Randi's Review	Sarah' Review	Rachel's Review	Cathy's Review	Kathleen's Review

Review by Randi

Magic Mesh is one of my favorite embellishments so this assignment was a really fun one for me! One of my favorite things to do with Magic Mesh is to use it for a quick and easy border. I put the Magic Mesh OVER the fish stickers in this layout to make it look like a fish net.



Products used: Bubble paper (Frances Meyer)
Fish paper (unknown)
Blue Cardstock (DMD)
Blue Weave Magic Mesh
Summer Kids Sticker Borders (MAMBI)
Sea Sticky Diecuts (Provocraft)
Pilot G2 Gel Pen
Sizzix fonts Lollipop and Script

I used Gold Metallic Magic Mesh not only as a border across the bottom of this page about Sammy the kitten, but across the top left corner to define the space.



Charms colored with Krylon Metallic Gold Leafing Pen
Meow Words paper, (Boxer)
Cardstock: brown, light brown (DMD)
Star paper (Provocraft)
Tag Art Letter paper (HOTP)
Heritage Borders stickers, Gold (MAMBI)
Mini Brads (Boxer)
Gold Mini Brads and Heart Brads (JoAnn Scrap Essentials)
Cat Charms, Lil Charms (American Tradition Designs)
Gold Metallic Magic Mesh
Black Zig Millenium Writer

The Magic Mesh border on this layout serves to anchor the floating title.



Supplies: Made to Match paper, Lake Hamlin (American Crafts)
Made to Match paper, Ludington Ferry (American Crafts)
Envelope (Embellish It!)
Blue Weave, Magic Mesh
Ribbon Slide (Making Memories)
Silver Rim Alphabet (JoAnn Scrap Essentials)
Alphabet Brads (JoAnn Scrap Essentials)
Black Mini Brads (JoAnn Scrap Essentials)
Yellow/orange and green fiber
Sans Small acrylic alphabet stamps (CTMH)
Orange ink (Stampabilities)

Magic Mesh is also great for putting little accents in corners as I did on this mini-album.



Foldables paper (Autumn Leaves)
Lemon Ice Metallic Simply Sheer Ribbon (Horizon)
Yellow Ribbon Glider (Sarah Heidt)
Yellow Buttons
Computer Button
Acrylic Circle
Daisy Stickers (Stickopotamus)
Yellow Stickers by the Yard (Mrs. Grossman's)
Blue Weave Magic Mesh
Yello Flower mini diecuts (Accucut)
Blue mini brads

My final project from Magic Mesh was a New Year's Card.



Inside of the card:



Buttercup Solid Latch Card and envelope from Making Memories
Heritage Borders, MAMBI
Heritage Stickers, MAMBI
New Year Sticker, EK Success
ColorOasis Baja Phrases
Gold Magic Mesh
Gold Star Brads, JoAnn ScrapEssentials
Gold Tinsel, Magic Scraps
Sheer Ribbon w/ gold trim
Fold Stickles Glitter Glue

In comparison with some of the other embellishments available, Magic Mesh is an inexpensive way to decorate your page in a big way. You get a whole yard for only $3.99. Recommended.

---

Review by Sarah

The creation of Magic Mesh was really by an ingenious idea - although I didn’t think so at first. The first time I walked in to my local scrapbook store and saw one of those tidy little black-and-white packets containing a rolled-up little bunch of “stuff,” I wondered what kind of a racket had been started in the scrapbooking world!

If you’re one of those people like me, wondering what in the world the hype is about that “rolled-up stuff,” let me share with you the joys of Magic Mesh.

Magic Mesh is a lattice-work of crisscrossing threads. It’s an unbelievably simple creation, and it provides instant results.

Apply Magic Mesh to the background on a scrapbook page or card for immediate texture and depth - texture and depth which really don’t add bulk to your scrapbook pages. This stuff is barely thicker than a piece of cardstock. Magic Mesh also provides on-the-spot color. But because there are the “holes” in the mesh, the color of Magic Mesh is not too concentrated. You can put it on your page as a border or background enhancement without it being a totally “obvious” border, such as the notorious cardstock border would do.

