It's really important to note that although this product is odorless (and it is), it still needs to be used in a well ventilated area. It makes me feel slightly sick even when I use it with proper ventilation. I definitely would not use this product around pets who might be even more sensitive to the fumes. This isn't a fault of the product; odorless mineral spirits of all varieties and brands need to be used carefully and responsibly. Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean it's harmless.
The bottle with the sponge tip is really great. I love being able to carefully control how much product I'm using (versus other gamsol brands that come in a normal bottle which can get a little messy).
Update: almost a year later, and I no longer thing the packaging is a worthwhile purchase. While the sponge tip is still great, the gamsol/mineral spirits evaporate, even in the sealed bottle stored properly. The plastic of the bottle also degrades and warps. Mineral spirits should not be kept in cheap plastic, and it's wasteful to refill. I'll be sticking with the glass and metal containers it is sold in everywhere else. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Worst HTV Ive ever used. This is the worst HTV Ive ever used. I use HTV professionally on an every day basis and have tried many different brands. Seriously do NOT waste your money on this. I recommend Siser or Firefly. I gave this one a chance and was so disappointed. The only thing good about it is that it is super easy to weed, other than that it does not hold well to any fabrics. Ive used it on shirts, cotton fabric, and flannel fabric. I even have a t shirt press iron and I had to do it over and over and over to get it to even remotely stick. The backing paper isn't sticky enough to hold onto the fabrics so if you're trying to center something and hold it up the vinyl will just fall off so its so hard to work with. Ive tried it many times using many methods , and its just cruddy vinyl! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The only thing I have found that works for me on dark fabrics. I have tried other methods for marking dark fabrics: pink fabric pen (doesn't show), purple fabric pen (doesn't show), tracing paper (I don't know if I am doing something wrong or bought bad paper or something but it makes hardly a mark at all), and a white fabric pencil (if I press really hard I can make a mark, not worth it). But this pen leaves a very visible white line that is easily removed when you want to remove it, but stays without fading while you need it. Because it is a roller wheel, its a little harder to trace curves but the wheel is pretty small so its doable. Highly recommend. I would give it five stars if it could magically trace tight curves well. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This is a winner. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality for this book. For 7+ USD, I didn't expect too much. However, the pages are thick, and the smoothness and whiteness of the paper really helps to bring out the colours I use. I usually use a mixture of pencils and inks.
Erasing mistakes is easy - the paper doesn't get damaged even if I have to correct the same spot more than once. Using inks is no problem either as the thickness of the paper does not allow bleeding. I have starting making postcards from the pages with my own drawings, as they are the right size/thickness/smoothness for it.
The front page of the journal as shown on the listing can be torn off to reveal a more mature actual front cover. The front and back covers are thick and sturdy. I can bring this everywhere I go and be able to draw anytime since the covers make for a solid support.
I am extremely happy with this product and I don't think I will be bothering with others from now on. Definitely will be stocking up on this. It is such a pleasure to work with. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
These markers are fine. I've been using copic markers for years now, and occasionally I like to branch out and try other alcohol based markers. I will say this, these markers have nice enough ink and are perfect for the casual or beginner artist (who is willing to shell out a pretty penny, let's be honest), but they have a few issues to be sure. The color coding system is garbage, absolute garbage. It's often difficult to tell what color you're actually picking because there are no names and the codes are inconsistent. For instance the HB1 cap looks like a pale gray, but is in fact a cute pastel purple (to reiterate, I actually really like the colors and the ink is of passable quality). Another issue is with the nibs themselves. Several of the bullet tip nibs are funky and at weird angles. My FL2 bullet tip nip was very scratchy, but otherwise most of them are totally usable (but it lends credance to a few of the more negative reviews complaints about the markers coming apart, I could totally see that happening) and on a few of the chisel nibs there were these weird long fibers that looked like they hadn't been properly cut off before being put in the barrels. Speaking of the barrels... these are some crazy cheappy feeling markers. The plastic feels soooo crappy, not gonna lie.
All that said, I really do like these markers. The nibs work fine, I don't care about the barrels at all, and i really like the ink. I'm just saying, the level of quality isn't as high as with copics, and that's not a bad thing (copics are expensive for a reason). But I'm also saying that these are some minor red flags, and i can see why the people who reviewed these negatively did so, there is definitely case for concern that they might come apart. But all in all, they really are fine markers. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
No bleeding when washing my batik quilt. I am a quilter and I hate prewashing fabric. So I don't. I recently made a quilt out of batik fabrics which are known to bleed easily. I had dark, dark purple and yellows/oranges in the same quilt (see photo). I wasn't sure anything was going to keep the purple from bleeding into the lighter colors, but I washed the finished quilt with Synthrapol in hot water (per the instructions) and had not one bit of bleeding! I am thrilled with the results! From now on I plan to wash anything that I think even might bleed in Synthrapol. Since I give most of my quilts as gifts, the recipient won't have to worry about how to wash their new quilt. Excellent product! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fantastic Acrylics. With this set you can try out these acrylics at a reasonable price. The DVD gives you a head start with videos by accomplisahed pro painter Mitch Waite, who enthusiastically illustrates in his demos the advantages of this medium.
The challenge with regular acrylics is that they dry quite fast. With these you get to control the drying time by misting the paint with a sprayer or with mediums like the Slow Medium and the Unlocking formula. You can easily extend painting/blending time, and even unlock dried paint for re-working up to two days after you initially painted it.
In brief, all of the advantages of acrylics, plus some of the key advantages of oil paint.
I bought this set, and a few extra tubes, because I have been painting more and more acrylics, after decades as a watercolorist. And believe me, I'm pleased with them. I have been able to correct some of the acrylic paintings I had in the studio that I had "finished" previiously. Now they are considerably better.
If you are interested in trying acrylic painting, this is an excellent set to start with. You get a good range of pigments and a spray bottle for misting.
Highly recommended. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Fragile perfection. I am obsessive about my pens. So obsessive that my wife regularly gripes about it at dinner parties, usually after I have taken over the dinner party with a diatribe on the relative merits of nibs.
These are the best felt pens I have ever found. Their color is rich, the color does not fade, and, unlike most felt pens, the ink, once put to page, survives regular assault from damp coffee mugs, dog slobber, and spilled milk.
However, these pens are prone to leakage. I have not determined exactly what causes the leakage, but any form of transport seems to ruin at least one pen. Flying, in particular, ruins them, caused, I suppose by the pressure changes. As such, these pens are restricted to careful use at my desk at home. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
US Art Supply 12X12 Canvas boards are Wonderful. US Art Supply 12X12 Canvas boards are Wonderful! These are all pre-gessoed, so there is no additional steps needed to start creating works of art. I am so excited to create a gallery wall mural for my boys room using these panels. We just bought the house so renovations are in order first. I love painting and therefore don't like hanging the same art in my home that everyone else has. I love unique pieces and one of a kind paintings to add a personal, eclectic touch to the home. I love US Art Supply's art supplies! They have every size of canvas imaginable and all the tools needed to make your art project a success! I'll post an update picture once I do the wall art! :)
*I received this canvas at a reduced price in exchange for my honest opinion* | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for gun sights and jacuzzi steps. Purchased this to paint the sights on my guns. I did two of my handguns, and left them by a light for a few hours...they stayed lit the whole night! Very impressed so far! Next test is to see how durable the paint is. I'll be carrying them around and I want to see if the paint stays on or not. I'll update later. Even if I have to touch it up once in awhile, though, I have enough paint to last years!!! Makes me want to paint other stuff!!!
