Thursday, March 26, 2009
Replacing the Cartridge in the Glue Glider Pro
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Product Review: Glue Glider Pro
I'm really am set for adhesive dispensers as I have a couple ATGs sitting on my desk that I'm finally using. I just couldn't resist the urge to see how these measure up... and it was soo cute!
What I liked:
The cost. Of course I used a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby, so that brought the almost $15 dollar cost down to $9 and change including tax. I comes filled with 40 feet of tape.
Ease of use. It is very easy to use. Although it is shaped like a baby ATG adhesive tape gun it doesn't have a trigger. If the trigger presented a problem for you with the ATG this might be easier. Also if your problem with the ATG was placement because you couldn't see beyond the size of the thing, this is better just because it isn't bulky.
It is everything the advertisements say about it in my opinion. I've used lots of different adhesive dispensers over the last 10 years and this is the simplest to use. I'm refill challenged when it comes to the ones that have to be re-threaded. If this one is half as easy as they say, that would definitely be a plus.
What I don't like. After all that, you know there had to be a but....
I don't like the cost of the refills. I use a lot of adhesive in my style of card making and I've seen lots of other card makers whose cards have a lot more layers than mine. The GlueGlider Pro's refills sell for $8.99 for 40 feet.
Before I got the ATGs I used Tombow MonoAdhesive. I've been using it for years and I've seen many variations in price. Lately when I've bought a bunch at a time, I got the Tombow refills for under $3 on eBay with free shipping. I think I got my last batch for $2.50 each but my average has been $2.75. The Tombow refills are 472 inches.
The GlueGlider Pro's refills sell for $8.99 for 40 feet. Translated to inches in order to compare that to the Tombow Monoadhesive that would be $8.99 for 480 inches of 1/4 inch tape. As you can see it is considerably more expensive than Tombows $2.75 for 472 inches of 1/3 inch tape.
Each roll claims to have 36 yards of 1/4 inch tape. Now if we convert that to inches that's a whopping 1, 296 inches per roll at $2.45. Although the initial investment was a little over $50 I think, I'm going to make out better in the long run with the ATG. I just may have to find a place to hang that cute little dispenser in my room once it's empty.
Edited to add more information.
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ValerieM wants to know, "How big is this product in your hand? Wasn't there a former model that was gigantic? Almost embarrassing to be seen with?"
This is it in my hand. It is very comfortable, actually.
I did see the bigger one in the store and it was ridiculously huge. It was larger that the ATG.
Here is how it compares to the ATG in size. It doesn't sit up like the ATG. I had to lean it on the ATG to take the picture.
Overall, I really like this. The adhesive is superior. I like the way it lays down. It doesn't skip or gunk up like the MonoAdhesive because it's more like little pieces of tape than a film. I do understand that the whole pink part comes out for ease of replacing the adhesive. I'm sure that is why it's so expensive. I just don't think it would be cost effective for me to have to replace the cartridges constantly. See their website with more pictures.
EDITED again: If you looked at their website, you saw that they sell a couple different kinds of refills. I commented on the Perma Tac Pro because that was all that I saw at Hobby Lobby. The MSRP of the Perma Tac is what I quoted earlier. They also have a repositional version for the same price and amount. And then there is what they call High Tac which comes in a 60 feet refill. As I've used it a little more, I still love it-- maybe even a little more. I still don't think I will use it over the ATG because of the cost. I bought the ATG in order to save money on adhesive.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Got Tuesday Morning?
Friday, September 19, 2008
Product Review: All My Memories Vituri Urban Shoulder Bag
and looks like this. Plenty of pockets for gadgets...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Product Review: Craft-Lite Cutter

They say: Perfectly cut crafts every time Scissors are awkward and don’t give you a crisp cut. Do the job right with the Craft-Lite Cutter.
I say: It's OK. Not any better that any other paper cutter I have.
They say: It’s the first sliding trimmer with a built-in light so you can see what you’re cutting. There’s even a fold down guide to hold your paper in place and a swing out ruler to ensure perfect cuts in any direction.
They say: The blades are interchangeable cutting heads that snap in and out in seconds.
I say: Yes, it is very quick and easy, simple in fact, to change the blades.
They say: Ditch the scissors Just slide the rolling blade for unrestricted, accurate cutting. The retracting blade makes it safer than scissors, so it’s ideal for school projects. Plus, it’s great for photos, scrapbook embellishments, paper and other materials.
I say: it's not a bad trimmer. It's not the worse one I have, but it's not by far the best either. For someone who doesn't have a trimmer at all, this "beats a blank". I prefer paper trimmers to scissors for straight edge cuts anyway.
