Vampiremidwife's Reviews

Picket Fence…what a game changer. It is the 37th color in Tim Hotlz's Distress Stains. It was the first opaque Distress color available (until the marker was released this winter). Distress Stains are available in the exact same colors as Distress Ink (except for Picket Fence). However they are not the exact same formula and the colors can be a tad different-however they are intended to- and do- work side-by-side beautifully.

Because the formulas of Distress Inks and Stains are not the same they were able to produce an opaque white STAIN but not an INK. Picket Fence is so much fun to play with when mixing 2 or more Stains to make backgrounds. You end up with the original colors, the mixing of the original colors and then an opaque version of all of those. So much fun….I bought an extra to have on hand so I would NEVER be without and my first few days of playing with it I used half the bottle. Run out and get one for yourself.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

Antique Linen is very light color. However, I found that when making backgrounds I was drawn to my favorite colors- the deep, rich colors like Chipped Saphire and Tumbled Glass. While they make gorgeous backgrounds they can easily over-power the entire design making it difficult to even see the images intended to be the focus of the piece. So, I am playing around with using lighter colors, in order to keep my images at the forefront of the design and colors like Antique Linen are perfect for this.

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

Distress Stains are a terrific product. I can't say enough about them now that I have played around enough to discover some of their potential. I am addicted to making backgrounds using some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques (you can find them on his blog, Ranger's website, YouTube, in his online class Creative Chemistry 101, or in his new book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2).

When I got the first 12 Stains I was terrified of them. There is a lot of liquid involved in using them, especially if you use more than one color. However, how that followed Tim's advice and played around- and use a heat gun every time- I will say I am a Super Fan. I have spent many hours simply playing with color combinations (now that I have all 37 colors) making tags for use later. Distress Stains are so simple to use- now that I know how- and are gorgeous colors.

I make it a habit to buy the reinker each time I buy a stamp pad. Reinkers are inexpensive. Ink pads not so much. Ink pads dry out most of the time because the ink is all used up. This is especially true of your favorite colors. But what about the not -so-favorite colors? To be honest they can go a long time- years- without needing to be reinked. However, I find it extremely frustrating to track down a reinker when I need it. Being an 11th-hour crafter, inevitably I will be in the middle of a project when I realize the pad is simply out of ink. Now what? I have no local source for reinkers, so I have to shop online…. which means my project has to stop…and I spend too much money (I have issues with shipping costs and getting my money's worth). If I buy the reinker every time I buy a pad…I don't have this problem.

Reinkers can be use for more than reinking an ink pad. They can be made into Mists, used to "paint" an image for a watercolor effect, used to make a variety of background techniques including polished stone and some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques….Google it, if you have never considered reinkers, you will be amazed.

Finally this is a limited-edition Distress Ink color so it is now or never-ish.

I make it a habit to buy the reinker each time I buy a stamp pad. Reinkers are inexpensive. Ink pads not so much. Ink pads dry out most of the time because the ink is all used up. This is especially true of your favorite colors. But what about the not -so-favorite colors? To be honest they can go a long time- years- without needing to be reinked. However, I find it extremely frustrating to track down a reinker when I need it. Being an 11th-hour crafter, inevitably I will be in the middle of a project when I realize the pad is simply out of ink. Now what? I have no local source for reinkers, so I have to shop online…. which means my project has to stop…and I spend too much money (I have issues with shipping costs and getting my money's worth). If I buy the reinker every time I buy a pad…I don't have this problem.

Reinkers can be use for more than reinking an ink pad. They can be made into Mists, used to "paint" an image for a watercolor effect, used to make a variety of background techniques including polished stone and some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques….Google it, if you have never considered reinkers, you will be amazed.

Finally this is a great brown oolor I use a lot, limited-edition Distress Ink color so it is now or never-ish.

I make it a habit to buy the reinker each time I buy a stamp pad. Reinkers are inexpensive. Ink pads not so much. Ink pads dry out most of the time because the ink is all used up. This is especially true of your favorite colors. But what about the not -so-favorite colors? To be honest they can go a long time- years- without needing to be reinked. However, I find it extremely frustrating to track down a reinker when I need it. Being an 11th-hour crafter, inevitably I will be in the middle of a project when I realize the pad is simply out of ink. Now what? I have no local source for reinkers, so I have to shop online…. which means my project has to stop…and I spend too much money (I have issues with shipping costs and getting my money's worth). If I buy the reinker every time I buy a pad…I don't have this problem.

Reinkers can be use for more than reinking an ink pad. They can be made into Mists, used to "paint" an image for a watercolor effect, used to make a variety of background techniques including polished stone and some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques….Google it, if you have never considered reinkers, you will be amazed.

