Teresa Collins Modeling Paste Review

Anyone who has followed my blog knows I LOVE Teresa Collins products.  The past 5 years my love of scrapbooking has evolved into mixed media art journaling and I even use those techniques on my pages & mini books.  I love being the messy artsy girl.  I've never considered my self an artist just artistic if that makes sense.  I can't draw but collage with lots of layers & textures I almost feel like an artist.  The best way to get texture on anything is Modeling Paste. 

(note sorry for the iphone not well staged photos.... I was so excited to share my new favorite modeling paste with you)  I was in no way compensated for this review.  I purchased the paste at EMI Scrapbooking store in Cumming GA for my personal use - I'm just a user sharing my opinions.

 I've tried a lot of them & always come back to Golden brand. 

I know Teresa really strives for quality in everything she does so I was excited to try her Basically Essential Modeling Paste.

Opening the jars to compare them I noticed that the Golden is much thicker than the Basically Essential which seems more creamy.  Comparing the color Basically Essential is noticeably whiter as the Golden has more grey undertones.

I used a Teresa Collins Basically Essential stencil set. (This release contains 2 different 8-1/2x11 inch sets that contain 3 stencils & 2 12x12 inch single stencils)  These are good quality intricately cut stencils & gotta love the pink color!  By the way make sure you clean your stencils immediately - especially with modeling paste it can ruin them quickly.

I applied Basically Essential to a small section of the stencil.  I noticed it was very creamy & glides on very smoothly.  It's a little thinner than Golden brand so I was concerned that it would seep under the stencil a bit. Upon removing the stencil there was a small area top row second from right but it would be fine if I had taped the stencil down - I was just holding it.  I was pleasantly surprised that it held so much of the texture from the pallet knife application since it was a thinner body paste.  The paste levels out perfectly & holds sharp edges.  It dries a nice uniform white that is perfect to use straight out of the jar on any project.  The thinner consistency allows for some flexibility which is really beneficial on a scrapbook layout or mini book that will be viewed by turning pages.

I applied the Golden brand in the same manner.  It is noticeably thicker & seems to have a measurably thicker emboss for each of the stencil openings.  When applying it really fills the stencil opening well & as I did that final sweep across to even out & remove waste more of the paste seemed left in the stencil openings.  I didn't stir my jar very well before application but you can slightly see the variance of color which has very grey areas especially viewing in person.

Most of the time I have added a paint or ink to the Golden modeling paste when I'm creating a project.  So let's see how the Teresa Collens Basically Essential holds up to products I usually use.

First I like acrylic inks since they have a very intense color.  Liquitex make some pretty colors.  It mixed very well but the bright white color of the paste did act somewhat like white paint toning down the color of the ink.

The watery consistency of the ink did thin the paste somewhat but didn't effect the integrity of the paste to hold it's shape.  The color dried true & even.

Next I tried my favorite Golden Fluid Acrylics.  They are also a bit thinner consistency but the colors are very intense & mix well with many mediums & paints.  

 Again the paste & paint mixed very well.  The paste acted slightly as a white paint toning down the color of the fluid acrylic.  The paste still had the ability to hold it's shape & pallet knife texture lines.  It did have a small amount of seeping under the stencil but again that was because I didn't tape it down.  It seems like with the thinner paste I can't skip that step as easily as I can with a thicker paste.  I really like the areas where I  didn't have a lot of paste left & it created holes in the stencil negative.

Finally I used some Blick Artist Acrylic paint.  It's a very thick creamy paint.

This thicker paint mixed very easily & thoroughly with the modeling paste.  It made the paste a thicker consistency without losing the creaminess.  I love all the texture lines that held & the uniform color.

You could easily just use craft acrylic paint & it would most likely be slightly thinner in texture but have same effects.

I'm most impressed with the color of Teresa Collins Basically Essential Modeling Paste when it is dry.  The white is very clean & uniform.  I have not seen this in any other modeling paste that I have tried in the past.  Golden is on the bottom & you can see the color is not as vibrant & bright.  I would use the Basically Essential modeling paste alone & be very pleased with the color of the dried application.  I normally add white paint to the Golden paste to get the true bright white that comes straight out of the jar with Teresa's paste.

