PURSuE Your Art—Changeable Art Purse

Reported By Amy Westerman

I was pumped when I received one of Erin and Mary’s purses to alter when I was at this summer’s CHA Convention in Chicago. I received it with the sole intent of reviewing it for the readers of Craft Critique! That’s you guys!

The PURSuE Your Art Purse is made from high quality, durable vinyl. It’s approximately 8” tall x 11” wide, and is 3” deep. So as you can see, the purse is sized aptly enough to hold a nice size wallet, some lip gloss (sorry, I can’t do the lipstick thing!) and your cell phone. Size is one of the most important factors for me when I choose a purse. It can’t be too small because it has to be able to hold, at the very least, the above three items. Yet it can’t be too big, because then it just ends up being a big junk pit!

I was slightly confused on how to get started designing my new purse, but when all else fails, find and read the instructions! It’s amazing how helpful instructions can be. Once I found those, the project was underway.

The first thing I did was remove all of the black panels from the vinyl “purse”. This was a very easy process. These panels are what you adhere your designer paper to, and they make up the “structure” of the purse. Without these panels, you would just have a flimsy, vinyl purse with no structure to it whatsoever. So, once I removed these I needed to decide which paper I wanted to cover them with. Since I’m such a fan of Scenic Route paper, I chose to cover all the panels with a pattern from their Laurel line called Marina Drive.
This part was so easy. If you’ve ever covered chipboard with paper before, this is the same concept. After I got each panel covered, I placed them back into the vinyl purse covering. So far, so good! It was simple and quick.

Next came the hard part. Now I had to design the “pocket” panels of my PURSuE Your Art purse. I have to admit, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my panels. There are two different styles of this purse available for purchase. One of the purses has 8 pockets (5 pockets on the front panel of the purse, and 3 pockets on the back side of the purse, all sized 2.5 x 3.5”) on it, and the other purse, which is the style I had, has two pockets (one on the front flap and one on the back panel). Each of the pockets on my purse are 4.25 x 5.5, which is the exact size I make my cards. This makes it easy for those of us who are card makers, to use these pockets to showcase our work and change them out as often as we like!
If you chose to use your pockets that way, you would want to make sure the paper you chose to cover your main panels was very neutral in nature, so the cards would stand out and not be lost in a sea of color!

I chose to make specific designs for each of my pockets that matched the paper I used to cover my panels. I don’t plan on “re-designing” my purse once it’s done, although that is surely an option you have with this purse. You could actually cover BOTH sides of your panels with different patterned paper and just flip flop them around as the mood strikes! In addition, you can purchase additional panels for your purse, so you can have even MORE options to reassemble your purse and make it look different! How cool is that? When I was done making the cards to place in the pockets of my purse, I was really pleased with how it looked! What an easy project! These purses are perfect for those of you are in direct sales and have numerous products to sell! The self promotion opportunities are endless! For someone like me (who is not in direct sales), the purse is a great way to show off family pictures or personal artwork you are proud of!

The last little detail that I had yet to finish on my purse was attaching the ball-chain handle on the purse. The instructions make is sound really easy. I’m here to tell you it was NOT easy for me! After trying numerous times to “pop” the bell sleeve off the end of the chain, I gave up and emailed Sarah Moore, Editor in Chief of Craft Critique, and asked her how to remove it. She instructed me to use a needle nose pliers to hold the bell sleeve and pop the ball chain off. Finally, I was able to remove the sleeve. Maybe I had a particularly difficult chain, and the rest aren’t that difficult. I don’t really know. But adding a little blurb in the instructions about using a needle nose pliers to make this step easier would be a cheap fix that would eliminate frustration.

In the end, I am pleased with my PURSuE Your Art Changeable Art Purse. The creative possibilities are endless. It makes the perfect gift for that special someone in your life. And if that special someone is you, more power to you! Have fun with it!

Independent Scrapbooking or Stamping demonstrators: Pursue Your Art offers a wonderful Class Kit... details of which can be found HERE. It's a 10 Pack kit that allows you to make a small profit off the sale of the purse to your customers so you can incorporate the purse into a special class!

All Craft Critique Customers: Here is a special deal for YOU! Get a free set of replacement panels and pocket cards with every purse order. Just use coupon code "101" during check out. Offer expires September 9th.

PURSuE Your Art with Fibers

Reported by Donna Lannerd

Okay, I just have to start out and say I have a yarn and thread stash, a fabric stash and now a paper stash (thanks to all the stamper and scapbooking friends I've been making). But for trying out this unique purse I let my fibers be my inspiration. So far, I have only seen this purse using papers like the amazing pieces in the gallery on the PYA website.

When I first got my hands on this boxy piece of plastic with nice little pockets the first thing came to mind was it was just another purse for putting pictures in but after sitting down with it and imagining what I could do with it I decided I didn't want to put pictures in it at all. After all the name is "Pursue Your Art" and the one thing I would love to do some day is to create art quilts. So far I've only had time to take classes and try out a few techniques without really creating something whole. One of the techniques I recently learned was how to make fabric out of threads, yarns and snippets of fabric.

