Pens, Pens...

...and MORE pens.

As regular visitors will know, I have a "thing" for pens.

Many folk would call it an addiction - 'My name's Toni and I'm a pen addict' - but it isn't as if I just collect them...I do use them. Although I will admit that some get used more than others.

Here is a collection that doesn't see the light of day that often...

...it consists of my Flexmarkers and Promarkers. The problem here is probably the storage. I bought a DJ's media case from Maplins (the electrical people) when they had them on offer. I had seen this idea used by a few folk in cyberspace and thought it would be the perfect solution to the Letraset wallet situation that simply wasn't working for me. The media case is great - it holds both sets of pens safely & securely and it is easy to see all the colours at a glance - but it is bulky. It has quite a large 'footprint' so takes up a lot of space on the desk when working and because of the lid it isn't ideal for uneven surfaces such as the sofa as the lid has a habit of slamming shut (a few bruised fingers soon put paid to that as a location for using this). The other problem with this case is that it gets buried under piles of stash and then it becomes too much of a chore to dig them out so I reach for a different set of pens.

The Spectrum Noirs live in their purpose made stacking storage and my original set sit on the desk by the PC so they are always 'to hand' for a quick bit of colouring. The newer set are a permanent occupant of my crop tote so that I always have a set of pens with me.

My Distress markers live in the tubs that they came in, except for the contents of the smaller tub - the 12 colours that came in there...festive berries, iced spruce, mowed lawn etc...were placed in a Letraset folder for safety so that I could use the smaller tub and I've obviously put them away for safe keeping. However, that has meant this year's new colours have had a place to live LOL The tubs are quite handy for carrying the pens as they are quite compact and will fit easily into a bag along with some bits for colouring - great if you want to take your colouring out & about with you.

My Copics live in their wallets. The complete set of Copic Ciao pens fits into 2 and a half wallets which means there is some space for holding a few spares of the colours I use the most...

...and it is surprising how compact the 3 wallets are for transporting about.

 

Storage of my pens has proved to be the reason why some pens get used more than others. If I can't easily get to my pens, they don't get used. If the storage isn't portable, the pens don't get used.

 

I've been looking at some of the newer pens that have hit the market and I think I've finally learnt from experience and one of my considerations as to whether these pens will find a home with me is - how will I store them?

 

The new pens from the Tonic Novo range look fab because of their shape (I still think these would be good for when the old arfa-ritis is playing up) but I'm not sure how I would be able to store them so that they are easily usable. Trimcraft have a range of pens out too but I've only seen ads in magazines so I'm not sure what would be the best storage for these. The Chameleon pens are quite long because of the 'mixing chamber' so this would probably affect how they can be stored (unless the complete set was bought in one go so that they are in their ready made storage box).

 

One thing I do know is that I can't work with everything chucked in a plastic container - my pens have to be in colour order and easily accessible (I know my distress markers are in their tubs but I can see the colours at a glance - so no problem).

 

So if you have pens that are not getting used - is it because you don't 'get on' with them or is the storage causing you problems?

 

Perhaps a different method of storage will have you reaching for your pens more often. Speaking of which - I wonder where that Letraset wallet with the Diestrss markers could possibly be.............................................................. 



Yesterday was...

...the Eastwood Carvery Crop - and Sunday lunch arrived a day early.

I actually remembered to take a photo of my lunch before tucking in...

...but you knew it had to be too good to be true; didn't you - I forgot to take a photo of the sweet doh!

Carol always sets aside a table where folk can display stash for sale - a great way of getting some pennies back on items that you no longer want...and a great way to grab some bargains.

Having coloured an 'Edwin' Magnolia stamp earlier in the week, it seemed fate that there were some Magnolias on the table - so how could I say 'no!'.

Hardly had the money left my hand than this little miss was out of the packet and inked up...

 ...the hair & skin are usually my starting points so they were the first bits coloured. Then came the choice of what colours to use for the clothing...

 ...and with this first one, I kept to fairly traditional Christmas colours.
One of the great things about attending a 'crop' is that your fellow crafters will often have equipment with them that they are willing to share...

 ...my friend Suzie had this X-Cut die set with her and Carol had brought along her Grand Calibre so I had a bit of a cutting session. Although the dies were small enough to go through a Big Shot/Cuttlebug, it made it so much easier being able to put the sheet of A4 card through the machine rather than cutting it up and running the risk of cutting the pieces too small or on the wonk.
I didn't stop at one image...

 ...this one was coloured with my favourite aqua shades and then I played with my "Wink of Stella" brush pen (clear)...

...I had intended to colour just the antlers and the bell necklace (which I did on the red/green image) but as you can see...I got a bit carried away and brushed all over the kraft matt on this one.

