Making Memories Tool Kit

We are taking on this tool kit to see if it meets our needs!


The Making Memories® Tool Kit includes all of the scrapping gadgets you need in a compact, metal case making easy to carry and store.


The tools included in the kit are Case Hammer, Eyelet Setter, 3 size anywhere hole punch, Round-ended pliers, Tweezers, and a Paper Piercer Needles.

I have personally had this kit for years now. I have used it over and over and it is one of those things that you just can't live without. I have however invested in the Crop a Dile punch and rarely use the eyelet setter, but the rest of the kit comes in handy over and over again. My favorite is the tweezers. I use these to place stickers or other things on my pages that fingers get in the way. The paper piercing needles come in handy so many times I can't even count how many times I have used those.

Its a great kit to take with you to a crop. Its portable, does not take up much space and because it comes in its own case it sits flat in your bag.

This kit is a great one for starting out or its irreplaceable if you don't have some of those great new eyelet setters.

The kit has been awile for quite a few years now, Hey you can't get rid of something that is just that good!

Cosmo Cricket

This month we are talking about the Company Cosmo Cricket!

Company info: Cosmo Cricket is the creation of married designers Eric and Julie Comstock.You might have heard of Comstock before. Eric and Julie are the original creators of the Comstock Collection. When they decided to go on their own, they needed a new name. They thought they could simply rearrange the letters of Comstock Collection into something new. Finally after many attempts they came up with their new name Cosmo Cricket

This company has a large variety of products, from papers, cardstock stickers, chipboards to Albums and embellishments.

When I first noticed their products I just had to have some and it has become one of my favorite companies to get products from. Their colors and designs are definately eyecatching and make creating easy along with adding some great supplies to my collection.

I am taking on their papers for this months review:I find their papers to be high quality. They are heavy weighted, double sided. There are many themes and designs to choose from, with their newest ones coming out including a halloween line called Haunted.

*Cutting and tearing this paper is easy. Its heavy and creates wonderful heavy layouts. (which I happen to love)

*It coordinates with other designs and cardstock.

*It has a bit of a distressed look which softens.

*Colors are beautiful and there are many to choose from.

All in all you can't go wrong purchasing some of their products. I haven't tried one that I didn't like. I give Cosmo Cricket Designs a great big "10"

Article by:

Debbie Ruggles

Cricut Personal Cutter by Provo Craft

This month we took on the Cricut! Would we like it, would it be worth all that money?

For a demonstration of how this machine works follow the link to the manufactures site for a video demo
http://www.cricut.com/movies/introduction.aspx


Carole says:

I have the cricut expression. I love being able to use the 12X12 size paper because I like to have a variety of sizes to choose from when I am cutting out shapes and titles. Cricut also makes software called Cricut Design Studio. I use it to create titles designs etc. The software uses cartridges to cut out the shapes and letters you want. You can purchase the cartridges at Michael’s, Walmart, and various online retailers.

If you are trying to decide whether you want to purchase a cricut or a cricut expression, I recommend that you visit Cricut.com. This site has plenty of resources including a community link with a message board for tons of advice and files to download. They helped me in making my decision to purchase my cricut expression and I love it!


Debbie Says:

I can't say enough about this. I have the sizzix and a ton of dies, but I am telling you ey are probably going to be for sale very soon. Since I have had this they have just been taking up room on my shelf and its time they say goodbye!


This machine totally replaces that and makes cutting letters and other die-cut shapes a snap. Tonight I am doing cards and its not going to really take me that long with this machine. I appreciate the fact that its easy to use and I don't need to be a computer genius to make it work. Its also portable, I can just grab it up and take it along to my crops and classes. This one is definately a keeper. I love what it produces, the ease of it and how perfect my layouts and project look. If you haven't got your hands on one, you really need to.

Pros to this product:

• portable and light weight
• does not take a computer to use
• Easy to use

Cons:

• The price tag
• Cartridges

Note: KayDee Designs does not stock the Cricut and its cartridges, but we can get them in for special orders. Just email us and inquire about pricing. sales@accents2scrapbooking.com

Westcott Scissors

This month we took on the Westcott 3" Titanium scissors.

The features of these little scissors are contoures Soft grip handles, corrosion reisistant, stays sharper longer because of the titanium bonded blades, and comfort and control. We tried the smaller 3" cut, however the company has many other sizes and colors out in their Bloom line.

