Review on Gartful Extra Large Silicone Craft Mats - Nonstick Counter Top Sheets For Resin Molds, Epoxy, Glitter Slime, Paint - 25.2 X 17.7 Inches - Light Blue by Megan Holtz

I am a paper crafter and artist specializing in card making and canvas work. I have owned a number of craft mats over the years (usually Teflon) and most have been a disappointment, and I’ve ended up shying away from using my craft mats because of it. I’ve been doing a lot of hand inked backgrounds and I’ve been using a glass cutting board to do so. However, since I do a lot of my work in my lap on a lapboard, I am always afraid I’m going to drop the glass cutting board. Having heard how wonderful the silicon mats are from a number of friends and videos, I finally broke down and bought one. I really researched the item and checked the reviews. With a five-star rating I was expecting more.Today, when the order arrived I was immediately concerned that the package was an 11 x 14 paper envelope. I had expected the item to arrive rolled up and placed in a box. Instead when I opened the package I found a gray bag (like the type you receive stuff in when you import something from china), and inside it my mat folded into eights. The next thing I noticed was that the color was very different. It’s not a big issue for me and it’s still greenish and I do like the color very much, but it’s not the same color at all. The next thing I found was that the back of the mat was very sticky on the back and since they had folded it, it was incredibly hard to pull it apart (it actually took two people to do it). Now that the mat is unfolded there is a hard crease line right through the middle of the mat. There are also some minor crease lines in the other areas where it was folded, but no where near as significant. Also in the process of unfolding the mat (pulling it apart) I dented the mat. My fault I suppose? Surprising to me is that the back being sticky is a HUGE issue. It picks up EVERYTHING; bits of paper, dust, ect. which each little thing ends up being HUGE lumps underneath. Which is amazing since I’m not an especially messy person. The mat is about an eighth of an inch thick and while this should be thick enough it seems incredibly thin. I have not used it yet and I will leave it out to lay flat for a while (maybe a couple days?) to see if the creases eventually disappear, but I don’t have a lot of optimism for that to happen. If it does (which I doubt) I will change my review. I think it will probably get the job done, but I’m not counting on it being the best mat I’ve ever used. I am a prime member so sending it back is an option, but I’m not sure that the hassle of sending it back is worth the refund. Since I have yet to use it I cannot comment of the functionality of the item, but the way it arrived and the current state of it is inexcusable. I would encourage you to buy something different.