CHA - Other general crafting finds

Yesterday I shared some of the new paper ranges which took my eye so today I want to move on to other crafting/mixed media/home decor/painting items I liked the look of.

My first two are from Ranger. Inkssentials has brought out the cutest Memory Capsules - and they're designed to fit Memory Frames and glass. These are just adorable and are small enough to work on either a card front or a scrapbook page.

I also liked the look of Tim Holtz's new Adirondack Alcohol Inks Fillable Pens. These pens are dual tipped with a broad end and a finer tip. They come empty, ready to be filled with your favourite colours. I can see a whole lot of new and interesting alcohol ink techniques being developed from this idea. The release is scheduled for March and I can hardly wait to get hold of these products.

I also really liked this range: Canvas Home Basics. This is a range of unique decorative hardware fittings designed by interior designers for home decorating enthusiasts. The samples in their booth had real eye appeal. OK, I know Christmas is over but what an eye catching colour combination.Red, black and canvas packs a real colour punch!I just adored the banner strung beneath the shelf, pegged up with designer coloured clothes pegs - a simple designer trick to add interest to a boring old shelf!

Next, I wanted to highlight Fredrix new Float stretched canvasses. What makes these stand out from the crowd is the angled sides. Instead of being straight, they are angled away from the front at a 45° angle so that when they are framed they appear to float within the frame. This is such a simple, yet clever idea. If you look closely at the pic you can see the angled sides as the lovely Jane Seymour (actress and artist) applies a basecoat to the canvas.

Now back to a papercrafting idea - this one is from Piggy Tales.

This piece was their quick Make and Take project and took just a couple of minutes to complete. The sample shows fresh flower petals (which I had to remove for quarantine reasons) but you could easily add a photo, mini collage or a keepsake such as a lock of hair between the two pieces of acrylic and then reassemble it by sliding the clips back into place.... Neat!My next great find came from a workshop - the Kandi Corp Hot Wax Art Stylus. This is not a new tool, but it was the first time that I had used it and it was totally addictive and strangely, I found it very therapeutic to work with - perhaps it was the aroma of the beeswax pigments! I'm not sure, but anyway, this product is already available in Australia so ask your LSS about getting one in for you. It comes with three tips included in the package and the beeswax is available in packs of 4 coordinating colours. The samples here are Encaustic Wax on a Style Stone frame (above) and on foam core board and regular cardstock (below). This workshop was just so much fun!!

Here's another product that's been around for a while but it was a fun make and take so I'm going to share it with you. Over at the Duncan Crafts booth, cotton gloves were the canvas for stencilling with fabric paint. The Tulip stencils are fabulous - super tacky to ensure that the stencil doesn't slip and also that no paint is able to seep underneath leaving lovely crisp edges. This pair of gloves will be staying in my studio for those times when I need to keep fingerprints off my work!My last one for today is called The Painter's Pyramid - a clever idea from K & M of Virginia. The idea behind this is that you set the piece you want to work on, on top of as many of the pyramids as you need to support it so that you can work on it without ever having to touch the painted surface with your fingers until it has dried. How wonderful - no more unsightly fingermarks to patch up! These were some of my favourite general crafting finds at the show this year. Tomorrow, I'll be sharing my favourite jewellery finds with you.