All content copyright 2006- I only respond to questions here on the blog, so please return to this page to see my reply, or check the box below to subscribe to new comments by email. I will keep your reviews in mind when shopping! The square diamonds with the large canvas took a long time and made a beautiful picture, and the round diamonds with the small canvas made for a satisfyingly quick, relaxing project. Its very minor, but it frustrates me, as this would have been easy to avoid (dont use the largest letters M and W as symbols, or use a slightly smaller font when printing the design). Sky 683 (24/7) | Freesat HD 813 (24/7) | Freeview 85 (7am - 10pm) | Virgin 748 (24/7). this is a scripting programming language that runs on your web browser. 14 day approval guarantee on all products. Ive bought some wood and Im going to attempt to mount it like a stretched canvas (although Im not sure exactly how yet). For example, heres a photo of my cheap kit: Lets compare that with my completed kit: Its less than 10 (25cm) square, but the listing image above makes it look twice that size, far more detailed than it is, and pure purple instead of mostly pink! The listings also usually show a digital mockups of the finished kit on a wall not only is the image completely different from the kit youre buying, but the size is misleading too! This means that the website may not function properly. next post: Reindeer / Caribou crochet pattern, you have less dexterity in your hands or any vision problems. There are instructions on how you can do this via the link below. I have been interested in doing a starry night diamond painting sometime. Please note that I can only answer questions related to PlanetJune patterns and tutorials (see details), and I can only respond to questions or comments written in English. Thank you! In both cases, though, there were so many spares that I had dozens of every colour left at the end, despite being very picky and discarding any with the slightest imperfection, so the flaws werent a problem in either case. With the cheap kit, I suspect an automated process generated the chart from a pretty picture with little manual input, but if you choose your kit carefully, you can still end up with a lovely result at a fraction of the cost of a branded kit. Or simply click through from my links before you shop at Amazon, Etsy, KnitPicks or Crochet.com, and I'll make a small commission on your purchase, at no cost to you! I ordered my favourite Diamond Dotz kit the Graceful Swimmer sea turtle and I also picked up a cheap but pretty kit from amazon of a purple-tinted landscape so I could compare the quality of the two. For example, you can buy a Diamond Dotz Accessory Kit (amazon link) including 2 tools, 2 foam grips, 2 trays with spouts and 2 spare wax blocks for only a few dollars. Price: I paid $49 (Canadian dollars) + tax for my Diamond Dotz kit, and only $8 + tax for my amazon cheapy! Misshapes, holes, extra material, blobs you can expect to find a few of these in every kit. I do have one other recommendation if youre using budget-friendly kits: I really loved the foam grip and the tray with a spout in my Diamond Dotz kit, so Id recommend you upgrade your tools! A larger canvas allows for more pixels and therefore more detail. All rights reserved. Adhesion: With my cheap kit, a small section of the adhesive surface stuck to the plastic cover sheet along one of the creases where the canvas had been folded to ship. The diamonds just wont stick in this patch where the letters are visible! Both kits included far more diamonds than needed to complete the picture. If you change these preferences, your basket will be emptied. You can see how, if youre buying a kit based on the photo on the left, you may be surprised or disappointed if your artwork ends up looking like the image on the right they are definitely not the same. While the diamond shape happens to be a difference between my kits, its just something to be aware of. Branded kits like my Diamond Dotz turtle show a picture of the finished product on the box, so you know exactly what you can expect from the kit youll be making. 'Product' : '' }}. After my review of diamond painting, I decided to jump in and buy some kits! Diamonds: My Diamond Dotz kit has square diamonds, and the unbranded kit has round ones (more on that later). Packaging: The Diamond Dotz canvas was rolled neatly in a protective box, so it had no creases. 2022 June Gilbank. Im happy with both my kits, for different reasons. You can tune in, sit back, and relax all around the world by watching your favourite craft show and be inspired with us on the following channels and platforms, 2015-2022 Hochanda Global Limited. So I recommend, if youre buying a cheap kit from amazon or similar, you check the reviews for those that include images and see if someone has posted a photo of their finished project. Filed under Other Crafts. You can only see it if you look closely: Can you see the tiny dots of black below the diamonds in the middle of this photo? . Ive done some research and it sounds like the solution to this is to buy repositionable tacky glue to re-tack the surface Ill report back on how that worked out next time, too. 2015-2022 Hochanda Global Limited. With the branded kit, I knew exactly what I was getting and what the finished product would look like, and I imagine the image was carefully selected and customized by hand to be ideal for a diamond painting. This helps web pages function properly and if disabled for some reason, Figuring out how to frame my sea turtle art so I can enjoy it! Id never consider buying a kit without seeing at least a digitally-rendered example of how the finished product is actually supposed to look. 'Brand' : item.Type == 3 ? When I pulled back the cover sheet, the adhesive came away with it, so there was no glue to stick the diamonds to in that area. {{productInformation.CategoryLevel1Name}}, {{productInformation.CategoryLevel2Name}}, {{productInformation.CategoryLevel3Name}}, {{productInformation.CategoryLevel4Name}}, {{productInformation.CategoryLevel5Name}}. Company Registration: 12063361 VAT: GB 213 531 450, Due to high parcel traffic to the US some orders may encounter courier delays. The cheap canvas was folded flat around the diamond packets, so the canvas was very creased and it wouldnt lie flat when I first opened it (although it did flatten out when the diamonds were added). Alternatively you can place your order on via our helpline - 01733 51 61 61. The cheap Chinese kits you can find on Amazon (for example) often only show the original artwork the kit was based on in their listing photos, and the image youll be forming will look very blocky and pixelated in comparison. Canvas: The canvas backing is definitely nicer on the expensive kit, but Im not sure that matters at all you wont see the fabric once the piece is finished and its been framed or mounted. In general, more abstract and less detailed source images work better for any pixel art, like cross stitch, perler beads, etc. I did have one small issue with the round diamonds on my cheap kit: some of the letter symbols were so large that there was no way to cover the entire symbol with the diamond. More on that in my next diamond painting update! Although the branded kit is much larger than my cheap one, the smaller Diamond Dotz kits dont cost much less ($40ish) so theres still a massive difference in price between them and the unbranded kits. I read and appreciate every comment. Exclusions apply, please see Terms and Conditions for details. Lets take a look. Heres where things could go wrong if you buy a cheap kit I recommend you check that the images you see online include a shot of the finished diamond painting or the chart youll receive, not just the original artwork the design is based on. 