My birthday is fast approaching and this year thanks to Craft-Ease I have made myself a great gift! Now pink roses are my favorite flower and my favorite color combination is pink and turquoise, so when Craft-Ease asked me to pick out a kit and I saw this beautiful Roses on Turquoise, I knew it was for me.
Now I have jumped onto the diamond painting craze that seems to be going around. I have tried the first name brand kits, kits from Amazon, as well as kits from other sites where there was a deal. I also have bought supplies to try freestyle diamond painting but haven't tried it yet. So my review will be based on my experience with this kit and comparing it to other kits. I will start by saying it is the largest diamond painting I have done. I loved that the finished picture is 50 x 40 cm or 20 x 16 inches. That meant it was easy to frame by myself since it fit a standard sized frame.
Now diamond painting is similar to paint by number and Craft-Ease does have paint by number kits as well. One thing I like better about diamond painting is that you do not have the mess of paint or the water to wash the brushes. I like to work in front of my television in my family room which has carpet so I prefer not to chance a paint spill. Craft-Ease diamond painting kits come with the canvas (with the picture/color guides on it and the adhesive already on it), two applicators with soft handles, two wax blocks, tweezers, a tray and the diamonds. Craft-Ease diamonds includes two special, extra sparkly, diamond colors. They call them Dazzling Star AB Diamonds. The ones in my kit were both shades of greens.
Personally I wish they had been shades of pink to get more sparkle in the flowers but the light green was added into the flowers for sparkle. (This is my only critique of the entire kit!) Here is how the special diamonds compare to the others.
Now before I start any diamond painting I organize my diamonds in plastic containers so I can keep them together. (I am currently looking for a missing package of one of my other paintings that I stopped working on and misplaced before I got the plastic containers.) I find it very helpful to do this and recommend it. I bought my containers from Amazon. They are cheap but also very cheaply made. Some of the small lids don't always click shut, so I don't recommend getting the same as me. Organizing the diamonds was very easy with Craft-Ease. The diamonds came in labeled zip-lock baggies (all the other kits I have used have had sealed packages for each one and needed scissors to open).
I use a Sharpie to write the number for the color (which corresponds to DMC colors for embroidery floss) and the symbol for that color on the kit. The markings can be removed with alcohol. Some kits do not use the DMC numbers but most do. I like when they use the same numbers because you can combine your leftovers and use them for freestyles of if you lose some. Now I am ready to begin. To start you take one of the applicators and dip it in the wax. The wax will help you pick up the diamond and get it to where you need it on the canvas. The adhesive on the canvas is strong and will take it off the applicator without a problem. You match the symbol on the canvas with the corresponding color.
I find it easier to start on the bottom and work my way up. Since I am right-handed I work in the left lower corner. You peel the piece of acetate back and only expose a small work area so you won't compromise the adhesive on the canvas. Then always cover your work when you take a break. As you can imagine it is slow going. The applicators they send however have places where you can do multiple diamonds at a time, so where there are a strip of the same color you can use the other end of the applicator. Since I have my diamonds in my boxes, I only use the tray when I wanted to do multiple diamonds. It took some practice to really be able to do multiple ones but with some practice it works well.
I even rolled up my project and brought it to Cape Cod for our vacation. It traveled pretty well. Doing diamond painting is relaxing. I know when I watch television I need something for my hands to do and diamond painting is a perfect project. Plus I love looking at my finished projects. They always make me smile.
I finished it up this week and had bought a 16x20 frame at Michaels for it. Since it was the same size as the frame it was easy to frame. I use the glass or in this case plexiglass from the frame and tape the canvas to it. You do not want glass or plastic covering it because it takes away from the sparkles.
All the diamonds sparkle but you can see how the special ones really sparkle.
Now how does this Craft-Ease compare to others. Well the name brand one often has a painted background so you only put diamonds on the object. This makes the object pop, but is a different kind of art. The ones I got from Amazon I found the adhesive is not as good. I had trouble getting some diamonds to stay on them. I did not have that problem here. I am very happy with my creation and love the extra dazzle. None of the other kits I have done, had the special diamonds. I also love that Craft-Ease works with the artists to create their kits. They do not have the same kits you see everywhere on the internet. Theirs are unique and absolutely beautiful! They also have a custom kit where you can upload a photo. I may have to try this!!
I do love the shading in the picture and love the sparkle. I have to say it is one of my best gifts thus far!! We have it hanging in our dining room now and I think it will stay there! We first tried it in the bedroom as the walls there are turquoise (see picture below), but we missed the quilted wallhanging in there. We put it in the dining room (see picture above near beginning of post) where the walls are pink. The pink wall pulls out the pinks of the roses.
Now onto more crafts! What craft are you doing? Have you tried diamond painting? Be sure to check out Craft-Ease! I love the kit from them and it was complete with everything you need to make a beautiful picture!
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