Inside Look: Daylight's Handheld LED Magnifiers

As part of the new StarMag range, Daylight Company have brought out a handy due of LED magnifiers to make working with details and fiddly crafts much easier! The duo, consisting of a small handheld magnifier and a large handheld magnifier (sold separately) are new on the scene for crafters needing a closer look at their favourite hobbies! So let's take a look at them in more detail! 

Handheld Small LED Magnifier RRP £12.99

This little lighting solution comes with a 3.5X acrylic crystal clear lens (7.5cm/2.75") and two bright daylight LED's which will never need replacing! There is also a handy stand to allow you to position it on your table for hands-free magnification. This is the perfect craft kit essential to keep you enjoying your hobbies wherever you are, whether that's on-the-go or on your holidays! 

Handheld Large LED Magnifier RRP £16.99

This larger handheld magnifier offers the same great features including the handy pop-out stand and bright daylight LED bulbs. However, this tool offers a high quality 2.0X acrylic lens (11cm/4") with a 4.0X inset lens (2.5cm/1") - greater magnification for all your crafting needs! 

Both of these products are made from high-quality, long lasting materials along with a stylish satin silver finish! And, with them coming in for less than £30 for both, they make a great Christmas gift idea! 

Jak Heath Reviews the LED Foldi

We popped an LED Foldi in the post to Daylight Ambassador Jak Heath to see how she got on using it for all her favourite hobbies! Here's what she thought...

There are times in a crafters life that you need to pack up a work station and just take it with you which can be done so that no matter where you are going you can whip out the craft and never be bored. I have always done this on my travels but I have often hit a stumbling block in the way of good lighting. It never seams to be in the right place in hotel rooms - Daylight Company have that covered for us! Not only is this lamp a God send but it is slick and stylish too.

I knew when looking at the images of this lamp that I liked it but I hadn’t realise just how much I was going to like it until I had it in my hand.

Whether traveling to a friends house or a craft club, this little sleek beauty will fit in your handbag neatly in its very own black pouch, and it is so powerful, it gives 8 hours life from batteries or you can plug it into a USB on your computer or laptop or even buy a plug adapter for it.

this is me popping it into my handbag and showing just how sleek it is.

Click here to see this review live on Jak Heath's blog, where she is also giving all her lucky followers the chance to win one of these lovely little lamps in time for Christmas! 

Jayne Netley Mayhew tests the Studio Clip-on Lamp & Stand!

We asked one of our Daylight Ambassadors, Jayne Netley Mayhew, to test-drive the Studio Clip-on Lamp and Stand RRP £114.99, one of our most popular lighting solutions for artists! Here's what she thought...

If I had to sum up this lamp in one word only, it would be ‘superb’. I have had a few standing lamps over the years, all of which have fallen apart, joints loosen or they are unstable. This lamp sturdy, it’s adjustable and holds together well. Plus it gives you the option of adding more than one light. The light itself is good and casts not hint of yellow to what you are working on, only the true colour of your medium. As an artist and designer this is has to be one of the major points for any lamp.

The height of the stand is very good, so you can adjust placement of the light itself. Giving you the option of using it for over-all lighting or more of a spotlight. It has a clever and easy devise so that the light itself can not be knocked or slip down the stand, so simple but so effective.

I have used the lamp in my kitchen where I often sit and stitch in the evening and then moved it up to my studio over my easel to work under, I can’t make up my mind where it will stay.

Would I recommend it to someone looking for a standing lamp, a resounding ‘yes’, I really can’t find a fault with it.

Product Review: Jak Heath Road Tests the Triple Bright Lamp

Over the last few weeks I have been using the Triple Light Daylight lamp from the Daylight Company  to craft under. 

The image above was took in full daylight 12:00 noon in my home, you can see the difference it makes to my work area even at day time.

I first used it clamped onto my table top the I got the floor stand which is amazing, the structure of the legs are cast iron so it is really sturdy.

When I first thought about the triple light I was thinking triple the brightness comparing it to my original desk lamp and magnifier but what I hadn’t banked on was the fact that it would have triple the spread of light, this for me as a crafter is the most amazing part of the lamp.

The image above shows the lighted area that this lamp gives to me.

I often have what you could say is a dumping ground on my desk, I tend to gather things that I would like to use in making a card and plonk them on the desk what the lamp does to help is give me no shadows so that colours are true and it is easy to map out the card with matching items before gluing them in place.

I’m so happy with the productiveness of this lamp, over all a big 10 out of 10 I’d give this one.

You can also find this review on Jak Heaths Blog. The Triple Bright Lamp is one of the brightest daylight lamps, available for £139.99 with a range of additional accessories sold separately. To view the full range of Daylight Lamps click here. 

Sleek and Slimline!

We know how important it is to use good lighting for your favourite hobbies. But, something we have learnt from our customers, is that it not only needs to work well, but look great too! Many Daylight Lamps come with smooth glossy finishes in white or black. However some of our newer lamps have taken a stylish twist, sporting a luxurious brushed chrome finish that compliment almost all home decor! 