Perhaps the best thing about Magic Mesh is that it comes ready to use, with adhesive already applied. You can just roll it out on your project and go. Yet the adhesive is light enough to be repositionable.

For the more adventurous, Magic Mesh does lend itself to enhancing techniques such as painting, inking, and rub-on color application. Use a “drybrushing” technique when applying acrylic paints – that is, don’t gob the paint on, but rather wipe almost all of the paint off the brush and then lightly sweep the paint onto the mesh. If you use a lot of paint, it will collect in the little square "holes" of the mesh and look messy. (Of course, you may be after this look! But don’t think that putting the Magic Mesh on wax paper before painting globs of paint all over it will save you - it still makes a mess.) Enhancing Magic Mesh with different shades of the original color gives it a look that has even more depth, and looks more "distressed" and interesting. It’s a lot of fun to try.

In summary: Magic Mesh is great for those wanting an "instant" embellishment that adds color and depth without bulk, and it’s also a great medium for further enhancing.

I enjoyed using Magic Mesh as a scrapbook page borders and mats, as well as background enhancement on a card.

This is a page from an altered book. I enjoyed using the Magic Mesh as a mat behind the pictures and title.



Products used:
Magic Mesh: light purple
Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint: Red Spice
Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint: Apricot
Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint: White
Jaquard: Pearl Ex: Brilliant Gold
Ranger: Glossy Accents clear dimensional paint
Stickopotamus: heart stickers
Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials: gold heart brads
Unknown: Gold spiral clips

This is the title page from an altered book. I used squares of mesh alongside cardstock squares, inked squares, and square clips in this layered mini-collage. Magic Mesh is easy to cut and doesn’t gum up your scissors.





Products used:
Magic Mesh: light blue
Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint: Carolina Blue & Bright Blue
Dauber Duos: UM Blue
Archival: Brilliance Pigment Ink Pad: Pearlescent Sky Blue
Anna Griffin: Pigment Ink Pad: Blue
StampCraft: Leaf Stamp
Hamptonart.com: Diffusion: DaVinci letter & number stamps
Making Memories: Square Clips
Computer Fonts: Bichley Script, Viner Hand, Pristina
Cardstock: blue scraps
Vellum: clear
Craf-T: Chalk: Turquoise
Craf-T: Metallic Rub-On color: Sky Blue ZIG: Writer 0.5

On the finished page, I ended up painting the paper UNDERNEATH the mesh and placing the mesh on top. This is what happened when I tried to paint the mesh and used LOTS of paint in doing it:



Products used:
Magic Mesh: Light Green
Craf-T: Metallic Rub-On color: Silver
Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials: silver square brads
Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials: black tag
Mrs. Grossman: green square stickers and black line sticker
Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint: Victorian Green
Unknown: blue heart brads, black acrylic paint
ZIG: Writer 0.5

I painted the background of the card, applied mesh, and then "drybrushed" more color onto the mesh. Notice the lack of paint globbed inside the square holes!

To make the greeting of the card, I used a sewing awl (similar to a paper piercer) to scratch the letters and heart into the burnable side of a rewritable CD. Then I applied Craf-T Metallic Rub-On color, and wiped the CD clean. The Rub-On stayed in the cracks I had scratched, highlighting the words of the greeting.

Products used:
Magic Mesh: light purple
Craf-T: Metallic Rub-On color: Pewter
Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials: silver heart brads
Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint: Royal Violet
Apple Barrel Colors Craft Paint: Petunia Purple
Unknown: Rewritable CD,
Sewing Awl (similar to a paper piercer)

Caspian says, "Tastes like chicken!! What are we trying out next time, Mom?"

