I’ve been using an iPhone for several years, but never really got drawn in by the whole “App” culture. Previous to this review, I only had games and a handful of free social networking Apps on my phone, so I was excited to try out a few of the craft Apps that are available.

I tried out four Apps that are all related to scrapbooking or paper crafting in some way. The first two Apps are functional digital scrapbooking tools, and the second two are content-based Apps. Keep in mind while reading my reviews that there are inherent limitations to crafting and reading content on a small iPhone screen, which even the best Apps can’t surpass.

Cost: Free, but you can upgrade the app for $5.99 and buy additional kits for $.99 each

Coolibah is a digital scrapbooking App that allows you to create scrapbook pages right on your iPhone or iPad using your camera phone photos or other imported images. The free version of the App includes some free digital papers and design elements and is fun to play around with. The upgraded version has nearly limitless options when used with some of the premium kits. This is my favorite of the crafting Apps that I reviewed because of its versatility and the wide range of available design elements. (You can learn more about Coolibah on their website.)

• Free version of the App is available so you can try it out before investing in the upgraded version.
• They offer many free kits that include digital papers and embellishments, plus over 130 premium designer kits available for purchase.
• You can save your pages and go back to work on them later.
• With the upgraded App you can export high resolution pages to use on your computer or print.

• The App crashed on my phone a couple times – but my phone is old.
• With the free version of the App all of the pages include the Coolibah watermark.

Cost: $1.99

The eScrap App from 300dpi.com is another digital scrapbooking App similar to Coolibah. It allows you to create digital scrapbook pages directly on your iPhone using your photos and their selection of digital papers and embellishments.

• Offers cool filters (like black & white and sepia tone) that you can use to alter your photos.
• Has “quick page” options that are pre-made pages that you can quickly add your photos to.
• You can export your pages via email, or send them to Facebook or Twitter.

• You cannot save your pages to work on later. You must export them when you are done or you lose them.
• Elements are difficult to resize and position.
• The selection of design elements is limited to what comes with the original App. You can’t purchase additional design kits at this time.
• The pages are not high resolution.

Cost: Free

Cost: $4.99

Clear & Simple Stamps is a website that sells variety of designer paper crafting stamps. Their corresponding iPhone App is extremely simple. It basically shows you a new stamped project each day for inspiration. The daily project also includes step-by-step project instructions and a list of the tools and stamps used. The App is nicely designed and easy to use, but you can only view one project each day and you cannot save them for later viewing. The only interactivity included in the App is the ability to buy any of the supplies used in the daily project directly from the phone. I am really unclear as to why this App costs $4.99 when there are tons of project images available for free on the Clear & Simple Stamps website and the only thing you can do with the App is buy their products. In my opinion, this App should be totally free and I would not recommend purchasing it – just visit the website instead.

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Overall, I had a lot of fun playing with these four craft Apps. They are a great way to pass some time while you are on the subway or waiting for an appointment. However, crafters who are used to doing digital scrapbooking on a large computer monitor may find the phone-sized crafting very frustrating. The Apps are definitely not a replacement for your computer-based digital scrapbooking, but they are a great on-the-go diversion.

Have you used any of these Apps? What did you think? What are you favorite craft-related mobile Apps?

When a product bills itself as “The Ultimate Tool,” it grabs my attention! I was very curious to try out the many different paper crafting functions of the Crafter’s Companion Ultimate Tool, including scoring, trimming, envelope making, card making, box making, and embossing. However, when I received the purple plastic “suitcase” that is the Ultimate Crafter’s Companion, I was overwhelmed by all of the grooves, compartments and tools. Thank goodness it came with a full-color instructional booklet and DVD!

In addition to the booklet and DVD, the Crafter’s Companion Ultimate Tool comes with the carrying case, which is also the card and envelope scoring surface, an inner plastic “page” used for box folding and embossing, an inner plastic “page” used for shape embossing, two scoring and folding styluses, a cutting blade, a paper trimming ruler and three plastic pins used for the bow making function. All of the accessories are made from the same thick, sturdy, purple plastic and can be stored within the carrying case.

