Oh my goodness...I have a Tupperware silicone piecrust rolling mat from 30 years ago which I haven’t used since pillsbury came out with ready crust! I never thought about using it in my craft room until you posted this! No cost mat for me!!!! Thank you!!!!
LOL, Mary you make me chuckle! You were pronouncing it correctly the first time; the "L" is silent. Thank you for your honest, unbiased reviews. Sometimes I feel like the "big names" are subconsciously enabling us to spend, spend, spend the big bucks, when there are cheaper alternatives out there that are just as effective. I'm all for supporting the small business, but I just can't afford it all, even if I may want to HAVE it all! You're a gem, Mary! :)
Hahaha...I'm laughing about it with my husband right now! He said I should have said, "the L is mute! That's great and all but I didn't know it was. lol I so appreciate your words of encouragement! I am hoping that I can alleviate even a little bit of that!
I'm really liking all the reviews and comparison videos. They mean a lot to me, being on disability and a fixed income. Thanks for sharing 🤗 God bless you Mary ❤ XOXO
I have the Waffle Flower mat. I like it. No, I didn’t really NEED it, but like a lot of my crafty things, I WANTED it. I use a lot of the shimmer powders and similar things, which can be quite messy, and the raised edges of this mat help to contain the mess. I tape my watercolor paper to a wooden cutting board with a handle, but the water/color runs off the edges, so I use this mat underneath. I have the Tonic glass mat, a self healing cutting mat, and several Teflon mats - they all have a place and purpose. I do agree that the Waffle Flower mat is pricey, but I got mine on sale with free shipping. But most importantly, the features, especially the raised edges/wells, were what is important for my purposes. If I had known about some of the similar, less expensive soldering mats, I might have chosen the dark colored one, because it’s the most similar (except for the color). Thanks for the review.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have so many great products too; love them all, and yes they all have a purpose! Lots of amazing things for us to choose from; it's so fun! The media mat is really great; and I love how it just looks like a canvas.
These other options (soldering silicone matts) are an incrediby smart idea! I just checked them out on Amazon and they are also available in white, which is very similar to the Waffle Flower matt but price is so much better. Thank you!
Great review, Mary. I enjoy these kinds of comparison videos and look forward to more. I'm on a tight budget and you are helping me spend my money wisely - I appreciate that.
Just found you recently and you have become my go to when looking for information. Love your presentations and how much knowledge you quickly distribute.
Mary, this video was extremely helpful! I love how you demonstrate the different items showing how it's used, giving the pros and cons and your honest opinion and most of all price ranges. You are the BEST Mary! Great job!
Wow, I never knew this existed. I’m thinking you’ve just changed my whole world around in regards to mirror stamping! 😃 I have tons of silicone mats from when I did clay art.
Thank you so much for doing these reviews. I just found you and told all my paper nerd friends. I also loved the heavy weight white card stock you talked about in 6 ways to save on craft supplies. You have won my heart!!!
I just want to say that I totally appreciate you doing these videos because I was considering getting the waffle flower mat and you totally sold me on the fiskars one instead! That’s more money for other creating supplies! Lol. You’re the best Mary! ❤️😁
Oh this is so great that I was able to help! YAY! After shipping it is just SO expensive. I think I paid total of $45 for it. YIKES! So glad you are getting to save some money.
Love your honesty and finding cheaper alternatives for everyone. We get so caught up in wanting all the new stuff because it looks like it would be a good thing to have, even if it really isn't necessary. Thank you.
I agree 100%; I'm trying to have us regroup and see if that is something we really should get because even if we 'want' it and not 'need' it, is it still a good purchase? Thanks so much for the love!
@@marypolancodesigns thank u I am a versafine gal myself i just ordered the altnew obesidian black pigmentink tonight I saw alot of good reviews so have to try it...lol
The blue mat, you can also get on AliExpress! I bought one for around $7-$8 with free shipping, and it looks just like the Amazon one but it is about 12x18” and has a few more wells in it. Thank you SO much for showing that mirror image technique!!! I never thought of using my mat that way!! I bought mine right after the waffle flower one came out. I too didn’t like the high price. I’ve used paint, glue, embossing powder on mine and so far no sticking! I’ve just ordered another one that was about $4-$5 slightly smaller for resin work. Resin doesn’t stick permanently and it still has little wells for embellishments. I love your idea for the NuVo drops in the holes too! I was thinking of using my hot glue gun or mixed media paste. This was a very informative video, thank you!!
Thank you so much! Oh yes I will be pulling out my glue gun more and with this mat it's gonna make it such a nice surface to work on! Thank you so much for sharing this information with all of us! I really appreciate it!
Hmmmm the soldering mats would be great for beading, sequins, and rhinestones and such! I honestly never seen the watercolor mat before! So thank you for this review! I actually make cards... jewelry... polymer clay charms, and watercolor. These surfaces would be work for all my crafting, minus the cutting... but the fiskers is transparent enough to see my cutting mat grid through so that's awesome too.... what I'm saying is. GIRLFRIEND YOU ROCK!!!! i gotta have a couple of these! Thank you thank you for this extensive review that is gonna save me money!!!
YAY! You just made my day! SO happy this was useful to you; it was my pleasure! I love saving money too so it's such a joy to see others do it too! Thanks so much for taking the time for me with this comment! :)
OMG, I have this Fiskars mat. Have had it for about a month. I cut mine in half and gave the other half to my sister (a little e to large for my space). originally bought it for glue because the glue and tape does not stick to it. Never thought of the other ways you are using it! Thanks so much! I fold it in half and pinch one of those pinch clips for office use to it and hang it off a command hook when I’m not using it.
I picked up two baking silicone mats on Amazon for $7. My son and I work together so its perfect. I got a pack of six plastic watercolor mixing trays with six wells each at Dollar Tree. It works great for our needs and totaled $8 before tax.