Some of our favourite chrome lamp designs can be found in the Slimline Collection - a duo made up of a fully flexible table and floor lamp!  

These elegant lamps are ergonomically perfect - allowing you to adjust the flexible arms, directing the light to exactly where you need it! They both come with an 11W energy saving daylight tube offering bright, white, full spectrum light that helps when matching colours, and working with small details and contrasts! 

The Slimline Table Lamp, £119.99, comes complete with a metal clamp so you can fix it to your workspace! It can be positioned perfectly above the hands but below the eyes, and is perfect for use with sewing machines, office desks and beautician tables. 

The Slimline Floor Lamp, £159.99, reaches new heights, lighting up even the largest work spaces (offices, craft rooms, workshops, beauty treatment rooms etc!). There are two unique flex points allowing you to manipulate the light where it's needed, while adjusting the height and angle of the lamp. 

This pair offer the perfect combination of height, flexibility and the perfect hobby and task lighting! To find out more about these products or any others in our range, please visit the Daylight Website. To tell us which is YOUR favourite, join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter!  

Jayne Netley Mayhew joins Daylight Ambassador Programme

Here's the latest introduction to the Daylight Ambassador Programme, Jayne Netley Mayhew. Here she gives you the lowdown on where she's at today and what projects she'll be working on this summer!

From an early age I was painting, sewing, knitting, I really can’t remember a time when I did not have something creative on the go. As a child I was often ill and spent a lot of time in bed. To keep me occupied my mother would give me wool, silks, paper, paints and pencils and I was needless to say in my element.My brothers and sister are all artistic and we spent a great deal of our childhood drawing and painting together.

My success came about initially from producing two books illustrating with author Leslie Jackman. Through Leslie I was spotted by David & Charles who saw my freehand embroidery and challenged me to come up with a cross stitch design. I came up with four, and from that it seemed to snowball! Janlynn started to kit pack my designs and I was asked to do my first Cross Stitch book!

Several books and kits later and I still love to design and stitch, with many of my designs featured in Cross Stitch magazines and the launch of a website where I sell a few select charts. However, over the last few years, my artwork has taken the foreground and is being reproduced by Joanna Sheen to be used in Papercraft and Rubber Stamps. I'm currently working on a Decoupage set of paintings and when they're finished I will start working on the next planned Papercraft CD! 

My last major project for myself was a patchwork quilt - patchwork, appliqué squares all stitched by hand for a king-size bed. It took me several very enjoyable months to finish! All my own projects are fitted in between my designing, painting and stitching, and I do have an on going quilting masterpiece that i've been working on for years! (Watch this space!!). 

I've already reviewed lamps for Daylight in the past, you've probably seen me on their website putting the Stitchsmart Set to the test! I find Daylight lamps make my life as a stitcher much easier, particularly ones that allow you to move and tilt the head as you can then position the light wherever you want to work! It's going to be good road testing some more products and keeping you up to date with my new projects!

Daylight Ambassador Programme - Introducing Jak Heath

As part of our web redesign, we have decided to launch the Daylight Ambassador Programme, a team of great people representing what Daylight Lamps are all about! The team will give you the lowdown on our products, and the difference they can make to your life. They all have experience in different sectors from arts and crafts to low vision and they will be introducing themselves to you over the next couple of weeks! We've asked ambassador Jak Heath to start it all off!

Hi everyone, my name is Jak Heath and I’m a designer and craft demonstrator regularly on the shopping channel at Create and Craft TV . 

I have been crafting more years than I care to remember, my Mother started me crafting at an early age, it all started with paper dolls and paper clothes with little tabs on the edges to fasten them onto the doll, I would play for hours designing and colouring the clothes.

Later in my married years I kept up with crafting luckily I have a very understanding husband who doesn’t mind my craft over spilling into our home.

I soon realised that I love to inspire other crafters and I started a website and later a blog, I switched completely to the blog a few years ago and I use it like a diary to display my card making, tutorials and general chit chat. I can be found here www.jakheath.com and would love you to join me there. One of the things I love doing is tutorials, this is where my love of good lighting came from, when colouring I need a daylight bulb as is shows truer colours, I also need good lighting for the photography to show the results. This is a tutorial on skin colouring, the video can be found here but I also have this step by step below.

Step 1. Colour the whole area with Satin FlexMarker

Step 2. using the Blush FlexMarker go around the hairline, across the cheek area, the bridge of her nose, under her eyes and chin.

Step 3. Use Sunkissed Pink on her cheeks, hairline and in the corners of her eyes.

Step 4. Use Nutmeg to deepen the hairline, just adding the very tip to the corners of her eyes and the crease on her nose.

I will be working with Daylight as part of their Ambassador Programme, letting you know how to make the most of their lamps when it comes to paper crafting. I look forward to sharing more with you soon :-)