on customer service

I posted a little while back on having to contact QuicKutz customer service regarding some defective embossing folders. Last night I received a comment from Kelly, who appreciated hearing about the QuicKutz embossing folders from the customer service standpoint. That reminded me that it's time for an update.

I'd emailed QuicKutz regarding the issue that I was having with a couple of their 2x2 folders. They said that they'd send out replacements. I received one quite promptly, along with a note that said that the other was on back-order and would be sent when it became available. I also received an enclosure suggesting that using a shim would result in a deeper impression. It was great to receive the replacement. It still isn't aligned quite properly, but unlike the other, it's close enough that it will line up under pressure. So that's cool. And the advice was appreciated, though no amount of shimming would have ever gotten that original embossing folder to mesh correctly. So, now I'm just waiting for the other embossing folder to arrive.

What I've found is that when items don't perform the way that they should, it's best to go directly to the source. It's not unusual for me to come across some issue long after I've lost or misplaced the receipt, but I do know how to find and contact a manufacturer by email, and how to politely but firmly ask if I have any recourse.

Here's a quick rundown, in my experience, of the folks who've stood by their products:

Scor-It: The scoring bar on my mini Scor-It was off-center resulting in scores that were off when I used the centering ruler. When I figured out that this was what was causing the problem and not operator error, I dropped the Scor-It folks a line. My note was answered on a holiday weekend by the owner of the company, and he promptly Fed-Ex'd me a new one.

Plaid Enterprises: I'd had some Dimensional Magic, unopened, which was very thick and unusable when I did finally open it. I wrote to them, asking what I could use, if anything, to reconstitute it. They apologized and sent me new product.

Wilton Industries: Okay, I know that there are a lot of folks who've had trouble with Martha Stewart punches. I had one that appeared to be defective. This had been ordered online, so I contacted EK Success customer service. (Contacting Martha Stewart customer service was not useful--automated reply that said that they couldn't help.) A rep from Wilton wrote back, agreeing that it sounded like the punch was defective. He sent out a replacement.

Making Memories: I've mentioned that I like the MM paper trimmer. When the cuts began fraying, I contacted MM to see if I could get/purchase a replacement blade. I'd already done the troubleshooting to no avail. They regretted that there were no replacements as the blade is designed to be self-sharpening and essentially told me to write a different dept about getting a replacement. A couple of weeks after making that contact, I had a new trimmer on my doorstep.

Then there's QuicKutz, which is also standing by their products and trying to make things right.

Those are the companies that I wanted to mention. BTW, Kelly, I do have some JustRite stamps but have not had any issues with mine, so I can't comment on their customer service. Sorry to hear that you've been disappointed so far. Hope they come through for you.

Addendum: In the comments below, Lesley reminded me of yet another company that stands behind its products and that's We R Memory Keepers, makers of the Crop-a-dile, among other things. My experience was with a defective Crop-a-dile also.

holiday ornaments

A few weeks ago I couldn't resist a clearance item that I'd found at Target--a bucket of thirty 2" diameter tins, the kind that are used for bridal or baby showers, for only $4.99. I didn't have a specific idea in mind at the time, but I knew that I could somehow fashion some ornaments out of these.

Here's what I came up with....


These are two of those tins. I'd embossed some sparkly cardstock using some holiday Cuttlebug folders, Winter House and Lace Tree. I cut 2" circles with my Martha Stewart circle cutter and then accented the snowy parts with Stickles in the ornament on the left and Liquid Pearls in the one on the right. The foreground image was made with the Martha Stewart train punch, and I added the smoke with a thin layer of Liquid Pearls.


This is a close up view. The sentiment is by Verve Stamps using Memento dye ink.


This is a close up of the second ornament. I attached the hanger by punching a couple of holes at the top with my Crop-a-dile. The embellishments are Primas and Brides flowers. The winter houses layer was popped out from the background using pop dots to give more of a 3D effect. Again, the train was made using Martha Stewart's train edge punch.

faux jewels

Before I go any further, I'd like to say that I didn't come up with this idea. This was a tip that was offered up on the Gingerwood stamping forum by Karen Lingel. I just thought it was a nifty idea and wanted to share what I did with it.

Here's how it works. You take a round paper punch and punch 1/4 inch circles out of adhesive holographic paper. You could do 1/8 inch circles or bigger ones, too. That's it! The holographic design makes it look like those 3D adhesive jewels that are so popular as card bling right now. The best part is that they're flat and won't require any extra padding or postage when mailing.

Here are some pics.


I used the clear gel glue and the Stickles to add some sparkle and dimension. I actually like them better plain, in retrospect. I used the blue holographic paper because that happened to be what I had on hand. I have the silver stuff somewhere, but I found this first.


This is just a close up of my first attempts at these. They're fun, but they could still use a little something. I decided that what was needed was some dimension. But how? I was pondering this last night when my eye landed on some packaging plastic that someone had left on the counter after opening something up. AHA! I guess sometimes it's a good thing that people don't always throw their trash away. Yeah, right. One time now it's been helpful. ;-)

So, this morning I did what any good crafter would do and rummaged through my trash for a nice pristine piece of transparent plastic. The one that I'd seen last night was mangled. I cut a piece and adhered the blue holographic strip to it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the back was.... silver!


That's the silver side showing through the plastic.


And here are the circles that I punched out using my Crop-a-Dile. I haven't tried this with a regular punch. A regular one might not add quite so much bend to the circles, or at least the bending might be more symmetrical. Don't know if it'd punch through the plastic though. They do flatten out with a little pressure using a stylus or bone folder. I hope you can see that they catch the light and do look like those little adhesive jewels.


They really are flat though. Here they are from a different angle.

And here's a card with them.


The stamps are by Inkadinkado and stamped using Memento dye ink. The embossing was done with the Floral Fantasy Cuttlebug A2 embossing folder. The flowers are Primas with Diamond Stickle centers. The bling below the sentiment are the faux jewels, silver side up.

I just love ideas like this. Something so simple to do, with items that a crafter probably has on hand already, and with a very practical application.