Thank you so much. I appreciate the comparisons. You actually saved me a lot of money. I was going to purchase the waffle mat but after seeing the other silicone mats I realized that they are just as good and fit my needs better. I love the mirror inking tip as well.
This mat is great for card making. Place your card up in the corner and it will hold it in place for your stamping, and great for blending with dubbers.
I didn’t see that anyone commented this, but you can just use a little palette if you want well for liquid water color. I just bought a little three pack at Tuesday morning.
Super comparisons especially the price points. If you don't do tubes of liquid watercolors you don't need wells. Also who cares about color as my craft room is a hot mess of colors of machines and mats lol. Love your tutorials as you always inspire and give a chuckle. Blessings to you and your family
The Betty Crocker liner for your cookie sheets it’s made out of silicone at the dollar store for two bucks we do the same thing and it’s got somewhat of a grid built into it like an inch blocks
This is available on Prime now for around $43. Waffle Flower charges $13 to ship. Marker Pop has the best shipping and price I’ve seen so far (and they ship for free at $60 if you’re a gold member). Amazon and Marker Pop come very close in total cost. I can’t speak for sales tax as l don’t have any. But the alternatives you showed are awesome!! I will def. be purchasing one of them.
Marcee, thank you so much for taking the time to share all of this information! I really do appreciate that! I use the Fiskars one a lot actually! It's been awesome!
Thanks for your wisdom here! I have decided I would rather buy another Tim Holtz mat than silicon. That way I could have another one for my kitchen crafting and one for my craft room upstairs. Thanks again!
You can make yourself broke trying to keep up with it all. I actually had to curb my haul video watching I'd want everything I see. I use that Ken Oliver best ever craft mat everything you showed it can do as well even glue won't stick to the mat. Another great video
Karyn, you are spot on! It's so difficult to keep up if you are trying to. Next month there will be something new to want. I love it when you get an all purpose solution. My glass mat is that for me. I love it; it's just not travel friendly but I have enough options for that.
Good vid, here is a thought about the 9 x 12...many watercolorists work in that size, so it likely would accomodate a wet wash without a lot of dribbles. I love the electronics mats-they look like the would work for jewelry making too. Lots of small rimmed boxes! 😁
WOW I never knew about those other mats. I am so glad you showed us those. I had never even seen the Fiskars mat. The mats with the little holes for screws could be really cool for Jewelry making. You could put your small beads in them. TYFS
I LOVE silicone mats. I have the big Fiskars in my studio and I have 2 Silpats & 1 Exopat for baking. If the craft mat is truly silicone then you can safely heat emboss and many other heat related things on it. I tossed my Holtz craft sheet out after too many rolls caused tiny cracks to appear that liked drinking ink. I replaced it with a larger Fiskars silicone mat and I do everything heat related on it. True silicone craft and baking mats are guaranteed to 500 degrees. I have done heat embossing, hot gluing, used the WRMK pocket maker (I forget its name) and have even soldered jump rings. I've inked, painted and purposefully poured melted UTEE onto it and made hot glue swirls that I gilded for a wedding card. So these babies can take the heat. I am now using it to do small canvas acrylic pours...and I use a blowtorch on them! I've used it nearly every day for the last 3 or 4 years now. My husband even has one to do his WWII truck & tank models on. Learn from my expensive mistake. NEVER put a Silpat or Exopat under a broiler! EVER! Broilets can go up to 550 degrees. Higher than the 500 degrees they're guaranteed for.
WOW Rosemary, this is awesome information to have! Thank you so much for sharing that with all of us! So far, they seem ok to take my heat gun but I will for sure be trying my glue gun soon; just got a new one! YAY!
I have a Teflon mat from Years ago. I need to try the mirror stamping on it. I saw someone use the small dark gray mat for mirror stamping and it worked well.
Of course I ordered a $10 silicon mat for mirror stamping a week before I ordered this mat and then learned it does mirror stamping very well. I work on my lap a lot so this mat is very helpful for me. I use all the packing pieces under to hold it flat on my lap. I use and really like the Tim Holtz mat when working on a table. Thanks, Mary. I enjoyed your video as always.
That's so great that it is perfect for you! I love it when we get a staple product in our craft inventory. I have a few faves of my own! And yes, of course that would happen, that's called Murphy! lol
So if you put the Fiskars mat on top of a light box you could stamp a reverse image in the back side of the card stock of which you had stamped a regular image. Then you could do one of those fun spinner cards with your cute manatee. Also you could make shaker cards with the wells of the WF mat packaging.
Kmart Australia have awesome silicone pet feeding mats with a good 1cm lip all the way round. They come in large and medium size. No wells but I have a favourite pallet and don't mind staining on the mat because they come in grey and pink anyways. Oh and they cost $4 for the smaller ( plenty of room for A4 paper) one and I think $6 for the larger one. I'm happy as with it and can use it slanted on my laptop board 👏👍
The Fiskars mat looks great but it's now $20 on Amazon. OTOH there are translucent silicone baking mats around the $10 price point. My current set-up is a Wendy Vecchi magnetic mat with a stiff plastic mat over. The magnetic mat is like having an extra pair of hands - I just love it! A translucent, heat-resistant mat on top would be ideal. I can still use the magnets and see the grid on the metal mat underneath.
Mary! You are such a clever girl. I took a look on Amazon and found heat resistant (+446 F) baking sheets and counter protectors, some heat resistant kids placemats. I got my eye on one green Mirenlife Premium Large Silicone Baking Mat for $10.09. For the price, I'll get two....one for each grand-artist who visits me every day :) Thanks, Mary!
Hi Mary. A good review. Thanks so much. I have a Mod Podge silicone mat that I've had for years. These really are not new. I too like to look at what I already have stashed away somewhere that I haven't used for a while before I hop on the Latest and Greatest band wagon. I just recently pulled out that bright pink mat, and although it is not that big and doesn't have any wells, it works just fine. And it's heat resistant too. Thanks again.
