To use the paint, you’ll need to shake the bottle  for 10 seconds or so to remix the mica particles that have settled to the bottom. The mica reintegrated easily into the paint, and when I poured it into my tray, the paint was smooth and creamy. It’s not as thick as some other mica-infused acrylics on the market, and I’d say the viscosity is somewhere between syrup and honey consistency.

I put my first layer of paint on my recycled box with a foam brush. I found that it went on easily, but because my surface had printing on it, it needed two coats for sure.  I even opted for a third, just using my finger to liberally spread around the paint. (Messy, but fun.) I found that applying the paint in this manner made it look almost like metal foil! The color was rich and vibrant.

Moving on to another “upcycled” craft, I used Precious Metal Colors in green to paint over a plain, glossy black frame. I did no prep to the surface, just brushed the paint on top. It covered the black frame beautifully, and again took 2 coats. Precious Metal Color has a great “grab” to it, and even thought I didn’t sand, it adhered well. You can see the first coat as pictured in the first photo on this post, and the final project is here:

I used the paint for the chipboard letters, too! LOVE!

The packaging says it’s good for non-porous surfaces, so next I literally poured some of the paint in an old votive glass. I swirled it around and then smoothed it out a bit just using my finger. (I use my fingers to paint a lot, as you can see.) Wow! This effect is impressive. The paint actually sticks to the glass, and gives the feeling of silvered glass. The mica flecks show through the glass as well, making it wonderfully glimmery!

To finish off my Precious Metal Colors playdate, I used some nice thick watercolor paper and just painted random swatches, occasionally blending with a water mister. Again, these colors are jam-packed with mica, and you could see them swirling around on the surface. Amazing. I could barely wait for the paint to dry so I could make a mixed-media art tag.

Photos can’t do this paint justice

Fast Facts from the manufacturer, Viva Decor:

• Metal-look water-based “varnish”
• 1-3 hours to dry,  depending on the surface and conditions
• Use a synthetic or foam brush to apply
• Water clean-up
• High opacity
• 28 fabulous colors

I know that you’ll really enjoy Precious Metals paints–and you can get them for a great price at ConsumerCrafts.com!

*Parts of this article were originally published on CraftTestDummies.com.

So what is a Smash Book, exactly? It’s a spiral-bound, chipboard-covered notebook that has printed papers inside, as well as an included pen that has a gluestick built right in! The idea is that you journal and scrapbook as you go- as part of your everyday life… in other words, just “Smash it in.”

Take a look at this video:

Now recently, I took a weekend trip with my husband for our anniversary- and rather than save all my goodies for a scrapbook “later” (which is code for keep in a box indefinitely,) I decided to take a Smash Book and chronicle the events as they happened.

There are different colors, each with a different theme.

The interior pages are printed- so you don't have to fuss with "backgrounds" or embellishments.

Here I'm adding clippings from the local newspaper, instant photos, journaling, and boarding passes.

I LOVE that you can take your SmashBook with you and scrapbook as you go, without worrying about whether or note it’s “perfect.” And with some of the fun accessories- like Smash Tape, Flags, and journaling prompts called “Smash pads” you can have a lot of fun. (Click this link to see the accessories.)

 I love my rotary cutter for cutting fabric. And I love my paper trimmer for cutting paper. If those two tools got together and had a love-child, it would be the Free Style Mouse by Purple Cow- and I would adopt it and take it home!

As you can see from the picture, it looks a little different from most of the other paper-trimmers and rotary cutters out there on the market. Why, it looks kind of like a computer mouse! (Hence the name!)

It only takes moderate pressure to engage the blade.

To use it, you place your hand over the top of the cutter, then press down to engage the blade, then slide away from you to cut paper, fabric, or even metal. The brilliance of this design is that while the FS “mouse” is sitting on your table, the blade is up & retracted into the housing. It’s only when you press down that the blade engages. I cannot tell you how brilliant this is! Even if my kids pick it up or drop it on the floor, that blade is away and safe. But when I want to use it, I don’t have to fuss with locks or blade guards- just press and go!

I also love the ease of changing blades. I have traditional rotary cutters, and I’ll be honest- changing blades sets my teeth on edge. (I have a minor fear of being cut.) However, these blades are permanently set into a plastic housing. To change blades, you twist the knob until it unlocks, pull out the unit (still while holding the knob) and place it in its little protective tray. NO TOUCHING BLADES! Hooray! Even the storage trays have a little “lock” on them so that if you drop the tray, the blades won’t spill out.