So, I made panels of fabric using my yarns, threads and fabrics. The basic technique is to arrange the fibers on a piece of Solvy by Sulky, lay another piece of Solvy on top and then sew through every thing with a coordinating thread. When you've pretty much sewn the heck out of it, you dissolve the Solvy in water and allow your new fabric to dry. This first photo is the close up of the main fabric (already in the purse) I made for the background.


This photo is two of the inserts I made. One is another collection of threads while one uses fabric as a base to sew the threads to. I did place both of them in between the Solvy before stitching. One of my favorite things that came with the purse was a little hard plastic template that you can use with your rotary cutter. That is how I got these perfect rectangle shapes that fit precisely into the pockets which I kept rearranging until I got it just right.
One of the problems I had doing this was getting the slightly bulky fabric around the inserts and still fit inside like I wanted. I was hoping to cover the edges so they wouldn't show but the new fabric is thick so I had to trim the side pieces of fabric to fit in. After trimming the fabric I used glue attach my fabric to the panel inserts. My fiber choices and the black inserts blend very well so I lucked out since the inserts look like part of the design. I'm not sure if this is the way to go and I am still tweaking my methods. If I was using just plain cotton fabric I would have used a fusible web to apply the fabric to the inserts.

Once I put the inserts covered in the fabric back in place I simply inserted the plastic liner that will keep the items inside the purse from catching or harming the art. Then it was time for the handle which ended up confusing me a little bit. It is basically one of those chains made from little metal balls you find hanging from a light bulb or key chains but with larger balls and cover in a sturdy plastic. I had a hard time getting the ends off to run the chain through the purse handle holes. Once I was able to do that I got it on and seems quite secure.

So here is my fiber "art" creation using the purse. I would have to say I think the best part of this purse it is so much FUN! I could play for hours upon hours trying out new design concepts. Maybe next time I will add some photos printed on fabric and embellished with stitches. If you would like to make a similar purse and you don't sew you could use glue to artfully attach fibers to either fabric or to paper.

My PURSuE Your Art Journey

Reported by: Melissa Norris

I am probably one of the pickiest people you will ever meet. I'll find one shirt I like, and buy it in 4 colors because I can't find anything else. I don't like my food to touch. I will not eat a burger if mustard has touched it in any way. I am just plain picky. I will find a purse I like and carry it for 2 years because that's how long it has taken me to find a new one that I like. So when I got the PURSuE Your Art purse, I just knew I was going to dislike it personally... But I also knew it was my job to honestly and openly try out and review the product. So that is how my journey began...

I first determined that I needed some inspiration. So I checked out the PYA website. I clicked on the gallery and was so inspired by all the beautiful purses out there, especially the promotional purses for the creator's at home business (i.e. Stampin' Up, Silpada, Creative Memories, etc.). I immediately knew this was a perfect idea, however not for me... I am not usually one to promote myself... I'm naturally a very shy person and get nervous when people approach and talk to me... but it was perfect for my best friend Tania. I knew I had to make this purse for her. She is a Pampered Chef consultant and Noah's Ark Animal Workshop crew member and loves to promote and grow her business. Well since I had one of her Pampered Chef catalogs handy, that was the direction that I was going to take this purse.

I decided to use the new fall catalog with its great colors and found some similar cardstock to use as the base. The chipboard inserts that come with the purse are very easy to remove and they take the cardstock very well. For the front of the purse I used the main image from the front of the catalog and adhered it to the cardstock. I decided to leave it simple so that the name of the company was the main focus. I then added a standard card sized piece of black cardstock with an image of their stoneware, topped with the company logo framed with another piece of black cardstock.

On the back of this main card on the front side, I decided to add another marketing helper for Tania. I trimmed out the host rewards information from the catalog and added it to the back, so that when she opens the flap, she can easily show a potential customer what they can earn by hosting a show.

For the back of the purse, I tried to feature as much product as possible. I left the middle portion of the main piece blank so that the card in the pocket didn't cover anything up. I made two filmstrip type stacks of images from the catalog to frame the main card section. The card pocket again fits a standard sized card. I also added some brads to this side for an added touch. And my Crop-A-Dile went through the chipboard base with ease. I also replaced the standard strap with a longer strip of twill tape because she likes a longer strapped purse.

Overall it was very fun designing this purse. I will say that I think if I was going to design another purse of this promotional type, I would order the ATC purse because you can really feature a lot more product without having to compromise. And I can also see designing these purses as a great thing to stretch your creative abilities. The shape is interesting and you are constantly having to think about how everything will look once you close the flap. I can see the purses getting better and better looking the more you change them up.

I definitely recommend checking out the 2 galleries on the PYA website as well as their blog, so many great samples and ideas. .. And be sure to submit your designs to them so that we can see what you have done!

PURSuE Your Art Purse Week!

Reported By Sarah Moore

This week we are going to be featuring reviews of a unique product; the PURSuE Your Art Changeable Art Purse.

In the interest of full disclosure I should tell you I not only love this product... but the makers as well. Erin and Mary are such creative and talented entrepreneurs. I met these fun gals at a stamping convention in 2005... their product was such a hit! Everyone was walking around the floor with them... and the PURSuE Your Art booth was hopping! Of course I bought a purse! Soon after the convention, Erin and I began a phone/email friendship... chatting about marketing and the papercrafts industry.

