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eCraft Cutting Machine and Project Runway

christy — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:42:28 +0000

Are you all excited for the new season of Project Runway? I'm a big fan of that show and thought it was really cool to see Suede from Season 5 at the show helping to promote the eCraft cutting machine.

I first reported on the eCraft last summer after CHA. It was their first showing back then and the machine looked a lot different! What I love about Craftwell is they took advice! The new machine has so many of the features that consumers wanted. This one will be a true contender in the personal cutting system market.

If you clicked on the link above for my post from last year, you'll see the difference between the machines from just a year ago. This machine is more sleek and user friendly.

I haven't had the chance to try this machine out more than making a few cuts at their booth so I'm not an expert on how it works. But, I will give you some of my opinions on the features and from what I've seen on the machines in the past year.

PROS:

no cutting mats! There is still the need to use some stabilizers if you plan to cut non-traditional items like felt, fabric, etc...
upload your own designs! eCraft gives its consumers the ability to make and cut their own designs (it uses .svg files). Not only that, you will be able to upload your images to their sharing site and sell them iTunes style.
ability to purchase individual designs! Mentioned above, the iTunes style sharing site allows you to purchase designs from others without having to invest a lot of money in a cartridge where you might only want a few of the images.
rechargable battery! This makes the machine super portable for crops or for ease of use around the house.
no limit on length! Using a paper roller attachment, you can cut out images to any length.

Cons:

pre-loaded images on SD cards are not too exciting. I was not too inspired by the images that came with the machine. There was also no way to get to a specific design quickly (using the machine alone) without scrolling through all of the designs.
colors of the machine. Personally, I was surprised with the color choices of the machine. There is a bright pink (they named it Pinc), purple (Purpleberry), a light blue (Skye) and white (Glacier). Aside from the names, I felt the colors were a bit juvenile. The bright pink and purple just weren't my style. And, I guess that's what it all comes down to. Personal preference. For me, the color choices end up in the cons. For someone else, they could be a big pro. I would definitely choose Glacier for my own machine.
not readily available. It's been a year and we still don't have the machines in stores. I'm glad they waited to implement some positive changes into the machine, but I question whether or not it is *really* ready to sell to the public and what stores will eventually carry them.

The retail price on this machine will be $349. Is it something you would consider buying? Would you replace another cutting machine you might have with this one?

Cricut Imagine and David Garibaldi

christy — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:30:03 +0000

Last night I was at a party for Provo Craft's new product, the Cricut Imagine. I'll share more about the product in the next few days (I have some videos to upload and edit) but for now I wanted to show you a bit of the entertainment from the party. They brought in a performance artist, David Garibaldi. He wowed us with his speed painting to amazing music. As you can imagine (pun intended), he painted images that had to do with inspiration and imagination.

He threw in the Cricut logo for good measure.

Here is a performance that he did at a different event.

We left the night feeling inspired, uplifted, and happy! Provo Craft does a great job with their product launches and I can't wait to get my hands on the new Imagine machine when it will show up at my house in a few months! The product is supposed to be in stores in October.

Craft Challenge has a New Look

christy — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:59:37 +0000

The craft challenge got a new look over the summer and we're ready to get started again! I think you'll like what is coming. You can now purchase your craft challenge packet for August from my shop.

I'll be at the Craft & Hobby Trade show all week bringing you reports from the floor on my Facebook page. If you want to see the latest new releases, head over there and "like" me! I'll have more in-depth blog posts coming this week as well. I'll have one of the first looks at the new Provo Craft machine on Tuesday morning. Sounds pretty amazing and I can't wait to see it in person!

Aleene’s Tacky Glue

christy — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:05:28 +0000

I was cleaning out my email inbox over the weekend and came across this picture from the winter Craft & Hobby Trade Show. This is me and Aleene.

THE Aleene. You know, Aleene's Tacky Glue? THAT Aleene. The Aleene that was a crafty entrepreneur pioneer. The one that had her own craft tv show in the 40's.

She signed a bottle of Tacky Glue for me. I love it.

Summer CHA is in just a few weeks. I wonder if I'll see her there?