So let the trumpets sound........

Sorry Golden Modeling Paste but you have been dethroned as my favorite modeling paste..... I will be buying Teresa Collins Basically Essential Modeling Paste from now on.  (If I want heavy texture I think I will still pull out the Golden but for overall usability I loved Teresa's paste)

Summary:

Pros:  

Love the white color straight out of the jar dries beautifully, creamy consistency

self leveling so very even application in the stencil with sharp edges

bend ability without cracking

ability to mix well with different mediums.

Cons: 

Have to be mindful of seeping under stencil due to the thinner consistency

if texture is what you are looking for this paste can do some but since it seems to self level you don't get as much as you do with other brands of paste.

I encourage you to give Teresa's modeling paste a try it's perfect for paper crafters to try a new technique and add some texture & elegance to your page.

Browsing Stores Recently.....& adhesive review

I was in between doctor appointments recently & had time to kill. 

So I stopped in Home Goods to browse.

They have good prices & some really great items for the home.

I love just looking at all the goodies they get in stock.

Charley always tells me about the new heavy furniture they are getting in since one his truck loads goes to a store somewhere in the USA.  He will be popping Advil after unloading since their orders are heavy.

I'm really loving all these text canvases that are on the market lately.

They are all $29.95 so

I am thinking of trying my hand at these....

Brave Girls style.

I think I'm going back for this shadow box.

Love the burlap & distressed grey/blue.  Very beachy

At first I thought of putting in my Grandpa's fishing lures 

(they are so cool looking he had them for more than 60 years)

or I could do a vignette of Destin filled with shells, photos & stuff 

from the last time I was at the beach. 

I saw on instagram last night that those photos were taken 82 weeks ago....

It's been that long? 

I so need to go again since that is my happy place. 

Love to put my toes in the sand

I don't know what it is about this purse but I liked it

guess it's the "hippy" girl in me as my mom says.

I will keep eye out for $$ to go down because I'm not loving it $40 worth lol 

Michaels had some canvases too.  

Butterflies always catch my eye 

And these made me think of flowers in the 

Brave Girls Funky Flowers Art School class I had just finished....

I may try my hand using this as inspiration for the guest room 

Cute bird cage with clips on it.

This would be perfect for my scraproom as a funky inspiration board 

I loved these kraft tags with simple sentiment & pop of color

Michaels Recollections brand 

I used my 40% coupon for adhesive I needed for a crop.

Not exciting but so necessary.

I love Crafter's Choice Ultimate Adhesive for putting together mini albums

I don't have any problem with my books falling apart when I put a thin bead around the edge & then "scribble" some in the middle of the chipboard to attach the paper.

It also isn't too think that it creates bubbling & problems with most of the patterned paper on the market today.  During the Teresa Collins classes recently Teresa would say to use a glue glider style dry adhesive because wet causes problems.... she wasn't calling me out but telling the entire class - I think trying to "save" me & my project from disaster (which I appreciated - she is always so thoughtful).... but I know my glue.  If this was Beacon, Scotch, Aleene's or even PVA (which is specifically designed for paper book making) I know I would have a buckled bubbled & not professional looking project.  But The Ultimate never fails me (as long as it's not on the copy paper thin style of patterned paper).

A lot of times for my own projects I will use my Scotch ATG gun.  It's just too heavy & big to take to a crop when you have a small amount of table space. 

It's great adhesive and refills last a long time.

2 rolls 36 yards each of adhesive at Michaels is $9.99 for archival or $5.99 for the craft before coupons.

I just hate to thread the adhesive thru the gun.

I bought a Scotch Dot Roller to use at the crop 

but still wouldn't trust it for a mini album that gets a lot of handling

(closest I've found to my beloved Kokoyo Dot Roller that was discontinued in the USA that I horded all I could find & am now out of)

I won this Teresa Collins Xyron Sticker Maker last year at the crop

I already had a purple original one so I gave mine away to a friend.

