Special Limited Edition Sizzix Font - Azure

For those interested in Sizzix alphabets, there is currently a limited edition font available. Called Azure, it is available only from the Shop At Home TV network. Not sure if they ship internationally.

CHA

Several trends have emerged or rather strengthened on the first day:

• Foam Alpha stamps
• Artifical flowers
• Office/Stationary emellishments
• Word Plates - metal and acrylic
• Ribbon Sets
  

Hot Product Of the Day:

• Provocraft Cricut
  

CHA Summer 2005

The CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) Summer 2005 trade show begins this weekend. Over three days, hundreds of designers and manufacturers will be releasing thousands of new products. I will not be attending (I wish!) but I will be keeping an eye out for new releases and doing quick write up's about anything that catches my attention. These won't be full on reviews (I only review something I can hold in my hands and use), but more just "What's New" announcements.

Sizzix Sizzlets Alphabet - Stencil

The newest font available in the Sizzix range of Sizzlet Alphabet dies is the Stencil font.

This is a much bolder font than many of the recent styles released in the Sizzlets alphabet range. Also making it different is the way the letters are arranged on the dies. In previous sets, both upper and lower case was on the one letter die. In the case of the stencil font, since both large and small are both upper case, they have placed one large letter per die and then four small letters on another die.

This address what was one of my major concerns before the release of this font. When using stencil style fonts, most scrapbookers like to able able to use both the positive and negative image of the font. Having the dies layed out as they are addresses this problem:

Also, I found that the die cuts for this font were much sharper and easy to work with than the thinner style fonts. I believe this is due to the chuncky and linear nature of the font.

Pros: Large fonts that allows the use of both negative and postitve images. Also, while I was sceptical about the smaller die, I believe they will be most useful and because of the way in which the letters have been arranged on the dies, you get the most versatility out of the set.

Cons: Due in most part to the nature of the stencil font, in addition to the alphabet and numbers, there are only two punctuation symbols (question mark and amphersand). The other fonts usually have several additional punctuations symbols in addition to thse (dash, exclamations mark, dollar sign, hash, semi-colon, quotation marks). This would be my major criticism, but again this may be related to the font and necessity of different layout. I personally would rather miss out on punctuation if it means keeping the better layout.

Quick Review (Out of 5 Stars)

Cost: 3
Usefulness: 4
Ease of Use: 5

Making Memories Foam Stamps - Alphabets

The Making Memories Foam Stamps are a new addition to the Making Memories embellishment tools range. They are promoted to be used in conjunction with the Making Memories Colors (Paint) range.

The stamps come in a semi-hard plastic case, and once open, the stamps need to be separated. In the case of the Stencil stamps were are reviewing here, the stamps are double sided, with one side positive and the other negative of the stencil font. There is upper case only in the stencil font. For the other fonts in the range, all contain both upper and lower case in on set (except for Stencil and Jersey). These sets include:

• Jersey Uppercase
• Jersey Lowercase
  
• Gabby - Upper and Lower
  
• Franklin - Upper and Lower
  
• Misunderstood - Upper and Lower
• Philadelphia - Upper and Lower
• Stencil - Positive and Negative

The stamps are easy to use. They can be used with both the Making Memories Colors or with normal stamp inks. However, the large size of the stamps and the styles of the fonts lends them to be used with the paints. A tip, when using with the paints, stamp quickly. The paint can dry very quickly. The other thing to note is that the stamps tend to "slip" when used with paints, so be careful unless you really want the smudged look!

The alphabet stamps are around $18 AU.

My main issue with the stamps is cleaning. When using the paints, they can tend to stain the stamps, even if clean up is done straight away. However, I think this is a relatively small issue.

Pros: Good size. Too often the alphabet stamps that are on the market are too small and lack impact. The font sizes in these stamps are large and are a great way to add instant oompf to a page or title.

Cons: Staining of foam on stamps may be an issue for some people, especially if colour transfer occurs.

Quick Review (Out of 5 Stars)

• Cost: 3
• Usefulness: 3
• Ease of Use: 4
  

Sizzix Sizzlets Alphabet - Funky Brush

When Sizzix first started putting out Alphabet sets, there were two major complaints. Firstly, there were only two fonts. Secondly, they were very expensive, partly because you had to buy four different boxes to get a complete set of alphabets (upper, lower, numbers, punctuation).

This changed somewhat with the arrival of the Sizzlets style die cut. These thinner dies dramatically cut the cost of sets and also ushered in a large number of new fonts. This first generation of dies were good, except for one thing, in my opinion the die cuts were too small. At approximately 5/8" tall, they were too small and fiddley to worry about. I would just use sticker letter.