Mary and Erin... and their purses, walking the floors at Summer CHA 2007

Prior to discovering PYA I was using a (very expensive) competitors decorative/customizable purse and found it to be hard, heavy, bulky and impractical for real use... It was a lunchboxish sort of purse with a small handle. I felt like a schoolgirl when I held it... but it was getting me lots of new customers as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. People would ask about my purse and I could easily strike up a conversation about stamping... etc. Eventually I had stopped carrying the "other" purse after it broke for a second time. I had only used it for about 4 months. It had broken twice and was so scratched up and abused.

Finding the PYA purse was a real help to me in my business ventures, but it is also pracical for everyday use. Depending how I decorate it I can feel comfortable carrying it to the supermarket or even a more formal setting. It is a lightweight purse made of clear vinyl... it is soft and flexible. It has a nice long handle and it's super easy to decorate. Because it is flexible you can use 3 dimensional embellishments like chipboard, buttons and brads in your designs. I have even seen samples where vintage jewelry was used in the purse designs with amazing results.

PURSuE Your Art is featured in the August September Issue of Digital Scrapbooking Magazine!

The PURSuE Your Art Purse is available in two designs and two base colors. Pictured above is the 8 pocket (5 on one side, 3 on the other) design for ATC cards. The other design (shown at left) is a card front version; each side featuring a 4 1/4 X 5 1/2" pocket, one horizontal and one vertical. Designs are available in black or cream. Both designs are priced at $29.95 (US).

I have enjoyed decorating the PYA Purse with paper and stamps... but the purse has amazing possibilities. To decorate the purse you remove the ball chain handle, take out the inner vinyl pouch (this protects the inside of the purse and also holds the inserts in place) and remove the chipboard inserts; affix your medium to the chipboard and then place the chipboard and vinyl insert back into the purse and reattach the handles.

You can use almost any medium to embellish your purse. You can affix paper or fabric to the chipboard, or even paint on it directly. Any adhesive suitible for paper (or fabric) will work. Not a papercrafter? Try using vintage wallpaper, or wrapping paper to decorate your PYA purse! Or feature your children's pictures in the pockets... anything goes and the possibilities are limitless!

It's so simple and fast. the actual assembly and design process can be done in less than an hour. So if you are an independent demonstrator with a Scrapbooking or Stamping company you can easily have a class creating complete decorated purses. They even offer a 10 Pack purse special to make this easy and profitable for you! Not a demonstrator? No worries... anyone can get the 10 pack kit... what a fun thing to do for your next crop!

My first PURSuE Your Art Purse... the ATC version. On top is the front, and below is the reverse. Created with the set "stamping Fun for Everyone" by Stampin' Up! It is difficult to see in the picture, but I hung ribbons off the handles... and a Stampin' Up! Cell Phone charm!

The price point of $29.95 (US) makes this an affordable product. The chipboard inserts can last through several decorations, but they are made of paper chipboard, so if you use the purse everyday, are especially rough on your purse (or your two year old steps on your purse... like mine did) you may need to replace your inserts every few months. But they are reasonably priced at $6.95 (US). So this isn't a hardship. I like to have several purse inserts on hand for quick changes anyways... so mine don't get too worn. Because the purse itself is a flexible vinyl, the purse I bought almost 2 years ago does not show much wear. I have had to wash it a couple times... I just take it in the shower with me and then hang it to dry!

All week we will be featuring unique projects and product tips and feedback about the Pursue Your Art Purse from our reporting staff so stay tuned! I will be back later in the week with more myself... a "Punk Rock" version of the PURSuE Your Art Purse! If you are anxious for more samples right now... visit the PURSuE Your Art Gallery!

If you have this product and have anything to share please do! We will also do our best to answer any questions you have about this product... just leave your comments and questions here! And please be sure to leave a link if you have a decorated PYA Purse on your blog or Online Gallery! We want to see it!

Independent Scrapbooking or Stamping demonstrators: Pursue Your Art offers a wonderful Class Kit... details of which can be found HERE. It's a 10 Pack kit that allows you to make a small profit off the sale of the purse to your customers so you can incorporate the purse into a special class!

All Craft Critique Customers: Here is a special deal for YOU! Get a free set of replacement panels and pocket cards with ever purse order. Just use coupon code "101" during check out. Offer expires September 9th.

Are They Really Better?

Reported By Gina Krupsky

I had to do it. How could I not do it? There I was standing in the middle of that big-box department store watching my girls digging through those bins of glue sticks, scissors and brightly colored notebooks when I spotted them.

Colored pencils. Huge boxes of them! For $3.99? So what’s the deal? A pencil is a pencil is a pencil, right?

My girls chuckled as we checked out because this year, their mom had a basket of school supplies too.

As soon as I got those pencils home, I had to play. I had to see for myself if my Prismacolor
Pencils were worth that kidney I had to sell.


I decided to begin by stamping an image side by side in black Stazon ink. (Rubber stamp by Sarah Beise.)


The first thing that disappointed me was when I opened the box of RoseArt pencils, most of the points were broken off. On the other hand, my Prismacolor Pencils didn’t even have points right out of the box so I had to sharpen them too. The Crayola pencils were all perfectly pointed. (That is a bit of a plus when you can’t wait to get started.)

