Andrea's Review	Melanie's Review	Lynn Anne's Review	Catherine's Review	Eli's Review

Review by Andrea

Marbling is a technique that I've never tried, so when the Jacquard Marbling Kit arrived, I was thrilled that everything came together in one package. One thing that I quickly realized was that the tools weren't included, just the materials needed for marbling. A trip to the store and into our garage solved the tool problem!

The Marbling Kit came in a brightly marbled, full-color cardboard box with a window. The box is 6" x 2 1/2" x 3" tall with the window in the front displaying the 6 half-ounce bottles of paint: red, blue, yellow, black, green and white. There was a clear bag of 5 ounces of Alum Mordant that is used in pretreating the paper and a 2 ounce bag of Methocel. The Methocel is mixed with water to create the marbling gel used to "float" the paint during the process. A sheet of directions was also included showing many pattern samples along with the actual marbling directions and tips.

I gathered all of the tools and read the directions at least twice to understand how to mix the solutions together and prepare the paper. I was a bit intimidated by the amount of tools and preparation needed. I treated different kinds of papers to see if some worked better than others since there was no recommendation given in the directions. I also created different rake tools with varying distances between the teeth so that I could try different designs. I used some plastic canvas from the craft store with wooden skewers and part of a corrugated plastic sign with plastic curler pins glued in!

I was building up to actually doing the marbling and finally jumped in figuring that even if I wasn't THAT successful at it, that hopefully I could at least have something to show. Using all of the paints provided in the kit, I was SUCCESSFUL making marbled patterns! Yeah!

You can make an unlimited amount of patterns and each one if different! I found that adding colors to the marbling gel was as random as the pattern. Sometimes the paint sunk right to the bottom of the pan rather than staying on top while other times it stayed perfectly on the surface and expanded beautifully. I can honestly say that I'm not sure what the difference was! I did need to add water to a couple of the paints so that they spread easier on the marbling gel. The directions sheet offers suggestions for sequencing of the paint as it's added to the marbling gel. I found this was a good place to start, but I branched out and tried my own sequencing.

One of the most difficult things to do, I found, was to use the marbling in a layout. It came easier as I started putting the layouts together. I found that I had created a marbled paper very similar to the top that my aunt is wearing in this photo, so it seemed a natural to use as an accent. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Title: Aunty Jo
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics Intense Cobalt & Frosted Cobalt)
Fingerpaint Paper (Roselle)
Marbling Kit (Jacquard)
Flowers (The Rag Shop)
Flower Brads (Making Memories)
Letter Stamps (Heidi Swapp)
Paint (PLAID, Cobalt Blue)
Yellow Marker (Galaxy)
Sketch (www.123-Scrap.com)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)

I used a marbled cardstock background on the left page and a marbled mat on the right page. I wanted to again use the marbled paper more of an accent as to not interfere with the pictures. I liked the way the marbling came out on the dark cardstock - sort of stormy looking.

Title: A View of Florida in October
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Exclusives Bianco & Celeste)
Fingerpaint Paper (Roselle)
Marbling Kit (Jacquard)
Letter Stickers (unknown)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)

I did have a lot of fun watching my "playing" result in an interesting piece of marbled paper. I think the Marbling Kit directions are written for someone who has some experience with marbling. I'm not sure that if I hadn't watched the PageSage Marbling Mastery DVD first that I would have had as much success with my first marbling efforts. I'm a visual learner, so more pictures added to the instructions sheet for the Marbling Kit would have been advantageous to me.

After using this kit, I recommend it. There is a good amount of supplies that are included so that you can experiment to see if you like this technique and what additional paint colors you might like to add to your collection going forward. It would be a great traveling or class kit for the $16.99 price tag. I will be able to complete many more marbling projects with the remaining supplies in the kit. This would be a wonderful gift idea for someone too!

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Review by Melanie

The Jacquard Marbling Kit is a 3" x 6" x 3" cardboard box which includes 6-1/2 oz. Marbling Paint Colors (red, blue, yellow, black, green, white), 5 oz. of Alum mordant, 2 oz. of Methocel, and an instruction sheet. The box says "traditional paints, marbling medium and size, for fabric and paper - easy to use". Supplies you will also need (not included in kit) are clearly listed on the box as shallow tray, fabric or paper, household ammonia, newsprint, combs, hair picks or skewers.

I had recently watched a marbling technique video that covered everything from tools, pans, chemicals needed, as well as the paint and techniques involved. I found a large tray and made some quick and easy tools to use and was ready to begin. The directions give you instructions for mixing your mordant for use with fabric or paper. The directions clearly give measurements for fabric use, but below that, there was no measurements for mixing with paper. Luckily enough, the 1-800 number for Jacquard was printed on the box, and within about 8 minutes I had my answer - the measurements are the same for both. Once I had that information, I mixed up the mordant and pre-treated my paper. I also mixed up the marbling base according the the directions.

