Clever Creations Tryazon’s Tryabox!

Standard

 

 

The holidays are always so special to me and my family. We always remember we are blessed, every day of the year. Maybe that is why Christmas is just so special to us. We absolutely love decorating, and really look forward to it too. I will be honest, I start to sneak decorations up before Thanksgiving, and normally leave them up to Three Kings Day. Traditions span the religions of our world. One tradition of families celebrating Christmas, is passing on decorations from generation to generation. Clever Creations is a company that sells Nutcrackers. Not just the usual ones that we see everywhere, but all types. Types that can be adored by many.

Clever Creations 12

I was thrilled to be chosen for this Clever Creations Tryabox! I was sent three of their different Nutcrackers, and a trio of their Shatterproof Pickle Ornaments. We used to play the Pickle Game every year. When our family changed, we stopped playing. I am so excited to renew this game. It is so much fun. The three Nutcrackers I was sent are: The Traditional King Nutcracker, The Chubby Italian Nutcracker, and The Lady In Silver Nutcracker.

Clever Creations 13

The Pickle Game revolves around the Pickle Ornament. “The pickle ornament is the last ornament put on the tree. The first-person Christmas morning to find the ornament gets to open the “pickle present”.” The present can be anything that you want it to be. Since Santa always spoils my children, I used to make it cash, like a $10.00 bill. That way, no matter the age of the recipient, the gift would be perfect. I cheated though, because I am a softy. There was also always a consolation prize, too. I love, love, love, that the pickle isn’t glass, like my last one was. Now, I don’t have to worry about it breaking on Christmas morning, and someone hurting themselves. It comes in a three pack too. So, if I want, I can write up the story of the pickle game, and give the extras to a couple friends as a hostess gift, or just as a gift, or to a neighbor, etc. It’s fun giving people presents!

I received the traditional green Pickle Ornaments. They do have them available in other color options as well. Included in the package are some silver threads. You need to attach them to the ornaments yourself. Or, you can attach a hook of your choice. The ornaments measure out at 1.5″ x 1.5″ x 4.5″. I love how they have gold, sparkly spots all over the pickles. I love sparkles! Just make sure your Christmas lights don’t reflect off of them, or that may make it easier to find, lol!

Clever Creations 38

 I lucked out and received one of the traditional Nutcrackers: The Traditional King Nutcracker. It is one of the staples, so we are proud to have it in our family now. My King measured out at 12” tall. The top of his crown, brings him to a little over 12”. His Gold Staff is moveable, but does not come out of his grasp. He is made out of wood, and has been decorated in Red, Blue, and Gold tones. I love his traditional mustache, that was painted on. I also think his expression is priceless; so serious, guarding, ruling. His nutcracker action is smooth going. What I love the most about this one, is the little bit of glam, the jewels that adorn his outfit and crown. So perfect for a King.

The next Nutcracker sent to me is from their Chubby Series; The Chubby Italian Nutcracker. Since I have some Italian in me, I really got a kick out of him. He does have some paint smudges on him, but I am used to seeing that with Nutcrackers. The Italian carries a basket of grapes, which actually is moveable too. I think they scraped against his body in packaging. In his other hand, he carries a bottle of wine. The bottle has been marked with the year 2017. I really like that! I can never forget the year I received him, now. Mine measured out at 7” tall; short and stout. He is just too cute, even with the smudges. Honestly, they make him look more authentic. Like he was out there gathering the grapes, and making the wine. I really love him. They even gave him a checkered bandana around his neck. His mouth opens smoothly too, it’s just a little harder to see it, because of the bandana. I am really loving the chubby series. It also makes it easier to group the Nutcrackers together, that way.

Last but not least, is the third Nutcracker I received. I honestly, have never seen anything like her in Nutcrackers before; The Lady In Silver Nutcracker. I mean, WOW. Talk about glam! She radiates sparkle, and I love things that sparkle. She is also made out of wood. Besides being painted, she is adored in an outfit of sequins. She looks so regal, so beautiful. She stands at 14” tall. I love her white fur hat, and the matching fur adorned gown. She is even carrying a sequined purse, and wears a silver necklace. Her long black gloves are painted on, so she can never lose them. They cleverly covered the front of her nutcracker with her flesh colored tape. So, at a quick glance, it is not noticeable from the front, unless you are opening it up. They painted the wood lever on her back, silver, to match the gown. I love how regal, yet sweet, her painted on face is. She looks like royalty.

