Showing posts with label school supplies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school supplies. Show all posts

12/28/2024

SuckUK Tin Food Truck Lunch Box

I love tin boxes for everything: for tea, pulses, sewing,  crafts, office supplies, stationery, makeup or for any storage purpose. I find them more sustainable and durable than plastic, and way prettier. I didn't buy this box for my lunches at all, but to store some small items. SuckUp has the coolest looking boxes out there.
 
I've had this fancy tin lunch box in my Amazon wish-list for over 3 years because, although I love the design, the price has been ridiculously high (max of $60 and minimum of $40). Yet, patience paid off, and the box was finally sold during a flash sale at a fair $23, which is the lowest price I've ever seen it. "Seasons came and changed the time". The huntress was ready. "Bang Bang, I shot you down." After the flash sale the box went up to $48. "Bang Bang, you hit the ground." I thought I deserved a tiara or something.
 
The box is good-quality tin and the design is gorgeous, with all the details of the food truck printed; even the bottom is printed. The box is really spacious, more than the product page photos make you think. Would your lunch fit in? I think if you don't put the drink inside, yes. Perhaps a sandwich or two with some small chocolate bars an one or two small pieces of fruit. Yet, you can use the box for myriad other storage purposes.
 
The door opens like a food truck's does, upwards. But, right there, there is an issue. The latch and locking system are badly designed or just defective because, when the tin is unlocked, the cover protrudes up and does not rest down properly at all (see my photos). Even when it's locked, the door does not rest down completely. To close the door, you have to push the latch down and, at the same time, push the door cover inwards. This is not that practical, quite annoying and it does not always work. At this stage, ain't sure whether this is a design fault or just part of a faulty batch. "Bang Bang, that awful sound."

The handle is less sturdy than other tin's handles I own and it does not stand erect or can be tucked away inside the upper latches.  

Furthermore, I was expecting the product to come in a fancy package to match the fancy price and branding. However, it arrived inside a generic brown box. A repurposed return? "Bang Bang, I hit the ground." 
Now the big questions. 
> Did the box disappoint me upon arrival? Yes, for the reasons mentioned above. "And 'till this day sometimes I cry."
> Did I think it was worth the waiting time? Perhaps not. Bang, Bang.
> Do I think that the usual high price is justified? Totally NOT. Bang, Bang. The price I paid for it is fair and what I think the product should be sold for.
>  Do I recommend the purchase? Yes, if the locking system worked and the price was less than $25. If you fancy it, check it out in a offline shop so that you can verify that the latch is working properly 
 
"Now he's gone. I don't know why." He has been returned, that's why.
 
(NB/ My Amazon review is obviously less Bang-Bangy for obvious reasons).

12/26/2024

Stabilo Woody 18 Assorted Colours with Sharpener and Paint Brush

I've been dying to get my hands on one these sets for years. They're quite expensive, but I got this half price on Prime Day. The set contains 18 beautiful bright colours, an XL sharpener (which is great to have as these pencils aren't standard size by any means) and a good quality brush.
 
Stabilo Woody pencils used to be cheap, as they were a product created for children. This was until artists noticed their quality and versatility; then, prices rose to match artists' pockets. They are non-toxic and can be used on paper, cardboard and glass.
 
The pencils are chunky, have velvety great-quality pigments and are water soluble. They are a hybrid between watercolour pencils, crayons and oil pastels.  This set has a great selection of vibrant colours, two metallics, and three neutrals, which is more than I need. They work wonderfully as watercolours, and they dissolve and spread uniformly. Besides, the colours keep their vibrancy once dry.
 
As per my photo, all the pencils in my set have their lead point deformed. The points look like a volcanic outburst. It's a bit annoying as I wanted the point to be pointy obviously. The set seems to be part of a faulty batch, and this might explain the price reduction. For a second, I thought that the set might be forfeited, but after using the pencils I'm sure they're genuine due to their pigment quality and workability.
 
It was not crystal clear to me from the packaging whether these pencils are lightfast or not. After some online browsing, I've found that some of the colours are and others aren't. The lightfastness rating is shown as a number of stars on the pencil barrel after the colour number. This being the case, I'm inclined to use them in sketches and art journaling not as much on anything that I might consider precious. If you work on mixed media, you'll need to seal the colours with matte/gloss medium so that they don't smudge when applying a layer of any other material on top of them. UV varnishes also improve the life of any paint.
 
