Stickles by Ranger Ink

Coming to the Creative Xpress store in the near future is the fabulous Stickles line from Ranger Ink. Innovative and fun, these handy glue-suspended glitters are just what the dainty crafter needs. No mess, no clean-up, no worries!

Let your art “sparkle” with acid free, non-settling Stickles™ glitter glue! Easily write, dot, dash, draw and embellish on paper and rubber stamping projects, candles, memory album covers and more! Available in .5 oz. fine point applicator tip bottles.

• Acid free
• Non-toxic
• Non-settling
• Easy-flow tip
• Water wash-off

For a complete color pallet of all available Stickles, visit the Ranger website.

Designer Series Stickles Glitter Glue

 Designer Series Stickles™ Glitter Glue brings together popular signature Ranger artists and your favorite glitter glue!  Featuring Distress artist Tim Holtz and Melt Art expert Suze Weinberg, Ranger now has 18 dimensional glitter glues in your favorite designer’s colors.

• Acid free, non-toxic
• Non-settling formula
• Premium quality glitter
• Signature Designer colors
• Convenient .5 fl. Oz. bottles with needlenose applicator

For a complete color pallet of Distress and Susan Weinburg Glitz Stickles, visit the Ranger website.

Basic Grey just released two fabulous summer lines and they’re coming to the CX store soon! Check out the Lemonade & Junebug lines:

Lemonade:

 The new Lemonade Collection Pack - with 18 sheets of 12″x12″ papers, one sheet coordinating alphabet stickers and one sheet coordinating element stickers.

 The Lemonade Card Kit includes enough Lemonade patterned paper die-cuts, printed and scored cardstock, rub-ons, printed chipboard, and envelopes to create 8 unique cards.

 Lemonade buttons come in clear and opaque buttons. Each package has 66 buttons that coordinate beautifully with the rest of the line. 

 The Lemonade Paper Pad includes 36 sheets of 6”x6” paper in 18 fabulous designs, 2 sheets of each on 65# heavyweight paper.

These adorable coordinating brads come in a package with 12 large brads and 12 small brads in coordinating colors and designs.

June Bug:

The June Bug Collection Pack includes 18 double-sided 12×12 papers, one sheet coordinating letter stickers and one sheet coordinating ornaments stickers.

Check out the June Bug Greeting Card Kit - comes with enough June Bug patterned paper die-cuts, printed and scored cardstock, rub-ons, printed chipboard, and envelopes to create 8 unique cards.

66 buttons of all sizes in coordinating colors. Comes with a variety of clear and opaque buttons.

The June Bug Paper Pad has 36 sheets of 6”x6” paper. There are 18 different designs, 2 sheets of each on 65# heavyweight paper.

 Get 12 small brads and 12 large brads - all in coordinating colors and patterns.

Both Lemonade & June Bug have many other great products but we just don’t have room to show them all! Keep your eyes open for these great lines to hit the CX store soon though!

When it comes to cardstock, there’s sure a lot out there! But cardstock is not created equal and a good quality cardstock can make all the difference on your scrapbooking pages, cards, altered items. If you use a low quality cardstock on a new Cricut mat, you might as well kiss your paper goodbye - the paper is simply not dense enough to stay together - it will often tear easily and curl as you pull it off of the mat. Often times less expensive cardstock will have a white core. White core cardstock is great for projects where you want the core to show through and provide contrast to the outer dye - projects using torn paper are a good example of where white core comes in handy. But usually, solid core cardstock (cardstock that has been dyed completely through the paper so the core is the same color as the outside) is more sturdy, higher quality and looks more clean and professional. A couple of manufacturers that stand above the rest in quality and/or popularity are Bazzill, Basic Grey & American Crafts.

Bazzill cardstock is heavy-duty cardstock to say the least. Bazzill has one of the largest, most diverse color pallets and offers several fun, unique textures to choose from. You can pick up Bazzill in individual sheets or in one of their many great color coordinated packages: Trios, Fourz or Monochromatic 5 Sets - Bazzill is sure to have what you need. Their paper does run a little on the expensive side though - one of the only disadvantages of this great paper.