I love this for little things that adhesive is so strong & not going anywhere.

It's amazing for ribbon.

I'm frugal with adhesive so I make sure that I have enough little bits to take advantage 

of every inch & not waste then let pieces sit on the backing til I'm ready to use.

Teresa came out with a matching Xyron adhesive runner recently but I haven't gotten around to ordering online since it's not available locally for me....

I would have loved to have won one that were given away at the crop.

It's much smaller than my ATG & the adhesive is really good (I tested out a friends)

I was never happy with the Glue Arts one I had because of the price of refills that weren't that big.

The Xyron runner is similar size.  I really like that the cartridge is drop in no threading of adhesive like the ATG (my son Andrew's job since I make a mess of it with my arthritic hands lol)

Maybe I will hint for Mother's Day so he can get out of being bothered with reloading my gun...

What have you been finding lately in the stores?

I love when friends enable me with new goodies......

Pinterest Craftysuz

I think that's why I get lost on Pinterest for hours & have quite a few boards here or click button above.

Are you on Pinterest?  

Let me know if you need an invite.

Hope you have a fabulous day & remember to do something creative

WRMK Crazy 8 Punch

Welcome to another one of my reviews of a new product....

(sorry for the iphone photos again "somebody" has lost the cord that hooks my dslr camera to the computer & I can't upload my photos grrrr .

I couldn't resist getting the We R Memory Keepers new Crazy 8 Punches.  Watching all the videos from CHA (since I don't go to the winter show) and then seeing the demo on HSN when it was the world wide launch as the today's special value.... I just had to get it ordered for my birthday (thanks Dad).  The Lace/Doily set was calling my name so that is what was ordered by operator & a conformation was sent to our account.  I even got the auto ship (sets of 2 would ship quarterly for the same price as TSV) since I could always cancel if I didn't want but couldn't add it later.  Quick shipping as it was on my porch within 2 days had me super excited until I opened the box and saw that I received the floral/circle set instead of the the lace/doily.  I love the circle it's super versatile but the floral is just not my style & it would be sitting in the drawer if I kept it.

I called HSN customer service and they acknowledged the mistake and credited my account $10 so I could reorder the lace/doily set which was still in stock (apparently people reserve and say they will send in a check and then don't) and authorized free return shipping.  (but by the time I shipped these back on Monday the lace/doily set was sold out so I didn't end up getting it).  HSN allows you to use and return so I had to try them out to see if I wanted to try to exchange for the lace/doily set because you never know until you try for yourself... right?

Well these punches sure deserve and live up to all the hype.  I loved them!

You can feel the quality they are heavy, durable, carefully crafted & designed.

They are super easy to use - You know how it's tricky to line up traditional border punches not with these punches just line up each corner and punch then flip and do it again.  

The punch has the ability to turn off either the inner or outer cutting with the flip of a switch.

For this scallop circle cut from a 12 x 12 piece of paper I had both settings turned on.

Very clean die cut - no raggedy edges and not lining up.  Again I can't say it enough how it's so easy to achieve professional results.  

These are as nice as the die cut cardstock shapes that Archiver's sells for over $1

On the top of the punch it shows with pictures & words what each setting looks like

This is inner only

this is a closeup of outer only

I did notice a slight problem if I used inexpensive cardstock that was not true 12x12 size

This could be covered up with embellishments to use in a layout

But I think I would just use Bazzill cardstock 

or another premium brand that is true to size to get the best results.

You can also cut different sizes other than 12x12 and get a graduated look.

All in all these are a great tool.  Yes they are a bit pricey since even on HSN the sets of 2 are sold for $59.99 plus shipping.

I have a Cricut Expression but that doesn't stop me from buying border punches so I think I would invest in some basic yet stylish shapes.

TWO BIG CRAFTY THUMBS UP 

FROM ME FOR THE 

WRMK CRAZY 8 SCALLOPED CIRCLE PUNCH

Disclaimer:  WRMK did not provide me with products or encourage me to say I liked it.   I purchased  it myself.  This is an honest review of what I think of the product.

