I've shared quite a few products on this blog in the past few months so I thought it was time for a follow-up visit to see how some of them have measured up with use.
In the Kitchen:
Carving Set: This set has proven to be amazing! I have abandoned my electric knife altogether and always reach for the carving knife whenever I have to slice meat. Excellent item - 2 thumbs up for this one.
Better Homes and Gardens Skillet These pans are phenomenal! I have used them on a daily basis since I received them back in May and the finish is exactly the same as when they were brand new. There are no scratches, the surface is still completely non-stick, they wash up so easily and I am thrilled with their performance. I am sure that by now I would have had to replace yet another Teflon pan but these BH&G pans are out-shining any I've used before! 2 thumbs up for this one!
Disposable Gloves I can't imagine not using disposable gloves in the kitchen now. They have not only saved my nails but really eliminated the gross factor when handling raw meat. I am still working through this box - they are lasting a long time - but I can't wait to try a different brand that hopefully has one consistent size of glove in the box! Thumbs up for disposable gloves...thumbs down for the Hero brand of gloves.
In the beauty department:
i-Skin Pore Perfecting System I loved using the i-Skin brush and it made my skin beautiful and soft. The only problem is recently it quit working! I put fresh batteries in and still the unit did not turn on. This was a down-side in reviews of the i-skin and I was disappointed that mine had the same problem. The switch seems to be the culprit and there is no way to fix it. I still use the brush and just wash my face with it in a circular motion but that makes the $40 price too high for a battery-powered brush with no power! Sadly, thumbs down for this one.
Pink Gel Coat (Really, all the manicure products I've used) Once I set my mind to growing my nails all the products I used helped me do it. The Nail-Tek treatment and T.I.P.S. conditioning oil were probably most used and most responsible. I was able to end up with 10 beautiful nails and got to play with so many pretty polishes. Essie was by far my favourite brand. I enjoyed having a perfect French manicure and loved the look. Sadly, I ended up with 2 very low breaks on my nails in August and had to trim off all the nails to match. They were just too low down to repair. Since then I have been quilting and have kept my nails short. I'm still using the NailTek and T.I.P.S but have not kept up with the weekly manicure of coloured polish and they are too short for a French manicure now. The products work...you just have to use them! I know now that I CAN grow them if I want to and for special occasions I will dedicate more time to my nails. For now, I've got too many other things to do!
In the Craft room:
Craft Room My craft room has been a dream! I love it so much and really am thankful to have the space to enjoy my crafting. Now that I am really into quilting the sewing section has expanded considerably but the space is so versatile and efficient I can expand and contract each area depending on what I'm doing. Of course, I would love to double the size and quadruple the cupboards but it is working out really well for me (and my family) just the way it is!
Sewing Machine My Janome 3160 has been wonderful! I love it sew much! I seriously never, never thought I would ever sew, let alone make quilts. The machine makes beautiful stitches and is so quiet. I have little to compare it to, but it is so fancy and sophisticated next to my old Singer. I am thrilled to have this new hobby in my life and am so proud of the quilts I've made so far. I've also met such amazing, sweet people in the quilting world - both in person and on-line. This is a great start to my quilting journey and I predict upgrades and additions in the future...(got my eye on an embroidery machine already!)
Craft Haul - I have bought too many craft tools and toys to list but they have all been terrific! Everything has worked, inspired, decorated, and produced. The punches, stamps, papers, Cricut cartridges, die cutters, adhesives, binding machines, trimmers and more have made my crafting life fun and easy! The only problem I have...is getting more time to play and create!