My passions lie in the beauty industry (since 1998) & the Craft industry (since childhood, but truly re-ignited in 2010).
Beauty & Craft inspiration, product reviews, and how-to's, as well as general life stuff..
As you may have noticed there was no blog on Friday. I was really hoping to reach the goal, to have a giveaway by the end of the weekend but I missed it, so there was no giveaway details to post.
YouTube was not originally a part of the goal, and I don't post there often, but I thought it should be added as well. It doesn't count toward the "all" but I will count it individually if this is the ONE goal met.
BONUS ITEM ADDED to the giveaway if I meet all goals! (Hint, you have a lot of input in the bonus item.)
I'd love to meet ALL the goals, but only need to meet ONE to do the giveaway! (This giveaway will be more Craftin' Wife's Creations focused, and not strictly makeup like the previous one.)
Without further ado:
This time I'm going to start off with the (new) May shelf!
The 4th Dose of Colors is n my purse, I'm still really enjoying a nude lip, so those are staying yet again. My sister got me this Jaclyn Hill lip, I have worn it once and was impressed. Other than those I only pulled out a couple more lip.
Added Urban Decay Brow product here, the rest is the same.
I got the Tom Ford quad through Influenster, and have promised it to my sister when I'm done testing it this week.
I think the nine pans give me enough depth and variety for the month, do you think I'll have to pull something else? Let me know in the comments below!
This Fun Friday is an interview with Chris, CEO and owner of Shadow Wolf Studios, a very small gaming company who are about to release their first mobile game on android, with iOS to follow soon after.
Question's I asked Chris:
What made you decided to start SWS?
I've always been into gaming, and learning how they work. As far back as I can remember having my own gaming company was my goal. Creating the games myself, and my friends and family want to play is my passion.
What's been the companies biggest challenge so far?
Finding the time, I still work full time outside of Shadow Wolf Studios, plus I run a reselling business.
Biggest achievement?
I'm beginning to start finding a good group to work with. Huge shoutout to my sounds guy, Jay. He hustles as hard as I do. And my quality/tester Bruce, he's on top of finding the issues ASAP.
No, our first few games are mobile, we want to get our name out there, and hopefully generate some income to fund the larger games.
Check out Chris' TikTok @shadowwolfstudiosco or his instagram @shadowwolfstudios for more info on upcoming projects!
What's next for SWS?
Bigger, better games. I really want to create games that everyone can play.
Where do you want to see the company in a year? Five?
In a year? Working on our first big game, having released 3-5 mobile games at that point. Five years from now I'd like to have a full team of associates, working on our 3rd big game. Big goals, and bigger hustle.
I want to thank Chris for his time today, if you have any questions for him or his team find them on the social media linked above, or here: https://www.facebook.com/ShadowWolfStudios
Do you like these interview type blogs? Let me know below.
Parchment Paper (I got mine at Dollar Tree, but you can find it in any grocery store, and several craft stores.)
Teflon Sheet (Mine came with the heat press, it doesn't need replacing yet, but I've ordered a replacement from Craftables. Any vinyl supplier should have them.)
Blank of your choice. (I used an old stained up kitchen towel, from Walmart years ago, that was in the garage/shed pile.)
First, I was going to attempt this with a paper shredder, I don't know if it would have worked, but I couldn't find our shredder. We hardly ever need to use it. Hubby says it played out and we trashed it, but I'm 99% sure we have one, probably in his dungeon (aka office). If you're interested in seeing me try that method leave a comment below and I'll find one to try it out with.
How-to Vinyl Confetti~
(Pictorial below written instructions.)
1) Cut your vinyl scraps into small pieces. I'd suggest cutting them over something you can carry over to your press.
In the video I'm using the scissors but then I used the rotary cutter to get the pieces a bit smaller, more quickly. In retrospect, as you'll see, I should have gone a bit smaller on some, and used less vinyl.
2) Get your press ready! I preheated the towel at 315F for 10 seconds.
3)Transfer the vinyl bits to your blank. I used my cutting mat for this, but a sheet of paper would work well too.
4) Arrange your vinyl pieces on your blank however you'd like. This is where I think I did too many pieces.
5) Cover vinyl with parchment paper fully, then cover that with the teflon sheet.
6) Press! I did 315F for 15sec then decided an additional 15sec was a good idea, especially on a towel. I'd just follow manufactures directions, for typical HTV projects.
7) Remove the teflon sheet and parchment paper. Peel the parchment paper slowly, some of the vinyl will be stuck to it. This is because only one side is meant to adhere (heat transfer-able).
8) Admire your work!
HTV:
Note the messy parchment paper.