WRMK Sew Stamper Review

I LOVE the look of sewing on all my projects.  I use the sewing machine, hand stitch, and use stamps or rub-ons and even hand drawing to mimic the look.

I recently purchased the We R Memory Keepers Sew Stamper set from HSN here.  I already own the WRMK Sew Easy that perforates paper in different stitch patterns to easily add thread so I am familiar with & like the handle and interchanging stitch heads.

The Sew Stamper starter package comes with the handle & double straight stitch stamp.   The other stitch patterns are sold separately.  The set I purchased came with all that is pictured below.  Handle + 6 additional stamp heads.  I think this covers all the basic & decorative stitches I would want so I am pleased with the collection.

What You Get 

Sew Stamper tool with straight head Cross Sew stamper head Zig Zag Sew stamper head Scallop Sew stamper head Burst Sew stamper head Blanket Sew stamper head Hem Sew stamper head

Since each head has ink already inside it's important to keep it covered.  WRMK made that easy by designing a lid that slides away when in use....  This is super impressive to me as someone who easily misplaces things all the time in the chaos of creating - they usually show up again but why risk it right.  (sorry for the blurry photo I was trying out using the iphone 3gs camera instead of dragging out the big boy but you get the idea)

Trying the straight stitch stamp head on plain non textured cardstock.  There was a slight random dotting on the right side of the stamped images as I rolled it the first time (left side) so I did it again & adjusted the angle of handle/pressure slightly & the pretty much took care of the problem (right side).

Then I tried the cross stitch patterned stamp.  There was a slight discoloration on both edges as I rolled along the paper.  You can see how as I adjusted the angle of the handle a bit the marks changed position.  There's a fine line between just enough pressure for a good image & too much pressure with lots of extra marks.  The random marks don't bother me much since I like a "home made" and distressed look

I purchased this for mini books & mini book kits since stitching can be lumpy it's not always desirable but I didn't want to give up the stitch look.  This tool is going to be perfect for achieving that quickly & will great results.

Here is what the X stitch stamp looks like on a mixed media canvas that I was working on.

This picture shows the zig zag stamp head.  The top is a rub-on and the bottom is the WRMK stamp

Finally I love this large folky hand stitched scallop of this stamp.

This is a water based dye ink & it limits the use slightly.  I made the mistake of not looking before I leap so the faux stitches on the canvas pictured above were wiped off as they would not dry over Mod Podge layers & if I would have put more Mod Podge over them it would have reacted with the ink to smear ruining the piece... thankfully I called WRMK customer service when it wasn't drying to ask & they were super helpful.  So I just wiped off with a damp paper towel avoiding disaster.   This was my own fault for not checking before using & expecting it to do more than the product was designed to do.  If you are using on paper for cards, mini albums, scrapbook pages, etc it will work perfectly with no problems.

Pros
Ease of use getting that hand stitched look that I like
Ability to change the stitch head stamps quickly
Ink dries quickly on PAPER
Very economical compared to rub-ons with similar results
Fast to use - in the past I drew my own "faux stitches" with a fine tip marker this was a little time consuming.

Cons
Slight marks show up when rolling depending on the pressure/angle but this lessens once you get the hang of using it.
Waterbased dye ink only limits applications


Summary:
WRMK makes some of my favorite tools (Crop-A-Dile, Brad Setter, Corner Chomper, & Sew Easy).  The Sew Stamper is now added to that list.  I loved the hand stitched look of the length of stitches & it gives me the ability to have a stitched look without the bulk of thread.  I love that the lid is attached so it will not get lost.  It is economical compared to rub-ons since the head can be used over and over again.  It was super easy to change heads.   No more hand drawing my own "faux stitches" this is so much faster & easier with a more even look.  I would recommend this tool to any of my friends and blog readers - 2 crafty thumbs up

Disclaimer - I was in no way compensated for this review or was given this or any other product from WRMK for free at the time of this blog post.  I'm a consumer & these are my honest thoughts on the product.