Basic Grey recently released a line of Designer Cardstock to coordinate with their ever popular paper collection packs. Each sheet has a unique hand distressed look. Each package has 24 high quality sheets of cardstock in 6 fantastic colors and a fun name - there’s the Happy Designer, Crude Designer, Crisp Designer, Practical Designer, Fresh Designer and more. For now, the color pallet is limited, but this line is sure to expand quickly!

Soon to join us in the CX store is the American Crafts line of cardstock. Their cardstock, though significantly less expensive than Bazzill, is comparable to Bazzill in weight and sturdiness. The American Crafts color selection is not as diverse as Bazzill, but it is still comprehensive with over 70 colors to choose from. Each sheet of American Crafts cardstock has a nice texture and is solid core paper. They also have several one-sided specialty papers that feature bold finishes, such as foil and pearl, and unique textile inspired textures.

Add some sparkle!

When it comes to glitter, there sure are a lot of options! Bling is in and glitter is hot - but getting the wrong glitter for your project is not. Here are a few good tips to help you choose your sparkle wisely.

Art Institute Glitter has the best color pallet. And each PeeWee kit contains 7 different, coordinating colors of glitter. The containers inside a PeeWee kit may seem small at a first glance, but start using Art Glitter and you’ll quickly see just how far those little vials go! Art Glitter has also developed a line to specifically coordinate with the Bazzill Monochromatic cardstocks. How cool is that?! Art Institute glitter also comes in opaque and transparent varieties. They also offer a calibrated color chart to help you pick just the right color with a try it before you buy it mentality.

Art Glitter may have the best color pallet, but they don’t hold a candle to Doodlebug when it comes to different TYPES of glitter. Whether you want your project sugar coated, chunky glittered, or soft with crushed velvet flock - Doodlebug has you more than covered. They have a solid color pallet, but there isn’t much variety by way of color. But they compensate by providing everything you need for a project in the same colors - brads, paper, stickers, etc.

For those of you who prefer a little more ‘hands off’ approach, try the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist on for size. Glimmer Mist adds a nice coat of glimmer and a little splash of color - although there are several bottles that are glimmer only and have no color. Glimmer Mist doubles as a glitter option as well as a color dye. They have a pretty comprehensive color line with over 93 color choices. Tattered Angels doesn’t provide everything you need for your project in their colors - but you certainly can create any kind of embellishments or even your own paper to coordinate.

Another great ‘hands off’ glitter method that saves you from the mess of regular glitter is the Stickles by Ranger. Stickles are simply glitter suspended in a glue…so you squeeze it onto your project, wait for it to dry and your project is beautifully glittered and you didn’t have to touch it or clean it up!

There are LOTS of other companies that offer a great line of glitter, but these are a few CX favorites that illustrate just how many ways you can get a little sparkle on your project.

SLICE

Watch for the arrival of SLICE in the CX store very soon! We are excited about this fun cordless cutting machine and the design cards you can purchase to go with it. And don’t miss our great introductory pricing starting this Friday!

The Slice starter kit  comes with the Slice digital design cutter, power cord, user manual, design card booklet, blade adjustment wrench, repositionable adhesive, 5 replacement blades with replacement tool, Basics 1 design card, foam brush and 6″ x6″ cutting mat.

And be sure to pick up a Slice Tool Kit for all the essentials to get you off to a good start. This tool kit is fully loaded with: a spatula, craft knife, paper piercer, 6″ metal ruler, bone folder, tweezers, replacement blades, 1 3/4″ wide scraper and a very, very sharp of 1 1/2″ blade pair of scissors.

Slice has a great variety of products to choose from, so be sure to take a quick peek at all of them so you don’t miss a great deal on a great product!

With many new paints coming in to the CX store, we thought it would be good to explore some of the differences in those paints.

First up we have KAISERcolour paints by Kaiser Crafts. These crafters acrylic paints come in a handy tube. They are all waterbased and non-toxic.  KAISERcolour is particularly suitable for application on MDF wood, paper, plaster, canvas and primec metal and offer great coverage over the project.

Another brand of paint that offers particularly good coverage is Folkart. With Folkart pigment acrylic paint, you get a decent amount of paint for a small price and great coverage on almost any surface. All colors are certified AP non-toxic, water-based, and acid neutral, and come in easy-to-squeeze 2 oz. bottles.