Then, I searched each box, including my Prismacolor Pencils for the most vibrant red. Red is a very important color and it’s one of the hardest colors to create. According to the paint on the outside of the pencils, all of these were going to be very red!


The Crayola one actually looked like it would be the most pure red of them all. The others looked a little dark.

Then, I began to color.


The RoseArt pencil actually felt really good. It lay down color nicely and felt waxy. (That’s important to Odorless Mineral Spirits.) But the color had a lot of pink in it. It was not a true red.

The Crayola Pencil surprised me the most. It was really pink. No matter how much color I layered on, it was still pink. There was NO red in that Crayola box, anywhere! It felt good but not as waxy. I already knew it wouldn’t blend as well by the way it felt.

My Prismacolor Pencil was by far the best feeling and most vibrant red of the bunch. Even the very first light shading of color was true red.

After I blended the color with blending stumps and Odorless Mineral Spirits, here was my result.


My opinion is that you get what you pay for. If you want a top of the line product, true artist blendability and a fabulous selection of the most vibrant colors, the Prismacolor Pencils are the way to go. They are worth the kidney, for sure.

That being said, if you are just starting out and want to add a large selection of colored pencils to your supplies but have a very limited budget, you will not be disappointed at all with the RoseArt brand. They feel nice on the paper, they blend well with odorless mineral spirits and they will give you almost everything you need to practice and learn this technique. Just make sure you have a pencil sharpener. And since Prismacolor Pencils do come in singles, pick up your very own PC923- Scarlet Lake Red. That one, you can’t live without.

As for the Crayolas? They’ll be going 4th grade this year.

Feature Friday with Tami: Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint

Reviewed By: Tami Bayer

I had an opportunity to play with this new product during a mystery class with Tim that I took on August 5th. This new paint by Ranger will hit the stores on September 1st. The product comes in a 2 1/4" tall plastic jar that holds 1.1 fluid ounces and has an applicator attached to the inside of the lid. No messy paint brushes with this one, it's similar to a rubber cement applicator. For just under $6.00 (US) retail you can afford to collect all 24 colors. (The same 24 that the distress inks and distress embossing powders come in.)

Ok, down to what it can do. It works on "cardstock, chipboard, paper mache and more". In the class we used it on naked chipboard and it worked beautifully. It is a self-leveling paint. That means that you just glop it on any old way with lumps and streaks and it flattens out as it dries leaving a smooth appearance with lots of great crackling. You do need a medium to heavy layer of paint for this. It is a very thick paint with a consistency like honey or a really gooey mud bath. You can't dry the paint with a heat tool until the crackling has begun which takes quite a bit of time. If you use a heat tool right away, it won't crackle because a skin forms on the top of the paint. Waiting for the paint to dry is the only down side of this product for me. We painted first in the class and then did a zillion other things while it dried.

Here is a photo of what the paint looked like when it was wet on the chipboard.


It was very uneven and looked like a mess to me. Here is what it looked like when it finished drying.
It leveled off and made the most beautiful crackling effect. I love how this is a one step process. After the paint was dry we used distress inks to ink the edges and smoosh down in the cracks then rubbed off the excess ink. You could do this with the same color or contrast. You can also base coat your project and let that show through the cracks. Here is the finished project and you can see the little chipboard pieces after they have been inked.


This is an Ikea mirror that we glued all the finished little chipboard pieces on. Only 8 of the pieces are the crackle paint. The others are paper or distress embossing powder. I had to cover the mirror in the center to get a decent picture.

I tried my own little experiment with the part of the description of what you can paint that says "and more."


I found that it works beautifully on wood, cork, coated chipboard, and cardstock. On the metal, plastic, and glass... it flaked off. It did not crackle on felt, but did crackle a bit on the burlap. I used a little glue dot on the back of each of these items to hold them steady for painting, which is a great little tip I learned in class. All of these items were painted with vintage photo distress crackle paint. Inking up the items after they have been painted adds some extra depth to the projects.


I wrote the color of ink used on each one. I love the variety of looks I got with this one bottle of paint.

I will definitely purchase this product when it hits the stores. I love how you can change the appearance of the paint with some ink after it dries. I love how messy the application looks, but what a beautful finish it gives. I love that I don't have to clean up any paint brushes. I think the drying time is a factor in deciding to use this, but it would be worthwhile to paint up a stack of goodies and keep them on standby to use as needed.

Heather's Favorite Tool: The Hole Story

Reported by Heather Strenzwilk

A Japanese Book Drill (JBD) or Screw Punch is a very handy tool. Although lightweight and compact it can punch holes in various materials like chipboard or leather. It is a staple tool for a bookbinder or artist much like a chef might prefer a particular pan. I use mine frequently despite the number of multi-function tools which have become available in recent years.

The JBD is essentially an anywhere hole punch- able to create holes anywhere in anything from paper to cardstock to book board to leather. The basic set comes with 6 interchangeable bits: 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4mm bits. Earlier this year a 5mm bit was also introduced. An authentic JBD has a maple handle with the Patent number etched into its brass shaft. It is a very sturdy and well-made tool. To change a bit simply unscrew and remove the brass collar, remove the bit, insert the new one and screw on the collar. The bit will stay firmly in place while punching.