UPDATE: Still working on gun sights although I did touch them up. Now I used it for painting the edges of the jacuzzi steps!!! After about three months, they're still glowing great. It's survived through numerous rain storms, cold temps, even hail. Going to get the 2 ounce bottle to paint the stripes wider and go around the edge of the deck. This stuff is awesome!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Not good for very old paint cans. I liked the idea of this product and the ones I see in stores are a joke, so I figured this one might be better. Unfortunately this one turned out to be more expensive than its worth. It doesn't form an airtight seal and you have to clean out the inner rim of your paint can entirely of all dried paint in order for it to fit at all. This is another paint lid that fails because of a design that tries to form a seal on the inside rim of the can. Keep in mind that the reason you most likely bought this item was because your original metal paint lid doesn't fit into the inside rim any more. I think we need a solution that snaps over the outside of the paint can rim as well as a tapered inside lip for a snug fit into the inside of the can (a double seal). This way it can be assured to seal out air and fit well, regardless of how much dried up paint is stuck to the inside rim of the can. Do I have to make these and sell it? You better hurry up and beat me to it. At any rate, I'm disappointed. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
but late is better than never in this case. I am putting together a scrapbook for the godson who just turned one. Now, I know that I should have been working on this much sooner than now, but late is better than never in this case. I really wanted to highlight many of the places he has been so far, along with the seasons he has experienced. Being the north, the seasonal changes are really spectacular, and tend to be pretty prominent throughout the region. I have not completely determined how I will lay out the organization of the pages quite yet, but of course, they all must have their own theme. I was impressed by the vast variety and selections at Michaels of the scrapbooks and scrapbook supplies, but without a coupon, it is almost impossible to get over the prices. So while I picked up a couple other supplies, and some various scrapbook materials, I turned to Amazon to ensure I could find the same variety (much more, actually) and with better pricing. Some items were more expensive, but it all really depended upon the brand, and who the seller was. Also, many of the stickers were an add-on only item, but this was not a problem, since I was ordering so many. They did group the packages into just thee boxes worth, and I had ordered two scrapbooks, expandable pages, plus over 10 different themes worth of the stickers and decorations for the pages. Overall, these are a great quality product, and I am ecstatic that I have found a great brand, with products that are high quality. Perfect for the little guy's first scrapbook! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I liked them so much I had to get the 24 . While I was hesitant to get the at first, I liked them so much I had to get the 24 pack! They're very juicy and blend really well. The tip is flexible, but slightly firm so its easy to make thin lines with the brush tip side which is good because the bullet tip kinda sucks, but that seems standard with most dual-tipped water-based markers. Only downside is no purples and lots of browns and reds, which I knew prior to getting them due to other reviews. Overall really good and roughly equivalent to tombow brush pens. They last a decent amount of time for the price, after relatively heavy use, my 12 pack is starting to dull its color after about 3 months. Overall would recommend! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Disappointed. The stylus provides only a faint line. I had hoped for something a little more noticeable. The lines are hard to see and I have to go over them manually in order to get it to fold correctly. I haven't tried it on anything but paper, but seeing how faint the score lines are on paper I don't know how it could score anything else, especially metal! I tried to push it down further into the holder, thinking I might not have it seated right, but it was down as far as it could go. I might have to try the Chromos Creations engraving tip. It is supposed to fit the Cricut Explore machine also. Once again I am disappointed by a Cricut product. I DO like my Explore Air, though. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Don't get it. Just.. No. So... When it came to me every piece of it was broken. The packaging was crinkled and cracked open in several places. It came with a sharpener but SERIOUSLY how are you supposed to use it if all your pieces are broken up and won't fit in there enough to sharpen?
The way the PEN is set up, the small pieces (For the most part) won't matter as it grips it near where it's coming out, so there's that, and it's still usable, just not with a sharp tip, which is kind of what I wanted. Not worth the time and effort to send it back, but definitely don't recommend dealing with the company who ships is such a crappy way, KNOWING it is a product that will break easily... I mean COME ON it's thin chalk pieces! WTF!
Also, watch out for those colored ones.. Those are not chalk. I don't know who they thought they were fooling with that one but you can tell immediately, they are not chalk. They look and feel more like a crayon. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I love these, read why. I love these epoxy stickers. I have a bottlecap store on Etsy with over 2,000 sales, and these are the ones I love the most. They are a bit more expensive than the epoxy stickers you can get on ebay, which is a :(
To the people who say it is "Sticky" and "Gummy" I think these epoxy stickers have this because it is freshly made, and then PRIME shipping, so that is why I think they are made, shipped out fairly quickly, and don't get enough drying time before shipment
An easy way to get rid of the over gumminess is to peel off the top film on each sheet, and give them 1 hour to kind of "Dry out" and you will see that they lose their gumminess but retain their flexible-ness
I've never seen any glaring scratches on mine, but I am pretty careful with handling them. When I am done putting the epoxy stickers on the pendants, I do NOT let the pendants touch each other, but wrap each one carefully in tissue paper/bubblewrap. Your pendants should NEVER be touching face to face anyhow!
All the epoxy stickers I got (I ordered 400 of these) are all crystal clear and create a great looking dome on my images (I print on glossy paper on an inkjet printer) If you have foggy images, that is most likely due to your glue (use 36000 jewelry glue to glue your caps in their base.
The price is the main deterrent for me for buying them again. If they were a little cheaper, I'd be a regular buying these! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
If you can finger-paint, you can use this. This is somewhat like a highly pigmented cream wax, and takes no skill to apply. I recently used it in lieu of spray paint to change the finishes on a pendant and vanity light. The vanity light was a killer deal from Amazon Warehouse due to scuff marks, and the pendant was a brass color that I changed to copper. It can be applied to almost any surface without the need for sanding, taping, or multiple coats.
The vanity light came with a matt black finish which changed to satin nickel using the Pewter. Why not just spray paint it? Aerosol is great but coverage is normally 100%, which isn't always desirable. With Rub & Buff I didn't need to get every nook and cranny - in fact I wanted some black, as it leaves a more textured, natural looking finish.
A little bit goes a long way. Covering the vanity light used maybe 1/4 of the small tube. It dries fairly quickly so you need to move fast, but it can be applied over itself or removed with solvent. The scuff marks were no problem, completely disappeared. The only thing I have a problem with are even coats on larger flat surfaces like the base. That didn't turn out so well, so I removed the Rub & Buff and used aerosol on that part. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
It works. I couldn't wait to leave feedback on this item. I read ALL the reviews on this product prior to buying it. The good and the bad. The good outweighed the bad so I bought it.
I had a nice pair of Tommy Bahama light beige cargo shorts that got washed with something green. The shorts were ruined and could only be used on St. Patrick's Day.
We washed them twice through the wash machine and nothing....I had nothing to lose. I plugged the kitchen sink and used the stove top method. I put the shorts in the sink and added the boiling product
on top of the shorts. The green "dissolved" as I pored the product water on the shorts. It was like magic! Instant results! I have no clue what's in this product but it works. It did leave a little odor in the house
but that was gone in a couple hours. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Bob Ross is a Spiritual Master. There, I said it. I've been thinking it in the back of my mind since watching Bob for all those years in the 1980s and '90s, but it really came clear to me this week while enjoying this 1985 collection of The Joy Of Painting from my local library. I haven't painted in years, but always watch Bob Ross when he comes on because to me Bob is really about The Joy Of Living.
These little how-to-paint (and think) masterpieces feature Bob smilingly and ever peacefully showing us how to achieve astonishingly efficient artistic creation with the simplest of materials. He gets tightly detailed results here in minutes with painting knives and large brushes that many artists can't get in hours with tiny little sables. His eye for space and color is phenomenal and his sense of light is excellent.
Sure, these aren't Old Master quality, but how many finished, attractive canvases did Rembrandt or Michelangelo complete in 26 minutes? Bob must have done thousands, and many of them are truly gorgeous. He'd never pretend to be a Great Artist, but Bob really did churn out some good-looking stuff during these shows. It's hard to imagine a more cheerfully efficient painter. The man made a lot of art in his 53 years on this planet, and no doubt everybody lucky enough to have a Bob Ross painting on their wall gets rays of his happiness every time they look at it. He was a great teacher because he was such a conscientious student of life.
And what better teacher could we have? Was there ever a more patient, friendly, kind and gentle instructor of any subject at all than Bob Ross? I've sure never met or seen one. While watching literally hundreds of Bob's shows over the years I have never once seen him even mildly perturbed. He gets the message across again and again: you can do this...it will be fun...being creative and making art is a key factor in a happy life...life is here for us to enjoy, and to make better for all other living creatures.
Here's where we need to look at Bob Ross more closely. What he almost never gets credit for is the depth of his spiritual outlook. This man, like Christ and Buddha and Krishna and all the Ascended Masters, sees God in everything. Especially, and above all, in Nature. Bob sees the interconnectedness of all things and all beings, and understands mankind's place in the order of creation. Listen to how he talks about Nature and the transcendent truths of being alive, and observe the total absence of ego in all of this thoughts. That is quite simply spiritual mastery, and you can see and feel his pure spirit in his paintings. His words at their best are to my mind just as rich in meaning as most any from the Enlightened Beings throughout recorded history...but Bob is so humble that he'd never even hint at that being possible.