The instructional booklet taught me how to quickly create folded cards and envelopes, but without it I am not sure if I would have been able to figure out all of the functions and folds. There is basically no measuring involved for creating bifold and trifold cards if you start with a standard size sheet of paper or card stock. You simply line your card stock up to the top edge of the Ultimate Tool and then choose a scoring line depending on what size card you intend to create. It is very easy once you have folded a few and figured out the different lines!

Creating envelopes is nearly as simple as folding cards. I made envelopes of all different sizes using the envelope scoring lines on the Ultimate Tool and the handy chart in the booklet, which tells you how large your starting paper sheet needs to be for each envelope size. All of the envelopes and liners seen in the photo above were created within a matter of minutes once I figured out the simple process (I especially like the smallest size envelope because it is the perfect size for an Artist Trading Card and I enjoy making and trading those). Even though I have store-bought and handcrafted envelope templates that I have used in the past to make my own envelopes, I much prefer using the Ultimate Tool. It is a much quicker process with almost no measuring or intricate cutting. I think that the envelope function alone is reason enough to love the Crafter’s Companion Ultimate Tool… but it does much more!

Before attempting one of the more complicated projects on the instructional DVD, I tried embossing a few raised patterns on a few envelopes and cards. You have to be careful not to press too hard and rip the paper and you may have to make quite a few passes, but other than that, embossing is incredibly simple and produces a very pretty and unique result.

I also tried out the bow making function. At first, I was a bit skeptical about the little pegs that you can use to make bows on the Ultimate Tool. I mean, how hard is it to tie a little bow, right? Well, I was really surprised by how easily you can make PERFECT bows using those pegs and the technique described in the booklet. I sound like I am over-hyping it, but really the bows are so simple it almost seems like magic… and I didn’t even think I needed a new bow-making technique!

After trying out all of the simple Crafter’s Companion functions, I decided to try out one of the more complex projects on the DVD. I chose the “Pop-Up Card with Box.” It is a house-shaped box with a card that springs out when opened. Following along with the tutorial on the DVD was fun and easy (although, I did watch the tutorial twice just to make sure I knew what to do). The host walked me through how to make the inner pop-up card, then the box base and box top.

Constructing the elements was the easiest part of the project — decorating the card and box took a bit longer!

The end result is a really fun and uncommon birthday card – and this was just my first try! I am eager to make more of these three-dimensional cards. I really like how the Ultimate Tool has different scoring lines for the box top and the box bottom. It ensures that the top will always slip easily on the box. I also really loved the simple “magic ruler” technique that is taught on the DVD. It allows you create perfectly sized boxes without measuring. It is a time-saver!

The Ultimate Tool DVD is very helpful. It not only has twelve very original and complex project tutorials, but it also has tutorials for all of the more simple functions (card and envelope folding, bow making, etc.), as well as a great “Top Ten Tips” section with helpful info. I definitely would not be able to get the full use out of the Ultimate Tool without the DVD. In fact, there are many more projects I want to try, including pop-up cards, accordion books and envelope boxes.

The Crafter’s Companion Ultimate Tool has so many uses, I feel that I have barely scratched the surface. I am really impressed that so many different functions could be incorporated into one tool — it is a feat of engineering! Plus, there are additional plastic “pages” that you can purchase to augment its selection of embossing shapes. You can learn more about the products at CraftersCompanion.com.

• Numerous and extremely versatile paper crafting functions: folding, scoring, cutting, embossing, etc.

• Reduces the amount of measuring required to make cards, boxes, and envelopes.

• The booklet and DVD teach ingenious techniques for making very quick envelopes, bows, and boxes.

• Everything you need for paper crafting can be stored and transported in the sturdy Crafter’s Companion carrying case.

• Learning curve – it takes some time to get comfortable with all of the different functions.

• I prefer to use my table top paper cutter over the trimming ruler and cutting blade included with the Crafter’s Companion.

• You need a fairly large surface on which to use the Crafter’s Companion. It is nearly two feet wide when fully open!

Have you ever used an all-in-one tool like the Crafter’s Companion Ultimate tool before? Do you like the idea of having all of your paper crafting tools in one portable box?