Blades have their own storage trays- convenient!

Now, let’s talk about all of the blades you can use. I’ve never seen so many for one tool before- there are TWELVE- and the kit includes: straight, perforated, short wave, deckle, long wave, pinking, scallop, squiggle, Victorian, colonial, scoring and stamp. Wow! And each blade is numbered- so you can place it back in its corresponding storage tray. Brilliant!

So now we’ve established that the design is brilliant…but how does it cut? Never fear, intrepid crafters, the FreeStyle Mouse lives up to its promise. I used it on Foamies ™ craft sheet, paper, cardstock, fabric, and fabric backed with fusible web (one layer of each.) On each surface it cut smoothly and cleanly, not leaving hanging bits or threads. (I used the straight blade, Victorian, and deckle when testing it out.) I was pleased with how nicely and cleanly it cut on all of the items I tried- even the Foamies!

If you are looking for a tool that is easy to use, versatile and economical, the FreeStyle Mouse is for you!

Markers, markers, markers! Besides being all the rage in the craft industry, they are a staple in every artist’s workshop (and most households, too!)

Today I’m going to share with you Sanford Prismacolor Markers- an alcohol-based, dual-tipped marker that is arguably the most popular marker with professional artists and illustrators. But they are widely available so that that makes them a prime candidate for crafters, too!

Here’s how they are described:

Every artist can appreciate these double-ended art markers. The ink is formulated to give the richest color saturation with silky smooooooth coverage. The duality of the thick and skinny tips let you change it up whenever the mood strikes. One ink source ensures color consistency from either end. It’s an alcohol, dye-based ink that’s non toxic.

Here’s a close-up of the nibs:

Now, both caps are interchangeable, but they are color-coded.  Like most alcohol markers, they do have a mild odor- but they are labeled as non-toxic.

Since I think most crafters use alcohol-based markers for coloring stamped images, it was stamped using Memento black ink on matte cardstock:

Then I used another stamp on some glossy cardstock. You do get more “lines,” but they were able to be blended out somewhat by layering both the clear blending marker and the peach marker:

Now, to get creative! Since alcohol markers work on non-porous surfaces, you can have a lot of fun.

Here I colored a metal embellishment with a teal marker.

I spritzed some glossy cardstock with rubbing alcohol, then layered some color by scribbling with the Sanford Markers. I laid a sheet of bubble wrap on top to make the pattern. Now, won’t that make a cool background?

You can also color right on a rubber stamp (the inks will dry quickly, but don’t worry).  Spritz it with some rubbing alcohol (or blending solution) and then stamp your image. You’ll get a watercolor effect.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Sanford Markers work beautifully with Prismacolor pencils. Here is an example of a stamped image that I colored with markers…

….and then went over with pencils. I used the colorless blender to blend it all together. (I should also note that I LOVE the colorless blender. Love.)

Overall, these are really the “premier” art markers. They are not refillable, but you’d probably need to use them for hours daily to actually use them up.

Just as an aside, I called my friend who is a professional artist/illustrator. When I asked about different alcohol-based markers, he said (as an artist) that his choice was Prismacolor. Is that enough of an endorsement?

Disclosure: This article is an abridged version of a review posted on, CraftTestDummies.com. Used with permission.

Stickles Glitter Glue

Stickles are super glittery and come in a wide range of sparkly and iridescent colors. They are a great way to add a little pizzazz to your projects without the mess of loose glitter. Here’s a swatch of how these colors look when they are applied to paper:

You can see here that after they are dry, they really sparkle and shine!

Now, if you are looking for some texture, but don’t want a lot of sparkle, Distress Stickles might be what your are looking for. Created by the famed Tim Holtz for Ranger. Here’s how they look in the bottle:

And here they are on swatches:

You can see that the colors are a bit more muted (to match the Distress Stains and Stamp Pads) and also you get more chunky texture rather than sparkle.

Here are some examples of how I used Distress Stickles and regular Stickles.

Add a touch of sparkle to your quilling projects. (It's great for adding some "pop" to stickers and 3-D embellishments as well.)

Add highlights and an extra 3-D effect to embossed images.