The pencils original box is great for shipping as the wallet holds the pencils tight. After an intercontinental trip, they arrived in perfect conditions, not damaged or scratched as I feared. At the same time, the wallet is bulky, not really storage-friendly, so I've binned it and put the set in a small fabric pouch. 

Anhow A4 Artwork Display Frame (White) (8.3x11.8in)

This is such a cool idea. Initially designed to hang up children's drawings, I bought it to store and display some of my small artwork at home. It has a storage back, behind elastic bands where you can store several A4 items. It comes with 4 different types of passpartout, which are ideals to display paintings with narrower or wider margins; besides, they make great viewfinders. The magnetic 'buttons' clip  on/off easily and keep everything secure. I can display the frame horizontally or vertically, or hang it from the wall, all of which makes the frame very versatile. The cover is real semi-glossy glass, which makes everything looks great and it isn't too glare-ish.
 
Having said that, I want to pinpoint a few let-downs. The first one is the fact that the hinges are really visible and chunky, so this rests finesse to the display, and makes  the frame unfit for main areas. Yet, it's alright my studio or in a child's room  The second let-down is that getting the items behind the elastic bands is something tricky, because they tightly fit the storage space but, due to the elastic bands acting as resistance, getting the paper out without damaging the edges can be tricky. Needless to say, this might not be relevant if you store not valuable stuff.  Finally, the coating is not good quality paint and not thick enough, so I can already see that the edges show some tiny imperfections.   

I bought this heavily discounted but I think that the average price is a bit too high for some of the flaws mentioned.  Ikea's frames are way cheaper and better quality; yet, they aren't the same versatile design.

20-pice LR44 1.5V Button Batteries

These batteries are perfect for the many small led tea-lights and battery-operated Xmas figurines and decor elements that I own. Price is unbeatable if compared with most brands producing this type of batteries. This two-package is just perfect for my Christmas needs and the batteries work perfectly.

Maped Essentials 17cm Scissor

I got this to have in my office drawers. These are terrific cheap all-purpose scissors. For the price you don't get the best quality of materials, but the blades are still made of stainless. This pair is not for professional purposes but great for most office and school purposes. I find the handle size perfect for my small hands and the overall length good for most purposes. They are very light due to the handle being made of cheap plastic. They have a 2-year guarantee, which is impressive for a $4 pair.  
 
I don't get the brand bragging about this pair being made of 60% recycled materials. Really, if you have to brag about anything, brag about having your products made of 100% recycled. That would impress me. 
 

Expesumas 6-piece 30-ml Needle Bottle

I've had two types of needled bottles before getting this set, the original expensive brand and a generic brand. However, this Expesumas set is my favourite by far. These little bottles are fit for both glue and paint, but I only use them with fluid/flow acrylic paint, for which they are great.
 
The bottles are good quality plastic with three indications of ml levels. Each bottle comes with a luer-lock cap (connector cap) where to insert the needle tips, a cap for this lock, plus the 4 different needle tips sizes (3 items for each size).  
 
I use the connector cap as a controlling dispenser to use small quantities of fluid acrylic paint; this allows me to do this without leakage and without blocking the pout. This saves me product as many of the flow acrylics I own squirt out of the tub on their own, wasting product and even staining my hands and clothes. So these bottles are awesome to store those paints, dispense them properly and prevent spillage. Filling them with paint is also great because the only thing you have to do is unscrew the lock cap and them screw it back.
 
One of the main issues with other needle bottles I've used in the past is that the acrylic paint/ink tends to dry inside the needle, clog it, and eventually ruin the whole cap system, which ends either in wasting the bottle or having to pay for new caps. However, these needle bottles' locking system is great. These needles are easy to "plug"/"unplug" and easy to clean, so you only plug them when needed.

Good value for money, as well. I've already bought two sets.

10/26/2024

Uni- Ball Signo 1mm Gel Pen -- Silver (UM153.26)

This is my preferred silver marker among the ones I own. I don't lime most of my acrylic silver markers. However, this one won me over for many reasons. The metallic silver colour is really noticeable and the colour it should be, not too dark not too clear, just a beautiful silver tone. Also, the ink flows effortlessly and cleanly. The marker draws crisp neat lines,  which makes it perfect for highlights or accents on any acrylic paint if the pieces are dry; Otherwise, it would smudge and the nib would get ruined. The marker is made of good quality material and the to cap fastens well.Well priced, too.