Floral and Glitter Headbands

christy — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:22:32 +0000

I was going through some of my pictures and realized that there are still a lot of things from CHA (back in January!) that I haven't blogged about. I spent a lot of time at the I Love To Create booth. There were so many different things to look at and try out.

This display was so fun. There were all of these headbands in different colors and glittered. I can't remember for sure if this fabric spray paint was the product that they used. I should have taken better notes! I'm pretty sure it was. They also have glitter spray and I think that is what they used on the black headbands. This seems like such a fun, quick project. Let me know if you try it out!

Product Review: Bubber

christy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:19:50 +0000

This is Bubber. It is a soft compound that never dries out, doesn't stain, and is non toxic. You can mold it, mush it, squeeze it, etc... I saw it at the CHA Supershow and immediately thought of my son (age 7 with autism). We try to get him as much sensory play as we can throughout the day and I thought he'd really enjoy squishing this and playing with it. I was wrong.

While my son is indifferent to the stuff, my almost 5 year old daughter absolutely loves it and plays with it almost every day. It really doesn't dry out and she really loves the feel of it. My only real complaint is that it breaks into really tiny bits that are hard to pick up off the carpet. They haven't been ground into the carpet or dried onto it (like play-doh often does), but we lose a little bit of Bubber to the vacuum every time she plays with it.

There are crafty uses for the stuff as well. Check out how they used Bubber to make a mold for plaster.

This would be a really cheap way to make a mold of your baby's hand or foot. Instead of just a print, you could cast their whole fist. Once I have time to launch my line of jewelry kits (did you know I have that in the works?), I may have to make a mold of a hand and wrist so I can have a display for the bracelets and rings. That would be cool.

Even though we didn't use the Bubber like I though we would, I'm glad we have it. It's a fun thing to have around.

I was given a bucket of Bubber to try out but was not obligated in any way to write a review of the product.

Creative Options Molded Tray Box. One Crafty Caboodle.

christy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:58:52 +0000

The Craft & Hobby Trade show was a month ago and I'm still trying to go through all the things I brought home with me. One of my favorite items was this molded craft tray box from Creative Options. I filled it with all sorts of goodies and stuck it in my suitcase to bring home. It is the same style of box as the infamous Caboodle from our past.

They just introduced this new color palette with avocado and eggplant. I think they are calling the new palette "Vineyard". The colors are vivid on this particular product but if they aren't your thing, they still have other colors available.

The adjustable compartments are a great feature. I was also amazed at how much stuff I was able to put in there! I actually took out quite a bit to take the photos. The bottom compartment is especially roomy.

I'm so excited to add this product to my craft storage. These are available in some scrapbook stores, Archivers, and select Joann's. They are also available on Amazon for a reasonable price.

Disclosure: This product was given to me in my capacity as a member of the press covering CHA. Creative Options did not contact me directly to write this post or give me any compensation.

Trendspotting at CHA: Paper Flowers

christy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:57:48 +0000

Punched paper flowers were all around at CHA Winter this year. Almost every paper, punch, and scrapbooking booth had some on display. The flowers shown in the picture above were made using Punch Bunch paper punches.

I love all the detail you can get in a flower using just a few different paper punches. This last picture reminded me of the hanging bouquet I made for my daughter. I may need to do another one using paper flowers! It would certainly be less expensive.

CHA Report: Fiskars Portable Paper Trimmer

christy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:32:35 +0000

I went to the Fiskars booth to get a quick run through on what's new and great from the company. They have some really fun new things (punches, scissors, and trimmers, oh my!). The thing that really caught my eye and become a "MUST HAVE" is this portable paper trimmer.

Kelly Jo, one of the lead Fiskateers, gave me a quick demo. Some of my favorite features? How about the fact that the base is large enough to fit whole card? Cut line indicator? Awesome.

Epiphany Crafts Button Studio and Shape Studio

christy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:27:10 +0000

When people ask me what products got me excited at CHA, I always mention the button and shape studio from Epiphany Crafts. It's difficult to tell what it does by looking at the contraption so I had them do a quick video demo on the product. I think you'll like it!