I now have two cute Christmas toppers ready to either be used on a card or some other 'make'. At last, I feel my Christmas makes are starting to materialise.

Hope you have been enjoying a crafty weekend............................................................

Pen addict - Moi?...

...surely not LOL

Lunchtime today a group of us went to our favourite little café in Southend and had a lovely lunch and a natter in celebration of Suzie's (Weasel) birthday.

I happened to ask in passing where TK Maxx was located as another colleague had mentioned that she had picked up a few bargains in there recently - so Suzie & I returned to the office; the long way.

Now I assure you all, I only went to have a look - honest...one pack of 24 reel of assorted ribbon and a pack of paper later...

However, that wasn't as bad as Suzie's purchases and of course I got the blame (me? how could anyone believe that LOL).

Back in the office, whilst showing off our goodies - I mentioned that I had been considering buying another set of the Sharpies that WHS has on offer. Suzie laughed and said that I hadn't really needed the first set but agreed that it was too good an offer to not buy at least one set...she then asked just how many pens I own...

Ummm, this is where the title comes in.

We sat and worked out that just counting what I consider to be my 'crafting' pens, I have over 800 pens - gulp!!!

I have: -

A complete set of Copic Ciao,
Flexmarkers,
Promarkers (including the seasonal limited editions)
Spectrum Noir,
Aqua markers,
Distress markers (although they haven't arrived yet I have paid for the 12 new colours)
and now my limited edition Sharpies

Okay, so I have a thing about pens **giggle** but I do use them...umm me an addict, hmm...well......................................................................

WRYWF 11 Jan...

...presented on Sunday (just for a change LOL).

Anyone new dropping by who hasn't a clue what this is all about should hop on over to the lovely Virginia's blog where she hosts this weekly sharing of the good & positive things that have happened in our lives.

So what has been 'rocking' my week...well...

The return to work was fairly uneventful although it took 3 days to catch-up with all the emails **rollseyes** but other than that it has been business as usual - so that has to be a plus.

Now this is going to sound daft but will make sense if you read to the end of this bit...Rude & unhelpful shop staff (told you it would sound daft but keep reading). I'm covering a team who's manager is off sick (in addition to my own) and I visited them on Wednesday. They had arranged to show me a new pastry shop/cafe at lunchtime so off we toddled. The place was packed - not surprisingly because the cakes and stuff looked 'to die for' but it is one of those places where you stand and wait to be seated. We counted 9 members of staff, most were standing nattering and it was a good few moments before anyone came to ask our requirements (there were 4 of us). The ground floor was full so we said we would be happy to go upstairs - "can't; it's closed" came the reply and she wandered off. Some more folk came in and a pair of ladies got seated as there were only 2 of them but the other lot was another group of 4 - they got the same sharp retort about the upstairs seating area so they left and we followed...
One of my folk mentioned a little place that she had been to so we tried it and it was fabulous - service was great food was super and the atmosphere of the place was amazing. So the rudeness of the staff at the first place lead to us having a super lunch at a wonderful little place that we would probably never have thought to try.

The knitting needles have been busy again this week...

...but the pics are pretty rubbish (sorry). The white yarn was an unexpected find last weekend and it looks sooooooooooooooooo pretty. Although the pics don't show it, the yarn has a twinkle to it - a bit like it has been dusted with glimmer dust.

At the moment, the weather is rocking my world because although it has become much colder - it is dry. It is so much easier to wrap up against the cold rather than the wet & damp. I'm also touching wood and keeping everything crossed (makes typing very difficult LOL) because so far we haven't had the snow that has been promised.

Reading the rocking posts of the other 'Rockettes' has also brightened my world this week as there are some really lovely things noted and you can almost feel the warmth & smiles as you read the posts - isn't that what this is all about?

So wishing you all a lovely week to come......................................

All Completed...

...and stored away tidily.I am having to be careful not to pile stuff on top of my pen storage case as it is a rather handy worksurface for scissors, glue, PP, CS etc. whilst I'm working.

This is the start of a card that I really do need to get done for a colleague who will be retiring on Thursday - I'd better get my rear in gear and get it sorted.However, what I have managed to do is complete my collection of the Letraset Flexmarkers...

...and as you can see - they are all neatly put away in order ready for use.The only thing missing from the set is the Flexmarker blender pen. For some reason these only seem to come in the 12-pen packs and there is no obvious space on the stand for the individual pens. I do hope this is just an oversight on the part of Letraset and that they are made available along with the rest of the individual pens.......................................

New Toys...

...a couple of new clear stamps.

I was lucky enough to be given these two new Letraset stamps...
...unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to play with them yet.

If you are wondering what the pen is doing in the photo - I placed it there to give you an idea of size. These stamps are bigger than a lot of clear stamps that are currently on the market so they are perfect for playing with your shading techniques.