Here is what I don't like about it.
- I don't like the thickness of it. I understand it, I just don't like it. It has to be thick to house the batteries. The paper isn't stable enough on that narrow platform. The extended arm hangs in mid air.
- Because of the way you have to look into it, the bright lights hurt my eyes.
- It didn't like the card stock too much. For a brand new sharp blade, it didn't seem to cut as easily as I would have liked it to.
So this is my public service announcement for the day. If you have a paper trimmer, there is no reason you need to buy this one. If you don't have a trimmer and the things I mentioned that I don't like don't bother you, then this is a good trimmer, considering the price and all you get for it, it's a good deal and available at Target for $19.99.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Product Review: Mini Lighting Studio
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Crafts and Things ( my review)

Friday, December 7, 2007
Crop-A-Dile: Product Review
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
MM Precision Paper Trimmer
I really meant to talk about this before Black Friday and all the coupons, but, there'll be more coupons....
This is the Making Memories Precision Paper Trimmer.
Here are the advertised features:
Professional quality
Sturdy construction
Non-slip exterior folded and unfolded
12" x 12" cutting surface
Self-sharpening blade
Lightweight for optimal portability
Cutting grid contains pre-measured templates for 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10" and 8.5" x 11"
Marked in inches and centimeters with .5" cutting grid
Magnetic ruler for scoring and holding paper in place while cutting
Here's what I say:
Professional quality ( it's exactly like the Dahle trimmer I paid twice as much for with half the features)
Sturdy construction (very Sturdy)
Non-slip exterior folded and unfolded ( this is great!!! It grips the table, and works good on my lap too! I love that it folds too! )
12" x 12" cutting surface ( No extended arm. The whole paper fits on the surface)
Self-sharpening blade ( *****NO more blades to replace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Lightweight for optimal portability ( It's light enough, I like that it's sturdy)
Cutting grid contains pre-measured templates for 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10" and 8.5" x 11" ( these are handy)
Marked in inches and centimeters with .5" cutting grid (What's a centimeter?? I don't do much with measurements. I eyeball everything.. LOL. But they are handy for when I'm writing directions)
Magnetic ruler for scoring and holding paper in place while cutting (This is wonderful! It's a STRONG magnet)
In my opinion for a rotary trimmer that straight cuts, this is it. There are no other blades sold for the MMPPT. I mentioned above, it's made just like the Dahle 507. The Dahle has interchangeable blades. I have a couple different waves and a perforater. Because it disassembles the same way, it looks like I'll be able to use the blades with this one, but I haven't tried it yet.
I forgot to talk about PRICE. MSRP is 49.99. I found it online for as little as $35 + shipping. Michaels has it now too, so, I used the beautiful 50% off coupon they sent me in the mail and purchased this for $25.00!!!
I'll be packing up the blog candy and CDs tomorrow. For the CD winners, most of you didn't leave the email address as requested, so send me your mailing address ASAP! Anybody else who commented, after the ten, send me your address too. Even if I don't hear from them, I'm still sending out 10 CDs.
Let me leave you with the beautiful sky pictures from this morning....
Trish had a link to this blog, Aged to Perfection, who has some phenomenal pictures of the sky on her page too. GOD is an awesome artist!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Color Pencil Comparison (part 2)
My colorful history.
I've been coloring long before I was stamping. I bought my first Prismacolor pencil in 1979 for 40 cents each in the art department at Gimble's Department Store. I think I started with 3 or 4 and added to my collection as often as a jobless teenager could. Actually there were two brands for sale. Eagle Prismacolor and Venus Spectracolor. I tried them both, but even then I preferred the Prismacolor brand. Finding those pencils changed my opinion of coloring. I never liked to color before then. I hated crayons and coloring books. The only color pencils I knew of had two colors in each barrel, one on either end. Does anyone else remember pencils like this? and they had very hard core were difficult to color with. I think they were made for drawing or labeling maps or something like that.
Colored with Prismacolor Premier Color Pencils (Stamps by smARTworks)
printed background paper( Thomas Kincaidcollection)
I was genuinely impartial on my fact finding mission, because I did it for my own curiosity. But, I was excited to prove that Prismacolor Premier Pencils ranked among the best-- in my opinion! Knowing that the Blick "store brand" was equal to Prismacolor in every test, gives me permission to try more colors of other brands, something I hadn't even considered before. I also I am also happy to say that I discovered a whole new "different" love.
colored with Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Oil-Based Colored Pencils
(rose leaf stamp by Rubber Stampede,rose and saying by smARTworks)
The Lyra pencil is quality pencil at a comparable price. They are not quite as soft as Prismacolor, but even that has it's benefits. The points don't break as easily, so it's easy to maintain for detailed coloring. They too have a colorless blender made specifically for their pencils. The only problem I have with them is there was no purple in the 24 set. How can you not have a best secondary color in a whole pack of 24 pencils? You know what that means don't you? I have to buy the bigger set*! I also like the quality of Faber-Castell. But, at some point, I'm going to have to stop buying pencils.