Once I started the marble process, I had some trouble with some of the paint colors sinking to the bottom. I strengthened the consistency of the gel a bit, and that helped, but I noticed that different paints acted differently. For example, the blue paint in the kit spread out extremely well, while the black seemed to sit still or sink. I even thinned it out some. Red didn't seem to work well, either. In order to have a variety of colors for some of my papers, I resorted to adding some Jacquard Lumiere paint to the pan, which had some wonderful results if thinned properly. Below is one of the designs made with this kit.

I was worried about the "rinsing" process. You are supposed to rinse your paper after you lift it from the pan, and if you don't size the paper correctly, your design will wash off. I had success every time (the image didn't wash away). After the papers were dried, I chose one to use in the following layout and another for a card.

Title: Groovy Birthday
Supplies
Cardstock: Prism Papers (Majestic Purple Light)
Patterned Paper: KI Memories
Handmade Marbled Paper: Jacquard Marbling Kit
Brads: Junkitz
Stickers: American Crafts
Ribbon: Offray
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech: Permanent Glue Runner

Title: Happiness Card
Supplies
Cardstock: Prism Papers (Prism White); Prism Exclusives (Celeste)
Handmade Marbled Paper: Jacquard Marbling Kit
Sticker: Cloud 9 Designs
Other: Rick Rack
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech: Permanent Glue Runner; A Fine Line PVA Glue

This kit is nice if you want to give marbling a try. I found this kit online at various websites ranging form $11.99 to $14.99. If you tried purchasing the items you need individually, it would cost more. I wouldn't even know where to look to purchase the mordant or methocel. And with the kit, you get the instructions, and tips on sequencing your colors, ideas for forming patterns as well as tips and troubleshooting. If you happen to have other paints to use in the marbling process, then use them as well. I was disappointed at the performance of some of the paints in the kit (mainly the black and red). But I have to add, this was my first time at marbling. Overall, it was fun and my son and I both made some really nice designs on the first try. I was also happy to know that the employee at Jacquard quickly helped answer my question when I phoned them. Visit my how to article for step by step photos of marbling with this kit.

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Review by Lynn Anne

Retailing for only $16.99, Jacquard's Marbling Kit is an inexpensive way for a beginner to try his or her hand at marbling, or for anyone to put together a couple of weekends worth of paper marbling projects. This kit includes everything necessary to get started except for an optional spoonful of household ammonia and some common tools. In the kit you'll find powdered alum mordant and methocel gel medium, six brilliant shades of acrylic marbling colors, and a one-page instruction sheet. Though the paint doesn't always do exactly what it's supposed to do, the colors can be manipulated into beautiful marbled patterns with little effort. Its low cost makes the kit worth a try for someone who wants to test drive this art before investing a lot into tools and supplies.

There are three main steps in the marbling process. The first involves pre-treating the paper (or fabric) to be marbled with a mordant, in this case a solution of alum powder and water. The second involves preparing a gel for marbling, which in this case is methocel. The actual marbling process involves 'floating' paints on the surface of the gel, combing and swirling the floating paints to create patterns, then laying a piece of the pre-treated paper (or fabric) over the pattern. The paint 'sticks' to the paper in the swirled pattern. I had great success with the kit materials involved in the first two steps. The alum mixed easily and performed well, and the methocel dissolved quickly and gelled smoothly. The marbling colors, however, were another story.

Marbling is most successful when the marbling colors, which can be either acrylic or watercolor paints, spread smoothly upon contact with the surface of the marbling gel. Although the acrylic colors included in Jacquard's kit are rich and beautiful, only a couple of the colors spread as they were supposed to, and most of them hardly spread at all, even when sequenced exactly as recommended in the instructions. I tried a completely different set of acrylic colors to see if the problem might be in the gel rather than the colors, but those spread fine. The instructions sheet provided no clues as to how to fix the problem, and a visit to the message boards at Jacquard's website didn't provide a solution either, although my post drew responses quickly. I was able to get some beautiful patterns with the kit by 'faking it' - I drew circles on the gel with the paint since it wouldn't spread - but it's not supposed to work that way. Thinning the colors slightly with water helped immensely, but that also watered the colors down so that I ended up with pastels. Pretty pastels, but not what I was hoping for.

Jacquard's brilliant marbling colors.

Although having a one-page instruction sheet made the project seem manageable, it would have been difficult for me to figure out what marbling was supposed to look like - including the patterns - if I hadn't already known. The simple diagrams showed patterns with a series of lines and arrows, but not what the end result (or any intermediate steps) should look like. The design shown on the outer package was a bit garish, and didn't nearly reflect the beautiful marbling that can be accomplished with this product.