Yes, exactly. Whenever something new comes out I'm always looking around for an alternative first. I feel i support our community very well with the millions of stamps i have lol, that sometimes i need a wallet break.
Great video and thanks for showing some alternatives. I saw the Waffle Flower one a couple days ago and would have bought it, but thought it was too expensive for basically just a silicone mat. I added it to my wish list because I did like the wells, but the wells aren't a necessity, just a nice feature. After seeing this I'm going to go for the Fiskar one. Funny, my favorite feature is the mirror stamping and all the mats performed the same! Thanks again Mary for another great comparison video!
Thanks so much, Alicia! YAY So glad it was helpful! I just think the price is just too much of a difference from something you can get cheaper...good cal! lol
Thanks for this. I really liked the mirroring ability and now also that the paper doesn't move around. I do think that the Fiskars is too big, but for that price I can live with that.
I agree with the size, slight too big but you can always cut it down to the size that is best for you OR try something silicone from the kitchen department in the store; that might work too. :)
@@marypolancodesigns I actually just ordered one on Amazon that was almost half the price of the Fiskars. I think it might have been from the kitchen department. I can't wait to try it.
I do too but they upped the price since this video. Keep an eye out for the Scrapbook.com silicone mat to come back in stock because it's very reasonably priced.
I bought the Tim Holtz glass media mat from Amazon in April for $56 and after you said $36 I went and checked and it's dropped $21 in less than a month! If anyone wants one, it's definitely a good time to buy it from Amazon. I've also ordered the Waffle Flower water media mat even though I really didn't need it. I'm waiting on it to come in.
I agree with you; that's a huge drop in just one month! I'm sorry you had to pay so much. Now is a great time to grab it up. I think the glass media mat is definitely worth the $36 current price; really great tool.
I apologize Mary, I realized this video is from May 2019, so I guess prices went up as they usually do lol. I would of bought the Fiskars for $10 but $20 is too much since I have other pads.
I have a silicone mat that came with my Fuse tool so I’ll stick with that. I don’t need wells. But I HAVE to try the mirror stamping trick!! Another type of mat that might work is one for glue guns.
Hooray! Now I know that I can use my silicone sheets to mirror stamp! (I found some on clearance for a dollar! They were being sold as place mats for children, but I knew they would be useful in the craft room! I was mostly using them as nonskid mats for my Big Shot.). Thank you!
Such a cool video! I don't see the need for the wells either and I don't like large tools because I don't have room to store them so I bought the mini version of the Waffle Flower mat. I just got it, so I've yet to give it a try but I am really looking forward to trying the mirror stamping! Plus I love that your paper doesn't move on it when ink blending. I wish I would have seen this video first, but oh well! Maybe next time you'll save me a few dollars that I can spend on stamps instead. ;)
got it for $ 29. 41 free ship on ebay tonight baking mitts and some pans made of this material are also fairly expensive ,you just got to shop around....
I bought a silicone hot glue gun mat at the dollar store the other day. I may have to try it and see if the mirror stamping will work. Thanks for all the tips!
Hahaha...YES it's really good mat and so much fun to play with. Some folks have said they found white soldering mats too but I didn't when I was doing the video.
SO GLAD I SAW THIS!! I have been hemming & hawing all day whether to take the plunge on the WF water media mat!! Before, I said "I can't justify it because my TH media mat is so AMAZING!!" Then...the sales started & the coupons!! I appreciate your input & alternatives because I actually already have a silicone mat!! Thx again! ~new subbie!! 😊
Another great comparison review! If I was going to purchase it would be the Fiskars, I am a plain jane type of person,and I liked how it can be folded as I carry stuff back and forth to work to get crafting time in on my lunch hour!! Thanks for sharing ... and yes kids have to put their foot on every object that is on a floor or the ground!! That is just what they do !! 🤔
Pam, thank you so much, I so appreciate that! I love that you can fold it up so easy and it really did all the things! Hahah...kids...they step on everything!!!
I just discovered the wet media mat within the last few days, watched a video on it. I will put 1 fact in the pro column, it has video alignment guides, so you can line up your camera with the various markings and know what's in your shot. They did say it's a bit finicky to clean, you have to go up and down not side to side or circles. I think I'll probably get the Fiscars mat or 1 of the other ones you mentioned, if I can find any.
I thought of the watercolor mat for true watercoloring, and wasn't interested. When you showed the mirror stamping, I was totally interested in the 6.98 (?) One. I think that manatee stamp set is going to end up in my craft room. My family goes to Florida twice a year to vacation, and visit family. Thank goodness for MAC flights!!! We LOVE watching the manatee at Sea World, the museum of Southern Florida, or Homosassas. We want to move next year, and I am determined to see them in the wild. My giant tea mug has a manatee, and manatee facts on it. My brain has wandered from silicon to manatees.
Awww manatees are so cute and you have such a love for them; that's awesome! So yes, the cheap mat for doing the mirror imaging is amazing! Such a great deal! I don't even know if that "mirror" stamp you could buy is near that cheap.
@@marypolancodesigns When I saw the "mirror stamp" used in a video, I thought the person used a marker to fill in missing bits. The silicon seemed to do it perfectly!
How timely! A couple of times I almost pulled the trigger and purchased the mirror image stamp. I just purchased the Fiskars mat, so thank you for this review.
You can buy silicone sheet on Ebay, really cheap, sometimes as place mats, or in various other sizes and thicknesses. I think clear sheet is good because you can put it over an existing mat with a grid and it shows through. Also, I think there’s a technique you can do with a die-cutting machine that requires a clear silicone embossing mat, and one of the companies does supply this - sorry - can’t remember the details - but if you get cheap silicone sheets off Ebay you can cut them to the right size for that. Anyway, there’s no need for branded silicone sheets because you can buy the stuff as generic silicone sheets quite cheaply.
Mary Polanco I am thinking of getting a couple of these - one to use as a whole sheet and the other to cut up. It occurred to me that if it was thick enough (or perhaps if you put it on a pad of some sort) that you could use this for gelli printing. Those gelli blocks are soooo expensive...