A perfect example is Chapter 12 here, called Autumn Days. Of all the Bob Ross episodes, this may be my favorite; that I found it again on the very first day of Autumn made me picture Bob smiling and waving at me from the Other Side of a heavenly alpine lake. "Hi, how are you? Let's create something beautiful today!" He's in a great mood to start---as usual (the proof is in the happy pudding!)---and his smiling, joyful face promises yet another 26 minutes of fun and inspiration, which he delivers in his truly inimitable way. As he gets going on the trees, which he was so good at bringing to life in seconds with just the edge of his brush, he tells us how much he loves to feed the fish in the pond behind his house (he lived in Fairbanks, Alaska).
Bob mentions that he and his wife often buy hundreds of loaves of bread, which provide about a week of fish-feeding. Now there's a guy who loves fish (and is more than a little reminiscent of St. Francis of Assisi; friends say he was always helping heal strays and wounded animals of all types). He mentions how he loves talking to the fish, and jokes that he's afraid they may soon talk back to him. And while Bob is saying all of this he is as usual quickly painting a wonderfully colorful nature scene that reflects his love of creation and creating.
He mentions how his discussions of trees brought him a letter from a viewer who said that thanks to Bob he'd just seen the 100 year-old tree in his yard clearly for the first time. What a gift! Bob Ross must have turned on hundreds of thousands of people like this over the years, folks who were just flipping through the endless commercial dreck on tv when they heard Bob's dulcet tones and said, Hey, that's relaxing. Let's check this guy out.
And thus we come under Bob's spell. He goes on to point out that painting teaches us to see Nature more deeply and appreciate Her with more love and respect. The man was always promoting love and respect for our planet and the creatures and life forms we share it with, asking us quietly yet with much passion to care for all life, and to share it with infinite compassion. And that's what Autumn Days shows so clearly.
Bob makes fun of himself here for talking to his fish, yet he's very serious when he tells how much joy a truer understanding of Nature can bring us. And he does it all with a smile and a light touch in his voice as well as his hand. As he always reminds us: "Just touch it to the canvas very gently. Let the brush do the work for you. Let it happen by itself."
That's pure Zen Buddhism. Eugene Herrigel's classic Zen And The Art Of Archery comes to mind when I watch Bob, as do the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible and a host of other spiritual texts. Bob Ross is living those precepts in his shows. Watch him next time from that perspective and see if you don't agree.
And then we're treated to my favorite Bob line of them all: "We don't make mistakes. We have happy little accidents." There it is, a perfect prescription for looking at all of life. "When you think you've made a mistake, step back and see what it can teach you, and go where it leads, and you'll see that there's something to learn and marvel at."
Of course, like almost everything Bob says, he is completely correct. Yet he never stands above the viewer. He is beside us, leading us by the hand into his world, which he always reminds us is "your world, and it's up to you how you want your world to be." He shows us how to create our own reality in our minds and then in physical reality, modeled on the perfect reality that is Nature's creation. Whatever your religion, you can find truth and meaning in Bob Ross's words, and in the world he always encourages us to make our own.
A world that is ours to create, full of happy trees and mountains and water (Bob loved water, and he'd capture those reflections perfectly with a couple simple brushstrokes), a world where there are no mistakes, only new possibilities. That's Bob Ross's world, and the way he shared it with us so sweetly and honestly still warms my heart.
I truly love Bob Ross, as a teacher, and artist, and a very humane being. I realize now that he shaped my mind during my younger years in ways I had no inkling of at the time. And that's what a true master does. He quietly and humbly teaches us what life is about, and how we can make it better for ourselves and all others by simply paying total attention to everything put in front of us and then reacting with love and compassion.
It figures that he gave every painting he did during these public tv shows to the station, to auction off and raise money for more educational programming. That's exactly the kind of guy Bob Ross was. I truly believe that he deserves to be seen as not only a great American but simply a great person, the kind of human being we should all strive to resemble, and the kind of gentle teacher we are so lucky to have via his inspiring, relaxing and endlessly instructional shows.
Thank you, Bob. You showed us how to paint, but more importantly you showed us how to see the goodness in everything we look at. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Cute hearts for arts & crafts. <div id="video-block-R404CSJVMI2HL" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D1c32Rr1DDS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81ypHvHU1zS.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> I like these little wooden arts and craft hearts a lot. They are as described: small plywood hearts stained on the sides to look like bark. They're all uniformly sized and perfect for classrooms, parties, Etsy store idea, or other crafts projects. A hole can easily be punched through the heart with a pushpin for stringing together as a necklace or bracelet. They're also remarkably strong and durable. I tried to break them in half like a biscuit, but they did not bend. You'd have to exert quite a bit of force with your bare hands if you wanted to break them, but there shouldn't be too much concern about them breaking or splintering during normal handling and use by children.
The surface is porous and takes glue and paint easily. No real complaints of any kind.
Manufacturer provided sample for evaluation. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love Colorbox. I have individual stamp pads, petal point, and now this "paintbox" style stamp pad. The colors are awesome and what I needed. Some of the colors in this "paintbox" are duplicates of the "Enchantment" petal point. I thought that was a sucky thing, but it's really not if someone is looking for something all inclusive. This is a great buy, and nothing beats having the freedom of so many colors to choose from. I have two complaints about this "paintbox"...one is that the cover doesn't close. I don't know if it's supposed to be that way or of I got a dud (ordered from Amazon from my husband's prime account)...the other complaint being it's not such a smooth transition to get the colors out and back in as the petal point in my opinion. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Colors are darker than photo on tubes. There's no doubt kids LOVE to paint. I love it also, but am not good when it comes to words. In my house, we love it reguardless of what the outcome looks like. Don't mind the horrible spelling on the pallet wood. My kids was fixing me letters to spell "coffee' their way.
This is a nice set of 24. Paint tubes are of a soft metal that is very easy to squeeze. You take the cap off and turn it upside down and push it down over the paint tube opening. Make sure not to squeeze the tube while puncturing the top or else you will have a mess of paint squirting out.
The paint itself is a nice vibrant color. Very solid colors. I did attempt to paint on some wood, but do not like the turn out. It was very easy to dab paint on the brush. It is easy to get too much on your brush, then it is slightly thick and looks like it stands out more than it does. After the paint dried, there was a oil like line surrounding where I painted. I don't think that would be too good unless that is the effect you want it to have.
The tubes have what color is supposed to be in there, but when using the paint, the colors are darker than the photo sample on the front of the tube. A little dab of this paint, can go quite a ways.
DISCLAIMER: I did receive this Colore High Quality Oil Paint kit at a discounted price in exchange for my own honest and unbiased opinion. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The best purchased I've ever made. I decided to try my hand at quilting late last year and immediately fell in love with it! I love choosing the fabrics, matching them together, trying out new designs and arrangements, and I even love working with my sewing machine.
What I did not love was CUTTING the fabrics! I would spend hours leaning over the table, lining up the ruler, trying to make straight cuts with a rotary cutter, trying to fix that wonky cut I just made, replacing the rotary blade because it was skipping tiny sections of the fabric that I'd have to go back over with scissors... I would delay starting a new quilt just because the thought of all the cutting kind of bummed me out. Not to mention the hand, arm and BACK pain that went along with it.
While looking on Amazon for some new quilting notions, I ran across the AccuQuilt Fabric Cutter. After reading about it, I was super excited! I won't lie, the price slowed me down a little, but after considering:
The time I spent cutting fabrics for each quilt
The amount of wasted fabric I had from the slip of the ruler or cutter
The resulting pain from leaning over the table while cutting the fabric
The increase in productivity I could have by cutting down my cutting time..
I decided, let's give it a shot! And good Lord, I am so glad I did. I have cut so much fabric with the AccuQuilt GO! I now spend a few hours on the weekend cutting fabric with this, and I have enough material to keep me quilting all week long. The wasted fabric produced by this cutter is minimal. The accuracy of the cuts has made my quilts come out looking so much better.
So with this kit, I received:
The AccuQuilt GO Fabric Cutter
The "value die"- this cuts a 4.5" square, a 2.5" square, and a 2" half square (triangle)
A 6"x12" cutting mat
A die pick (used for cleaning bits of string and fabric out of the dies)
A pattern book
The cutter is basically ready to go right out of the box. You just place it on a table, pull both sides down to open it up and BAM, you're ready to go. So you get your cutting die, lay some fabric on it, place the cutting mat over that, and run the die through the cutter. The handle used to roll the die through the cutter is very easy to turn. Once the die comes out on the other side, lift up the cutting mat and you'll have perfectly cut pieces of fabric.