What did the Design Team find out with these little scissors:

Melissa's review:

I think everyone who uses scissors for scrapbooking or other crafts are quite picky
and I'm no exception. In working with the Westcott Bloom 3'' scissors I found them to be
a little small for the projects I typically work on, however they are very sharp and the handles are covered with a nice grip material. These scissors are great for cutting very small paper piecings and thread. I've decided to use them with my sewing machine... perfect for cutting small fibers. I've attached them to a length of yarn and now they hang from my sewing machine.

Christy's Review:

The scissors are super super cute....tiny tiny...I tried using them in a number of ways...trimming ribbon, using them to cut the end of "red tape" off the edge of a layout, intricate cutting of designs, etc. But, they are just too tiny to use for me anyway for scrapbooking or paper crafts. HOWEVER, I used them to trim threads while I was sewing, and LOVED them....PERFECT for sewing. And cutting little tags off of new clothes too!

Over view:

The 3" scissors are small for scrapbooing, however they work great for sewing. Melissa's idea of hanging them from your sewing machine is great! This will work great for sewing on your layouts or other chore projects.

The company does have other sizes of the scissors and they do meet the expectations of having sharp titanium blades. We recommend these scissors in a bigger size for scrapbooking, and the quality of them rates right up there with the best!

We don't hesitate in recommending getting a pair of Westcott scissors in the size you like for any project!

Ribbon Ring Review

INTRODUCING THE RIBBON RING


You know the drill, need a piece of ribbon, start looking. Pull all those packages out from the storage boxes to find out it must be in the other box. How about the boxes with the little holes? Always pulling off the lids to rethread the ribbon through just to have it go back in or worse unravel! Then there are the jars wound around clothespin or the ribbon holders causing the ribbons to crease and not lay flat. Spending hours hunting for ribbons, rewinding or rethreading through the holes of your ribbon box, or worse ironing it after you find it to make it lay flat on your layout, well there is something new out there and We took a look at it. Does this product meet our needs for storage! Will it take the place of our yards of ribbons put in boxes, bags and other places just to store them in?
Let’s see what the design team Says about the Ribbon Ring!

Lets start with the company:
Melissa is the owner of Chicory Chic. A scrapper for many years who like us was sick of not having any storage for the yards of ribbons she had acquired. She came up with her own solution and is now offering it to us!

Our Design Team put this one to the challenge. Here is what they say about this product.

Anita:

I put a ton of ribbons on the little plastic tags last night and have it hanging on my clip it up.

I really like this product. I was able to get more than one ribbon on each of the tags as shown in the example on the instructions.

The tags are flexible yet sturdy. The ring will hold a lot of the tags. I would say if I received the entire product of 90 ribbon tags I would have more than enough for all of my ribbon. Making it a more attractive and compact
display of ribbon than I currently have. The inventory dots you receive with the Ribbon Ring are to note which ribbons you have more than a yard of (the suggested length is no more than a yard for placing on the tags). I personally placed a few 3 yard pieces on the tag and it doesn't bother me that they are longer.

In my opinion, most scrappers do not purchase more than 3 yards of any ribbon most of the time. Ribbons purchased in scrapbook stores pre-wound are a foot, a yard or 3 yards. This would make the dots irrelevant. However, I am sure there are people who purchase big rolls - then the dots would come in handy.

Carole

I like how you can visually see all the colors you have at once instead of digging through a container that has ribbon wrapped around clothes pins. (Yes, I did try organizing that way and I don't like it.) The ribbon ring also gives you the ability to organize your ribbon by color. You can also choose a color combination and place it in your scrapbook tote for crops. Very portable. I think it is a neat way to organize ribbon. The inventory dots are nice so that you don't end up buying more ribbon that you don't need. Overall, I think this product is very practical. I will probably have to order some more. The only thing wonder about is how to store all of the rings. Maybe I could hang it on my pegboard or come up with a way to hang it on coat hooks on a wall.

Debbie

Ok I was the one with the boxes of ribbons and then the 3 or 4 ribbon boxes plus the bags with all the extra ribbon rolls just in case my boxes got empty. I can’t tell you how much time I have spent rewinding spools of ribbon or looking for a color to match a layout. I have to tell you this is the perfect storage solution for Ribbons.

I spent an afternoon putting my ribbons on the tags and getting them neatly arranged. I have no more boxes of ribbons lying around. They fit neatly on the tags and I was able to put more than one on most of the tags. I had this nail hanging in a corner of my scrap room wall and I wanted it to get taken
out for the longest time, but now it holds my ribbon ring and you know it’s decorative in itself hanging there with all the ribbon colors cascading down from it.

