Danny's Cards Blog

Just over a month ago Cricut released the Cricut Mug Press. At first, the mug press seems potentially baffling: a heat transfer system that can make mug designs. But after just a month with my mug press, I'm obsessed. Unlike the Cricut Joy which took a few months for me to figure out why it was worthy of a purchased, the mug press immediately makes sense. But what makes it special? What does it do different? Let's find out. Going Beyond Vinyl If you own a Cricut, your probably no stranger to vinyl. I've put it on everything from wooden signs, to glassware, to mugs and even made a chess board and chess pieces. Vinyl is it's own level of fascinating. But vinyl is also tricky. It is often a multi-step process with weeding, transfer paper and a lot of crossed fingers and deep breathing. And none of that vinyl is machine washable. Mugs and glassware must all be hand-washed unless you want your beautiful designs to quickly become botched. But the Cricut Mug Press changes the ...

Anna Griffin's new Slimline Compendium dies feel essential. In the past few months, several companies as well as crafters showcased Slimline cards. These much taller (and much slimmer) cards measuring an astounding 8" x 9" and fit into business sized envelopes. They looked attractive, and while no doubt, anyone could cut the base with a bone folder and a paper cutter, the dimensions feel so unwieldy, it does feel intimidating.  Enter Anna Griffin's Slimline Compendium Dies. Now everyone knows that I'm one of Anna Griffin's biggest fans. The Empress is to me, bar none, the best die cutter out there. Additionally, her dies always impress, and I rarely feel disappointed in any die set I purchase.  But the Slimline dies feel next level. Maybe it's just the sheer quantity of dies. While other sets for the same price offer two or three intricate cuts, this set offers an outrageous 21 dies. And while each die is a variation on the other, it gives the set a wholly...

In my quest to get better stamped images, I stumble across Sizzix's Stamper's Secret Weapon. This is an item that many people say they can't live without. Me - I'm not so sure. I generally don't have issues with stamping, and learning to use the Stamper's Secret Weapon is a trick all its own. So what is it? Available on Amazon  for around $12.99, the actual product is a foam mat that measures 12in x 10.5in x  0.5in. The mat feels both firm, but squishes down nicely. Does it work? Without a doubt. Once you learn that you don't need to apply the same pressure you applied before. I was working on a card for Mother's Day. The actual big image looked great: The image came out rather striking. When it came to text, my end result was a bit different: Notice how the A in the upper left is totally smeared. Now I could have had too much ink, but that's never been an issue before. I chalk a portion of the blame up to applying too much pressure...