As far as how many layers of fabric you can cut at once, I've cut:
Up to 6 layers of flannel
8 layers of cotton fabric
2 layers of fleece
These may not be the amounts recommended by the manufacturer, but I've had no problems with it so far. I will say this though, the more layers you try to cut at once, the harder it is to turn the handle on the fabric cutter. If you get overly ambitious and try to cut too many layers, you can cause the bar on the cutter to bend, then your cutter is pretty much kaput. Be nice to your machine!
There are also tons of different dies you can buy to use with this machine as well. I've purchased the 6" square, the 2.5" strip cutter (perfect for binding strips!), a 8" rag square (love love love this one!), and a few others. I intend to collect them all, hehe.
Also worth mentioning, the cutting mats do tend to wear out fairly quickly. To get the most mileage out of them, make sure you rotate the mat a different way each time you make a cut. I just turn mine clockwise each time. After a few cuts, I turn the mat over, and use the opposite side for a while.
I use my 8" rag square die a lot. That die wears out only the outer edges of the 10"x10" cutting mat. Once it's too worn to be used with the rag square, I use the center of it for cutting smaller squares, like the 6" squares.
A quick tip for cleaning the dies:
The die pick included with the cutter does a decent job, but man, it's slow. I found a video on YouTube with a lady that recommends using a pair of needlenose pliers to clean the dies. It's works fantastically! Here is a link if you'd like to see how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN1gBtea_Dc
As a matter of fact, there are tons of videos on YouTube showing how this cutter works along with some great project ideas.
In regards to SAFETY... the dies are made up of a piece of wood with blades that form the shape you want to cut out attached to it, and foam covering the blades. The blades are very, very sharp! The newer dies have a two tone color system on the foam that shows the outline of the blades. The older dies do not. It's highly recommended that you get a sharpie and outline the ones that don't have it outlined already. Always be super careful when using and cleaning the dies.
Overall, I absolutely love the AccuQuilt GO Fabric Cutter. It has made quilting so much more enjoyable for me. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
My first airbrush! Whoa now. I was a little intimidated having no experience at using an air brush and not being sure which one to buy. This turned out to be a great choice and I am glad I went with the dual action. A little practice before using it on your model or whatever you're painting lets you become comfortable with it. Watch some Youtube videos for some good ideas and be sure to learn how to clean it well, that's a must. Extremely happy overall.
Here is an update after having used this airbrush on a few scale models. The insides fell apart and so I was not getting much paint to the nozzle. I took it apart, repositioned the trigger stop and spring in order to get it working again but it still has a tendency to be sticky and is not working smoothly. I keep it extremely clean. I still use it regularly but can see a need in the future for a better quality (and more expensive) air brush. I still believe it is a great starter brush and do not regret my purchase. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
nice gift set for a true artist. Wow! When I ordered these paint brushes to try, I had decided that it would be mine. I have recently started dabbling in painting again. But, when I received the 36 Piece Artist's Paint Brush Set by R&Y Active Art. Bonus Gift 5 Palette Knives, I realized that someone with true talent needed this set. It is amazing.
When you open the box, theres a bonus gift of 5 palette knives. Also, the brushes are held in a canvass roll-up pouch. Even the box they ship in speaks perfect gift. It really nice.
There are 36 different brushes using three bristle types: goat hair for watercolors, nylon for acrylic paints, and coarser hog hair for oil and acrylics. Again, I am a beginner who basically uses acrylics. There rounded, pointed rounded, and flat. And I know the perfect person for this gift.
My DILs mother lives on a fixed income and has a natural talent. She can do amazing stuff with different paints. I have been amazed at her talent. She can do a lot with very little. So it pleases me that I can provide this gift for a true artist. I will definitely update this review if, after using the brushes, she finds any problems with them. But on the outside, these brushes look amazing.
This product was provided at a discount in exchange for my honest review. The views are 100% my own | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I won't buy these again. I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately I don't like the results.
The design of these is a crayon inside a plastic outer shell. The crayon is extendable and retractable with a little clicking slider on the side. Unfortunately, one of my kids views this as an excuse to extend them fully and then accidentally break them off, rendering them useless. The other of my kids is too little to work the slider, which frustrates her.
They don't stain my fiberglass tub enclosure. In fact, they wash off the fiberglass easily with a wet washcloth, and my kids enjoy doing that for me (thank goodness!). But I've discovered that they DO stain any soap scum that happens to be hanging around the tub. Since the adults use a lot of soap and our water has a lot of minerals, the combination is that we are always battling soap scum in the tub. Now we are battling orange and blue soap scum. Ew.
As they are being washed off the walls, they tend to accumulate little flakes of non-dissolved crayon in the bottom of the tub. It just doesn't feel like a clean bath once the kids start using them.
I think Crayola did their best to make a good product, but it just doesn't work for my household. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I do love what I see. I have yet to use this product, it just came. I rated it with a 4 for that reason alone. That being said, I do love what I see. Excellently packaged and very useful grouping of items. I am a new artist, just learning what to do and what not to do, but the one thing that I have learned quickly is I don't "mix" colors with much success. So, I bought this hoping to avoid throwing quite so much paper away because my picture wasn't worth keeping - lol. I'll practice "mixing" after I have some other techniques down.
The spiral bound book it individual sheets of nice water color paper. Thirty sheets total, 190GSM. To me that only mean thick. I can't rate the brushes, I'm not that qualified, but they look nice. If they keep their bristles I'll be happy. The white cups looked like a solid plastic muffin tin only not so deep. Then, my favorite so far is the painting pallet inside with the paints that are all in one clear plastic book type folder that clicks closed so things don't fall out and stay organized. I LIKE that. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Works great in Silhouette Cameo. I am an amateur when it comes to using my Silhouette Cameo, so I love it when any materials used are fool- proof, like this Vinyl Oasis Craft & Hobby Vinyl- Gloss with Permanent Adhesive. I received the "Gold Metallic" and I love that the color truly is exactly like the product picture. Gold is always a hard color to depict in a picture, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the colors match perfectly. I also like the amount of "glossiness" there is (if that makes sense). It isn't matte, but it also doesn't have a high gloss factor. I think it is the perfect in between.
My experience when using it: It ran perfectly through my Silhouette Cameo with no issues. I used it to cut out a couple phrases for coffee mugs as a gift, and the vinyl cut perfectly on the "vinyl" setting on the Cameo. They recommend using Vinyl Oasis Premium Application Tape, but I used Silhouette of America brand transfer paper, and I thought it worked perfectly. So far, the vinyl has been "permanent" for me. As with anything handmade, I always hand wash vs. sending through the dishwasher. Since the first thing I made with this vinyl was a gift, I only hand washed them once, but they held up just fine. I will definitely update this review if the gift receiver finds that the vinyl is not permanent while hand washing.
I had a great experience with this vinyl and will be using this brand in the future, and I recommend others to as well.
Disclaimer: I received this product at a free or discounted rate in return for my honest and unbiased review. The words written are my own and not influenced in any way by how much I paid. If my experience with the item changes during the course of use, I will make sure to update my review. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This picture does not come mounted or framed (2 things . This picture does not come mounted or framed (2 things to keep in mind and there is a difference). The description may have said so but I don't remember and didn't really know the 3 different states a paint by number could come in. This one is just a piece of loose canvas so I will have to figure out how I will turn it into a picture that can be hung. I believe you can buy a paint by numbers with a finished frame, or one that comes mounted (wooden frame on backside to give the picture structure) and then just a loose piece of canvas. But this was the picture I ordered and I'm looking forward to painting! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
This machine should be pulled from the shelves. It worked for about 3 weeks and made maybe 6 shirts. Then the Thermocouple started going out, causing it to heat to over 450 degrees while reading only 305 degrees. After burning a shirt, I checked it with an or temp gun, then lowered the displayed temp to match my gun. It ran for a couple of months like that, but would go completely out intermittently. Finally, I opened it up since let's face it, it's huge and no one is going to ship that back, and I'm an electronics tech by trade. Inside this machine was a disaster! It's painfully obvious these things are thrown together with zero quality control. In the platen, the square insulation blanket that should cover the square heater, was just shoved in, torn, and mostly on one side. The contactor that sends voltage to the heater had tabs broken off sitting in the bottom, and of course the TC was bad already. No paperwork and no help from the manufacturer, you're on your own with this one. Unless you can identify the Chinese parts and order similar substitutions to replace them, steer clear of Promo Heat completely. I have a TC on order, hopefully the controller isn't bad too. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great set. Painting can be utilized for a myriad of reasons, from enjoyment and expression to healing and so much more. In my professional life, I sometimes utilize the medium for mental health treatment because painting allows individuals to express things that they could not arrange otherwise. This works quite well, but the LAST thing you want to worry about is the quality of paint you are using. That is why I like this set because it provides quality while also providing accessibility to the newcomer and the more established painter alike.
