I'm such a slacker!

I admit it, I've been slacking lately. I haven't felt the need to create anything new for over 2 weeks. I have been rather busy with eBay, the kids, and reality. Oh, and icky weather.

Those are all good excuses for being lazy, right? :D

I have several items to list on Etsy, but I haven't been able to take proper photos, due to the horrible weather lately. I prefer and love natural light for pictures! Recent weather is 90% cloud/rain/tornado and 10% sunny/partly cloudy. It takes me forever to get pictures just the way I want them, and if the sun never comes out...it's impossible! 

The photo below is a sneak peak of the skirt I made a while back. It's insanely frilly! This is one of the items I have ready to list. Lots (lots, I said!) of lace and silky fabrics...oooo it's pretty!!! 

"Glam it Up"...Part Deux....The Sparkle Invades...

In the previous post, we learned about the above pictured products. The Tulip Heat Setting Tool, and the Crystal Keeper.

The project - My daughter has been trying for weeks to wear her favorite jeans. I keep telling her "No, crazy child, they are too short for you!". So, it's time to cut them apart and make them into shorts. And, since I'm doing that...I  might as well add some rhinestones. 

The Before (Nice Arizona Jeans, although too short for my kid):

I chopped them off, and hemmed them, then I added 2 appliqués, and 4 rhinestones (Tulip calls them crystals...I prefer rhinestones). Of course, I used the Tulip Heat Tool to apply the stones....all I had to do was press the tip to the top of the stone, let it heat for a few seconds (about 20 seconds or so), And the result: 

Apparently, these rhinestones don't photograph as well as I had hoped. But, the Heat Tool did work. It makes the little rhinestones super duper hot, so I had to be careful not to touch them until they cooled for a few seconds. 

Overall I give TULIP's Glam It Up Heat Tool & Crystals a thumbs up. Although I do caution against children using the heat tool. I did burn myself, and that little heat tools' tip gets super hot, super fast. 

Another note:  I'll be needing to stock up on iron-on rhinestones, since I only got a few of each color. 

A review of Tulips' "Glam it Up" Products....a shiny review...

I adore sparkle. Glitter, sequins, rhinestones, oooohhh!! *drools*. Sparkle is good. It perks up the hum-drum in life and makes reality a bit more glamorous. We all need a touch of shimmer in our lives!!


So, I found something I thought was awesome on eBay, and (because it was shiny) I bought it.  About 4 days later...this comes in my mail: 

Here we have a Tulip Glam It Up Heat Tool & 750 rhinestones in a handy plastic case they call a Crystal Keeper(iron on). AHHHH!!! SHINY!

So let's start with the Heat Tool. Officially named "Cordless Crystal & Stud Heat Setting Tool" (in case you can't read it in the photo below). Average cost is around $8. 

The heat tool (magic wand), is basically a stick that heats up, super hot. Very hot. I didn't read the directions, which would have let me know the afore mentioned "hot" fact, or the fact that it gets hot.. super crazy insanely fast....so, I managed to burn a lovely circle on my arm, and my finger. 

This little tool is quite handy, the tip screw in like a light bulb! Nifty. I assume there are/will be other tips to use for large rhinestones? Perhaps, and perhaps not. 

Once I determined the Heat Tool did in fact work, by burning the skin off of my arm and finger. I opened the rhinestones (giddy as a school girl). The Crystal Keeper is your basic plastic storage container, with plastic dividers to give each color it's own little home.

Oh pretties. But, what looks like millions of amazing sparkle-goodness...turns out to be foam. Sad gray foam filling. The package does say 750 rhinestones....(runs about $10)

See the little bag...THAT'S the true amount of rhinestones per color. Meh, they're still shiny...even though the packaging is a bit of an over-kill. I doubt anyone would be filling up the handy plastic case full of rhinestones. I didn't actually count the rhinestones, to insure they gave me the proper 750...I do love sparkle, but those are some tiny little buggers!!

So....the test...does the tool actually work? Will the rhinestones sparkle? Will I burn myself again? ...See the next post!!