Randi's Review	Andrea's Review	Rachel's Review	Chris' Review	Rebecca's Review

Review by Randi

Take a good look at ScrapFriends and you'll see that I appreciate education. It is near and dear to my heart. I love teaching AND learning new things. My "in-real-life" days are full of education too, whether it be in running our family's homeschool, coaching Cheerleading, First Aid coordinator for the athletic league, or attending classes myself. I LOVE learning! From time to time a product comes through that really gets the learner in me excited. T2G's "10 Quick & Easy Mini-Books" is one of those!

What you'll find is a warm and friendly teacher (Alexa Joy) who shows us how to create each of the ten mini-books. Along the way she gives LOTS of ideas for variations in design/size of the book or in changing embellishments for varying looks. One of the best things is that she not only tells us how, she tells us WHY. There are numerous times in this DVD that she tells us "Do it this way because......." I really appreciated that extra information, and its something that you don't see in every DVD.

Besides the step-by-step, in-depth instructions for each mini-album. there is also incidental instruction along the way. From beginning stamping tips, to types of inks (and why to use particular ones), distressing, cutting and stamping a CD and on to paper tearing, cutting designs from patterned papers, and using fibers, you'll learn some basic techniques that will help you to embellish your little books. Are you past all that? Wonderful! She goes on to show us more advanced techniques such as using UTEE, modeling compounds, and copper foil. These techniques are not necessary to complete the mini-books, but are a great additional source of information for you to use with your mini-books or with other projects if you choose.

I watched this DVD six times, and it never failed to excite and inspire me. The ten albums are all so different from one another, that you'll find yourself returning time and again to finish each one.

The first one to grab me (so that I HAD to run out to the store to purchase supplies that very next day) was the Clipboard Book. I had never altered a clipboard before, but Alexa made it easy to alter TWO of them, and then make them into a file book. I keep my cheerleading files in here and have the most beautiful file system of any of the coaches, I am sure!

Materials Used:
2 clipboards
File Folders
Sports paper and stickers, Scrappin' Sports 'N More!
Silver Dottie Ann
Silver Metallic Pen, Krylon
Ribbon
Mod Podge
Book Instructions, Alexa Joy, T2G Productions

My next attempt was at a mini-book that looked rather intimidating. I'm not wired in a way that I easily understand complicated directions, so I'm happy to say that Alexa Joy made a difficult looking album EASY. This "Fold Out" album is created from three sheets of cardstock and some cardboard. Super cheap and pretty simple (when Alexa Joy shows us how!). Believe it or not, my covers are cut from corrogated box-tops. They give an almost "padded" feel to the paper cover! I'll be creating more of these as Christmas gifts this year!

Materials Used:
Prismatics Cardstock, Prism Papers
Patterned papers: Around the Block
Stickers: Around the Block
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbons
Permanent Glue Runner, Adhesive Tech

The final examples for this review are the "Accordion" albums. I botched the first one (didn't pay attention to my teacher!) but my four-year-old who helped to create it is thrilled with it none-the-less.

Materials Used:
Patterned Papers, Scrappin' Sports 'N More!
Flowers, Prima
Stickers
Ribbon
Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Adhesive Tech

I went back to the DVD to see what I had done wrong with my ribbon. It is supposed to wrap around the book to keep the entire book closed. Thanks, Alexa Joy, it was easy, I just cut my ribbon too short the first time! This one will be a gift to a reluctant scrapper to fill with in the photos.

Materials Used:
Patterned Paper, Scrappin' Sports 'N More!
Flowers, Prima
Stickers, Around the Block
Ribbon, Gallery
Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Adhesive Tech

As you will soon see in the rest of the designs created by the team, the albums are all different. They can be simple or elaborate. All of them are quick and easy to create, just as the title promises. I cannot wait to create some of the other mini-albums on this DVD and am sure I will return to it for a long time to come. If you can't buy this for yourself, please do yourself a favor and ask for a copy for Christmas!

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Review by Andrea

Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy - a MUST HAVE for your DVD Crafting Library!

Ok, the cat's out of the bag, I really liked this DVD! Arriving in my mailbox in a standard shrink-wrapped DVD plastic case, was Alexa Joy's "10 Quick & Easy Mini-Books" class in a box. Watching crafting DVDs at home is the epitome of ease. Plug it in and watch it play at your leisure - 9am or 11pm at night, with casual attire or pj's, it doesn't matter! The case has a full-color wrap showing Alexa's smiling face on the front with all of the project samples displayed to give you a hint of the mini-book journey you're about to take. The back cover has all the normal "here's what's inside" lingo, another little photo of Alexa and the DVD information - WAIT, stop there! 3+ hours?? Wow, better get watching!

