Monday 14 November 2016

Magic Dip - A Marbling Craft Kit Perfect for a Christmas Gift




We've been playing with the very cool Magic Dip set from Character.  My craft-mad 8 year old is absolutely loving it.  While it comes complete with some items to dip (a photo frame, a plastic bangle, some charms and some greetings cards and labels) she's actually really enjoying finding other items she can customise and I fear that pretty much everything in the house will soon be marbled!

The paint effect works on pretty much any surface including paper, card, wood, rubber, silicone, fabric etc etc so she's had fun making her own gift tags and dipping notebook covers.

There's also gems and glitter included to further jazz up items.

The set is really neatly designed so you can keep all your items to hand which is ideal because once you start the activity you have to work fairly quickly before the paint disperses on the water. There's a protective rubber glove included which was great because it can get fairly messy - a pair of gloves would have been better.  We protected our surfaces and floor but did find that normal nail polish remover cleaned up the bowls and tools of any residue.



I have tried to marble items before using nail varnishes but it was woefully unsuccessful and I just got in a horrible, sticky mess with it and the paint wouldn't take.  This product does actually work!

The water you suspend the colours on does have to be room temperature and our first attempt was not great.  But after reading the instructions fully, I realised the water probably was too cold - easily done in this frosty snap we've been having.  I left the water a few hours to come up to room temperature and tried again, and happily it worked like a charm.  But take that as a word of warning if you have an impatient child - it would be worth preparing the water to the right temperature a good while before you suggest embarking on the activity!

Overall, we really liked this kit.  We love the unique designs you can make and the fact that you can design on all sorts of surfaces and items.  We may need to use a bigger bowl to try out whole sheets of paper for example and I'm still searching for where to buy replacement paints so we can carry on using it after the supplies have run out but I think most craft shops sell them individually, or there's a starter kit available for £9.99 which has paints in.


Priced at £29.99 it would make a great Christmas gift for a crafty child.  It's recommended for children from around 8 years plus and although I'm sure lots of boys would love creating their own designs, the accessories included are very much aimed at girls.



Disclosure: We were sent this kit for the purposes of the review.  All thought and opinions are my own.

12 comments:

  1. Oh I love this. You could use nail varnish with it. We have figured out that the secret is the tepid water. We need to do this when we use nail varnish.

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  2. Oh wow this looks amazing. Something the girls would love.

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  3. This looks totally awesome, I think I might have to out it on Boo's Christmas list, she would love it x

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  4. Oh wow this sounds rather fabulous, what great fun! POD is a huge craft fan so this would be great for her. Must have a nose :)

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  5. My girls have this too and loved it but after a while we did find the smell was a little much. Mich x

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  6. This looks like so much fun! Might have to go on Santa's list for my tow this year.

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  7. If only Eliza was older - this looks so much fun to do

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  8. Oh that looks fabulous - I think I'd probably have to steal it off the kids!

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  9. Oooh I want one of these for me never mind the kids!

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  10. Bought for my 8 year old daughter.
    She enjoyed playing with it. Slightly messy but lots of fun. Brings out their creative side.

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  11. I saw a stand at the Christmas fair last week selling all sorts of dipped goodies so to be able to make this at home would be all the rage for any crafty child (and mummy!)

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