Clearsnap has recently introduced their Smooch line - a line of pearlized accent inks. The inks come in many vibrant colors and are easy to use. Their adorable nailp0lish-like bottles come with a ready-to-paint stylus-like applicator  inside the lid. These inks are not designed for covering large projects, but rather adding a little pop where needed. Smooch works well on a variety of surfaces including glass, cardstock, clay and more. All Smooch products are acid free, archival, and fast drying.

For those who love painting and hate the mess, Ranger has the answer for you! Their line of acrylic paint dabbers by Adirondack offer mess-free coverage on books, canvas, wood, flowers, and much more. The foam applicator is built right in to the lid. Dabbers are fun to use and all are acid-free and non-toxic.

As we bulk up the paint section of the CX store, we hope you will take a look at these great products from great vendors!

Find out more about the Cricut Ticket here!

Go to www.cricut.com/cricutticket for more information. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

When it comes to a good pen or marker for your papercrafting and archiving needs, there really isn’t a lot of difference between most brands on the market right now. Here are some highlights of pens from various companies and their key features.

Ranger - Ranger has a great line of archival quality Pigment Pens. These pens are produced as part of the Adirondack collection and come in the same color pallet as the Adirondack dye-based ink pads, reinkers and embossing powders. The pallet is fairly diverse and full of rich, earthtones that can coordinate with almost any project. These pens are acid free, non-toxic and fade resistant. Keep in mind, however, the pigment ink is slower to dry.

American Crafts - American crafts manufactures several lines of pens and markers, including Memory Markers, Slick Writers, Precision Pens, Glitter Gels and several others. American Crafts also produces many scrapbooking utility pens such as the Pet Eye Pen, pH Tester Pen, Photo Markers, Red Eye Pen and Vanishing Ink Pen. By far, American Crafts has one of the widest color pallets in the scrapbooking world. Their pens are also a great choice for the budget conscious shopper - a great selection for the money.

Zebra - This brand, popular in the office world for over twenty years, offers a full line of ball point pens, highlighters, mechanical pencils, gel rollers and correction pens. Many of their pens are acid free and archival safe.

EK Success - EK Success makes a variety of pencils and markers that are great for crafts and scrapbooking. Some of their products are Archival, Craft, Photo and Watercolor. Their archival ZIG marker line is great and perfect for scrapbooking. Their Photo twin markers are also a great way to tint black and white photos. Each marker has two, different-sized tips so you have greater flexibility on detail as well as offer an option to cover a larger area. The Memory Marker line is archival quality, water proof and fade resistant.

These are just a few examples of the many great pens and markers available for your scrapbooking and crafting needs. There are many other manufacturers of great pens and markers, but we hope you will this little taste helpful.

Look for these great new products from Clearsnap - coming to the CX store soon!

My First ColorBox

 Great new colors for your kids to play with. These handy acid-free inkpads are perfect for  little hands. My First ColorBox is a child-safe, washable ink pad.  My First ColorBox has a recessed inking surface that saves the day if an open inkpad falls face down on the carpet or other unwashable surface. Pads are stackable and lids are interchangeable.

 Unlike many other “washable, non-toxic” inkpads, My First ColorBox actually yields excellent stamp impressions.

The Queue

Now you can have it all - and in one handy stackable package! Six Cat’s Eye inkpads in one unique package. Stack and restack them. Let each color take its turn at the head of the Queue. Raised inking surface - use Cat’s Eye inkpads with any size stamp.

 The Queue is available in a range of colors. Both Pigment Cat’s Eyes and Fluid Chalk Cat’s Eyes are available. Take the hassle out of finding just the right stamp pad for the job - pick up a Queue and you have a range of coordinating inkpads to choose from.

Smooch

Fabulous, fun and flirty! Get Smooched today! These archival quality, acid-free pearlized accent inks come ready to play in a fun nail polish want-to-be package. The brush is  firm with a flexible tip on the very end, making it easy to fill in those tight spaces. Use on paper, cardstock, clay and much more! These accent inks are also great for layering.

Unfortunately, due to lack of participation, we will be replacing the weekly challenge with a blurb on what is coming soon to the CX store. We will continue to have challenges throughout the year, just not on a weekly basis.

Check out this great tutorial from Kaiser Crafts ‘Workshop’ magazine. CreativeXpress now carries Kaiser products in the store; including those featured in this tutorial. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, be sure to read the rest of the magazine!