Clever Creations offers many different styles of Nutcrackers for sale. Overall, I am pretty happy with them. They have a lot of character to them, and are a decoration that is both fun to give and receive. I am most definitely going to look forward to pulling them out of my Christmas boxes every year, and setting them out for all to enjoy. They make me smile. They make my family smile. What more is there to ask for.

Clever Creations 37

 

You can give Clever Creations some love, and follow them here:

https://www.pinterest.com/tryazon/clever-creations-for-christmas/

https://www.facebook.com/cleverchefco/?ref=br_rs

 Here are the links to these particular Nutcrackers as well as the Clever Creations Storefront on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A3DT8NCMU69VU5&merchant=A3DT8NCMU69VU5&redirect=true

https://www.amazon.com/Shatterproof-Christmas-Ornaments-Clever-Creations/dp/B01IWMKIJU/ref=sr_1_10?m=A3DT8NCMU69VU5&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1509928110&sr=1-10

https://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Nutcracker-Clever-Creations-Christmas/dp/B01M0U5PYD/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1507220771&sr=1-1&keywords=Clever+Creations+Chubby+Italian

https://www.amazon.com/Nutcracker-Clever-Creations-Collectable-Christmas/dp/B072188TRY/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1507220717&sr=1-1&keywords=Clever+Creations+Lady+in+Silver+with+Purse+Nutcracker

https://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Clever-Creations-Collectible-Embellished/dp/B01HOT0QAI/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1507220841&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=Clever+Creations+nutcracker+red+12+in&psc=1

http://clevercreationsco.com/

I received these as a sample through Tryazons Tryabox. All opinions are honest and my own.

Clever Creations 11

Tryazons’ 3Doodler House Party!

Standard

I am always thrilled to be accepted for one of Tryazons’ parties. I was exceptionally excited to be able to participate in the 3Doodler Campaign. I love creating things, but I have yet to even come close to mastering the 3D pens on the market. 3D doodler has a great product, I am very impressed. I received their 3Doodler Create Pens to play and party with, but they also carry a beginner’s line, and a line great for younger kids, called #Doodler Start. Now, if you are a pro at it, or a professional, they even have a line for you, called 3Doodler Pro, and it looks impressive. Last, but not least, they even offer a kit for classrooms, called the 3Doodler EDU. The 3Doodler Start was The Best Creative Toy of the Year for 2017, too! We took the pen on the road as well, since it is so portable. You can really have fun with it anywhere.

They have a wonderful website, with 5 main sections on it: Store, Projects, Educators, Support, and Blog. The website is very easy and clear to follow and understand. I am highly impressed with their Projects section. It is a lot better than others I have used, and looked at. Their projects are actually free to print out as well, which I really love! I printed out a few to use at my party.

In my package I received 2 3Doodler Create Pen Starter Kits, 1 DoodleStand 2.0, 2 Different Color Packs of ABS Plastic Sticks, and 2 Doodle Pads. The Create Pen Starter Kits include: 1 Pen, 1 AC Power adapter, 1 instruction pamphlet, 1 Quickstart Guide, 1 wrench, 1 mini screwdriver, and 1 long tool to clear the passage with. I love the stand that this company offers. It can hold up to 75 Doodlestrands, and 1 Pen. Because the pen has a rubber guard by the tip of it, it will even hold the pen if you have the power cord attached to it. The power cord attaches to the top of the pen. It plugs into a regular 2 prong outlet. The included pamphlet offers some easy to read, and understand instructions. You can also go their website, and on the first page of the Shop section, you will see a Getting Started Tab. Press that, and it takes you to a page, where you can choose your pen. So, I clicked Create, which is the pen I have, and it took me to a plethora of information. This is the direct link for that section: http://the3doodler.com/getting-started/create/?_ga=2.159286396.778643117.1500502727-1931972569.1497930577 There are videos and manuals there to help you on your journey. Here is the main Youtube video for getting started: https://youtu.be/LVPqK4L5p2Y   Have your pen ready, so you can follow along. It is basic, for example: On the side of you pen is the off, low, and high switch, as well as, the ports for accessories. It shows you that the top of the pen houses the air vent, the power port, and the port for your plastic strips to be inserted. The buttons to make the melted plastic come out, are called extrusion buttons.

