Carol Duvall, host of HGTV's The Carol Duvall Show, demonstrates some of the latest products designed to make crafting easier. First, there's a rotary perforator from Fiskars that's perfect for perforating strips of paper -- for example, for tear-off ads you might put up in the supermarket. Next, for any kind of straight cutting and measuring, Olipfa makes a clear plastic see-through ruler. The markings are printed in gold, a color that can be seen on any fabric, light or dark. A lip on one end holds onto whatever's being cut (figure A). Fiskars makes a punch with interchangeable dies for punching designs in paper (figure B). And the perfect way to hold the dies is to place them in holes cut in foam (figure C). For those who don't always clean paintbrushes right away (and end up with hardened paint in the brush), daVinci makes a brush cleaner/renewer. Dip the hardened bristles in the cleaner and wipe them on a cloth. A Swedish product called ReDuRan, which comes in a tube, removes dye or ink from hands. Rub a small amount on the stain and work it in. Wash off with water. It has a strong odor, so use it in a well-ventilated area. Here are a couple of additional tips from Carol: - When buying peel-and-stick letters, buy white ones, and paint them the color you need rather than buy several different colors. By painting your own, you'll be sure to get the exact color you need.
- After cleaning stencil brushes, wrap rubber bands around the bristles to keep them tightly in line (figure D).
Cleaning Rubber Stamps
DIY Crafts host Mary Lyon shows how to give new life to a baby-wipes container by creating a rubber-stamp cleaning kit.
Materials:
Empty purse-size baby-wipes container
Paint pad
Spray bottle
Glass cleaner
Water
- Mix equal parts water and glass cleaner in spray bottle to create cleaning solution.
- Place paint pad in baby-wipes container.
- Spray with cleaning solution.
- Wipe rubber stamp across surface to clean.
- To reuse, wash pad with soap and water and allow to dry. Spray with cleaner and clean stamp.
RESOURCES :
Olipfa see-through ruler
A C Marketech International, Ltd.
Columbus, OH 43220
Phone: 614-442-1177
Fax: 614-442-1204
Email: acmi@ameritech.net
Website: www.olipfa.com
ReDuRan dye/ink cleaner
Stockhausen Inc.
Greensboro, NC 27406
Phone: 336-333-3500
Fax: 336-333-3641
Email: schabingerk@stockhausen-inc.com
Website: www.stockhausen-inc.com
DecoArt Deco Magic brush cleaner
DecoArt Inc.
Website: www.decoart.com
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