I did find Jacquard's Marbling Kit to be a fun introduction to the art nevertheless. Having all of the hardest-to-find supplies at my fingertips with a simple set of instructions made marbling seem very 'do-able' from the start. Using colors that began as liquid paints, instead of as creams or pan paints that I'd have to fiddle with a lot to come up with a particular consistency was helpful. And after I'd figured out how to get past the limitations of these particular colors, I had a good time dunking all sorts of scrapbooking goodies into the marbling tray. Of course, I marbled full sheets of cardstock. (I had less success with thinner papers, which sometimes tore on the way to the rinse tray.)

Supplies:
Exclusives Cardstock by Prism
Prismatics Cardstock by Prism (Razzleberry medium)
Jacquard Marbling Kit
Letter stamps by Lil Davis
Buttons by Making Memories
Rub-ons by Over The Moon Press
Tag by Stampin' Up! (marbled with Jacquard kit)
Heart and Flower Stamps by Stampin' Up!
Acrylic Word Blocks by Go West Studios
Pearl Ex Powder by Jacquard
Simple Solution #2 (acrylic for paper) by LuminArte
Scrapbook Jewels by Heidi Swapp
Permanent Glue Runner by Adhesive Tech
A Fine Line glue by Adhesive Tech
Also: ribbon

I also liked how the worked with SarahHeidt's laser cut titles.

I especially loved a marbled sheet of perforated tags, which when dried and separated turned into a unique set of coordinating tags for scrapbooking and gifting.

Marbling has a lot of potential in the paper crafter's repertoire. Coordinated card and envelope sets, unique scrapbook papers and embellishments (think die cuts, punches, laser cuts, mats and borders), special gift wraps and more can be turned out in an afternoon at the marbling tray. Jacquard's Marbling Kit puts this craft within reach of any crafter for a good price, and problems with the performance of the marbling colors can be overcome with a little patience and creativity. I do recommend this kit, but only for those with the patience to fiddle a bit with the colors included in the package.

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Review by Catherine

Jacquard is a company that produces paints and dies and other high quality art products. The review team was recently sent the Marbling Kit by Jacquard to work with. When I heard that we would be reviewing these kits, I was excited, thinking that I would learn a new technique that I could use in my paper crafting. However, I am disappointed in the resulting projects that I produced using this kit. I have to say that after using the kit to produce ten papers that can’t be used, that I am not a person who can successfully produce beautifully marbled papers.

The Jacquard Marbling kit that I received includes six different marbling colors: red, blue, yellow, black, green, and white. The kit also includes the chemicals needed to marble papers and fabrics: Alum Mordant (used to pretreat the paper and fabric) and Methocel (used as the marbling base). Included in the kit as well are detailed instructions, which are very important. I appreciate the fact that most everything one would need to begin marbling is included in the kit.

When working with the marbling kit, I found that marbling papers is a very involved, and messy project. This is not the type of technique that one can pick up quickly. Marbling papers successfully will take a great deal of practice. The Jacquard Marbling kit does afford extra materials, so that you would have plenty of product to practice with. After using the kit several times to pretreat paper, make new marbling base, and add coloring to the base, there is still a great deal of the kit left over to use at a later date.

I used the Marbling kit on a piece of regular White Prismatics Cardstock on my first page. The colors did not collect as well on the papers as I would have hoped, but this was one of the best papers that I produced. I thought that using the marbled paper on a “play” themed layout would perfectly lend to the theme.

Ball Pit Fun:

Products used:
Cardstock: Prism Papers Prismatics
Pattern Paper: KI Memories
Marbling Kit: Jacquard
Alphabet Stickers: Doodlebug
Stamps: Wendi Speciale; PSX
Brads: Making Memories
Ribbon: Offray
Clips: Rob & Bob - ProvoCraft
Adhesive: Adhesivee Tech Permanent Glue Runner; A Borderline Glue Stick

I tried another paper using the Christmas colors of red and green to include on a card. Once again, the colors - especially green - didn't pick up on the paper as well as I would have hoped. However, the pattern ended up being slightly better.

Happy Holidays Card:

Products used:
Cardstock: Prism Papers Exclusives
Pattern Paper: GinX
Marbling Kit: Jacquard
Tag: Making Memories
Snowflake: Heidi Swapp
Brads: Joann’s ScrapEssentials
Adhesive: Adhesive Tech Permanent Glue Runner

I do believe that the products included in the Jacquard Marbling Kit are very high quality products. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong in mixing the chemicals to make the products work for me. I’m wondering if, like cooking, altitude may have something to do with the way that the marbling works. Whatever the reason, I didn’t do very well at creating beautiful works of art with this kit. However, if a person were interested in learning to marble papers, or looking for an all inclusive kit, this is probably the kit for you.