3Doodler 17

These are on the front of the pen. The larger one makes it go faster, and the smaller one, makes it go slower. It’s a fast visual, which makes it easier to adjust your speed. I really like that. I also like how they are not located on the side, like some other brands. I would always hit it while trying to create, and that was sooo annoying. Now, the back side of the pen houses a clear section, which is the Maintenance Housing. You can see how mush plastic you have left in the pen, and access the inside of the pen from here, if you have an issue, like needing to clear a blockage. Last but not least, it warns you about the tip, or nozzle of the pen. It gets very hot while in use, and takes a bit to cool down after the pen is turned off, so be careful! Then it will go through other videos about turning on and operating your pen. You can choose to just read the pamphlet, but having a video visual, can make it easier for a lot of people. The pen has two settings: low, and high. On the low setting, the lightbar turns green when ready, and blue when ready for the high setting. The bar is on the front, top of the pen. The included plastic with the kit is ABS, which has to be used on the High setting. The low setting is for PLA, which was not included, but can be purchased separately. This pen can accommodate it. Now, to operate it, after you place a piece of plastic in it, and the light is on, go ahead and press one of the extrusion buttons once to start it. Pressing once again, will stop it, and double clicking one of these buttons will reverse the direction of your plastic, so you can remove it, and start a new color; easy peasey. Now, they state to trim the ends of your plastic after removing it from the pen, so it’s ready to be reused. This is easily done with a pair of scissors. Now, if you are trying to reverse your plastic, and it won’t, that means it’s too short to reverse, and you will have to use the rest of it, to remove it. They have videos on how to use the included tools to troubleshoot, in case you have an issue removing any plastic.

Time to create and enjoy. Being aggravated is not allowed, lol! I printed out a few projects ideas, but you can find others for free, or for purchase on the internet. I am ecstatic by the free library of projects 3Doddler’s website offers, though. Their videos give you hints on how to do 3D drawings, and more. Nothing takes the place of practice, though. With their DoodlePads, which have grid measurements on them, it was easy to place a project paper under the mat, and then create from there. Here is a link to some of their videos, for ideas: http://the3doodler.com/videos/ . Some hints I learned from their website. For a flat pattern, press form onto the surface. For a 3D pattern, when creating a line up, hold it for a few seconds, so it can solidify, and then pull quickly away, to separate from the creation.

 

I have a 10 year old son, who has tried 3D pens before too. He is at my skill level, which is, we will say, the fun level, lol. I feel safer with him using this pen. Since the plastic inserts are straight, and not long and curvy, the pen is easier for him to handle, which in turn makes it safer to use. I homeschool him, so I love to bring creative items into our home. This definitely fits the bill. Their website also shows all types of kits they offer, which can be highly fun, and educational for children. I am really impressed with this company overall! Under their Educators section on their website, the even have STEM included, which is beyond wonderful. You can create, or copy patterns. Learn how physics work in 3D builds. You can even have your friends create their own wine glass, or beer bottle markers, at the beginning of a party. Scientists do say, that as we age, are brain ages also. To keep It young, and quick, we need to keep using it, challenging it. This is definitely more fun than brain games on a tablet or phone, that’s for sure.

3Doodler 48.jpg

3Doodler 51

You can purchase any of their pens directly from their website, or Amazon. Here is a link to their community page: http://the3doodler.com/community/ 

All opinions are honest and my own. I have no financial ties to Tryazon or 3Doodler. I received this set in exchange for testing their items, and sharing my experience, only.

3Doodler 30