The DVD itself has an attractive full-color face easily identifying it as the "10 Mini-Book Projects" DVD. When playing, the usual legal language comes first then a little introduction by Alexa herself. It's great to meet her and get a feel for how the DVD will play. There are 10 projects total listed in a chapter type of format. The ability to change from one project to the next is easy. Each section is identified by a "cover page" announcing the project then followed by a "supplies needed" page. There is some lovely background music playing to keep your auditory senses in tune with the DVD. Following that, Alexa jumps right into the project. The filming is clear with appropriate zoom in shots for detailed steps. The audio is at a level tone with no peaks or dead spots. Alexa moves right along through the projects interjecting tips here and there which are very helpful. She even includes some technique training, like working with a Ranger Melting Pot and stamping on metal.

The first project on the DVD is an Altered Tin Album which I thought would be a perfect start. I followed the instructions that I had written down while watching the DVD. The project came together just fine and I was very pleased with the result. The tin is embellished with all sorts of trinkets inside and out. The mini accordion album is attached to the inside of the tin's cover which allows it to be pulled out for viewing. Fun!

Title:"I Really Should" Altered Tin Mini Album
Materials Used:
Inspiration (T2G Productions DVD: Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy)
Altoid Tin
Stamps (Innovative Stamp Creations)
Ink (Ranger Distress: Aged Mahogany)
Paint (Jacquard Lumiere: Crimson)
Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (Ranger: Clear)
Punches (Various)
Rhinestones (Westrim)
Style Stone (Clearsnap)
Acrylic Accents (Sarah Heidt Photo Craft)
Flowers (Prima)
Trim (Shoebox Trims)
Beads and Felt (Unknown)
Hot Glue (ColdHeat)

The Star book really caught my eye with it's "wow" factor. Alexa's instructions are clear and detailed, just how I like them! The book that I created came together with no trouble from just reading my notes from the DVD. The first picture is the book closed and tied . The next one is a top view looking down at the open book. When opening the Star book, the covers can be pulled around and tied together facing one another. This is what gives the book the star shape on the left. The book can also be pulled around in the opposite direction to form a flower shape! This option is great when pictures are put on both sides of the folded cardstock pages. The last picture is a side view of the open book. The left side is actually the flower shape and the right is the star shape.

Title: 01034 Home Star Book
Materials Used:
Inspiration (T2G Productions DVD: Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy)
Cardstock (Prism Prismatics: Papaya Puree Light, Blush Red Light, Island Mist Medium & Suede Brown Dark)
Patterned Paper (Sandylion Home: Iron Gate & Stripes)
Stickers (Sandylion Home)
Bag of Tags (Flair Designs Family)
Flowers (Prima and Rag Shop)
Ink (Colorbox Fluid Chalk: Chestnut Roan & Dark Moss)
Fabric (Shoebox Trims)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

Crafting DVD's are a really great resource to have in your reference library. I think Alexa Joy has done a great job demonstrating the projects for this DVD. T2G Productions has done an excellent job with the DVD's quality and filming. The projects are easy to follow and duplicate on your own. Although Alexa shows some more advanced techniques for embellishment, like working with metal or UTEE, it is not necessary for the user to have these items to complete the project. Each project works with the basics that every crafter has: paper, cardstock, a trimmer and scissors. I think Alexa makes the user have the confidence to complete these mini-books on their own through her easy-going teaching style.

At a price of less than $20, this DVD is a STEAL! Taking even 1 class on how to make a mini-book at a local scrapbook store would be around that price tag, so for 10 classes all on 1 DVD, it is a huge bargain. Gifts galore here for a fantastic price. What a great stocking stuffer for your scrapping friends! This is a definite for your crafting library, get one or more today!

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Review by Rachel

In July of 2006, T2G Productions released a new DVD entitled “Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy.” Alexa Joy is an award winning artist and craft teacher. I was excited when I found out that this DVD taught you how to make mini books. I have always wanted to make these kinds of books but I had never had someone who could teach me. I am a visual learner so I need to watch someone do it and then I can usually do it on my own. So needless to say, I was thrilled to find out I would be reviewing this DVD.