Finally this is a GORGEOUS, limited-edition Distress Ink color so it is now or never-ish.

I make it a habit to buy the reinker each time I buy a stamp pad. Reinkers are inexpensive. Ink pads not so much. Ink pads dry out most of the time because the ink is all used up. This is especially true of your favorite colors. But what about the not -so-favorite colors? To be honest they can go a long time- years- without needing to be reinked. However, I find it extremely frustrating to track down a reinker when I need it. Being an 11th-hour crafter, inevitably I will be in the middle of a project when I realize the pad is simply out of ink. Now what? I have no local source for reinkers, so I have to shop online…. which means my project has to stop…and I spend too much money (I have issues with shipping costs and getting my money's worth). If I buy the reinker every time I buy a pad…I don't have this problem.

Reinkers can be use for more than reinking an ink pad. They can be made into Mists, used to "paint" an image for a watercolor effect, used to make a variety of background techniques including polished stone and some of Tim Holtz's favorite techniques….Google it, if you have never considered reinkers, you will be amazed.

Finally this is a GORGEOUS, limited-edition Distress Ink color so it is now or never-ish.

As a new convert to all that is Mini Mister, I had no intention of needing "stadium Seating" as Tim calls it. But then I made a mist and couldn't ever seem to find it on my immaculately clean work surface. Ok, it isn't immaculately clean and is in fact a huge mess…. at all times…. and I bet a lot of you have the same problem. I spent more time trying to find the Mister than I did using it. So I ordered this holder and it is terrific. Problem solved.

This is a product I never thought I needed. In fact I got 3 for free at a class taught by Tim- he gives away the products after the last class so he doesn't have to haul it all home. I never use them until this spring. I took Creative Chemistry 101 and learned who to make my own mists. Yes I had seen the videos on-line for making knock-off mists but I wasn't interested. I loved the Glimmer Mists I had. But we lost our LSS and now getting a much needed color quickly is impossible. Plus once I saw how gorgeous and custom the home-made mists can be I ordered 3 more Mini Misters and the holder for them with the intention of making more mists. The misters work very well.

I only gave 4 stars because I am not so sure I like Stickles…not that there is anything wrong with them but I am not sure I know what to do with them in a way that pleases me. I took Creative Chemistry 101 with Tim Holtz and he talked up Rock Candy Stickles so I grabbed some. It is a gorgeous product but the I need to play more before I am a super fan.

Distress Inks are my favorite inks to work without. I have been a fan for years but after learning a few new techniques recently I am hooked even more. So much more that I needed to complete my collection. With this purchase I now have all 36 colors- I still need a few of the reinkers though. Tim has a lot of browns in this line but they are different and almost every project looks better with a little brown added to the edges. I love that the variety of browns keeps my projects from getting boring and keeps me from getting bored. I love the properties o Distress when water is added. Makes them unique.

Perfect Pearls….Oh how I love you. I have used Pearl Ex for years but it needs a binder when used on paper. Perfect Pearls comes with a built in binder….that is a great plus because it makes it so easy to use. I recently started making my own colored mists- we lost our LSS so if I need a mist color quirky, am out of luck. I have to mail order it-which means my shipping issue because an issue so I spend more money to make the shipping efficient….. making my own with Distress Ink Refill colors and Perfect Pearls is a great alternative.

I used to like the color Perfect Pearl -which is white- as a basic color to add shimmer without adding color to a project but this color-Biscuit seems to work even better. Love it!!!

Perfect Pearls….Oh how I love you. I have used Pearl Ex for years but it news a binder when used on paper. Perfect Pearls comes with a built in binder….that is a great plus because it makes it so easy to use. I recently started making my own colored mists- we lost our LSS so if I need a mist color quirky, am out of luck. I have to mail order it-which means my shipping issue because an issue so I spend more money to make the shipping efficient….. making my own with Distress Ink Refill colors and Perfect Pearls is a great alternative.

I LOVE embellishing with flat-back rhinestones and pearls. I live in an area without a local scrapbook or stamping store. So my color potions for these products is limited to what Michael's and Hobby Lobby have on hand. That is until I discovered how easy it is to color these items with Alcohol inks. I am building my inventory of Alcohol Inks which in turn will wave me money by allowing me to get clear rhinestones and white pearls and change them to whatever color I want.

I love to play the polished stone technique and color metals with these deep rich colors.

I LOVE embellishing with flat-back rhinestones and pearls. I live in an area without a local scrapbook or stamping store. So my color potions for these products is limited to what Michael's and Hobby Lobby have on hand. That is until I discovered how easy it is to color these items with Alcohol inks. I am building my inventory of Alcohol Inks which in turn will wave me money by allowing me to get clear rhinestones and white pearls and change them to whatever color I want.