If you want to see what these stamps look like once coloured, pop over to 'Going Buggy' - the blog belonging to Enfys. She has made a couple of beautiful cards using these new images...do drop by and pay her a visit.

I have so many things that I need to be doing at the moment but I keep looking at these stamps and itching to get them inky. I really must be good but who knows how long that will last LOL........................................

A work in progress...

...getting there slowly.

Gosh, I didn't realise it would take so long putting stickers on my pens and colouring them. Mind you, that isn't the only thing that has taken ages...I have hunted high & low to get some small round white sticky labels to put on the ends of my pens but you would think I was searching for gold-dust. Only one store had round stickers but they were all bright 'glow-in-the-dark' type colours so I resorted to hole reinforcers.
Coming along isn't it.

I'm having second thoughts about putting the Aquamarkers in here as well. They are currently in two Letraset wallets and it seems a waste to take them out. I think I'll leave them where they are for the time being.

I need to get a few Flexmarkers this weekend - that side of the box is looking too empty for my liking LOL..................................

Super Storage...

...and such a bargain!

I have recently seen several folk in Blogland with fab cases that they have used for their Promarkers - cases that were originally designed to take 200 CD/DVDs. I have hunted high and low for these cases. Tesco had them in their on-line shop at £7.99 but guess what...printed across the image was 'discontinued'. PC World, Staples and loads of others greeted me with..."I know just what you mean - but..."; none of them stock this item any more. I looked on-line and yes the item is available but at a price - anywhere between £30 & £40 - that is a lot of Flexmarkers that could be added to my collection. Then a friend suggested I try Maplins (the electrical folk).

Rather than walk to the other side of Stratford in my lunch break only to be disappointed - again! - I checked on-line. No 200 CD case but they did have a 300 CD case with a big price tag...then I found it...

In their current promotion they have a 500 CD case reduced from £50 to £20 and Stratford had 7 in stock. So I toddled off to have a look and came back with this...
It is surprisingly light and actually doesn't take up any more room than my existing storage for my Letraset markers; ALL OF THEM!
As you can see, I have made a start on re-housing my pens.
The Flexmarkers will fit beautifully in one section...
...and once I get some sticky dot labels, my Promarkers will be moving in too. There will even be room for my Aquamarkers. My Metallic markers have 'moved-in' but that was all the labels I had to hand.

So my Letraset storage is now sorted **happy bunny** and i will actually be able to use my pens without rummaging through plastic boxes. Result!!!............................................

So much for...

...being good.

I was so NOT going to buy stuff at the weekend as I want to 'pre-order' my Tim Holtz Distress Markers next weekend (after payday). All I was going to do was sit and watch the Letraset demo at Pinnacle Crafts and hopefully learn a few new techniques...what I hadn't realised was the new DoCraft promotion goodies had arrived and some were demonstrated; what's a girl supposed to do? **BIG sigh**
The latest Creativity mag has a Boofle stamp on the front which I hope to have a play with tonight and there were some money off vouchers for some of the stamps that were used during the demo so I just HAD to make use of those **rollseyes**, I mean - you can't let things like that go to waste...

The Michael Powell stamps are rather lovely too but I was fairly good about these and just got one (there was another in the Goodie bag that I bought - hehehe).

Talking about the Letraset Demo day - I had a lovely day watching Andy - yes, I did say Andy - showing how to use Flexmarkers for things other than just colouring in. He did a wonderful job of stepping in as the person from Letraset didn't turn up.

Andy used a variety of images to demonstrate colouring techniques, some stamped some digi...unfortunately we did tease him a bit about some of the buxom ladies from Sassy Designs when he was trying to describe how to shade to create the curves LOL Sorry Andy; but you did take it all in good part...

Something that I wouldn't have thought of doing was to use the Flexmarkers in a similar way to alcohol inks to create background papers, CS and embellies that all co-ordinate - an idea certainly to be tried when I get a few moments to 'play'.

Thank you Andy for making it a very enjoyable & informative day - you did a fabulous job...................................

Progressive Challenge...

...CDAC12 has a bit of a 'green' theme.

Amongst the digi images provided for this challenge were a couple of Froggy pics and a couple of St Patrick's Day images...I went for the Irish theme, after all - what could be more green than something linked with the Emerald Isle.

Here is my card...
...made from an A6 dark green card blank and kept very simple with a hand-coloured topper made from one of the provided digi images. The image was provided for the challenge by 'Crafting with Jack'.
The image was coloured using Flexmarkers & Copics. I used the Flexmarkers as the base colours as there are paler shades available than those in the Ciao range. As I don't yet have a complete set of Flexmarkers I used my Copics to add the shading. The topper was then hand-cut and attached using 3D foam.