The bits are very sharp. The instructions are in Japanese so the first time I used it I didn't fully understand about the spinning shaft. Consequently, the drill slipped and it badly cut the palm of my hand. I quickly learned the proper amount of pressure required! I also learned to use a self-healing cutting mat under my work because the drill will damage Formica and wood surfaces. The bits (smaller ones especially) tend to develop build-up and I use a bent paper clip to push out the debris. Since the bits are cylindrical, they tend to roll around my work surface. I recently bought a small plastic box with sections for the bits.

I have used my JBD to punch holes for eyelets. The 3mm bit is perfect for 1/8" eyelets. The JBD punches crisper, cleaner holes than the punch in my eyelet setting kit. I use the smaller bits to create openings for mini brads and embellishments. My husband has used the 4mm bit to punch holes in leather belts. The larger bits are ideal to punch holes in preshrunk shrink plastic. I have had some limited success punching ribbon: more delicate ribbons tend to distort or pull. When I am punching multiple layers of lighter weight materials such as paper or cardstock, I have found that sometimes the bottom layers will twist with the motion of the punch. To combat this problem, I use a small bit of adhesive to keep the layers in place while I punch until I can secure them with an embellishment or fastener.

I have been a satisfied Japanese Book Drill user for over 6 years.

One note of caution- if you Google to learn more about this tool be sure to type the name in quotes IE: "Japanese Book Drill"- otherwise you might be in for a pornographic surprise!

Heidi's Favorite Tool: Marvy Scalloped Punches

Reported by Heidi Kingery

Favorite tool, favorite tool, come on Heidi, what is it? Think quick! It’s gotta be the Cuttlebug dies. Nah, not my most used. What about my Prismacolor pencils? No, not a tool. Alright, so I think I have it down to my push pin or my Marvy scallop punches. Alright, I’ll flip a coin. And scallop punches win!!! Seriously though, my push pin for paper piercing is a super close second!

Ahh, my sweet, sweet scallops. I honestly don’t know what I would do without them! Going with the latest fads hasn’t always benefited me, or my bank account. I have over 10 different embossing powders sitting in a drawer because of what I saw everyone else was doing with them. Gorgeous work, just not something I ever got the hang of. Kind of like my shrink plastic, and my corru-gator, oh yeah, and my pile of spiral clips that I can’t seem to ever use right. However, over a year ago when Marvy came out with the scallop punch shapes, I must admit I was intrigued. Once again, I saw amazing things done with them in the Splitcoast gallery. I tried to resist but I couldn’t, I just had to give in. I ordered the Giga scalloped oval first, just to make sure I would like it. Well, I did, and 3 more punches later (with a few still to get!) I can’t seem to put them away. I was one of the lucky ones to be able to have them when so many were unable to buy them. But, just when I thought I was catching up with the ones I had, Marvy Uchida had to go and release the scalloped heart and the scalloped rectangle. Geez Louise! Marvy, you’re killing me!

Talk about killing me, it doesn’t just stop with the punches. Gina K and Paper Trey Ink have both released stamps that match up with ALL of the punches! Are you kidding me? Just how am I supposed to resist these? There is a very simple answer to that, you can’t! However, if you don’t have any extra money to spend on the stamps that correlate with the punches, a pen and some doodle techniques can work just fine! I also use my push pin to pierce holes inside the scallops. It gives an extra umph without spending any more moolah.

These punches really do make such a difference on a card! I am personally a fan of no layer cards. I have the 'hang of them' and I think the finished product usually looks good. But, sometimes you want to make a card with a little more to it than just one layer but you don't have a lot of time to do so (usually due to kids 'claiming' they are hungry or a husband who is wondering where his clean underwear is). Slap a few layers of you scallops on and you get some depth and color! Plus, those edges are just so darn cute!

If you’re curious on the sizes of the punches here is a quick run down. The following are the only sizes the scallop punches come in. These are approximate sizes.

Giga (largesest, purple) – 2 7/8” to 3”
Mega (next largest, pink)– 2 3/8” to 2 ½”
Super Jumbo (3rd largest, blue)– 1 7/8” to 2”

If you want to know some clever ways to use the scallop punches search the Punch Carnival link right here on Craft Critique!

Lexi's Favorite Tool: Get Into the Groove with BasicGrey

Reported by Lexi Daly

Pick a favorite tool? What?! That's like picking a favorite stamp or a favorite kid. Impossible! I go through phases of using no tools (well, scissors & paper cutter only!) to using tons of tools--decorative scissors, multiple paper cutters, paper piercer, crop-a-dile, Sizzix BIGkick, etc. etc.! Other than the basics, I guess you could say my favorite or most used tool at any given moment is probably my newest. So for my "favorite tool" article I decided to write about the BasicGrey Precision File Set, one of my newest tools.


The BasicGrey Precision File Set is a set of six files--round, half-round, square, knife & 2 boards. I bought mine for around $7.00 at an online paper crafting store.