Disclosure

The Spring Handmade Cavalcade is a seasonal craft fair hosted by The {NewNew} Etsy Street Team (you may remember my reviews of the Fall and Winter Cavalcades from last year). On Saturday, April 24th, the Spring Cavalcade was held in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at Berry Park, a biergarten/restaurant with a huge rooftop patio. The twenty-five vendor booths were spread out within the entire building and on the roof. It was a fun and casual setting that was very welcoming to the weekend foot traffic.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that my website, Swap-bot.com, was an official sponsor of the Spring Handmade Cavalcade. That means that we provided financial support for the event in exchange for advertising in the event materials and a booth at the event (that’s me manning our table above). Compared to the amazing artist booths, the Swap-bot booth was very amateurish — The {NewNew} crafters are pros! — but we had a great time meeting all the handmade shoppers and spreading the word about Swap-bot. Over 1,500 shoppers passed through the event and many picked up some of our free swag.

These lovely, screen printed dresses were all made by Karin Persan of Better Than Jam. Karin is a textile designer who graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2002, and she now has her own store, the Better Than Jam Handmade Co-op in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

These sweet illustrations are from Virginia Kraljevic. I just loved their whimsical feel and the turquoise and lime color combos!

Like I’ve already said, there were so many fabulous booths at the Spring Handmade Cavalcade, but perhaps my favorite was Miniature Rhino. Jessica Marquez, the artist behind Miniature Rhino, makes vintage-inspired embroidery, paper goods, and “curious objects,” but my favorite of her offerings is her letter-writing service. You can purchase the service from her Etsy store and she will type your message (on her typewriter), and then mail it in a custom glass bottle within a tiny box to your recipient. Such a sweet and unique idea!

The Spring Handmade Cavalcade was a well organized, but laid back Saturday of fun blessed with excellent, sunny weather. But if you missed it, don’t fret! The {NewNew} will be hosting their next event, Crafts in Chelsea, on Saturday, May 8th. Will I see you there?

Summer is definitely craft fair season! What other craft events will you be checking out in your area?

The New York Public Library is a wonderful, free resource filled with books, of course, but also a provider of amazing community events and classes. Last month, I took advantage of these free programs for the first time and attended the Saturday Handmade Crafternoon held at the main branch of the Library on 5th Ave.

The Handmade Crafternoons are run by crafty librarian, Jessica Pigza, and Maura Madden, author of Crafternoon the book. Each Crafternoon event is a free, two-hour workshop featuring a new, crafty guest host each month. The events are held in a large, wood-paneled room with beautiful windows that easily holds over a dozen craft tables. On Saturday, March 20th, the guest host was Kata Golda, a professional hand-crafter and author of Kata Golda’s Hand Stitched Felt.

I previously reviewed Kata Golda’s book here, on Craft Critique, so I was already familiar with her adorable felt projects. I have made a couple of the crafts featured in her book, but I had not yet attempted the super-cute mouse finger puppets, which are featured on the book’s cover and were the project that Kata was demonstrating at the library. I am a lover of all things cute, so I was excited to try my hand at the puppets. I am also enamored with the felt that Kata uses and provides for her workshops from Ohma Felt. It comes in beautiful, subtle colors and it is thick and sturdy. It was totally worth a trek out to the library just to get to play with that felt!

The finger puppets were very easy to construct using just a few small scraps of felt and some embroidery floss. The real artistry is in the adorable hand-stitched faces. Kata can create the most expressive, little faces out of just a few small stitches! It is more difficult than it looks.

My husband (whom I dragged to the event, but who ended up enjoying it) and I spent about an hour chatting with our table mates and completing our puppets. Kata was a gracious host and generous instructor. She visited each table and answered questions or gave quick demonstrations. I think all of the attendees — who were of all ages, but only women, other than my husband — had an enjoyable time and got to go home with a cute creation.

I am looking forward to the future Handmade Crafternoons. The April event is on the 17th from 2-4 pm and will be an open “Bring You Own Crafts” theme led by Maura Madden. On May 15th, the Crafternoon will feature Natalie Chanin, creative director of Alabama Chanin and author of the Alabama Stitch Book. You can learn more about Handmade Crafternoons on the Crafternoon blog.

Have you attended a Crafternoon event at the NY Public Library? Did you have a good time? Are you planning to attend any of the Crafternoon events in the future?