Ain't sure about the pigment lightfastness  but the information I've  found online seems to indicate that is more so than other types of markers. It is not a waterproof marker I would say but it gets fixed using a fixative once it has completely dried.

BIC Velocity Mechanical Pencil with Eraser, medium 0.7 mm (2-Pack & Refills)

This is such a great value-for-money set.  The two colours pen-looking mechanical pencils came in two gorgeous colours. They hold medium-thickness lead (7m), something I love as it's allows for very smooth and velvety writing. The pack comes with a refillable leads tub and a replacement erasers tube so these are kept tidy and safe. The pencils are very plastic looking but also very light. Nothing I would use to impress anyone, but just what I needed.

10/13/2024

Elephtree Fish-Shaped Pencil Case

I bought this super-cute fabric pouch heavily discounted on a Prime Day. I just wanted something light to put it several some of my left over markers. The pouch design is playful and original; the colours are muted, close to pastels, and perfectly captured by the product page photos. I was able to store 9 average markers and 2 size-5M Posca markers. There is still room for two or three fine ones, a small eraser or a small sharpener.
 
I would use this for a getaway trip for either some markers/pens/pencils or small items of makeup. Despite the photos showing large items of makeup in the product page, this pouch would not hold anything large and round, mostly linear pencil-like items and small eye-shadow or lipstick containers.
 
Both the outer and the inner lining are made of plain fabric, no canvas or a strong material. That being the case they aren't liquid or spill proof; the material can be easily stained outside and, destroyed if any of the markers leaked inside. Also, the pouch has limited capacity as the fish tail is just decorative and does not hold anything, and the fish mouth has limited storage space.

8/17/2024

Derwent XL Charcoal Drawing Water-Soluble Blocks, Set Of 6

I bought this sought-after set during one of the Prime Days offers last year, quite discounted to my delight. As the box was sent from Amazon UK, it reached my place with one of the blocks halved and partially shattered, which resulted in the staining of the white block. The box was sealed, but not properly protected either with bubble wrap or protective textured paper.  

The blocks are really yummy to use. They are almost creamy and the pigmented ones have rich yummy earthy colours. These are water soluble, so they can be used as watercolours. They are not permanent, so I use matt/gloss medium or fixative when I don't want the marks to smudge. Sometimes, the fun is in the smudging as the mixing of the pigment with other media creates wonderful textures, effects and depth. They're fun to play with but have a professional quality. 

7/21/2024

Aquarius Peanuts Snoopy Carry All Tin Lunch Box

This is a very lovely box made of good tin with Snoopy illustrations all over; those on the top lid are engraved. Really cute for children or adults alike, especially for those of us who love Snoopy. The best thing is that I can use this box for many storage purposes not just as a lunch box.
 
I bought this box to store some art supplies and small pieces of collage paper, so it's great for that. I love the fact that the handle can be tucked in flat and that the lid lock allows me to store the box vertically without fear of the contains getting out or the box self opening.
 
I have similar tin storage/lunch boxes and this one is a bit narrower and taller than the others I own.  
 
A bit pricey for a tin box, but I'm sure the illustrations are copyrighted and that's part of the issue. Yet, it's value is very similar to other similar tin boxes out there.

I was a bit worried about the reviews re the lock being faulty and he box damaged. However, my tin box arrived in perfect conditions.

6/21/2024

Fanta Pineapple Zero Sugar Soft Drink 6 x 250 ml

This is the first time I try this Fanta variety and the last one. I love the small size packaging, which makes the tins perfect to carry in lunch boxes or in my bag when I have to do errands around and  don't want to spend money on drinks. The flavour tastes, to me, of those ampoules with medicine that my mother use to give me when I was a kid.  A very chemical non-pineapple over-sweet flavour.

4/25/2024

Quill A4 Visual Art Diary, 110gsm

I use this notebook all the time not to draw or paint but to clean my brushes when painting on good paper. This allows me to save paint and create unintended pretty interesting collage papers that I then use in my artwork.
 
I also use the pages with my Gelli print to create collage papers The results are great and better than using printing paper.
 
If you want to use it with acrylics, you need to use dry brushes and heavy body paint because the paper is not made to hold liquid or semi-liquid acrylic paint or inks. and the pages stick to each other if the paint is semi-wet and break off parts of the page. Needless to say if the paint is too liquid, it will bleed.
 