I have collected many different shapes of chipboard over the last year or so as they've gotten more popular. They make great elements on cards or gifts, especially when covered with the beautiful patterned paper I've also collected. When covering the fun shapes, sanding the edges gives them a more finished look. Before this file set, I used a sanding block or nail file and was not always able to sand all corners and spaces properly. But with the variety of file shapes in this set, you can smooth the edges of any shape, including holes, inside corners and curves. The boards are like any basic emery board, which I use the most. Since there are two of those, I keep one on my desk with my basic tools and one with the set. But the small files are what make this set a must-have. Here are the two chipboard shapes I decided to cover for this article with the files I used to finish the edges...


As I've already mentioned, sanding or filing gives a finished look. After tracing and covering a shape, filing and smoothing the edges makes the paper truly match the shape. The bird itself has basic edges, so there are no issues in filing them. I used one of the boards there. But this bird has an eye. Before the file set, i might have punched the eye and not sanded or just left it covered. Enter the round file. This was the first time I used the round and I made the eye a little bigger than when it started out, but it worked fine--I just need to have a slower stroke! For the fluer de lis shape, I also used the board and round plus the half-round, which was perfect for the swirly spaces. The half-round has actually been the file I reach for the most of the small files. It's great for following curves and reaching the corners resulting from two curves, like the ones on the fleur. I finished off some of the smaller nooks with the round and finished the larger curves with the board.

Here's how I used my shapes...


I thought it was fitting to use my new Mellow 6x6 paper pad for these cards--sticking with the BasicGrey theme!

I think the label on the tube sums it up well:

TINY GROOVES AND SPACES BECOME REACHABLE WITH THIS PRECISION FILE SET.
DISTRESS CHIPBOARD, PLASTIC, PAPER, AND METAL - ALL WITH SHARPENING RESULTS.
EACH FILE FEATURES A RUBBER-COATED GRIP FOR COMFORT AND EASE-OF-USE.

Hmmm... plastic and metal, too? Even more possibilities. So I can smooth it down or rough it up--either way, I've got the right tools to get into the groove!

Jen's Favorite Tool: Stampin' Up Cutter Kit

Reported By Jen Del Muro

One of my favorite tools is the Stampin' Up! (SU!) Cutter Kit. Although this tool is not used daily, I can definitely say that it is a key essential in my studio. The Cutter Kit contains 4 different tools: a rotary, a scoring tool, a perforating tool and a 7-sided distressing tool.

I have to admit that I really just got the tool for the distressing edges, but I have used all the tools and been quite pleased with the results. I never thought that I would use the rotary cutter. I mean, why would I need this thing when I have my handy dandy Fiskars cutter? (and, yes, I still have the old school Fiskars). Then came the day that I needed to make a cut that was curved. I put my curved object (a bowl in this for instance) on the paper and traced around it with the cutting edge. Viola...a curved cut.
As noted before, I didn't think that I would use this tool for all that it offers. I certainly never thought I would need the scoring tool, for the same reason that I *knew* that I didn't need the cutting one. Then the day came that I wanted to make my own pillow box, which contained a curved score. Hmmm...how was I going to achieve a curved score line with a straight scorer. (Insert light bulb going off in head here). I pulled out the scoring tool from the Cutter Kit and traced around my curved object (again, a bowl). I was able to get the results I wanted very easily and was quickly on my way to completing my project.

When I was explaining to a customer what the Cutter Kit included and came to the perforating tool, she said, "a Per-what tool?" I chuckled and told her to imagine coupons in the Sunday paper. Some of them are easy to tear out and some of them leave you tearing the entire page attempting to get them out. Well, the ones that are easy to tear out most likely have a perforation around them. I have to admit that this is the tool that I have used the least. I have made a cute little coupon book where the coupons could easily be torn from the binding because I perforated the paper. Julie Ebersole made a darling interactive card HERE. (Please note that if you are not able to see this link it is because it is in the Fan Club portion of Splitcoast).

Finally, I saved the best for last...well, at least in my opinion. The distressing tool is the whole reason I purchased the Cutter Kit in the first place I absolutely love how easy it is to use and the results that can be achieved. On the card that I have posted here, I used SU!'s Linen background stamp along with the distressing tool to achieve a worn fabric look. If you would like to see other ideas, Julia has several cards and projects in her gallery that show distressed edges, as well.

Please note, when using the Cutter Kit tools, it is best to use some sort of matting under your paper (or other medium) to protect your work surface. Depending on the tool being used, I use either a piece of cardboard or chipboard or a mouse pad. If you are interested in purchasing this tool, this kit retails for $16.95 and is available through your Stampin' Up demonstrator.

Time for More Introductions!

Please join me in welcoming our newest staff reporters... opinions coming soon!

Jen del Muro in The House

Reported By: Jen del Muro

Hello fellow crafters! My name is Jen del Muro and I can't even express to you how excited I am to be a part of Craft Critique! When I got the email telling me that I had been chosen as a Staff Reporter, all I could say was "How cool is this!?!?"