You mentioned a magnetic wall. I bought magnetic panels with sticky backs on them from Amazon and stuck them on my craft storage cabinet and put all my dies on them. They work wonderfully. You can also stick the magnetic panels to a wall, door, window etc. I don't know what I did without them. It's been 2 months now and none of the dies have shifted or fallen.
Thanks for sharing all the information. You have shown so really great alternatives for the new Waffle mat. So thanks very much and have a great Mother's Day .
Thank you so much for the alternatives..i didnt even know what those mats were but I love it has little wells. I wanted to buy a mat and try it and one for my kids every few months but wow i can get them one of those others--great for their painting!
I made a version of the Tim Holtz glass mat because I couldn't afford his one and I love it. I don't have any issue with it reflecting when I'm recording video...cool video 👍
YAY! I love hearing about this; so cool! I only have it because I got it at a super discount price. But I do love the concept. It's so great you DIYed-it
Mary Polanco Yes, it was! My order from Amazon will be here Thursday. I chose a generic mat to test out first (because it’s pink- lol). If I don’t love it, I’m definitely going to order the Fiskars one! 😉
Oh my goodness...I have a Tupperware silicone piecrust rolling mat from 30 years ago which I haven’t used since pillsbury came out with ready crust! I never thought about using it in my craft room until you posted this! No cost mat for me!!!! Thank you!!!!
YAY!!!! I love it! I'm so happy this was useful to you and that you found a product you already had! The best!
LOL, Mary you make me chuckle! You were pronouncing it correctly the first time; the "L" is silent. Thank you for your honest, unbiased reviews. Sometimes I feel like the "big names" are subconsciously enabling us to spend, spend, spend the big bucks, when there are cheaper alternatives out there that are just as effective. I'm all for supporting the small business, but I just can't afford it all, even if I may want to HAVE it all! You're a gem, Mary! :)
I don't think its subconscious. I too appreciate Mary.
Hahaha...I'm laughing about it with my husband right now! He said I should have said, "the L is mute! That's great and all but I didn't know it was. lol I so appreciate your words of encouragement! I am hoping that I can alleviate even a little bit of that!
@@marypolancodesigns You're doing great. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Marie Bingaman n
Marie Bingaman n
I'm really liking all the reviews and comparison videos. They mean a lot to me, being on disability and a fixed income. Thanks for sharing 🤗
God bless you Mary ❤ XOXO
Oh Wendy, this makes me so happy to hear. Thank you for sharing that with me. I so appreciate it!
I have one, too, but mine's not silicone, just heavy plastic.
I have the Waffle Flower mat. I like it. No, I didn’t really NEED it, but like a lot of my crafty things, I WANTED it. I use a lot of the shimmer powders and similar things, which can be quite messy, and the raised edges of this mat help to contain the mess. I tape my watercolor paper to a wooden cutting board with a handle, but the water/color runs off the edges, so I use this mat underneath. I have the Tonic glass mat, a self healing cutting mat, and several Teflon mats - they all have a place and purpose. I do agree that the Waffle Flower mat is pricey, but I got mine on sale with free shipping. But most importantly, the features, especially the raised edges/wells, were what is important for my purposes. If I had known about some of the similar, less expensive soldering mats, I might have chosen the dark colored one, because it’s the most similar (except for the color). Thanks for the review.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have so many great products too; love them all, and yes they all have a purpose! Lots of amazing things for us to choose from; it's so fun! The media mat is really great; and I love how it just looks like a canvas.
These other options (soldering silicone matts) are an incrediby smart idea! I just checked them out on Amazon and they are also available in white, which is very similar to the Waffle Flower matt but price is so much better. Thank you!
Oh that is such great news; Great job shopping around; that's how you have to do it! LOVE that!
Great review, Mary. I enjoy these kinds of comparison videos and look forward to more. I'm on a tight budget and you are helping me spend my money wisely - I appreciate that.
YAY that is what it's all about; thank you for sharing that with me! So happy you are enjoying them!
Thank you for all your reviews, great to have someone out there looks for other alternatives to the name brand expensive ones.
You are most welcome; it's my pleasure! :) Thank you!
Just found you recently and you have become my go to when looking for information. Love your presentations and how much knowledge you quickly distribute.
Wow, that's such a great compliment! I really appreciate that! Thank you
Mary, this video was extremely helpful! I love how you demonstrate the different items showing how it's used, giving the pros and cons and your honest opinion and most of all price ranges. You are the BEST Mary! Great job!
Awww thanks, Lisa! You are the best for always encouraging me and keeping me going! Thank you so much! it was my pleasure!
Wow, I never knew this existed. I’m thinking you’ve just changed my whole world around in regards to mirror stamping! 😃 I have tons of silicone mats from when I did clay art.
YAY! April, such awesome feedback i'm so happy it was useful! Thank you for letting me know
Thank you so much for doing these reviews. I just found you and told all my paper nerd friends. I also loved the heavy weight white card stock you talked about in 6 ways to save on craft supplies. You have won my heart!!!
Awww YAY! I love winning hearts...minds are next! lol Thank you so much for the sweet feedback. I'm so glad you are liking the channel!
I just want to say that I totally appreciate you doing these videos because I was considering getting the waffle flower mat and you totally sold me on the fiskars one instead! That’s more money for other creating supplies! Lol. You’re the best Mary! ❤️😁
Oh this is so great that I was able to help! YAY! After shipping it is just SO expensive. I think I paid total of $45 for it. YIKES! So glad you are getting to save some money.
Love your honesty and finding cheaper alternatives for everyone. We get so caught up in wanting all the new stuff because it looks like it would be a good thing to have, even if it really isn't necessary. Thank you.
I agree 100%; I'm trying to have us regroup and see if that is something we really should get because even if we 'want' it and not 'need' it, is it still a good purchase? Thanks so much for the love!
best mirror stamping I have ever seen!!!!