This DVD comes packaged in the usual black DVD case with a colorful cover. The cover instantly inspired me because it shows several of the finished albums and many of the albums immediately catch your eye. This DVD is the first in the series to be released. Alexa Joy teaches you step by step how to make ten different mini books. Those books include the paper bag book, the altered tin album, an envelope book, a gate fold flag book, a fishing basket book, a clipboard book, and the ever popular star book. She even shows you the secret to making the star book into the flower book. There are over 3 hours worth of instructions included in this DVD. Each album is its own segment and a supplies list is included at the very beginning of every segment. This DVD retails for $19.99.

When I sat down to watch this DVD, I was taking notes as fast as I could. I tried to watch it all the way through in one sitting but wasn’t able to. You need to take this DVD in sections. Now, that is not a bad thing at all. I say that because your mind will be racing with all kinds of ideas and you will be so inspired that you won’t be able to sit and watch the whole thing. You will want to get up and create! So I finally made it through each section and instead of notes about the DVD, I had notes of different albums that I wanted to do.

For my first project, I chose to do a paper bag book for a gift for my sister. I have a new niece being born in about 3 weeks and I wanted to do something fun for my sister and her husband to show off the pictures of the baby. I love this album and I know my sister is going to enjoy it as well. It was so easy to make! It took me about 3 ½ hours to complete 20 pages. That is actually pretty good but I am positive that my next album will go much faster since I now know what I am doing. Here are a couple of pages from the album.

Title:Welcome Baby Girl Paper Bag Book
Materials Used:
Bags, white, Walmart
Spray, Make It Acid Free, Krylon
Patterned Paper, Lollia, Sandylion
Copper Foil, unknown
Letter Stamps, Playful, Close to my Heart
Baby Stamps, Stamp Craft
It’s a Girl Stamp, Rubber Stampede
Stickers, Beginning Collection, Sandylion
Ribbon, Pink, Tie One On Ribbon Club
Yellow Ribbon, Beads, Unknown
Pearl Brads, Wilton
White Brads, Scrap Essentials, JoAnn’s Etc
Ink, Worn Lipstick & Tea Dye, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Ranger
Adhesive, Permanent Glue Runner & PVA Glue, Adhesive Tech
Hot Glue, ColdHeat Glue Gun

My next project was an envelope book. I had not ever seen a book like this and was intrigued. It came together easily within an hour and now serves as a chore book for my daughter. She loves it and is excited about doing her chores. She pulls the card out, I read it to her, she runs to do the chore and comes back all excited to put the card back in the pretty book. I also made pockets for her phone number and her address. That is something we are working with her to memorize right now.

Title: Chores Envelope Book
Materials Used:
Envelopes, Walmart
Patterned Paper, Mod
Cardstock, Herbal Green Medium, Prism
Alphabet Stickers, Miscellaneous
Ribbon, Offray
Adhesive, Permanent Glue Runner, Adhesive Tech

I love this DVD and it will have a permanent place in my scrapbooking room. Just think, for $20 you get ten different mini book classes. You also get tips on stamping, using copper foil, UTEE, and shrink plastic. And you don’t ever have to leave the comfort of your home or get out of your pajamas if you want to. This DVD is worth every penny of that $20. Christmas is about a month away. Are you still trying to figure out what you are going to get those hard to buy for people in your life? Get this DVD! You will be inspired and all the mini books in this DVD make incredible gifts. You will want to have “Quick and Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy” in your stash. I personally can’t wait to see Alexa’s next production. I have learned so much from this DVD and I still have many more mini books I want to do. My 6 year old daughter has already requested the star book and I am drooling over the clipboard book for myself!

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Review by Chris

T2G (These 2 Girls) Productions has produced several DVD’s, primarily focusing on business development (specifically in the craft industry) and mystery story writing. With their fifth DVD, they have ventured into the "how-to" market. Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy: 10 Quick & Easy Mini-Books is directed at the consumer and contains step-by-step instructions for making 10 clever yet fairly easy mini-books. Some of the mini-books are fairly common. The paper bag book, accordion book and envelope book are not new creations, but Alexa does provide a different "take" on them. A couple of the mini-books presented in the DVD are unique, at least to me. The clipboard book and a room box album are two that I had never seen before.

I received the DVD wrapped in shrink plastic. The cover displays a photograph featuring all 10 mini-books. I opened the box, popped out the DVD, slipped it into the DVD player on my computer and I was ready to learn and be inspired! This DVD is long, approximately 3 hours! However, none of those 3 hours is wasted time!