About 3 years ago a neighbor and friend introduced me to the Stampin' Up line of products. I know, and you know that it doesn't take much to get hooked on this stuff. Since that time, I have become a Stampin' Up demonstrator and my love for stamping has grown. While I love all things SU!, there is so much more out there and I am glad that over the past couple years I have explored a lot of other stamping and paper crafting lines of product. While I am a stamper at heart, I enjoy many other types of crafting. At one point in my career, I owned my own soap and bath products company. I also enjoy scrapbooking, although I think my scrapping design abilities could use a little kick in the rear. I am starting to get into digi-srapping and enjoy it immensely. Altered art is another favorite of mine. I have a couple cabinets full of alterables that I can't seem to stop collecting...and hoarding.

As for my work in design, it was with great pride to have served as part of the Dirty Dozen Design Team at Splitcoast from October 2006 through April 2007. Today I am part of the My Favorite Things and Verve Visual Design Teams. I have also been published in Paper Crafts magazine, and look forward to my work in other publications in the (near) future.
When I am not in my studio, you will find me enjoying time with my husband and daughter. We reside in North Texas, by way of San Diego, along with our 2 (less than intelligent) dogs and a very sly black cat.

Finally, I want to thank everyone at Craft Critique for having me here. I look forward to all the craftiness the future holds.

Heidi's Introduction

Reported by Heidi Kingery

Hey! I'm Heidi, also known as SweetHeidiJo (Splitcoast), Joey (my family), and I'm sure many other much more colorful names from those who might not care for me, but let's just stick with Heidi or Heidi Jo! I'm 24 but somtimes feel like I'm 60 and act like I'm 16!

I started stamping about 5 years ago when I went to a SU party telling my hubby that I was just going to socialize (I swear that was my intention!) and ended up ordering my first two sets. We all know this story! From then on I was hooked! Since then I have found so many other companies that feed my addiction and I love how every company has something different and unique to offer!

I have always been into crafts ever since I was a little girl. I remember when my mother and I decopauged a plastic school like serving tray with all different flowers we had cut from magazines together. I have painted, sewed, cross stitched, made chokers (yes, they were popular at one point!), paper flowers, flower pens, so many other things that I can't even recall right now, and I have even painted rocks. I was a very creative kid! Now-a-days I enjoy making cards and photography. I dabble in a few things here and there but nothing give me as much of a thrill as those!

In my regluar life (by regular, I mean the every day sometimes mundane but very rewarding!) I am a SAHM to 3 beautiful kids that I am proud to call mine! Wife to my soul mate (unless Chris Daughtry makes me an offer I can't refuse! Teasing!), sister to 6 siblings, and daughter to the most wonderful mom imagineable! I am a child of God and see the blessings of his love every day! I also am a movie fanatic as well as a Grey's Anatomy, House, and Big Brother slave!

I feel so fortunate to be able to work with all of these gals and to share my knowledge with you guys! Hope I can make you proud!

Heather Strenzwilk Here!

Reported By: Heather Strenzwilk

Greetings everyone! My name is Heather Strenzwilk and I am thrilled to have been selected as a reporter for Craft Critique. I'm very excited about writing about paper arts and my parents will be thrilled that I'm finally using my journalism degree! I love to test new products and techniques and find unique ways to use them.

I have been happily married to my husband for 13 years and we have a daughter who keeps us on our toes! I used to joke that I wanted to try living somewhere else and my husband's career has obliged us and we have called Nevada, Tennessee and will soon call Virginia home! Since our daughter started school, I have worked part time. We also collect Happy Hollister books and moose stuff and have homemade pizza competitions.

I started stamping about 12 years ago when a friend gave me a thermal embossed Valentine's Day card. From there, I attended local stamp store demos and joined some swaps online. When my daughter was an infant, I started teaching stamping classes online and designing samples for stamp companies. Today, I'm a Splitcoast (alcesalces) and blog reading addict when I'm not making stuff!

Writing for Craft Critique is the beginning of a new adventure. I'm very happy to be part of such a great team!

Hi! My Name is Lexi...

Reported by: Lexi Daly

Hi! My name is Lexi Daly and I'm a craft addict!

I live in New Orleans, Louisiana with my husband and two daughters, ages 6 and 8. Drawing, coloring and painting were always activities of choice during my childhood and over the years since, I've expressed myself creatively in a variety of other ways, too. I created scrapbooks before they were archival; I continued to draw; and I painted my fair share of t-shirts and lap boards in college, and more recently, furniture, burpee cloths and hand towels. I'm also re-learning how to sew as my kids need costumes for this or that and I love to make fun jewelry.

My main craft addiction is stamping and paper arts. My cousin introduced me to stamping about eight years ago just before the birth of my first daughter, whose birth announcement was my first stamped project. I'd already been creating stationery and invitations for friends and friends of friends, so it was a perfect new craft for me and presented so many new design possibilities. My computer has always been one my favorite tools for creating and I enjoy combining printed elements with stamped or paper crafted touches. It also follows that i dabble in digital scrapping. I can see so many possibilities there!

In addition to paper crafting, I love throwing parties and all the details that make a party perfect. Over the last 10 years, my invitation and stationery business has evolved into "Confetti: paper arts & party smarts!" Invitations and stationery are still my main focus, but i also bake and design theme cakes and cupcakes and help brainstorm ideas and create perfect party details. This led me to start my blog Confetti in order to have an online portfolio for my customers, which connected me to this wonderful world of online paper crafters. I'm so excited to be a part of Craft Critique and can't wait to share my crafting opinions and reviews!