*I did check out the larger set and there are no purples in it either. I wonder if purple isn't a color that they can achieve that light fastness standard. The Lyra brand has a higher light fast rating on some of the colors. The Light Fast line of the Prismacolor pencils only had one color even remotely close to purple in the entire 48 color set. I would also like to know where the Stampin' Up color pencils rate among the "artist quality" brands. But, I'll have to save that curiosity for another day.
Prices and Availability
Another observation from my quest. Shop around because prices vary tremendously sometimes even within one store or chain. I went to several Hobby Lobby stores in the course of this search. Because they don't have bar codes and scanners, everything has a price sticker. Evidently there was a price increase because there were pencils on the shelves with different prices. For instance, that pack of 24 Lyra pencils was marked 24.99. The one behind it was 21.99. Of course I picked up the cheaper one and used my coupon. I also purchased a set of water soluble ink pencils in one store at $15.99 and another store the same set was $19.99.
Again, I love it that Prismacolors has the most colors and are available everywhere, from Office Depot to Staples to Michaels and Hobby Lobby. (by the way, Hobby Lobby has an online store now, Crafts Etc.) Hobby Lobby and Michaels have 48 colors open stock. Dick Blick sells all the colors open stock and sets and their prices are significantly less than the big stores. There are other online art supply sites, but I cannot recommend them personally. If you have a personal recommendation post a link in the comment section and I'll add the links to the bottom of this post.
My conclusion: Use what you have. The pencils I tried for the most part are all good. For some it was like comparing oranges to tangerines. While there are some differences, either would get the job done. If you're looking for a recommendation because you don't have any good color pencils, I would definitely recommend Prismacolor, for the quality, availability, color selection, and price.
Different Colors Available
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils ~132,
Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils ~120
Caran d'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils ~120
Blick Studio Artists' Colored Pencils ~ 72
Derwent Coloursoft Pencils ~72
Derwent Artist Pencils ~72
Prismacolor Premier Lightfast Colored Pencils~ 48
Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Premium Oil-Based Colored Pencils ~ 36
I don't know what I'm going to do when I start teaching the Water Coloring for Stampers class.....
Friday, November 9, 2007
Color Pencil Comparison (part 1)
Before we get started, here are my disclaimers:
- If I recommend a product here, it's simply because I love it.
- I'm not representing anyone.-- I don't have time to represent anyone-- but me ;).
- This blog is here only for the stated reason in my introduction. --It's a glimpse into my life thru my card making.
- I have no desire to be on a design team. As much fun as it looks like it would be, I have to be honest with myself, I don't have the time in my life right now. Yes,I realize that means I'm potentially saying "NO" to getting free rubber stamps... (sigh)
The reason for this experiment ~
or why I'm suddenly obsessed with every color pencil on the market.
I began teaching my first coloring class here at Michaels by proclaiming that Prismacolor pencils were the best color pencils on the market. I had to quickly add "that I've tried". After a week or so of toying around with the idea of trying other pencils. I thought, "Should I spend money to purchase other color pencils when I'm perfectly happy with what I have? What will I do with the pencils I don't like? Who else cares?"
I looked around on the Internet for info and even asked for opinions on the Gingerwood Rubber Stamping Board. It was then that I decided that I really needed to see for myself. ----
--which brings me to this experiment and this post.
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Test One and Test Two:
The paper, my control variable, is Georgia Pacific White Card stock for the Coloring and Blendablilty tests. ( I realize that blendability isn't in the dictionary, but it should be!)
I tested 11 brands/types of Color pencils... I had to stop somewhere...All the pencils are regular color pencils-- not water soluble or water color pencils.
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Test One: Coloring
I based this test on how easy it was to cover an area of the paper. If you've ever used Prismacolor Pencils, you know that they core is very soft and it doesn't take much effort at all to transfer the color to the paper. I also considered how easily the pencil reacted to various amounts of pressure. Some pencils no matter how hard or soft I colored, the color didn't vary at all. I like to be able to achieve different shades of the same color just by varying the amount of pressure. The colors are listed under the following rating for this test.