There are many ways to join craft-related swaps on the internet; some swaps are hosted on personal blogs, and others are organized within social networking sites and message boards. Swap-bot.com, a site I started with my husband in 2005, is devoted entirely to swapping. After participating in swaps on personal blogs (and having a lot of fun meeting new, crafty folks), I observed that large group swaps were often a major hassle for the coordinators to organize.

Before Swap-bot, coordinators had to manually collect all of the participants’ mailing info, assign partners, email out the partner info, and then follow up on whether all of the swap items were sent. If the coordinators had more than a handful of people in their swap, it could be extremely time-consuming and complicated to manage! We created Swap-bot to help coordinators more easily create and manage swaps, while giving swap enthusiasts a place to gather and interact.

To learn more about Swap-bot, and swapping in general, check out the Swap-bot blog or the FAQs. You can also receive news and updates, plus fun, crafty content by following the SwapbotNews Twitter account or the Facebook fan page.

Diane Gilleland is a fixture in the online craft world. She runs the informative and fun craft site, CraftyPod.com, which consists of a frequently updated blog, and truly amazing weekly podcasts all about “making stuff.” She also contributes to the creative community blog: Make + Meaning, and co-manages a monthly “tweet-up” called Craft Social. I have been following Diane and CraftyPod since 2006 when I met her at one of the monthly Crafty Wonderland craft sales in Portland, Oregon. I have always been impressed with the quality and helpfulness of the content she produces.

Recently, Diane has also branched into online publishing with a line of how-to eBooks. Even though I have been blogging for nearly seven years, I knew that there was still plenty I could learn from an expert like Diane, so I jumped at the chance to purchase two of her books during a recent promotional sale she was having. I purchased Making a Great Blog and Social Media for your Crafty Business (today, I am only reviewing Making a Great Blog, but stay tuned for the next installment!)

“It’s designed for beginning bloggers, and for more experienced bloggers who need to get re-inspired. And most importantly, it’s written specifically for art and craft bloggers.”

Once you purchase the book, you download it in PDF format via an emailed link. The entire purchasing process was simple; I was able to open the book on my personal computer within minutes of my purchase–instant gratification!

Anyone who has started a blog knows that there are many online resources that can teach you the technical side of setting up a site and publishing content. What Making a Great Blog focuses on are the often more difficult tasks of creating valuable content and persevering through “blog fade.” The four main subjects covered in the book include pre-blog preparation and planning, generating quality content, the visual side of blogging, and blogger etiquette.

In Making a Great Blog, Diane addresses broad topics like why a person may want to start blogging, and more detailed topics like specific blog post ideas and how to write more interesting, informative, and narrative content. There are also suggestions for how to improve your blog photography and design (with photo examples like the one seen above), plus common sense — but unfortunately necessary — guidelines on blogging etiquette.

Personally, I was reminded to bring more cohesiveness and structure to my own blog’s subject matter and to focus on my readers instead of my own needs, but each reader will take away their own favorite ideas. The book is definitely geared toward (and will be most helpful for) beginner bloggers. However, I believe everyone, from true beginners to experienced professionals, will find more than one helpful tip or reminder in Making a Great Blog that will improve their blogging skills.

• Immediately available for download and reading–no need to go to the store or wait for a package to arrive.

• Very clear and concise writing, with a little humor and personality sprinkled in. It is a quick read that is broken into easily-digestible chapters and sections.

• A unique perspective on blog development that focuses more on creating good content instead of only explaining the technical “nuts and bolts” of setting up a blog site (although, there are plenty of links to technical resources provided for further study, too).

• Includes guided worksheets and list prompts that help the reader focus and improve their blog in a wide variety of ways.

• Making a Great Blog is not about tricks or “get-rich-quick”-style tactics for gaining an immediate (but low-quality) blog audience – it is about helping you do the real, valuable work of creating and publishing quality content and becoming an important member of the online craft community.

• Most helpful for blogging beginners, and although I recommend the book for any blogger looking to improve their craft, experts may not find it as helpful.

• For some, the lack of a physical paper book may be a drawback.

