Sparkleberry Industries: Premium Wood Burning tips, Soldering tips and Stencil Kit Review

 

Crafting is something I have been slowly trying to get back into and it has not been easy. Not having the energy or time can be a big obstacle, as can be having the wrong tools. I had to research long and hard to even find a dependable wood burning pen because many would not work correctly, to just give out after just a few uses. Finding tips I thought was the easy part, but later I found that it was not the type, size, or style that would become the problem, it was the tip actually lasting. I had one tip from another manufacture just bend out of shape from the medium heat setting on the pen. I literally watched it just warp slowly as the pen heated up. Not a great start!

When Sparkleberry Industries offered to have me try a kit, well I have the pen and even the nice plastic box to carry all my essentials in, so why not. The kit includes:

• 15 Pyrography Tool Tips (Brass colored tips, plus silver colored “stamps”)
• 10 Soldering Tips (Silver colored tips)
• 2 hot knife tips
• 2 Plastic Stencils and
• 3 Metal Stencils

I know, that is a pretty comprehensive list and the perfect starter set or even one you can compliment your collection with!

 

Retail Price Point: $13.97 via Amazon and if you are a Prime member, shipping is free.

 

 

Verdict:
From the get-go, Sparkleberry Industries lists what each tip is used for and does not leave the consumer just guessing. Any of the silver toned pieces are softer, so less pressure is advised when using. I heated up the first tip, which was a heart shape and the tip warmed evenly and allowed me to stamp a perfect heart on the scrap of wood I was using. I then went down the list and tested both the Pyrography and some of the soldering tips. Again, none took a different shape or did I have issues when using them. I did not test the hot knife ones and it was mostly because I have no current need for them, but come Halloween, these knives are great at shaping tombstones for the holiday, which we make out of Styrofoam that is used for insulation/noise dampening. I tried pricing the kit and you add the stencils and I have a need for them not just for outlining but just for simple labeling, plus all the other accessories and it really is a great deal. Not complicated, as all tips twisted on and off with ease and they are true to their shape and remain that way during use. My wood burning box is now filled with so many tips that I just need to score a wood crate on sale and get crafting!

 

 

Connect with Sparleberry Industries at:

• Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Sparkleberry Industries. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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Rorabacks “Premium” 45mm Rotary Cutter

Since rediscovering my “crafty” nature, I’ve found there’s a world of tools and accessories that passed me by in the many moons that I was away. One of them, that has become nigh indispensable, is my Rotary cutter. And anyone who’s come to rely on a tool knows, you can never have too many of them lying around for the if/when one fails. I’m please to say the Rorabacks cutter should do nicely for most folks.

Made from injection-molded plastic, with a rubberized “no-slip” grip, the Rorabacks cutter fit nicely in my hand, and the ergonomics felt good. The blade release slide was placed well, and can be reached easily without having to constantly adjust one’s grip. It’s large enough to get a sure hole on, but no so large to cause had fatigue with long or large products. The standard 45mm blade is sharp and cuts almost everything I threw at it with just one pass. The blade also has a coating of titanium (though it lacked the usual tell-tale gold-ish tint that most titanium coated blades have) should help with edge retention and keep the cutter sharp. It also accepts the plethora of “notched” 45mm blades for replacements. The price is decent (I not the lowest) for the quality and Rorabacks has a “replacement or refund” offer of indeterminate length, so they should stand behind their products.

There’s a few caveats here, though. The blade has a fair amount of “wobble”, which could lead to losing your line on precise cuts, and anyone who’s worked with rotary cutters knows, once it wanders off that line, running it back can lead to disaster. Next is the blade cover. While the blade safely and securely retracts back to avoid any accidents, I tend to put a thin coat of machine oil on my blade when it will stored for a prolonged period of time (Thanks to Hubby’s almost obsessive oiling of his tools, it rubbed off on me). Putting the cover on is a great way to keep the oil from staining things in my craft box. But putting the cover on and off means your fingers come in contact with the cutting edge of the blade to seat the cover properly, and that can lead to cuts. Lastly, and it’s a common grip of mine, is that the Rorabacks Rotary Cutter is more expensive that the industry-leading Fiskars. Like them or hate them, they set the bar here (and elsewhere) for quality and reputation. and while it’s only a dollar or so, I can’t understand why you would be charging more than the one everyone knows and loves to get your foot in the door? And everyone knows every Fiskars product is guaranteed for life, no problems or questions asked. I can’t see ever recommending Rorabacks over Fiskers for those reasons alone. It’s a good tool and functions well but for the reasons stated above I would rank this item about a 3 & 1/2 star, rounded up to 4 because you can’t give 1/2’s on Amazon.

Connect with Rorabacks:

• On Amazon
• On Facebook

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Rorabacks. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Sacar Stationary: 100 Kraft Tags with 10 ml Jute Twine #Review #SacarStationery

 

I have been in a crafting mode that started in Spring and seems to be going into Fall and beyond. I’m always about changing your surroundings because as much as familiarity is welcoming, it can grow dull. I don’t want to look at the same rooms and walls and day after day they remain the same. Sprucing up your surroundings should be given the same energy you would dedicate when gifting someone. So, why not gift yourself too?

I love “raw materials” that bring in the natural aspect and can easily become accent pieces. Love the burlap with printed images that take the dull and makes it all your own creation. Sacar Stationary was kind enough to offer me 100 of their Kraft tags for review. They come in a cute package and even with twine. I think these little guys are more than tags and can easily serve multi-purpose uses. I love that they have no holiday or season attached to them, you just make them your own and they apply to any project all year round. I decided to time myself and in 20 minutes I was able to make a seasonal banner. I figure you know how they say in magazines how a gal can put on their make-up successfully in 20 minutes? Well, I’m putting on “make-up” on my surroundings and this is my homage of saying goodbye to Summer, which was beautiful but too hot and start welcoming in Autumn. I always save clip art or images, so I have them ready to use. Printed them in the fast and the economic setting to give them an aged look, some color pencils, on some of the tags edges I just used those scissors that cut with a patter and Voila’! I was done. Oh’ don’t forget the all mighty glue stick that makes the magic happen and 18 minutes later I was finished. I can’t wait to make fall leaves and even tag gifts with self-made personalized tags. Better than any tag out there and what I love about Sacar Stationary, they keep the price economical too!

Retail Price Point: $9.95 and free shipping with Prime via Amazon for 100 tags that comes with 10m of Jute Twine.

Size of Product: 9 x 5.4cm (3.54 x 2.12in approx.) Tags and 10m (32ft approx.) of Natural Jute Twine.

The stock of the paper is nice and thick, so I will be buying damask pattern stamps and will also be stamping some images on these beauties. You just can’t go wrong with the quantity and quality of these Sacar Stationary Kraft Tags!

Connect with Sacar Stationary at:

• On-line
• Amazon
• Facebook
• #SacarStationery

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Sacar Stationary.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.