The eleven brands were rated on a scale of 1-5
5 = as good as Prismacolor /4 =almost as good, definitely interchangeable /3= too much work/2= give them to the kids/1= waste of money
5 ~Prismacolor ~Dick Blick's Brand
4 ~Lyra~Faber Castell ~Derwent Color Soft
3 ~Prismacolor Lightfast (this surprised me, but it varied by color) ~Derwent Artist ~Pablo Caran d' Ache
2 ~Ek Sucess memory pencils ~Colorific ~Crayola
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Test Two : Blendability
- with the pencils
5 ~Prismacolor Lightfast~Prismacolor~Dick Blick's Brand~Derwent ColorSoft
4 ~Lyra~Faber Castell~
3 ~Pablo Caran d'Ache
2 ~Derwent Artist
1~ Ek Sucess memory~ Colorific ~Crayola
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For the next two tests, the brands were rated at follows: 3 = affected by/ 2= not so much/ 1= wasn't affected at all
- with a blender pencil
3 ~Prismacolor~Dick Blick's Brand ~Faber Castell~Derwent Artist
2 ~Lyra~Derwent Color Soft~Prismacolor Lightfast ~ EK Sucess Memory~
Pablo Caran d' Ache
1 ~Colorific~Crayola
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- with Odorless Mineral Spirits
3~Prismacolor~Dick Blick's Brand ~Faber Castell~Derwent Artist~Lyra~Derwent Color Soft~Prismacolor Lightfast ~ EK Sucess Memory~Pablo Caran d' Ache
2 Colorific~Crayola
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Test Three: Opacity and Vibrancy on dark paper
5~Prismacolor ~Dick Blick's Brand
4 ~Lyra~Faber Castell ~Derwent Color Soft
3 ~Prismacolor Lightfast (this surprised me, but it varied by color) ~Derwent Artist ~Pablo Caran d' Ache
2 ~Ek Sucess memory pencils ~Colorific ~Crayola
Click here for Part TWO ~ my observations and conclusion
Monday, September 17, 2007
1st day at Michaels
Since I last worked there several years ago, they have new policies for instructors that I'm excited about. As an instructor, all my class samples have to be made at the store, with Michaels merchandise, on company time. So tomorrow, I'm going to get paid to make cards. Isn't God wonderful??
I made another observation today. Working there is going to be good and bad. Good because I'll get to see and try out new products in person on a regular basis. Bad because I'll get to see and try out new products in person on a regular basis.
Speaking of...
Just out of curiosity, I bought a new super sticky Tombow Monoadhesive. It's in a pinkish non- refillable dispenser. It is more sticky that the kind I've been buying for many years. I used it on the textured card stock and it held the layers together much better.
If you're interested, I'll add a picture later. Got to go and feed the troops.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Tool Time -- Fiskars Trimmer, New and Improved?
I bought another paper trimmer. I was having a hormonal moment in Walmart several weeks ago. It totally made sense at the time...
So that makes my paper trimmer total count, still 8. I gave one away last summer which brought me down to 7. I still prefer to use the ones I call Mr. and Mrs. Old Faithful.
So here's the reason I bought the trimmer. Walmart now carries the new and improved 12 inch Portable paper trimmer. Since they now stock the new and improved, they will only carry refills for the same and they've discontinued carrying the refill blades for Old Faithful. At the time, I figured sooner or later I wouldn't be able to get refills for Old Faithful as easily, so I bought all they had on clearance and the new trimmer for future when I won't be able to get the old refills. It will be a little while before I run out of the old ones, so ...?? See it totally doesn't make sense now. I do blame it on the hormones.
So what do I think of the new trimmer?? What's improved??
- The blades slide in a track as with the Euro Trimmer.
- This time they put the opening on the opposite end so that they blade doesn't come out every time you lift the blade track as with the Euro Trimmer.
- They included a handle on the track, but it's too soon to tell if it will keep me from handing the blade track and inadvertantly rubbing the numbers off.
- The measurements are in smaller increments than the original and the lines extend from one end to the other.
- The arm extension stays in place.
What I don't like about it??
- It's narrower ( is that a word?) With Old Faithful, I know the edge is 4 1/4. This one is around 3 inches. Maybe that will make it easier to travel with?? I don't know.
OK, so I'm getting old and I don't like change. Other than that, it's a pretty cool for the price. Which, by the way, was just under $15.00 at Walmart
Old Faithful. I've had this trimmer for 8 years. It's the one I reach for first.
Mrs. Old Faithful was purchased at MOA Scrapfest a couple years ago just because I was on a pink kick. Besides this was when my sister was getting treatment for breast cancer and this was a Fiskars fundraiser for cancer research.