This product gets a 10 in my book! Ladies get rid of the boxes, get this product and spend the time to organize your ribbons. It will clear that shelf off, give you more storage room and make it possible to find that piece of ribbon at a glance instead of spending all that time looking through your boxes! No more winding and rewinding, just find the color and snip!
Great product! When I add up what I have spent on ribbon boxes and storage, this product is a great purchase for the price! I love a good product at an affordable price and this one meets my expectations!

Sharon:

My name is Sharon and I am a ribbon addict! I am not sure when it started, but over the past few years, I have amassed quite a collection of ribbon. The funny thing is that I don't really use it that often on my pages. Maybe I would use it more if I didn't have to dig through a tangled mess of ribbon stuffed into small zippered baggies! When asked to give the Ribbon Ring a try I was excited because, frankly, I have been at a loss as to what to do with my ribbon collection. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and quickly I was able to load up the Ribbon Ring. No engineering degrees necessary. Another nice feature is that once you have it loaded with ribbon, you don't need to unload it to actually see how it would look on a page. I like that you are able to drape your ribbon on your layout without needing to disassemble it. The ribbon ring is also very portable. I brought it to my last crop and it fit easily in my shoulder crop bag.

All in all I really like the Ribbon Ring for storing my ribbon. Its portability and simplicity of design makes it a great storage option for both the scrapper that stays at home as well as those who go to crops. Also the Ribbon Ring provides a neat and organized way to see the ribbon you own thereby helping you to use it more often on your projects.


So here it is all summed up.

Does this product do what it says it will
Unanimously it does! It makes storage easy while giving you easy access to
your ribbons. It is portable and can fit just about anywhere!

We give it a 10.

Pricing:
Very reasonable. The starter set is 10.00 for 1 ring and 30 tags.We recommend getting the bundle pack of 60 for $17.50, we know you will want more!

Quality:
Product is made for use. The tags are made of bendable plastic, so they won’t snap or break. The ring is metal and hold lots of tags. This product will last for years!

Recommended Product:
Yes we recommend this product; as a matter of fact we can’t find one thing wrong with it! We give it at 10! Go ahead and give it a try. We know you will find out how great it is just by looking at it.

Many thanks Melissa for allowing us to try out your product! Thanks for showing us how to store our ribbons! Visit http://www.ribbonring.com for more information on how to purchase this product!

Product Review Rub On Transfers!

One of our favorite scrapbook embellishments are Rub On Transfers! They are so versatile and so easy to use! Just rub it on using a Popsicle stick. Can't get much easier! There are way to many out there to take just one of these and review on them, so our review is Rub-On Transfers in general.


Rub-Ons have come a long way on the market. When they first appeared they were not only expensive but were limited. Today the amount of Rub-On transfers that are appearing on the market is huge. Almost every company is breaking into manufacturing some kind of Rub-On Transfer.




Now, there are rub-ons to cater to your specific needs whether they are rub-ons for specific letters in the alphabet, Phrases, Quotes the list goes on. You can find rub ons for just about anything you are looking for including some image ones. Look to our Rub on Pages to see some of the different varieties. They even come in small, medium or large sizes!










You can find them in small, medium and even large print and images along with black and white and now color ones.











Many companies are offering Rub Ons now and the list is endless of what to use them for. They are so versatile. Try putting one on a photo to highlight something about it.











The look is genuine. It looks like it belongs without the edge you get with a sticker. It molds right to the paper and sticks without a worry to coming off. Wherever you used a sticker before you can now put a Rub-On in its place.




Are Rub-Ons the new alternative to stickers?

Probably so. As sticker sales seem to halt and Transfer sales seem to grow. There is definitely a trend to the Scrapbooking industry for many more of these to be coming out.


Here is what we find for Rub-On Transfers.


They are versatile, easy to use, you get many on a sheet.


Cost is definitely comparable to sticker sheets, as some of the sticker sheets can run 3 or 4 dollars too. With that said the price of Rub-ons have dropped and you can find many out there for a dollar or two.



The look is more real and doesn't contain the edge of the stickers. You can put these just about anywhere on just about anything on your craft projects.


As products go Rub-Ons are definitely a number one choice!

If you haven't tried them yet, Give them a try they are very addicting!

Visit Accents 2 Scrapbooking at http://www.accents2scrapbooking.com/ to see more rub-ons!