The program is divided into segments, allowing the viewer to select the particular project of interest quickly and easily. At the beginning of each segment, an image of the completed mini-book is shown, along with a detailed list of required supplies. Alexa then gets right into the project, explaining what it will be, suggesting some examples for its use, and demonstrating each step as she proceeds to make the project. I found her instructions easy to follow and the visual images extremely helpful. I expected this to be simply instructions on how to construct the album, so I was pleasantly surprised to find several techniques demonstrated as well. For example, the Altered Tin project includes instructions on how to use UTEE and Mold and Pour. The paper bag book includes a demonstration on stamping and embossing metal foil. These are great additions to the album instructions! Alexa concentrates primarily on the construction of the book and not as much on the detailed finishing and embellishing, although she does give some suggestions. I like this, because it allows the individual to create something unique to themselves.

For my first project, I decided to make a fairly simple envelope mini-book for my grandmother to use as a card holder. She is always in need of a card to give to one of the many friends she has made at the nursing home but has trouble finding them in her desk. This envelope mini-book will be a good way to organize her cards so that she can find them easily herself, thereby allowing her to keep a little of her independence. Following Alexa’s clear instructions, I assembled my album in no time. I kept the embellishments simple, because my grandmother is visually impaired and a lot of extra elements would just be distracting for her.

Title:Cards
Materials Used:
Mini-Book instructions (T2G Productions, Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy: 10 Quick & Easy Mini-Books)
Patterned paper (Anna Griffin)
Stamps (Anna Griffin)
Ink (Anna Griffin)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner; 3-D Design Blocks)

Here is the inside of the envelope book, where the cards will be stored.

The 3-dimensional "Room Box book" was just perfect for the photos and story of our traditional scavenger hunt Christmas gift. The clever construction of this book allows it to stand alone when open, displaying 4 sections each with 2 "walls" and a "floor," with pop-ups if desired. Although this mini-book looks complicated, Alexa gives simple step-by-step instructions that make it quite easy to construct. I did deviate from the instructions and embellished each of my page sections prior to assembling the book. This allowed me to use brads, staples and eyelets without worrying about them showing through to another section of the book. Aside from that, I found the directions to be on the mark and my book came out perfectly.

Here is the front of the book, with all sections closed and tied with a ribbon.

Title: Christmas Clues
Materials Used:
Room Box Album instructions (T2G Productions, Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy: 10 Quick & Easy Mini-Books)
Patterned paper (Karen Foster Design, Wrapping Paper and Christmas Argyle)
Stickers (Karen Foster Design, Happy Holidays cardstock stickers)
Stamps (Tim Holtz by Stampers Anonymous)
Ink (Ranger, Distress Ink, Pine Needles, Fired Brick)
Ribbon (Really Reasonable Ribbon)
Wire Word (Making Memories)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Tape Runner, A Fine Line Finishing Touch)

This image shows the book partially open, so you can see how the "floor" of the sections drops down as the book is opened.

And finally, the entire Room Box Book open and standing on its own.

In this DVD, Alexa Joy gives clear and concise instructions for creating many different and unique mini-books. As an added bonus, she also provides instructions on a variety of techniques. I think this DVD is well-worth the investment of $20 for the projects and techniques included.

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Review by Rebecca

Mini-books have always been a favorite scrapbooking project for me to work on. I like that they are easy for my children to look through because of the smaller size and they are fun to give as gifts. But mini-books always seem to take me so much time to create. I was interested to find a way to make these less time intensive.

I was intrigued to watch 10 Quick & Easy Mini-Books from the Quick & Easy Crafting with Alexa Joy series by T2G Productions. The DVD case states that it demonstrates "how to create fabulous mini albums, fill them with memories and embellish them..." but could they really be "fast and fun" as Alexa Joy stated?

The DVD starts with an introduction from Alexa Joy. While each project segment begins with a list of supplies, Alexa Joy recommends getting familiar with the project and supplies first by watching the project demonstration. This is a great idea so you can see how the materials were used and I found that I could substitute some of my supplies I did have on hand for those that I did not based on how they were used on the project.

After the introduction you get to the DVD menu where you can choose to either view all three hours of video or choose to watch a particular project. Each project is its own chapter so I could easily skip around or go directly to the project I wanted to work on. This menu shows you an image and name of the project so you can quickly find which one you are looking for.