However, a new generation of the Sizzlets Alphabets has been brought out. The one under review here is the Funky Brush alphabet.

When I first saw the actual font, I fell in love. Perfect for weddings, girly pages, heritage, formal, the list goes on. The actual die cut is also somewhat taller than the previous Sizzlet alphabets at 1 1/2" tall. The new generation of fonts also seems to be somewhat slimmer in style, which can make them a bit tricky to work with. I find the best way to adhere them to pages is to use glue rather than tabs or tape runners. However, the thinness, I believe, allows for larger letters, so it is something I can live with.

In order to use the Sizzlets dies in a standard Sizzix machine, you need a converter. This kit includes a bonus sizzlet die and an embossing folder. At $30 AU ($18 USD) it's not a huge layout. The Sizzlets dies can be used with the Sizzix Sidekick.

Pros: A better range of fonts and also a significant price drop. The fact that you get a complete alphabet (upper, lower, punction, numbers) as well as a storage system in the one package is a major improvement.

Cons: I do have issues with the Sizzlets dies, including the alphabet dies. Firstly, because they are thinner than the originals dies, you can only really cut paper and cardstock with them. And it have found it a struggle to use thicker cardstocks, such as Bazzil. However, it does become easier once the die has been used a couple of times. So it's worth preparing each die by testing it on some cheaper cardstock. This would be my major issue with the Sizzlets dies, the inability to cut the same variety of materials as the originals and also cleanliness of cuts. However, since the Sizzlets mean a significant drop in costs, it is probably worth it.

Overall, I believe the Sizzlets alphabets are a great addition to the Sizzix range, adding a great variety of alphabets. The drop in cost offsets the lesser functionality.

Quick Review (Out of 5 Stars)

• Cost: 3
• Usefulness: 4
• Ease of Use: 5

Making Memories Scrapbook Colors (Paints)

Making Memories is one of the leaders in the scrapbooking field for all sorts of embellishments. Of late their newest product, Scrapbook Colors or Paints have been making a big impact. Most scrapbookers have been concerned about using paints in their scrapbooks. But I think that having a product produced by a company with a good track record has helped get people over that initial concern.

This range of products comes in several sets, grouped by colour theme:

• Cityscape - asphalt, espresso, manila, shopping bag, spotlight, steel (pictured)
  
• Springtime - rose, peach, buttercup, celery, sky, lilac
• Sherbert - strawberries & cream, mango, banana, honeydew, daiquiri, and blueberry.
• Harvest - cranberry, nutmeg, wheat, evergreen, dusk, grapevine.
• In Bloom - poppy, monarch, sunflower, meadow, cornflower, plum.
• Childhood - red wagon, eat your carrots, school bus, grass stains, waterslide, grapesicle.
• Tropic - hibiscus, coral, sunsoaked, key lime, aquamarine, blue reef.
• Polo - apricot, capri, kiwi, lagoon, lemon, wisteria.
  
• Hampton - acorn, bordeux, chocolate, eggplant, navy, spruce.

Each kit contains six 2 ounce bottles of Scrapbook Colors, 2 - 1" foam brushes, 1 - 1.5" foam brush, and 1 paint tray.

One interesting feature of these paints is that they are advertised as suitable for use on metal. Since Making Memories has such a large range of metal embellishments, this makes sense. If you plan on doing this, make sure you "key" the surface by giving it a quick sand with sandpaper.

I used the Scrapbook Colors in combination with the Making Memories Foam Stamps, Stencil Alphabet, to create the title on my "Camels" page. The paints have nice texture to them, but be warned, they do dry very quickly. I used the supplied foam brushes to apply the paints to my stamps. Make sure you wipe off excess paint as this can drip into the crooks and crevices of the stamps. When using them also be careful not to push to hard, as the paint on the stamp can make it slip a bit and smudge the letter. Once applied, the paint dried very quickly on the cardstock, which is a good thing as it means you don't have to wait around too long before proceeding.

Once I'd finished using the stamps and paint, clean up came next. It was at this stage that my only gripe with the products came up. When washing the stamp, I couldn't get all the paint off the foam stamp. I couldn't rub too hard as some parts of the stamps are quite thin. I hope that they paint will not transfer next time I use them.

Overall, I was happy with the product. At $25.oo AU ($13.00 USD), they are not cheap. It is probably possible to buy cheaper acrylic paints in normal stores, but part of the appeal for me was that they came in themed colour ways, which meant I knew each colour would go with the others in the set. For the colour challenged, this could be a big selling point.

Quick Review (Out of 5 Stars)

• Cost: 3
• Usefulness: 4
• Ease of Use: 4