This was my first time utilizing a MyArtScape set, and I will be picking up more. Each color has a great consistency and adds a consistent hue, with the coloration lasting between uses. That means you get the same outstanding yellow or vibrant orange each time around. It applies well and has every little odor, which is great when you consider most alternatives within this price range. It also dries quickly and can be applied to differing mediums, from canvas, paper, and more. I noticed that wood and ceramics are noted as items it can be applied to and I have yet to try those out, but these have me thinking about different types of projects. I like that because it leaves limitation not to the tool but to the person creating.
Colors included are as follows:
Titanium White
Yellow Ochre
Lemon Yellow
Orange Yellow
Pale Green
Crimson
Phthalocyanine Green
Cerulean Blue
Phthalocyanine Blue
Burnt Sienna
Black
Burnt Umber | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Challenging Painting. I read the reviews before I purchased and wanted a challenge and I got one. If you want a beautiful painting - go by the cover photo on the box and forget the numbers. I had to use a lot of my own paints I purchased previously to complete the painting. My sky is a light blue. The greenery behind the birds, I used two shades of green to resemble shrubs and behind them taller tree tops of trees, and the bottom under the fence I made the grass look real like a lawn. In case you have not identified the birds they are from left to right: Cardinal, Black-Capped Chickadee, American Finch, Blue Jay, Orchard Oriole, and a Blue Bird. I like to have the breed of the birds on back of the painting and I hope this helps you.
It is too bad the makers of this kit did such a bad job and with a lot of mistakes. I have seen mistakes in cheap sets, but this one at the price point should be flawless. A suggestion to beginners of Paint-by-numbers is start with sets that the paints are premixed and plentiful no blending required such as in the Plaid and Bucilla sets. These sets cost more, but are mistake proof and worth the cost. Happy painting. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Awesome! why people complain is beyond me. I started researching drafting/drawing tables and bought this one.. I thought some of you might want to at least have one table researched if you were in the market to buy a table without costing an arm and a leg.
I just love working on glass, my desk is glass. You get something on it, wipe it off, something stuck on it... use a razor blade and boom good as new. When drawing you got smooth surface under your paper so what you get from your drawing is only from the paper tooth.
So... I wasn't going to go with anything but glass and I decided on the Futura Craft Station by Studio Designs. I put it together and I will have to say that it is perfect for me. I can put a light under it to use as a light box so I don't have to have lighting so much over the top of me if I don't want. It's not too high so my chair will adjust high enough for it. It adjusts really easy to tilt or put down with one hand. For the price, I just love it. The only thing plastic is the drawers and the side cups but everything else is metal. And it's sturdy and doesn't wobble. This picture is before I cleaned up and put lights and stuff over in that corner but it shows off the desk so you can check it out more clear. The drawing on the table is 14x17 just for reference in size. The dimensions of the glass are 25x40I figured it would be kinda cheaply made due to the price, but it isn't.
Why people complain about the plastic drawers in some of these reviews is beyond me. First of all they are clear in the description what the drawers are. And Secondly they move and slide wonderfully without catching so they are no problem at all! I don't know what these folks expected for the price, but there is nothing wrong with this product at all and it really looks nice and doesn't look cheap. I can't figure out some people, but you can't go wrong with this desk
Hope this helps | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great entry level airbrush. I've been airbrushing for over a year now and owned 3 brushes prior to this one. A double action brush from Harbor Frieght, a used paasche VL and a Neo Gravity feed. I wanted a quality top feed that was American made. After numerous conversations with my friends and fellow airbrushers, I chose the Badger Patriot. I'm so glad I did. This brush blows all of the rest of my brushes out of the water on fit, finish and warranty. American made and a lifetime warranty. Plus if you call with a problem, you have a better than average chance of talking to the owner of the company. Ken Badger wants your business and stands behind his products. If you have a problem with the airbrush, call them and experience what customer service is all about. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
RUN. This desk is a piece of crap! I usually don't write response on Amazon because I'm always satisfied with my purchases. However, this sorry excuse for furniture is the terrible waste of money and time. The pieces do NOT fit in the designated area! Anytime I got close to completing the table the whole thing would collapse. If that wasn't bad enough the pre-made holes for the screw were disintegrating and chipping at the slight bit of pressure. It took 3 people at 3 different times over the course of 5 months to try and put this table together. I regret not returning it when I had the chance, so to all fellow shoppers out there...STAY AWAY FROM THIS TABLE AT ALL COST!!! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Awesome paints, I love them all. Awesome paints, I love them all, especially the inks! After trying these out I switched from Citadel paints to these; the inks cover like OLD citadel washes!
My one complaint is that the brush they supply you with is more of a detail brush as it's really quite small, but it's still a good brush so I'm not going to knock them for that.
Given the colors provided these make a very strong base for all the seasons, but since there's no orange or anything like that I really recommend this for Season 1.
Here's a quick summary of the colors they provide and that I remember off the top of my head:
- 1 x Zombie Shader: Basically brown, goes over thicker paint to give things an old, filthy feel.
- 1 x Glistening Blood: Totally awesome for painting bloody hands, mouths, etc, it's rather thin so it goes over existing paint very well.
- 1 x Dirt Spatter: Brown
- 1 x Brainmatter Beige: off white, just slightly off white though, I guess there's no bleach after the apocalypse.
- 1 x Zombie Skin: Ok.... this is the same color as my skin, what are you trying to tell me?!
- 1 x Dead Black: You guessed it, black.
- 1 x Wasted Jeans: Perfect color for jeans, dry brush a little white over it when you're done for a really worn out look. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Colors are nice. Cons.
Obviously I'm not a professional painter, but oil paints? This is not oil paint. Oil painting doesn't dry this quickly and doesn't wash away when rinsed with water. I would guess it's acrylic paint. Which is okay, especially for beginners, but the headline specifically says "oil painting".
Secondly, I'm not fond of the image showing this on a wood frame. Especially zeroing in on it. Specifically featuring it plastered on wood. I think it's misleading. I was under the impression it would at least come with the cheap stretch wood frame.
It's hard to paint over the folds.
Pros-
the paint brushes are decent.
Colors are nice | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Ranger Color Wash Sprays are Awesome. Delivery from Scrapbooking Alley was very fast. Their prices compared to a number of retailers is also very good and shipping is free with at least $50 in purchases or a very reasonable $5.95 up to $50.
A big note for those who purchased the 4oz Color Wash spray in the last year: Ranger discontinued several colors like Pesto, Mushroom, Terra Cotta etc. and also discontinued the 4oz size. Now there is only a 2oz size but it costs the same as the 4oz size so that works out to a 100% price increase. Thanks a lot Ranger.
The 2oz size does however spray a finer mist than the 4oz size. The 4oz sprayed lots of large drops regardless of the angle it was used at but was easy to transfer to a bottle with a finer spray.
All the color wash sprays work incredibly well on a number of materials. I've used it mainly on paper, card-stock and grass-cloth and the color on those has become permanent when dry. After spraying with the color wash sprays you can spray a fine mist of water to blend the colors further. The colors are really rich but they are less intense than the matching alcohol inks. When purchasing note that even the 2oz goes really far as you use relatively small amounts for great effect.
A quick tip is to use a cardboard box layered with paper or card-stock when spraying. This prevents the spray from getting on other objects or furniture and also gives a two for one as you get some interesting looking paper in addition to the item you are spraying. Another tip is that the large drops normally emerge within the first three sprays so if you are trying to avoid a splotchy look use the spray on paper first before spraying your object.