We Have a Winner!

A big thanks of you who participated and voted for our Celebrations Challenge. I spend more time than I anticipated counting the votes... All the entries were so wonderful... I am glad I didn't have to pick a winner!

You sellected...

#5 Round Wedding Album in a Box... by Mary Chong



Isn't this am amazing project?

What Mary had to say about her submission...

"The premise to the project is that over the years I had saved ALL the wedding thank you cards/photos and I had them in a photo box at home. I had this idea to put them all into 1 project. I scanned each photo and changed them all to sepia tones so that the colouring would match and created this project. The one side of the accordion book is pink and brown - the other side is blue and brown."

You can read more about this project on Mary's Blog; Mary's Scrap Zone.

A HUGE thanks to ALL our talented contest finalists:

Melissa Kaufman
Entry #1 Wedding Collection

Ashley Schultz
Entry #2. Chipboard Wedding Album

Julie Campbell
Entry #3 Wedding Shower

Mary Campbell
Entry #4 Baby Collection

Sharon Harnist
Entry #6 Little Girl Gift Set

I wish you could all be winners! So much talent!

Mary... please contact us ASAP so we can get your BIG box of goodies to you! Many of our members donated stuff for your very large box. We hope you'll share a picture of the goodies on your blog.

Strano Ribbon

Review By: Lauren Meader


I recently received some AMAZING ribbon from Strano Designs. You must see it (and feel it) to believe it! LOL! If you are a true ribbon addict then THIS is the place for you. They have a jaw dropping assortment of high quality ribbon in the most beautiful colors, patterns and sizes. You can buy it by the yard, so it's sold in a way that's affordable to you. Another great perk about buying by the yard, you can get as much or as little as you need for a project. I know I hate running out of ribbon if I'm mass producing gifts or cards.

They sell a product called Ribbon Stiff, which you must read about! It is amazing what this product combined with their ribbon can actually do! I have yet to get this product (save that for another review :D), so I can only tell you to read their description of it. All I know is it's on my next order!

Well, I HEARD it could be done! But, I didn’t believe it, till now...upon hearing that their ribbon can be cut with the Cuttlebug I HAD to try it myself!

The PROBLEM...I didn't get any ribbon stiff! :C

Upon our Dirty Girl chatter, I asked JulieHRR about die cutting the ribbon. She said that yes, the Strano Ribbon could be die cut, and given the fact I had NO Ribbon Stiff, she believed it could be done if it was run through the Xyron machine first to give it some stiffness. She also suggested Aileen’s Fabric stiffener may work as well.

So, I ran to my machine and tried it! And it actually worked.

Here is what you do!

Supplies:
Strano Ribbon
die cutting machine
Xyron 150



1)I used my Strano ribbon, and ran it through my Xyron 150.


2) With the paperbacked adhesive still on, picked my die cuts, and layered them over my ribbon (as seen above). Run through your die cutting machine.



3) Remove die cut image. As you can see it cut like a DREAM!

4) Remove adhesive backing and plastic layer. Attach to card.

DONE! Isn’t that amazing?!

I hope you try it out. It was cool to know I can do this without the ribbon stiff, but I still think I will have to buy some to do the other cool techniques mentioned on the site.

I hope you get some ribbon and try this out! I’d LOVE to see the results!

OOPS! Typo!

Sorry... I previously stated that the Celebrations contest winners would be announced the 16th... but that was a typo.. .I meant the 18th!

I need the weekend to count ALL THESE VOTES! :)

Thanks for understanding!

The Ultimate Guide to Digital Scrapbooking - A Book Review

Reported by Julia Stainton












Have you ever looked at a digital scrapbooking design and thought it was cool? Perhaps it has been something you've wanted to try but never had the time. Perhaps you had no idea where to start. Maybe you have even tried it but needed a little help wading through the technical terms and so you haven't kept at it. Would you like to add digital elements to your papercrafts designs?This book is for you! Do you digital scrapbook but need new ideas? This book is for you as well.

I was at a checkout when I first saw this publication...The Ultimate Guide to Digital Scrapbooking. I perked up. I picked it up. It sounded like just what I've been wanting. After quickly flipping through I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for. One hundred forty-four color pages of ideas, photos and walk-me-through-it techniques. I love the styles. I love the ideas. I love how there are very few advertisements. I love how it is set-up, laid out and so easy to use!

Now before I really get started, you really need to know that I am a newbie digi gal. In other words, I'm just starting. Having only tried out half a dozen digital layouts in the past, with mixed results, I am definitely not an expert. I regularly design papercraft designs, not digital. Why do I tell you this? Well, it just may convince you that if I can follow the great instructions in this book, you can too!

This Better Homes and Gardens special interest publication starts out with an article on Top 20 reasons to go digital. They present a pretty good case! No mess, perfect photos, the ability to undo mistakes to name a few. To follow this, you need some equipment to start digital scrapbooking. If you are thinking of trying it out...buy this book FIRST. Great charts and pointers will help you figure out which software and hardware are best for you, what you need to buy and what are the not-so-necessary extras. Really great advice!