DIAMOND TECH CRAFTS TO EXHIBIT AT CHA’S CREATIVATION 2017

Media Contact:
Pauline Derosier
Daniels Creative Group
813-886-3456 x 316
pauline@danielscorporation.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Tampa, FL — January 10, 2017 –– Diamond Tech Crafts, the source for the country’s best quality stained glass, mosaic tools, and accessories, announce a return to The Craft & Hobby Association’s (CHA) event, Creativation 2017.
Launching a new version of Fuseworks™ and mosaic kits at Creativation 2017, will be the perfect place for Diamond Tech Crafts to unveil the new products and innovative craft accessories for artists Craft consumers want more creative ideas and are savvier about their choices of kits. They are looking for designs that reflect their individual flair and home decor. Diamond Tech Crafts makes it a priority to supply creative crafters with new and innovative products.
In addition to debuting new kits, Diamond Tech Crafts will also launch a new product that will make hanging pictures and projects easier. LET’S HANG is a tool that will help you hang anything at a 100% precise level the first time, eliminating unnecessary holes and repairs to walls.
“We are constantly looking for new products to support the arts, inspire creativity and unite artists across all crafts,” says Dan Daniels, President of Diamond Tech International. “CHA gives companies like Diamond Tech Crafts a platform to showcase these inventive new products that help inspire.”
Join thousands of creative industry professionals for the ultimate creative industries event on January 19-23, 2017. CHA is the heart of creativity and Creativation is the place to learn, connect and discover. Diamond Tech Crafts will have products on display; including the Precision 2000 Deluxe band saw, live demonstrations of the Fuseworks Microwave Kiln and a Craft representative at booth #1260.
ABOUT CRAFT & HOBBY ASSOCIATION:
The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is an international non-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the worldwide craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA, membership or its Creativation Show; visit http://www.craftandhobby.org

ABOUT DIAMOND TECH CRAFTS:
In 1992, Diamond Tech opened its doors in Tampa, Florida. Our customer base and product offerings have grown considerably since our early days. However,) we still maintain our founding commitment to our customer’s satisfaction and the delivery of “innovative products for creativity.”
Diamond Tech Crafts is the place to find and discover the country’s best quality stained glass, hot glass and mosaic tools, and accessories. To learn more visit: http://www.DiamondTechCrafts.com or contact us at 800-937-9593.

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Diamond Tech International – 5600 Airport Blvd. Suite C – Tampa, FL – 33634
Call Toll-Free: 800-937-9593

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Add a Burst of Color to Your Yard This Summer

 

Summer is here! Garden centers, hardware stores, and nurseries are bursting at the seams with seeds, flowers and supplies necessary for those with a green thumb itching to plant a garden. As an avid gardener and butterfly plant enthusiast, I’ve already joined the ranks and gathered enough to plant a small farm in my back yard.

So it was no surprise as one of the members of the Product Development team at Diamond Tech, I worked to create a butterfly themed kit as one of our new products for 2013. The Jennifer’s Mosaics Butterfly Feeder Kit comes with everything needed to create a mosaic butterfly feeder – no extra tools or supplies. It does not get any better than that, just ask me!

This one-of-a-kind kit contains glass butterflies, tumbled recycled glass, cement, sand and a reusable 2 piece feeder mold, for those of you who want to make additional feeders for all your gardening buddies! They do make cool and interesting gifts!

Simply add water to the re-sealable cement pouch, squeeze to mix then add to the mold – totally mess-free! Next, press the recycled tumbled glass and colorful glass butterflies into the wet cement and allow feeder to dry. Voila, a whimsical and fun, butterfly feeder!

Learning about butterflies and being creative is something that kids and adults can do together, not only for fun but as a fantastic way to educate themselves about nature and the world around them. I think Diamond Tech got it right with the packaging too! Each kit is sure to get kids’ attention and foster enthusiasm as a tiny little cartoon professor points out interesting butterfly facts on the back of each box.

Diamond Tech creatively incorporates fun and science to help promote a respect and love for nature. This product is creative, educational and fun; and all of those words make me happy, how about you?

Check out the dealer locator on our website to find one in a store near you!

Adventures in Mixed Media Collage

Raise your hands if you are totally psyched about what is happening in today’s arts and crafts world!

In true Arnold Horshack form “OOOOOOHHHHH! OOOOOOHHHHH! OOOOOOHHHHH!”