Why thank you but I attribute that to the pigment ink I used, the Versafine Clair Nocturne. I linked it for you in the other comment.
@@marypolancodesigns thank u I am a versafine gal myself i just ordered the altnew obesidian black pigmentink tonight I saw alot of good reviews so have to try it...lol
The blue mat, you can also get on AliExpress! I bought one for around $7-$8 with free shipping, and it looks just like the Amazon one but it is about 12x18” and has a few more wells in it. Thank you SO much for showing that mirror image technique!!! I never thought of using my mat that way!! I bought mine right after the waffle flower one came out. I too didn’t like the high price. I’ve used paint, glue, embossing powder on mine and so far no sticking! I’ve just ordered another one that was about $4-$5 slightly smaller for resin work. Resin doesn’t stick permanently and it still has little wells for embellishments. I love your idea for the NuVo drops in the holes too! I was thinking of using my hot glue gun or mixed media paste. This was a very informative video, thank you!!
Thank you so much! Oh yes I will be pulling out my glue gun more and with this mat it's gonna make it such a nice surface to work on! Thank you so much for sharing this information with all of us! I really appreciate it!
Would you mind telling us what Ali Store has the 12x18 mat please? Flower GemsGirl?
Thank you for your tips and sharing on the water media mat have a blessed day
You are so welcome!
Hmmmm the soldering mats would be great for beading, sequins, and rhinestones and such! I honestly never seen the watercolor mat before! So thank you for this review! I actually make cards... jewelry... polymer clay charms, and watercolor. These surfaces would be work for all my crafting, minus the cutting... but the fiskers is transparent enough to see my cutting mat grid through so that's awesome too.... what I'm saying is. GIRLFRIEND YOU ROCK!!!! i gotta have a couple of these! Thank you thank you for this extensive review that is gonna save me money!!!
YAY! You just made my day! SO happy this was useful to you; it was my pleasure! I love saving money too so it's such a joy to see others do it too! Thanks so much for taking the time for me with this comment! :)
Okay, I am sold on the Fiskars rubbery mat thing! Thank you for this comparison video, Mary!
Hahah..YES Jen...it's really great and for the price? I can't even! lol
OMG, I have this Fiskars mat. Have had it for about a month. I cut mine in half and gave the other half to my sister (a little e to large for my space). originally bought it for glue because the glue and tape does not stick to it. Never thought of the other ways you are using it! Thanks so much!
I fold it in half and pinch one of those pinch clips for office use to it and hang it off a command hook when I’m not using it.
Pam....LOVE everything about this post! YES Cutting it in half that is brilliant. thank you for that! and hanging it...YES!
I picked up two baking silicone mats on Amazon for $7. My son and I work together so its perfect. I got a pack of six plastic watercolor mixing trays with six wells each at Dollar Tree. It works great for our needs and totaled $8 before tax.
Yes!!!! Such a great deal! Love it and thank you for sharing !!
Thank you so much. I appreciate the comparisons. You actually saved me a lot of money. I was going to purchase the waffle mat but after seeing the other silicone mats I realized that they are just as good and fit my needs better. I love the mirror inking tip as well.
You are so welcome! I'm so glad this was helpful! Thank you for letting me know.
Thank you so much for taking the time to show & purchace these items! I defiantly will get the fiskers ❤😘
You are most welcome; I'm so glad that it was useful! YAY
This mat is great for card making. Place your card up in the corner and it will hold it in place for your stamping, and great for blending with dubbers.
Yes silicone mats really are great for those reasons!
The waffle mat is good to ink blend on. It holds your paper in place.
Yes indeed. Silicone mats are great for that for sure! :)
I bought the Fiskars mat on clearance last year for $5. Now I know I can mirror stamp with it! Thanks for sharing!
Oh YES! I just did it in a Lawn Fawn Unicorn video with it recently! Love that mat for mirror stamping!
“Bubbles go away.” 😂 Hilarious! Thanks for sharing. You are too cute. Love your review. 💕
Heheh….thank you so much; so glad you liked it!
The blue and black ones ought to be awesome for jewelry projects!
Right? That would be perfect for all those little pieces. YES, Bev
I didn’t see that anyone commented this, but you can just use a little palette if you want well for liquid water color. I just bought a little three pack at Tuesday morning.
Kathleen, excellent idea! Thank you so much!
Super comparisons especially the price points. If you don't do tubes of liquid watercolors you don't need wells. Also who cares about color as my craft room is a hot mess of colors of machines and mats lol. Love your tutorials as you always inspire and give a chuckle. Blessings to you and your family
YAY! So glad you liked it. I agree with you on all your points! for sure! I don't have matching anything in my crafty space
The Betty Crocker liner for your cookie sheets it’s made out of silicone at the dollar store for two bucks we do the same thing and it’s got somewhat of a grid built into it like an inch blocks
Great tip; thank you so much!
This is available on Prime now for around $43. Waffle Flower charges $13 to ship. Marker Pop has the best shipping and price I’ve seen so far (and they ship for free at $60 if you’re a gold member). Amazon and Marker Pop come very close in total cost. I can’t speak for sales tax as l don’t have any. But the alternatives you showed are awesome!! I will def. be purchasing one of them.
Marcee, thank you so much for taking the time to share all of this information! I really do appreciate that! I use the Fiskars one a lot actually! It's been awesome!
Thanks for your wisdom here! I have decided I would rather buy another Tim Holtz mat than silicon. That way I could have another one for my kitchen crafting and one for my craft room upstairs. Thanks again!
Diane, great idea! Thanks so much!
You can make yourself broke trying to keep up with it all. I actually had to curb my haul video watching I'd want everything I see. I use that Ken Oliver best ever craft mat everything you showed it can do as well even glue won't stick to the mat. Another great video
Karyn, you are spot on! It's so difficult to keep up if you are trying to. Next month there will be something new to want. I love it when you get an all purpose solution. My glass mat is that for me. I love it; it's just not travel friendly but I have enough options for that.