Confetti:
Thoughts~
Did it work? Yes. Are their things I'd change? Also yes. As mentioned above, I'd do less vinyl and smaller bits, more spread out, and take care to not overlap too much. I think the idea is great, especially since you already have the HTV scraps, you just have to save them. Mine are currently in a bag on my desk, because I will try this on a shirt soon. Do you want to see the outcome? Let me know in the comments!
Screen Print Confetti~
Mine included directions of 350F-385F for 7sec, cover with parchment paper, and peel HOT. I did 350F for 10sec. and included a teflon sheet. I think it turned out really well, and was very easy to use. It looks great, and fused to the towel extremely well.
Which one?
Both were fun, and both have their pluses.
Vinyl is "free" you've already bought it and made your project you're just using up your trash now. Two ounces of screen print confetti is around $5 USD.
The HTV is more work however, and the screen print confetti is simple and easy to use, just shake some out and press.
I like both, but IMO the confetti looks better*, and is less time consuming. I can see myself using the various specialty vinyl's to get a custom confetti.
*Further testing needed, vinyl on a towel doesn't perform the best.
If you've been following me for awhile you know my old nail polish storage (hanging) fell down, and so I had to go through them all, and figure out something new.
I still have them all sitting on the tea pot collection shelf, and I don't love it, but I haven't come up with anything better.
I haven't gotten rid of anything, and have added a few new ones, so it was time for a tiny declutter, and a collection update since it's been almost 2 years! (Wow!)
I started out with 95, and decluttered 14, leaving me with 81. Had I been paying attention to the number while cleaning up I could have probably chosen one more to declutter, but I didn't count until I was uploading pictured.
Before:
During:
Upside down nail polish equals decluttered!
Most of what ends up decluttered are the Sally Hansen Gel Like polishes, I wasn't a big fan of these and they're getting too old to keep. Other than those it was polishes I know I've had for years, and don't ever reach for.
I clearly like the sparkle! I have several in every color.
I was surprised I have so many blues and greens, and so few pinks!
These nail art kits I got through Influenster, and really enjoyed trying them out.
I don't wear red often, so this is more than enough.
Overview:
All put away:
Overall it seems my favorites are the minty hues, and shades similar to that. What's your favorite nail polish? Share in the comments below!
I'm loving the newer, larger craft section at Dollar Tree! How about you? Most of mine locally seem to focus more on the paint and sticker sections, but I've snagged a few Cricut (cutting machine) type items to try out!
*Not pictured, Transfer Tape.
So far I've used all the tools, here are my opinions:
The spatula is larger, more square, and a bit thicker than the Cricut version. For paper crafts (the only time I've used the spatula tool) I found the DT version to be too think to get under the paper and lift it off the mat without issue. 2/10
The small scraper tool, very comparable, the top hole is larger (easier to hang) on the DT version, other than that to me they seemed almost the same 10/10
The self healing mat is a bit small at 8in x 6in, but works well. I don't have a Cricut branded self healing mat to compare, but it's thicker than my Fiskars, and thinner than my (favorite) X-Acto mat*. It works very well, so I'd give it a 8/10.
*Mine is not this large, but I couldn't find an exact link.
The weeding tool itself is a tiny bit longer than Cricut's standard weeding tool, and the curve on the tool is a bit less. I actually find I'm reaching for the DT version more often than not. 10/10
I don't have the Cricut version, but my Westcott rotary cutter is a bit larger than the DT, at 45mm, but the 28mm DT version works sooo much better for me. 11/10
The vinyl products:
The transfer tape is very thin and tends to wrinkle up very easily, but it also does the actual vinyl transfer well. In my experience Cricut transfer tape can be too sticky, and the vinyl doesn't always want to release. My current favorite is Oracal (without grid lines). I'd give the DT tape a 6/10.
"Older" bigger box vinyl (Blue), and the "newer" small box DT vinyl (Grey) are both very thin. At first the older (blue) does feel a little bit thinner, but I think this is just the paper backing. It seems this was more a packaging change, and not really a quality change. After cutting, the newer (grey) feels thinner, and far less sticky. Both cut on my Explore One, older blade, on vinyl setting. They both did a 3in heart just fine. I may attempt a bit smaller, but nothing intricate as I really don't think that would hold up. I'll have to do a wear test and post an update on how that turns out. I can't imagine it sticking well for long on any surface. So currently I give the vinyl a ??/10. I'll have to play with it more, but it did cut perfectly, even if the vinyl it's is a bit thin. I'll do more testing and post an updated blog in May!!
What are your thoughts on the Dollar Tree/Crafter's Square Items? Let me know in the comments below!