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Review by Eli

Once again, Jacquard has put together a great paint kit. According to the package, this marbling kit is “designed for the professional, yet easy enough to use as beginners.” It includes:

* 6 one half ounce paints for marbling (black, white, red, yellow, green, blue)
* 5 ounces of powdered Alum Mordant or “size” which allows the paint to hold its distinct pattern when it comes in contact with the paper
* 2 ounces of powdered Methocel, which creates the gel surface on which the paints are floated
* 1 set of direction

I thought the directions were adequate. They kept things simple enough for the beginner to understand but I felt confused a couple of times. For example, when mixing the Mordant, it gives the recipe for mixing the “size” under the fabric heading but does not restate them or give a new recipe for paper. I used the proportions from the fabric for my paper but still don’t know if that was appropriate.

The amount of materials in the kit was adequate. Each paint bottle goes a long way as only little drops are used for each project. There is plenty of Alum, almost more than needed, I think. I do wish that the Methocel came in a slightly larger quantity. A mixed batch can last up to a week at room temperature but it appears that one bag will only make enough for one and ½ times the normal recipe. I used one batch on two consecutive days but decided to throw the rest away since I was heading out of town. I am not sure that I’ll have enough for another full batch. I would prefer to see a decrease in the amount of Alum and an increase in the amount of Methocel.

The actual process of marbling is fairly simple yet the results are a huge mystery and can bring wonderful results or not so wonderful surprises. It does take some trial and error when mixing the drops of paint on the surface of the gel. But I felt the process was exciting. After I prepared my papers and the gel, I was so anxious to begin that I forgot to skim the top with newspaper…well, I now know why you must do that. The paint did not disperse AT ALL. I was so nervous but soon realized what I had forgotten, skimmed the top and began dropping the paints. I do not feel that I achieved the kind of results that I was hoping I would. On the first day, I had three small sheets of paper that I considered to be interesting and vibrant but I never achieved any kind of pattern that was suggested in the directions.

Here are my favorites:

On the second day, my gel was quite murky and I did not know if it would create the images I was hoping for but I wanted to give the process a second try. I mixed new Alum and tried the process on several types of paper. I had limited success with patterned paper. It was too flimsy to drink up the alum and the rich paint colors. I preferred the textured cardstocks in light colors, Prismatics by Prism being my favorite. After I finished and dumped out the majority of gel from my disposable dishpan, I found a ¼” layer of gunk on the bottom. I never thought to mix up the gel on the second day and I think it would have made a huge difference. (I just hadn’t thought of it.)

I began my first project by featuring a photo that worked well with a sheet of marbled paper. I have always loved this photo and wanted it to shine. The looks on the girl’s faces were such a mixture of feelings, desires and hopes and I tried to capture that.

In an Instant…
Supplies:
Marbling Kit (Jacquard)
Celeste and Nero Exclusive Papers (Prism)
Warm Grey Prismacolor pen (Berol)
Glimmer chalk (Craf-T)
Rub-on letters (SEI)
Permanent Glue Runner (Adhesive Tech)
Other: measuring spoons, old dish pan, old wooden spoon, pencil

In my next project, I used the marbled paper on an accordion book cover for a little album of my niece’s first birthday. I chose a sheet of paper that coordinated with the colors that Evan wore at her party.

Evan, One Altered Accordion Book
Supplies:
Marbling Kit (Jacquard)
Accordion book (American Traditional)
Rub-on letters (Me and My Big Ideas)
Phrase charm (Making Memories)
Rose epoxy stickers (The Paper Studio)
Permanent Glue Runner and The BORDERLine glue stick (Adhesive Tech)
#1 Vellum (Flair Designs)
Prismatics cardstock (Prism)
Other: measuring spoons, old dish pan, old wooden spoon, pencil

Conclusion: I have to say I struggled with this assignment. I was so excited to try it out but I think the chemistry of it did elude me a bit. After some pondering my results, I don’t think that my gel was too thin. I never got a recognizable pattern. My paint drops spread very quickly and I never got very many onto the surface in order to get rich colors. I felt the time involved in creating these mysterious papers was prohibitive for someone who generally wants to crank out scrapbook pages and cards. I do not recommend this product for the beginning scrapbooker.

However, if this mesmerizing process peaks your interest and you want to give it a try, this is absolutely the kit use. All of the basics that you might not have at home, including paints, size and gel are included. They come in small portions so you don’t have to break the bank to give it a try. If you like it, you can invest a little more in larger quantities, if you don’t you have only spent a little time and effort for a small amount of money. It is definitely worth that. I recommend it to anyone who is already interested in trying marbling.

For more information visit Jacquard Products.