Or take home decor to a whole new level! Check out this amazing Sugar Skull by Vicki O’Dell:

Calavera by Vicki O'Dell.

Click on the image or this link to go to her blog to see how she made it- using Stickles, of course! Stay tuned- I’ll have some projects using Stickles coming up this week!

Straight from the Nest Provo Craft Cricut Cartridge item # PV2000190 is available for purchase at Consumer Crafts.

I love card-making and was thrilled to see all the creative and imaginative sayings.  I used one of the sayings to create a fun card.  I added the cute saying and a multidimensional owl to a card layout.  I used double-sided paper when cutting the owl so that I just had to flip the paper for next layer.

Using the Straight from the Nest Cricut cartridge I created several sliders.  I use the sliders when gift-wrapping, card-making, and scrapbooking.

The shadows that are created when making the sliders is perfect addition to cards and craft projects.

Use the cartridge to create borders for cards, scrapbooking layouts, or even in home decor along the bottoms of frames.

Lastly, create corner pieces choosing from images, sayings, and multiple layering styles.

I enjoyed the Straight from the Nest cartridge and will use it for card-making, scrapbooking, gift wrapping, home decor crafts, and so much more!

You’ll find artwork like border images of fall leaves,  bunny ears for Easter, even a border of patriotic Stars. There are also spooky house Silhouettes for Halloween, mittens for winter holidays, and elephants with hearts for Valentines Day. This is just the beginning of all the images this cartridge has to offer!

Editor’s Note: Just because this cartridge was designed for decorating cakes, it doesn’t mean that you can’t use it in your V-1 (baby bug), Cricut Expressions, or your Cricut Imagine, too!

Martha Stewart Crafts Leaf Stamp and Punch

Using the Martha Stewart Crafts Leaf Stamp and Punch

When using the stamp and punch together, it’s much easier to stamp first and then punch. Stamp your piece, then place in the punch, turning the punch over so you can line up the stamped art with the cutting edges. I love the possibilities the Martha Stewart Crafts Leaf Stamp and Punch allows. There are so many combinations to create really wonderful leaf accents for all your projects.

Check back tomorrow for a fun Thankful Wreath project featuring this tool.

Craft Glue Dots – ½ inch circular adhesive dot, Acid Free, Super Strength, and bonds most surfaces

Pop Up Glue Dots – ½ inch circular adhesive dot that is 1/8 of an inch thick to add dimension to your crafts, same qualities of a regular Craft Glue Dot

Memory Book Glue Dots – Ultra Thin 3/8 inch circular adhesive dot, Acid Free, Permanent

Mini Glue Dots – Just like the Craft Clue Dots, only smaller 3/16 of an inch in diameter to be exact.

Using all the different kinds of Glue Dots are easy, all you need to do is apply the Glue Dot where you would like and peel away the protective paper backing, and done! A permanent easy adhesive.

However, Gesso has taken a front seat in recent years, and is cropping up more and more as an actual element in arts and crafts. Today I’m going to share with you three ways to use Gesso as an element in your scrapbook layouts, cards, tags, or mixed-media pieces of art!

1) Create texture. Since Gesso has body, you can spread it on thickly with a palette knife or even just pour it on your surface. Then you can use end of your paintbrush, kitchen utensils (like a fork) or other implements to create texture. After it’s dry you can use watercolor media (like paint or a mistable spray) and you’ll get lovely texture!

2) Create a focal point. Since Gesso is white and opaque, you can apply thin coats with a credit card, palette knife, or a foam brush to “push back” an area of dark or patterned paper. By making one area lighter, the eye naturally goes to that space- just perfect for adding a title, photo, or charm.

I recycled old quilt magazines into pages of this book by adding a coat of Gesso.

3) Upcycling! By adding a coat of Gesso, you can turn old magazines into book pages, burlap into chic embellishements, even comment reply cards from magazines into usable paper such as tags. Yes, Gesso is opaque, but by adding just one coat you an still get a glimpse of what the object “used to be,” adding some real interest to your mixed-media pieces.

I used a pair of plastic tweezers to create some texture.

After the Gesso dried, I misted it with spray inks & stains.

So there you have it! Gesso is a MUST if you are working on unprimed canvas- but it’s also a lot of fun to use in your crafting. Give it a try!