My reviews are based on my personal experience with a product or event. I am not a professional product tester nor do I get paid for any of my blog posts.

The items that I post reviews on, have either been purchased on the internet or through a local vendor. Additionally I will review items that I got on sale, as a gift or as a sample from either the manufacurer or some other source.

Note: always read the manufacturers directions on how to properly use a product and craft carefully. Additionally, I am an Amazon Associate and may earn a few cents (literally) from your clicking on my Amazon links. Since they raised the minimum payout from earnings to $10 I haven't seen a credit for a while but eventually I will get one.

Every penny counts when trying to set a budget to get supplies to use for my reviews, tutorials and hauls. However, you do not have to use my links. You can use your favorite search engine to find the best price for your budget.

Review of the Recollections Water Resist Cubes with Folk Art Ultra Dyes

If you are fan of word art and colorful wall decor then you should look into the easy fun craft projects supplies offered by Michaels stores through their new Recollections Water Resist Cubes.  These are really easy to do craft projects that require minimal paper craft supplies and time.  Michaels offers several different sizes in the Recollections Water Resist Cubes, as well as different sayings. So those of you who love word art will find some fun quick word art projects to do with that line.

Beyond the different sayings, I also love the decorative motifs that each cube offers.  The cubes are made from paper and do not weigh very much.  Keep this in  mind when working on the cubes because if you decide to work with water color crayons, you don't want to use too much water at one time.  The paper cube will buckle a little if you do that.

The Recollections Water Resist Cubes and papers are pretty easy to use, you just paint or spritz watercolor, the recollections spray ink, or your favorite a watercolor product.  I thought they were the perfect project to test out my new Folk Art Ultra Dyes.

So I pulled out a selection of colors which I color tested on some wood to figure which colors I wanted to use.

Once I decided on the colors, I started to brush the  Folk Art Ultra Dyes onto the canvas. I found that the Folk Art Ultra Dyes worked beautifully on the  Recollections Water Resist Cubes.


The colors were bright and they dried very quickly.  I was really happy with the great results I got with Folk Art Ultra Dyes onto the Recollections Water Resist Cubes.


After you brush or lightly spray the color onto the canvas, use a clean damp paper towel to dab off the excess color from the resist pattern.

My Michaels Craft Store had a good selection of this product line which included the Recollections Resist Patterned Canvases, Recollections Color Splash paper flowers (both painted and unpainted), Recollections Resist Color Splash Die Cuts, Recollections Resist Color Splash Paper Pads and the Recollections Color Splash Crayons.  I decided to just purchase a few pieces and test them out with materials I already had at home.

The Recollections Water Resist Paper Flowers



If you like to add to the painting, then the Recollections line also offers some fun "Color Splash" paper flowers which are great to use as accents on your project.  The store sold both the painted and unpainted flowers.  I liked the way the painted one's looked and bought a package of those, as well as the unpainted ones. These are such versatile paper art supplies that can be use for scrapbooking, card making and so much more.



I wanted to mention that while painting my Recollections Water Resist Cube, I noticed a that regardless of how gently I patted and/or brushed the color on, I ended up with quite a bit of pilling on the canvas.
You can see the pilling on the canvas here.
To fix that I found that if I just waited for it to dry a little, then I could gently sweep them off the canvas. So if it happens to you, know that you are not alone and it may be some part of the resist that is coming off when put in contact with the painting medium.

If you have always wanted to create your own wall art and let your crafty self shine, you may want to check out this new line at Michaels.  I think they would make a great base for altered wall art, that you could build on with other ephemera.

Have you tried these Recollections Water Resist Cubes and papers? What type of experience have you had with them?  Leave a comment below and share your experience.

Note: I was not paid to do this review. I purchased my cubes at Michaels and wanted to share my experience with you.






How to Save Money on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Reading Program Membership



If you have always wanted to know how to save money on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Reading Membership then you need to pay a visit to Amazon on July 5 - 12, 2016 for their yearly Amazon Prime day. It is like a summer "Black Friday" in the digital world of Amazon. There will be a lot of different deals but the best one is:

Membership to the Kindle Unlimited Reading Program where you can read as many digital books as you want for less than the normal $9.95 monthly Fee.  I figured out that I spend an average of $50 to 75 dollars a month on digital books, so even at the $9.95 monthly fee, I can save a lot of money.  However, right now is the best time to get your membership if you want to save some money on it.

Below is a direct link to the Kindle Unlimited Special Offer.  To get an idea of the savings value, you would normally spend $236.76 for a two year membership on Kindle Unlimited. However, on Amazon Prime Day, you can purchase a two year program for 143.86 which is a significant savings (below is a direct link to the great deal):

Countdown to Prime Day - Save up to 40% on kindle unlimited

For those who are unfamiliar with Amazon's Cart discounts, you will see the regular price in the cart. However, when you go to pay you will see the discounted price.  This only applies to purchases made July 5, through July 12th.  If you don't see the discount, contact customer service before you press "Confirm Order" so that you don't get overcharged.  If you miss the sale, the regular $9.95 monthly price is still pretty good.

If you just want to save money on other Amazon merchandise, like electronic specials







or even a discounted Amazon Prime Membership,  then try the link below and go to the daily special button on the website:

Happy Amazon Prime Day July 12 - Exclusive Deals for Prime Members - Start Free 30-Day Trial