X-ACTO Retract-A-Blade #1 Knife
Elmer’s Products, Inc. |
www.elmers.com/crafters
This is a short review for the following reasons: Like the name says, it’s an X-ACTO and the blade is fully retractable.
You know the brand, and you know it’s well made; we’ve all been using the #11 X-ACTO for years. The Retract-A-Blade #1 is portable and easy to store. You can even keep it upright in a mug along with pencils and pens, which means you won’t cut yourself when you reach for it and the blade won’t get dull from being knocked around. There is a slide lock, blades are easy to replace, a soft comfort grip with a triangle shape gives extra control, and there is a durable metal core. It’s a wish come true. Now if only cupcakes were calorie free and dogs could walk themselves...
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Tulip Color Change 3-D
Fashion Paint |
www.ilovetocreate.com
Magic! There’s no other way to describe Tulip’s Color Change 3-D Fashion Paint. Indoors it’s a soft, clear white, close to invisible with a bit of shine to the lines you’ve applied. But let it dry and step outside into the sunshine, and Mother Nature’s UV light helps the paint earn its name. Color Change is a chameleon that changes colors, turning yellow, blue, red, green, orange, teal, purple, charcoal or pink. What fun to dress up a shirt or pair of sneakers, a tote bag or backpack with dimensional designs—and it’s so easy. This is the kind of product that’s great year round, but somehow feels ideally suited to summer. If you’re planning activities for the kids in your life, working with Color Change paint will be one to enjoy together. Our sample was put to immediate use by a 12-year-old visitor who now has a customized tote for her library books. |
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DMC Satin Floss and Color Infusions Memory Thread
www.dmc-usa.com
Add dimension and shine to your embroidery and craft projects! DMC 6-strand Satin Floss comes in 18 new colors (for a total of 42), adding a soft, silky luster that reflects light from cross-stitch and other stitchery. In addition to open stock, there are two 8-skein Satin Floss packs in Radiant or Pastel palettes. DMC Color Infusions Memory Thread is soft, fiber-wrapped copper wire, ready to hold its shape. Couch it in place with small stitches or let the shapes stand away from the surface of a project for dimension that won’t droop! Or, use glue to adhere. Memory Thread comes in 12 colors, including metallic gold and silver. It’s ideal for cards, mixed media, and much more. |
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Ergonomic Seam Rippers, Knit Pickers, Tracing Wheels, and Awl
Prym Consumer USA | www.prym-consumer-usa.com
 We’ve all spent too many hours gripping a tracing wheel or seam ripper. If your wrists and fingers feel like they need a vacation, you’ll be very happy that Prym Consumer USA has come up with ergonomic tools to take the place of your old ones. The awl has a soft cushion cap that is comfortable in-hand and protects the point when it’s not in use. Tracing wheels are gently curved, just like a hand, and available as both smooth and serrated. (When not in use in the sewing room, the serrated wheel is a lot of fun for card making and paper crafts.) Both Knit Picker and Seam Rippers have a conical shape and soft finger grips to provide comfort, and the handles can be extended if you attach the cap to the handle base. |
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Sugar Cane, Bamboo, Hemp,
and Recycled Fiber Cards
Strathmore | www.strathmoreartist.com
 Strathmore’s newest blank cards and envelopes, sold in boxes of ten, are environmentally friendly and manufactured to the company’s high standards. They’re a treat for the eye and the hand—and the planet as well. Choose tree-friendly Hemp, Sugar Cane, Bamboo, or Recycled Fiber Cards (either 30% or 100% post-consumer waste fiber). Finishes and colors vary and it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite. They include smooth, textured, and laid (subtle lines); colors are cream, natural, white, ivory, and bright white. Cards are generously sized at 5” x 7”; envelopes measure a quarter-inch larger in each direction. |
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Core Impressions Embossed ColorCore Cardstock
Core’dinations | www.coredinations.com
There isn’t space to show all of the designs, but Core Impressions Embossed ColorCore Cardstock will appeal to everyone. Collections from Jillibean Soup, Jenni Bowlin (Red and Black, Brown and Cream, Vintage Brights), and Cosmo Cricket (Classics and Neutrals) include grids, dots, alphabets, stars, large labels, flowers, butterflies, and more. Packs contain twenty sheets: five colors in each of the four patterns. When the embossed surface is sanded or distressed, the core color is revealed. Alter further with chalks, ink, or paint and there are even more possibilities. Core Impressions is just right for invitations and cards, altered books and mixed media journals, party décor, gift tags, ornaments—any paper craft project you might have in mind. Just in case you run out of ideas, the website is a good place to find inspiration. A side note: Core Impressions collections coordinate with other Core’dinations products, as well as with Jenni Bowlin, Cosmo Cricket, and Jillibean Soup printed papers and embellishments. |
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