Note: Red Pepper is another must have and looks awesome blended with Sunset Orange, Butterscotch, Cranberry, Wild Plum or Purple Twilight. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Does great at freshening orange items. Orange has been one of my favorite pops of color for decorating for a while - but that also means that since I haven't tired of it my poor pillow covers, dog bed covers, etc. that are orange have been in use a while through a couple of moves now. They were looking very tired. So I ordered some of this dye (I couldn't find this color in stores anywhere it seemed) and followed the instructions carefully for dying them in our washing machine - even though I was really scared there might be some negative consequences for that. Rest assured - there weren't! Other than some residually oranger spots on some of the washing machines parts - I did a load of colors and then whites the next day with no ill effects. My dog beds and pillow covers look like new too! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
to buy this product because of some of the bad reviews about the sticker on the roll. I was extremely hesitant to buy this product because of some of the bad reviews about the sticker on the roll, but I decided to give it a try. Im very happy I did! It was in a roll and was not wrapped and it was held together by a sticker. I had one very small blemish on the outer portion of the roll but it was in a location that it didn't cause waste. This could possible cause damage because its unwrapped so it would be better if it would come protected in some way. I removed the sticker from the roll slowly and had absolutely no problem. It did not do any damage to the vinyl. I plan to order more. Excellent value and quality. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great product. I was hesitant about using the liquid chalkers based on some similar product reviews I saw, but these worked great for me! I used the following spray chalk paint: [...] and had no problems with the chalkers or the paint. Other reviewers expressed issues with removing the chalk, but I "seasoned" the painted board as instructed and had no trouble with removing the chalker with a baby wipe. I would liken them very similarly to a paint pen. The style and concept is similar.
I also received prompt response from Paper and Twine asking for my opinion. They were very pleasant and I would highly recommend the company based on my experience! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
PL makes scrapbooking so easy. I bought one of my first core kits (Cobalt) in early February when I was desperate to find something to do with photos since my husband I take a lot of photos- be it festivals, my everyday food blog pics, sunsets, vacationing with family. And sometimes it is not only photos, we love to document when and what movies we watched, everyday chores, get together, potlucks, national holidays, road trips, dance and swimming activities.. anything you name it and we love to treasure those memories in the name of art, craft, creativity and legacy. Project life gave us the perfect opportunity to do that - a way to treasure our days.
Very recently, I bought my second core kit - Cherry variety- because I just loved the pattern it had and the color in them.. You guys are doing an awesome job in helping people to treasure the best of moments. The next time I feel low, I know where to look up to bring back the smile on my face.. :) | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
I really like the markers. After a rough start, I really like the markers. First let me say that it is really important that you FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE PACKAGE! If you don't it will appear that the markers are dryed up and they won't work. Be sure the shake the markers with the lid on like it says or they will splash out white paint. (but it cleans up easily) Also, store the makers upright or they will leak. (also on the package) Be sure to press down on the tip like it says to get the flow going, but NOT too long or you get too much paint out.
Once started, the maker make beautiful CLEAR AND PRECISE markings. The print is a little harder to remove off of a chalk board, you will need to use a damp cloth, so I would not recommend them as chalk replacement in a classroom situation.
They worked excellent on glass. They are very easy to write with! The writings on glass are very easy to clean off. You can touch up mistakes with your finger. I did not need water. They cleaned up better off the glass than some other makers that I have used in the past. They are odorless as stated on the package.
I would buy these markers. It would be nice to see other colors. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Best Foam Brush I have ever used. I have been using foam brushes to apply tung oil finish to my wood working projects for several years now. i find foam brushes do an excellent job at applying finish and are inexpensive enough you can dispose of them after a single use (cheaper than using mineral spirits to repeatedly clean a non-disposable brush). Up until now, I had been buying my foam brushes at lowe's....the foam brushes sold there are generally around $1.15/piece. they are poorly made and often break/snap in half when you are using them. I never really gave it much thought because I have always viewed foam brushes as throw away/single use items. A few months ago, it occured to me I might be able to find foam brushes even cheaper on amazon (not sure why I never thought of this before). I found these foam brushes and ordered 2 boxes. not only are they cheaper than the brushes sold at the big box stores...they are CRAZY high quality. The handle is super stout and the foam is probably 2.5x as thick as the ones you buy in the big box stores. these foam brushes are incredible and they make applying finish much easier than using the cheap, chinsey brushes sold at local big box stores. i will never use another brand of foam brush again. Would HIGHLY recommend and will DEFINITELY buy again. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Just Buy Pre-Cut Stuff or Scissors/Exacto Knife and Save Yourself the Hassle. The single most frustrating piece of machinery I have ever dealt with. I have experience with multiple laser cutters, CNC machines, presses, and the like, but the UI for this machine, and the actual product itself, fail so spectacularly that it ruined not only my projects, but any interest I had in Cricut as an entire brand. The problems include, but are not limited to:
1. Doing any custom work in their design UI with imported svg, png, etc. files includes tedious highlighting with a mouse on every aspect of your print and assigning a purpose to it, even on black and white images.
2. Any import is not scaled in a controllable way, meaning that anytime you import an object (with driven constraints from outside the program,) you just have to rescale it.
3. Anytime you scale and place the image on the first slide, it automatically shifts it justified left on the next page, requiring you to manually adjust the location of the file in a new setting with even fewer guides than before (no markers for any measurement smaller than an inch, so if you have bleed issues you're trying to account for, good luck).
4. The actual product itself is essentially a way to get you to buy cricut exclusive hardware forever, since those are the only kinds of parts it takes, and the parts wear out quite easily, so this already expensive machine will only continue to cost more (a pair of scissors or an exacto knife are much cheaper, and cut much better.)
5. The base board is either too sticky, where my pieces were actually ruined when I tried to peel them off the sheet (unless you buy Cricut exclusive products that avoid this issue [this machine is a pyramid scheme]), or not sticky enough, where my piece came up during the cutting process and was ruined.
If you want to create custom cut things, this isn't for you. If you want to feel good about cutting things that you can already buy cut at a craft store, I guess this is a fine investment? As long as you're rich enough to keep buying all the Cricut exclusive nonsense this machine and its internet platform try to sell you. I've never felt more taken advantage of by a company, and, since this was a Wirecutter recommendation, I've never felt more betrayed by the Wirecutter. What a waste of time, money, and energy. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The Prismacolor Premier markers are an excellent answer to the more expensive Copic brand markers. The Prismacolor Premier markers are an excellent answer to the more expensive Copic brand markers. At a few dollars less per marker, these alcohol based colors are amazing! The blend well, saturated perfectly and have great tips. The best part is the alcohol base. If they dry out, they can be revived with alcohol and used again!
The four rating is for the packaging. The included rack is flimsy to say the least and makes a poor stand or organizer. It's a shame that such a beautifully boxed, excellent product was skimped on when it came to the functional packaging.
If you have another method of keeping track of your markers and keeping them at hand, then consider this review a 5 star for sure! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The uses for this stuff are endless... **UPDATED REVIEW. I purchased this vibrant glowing green paint for some party signs I'm making for St. Pat's Day, but I can foresee a multitude of other things I'll be slapping this paint on. It's non-toxic, super easy to work with and a lot of fun to create dramatic glow in the dark effects for just a few dollars.
The bottle is a little over 1/2 an ounce and was filled to the very top.
After exposed to a light source this paint glows bright green for a very long time. Once I opened my package, I held the bottle up to a bare light bulb for 5 seconds. The paint remained very well lit afterwards for almost 2 hours. (That was after being enclosed in a dark box for 2 days without any light source, so I can imagine how good it will react with a full day's charge from the sun.)
There is no odor, as this is an acrylic paint, and acrylic paints can be applied to virtually everything-- paper, plastics, porcelain, wood, metals, even fabric. It is water based and cleans up easily with just plain soap and h2o.
Aurora Glow Paint dries fairly clear so it will not really alter the color of whatever's beneath it or mixed with. I found it (being sold online) mixed into nail polish and it is undetecible in the blended finish (until the lights go out that is!)
I was very fortunate to have purchased this product with a promotional discount for the purpose of testing and review. Not sure how long this bottle will last me though, because I have a hundred ideas for using this paint. Whenever it's all used up I will definitely repurchase!