Mixed Media Shrine
Photo Credit: Mark Montano
http://bit.ly/XcsXXi

What has gotten me so excited – the rise of Mixed Media Collage!

I have a confession to make, even though I work mainly in the art glass world – I am so the closet Mixed Media Collage junkie! No wonder, my love of combining tiny pieces of tesserae to create mosaics translates perfectly to combining layers of mixed media to create a similar effect.

Mixed Media Collage brings so many techniques together to create wonderful masterpieces. It’s all about the layering and composition. And it teaches us so much about what looks “right” and what doesn’t.

Now mind you, I said I was a junkie, not an expert! But I would like to share with you my addiction and the method to my madness or

Mixed Media Collage using paper money and coins on a KraftyBlok

the madness to my method.

To begin creating a collage you usually start with a sturdy backing, or substrate to create the foundation for your work. For a mixed media art collage, this may be a canvas, a piece of cardboard, a piece of wood, a page of an altered book or my favorite – a sheet of metal. Just make sure it is sturdy enough to support what you have in mind – or you just might lose your mind.

Now for the background! There are many ways a mixed media collage background can be created. You can use paint, vintage papers, old pages from books, stamping and stenciling, crumbled craft paper or newspaper; use them alone or conjunction with each other to create interest. Some of it may fade into the background as you layer; other bits will peak through. I love layering, then using sandpaper to scrub away areas – I call it the peek-a-boo effect! When layering paints to create a background, take your time and allow layers to dry once blended. As a junkie, I have to admit sometimes I overdose on background layering – I need rehab or a sponsor to help me know when to say when!

So many embellishments so little space! Vintage images, photos, found objects, fabric, lace, wording and texting, eyelets, buttons,

Upcycled Mixed Media Using Paint, Metal, Glass and Wood

beads, shells, pieces of wood, metal, glass tile, wire, fabric, bottoms of glass bottles, if it can be glued it can be used, that’s my motto! This is where the Precision 2000 comes in handy. Small enough to fit on my drafting table, this little saw will cut just about anything. Using this saw,  I’ve even cut a book right down the middle. It has become this junkie’s habit!

But wait don’t glue anything! Stage your elements first, then walk away, things look a lot different in the morning or a couple hours later! This is the stage where I usually get a glass of wine or a cup of awesome Coffee Emporium Joe (or what I call “steaming nirvana”) and take a creative break!

Once you are in love with your layout, consider how you are going to attach your elements to your mixed media artwork. Adhesives of different strengths are available depending on what you are attaching. If the item is particularly bulky, consider wiring or tying it into the piece. This adds visual richness and takes the pressure off the adhesive.

Once the piece is finished, you can stand back and admire your work and have another glass of wine or if you are like me start a new one…

Upcycling – Creating Crafts from Trash!

by Rita Schwab

What if the materials you needed for your next project were free and available?

And what if choosing this particular material allowed you to generate some environmental benefits, like reducing waste while proving your creative outlet?

This is the benefit of upcycling, using waste material  to create something new and of perhaps of greater value. Right now if you see an empty bottle or jars you see this as a negative. Instead, perceive it as a decorative wind chime, unique candlestick, one-of-a-kind salad bowl and a whole host of other things. Once you start looking at it not as waste but as material for creation a whole new world opens up for creating.

I’d love to hear how you upcycle! Leave a comment below and let me know what you like to upcycle and if you have a moment, check out the Diamond Tech  Crafts Creative Corner  for inspiration in creating one-of-a-kind upcycled projects using discarded bottles and the Generation Green Bottle Cutter

Recycled Crafts Encourage Creativity – An Artist Perspective

 by Rita Schwab

If my job as a creative person is to fill the world with “things,” I feel it is equally important that I reuse materials from waste to make space for my craft.

I believe that creative re-use has the potential to spark new ways of viewing the world. If one thing can be turned into another, what else can we do? Successful recycled crafting encourage creativity in others— it’s magical and transformative by nature. My recent project, “Holiday Cloches” for Create and Decorate is a way of demonstrating that the world and the items in it are not limited or easily identified as they appear at first glance. It allows me to engage others to be more creative in their own daily lives and to think more creatively about the world around them.

As an artist, my job is to inspire! Check out my newest recycle/repurpose project in the Holiday issue of Create and Decorate page 52 and BE INSPIRED. You can find the G2 Bottle Cutter at your favorite local craft retailer.