Martha Stewart Glittered Card Kit Review

I recently picked up a fun glitter card kit (Martha Stewart Create line) at my local

Big Lots store. It was a great buy at $2.00 for a kit that includes:

5 Martha Stewart glitter colors

card stock with matching envelopes

8 die cut birds.  The bird die cuts already have adhesive on them

so it makes covering them in glitter a super easy task. I just peeled off each section and then chose

the glitter that I wanted to use.  I made up all the birds that I wanted to use.

As you can see, these are easy and fun to do.

Then all I did was attach them to the cards.  I also used a few as Christmas Tree decorations.

I recommend checking out your local Big Lots to see what type of fun craft kits they get in.  Since they buy out old merchandise from manufacturers, I often find some pretty cool crafting supplies and great prices. The price of this kit (at $2.00) was less than buying one bottle of Martha Stewart Glitter at my local craft store.  I love the Martha Stewart Glitters from her Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter Set in the Rich Essentials because they have an interesting texture that reflects light better than the normal glitter set.




Disclosure

Review of the E.K. Success - Martha Stewart Embroidery Set

The E.K. Success Company sent me this cute baby one-piece and cap embroidery set from their Martha Stewart Crafts embroidery line.  I love making gifts for infants.  So I was very excited that they had a new line of embroidery projects for baby gifts.  At first glance the kit looks a little plain because the colors on the packaging are printed in a yellow ink that seems to fade out the colors of the thread on the baby set.  The thread colors are actually more vibrant out of the packaging.  I really liked the simple "let it bee" design on the two baby project pieces, along with the color choice of the threads for this design.

Kit Contents

Here is what comes in the kit:

• 1 cotton one-piece pre-printed in wash-away ink
• 1 cotton cap pre-printed in wash-away ink
• 1 needle
• presorted cotton thread (Papaya, Marina, and Pumpernickel)
• easy illustrated directions

One piece shirt

The one piece shirt and cap are very soft and made of 100% cotton with the designs already printed on them in a "wash-away ink".   

baby cap

I love that the company placed the threads on a color coded thread organizer card that directly corresponds with the drawings, which makes it easy to identify the right threads.

Additionally, the Martha Stewart  Embroidery Kit includes an easy to follow Key Chart that not only lists the stitches but breaks it down by color.  

The directions themselves are well illustrated and easy to follow.  Instead of being too wordy, they have done the illustrations in varied thicknesses and colors that correspond back to the chart.  

You only need to do three stitches to complete this kit.

• the stem stitch
• the back stitch
• the french knot

All you have to do is look at the Key Chart and match the line and you will know which color and stitch to use.  This is an ideal beginner embroidery project and the final pieces are so adorable.

Tips:

• The pieces in this kit are pre-printed in a wash-away ink, so remember not to pre-wash the two pieces or you will lose the design. 
• Use an embroidery hoop, it makes the project go faster.

For more Martha Stewart Kits, check out Amazon.

Disclosure

A review of the "Collage Vintage Notecard Kit" from Accord Publishing

I recently bought a cool collage kit from Amazon.  The "Collage Vintage Notecard" kit is published by Accord Publishing.  The artwork, papers, and projects in the  "Collage: Vintage Note Card Set" are designed by Maryjo Koch who is known for artwork and her book "Vintage Collage-Works: Artful Ideas with Antique Ephemera".  The kit is a complete collage kit with instructions and an assortment of supplies.  It is affordable at a price of under $16.00.  


The instruction manual is full of pictures of the various things designed and made by Maryjo Koch with the materials in this kit.  They range from cards to decorating journals. It offers very simple step-by-step instructions that are written for those who not familiar with collage work and/or working with antique style ephemera.  For someone seeking more advanced knowledge and ideas in collage, I would recommend one of Maryjo Koch's books.  This kit is created for beginners and is represented as such through the materials in the kit.


The kit contains:

• A Detailed Instruction Booklet
• 12 notecards and envelops
• 96 sheets of assorted artwork
• A proportion wheel
• A glue stick
• A handy organizational box to hold and protect the supplies.

Collage Kit

Don't be fooled by the picture of the box above, there are a lot of supplies provided in this kit.  The selection of decorative papers is so varied that it will appeal to a broader group of crafters. 

There are papers with maps on them.

There are cool vintage looking letter style papers.

There are wall paper print papers.

There are postage stamp images.

There also a great selection of music sheet papers.

There are various animal images.

There are also a nice selection of rose papers.

The kit also supplies a "proportion wheel" which is a very handy tool for the beginner who likes to pre-calculate their layout.  It helps the beginner figure out the measurements when working with different size ephemeral.  For those who enjoy the more traditional "cut and paste as you go method" you do not need the tool.

The instructional booklet is really easy to understand.  It goes into detail on the composition of decorative papers and ephemera.  It also gives you some fun collage project ideas to build on.  

First Project.

My first project was very simple, I combined some of the different papers from the kit to create a simple card.  

First, I chose the background image.  Then I cut out the bird image and the flower image and glued them onto the card.

Bird Collage Card

Second Project

For my second project, I decided to cover a plain journal with some of the papers from this kit.

I choose the papers, ephemera, and plaid paint products to cover the book.

Then I took the butterfly that I had cut out and added some "Martha Stewart Glitter" to it.

I cut the various pieces out and then glued them onto the book cover.  The project took about 20 minutes to finish (including paint drying time).

Journal

Third Project

For my third project, I decided to make a small wristlet type purse for my daughter.  I started with a wood triangle purse blank.  

Then I decided to use some scrapbooking papers that I had from the Echo Park Paper Co "Dots and Strips" collection.  The first paper I used was the "Large Leaf Dot" paper.  

I put the wood frame onto the paper to trace the pattern.

I then did the same thing with the "Ruby Red Large Dot" paper.

Then I cut out the "Tuxedo Dot" paper for the side of the triangle shape.

I added a border from Colorbox to the front of the piece.

I painted a couple of coats of Modge Podge to protect the papers.  To finish, I added some hardware, wire and beads to make a handle for the piece.

The finished wristlet.

Purse

The techniques covered in the instruction manual cover a nice base from which a beginner can create some fabulous work and build upon.  Beyond instructions on how to make your first collage card, the book offers hints on aging, scumbling, and other tips and techniques.  Additionally, due to the very generous amount of supplies, you can apply the knowledge learned from the kit to journaling and home decor pieces.

Tips

Plaid Extreme Glitter Paint

• Lay out the papers and ephemera that  you are planning on using to make sure they compliment each other.
• Keep the paper scraps, you can use them for other projects.
• Don't forget to add fun items like buttons, charms, etc. to give your pieces dimension.
• When working with the Plaid Extreme Glitter paints, I put a piece of plastic wrap onto the container before I put the lid back on.  It keeps it from drying out.

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