Good vid, here is a thought about the 9 x 12...many watercolorists work in that size, so it likely would accomodate a wet wash without a lot of dribbles. I love the electronics mats-they look like the would work for jewelry making too. Lots of small rimmed boxes! 😁
Great point, Judy! Yes I love the mats and have turned one of them into alcohol mat when playing with alcohol inks.
@@marypolancodesigns great idea!
There's also silicone baking mats that are equally cheap. And words are hard.
YAY! thank you for that addition...and YES they are difficult at times, especially for my rattled brain lately! lol
hard, but amusing ;) You should hear me when I get tire though, words come out all wrong lol
WOW I never knew about those other mats. I am so glad you showed us those. I had never even seen the Fiskars mat. The mats with the little holes for screws could be really cool for Jewelry making. You could put your small beads in them. TYFS
Ooooh great idea for jewelry makers, ,those mats would be perfect!!
Thanks for all the comparisons Mary! It was very helpful!
I'm so glad; thank you so much for letting me know! :)
Thank you SO much. I am always looking for other options as this is or can be an expensive hobby. But I love it
Oh you are most welcome!! I'm so happy it was helpful
I LOVE silicone mats. I have the big Fiskars in my studio and I have 2 Silpats & 1 Exopat for baking. If the craft mat is truly silicone then you can safely heat emboss and many other heat related things on it. I tossed my Holtz craft sheet out after too many rolls caused tiny cracks to appear that liked drinking ink. I replaced it with a larger Fiskars silicone mat and I do everything heat related on it. True silicone craft and baking mats are guaranteed to 500 degrees. I have done heat embossing, hot gluing, used the WRMK pocket maker (I forget its name) and have even soldered jump rings. I've inked, painted and purposefully poured melted UTEE onto it and made hot glue swirls that I gilded for a wedding card.
So these babies can take the heat.
I am now using it to do small canvas acrylic pours...and I use a blowtorch on them!
I've used it nearly every day for the last 3 or 4 years now. My husband even has one to do his WWII truck & tank models on.
Learn from my expensive mistake. NEVER put a Silpat or Exopat under a broiler!
EVER! Broilets can go up to 550 degrees. Higher than the 500 degrees they're guaranteed for.
WOW Rosemary, this is awesome information to have! Thank you so much for sharing that with all of us! So far, they seem ok to take my heat gun but I will for sure be trying my glue gun soon; just got a new one! YAY!
I have a Teflon mat from Years ago. I need to try the mirror stamping on it. I saw someone use the small dark gray mat for mirror stamping and it worked well.
Oh yes do give it a try; that would be great! I am so excited that I can mirror stamp now; YAY! I struggled for so long with that!
Of course I ordered a $10 silicon mat for mirror stamping a week before I ordered this mat and then learned it does mirror stamping very well. I work on my lap a lot so this mat is very helpful for me. I use all the packing pieces under to hold it flat on my lap. I use and really like the Tim Holtz mat when working on a table. Thanks, Mary. I enjoyed your video as always.
That's so great that it is perfect for you! I love it when we get a staple product in our craft inventory. I have a few faves of my own! And yes, of course that would happen, that's called Murphy! lol
So if you put the Fiskars mat on top of a light box you could stamp a reverse image in the back side of the card stock of which you had stamped a regular image. Then you could do one of those fun spinner cards with your cute manatee.
Also you could make shaker cards with the wells of the WF mat packaging.
Excellent idea and tips! YES Thank you so much for sharing that!
Thanks for this review 🙏
FYI Universal Crafts, (AU$19.99), have almost identical water media mat to Waffle Flower, (AU$69.95)
Thanks for the info!
You are so sweet and thoughtful! Love these comparison videos, you're the best and you ROCK!!!
Aww thanks, Jane! I so appreciate you saying that! So kind! YAY
Kmart Australia have awesome silicone pet feeding mats with a good 1cm lip all the way round. They come in large and medium size. No wells but I have a favourite pallet and don't mind staining on the mat because they come in grey and pink anyways. Oh and they cost $4 for the smaller ( plenty of room for A4 paper) one and I think $6 for the larger one. I'm happy as with it and can use it slanted on my laptop board 👏👍
This is SUCH a great suggestion; WOW thank you so much for taking the time to share it! I love it! I hope folks see this!
The Fiskars mat looks great but it's now $20 on Amazon. OTOH there are translucent silicone baking mats around the $10 price point. My current set-up is a Wendy Vecchi magnetic mat with a stiff plastic mat over. The magnetic mat is like having an extra pair of hands - I just love it! A translucent, heat-resistant mat on top would be ideal. I can still use the magnets and see the grid on the metal mat underneath.
I know the price went up; huge bummer but like you said ANY of those silicone mats would do the exact same thing.
Mary! You are such a clever girl. I took a look on Amazon and found heat resistant (+446 F) baking sheets and counter protectors, some heat resistant kids placemats. I got my eye on one green Mirenlife Premium Large Silicone Baking Mat for $10.09. For the price, I'll get two....one for each grand-artist who visits me every day :) Thanks, Mary!
Yay!!! Love it when a less expensive option emerges. Woohooo!!
Hi Mary. A good review. Thanks so much. I have a Mod Podge silicone mat that I've had for years. These really are not new. I too like to look at what I already have stashed away somewhere that I haven't used for a while before I hop on the Latest and Greatest band wagon. I just recently pulled out that bright pink mat, and although it is not that big and doesn't have any wells, it works just fine. And it's heat resistant too. Thanks again.
Yes, exactly. Whenever something new comes out I'm always looking around for an alternative first. I feel i support our community very well with the millions of stamps i have lol, that sometimes i need a wallet break.
