Hooray for Hambly!

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Reported by Julia Stainton


I'm going to come clean, right off the start. I must admit, I didn't quite approach this review with an open mind. I've been seeing so much of the uber-cool Hambly products the past few months in papercrafting magazines, I was so excited to be able to give them a try! I just knew I was going to love it before it even hit my doorstep. Hambly designs are very unique and distinctive and have cutting edge style. I just couldn't wait to get started trying out their product. Fabulous transparencies, gorgeous prints, rub-ons... I tell you, I was pretty excited (a small understatement) when my supplies arrived.


Hambly Screen Prints has a great selection of high-quality product with a cool trendy style. I just love the fun and funky colors that work well together whether it be their paper, transparencies or their rub-ons. Gorgeous rich browns and blacks paired up with bright pinks, red, lime green, teal, turquoise make for a great fresh look. I love the funky acid color combos paired up with the intricate or simple beauty of the designs themselves. Hambly Screen Prints has a look all its own and stands out in a highly competitive papercrafting market.


When I think of Hambly, I tend to think first of their fabulous transparencies. I've always loved the look of transparencies in scrapbooking and card making. They always seem to add an element of class to the design...that little something extra to make it special. I was so impressed with the quality of the Hambly transparencies. The thickness of the film and quality of the screen print is unrivaled in my opinion. The transparencies were easy to cut, did not easily kink or bend and when put through the sewing machine, they were very easy to stitch on. If you like to adhere transparencies discreetly, it was easy to adhere them with a glue dot on the reverse side, hidden under the printed design.


The transparencies made fabulous clear design cards by cutting them into half and then folding over. Using a solvent ink, rubber stamping was a fun element to add to the transparencies. Some of the transparency designs were in strips and these sheets were easy to trim into long strips to highlight designs and layouts. Another idea I tried out was layering the transparencies. Layering grids with ornate transparencies added a fun unique look and I loved the see-through layers look. To define transparencies and give them a shabby or funky look, it was really easy to paint the reverse side with acrylic paint using broad dry-brush strokes. The paint dried quickly and added yet another layer of interest to the design.

I was really thrilled to find that the Hambly Screen Prints patterned paper was actually a fabulous metallic sheened paper with no white inner core. This paper is solid all the way through and the plain reverse side makes it easy to coordinate matting in the unique colors. While the metallic sheen was very difficult for me to capture in a photo, it's lovely sheen added an elegance and beauty to the paper that is very evident in person. The screen printed patterned paper was very easy to cut with a paper cutter and was easy to tear for a torn edge look. As i love machine stitching, I tried sewing on it as well with great results. Another thing I loved about the paper was the ability to make it work well for different styles. The same paper was easy to use for a cool funky style as well as retro and vintage looks. Many of the papers as well as many transparencies are printed in a gorgeous metallic ink.


The Hambly Screen Prints rub-on transfers were a complete joy to work with. I've had the pleasure of designing with many different rub-on transfers from many different companies over the past year. The Hambly rub-on transfers were so easy to work with and easily applied. I loved how they came in large bold designs on large sheets in the package. Their value was extremely good and with the large fun and fresh styles gave the projects instant attitude. For card designing they worked very well as well as for the scrapbooking market. In designs that coordinate well with the papers and transparencies, they were a really fun addition.


I also found that Hambly products, while very unique, worked well with a lot of other products and product lines on the market. Combing Hambly products with embellishments, chipboard and ribbon from other companies was very easy to do. I know that many crafters and designers are like myself...we can get better value out of a product, the more flexible it is. Having a limited budget...don't we all?... I love being able to mix and match and have a new product work with what I already own.

I'm really looking forward to the new Hambly releases hitting shelves soon. I can't wait to get my hands on the new product...it looks fabulous! I love the new pink Christmas line I've seen a photo of as well as their new Bohemian line. I just love that look! Fresh, rich, detailed and right along with the hottest trends. I love to see a couple other things join the Hambly Screen Prints line in the future. I'd be lining up to buy some cool funky sentiments in their signature style and a printed transparency alphabet would be super cool!

I loved having the opportunity to try out the Hambly Screen Prints products and I know they are going to become a permanent fixture in my stash. If you are new to papercrafting, don't be afraid to try them out. I'd suggest you start by using their products that have a smaller scale as they seem to be a little easier to design with. They also have a fabulous on-line gallery if you are looking for a little inspiration. Hambly products are fabulous, trendy and stylish high-quality products and are well worth trying out. Make sure you check them out at http://www.hamblyscreenprints.com/