• If you are looking for extremely detailed technical instructions on how to build a website, Making a Great Blog is probably not the book for you.

Making a Great Blog the eBook is available for purchase on CraftyPod.com for $12.50. Have you purchased or read this or other eBooks before? What do you think about eBooks as an educational medium? Do you have any suggestions for other books or resources that can help with successful blogging?

Disclosure

I received Weekend Sewing: More That 40 Projects and Ideas for Inspired Sewing from my mom as a Christmas gift. I always love receiving craft books as gifts, not only because they have great projects in them, but because I always enjoy the inspirational photography. For me, photography is one of the most important aspects of a craft tutorial book, and Weekend Sewing does not disappoint!

Heather Ross, the author of Weekend Sewing, is an artist and author. This is her first sewing book, but that does not mean it is a book for only beginner seamstresses. The patterns contained in the book range from simple napkins to formal dresses – and each project is accompanied by beautiful, full-color photography and detailed, hand-drawn diagrams. Ross explains in the introduction how each of the projects are meant to be completed in a weekend, or less, and how she meant for each of the items to have a relaxed, weekend feel.

The book is well organized with three distinct sections (home goods, adult clothing, and children’s clothing), as well as approximately twenty pages of basic sewing information, and a lovely “Resources” spread (seen below) with store information and suggested websites. Another very helpful and generous feature of Weekend Sewing is that is comes with all of the patterns printed in their full size on large sheets of paper that are tucked into the book cover–no need to photocopy tiny diagrams at 400% at Kinko’s like with other pattern books.

Now, I must confess: I have only basic sewing skills, due mostly to my own impatience. I own a sewing machine (a 30-year-old, heavy, metal Kenmore that has survived my amateur tinkerings ever since I was a child) and I use it regularly, but I don’t think I have correctly followed a sewing pattern since 8th grade HomeEc class. I sew lots of simple, fast things, like curtains and patches on torn jeans–things that don’t require a lot of ironing and measuring. Knowing this about myself, I choose one of the easier patterns in Weekend Sewing as my first project: the Sunday Dinner Hostess Apron.

I gathered my supplies: fabric from my stash (which I DID wash and iron first–go Rachel!), tracing paper, scissors, etc. Notice that I do not have tailor’s chalk or fabric shears–which would have been helpful, but not totally necessary. I traced the apron pattern (the apron skirt, the waistband and waistband facing, and two ties with facing) and cut the pieces from my fabric. Then, I started sewing, very proud of myself for following the instructions exactly!

I wish I had taken better photos of the finished product, because it really did turn out to be a very cute apron. I love it. It looks nearly professional and is quite feminine and sweet. The entire project took me about four hours and the whole process went smoothly thanks to the detailed instructions and diagrams in the book.

I look forward to attempting more Weekend Sewing projects, maybe even the wrap dress! I would definitely recommend the book to anyone (with at least some basic sewing skills and access to a sewing machine) who is looking for simple, but beautiful sewing project ideas.

• Over forty sewing projects, from napkins and tote bags to blouses and smocked dresses.

• Lovely color photos and very detailed, hand-drawn, step-by-step diagrams for every project.

• Full-size patterns included with the book on large, separate sheets of paper.

• It has a laid-back, easy-going weekend attitude that encourages the reader to really enjoy their sewing time.

• Not exactly a con, but you must have access to a sewing machine to complete most, if not all, of the projects.

• I would not call the projects in Weekend Sewing extremely advanced, but they are not for absolute beginners, either. Some sewing knowledge and skills are necessary.

• Also not a con, but something to note: 2/3 of the book is devoted to clothing projects, and half of those projects are children’s clothing. If you are looking for more housewares or functional items, this may not be the sewing book for you.

Weekend Sewing: More Than 40 Projects and Ideas for Inspired Stitching has an MSRP of $27.50 and is sold at most major book retailers. Do you own this book and have you created any of the projects? If so, please share links to photos of your finished products. What other sewing books do you suggest for a beginner-to-intermediate seamstress?