UPDATE
I have only had this paint for a couple months and have used it only once for a small project. I am really dissapointed that when I opened it back up today I discovered it is close to dried up. The small amount in the bottom was really thick but I was able to thin it down with some water. I have a lot of acrylic craft paint, some of which I've had for years that has held up better than this. So, my glowing 5 star review just dropped to 3 stars. There ARE cheaper alternative glowing craft paints that I've used with success and have lasted far longer than this. Ten bucks is too much to pay for acrylic paint that has zero shelf life, no matter how cool it looks at night. If you must purchase this product, prepare to use it up in one go. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Exactly what I wanted. These pencils are exactly what I wanted. I have received three coloring books as gifts. Initially I had markers. Those are good but they sometimes bleed through the page and there weren't any "natural" colors in the marker set. These pencils have such a wonderful variety of hues and although I'm no expert they have certainly made my pictures come out beautifully. I have a friend who doesn't like pencils because she says they hurt her hand from pressing down too hard but I have not found any of that here. These go on smoothly and cleanly and I really look forward to those relaxing moments when I can sit down in the peace and quiet and just enjoy coloring. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great for any skill level. I love to paint, but sometimes I cannot find the right subject, that is why I decided to order this product. I can work on this painting of a classic and not have to worry about getting it right. All of the work is done for me, everything is perfectly proportioned within the canvas and all of the highlight and shadows are mapped out in great detail. RIght out of the box the canvas is already stretched and wrapped and secured around the frame so you do not need to do so. The frame is constructed of thick and sturdy wood. There are a lot of tiny interracate little details within this paint by number and it is definately not like any other I have ever completed. This product is artist quality and is something you really want to take your time on. Personally I find it relaxing to slowly paint a beautiful piece of art. This kit comes with all of the colors you need for the painting, each paint pot is numbered and it corresponds with the number on the canvas. Also included are three paint brushes and hanging hardware for when the picture is completed. The instructions are kind of vague, but its self explaintory just match the color pot to the number on the canvas and paint. This product is great for any level of experiance, you certainly do not have to be an artist to make a professional looking piece of art. SInce this product includes everything you need it would make a great gift for any ocasion. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a nice gift or a great way to pass the time. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
The light box I've always dreamed of. As far as light boxes go, this one has almost everything going for it. It's light, slim, exactly the advertised size, almost painfully bright (brighter than the pro light tables we use in animation classes at school), and feels pretty rugged. The velour slip case is a nice touch, and the power supply is very small, which is handy. The lighting is very white, and almost perfectly even, and given that it's LED-lit should last longer than the case it's in. I have a tilted stand for my laptop that I carry with me, and when I need to use this light table instead I just stick it on that and go. It's almost the same length and width as a 15" laptop so the fit is perfect.
I've wanted a light box for years, but they've always been too big, too heavy, and too expensive. This solves all of that, and overall I couldn't be happier. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Does exactly what it says. I am fixing a black couch with some peeling. I applied the angelus leather paint and it attached well but it is too shiny compared to the rest of the couch. This was pretty noticeable after I applied it so it wasn't a great fix while it was very functional. Then I found this duller, I mixed a little (two drops) on a paper plate with some paint I would guess I did 1/8 ratio. I painted over the spots another coat and perfecto. This matched so well I couldn't see some of the spots. Amazing!
Some tips: don't mix it into the whole bottle. Do it as needed in some type of mixing area. Next make sure it's mixed 100 percent. I didn't mix all the way and some of my spots came out shiny cause the duller never got mixed in 100%. If it comes out too dull too shiny, no worries, just add another coat after it is dry. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Removing coating from plastic spectacle lenses. Like many others, I used this to remove the anti-reflective coating that was pealing off my plastic lenses. I didn't need a new Rx but the quote for new lenses was $295 (WTH!), so I felt it was worth the $10 to try this.
Initially, I did not have good results. I used a Q-tip, spread it on cautiously, washed off after 10 mins. What a mess. Smokey, clouded, smeared lenses that I couldn't wash clean, and I couldn't see through.
I nearly quit, but know that sometimes taking of coatings from anything, it gets worse before it gets better.
Round 2.
I ditched the Q-tip idea. The cotton just blobs into the cream and prevents a good coverage.
1) Washed the glasses in warm soapy water, dried.
2) Using a clean make up sponge, I smothered the cream all over the lenses on both sides.
I wasn't too worried about the metal frames and they were fine.
3) Left for 30 mins (I set a timer to reduce impatience)
4) Washed under tap.
At this point, 95% of the AR coating had been removed so I just gave it one last shot for 15 mins.
I'd say there were like new but there was some rainbow affect that was already in place from before... the AR coating had been peeling and those areas remain a little spotty looking, but on the whole it was great and will probably give me another couple of years with these lenses.
Moral of the story. I will never get AR coatings again (my non AR lenses lasted 12 years versus these 3 years). but the Armor Etch has been very helpful. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Beware. Over the last year or so, to change the colors of various shirts and web type belts, I have purchased about a hundred of cans of this product. So I am quite familiar with how well or poorly it does.
First, let me caution prospective users by mentioning that the amount of spray in one tiny 3 ounce capacity can is woefully inadequate to do any serious color changing. Just a men's small tank top shirt requires on-average at least 4 cans of the stuff, sometimes 5 [if the inside is to look the same as the outside of the shirt].
For real-world use application, the cans should be 16 ounce capacity. With promo cans containing 20 ounces.
However, once you have committed yourself to using the product, you wind up thereafter facing the unwanted dilemma of discovering that, for example, the shirt whose color you changed, upon tucking it inside the waist of your white or other light color shorts, jeans or cargo pants, has STAINED your pants.
Additionally, even washing my shirts by hand in cold water, the color continually seeps off, discoloring the rinse water. That also creates the added chore of having to periodically restore the color to maintain it. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Returned the eCraft after 2 weeks of frustration! Bought a Cricut Expression 2 & love it. Let me start by saying that I have never owned a personal cutting machine - the eCraft is the first one I purchased.
I bought the eCraft after spending several hours online reading reviews & blogs about the different types of cutting machines. I finally decided that I liked the new features that the eCraft offered for the price compared to the other Personal Cutting Machines that are available. So I bought it. Remember I said I'd spent several hours online reading reviews & blogs?? This also turned into watching videos on YouTube so I would know "exactly" how to use my machine when I received it. It was easy to set up out of the box. I plugged it in, turned it on, adjusted a few settings & I was ready to go.
And then the frustration set in. I was able to get (maybe) one usable cut out of every 7 or 8 I attempted.
***The paper wouldn't load correctly, and it moved when I was cutting causing the outlines to not meet up. Some people suggested using a make-shift "mat" as a stabilizer. This didn't work. And why should I have to use a make-shift "mat" when one of the selling features of the machine is "matless cutting"??
***The blade wouldn't give a smooth cut 100% of the time. There were LOTS of tears in my paper...such a waste! I tried different types of papers, different settings, switching out to new blades, stabilizers, etc...None of this gave me a clean cut.
***The pens that were meant to draw were hit or miss...it would draw a few lines then the ink would fade out. Yes, I tried another pen, too.
***The buttons to select images were annoying. You can't turn off the beeping noise...and I found my fingers actually getting sore from scrolling through the images.
I'm an intelligent person. I have common sense. I know how to use a computer & other electronics. And I know how to use the internet to research & troubleshoot. So I remained patient & confident, and I continued to try different techniques suggested online. I also joined the eCraft "group" on Yahoo! hoping to figure out a solution. What I found to be a common theme was people saying that there were firmware issues, but you could just send your machine to Craftwell & they'd update it and send it back to you. Supposedly this will correct the cutting errors & paper loading. Why should I have to do that with a BRAND NEW item I just purchased??
So after about 2 weeks I boxed up the eCraft & shipped it back to Amazon for a refund. That was an easy process - thank you Amazon!)
So I did a little more research, and realized that I should have gone with a Cricut to begin with. I bought the Cricut Expression 2. The price is a little higher, but IT WILL BE WORTH EVERY EXTRA PENNY! Just to give you an idea of how much easier it is to use - the Cricut E2 was delivered on Friday evening. I came home from work on Saturday afternoon & made 2 *adorable* birthday cards.
To state the obvious --> I would not recommend you purchase an eCraft machine by Craftwell. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
All my markers in one place. It's really nice to have all my markers in one place and easy to see them all and pick from. I never liked the plastic containers my prismacolors had come with and usually had them split between two containers. My one complaint about this is expect it to be pretty big. Turns out it's a good fit in my suitcase bringing with me to conventions though, so more than the size I have a bit of a trouble. Unless you plan to assemble and stand it up like the photo which can be awkward if I don't have table space, having it next to me or in my lap I noticed I had to be careful of markers slipping out so not the tightest fit for prismacolors if that's the way you'd use it too. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Video test and review: Ultra smooth drawing. <div id="video-block-R3SME599FFC61T" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D1NA4cWjiWS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/11mNz6AaZ5S.png" class="video-slate-img-url"> Pros:
- TONS of colors. These are going to last forever.
- I love drawing cartoons with these.
- Excellent for letter writing and super smooth.
- Even comes with sparkly colors.
Cons:
- None that I can see. Pretty awesome little pens!
5/5 stars.
Note: I received a sample of this product in exchange for an honest test and review. The rating and evaluation is my own personal opinion, and I was no compensated in any way for my thoughts. I hope this demo and field test helps! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Nice stamp/die combo . I'm a real fan of these stamp and die combo packs from Sizzix. They make personalizing my hand-crafted greeting cards a breeze!