The ten mini albums demonstrated are:

• Altered Tin Album
• Paper Bag Book
• Gate-Fold Flag Book
• Star Book
• Clipboard Book
• Accordion Book
• Accordion Fishing Basket
• Room Box Book
• Fold-out Mini Book
• Envelope Book

The DVD is produced very well. The lighting, studio background and sound quality are all very appropriate. Alexa Joy is a great teacher with very pleasant on-screen presence. She comes across as friendly and very easy to understand and follow. She demonstrated the projects so they were facing the viewer instead of facing her and upside down to the viewer. She had her supplies organized so there was no fumbling while she searched for products. She talked at a pace that was comfortable without any loss of word or long dead air time. The pace of the DVD was mixed at times. There were parts, such as sewing or painting, when Alexa Joy explained what you would need to do and then showed you a sample with that step already completed. This was all right for viewing purposes, but if you were completing the projects with her you would need to pause the DVD while you completed these steps. There were other times, like when she was putting adhesive on paper or trimming cardstock, that they showed her completing the steps. These portions seemed slow while I was viewing but would be perfect pace for completing the project with her. While this does not take away from the value of the DVD, it is helpful to know that you will want to keep the remote nearby!

The instructions in the video are very easy to follow. Some of the projects I was familiar with creating, such as the Accordion Book and Altered Tin Album; however, some I had never heard of or seen before, such as the Room Box Book and the Fishing Basket Book. The video does a good job of showing how to create the album and some great embellishing ideas but then leaves you with albums that have lots of pages and space to get creative with.

Throughout the video Alexa Joy gives advice that is very informative. She advises which type of adhesive works best for certain steps. For example, there are times when a low-temp glue gun is recommended because a standard tape runner may end up "popping off" after awhile. She also gives tips on using embossing powder such as explaining that heating clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) for too long may cause it to turn an amber color. She gives tips on using tools like a heat gun, melting pot and your paper trimmer. In addition to demonstrating mini-books she also demonstrates using mediums like molding compound, shrink plastic and copper foil and creating pop up elements and variations of the mini-books such as using tags in some of the albums instead of just cardstock pages. I found this DVD had many tips that were useful for all levels of scrapbookers.

I was inspired to create two different mini books. The first one I created was a paper bag album. The video demonstrated binding the book by either sewing the bags together or punching holes and using ribbon to bind the bags. I liked both of the techniques so I sewed my bags but then punched holes and used metal rings with ribbons attached as decoration.

Title:Randomly Rachel - Paper Bag Album Cover

Title:Randomly Rachel - Paper Bag Album Pages
Materials Used:
Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (BasicGrey, Scrapworks)
Embellishments (Making Memories, Scrapworks)
Stamp, Paint (Making Memories)
Ink (Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger)
Pen (Micron by Sakura)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner)

The second album I created is the Gate-Fold Flag Book. I have seen similar types of albums to purchase so I was excited to create one from just my own supplies I had. The video demonstrated adhering photos and journaling strips to the accordion folds or else using tags. I decided to alter my book and use both photos and tags to create my pages and also mount my photos to cardstock so that I would be able to add some more embellishments. The DVD demonstrated using shrink plastic on this album but I decided to go with some different embellishments. I also wanted to put the idea of these being "quick" projects to the test. So I timed how long it took me to complete the Gate-Fold Flag Book once I had all my supplies from the list gathered. It would have been convenient if there was a booklet or DVD insert that had the supply list on it so I did not have to write it all down. But, the projects do not require too many supplies so writing them down was not difficult! So here is my album that I timed while I was creating it. This album took me 35 minutes to create from plain cardstock and full 12" x 12" papers to an album with photos, embellishments and journaling!

Title:Family 2006 - Gate Fold Album Cover

Title:Family 2006 - Gate Fold Album Pages
Materials Used:
Cardstock (Prism Prismatics)
Patterned Paper (Chloe's Closet)
Embellishments (Carolee's, Leaving Prints, Heidi Swapp, Life's Journey)
Ink (Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger)
Pen (Micron by Sakura)
Adhesive (Adhesive Tech, Permanent Glue Runner, A Fine Line...)

10 Quick & Easy Mini-Books has been the first teaching DVD I have had the pleasure to view. This DVD delivers what it promises in the form of "Quick & Easy" Mini-Books and I was happy to have a created album in just over half an hour. Also with all the tips and techniques I believe the DVD even went beyond my expectations. I would highly recommend this video to any scrapbooker.

NOTE: The fishing basket stamp from Hampton Arts/Limited Edition has been discontinued. We were sent the picnic basket as a substitute, and with a few adaptations it does the job nicely. See the LIMITED EDITION review coming soon for more information.

For more information visit T2G Productions