Probably designed for drawing with pencil, pen or charcoal not for paint/. However, the pad is cheap and good enough for my side painting needs.
 

4/21/2024

Mont Marte Tracing Paper Pad A4 60gsm 40 Sheet

I purchased this pad not for drawing  or tracing, but to use it as part of a wet palette system. I had used thinner tracing paper before this and it was not working. This pad is affordable and the tracing paper is good quality, thick enough to resist moving paint with different kind of brushes on it without tearing apart. It lasts several days on the palette, so it is value for money. 

4/07/2024

MEEDEN Ceramic Rectangle Artist Palette, 9 Wells

This is a great space saver due to its rectangular shape. It's on the small side, so it's easy to position on the table, move around, and carry in my hand, if I need to move between painting areas. Easy to wash under running water with or without dishwashing liquid. I use an old discarded toothbrush to clean the corners and edges. I prefer this palette to the small circular one by the same brand. 

1/02/2024

Scotch 3-pack Magic Tape 19mm x 7.62m

I love this tape as it has myriad uses. This version is the normal width of the normal Magic Tape. I use to stick pieces of small artwork in an album (but used on the back of the image, as otherwise lifts paint or collage areas),  as page marker,  bookmark and any other use that I would give to a normal sticky tape. However, it is low-tack and I can lift it and reposition it easily, so it has a longer use life. The dispenser is light and the guillotine cuts easily and cleanly. The only thing I dislike is the length of each roll, but this three-piece package makes do for it.

12/04/2023

Zhu Ting 12-piece Flat Art Paint Brush Set

This is a great set of expensive-looking flat nylon hair brushes perfect for acrylic paint. The variety of sizes is great, but I miss one or two larger brushes. They are great quality. The bristles don't deform despite me leaving the brushes in water for days or using them with acrylic paint, gesso or matte medium.  The handle seems not to stain as quickly or badly as other brushes I own. They clean easily with hand soap under running water even when the paint is a bit dry on the bristles. They are great value for money as well. The only downside is that these brushes are on the small side, and a bit smaller than other brushes with the same sizing (see my photos).

11/19/2023

Mont Marte Watercolour Pad A5 300gsm 12 Sheet

This is an A5 paper pad of good quality 300 gsm paper. You know, there are good and not so good 300 gsm watercolour paper, and this is good paper, and great value for money as well. 

I've tested the paper without pre-gessoing the surface, which leaves the paper more exposed to the media I used. I've used both acrylic paint and acrylic inks, adding quite a bit of dripping and the paper stood everything wonderfully and I was totally surprised at how well it took acrylic paint and acrylic inks, without buckling or deteriorating. I like the paper texture and the fact that the pad is glued just in one of the sides, but I'm not a fan of the paper colour. Yet, it doesn't really matter, because I will be painting over it and I can change that easily.

HAOZHUZI Circular Paper Cutter

I've been looking for a circular affordable cutter that goes through different types of paper. Unfortunately, this is not the one. I returned this product upon arrival because, although the design is good overall, and the price good, the production of the design is poor.  

THE GOOD
Very light and easy to use. Put the round body on the center from where you want to cut. Adjust the small button tip on the ruler to the diameter of the circle you want (it loses and tightness by rotating it), and then rotate the long ruler around. Perfect circle cut. It works like a flat compass.

It works especially good with normal paper, like printing paper, but it's also good with thicker papers like 200 gsm and 300 gsm watercolor paper, which is what I wanted it for. Needless to say, I had to press quite a bit for the thicker paper to be cleanly cut; when I did not, it left paper traces and unclean edges behind.

The round body has a container in the belly, protected by a lockable lid, where two complimentary blades are located.
 
THE NOT SO GOOD

The circular part is toy-like, so no weight at all. That being the case, the platform slides off center often creating unnecessary cuts and ruining the circle I was cutting. This happens also when pressing it down with my hand. I would not press it too hard because it's average plastic.  There is nothing attaching the round body center to the surface, that's the reason it slides.

This is great  for large circles, from 8 cm up, but not to cut smaller circles as the small adjustable knob stops against the circular body at that distance.
 
No instructions on the box or inside. The cutting blade is protected by a cap that can only be removed if slid on the side, not up. It took me a while to figure it out. You might break it if pressed up too hard.
 
You need a large surface, with no clutter on it, to rotate the cutter easily.
 
Very weak plastic.