The One of a Kind Show and Sale is a yearly event that happens in Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago, and for the first time this year, New York City. (You can read Sarah Moore’s review of the Chicago show here.) On Friday, I braved the super-cold temperatures and headed out to Pier 94 to check out the show, which was described as an “an extraordinary holiday shopping show featuring the best in fine art and fine craft from hundreds of unique artists, artisans, and designers from across North America.” I was very curious to find out what the event had to offer.

Last weekend was a packed full of craft shows in New York City! I managed to make it to two great events on Saturday: the Holiday Handmade Cavalcade and the Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale. Both shows had dozens of quality craft vendors and were extremely busy with shoppers.

I made sure to be at the Handmade Cavalcade show right when they opened at 11 am so I could pick up my generous goodie bag. (The goodie bags were fantastic, with promo samples from local craft stores, postcards, three tote bags, a free issue of ReadyMade magazine, and a complimentary pass to the upcoming One of a Kind Show in NYC – very cool!) Even though I arrived early, the show was already packed with shoppers.

The Handmade Cavalcade vendors were spread throughout three rooms in the Openhouse Gallery on Mulberry Street in the Lower East Side. The layout was well-organized and each shopper received a very clear map upon entry, but the high number of shoppers made navigating the venue a bit tricky.

Despite the crowd, I got to browse tons of fantastic handmade goods and managed to pick up a few holiday gifts. I bought two pieces of amazing jewelry from Yania Creations. Her jewelry is made with only the highest quality semiprecious stones and metals. The designs are clean and simple, but exceptionally beautiful. I also bought a cute journal made out of a reclaimed envelope and assorted papers from Julie of Your Secret Admiral. Julie works at Etsy in the community department and she makes whimsical and very cool paper goods and journals. Another of my favorite vendors at Handmade Cavalcade was Red Bridge Studio, a textile design company based in Brooklyn. Tyshawn from Red Bridge Studio creates pillows, bags, and other textile products using natural fiber fabrics that have been hand-silkscreened using her original designs. I didn’t buy anything on Saturday from Red Bridge Studio, but I have in the past and love the prints and quality!

After making sure I had seen everything at the Handmade Cavalcade show, I headed over to the Martha Stewart Omnimedia offices to attend the first ever public Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale. For some silly reason, I had thought the Martha Stewart Sale wouldn’t be very crowded – I was very wrong! When I got to the building there was a huge line outside of people waiting to get into the sale. At first I was bummed to be standing in line, but it actually moved very quickly and the line helped keep the size of the crowd inside the venue from becoming overwhelming. Once I got in, I was very impressed with the large, clean, white warehouse space and the pretty Martha Stewart craft displays and vendor tables. Of course, I didn’t really expect anything but perfection from the Martha Stewart staff! (That is me above posing in front of the huge Martha Stewart Living magazine cover.)

The craft vendors at the Martha Sale had really amazing things for sale, and I was a little star struck by a few of the crafters – namely, Jodi Levine and Lotta Jansdotter. Levine is an Editorial Director and Designer who works for Martha Stewart Omnimedia and she is often on The Martha Stewart Show, but I have admired her ever since I was planning my wedding years ago and fell in love with her wedding in the Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. Jansdotter is an internationally renowned textile designer who has published multiple books, not to mention the fact that she looked like a model standing behind her table…

Basically, I felt intimidated by the Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale. The set-up was immaculate (above is the pretty “Sweet Shop” where you could buy candy snacks) and it was fun to get a peak inside the Martha Stewart world, but I didn’t end up buying anything. If it is possible, I think the vendors were too fashionable (lots of giant necklaces and mustaches) and I felt a bit overwhelmed by the use of the words “couture,” “high end,” and “upscale” in many of the sellers’ descriptions. Also, the prices were quite high. I really do feel that the items were probably worth their prices, but I was not prepared to spend the type of money they were asking. I almost bought some extremely adorable iced sugar cookies from the Sweet Dani B table (her cookies were seen in the December issue of Martha Stewart Living), until I saw that they were $16 a piece. I really loved them, but couldn’t afford them. I hope I’m not revealing myself as low class! Maybe, I am still getting used to New York City prices…

Did you go to any craft sales or fairs over the weekend? If you attended the Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale, what did you think of it? Did you buy anything? Did anyone make it to the Bust Craftacular here in NYC on Sunday? I meant to go, but got distracted…