---

Review by Rachel

Magic Mesh is such a versatile embellishment to have available in your scrapping supplies. It is so easy and fun to use. You can use it on the most elaborate layout to the very simplest layout. You can use it to dress up cards, tags, mini albums, altered books, and even altered CD’s. This is one product that the only limit in its use is your creative imagination. It is very simple and easy to use. It comes with the adhesive already on it so all you have to do is cut and use. It is also repositionable which is great because it doesn’t tear your paper if you decide you don’t like it where you placed it. You just peel it up and start over.

Magic Mesh comes in 3 different weaves. There is a fine weave, a medium weave, and another weave called Dottie Ann’s. It looks like mesh with polka dots. They also now have a new product that is 12 x 12 magic mesh. This comes in 10 great colors. The mesh I worked with for this assignment was all fine weave. Magic mesh is the one embellishment that I reach for when I just don’t know what else to use. It is very cost effective and I have enjoyed working with this product.

Lavendar Bazzill
Plum Magic Mesh
white, soft apple Folk Art Acrylic Paints
Patterned Paper Doodlebug Design Inc
Vellum - Hobby Lobby
Lilac & green sheer ribbon - unknown
American heart eyelets in blue-green - unknown
Lilac heart eyelets- unknown
Making Memories Rub-ons- Trademark, small, white

Making Memories - Blue/White Cardstock
Patterned Paper - Hobby Lobby
Vellum - Hobby Lobby
Poetry Dog Tags by Chronicle Books
Blue Magic Mesh
Making Memories vellum tag
Buttons by Dress it up
Sky Blue and Silver Blue Metallic Rub-ons by Craft-T
Fibers-unknown

Patterned Paper: Frances Meyer, Inc
Cardstock, Making Memories
Alphabet Stamps- Playful-CTMH
Purple Ink Pad - All Night Media
Lilac and White Sparkle Glitter Chalks - Craft-T
Flower stamps- Girly girl set- CTMH
Heart Stamps - You and me set- CTMH
Magic Mesh- Lilac
Birdhouse Button- Uknown
Heart buttons- Dress it Up
Wire-Unknown

---

Review by Cathy

Magic Mesh is a self adhering product that adds texture and color to paper. It is somewhat stretchy, repositionable and very forgiving (meaning you can pull it up off the paper easily). Magic Mesh is a versatile accent that can darken a color, mute or lighten a color and add texture.

Magic Mesh is perfect for formal or fancy layouts. The first layout is a tribute page to a 58th Wedding Anniversary. The gold mesh is used to form an X over the background paper. It adds a very beautiful texture of gold. The X pattern mimics the lattice pattern on the background paper. It was a snap to measure and apply because of the ability to reposition the mesh.

Magic Mesh begs to have objects hung from the grid: I attached the buttons by wrapping the thread around the grid. They are actually hanging. I also embroidered the couple’s names with embroidery floss. The magic mesh stabilize the paper, allowing me to stitch easily. Cross stitching on paper would be a snap with this product. I also used the mesh to decorate the frame and page accents.

Products used: Magic Mesh -gold
K&Co-Red Tulip Stripes paper
Dark Green Gingham patterned paper
Tulip Stickers; Paper Bliss
Red heart buttons: Doodlebug
Paper flower and gold mini brads:Making Memories
Frame: My Mind’s Eye
Red floss: DMC

Using the some of the same products, I made a very beautiful card:

Products used: Magic Mesh- gold
Patterned Paper - K&Co
Stickers- K&Co Tulips
Micro-beads pink and mauve (source unknown) Gold mini brads: Making Memories

Note: On this delicate paper, when I repositioned the mesh, it did take a small part of the paper with it, and left a little mark. I recommend that if the product has been adhered a while, that you may need to use undo or at least proceed carefully.

The following layout is a precious picture of my daughter that reminded me of a little flower fairy. The elegant (Lavender) Magic Mesh was perfect for this fairy-tale-like creation. The purple mesh looks gorgeous overlaying the sparkle vellum. I used the mesh on the letter square, the frame, photo corners, book plate and on the green boarder across the center of the page. The magic mesh had no problem adhering to the sparkle vellum, this is a big plus because it looks great and is easy to do.