I love using alcohol inks for "polished stone" technique, coloring metals and rhinestones. Adds so much rich color to whatever I am coloring.

I LOVE embellishing with flat-back rhinestones and pearls. I live in an area without a local scrapbook or stamping store. So my color potions for these products is limited to what Michael's and Hobby Lobby have on hand. That is until I discovered how easy it is to color these items with Alcohol inks. I am building my inventory of Alcohol Inks which in turn will wave me money by allowing me to get clear rhinestones and white pearls and change them to whatever color I want. I love how deep and rich the colors are.

I LOVE embellishing with flat-back rhinestones and pearls. I live in an area without a local scrapbook or stamping store. So my color potions for these products is limited to what Michael's and Hobby Lobby have on hand. That is until I discovered how easy it is to color these items with Alcohol inks. I am building my inventory of Alcohol Inks which in turn will wave me money by allowing me to get clear rhinestones and white pearls and change them to whatever color I want.

We all have embellishments we purchase dates ago and the colors are maybe a little off, not so on trend anymore. Alcohol Inks are an easy way to change the color of metals, papers, plastics…etc…. These are beautiful rich colors.

I recently discovered using Alcohol inks as patina on metal embellishments. I knew about the technique for a long time but never tried it until recently. I love it. Adirondek colors are very pretty

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim Holtz first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

When Tim first released Distress Stains I purchased the original 12 colors immediately after they hit the market. Then I never used them. To be honest, I was scared of them and I had no idea what to do with them. Let's be real, there is a lot of liquid involved and I was scared to ruin my paper. I wanted to use them….I loved the idea…what a great way to get color on a paper quickly with great coverage. So, I might have played around once or twice and maybe used them over paint on a mixed media piece...but that was all. Then I took Tim's first online class Creative Chemistry 101 and that changed it all. Now I am hooked and cannot stop playing with them.

Tim released a second collection consisting of the remaining 24 colors of Distress, making a total of 36 colors plus Picket Fence for a total of 37 colors. Picket Fence is an opaque stain (all other Distress formulations are translucent) that is available as a Stain and a Marker. I now own all 37 colors- and have 2 bottles of Picket Fence Stain on hand. The Stains are so much fun.

There are resources online to she you how to use the Stains. Check them out…you won't regret it. Tim has lots of videos on his site as well as Rangers and Creative Chemistry 101 is available as a self-paced class. Tim has a new Book called A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 2 which also has Stain techniques. Have fun….

I purchased the original 12 colors of Distress Stains when they were first released. However, I really didn't use them.... maybe I used them 2 or 3 times. I loved the IDEA of the stains, but I didn't really know what to with them. To be honest, I was scared of them Then I took Tim Holtz's online class "Creative Chemistry 101". After the class I can tell you that I am deeply addicted to them. So much so, that I purchased the colors that were released as the second set so that I now town all 37 colors (and 2 bottles of Picket Fence). I cannot stop making beautiful backgrounds.

In full disclosure, I must warn you that I LOVE all things Tim Holtz. There isn't much that he develops that I am not thrilled with. Distress Ink is the ink I use for 90% of all my stamping and paper crafting.

The limited edition Spring Colors are beautiful. I love the yellow "Squeezed Lemonade" which is a much softer pastel yellow than the other two yellowish colors in the Distress line. The purple, "Shaded Lilac" is again, a beautiful pastel shade. It fits in nicely with the other purples in the Distress line. "Peacock Feathers" on the other hand, I would not consider a pastel or soft shade. It is gorgeous and rich. The 3 colors work well together, but it is much more color than the other two. Grab them while they are here-they are limited edition. Be sure to grab the refiners as well.

I have been making handmade cards, books (yes real bookbinding), general crafts and scrapbooking for 20 years and I have never, NEVER been able to cut the chipboard/mat board/cardboard/book board straight. No matter how sharp the knife or rotary cutter; no matter what type of straight edge I used I always ended up with slight imperfections. The Zutter Kutter changed all that. I am super happy with it.

Birds and bird cages are all the rage right now and this adorable charm fits the bill. It is small and perfectly proportioned.

I have never had the opportunity to attend Heidi Swapp's Creative Escape- this is the last year. I had no idea this book even existed until I stumbled on it one day while shopping.

This book is jammed full of instructions for amazing projects made by Heidi and the other Creative Escape instructors. The projects are widely variable so that anybody can find at least one or two projects they like. If you are like me you will want to make everything.