Great video and thanks for showing some alternatives. I saw the Waffle Flower one a couple days ago and would have bought it, but thought it was too expensive for basically just a silicone mat. I added it to my wish list because I did like the wells, but the wells aren't a necessity, just a nice feature. After seeing this I'm going to go for the Fiskar one. Funny, my favorite feature is the mirror stamping and all the mats performed the same! Thanks again Mary for another great comparison video!
Thanks so much, Alicia! YAY So glad it was helpful! I just think the price is just too much of a difference from something you can get cheaper...good cal! lol
The soldering mats are a genius alternative!
I might have to pick one up to use with watercolor powders since they're so messy.
YES! Great idea and they are so cheap, doesn't matter if they get yucky!
I appreciate your honest review of products. I usually do look for an alternative option when buying craft supplies & tools to keep the prices down.
Great, I'm so happy these are helpful! I really try to save where I can!
Awesome video with plenty of options. Thanks for taking the time to share this
Glad it was helpful! I try to find options best I can. YAY for saving money
Thank you Mary!
My pleasure Jackie! :)
Fiskars mats are now $20.12 on Amazon, Prime eligible - just checked 4/18/21. $20.99 at Fiskars, plus shipping.
GROSS! I don't like when they hike the prices. I'm sorry! The Scrapbook.com one is around $10 and just as good.
Thanks for this. I really liked the mirroring ability and now also that the paper doesn't move around. I do think that the Fiskars is too big, but for that price I can live with that.
I agree with the size, slight too big but you can always cut it down to the size that is best for you OR try something silicone from the kitchen department in the store; that might work too. :)
@@marypolancodesigns I actually just ordered one on Amazon that was almost half the price of the Fiskars. I think it might have been from the kitchen department. I can't wait to try it.
Oh I like the fiska one
I do too but they upped the price since this video. Keep an eye out for the Scrapbook.com silicone mat to come back in stock because it's very reasonably priced.
I bought the Tim Holtz glass media mat from Amazon in April for $56 and after you said $36 I went and checked and it's dropped $21 in less than a month! If anyone wants one, it's definitely a good time to buy it from Amazon. I've also ordered the Waffle Flower water media mat even though I really didn't need it. I'm waiting on it to come in.
I agree with you; that's a huge drop in just one month! I'm sorry you had to pay so much. Now is a great time to grab it up. I think the glass media mat is definitely worth the $36 current price; really great tool.
I apologize Mary, I realized this video is from May 2019, so I guess prices went up as they usually do lol. I would of bought the Fiskars for $10 but $20 is too much since I have other pads.
Yeah that's the unfortunate thing! Sometimes I forget to remind us that prices could change. I'm so sorry about that!
I have a silicone mat that came with my Fuse tool so I’ll stick with that. I don’t need wells. But I HAVE to try the mirror stamping trick!! Another type of mat that might work is one for glue guns.
Oh yay!! You already have one. that's awesome and yes the mirror stamping is awesome on these mats. I used Versafine clair nocturne in the video
Hooray! Now I know that I can use my silicone sheets to mirror stamp! (I found some on clearance for a dollar! They were being sold as place mats for children, but I knew they would be useful in the craft room! I was mostly using them as nonskid mats for my Big Shot.). Thank you!
WOOOOHOOOOO! I love this! And what a deal! I'm so happy this was useful to you! woot woot1
Such a cool video! I don't see the need for the wells either and I don't like large tools because I don't have room to store them so I bought the mini version of the Waffle Flower mat. I just got it, so I've yet to give it a try but I am really looking forward to trying the mirror stamping! Plus I love that your paper doesn't move on it when ink blending. I wish I would have seen this video first, but oh well! Maybe next time you'll save me a few dollars that I can spend on stamps instead. ;)
Thanks Christy! I love how silicone holds on to the paper; that's so brilliant! So glad you got a good little mat regardless. YAY!
Thank you so much for showing some cheaper options. I love those videos!
Thank you so much, Bethany! I really appreciate it!
Thankyou ..just what I was looking for !
Glad I could help! YAY! Thanks for letting me know
Thx Mary for the comparisons. Nice to know we have more choices available. 🌷
Jean, it was my pleasure, you are very welcome.
got it for $ 29. 41 free ship on ebay tonight baking mitts and some pans made of this material are also fairly expensive ,you just got to shop around....
Thanks for sharing!
I bought a silicone hot glue gun mat at the dollar store the other day. I may have to try it and see if the mirror stamping will work. Thanks for all the tips!
Oh what a find! Yes!! Give it a try!
Mary you are the BEST! You always do such a great job at educating us!
Awww you are so sweet; thank you so much! I so appreciate that! YAY
I didn't know I needed this mat, actually the Fiskars mat. :-)
Hahaha...YES it's really good mat and so much fun to play with. Some folks have said they found white soldering mats too but I didn't when I was doing the video.
SO GLAD I SAW THIS!!
I have been hemming & hawing all day whether to take the plunge on the WF water media mat!! Before, I said "I can't justify it because my TH media mat is so AMAZING!!" Then...the sales started & the coupons!! I appreciate your input & alternatives because I actually already have a silicone mat!!
Thx again! ~new subbie!! 😊
Oh Jenny thanks so much for letting me know! I am so happy this was helpful. YAY!
Another great comparison review! If I was going to purchase it would be the Fiskars, I am a plain jane type of person,and I liked how it can be folded as I carry stuff back and forth to work to get crafting time in on my lunch hour!! Thanks for sharing ... and yes kids have to put their foot on every object that is on a floor or the ground!! That is just what they do !! 🤔
Pam, thank you so much, I so appreciate that! I love that you can fold it up so easy and it really did all the things! Hahah...kids...they step on everything!!!
I just discovered the wet media mat within the last few days, watched a video on it. I will put 1 fact in the pro column, it has video alignment guides, so you can line up your camera with the various markings and know what's in your shot. They did say it's a bit finicky to clean, you have to go up and down not side to side or circles. I think I'll probably get the Fiscars mat or 1 of the other ones you mentioned, if I can find any.