This particular set includes three bicycle stamps, two of which have corresponding dies; a small arrow stamp "on the go" and a "blank" pennant outline stamp, both of which have corresponding dies, and three additional sentiment stamps. There's also one more larger arrow die that could be used with any of the sentiment stamps.
A lot of the "new" paper packs include a few papers with a bicycle theme, so these coordinate nicely with those.
These are easy to store -- I just put the entire set in an empty clear plastic DVD case.
Very happy with this set! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Awesome colors but they do bleed. I purchased these because I had seen several reviews that said they were good for adult coloring books. The colors are very vibrant and it's easier on my hands to use markers as opposed to colored pencils. There's nothing special about them; in fact they are the same medium/fine-ish point markers found in the kid's school supply aisle of the store. They do bleed through, however I use a heavyweight card stock or several pieces of copy paper behind while I'm coloring so that solves the problem. Since these markers are so heavily pigmented, they are very wet and will cause the paper to pill if left in one spot too long or you go over the same area more than once. I have found to minimize this, it's best to use the marker like a paintbrush (even dabbing helps in super tiny areas). These markers are okay but I definitely wouldn't market them for use with adult coloring books. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Ok product for the price. This is ok for the price but i was disapointed by a few things. I didn't realize that you HAVE to keep your brush damp or else it dries up and trust me, it dries quick! I tried running them under hot water and using soap and i even tried soaking my brushes. Im now at the point where im soaking them inasitone as a despirate attempt to save my brushes. It dosnt seem as if its going to work though so im going to have to invest in new brushes.
Also, if you put this ontop of a spot you have already painted,it is going to lift up some of the color. All this aside, it helped me to finally do a painting ive had in my head for a while now. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Does not lay flat for alcohol ink. I was so excited to get this roll...I buy tons of Yupo from Legion and thought that it would be much more cost effective to use the roll.
I only purchased this after posting a question about the paper laying flat...other customers assured me that it did.
But to be honest, using this paper has been more of a hassle than just paying more for the pads of 10 that Legion sells.
I use these for Alcohol inks, and because the paper is FOREVER curled by being on the roll, all of the ink sinks into one spot.
I tried flattening the paper under 300lbs of textbooks for the last 5 months of using the paper...it is still curly. Maybe for another medium this wouldn't be a problem, but I bought this specifically for inks.
The only way for me to use it is to tape it to a board...but like I said its more of a hassle. I wish I would have just invested the money in the packs of paper. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
AN ALL-AROUND GREAT CARTRIDGE. This cartridge is so much more than tags. Each tag has something special added on (dog, cat, strawberry, piano, etc.) that are nice stand-alone designs. I help a second grade teacher with projects for her classroom. She wanted images that her students could add to their Valentine boxes at school. I printed and cut dogs, cats, and even a tag for their name. She was so THRILLED when she saw the designs I gave her that I made with this cartridge. I didn't think there would be much on this cartridge to use for Valentines Day or any other holiday. I was wrong. The tags as they are originally designed are so charming, but the ability to change colors or use the embellishments from the tag as a separate design makes this cartridge a winner. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Metallic inks are a big disappointment. The green is a bit more olive than the usual Christmas green, although not objectionable, just a little surprised. The red is nice a true. Where the disappointment came was in the silver ink. I was using StampinUp stamp so I know the quality of the stamp was fine, and the ink covered the stamp quite nicely. However, when I imprinted it on the paper it was more of a transparent blue-gray with no silver sheen at all--the silver seemed to be still on the stamp. In looking at my stamped image the next day it had turned pink with no silver look whatsoever. The gold color is true however it is very difficult to see any metallic sheen to that either. I'm wondering if I received an old batch of ink--normally I love the Hero Arts Shadow inks--but if you are used to gold and/or silver embossing powder, these inks will disappoint you very much. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
each time I am happy with the outcome. I do a lot of silk screening of our family and friends and have used this glow in the dark white for a couple years now; each time I am happy with the outcome. The ink drys a sort of greenish color and does glow in the dark a whitish-greenish color. I have used this on glow in the dark white on white, dark, orange, red and green cotton t-shirts and sweatshirts and have not had a problem with it at all. This bottom has been part of my colors for about 2, maybe 3, years now and still works well. Shake it up before using it to silk screen with, I get better results when I do this or stir it up before applying it to the item. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Good buy with a few quirks. I generally like this product. It's lightweight and portable enough for me to carry to my art class and use it in place of a drawing board. Because the surface is smooth, I don't get transfer texture like I do on other boards. And the ruler edging helps line up grids. The price was certainly reasonable compared to other products out there, but there may be a few reasons why it is. I have had a few instances where it was flickering when lit. I have also used it with a portable power source and either the power source or the lite box had a quirky connection. It would be nice to have a carrying case for this piece, since I use it to carry my drawings taped to it. I kept the original foam sleeve for that purpose. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Love it. Love it! I bought this set to draw pictures of flowers and other designs. I didn't see anything else like this and thought the old fashioned style of dipping pin tips in ink and watercolor looked really cool. I really like it though there is definitely some learning and practicing required because it is unusual since pens are usually filled with their own ink now. The only thing that could be improved is to include some directions, what you see in the picture is everything you get. All it tells you are the names of the items. Since they call this set 'MangaPro" I guess they assume that pros will buy it and know what they are doing already. I am going to check out YouTube and the rest of the web for some tips. If anyone here has any tips or good sites for learning how to use this set please comment! | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Color me Hooked III. I have tried many brands of acrylic paints over the years. Recently, I have been using Golden acrylics for canvas, murals and detail work on wooden furniture. Then, I would have to buy a separate set of Folk Art enamels for painting on glass and ceramics. Paints get expensive fast. So, when I read that Martha Stewart had introduced an acrylic paint that claimed to adhere to any surface, I was skeptical yet intrigued. I did the math. The average cost a bottle is a dollar-fifty.
I bought all three sets of the Best-Selling Colors series available on Amazon. I figured, worst case, I could use the paints during arts and crafts time with my kids. Being a firm supporter of the "seeing is believing" attitude, I set out to test the paint's limits. So far, I have used these paints on canvas, ceramic bisque, wood, plastic and metal with great success. They are smooth and creamy, and the color selection is impressive.
I have only owned these paints a week. I cannot testify to the paint's longevity or UV and weather resistance. I painted a ceramic frog to put in my garden. I will update this review after it has endured the sweltering heat and humidity of a long Mississippi summer. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
Great quality, easy to use. I love this HTV. It cuts beautifully and is so easy to weed. I have cut a few projects with it and every time it works like a dream.
When it comes time to iron it goes right on perfectly and quickly. I can cut, weed and iron a shirt in less than 30 minutes, which comes in super handy when I have a last minute gift to give.
I am excited that it is a big roll as well. I am going to be using every bit of this and it will last me a lot longer than the sheets of HTV do.
I think for the price and quality it is right up there with the Siser brand that I have used before. I would absolutely order this HTV again and will be ordering before this roll gets used up. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
A MUST HAVE for any Silhouette Cameo Owner. You can't go wrong with purchasing one of these for your Silhouette Cameo! It is well made, of a thick fabric and the color is true to what is pictured online. I got it very cheaply on Amazon, so I purchased a second as a gift. It hugs the machine tightly and keeps all dust off of it while it sits on top of our desk. It comes in a few color options, but the teal was exactly what I was looking for. It is definitely worth the money!
*Note: I have not washed it yet, so I can't comment on whether it will shrink or fade when done so, but if I hand wash with cold water and hang dry I'm hoping it will still fit nicely. If it doesn't, at least I know where to purchase another for only a few dollars!* | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
700 Degrees & 3 Weeks to Ship. My biggest concern is that it heated up to 700+ degrees when I was "priming" it for the first time. The description says it's only supposed to go to 500 (which still seems outrageously hot). 700 just seems plain dangerous. Additionally, the rubber mat is definitely not glued down. Not even a little. The whole thing comes right up & it doesn't even look like it was attempted to be glued down. It also took 3 WEEKS to receive the item. A long time when one is used to the joys of 2 day Amazon Prime shipping. This was especially frustrating because they didn't offer any tracking information. I had a three week arrival window. That isn't exactly convenient when you're having it delivered to your house & you work during the day. Overall the machine looks very durable & well made. Just hoping the temperate can be controlled properly. | arts-crafts-and-sewing_painting-drawing-art-print |
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