'Keyword' : item.Type == 2 ? Theres nothing wrong with buying one of these kits, provided you realise what youre getting. Matryonin Posad (pre-printed without threads), Cross stitch kit Bear Cubs on Ice - RIOLIS, Cross stitch kit Gifts of Autumn - RIOLIS, Diamond Dotz Conwy Castle Wales - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Picturesque Falls Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Snow Leopards Hemis National Park, Kashmir, India - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Swallow's Nest Castle - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz View of Vetheuil (aprs Claude Monet) - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Winter day view, Boccadasse, Genoa, Italy - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Gone Fishing - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Kaleidoscope Garden - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Lakeside Red Canoe - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Kingfisher Politics - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Snowman & Feathered Friend - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz The Flower Mart - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Be Still Spring - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Let us Adore Him - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Dragon's Lair - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Gardener's Paradise - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Old Stone Cottage - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Autumn Days - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Frost Moon - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Summer Hideaway - Needleart World, Diamond Dotz Garden in Gold - Needleart World, 11 count aida (4,3 st/cm) with printed background, 14 count aida (5,5 st/cm) with white background. Nowadays almost all web pages contain JavaScript, Item Code: {{productInformation.ParentProductSKU}}, Enjoy Discount on all products and exclusive member only benefits More Info. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment here! The cheap kit (left) has a rougher canvas backing thats not finished as nicely as the more expensive kit (right). Oh, thats a very good point, Sandra! That way, youll know in advance whether youll like the result, and you wont be disappointed. All rights reserved. (I actually prefer the pinky shades in my kit to the purple digital mockup, so Im not at all disappointed.). Although this wouldnt happen with square diamonds as there are no spaces between the diamonds for the backing to show through, this is a flaw in this specific kit design, not a problem with using round diamonds in general, so dont let this put you off round diamonds! Company Registration: 12063361 VAT: GB 213 531 450, CREATE AND CRAFT TV - Arts and crafts channel home of all crafting essentials, {{item.Text}} - {{ item.Type == 1 ? I completely agree, thatd be like a cross stitch design where the canvas isnt completely covered in stitches (those are quite popular too, but I dont like them at all), Hi June! Apart from that one area, the adhesive surface worked well. Oh no! Id expect the quality of an expensive kit to be higher than a cheap kit, but what are the actual differences, and do they affect the appearance of the end product and/or how enjoyable the kit is to make? I really prefer it be all dotz instead of some printed background. I also need to fix that annoying bare spot in my pink landscape diamond painting. (US/WEB-2) 'Category' : item.type == 4 ? It definitely wasnt cheap, but I think my beautiful sea turtle kit was worth the cost the square gems are so even and sparkly, and I love the picture! Even though my expensive kit was many times larger, I had no problems at all with adhesion every diamond stuck down perfectly. For example, heres an amazon listing photo (left) and what they left out of the listing: a photo of the completed kit (right): I wont leave you a link to this kit, as Im not trying to call out this one in particular; this is just one of many misleading examples. Neither round nor square diamonds is necessarily a better or higher quality choice. the website may display incorrectly. Want to say thanks? Another thing I always check is if the picture is full coverage. This is intentional, as some of the plastic diamonds will always be flawed, so you can just discard any that would detract from your finished picture without worrying that youll run out. It is always interesting to read your reviews. You can reuse the same tool and tray while you make as many cheap kits as you want! Interestingly, I actually found far more flawed diamonds in the expensive kit than in the cheap kit! I prefer the Diamond Dotz toolkit (left) because of the foam grip on the tool and the spout on the tray. Search for Products, Categories or Brands, product code: {{productInformation.ParentProductSKU}}, Enjoy Discount on all products and exclusive member only benefits More Info. We recommend that you use Google Chrome instead. Start here: Tip: This link is also in the footer of every page! For any queries please contact our customer service team on (272)200 0300 or at. Id definitely recommend choosing a kit with round diamonds if: But if you like a little more of a challenge, the square diamonds give a brilliant result. The detail is limited to the size of your pixels (diamonds in this case) you cant create a fine line when your paintbrush is the width of a diamond! My finished project is lovely! Tools: Although the tools provided with both kits are similar, the Diamond Dotz tool has a comfort foam grip, the tray has a spout to pour unused diamonds neatly back into their bag without spillage, and the pink wax comes in a little plastic jar. And it looks exactly as I expected it would from the box art. I have a few that arent and it just takes the some beauty out of the finished product. You will be able to see your favourites once logged in. Thank you :) - June. Create and Craft Club is our exclusive membership that gives you great benefits including Discount on all products and exclusive member only benefits. I always recommend investing in good tools, and heres no exception. You can send me money in seconds at paypal.me/planetjune or send me a donation through my shop. previous post: Join the Reindeer Games crochet-along!