Diane, I'm so glad this was helpful! I feel like it's a great product for some of us who want to save a buck, options help! :)
Thanks for the reviews; very helpful.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much!
I thought of the watercolor mat for true watercoloring, and wasn't interested. When you showed the mirror stamping, I was totally interested in the 6.98 (?) One. I think that manatee stamp set is going to end up in my craft room.
My family goes to Florida twice a year to vacation, and visit family. Thank goodness for MAC flights!!! We LOVE watching the manatee at Sea World, the museum of Southern Florida, or Homosassas. We want to move next year, and I am determined to see them in the wild. My giant tea mug has a manatee, and manatee facts on it. My brain has wandered from silicon to manatees.
Awww manatees are so cute and you have such a love for them; that's awesome! So yes, the cheap mat for doing the mirror imaging is amazing! Such a great deal! I don't even know if that "mirror" stamp you could buy is near that cheap.
@@marypolancodesigns When I saw the "mirror stamp" used in a video, I thought the person used a marker to fill in missing bits. The silicon seemed to do it perfectly!
I use the Brutus Monroe media mat with some success
Nice, I haven't seen that one yet; i'll have to check it out. Thanks, Beth!
One advantage to a silicone mat is that you can also glue on it and nothing sticks . So , easy clean up!
LOVE that too; wish I mentioned it! Thank you for sharing it!
Amazon Prime does ship for free. Got it yesterday.
wooohooo! Nice
Thank you!
You are most welcome; my pleasure! :)
I love the soldering mat alternatives! I wouldn't have thought of that!
YAY! So glad it was helpful! Thank you so much!
Thanks! I was thinking of getting it, but thought it was too pricey also. I have the Fiskars.
Oh i'm so glad this was helpful! Thanks for letting me know; love my Fiskars one!
Free shipping with Amazon Prime. I have many surfaces but the glass ones can break and aren’t so portable.
Not portable...correct, great point
How timely! A couple of times I almost pulled the trigger and purchased the mirror image stamp. I just purchased the Fiskars mat, so thank you for this review.
WHAT?? That is great timing indeed! so glad it was helpful!
You can buy silicone sheet on Ebay, really cheap, sometimes as place mats, or in various other sizes and thicknesses. I think clear sheet is good because you can put it over an existing mat with a grid and it shows through. Also, I think there’s a technique you can do with a die-cutting machine that requires a clear silicone embossing mat, and one of the companies does supply this - sorry - can’t remember the details - but if you get cheap silicone sheets off Ebay you can cut them to the right size for that. Anyway, there’s no need for branded silicone sheets because you can buy the stuff as generic silicone sheets quite cheaply.
Such a great share, thanks so much! I agree, this is one of those materials you can for sure get for cheaper.
Mary Polanco I am thinking of getting a couple of these - one to use as a whole sheet and the other to cut up. It occurred to me that if it was thick enough (or perhaps if you put it on a pad of some sort) that you could use this for gelli printing. Those gelli blocks are soooo expensive...
Thank you Mary! I think I'm gonna hold off on the water media mat personally😁💕
I hear you! :)
You mentioned a magnetic wall. I bought magnetic panels with sticky backs on them from Amazon and stuck them on my craft storage cabinet and put all my dies on them. They work wonderfully. You can also stick the magnetic panels to a wall, door, window etc. I don't know what I did without them. It's been 2 months now and none of the dies have shifted or fallen.
THAT is what I need in my life! Please share where you got your panels if you remember! Thank so much!
Thank you so much Mary. I was considering to buy the waffle flower mat but the price is higher than I expected. Thank you for showing other options!!!
You are most welcome; i'm so glad this could help! YAY
Saw plastic top cover cut wells out to use inside wells to prevent staining from certain products. Any silicone or gel mat will reverse stamp
Awesome, thanks for the tips! I know some have picked up silicone backing mats for the reverse stamping; genius!
This video was soooo helpful to me. I've been pondering getting a media mat. After this tutorial, I probably won't be getting this one.
I'm so glad this was so helpful! YAY! I love that! Thanks fo r letting me know.
Thanks for sharing all the information. You have shown so really great alternatives for the new Waffle mat. So thanks very much and have a great Mother's Day .
Thank you so much, Florence! I'm so happy it was useful to you! YAY
Thank you so much for the alternatives..i didnt even know what those mats were but I love it has little wells. I wanted to buy a mat and try it and one for my kids every few months but wow i can get them one of those others--great for their painting!
Allison, what a great idea for the kids; I am going to do the same thing now! YAY Love it, thank you!
Thank you for sharing
You are most welcome, my pleasure!
Great reviews thank you!!
You are most welcome, Dawn, my pleasure!
Thank you for your videos. I love the fiskars option. I didn't even know it existed!
You are most welcome, ,Carol! I didn't know it existed either but SO happy I tried it!
Thank you for this video
YOu are most welcome; my pleasure!
I made a version of the Tim Holtz glass mat because I couldn't afford his one and I love it. I don't have any issue with it reflecting when I'm recording video...cool video 👍
YAY! I love hearing about this; so cool! I only have it because I got it at a super discount price. But I do love the concept. It's so great you DIYed-it
Good info video. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much! It was my pleasure!
Such excellent alternatives that I had never even heard of! thanks!
So happy, ,thank you so much, Valerie! This was so fun to do and loved finding those mats!
Thank you for this great review! Very helpful!
Glad it was helpful! I love my silicone mats...all of them! lol
Mary Polanco Yes, it was! My order from Amazon will be here Thursday. I chose a generic mat to test out first (because it’s pink- lol). If I don’t love it, I’m definitely going to order the Fiskars one! 😉
@@2012griffster Good call because the fiskars went up in price since I did this video.
Mary the Fiskars is $19.99 on Amazon
Thank you for the great review and alternatives. Much appreciated!
You are most welcome, Janine! I'm so happy they are useful, and thank you for letting me know! :)
Great review Mary. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much! So glad it was useful! YAY