Products used: Magic Mesh-lavender
Patterned Paper-Karen Foster (Icy Leaf Design)
Scrapbook Colors Kit (sherbet)
Avocado paper: Die Cuts With a View Black paper
Purple paper: Scrapworks
Matte purple mini brads
Flat Glitter Vellum: K & Co.
Paper flowers: K & Co. Metal photo corners
Mini hugz
Ribbon: Offray
Stamps-Stampin up
Ancient Page Black Ink: Clearsnap

The next project is a super easy sparkling tag:

Products used: Magic Mesh- Lavander
Sparkling Vellum paper: K & Co
Avacado Cardstock
Paper flower: K & Co
Pink mini brad: Making Memories
Pink Fibers: Fibers by the Yard
Note: tag was sewn around the edges with a machine zig-zag stitch.

The last project (and I still have some mesh left over) is a Birthday Slide Mount:

Products used: Magic Mesh - Lavender
Slide mount
Birthday Stickers: K & Co
Orage Fibers: Fibers by the Yard

My recommendation is that you definitely try Magic Mesh. I found that it is light, delicate, and lends itself to formal layouts. I especially like the way it looks over sparkle vellum. I also love the way it stabilizes paper to enable us to hand stitch it. I hope you enjoyed my examples and I look forward to seeing some of your work in the gallery.

---

Review by Kathleen

For a look of whimsy and fun, try Magic Mesh on your next scrapbook page. This fun, versatile embellishment has a lot of potential. Not only are there a variety of colors available, there are so many uses! I will describe a few of those uses in this article.

This was my first experience using Magic Mesh on a scrapbook layout. I was amazed and impressed by how easy it is to move around on my page even after it has adhered. This is an important feature for someone who takes forever to make a commitment to her pages! For my first layout, I decided to use the simple, clean approach for the mesh. Since the rolls come in 36 inch lengths, it was very easy to cut the piece to fit my 12 inch layout. I then cut approximately a1-½ x12 inch border for my first page. I overlapped the mesh onto a 2x12 inch piece of patterned paper to create an interesting border. Note this took me about 20 times of repositioning and it adhered beautifully.

Angel Baby
Products used:
Magic Mesh extra wide white
SEI Twinkle Pink, Groovy Mini Dots, Groovy Diamonds
Bazzill Basics Leapfrog, Quartz
Making Memories white circle tag
Simply Stated Rub-ons
Charmed Quotes Baby
Other Micron 05, Black, Fibers


On the second page of this layout I used the remainder of my original piece of mesh to create a border along the bottom of my page. I liked the way the mesh is able to visually anchor my picture and tag without distracting the eye.

For my second layout I wanted to try something different with the Magic Mesh. Since my photos were based on my son playing in the water, I wanted to see how the mesh would look if I made it appear wet. To accomplish this, I positioned the mesh on my layout then used Versamark watermarking ink on top of the mesh. I then sprinkled clear embossing powder and heat embossed it. After the first application cooled, I repeated the steps. This gave the mesh a watery look. I applied the same process to the mesh on page two.

Water Boy
Products used:
Magic Mesh blue
Two Busy Moms Lime Blocked/Spring Collection, Spring Mini Squares
Daisy D’s, Son Plaid
DieCuts with A View,Blue
Making Memories –XL Circle Page Pebbles
Provo Craft Rub-ons
Sticko Tag Types
Other: Versamark, clear embossing powder


I did note that after embossing the mesh, it is difficult to attach other properties of the layout to it. To remedy this, use a strong adhesive such as Terrifically Tacky Tape. Also, prior to actually embossing the mesh on my layout, I experimented with a small piece. I found if you emboss the mesh prior to adhering it to your page, the mesh will lose its adhesive properties.

This is a fun product and I look forward to experimenting with it more on future layouts. It is surprisingly versatile and quite easy to manipulate and a definite plus to my crafting supplies.

Want to see more? Visit the official website of Magic Mesh.