This is the last progressive challenge of session two - I wonder if it will continue with a session 3..........................................

You could be forgiven for thinking...

...I have a 'thing' about pens.

I don't know why you might have that idea about me **rollseyes** - I mean; it's not as if I mention pens very often **giggle** or clearly droooooooool over new releases LOL...

Perhaps it could be the fact that I have this little lot...
A complete set of Copic Ciao markers - my favourite - always close to hand and boxed so that I can easily see the colours I wish to use.
A complete set of Promarkers...
...not so fond of these - mainly because of storage. The wallets take up too much space and rummaging through boxes is too much of a chore when I want to do some colouring.

There is also a complete set of Aquamarkers that I haven't used very much.
Then there are my latest collectables - my Flexmarkers. I love these. The brush tip is fab and the 'fatter' body of the pen is great for when the old 'arfa-ritis' is playing up. I have been patiently waiting for Letraset to release the rest of the colours as singles so that I can complete my set and what do they go and do - add to the colours - there are now 92 in this range...still, never mind, only 35 more to get LOL
I sat and did some colouring last night but didn't get as much done as I'd hoped as the old wrists were complaining.
This tea/coffee pot was one of the first digi images that I received when I registered for the CDAC Progressive Challenges - I just love the design. Not sure how I'll use it yet but it doesn't hurt to build up a stock of coloured images - I've sadly allowed my stockpile to dwindle over Christmas & New Year.
This little miss is a Kenny K digi image that I have used a few times and I know what I'm going to do with her as I have some Kanban papers that I am eager to make use of. There is something about this image that always leads me to a Red/White/Blue colour scheme - it just seems to fit.

This Saturday there is a free demo day at Pinnacle Crafts - one of the Letraset DT is coming along to show some techniques & tips for using their pen ranges...guess where I'm going to be from 10am to 4pm...................................

Super Blog Candy...

...from Letraset.

If you love 'pens' especially those available from Letraset, you really need to pop over to Enfys at "Going Buggy" and see what she has up for grabs - the complete set of Flexmarkers.

If you are interested you really do need to pay her a visit as she will explain what you need to do to be in with a chance or 2 or 3 or...

Don't they always say "you gotta be in it to win it", so go on, hop on over there...........................

Food for...

...thought.

With the party season almost upon us I thought these would be perfect...
...food markers to help identify the goodies on the different servers for your festive gatherings.

The images are all digis that came free as part of cdacpc7...why not hop over to the website here and see what is going on. Each of the images has been provided by a different designer.
Apple (Happi Scrappin' Doodles)
Bull (Crafting with Jack)
Crab (Tiffany Doodles)
Chick (Sugar Creek Hollow).

These are quick and fun to do and far more interesting than just bits of paper with 'beef' or 'apple' written on them. All it takes is some printed/stamped images a bit of colouring and some cocktail sticks and away you go.

I'll be entering these for the cdacpc7 challenge and also linking to the current "Friday Inspiration" over at Simply Christmas............................

How are you...

...getting on with your Christmas makes?

I have nearly finished my Christmas planner and I've made loads of Christmas cards. Here are just a few of the cards that I have made...
Most of these have been made in response to various challenges that I've entered.
I have certainly made better use of my stamps this year (although I have to admit that there are still some awaiting an introduction to an ink pad LOL) - I just love the way the same image can be made to look so very different just by a change of colour or decorating style.
I have loads more done so you would think that I should be sorted for my Chrimbo cards for this year.............nah! Many of the cards I have made have been trying out new techniques or ideas and I just know that when it comes to it, I won't want to part with them..............................

A Couple of...

...Planner pages.

I am trying to be organised...honest...but the time just seems to be flying by - how can we be at 10 November already?

Dark mornings and dark afternoons don't sit well with me...I like daylight LOL and I'm finding it very hard not to nod-off of an evening. Never mind, I am getting there and this is another completed page spread for my planner.
I have decided to keep the pages fairly simple so that the whole thing doesn't become too bulky.
I even remembered that I have a complete set of fancy cutting blades for my new Woodware trimmer (only had for two years doh!) so I used one to trim the image panel.
The new Flexmarkers really do complement the Copics that I have by having some very pale colours which are great for building up the shading.
A few peel-offs will be putting in an appearance as they provide a bit of decoration without the bulk.

Hope you like..........................

Here is...

...the finished cover.

This is the finished look for the outside of my 2011 Christmas Planner.
I decided not to put a title or anything on the outside as the title page inside holds all the details. Paula - you asked what all the ribbons were for...here you go...
Other than the mass of ribbons the decoration on the cover has been kept very simple with a bit of matting and layering. The lovely vintage image was from a freebie sheet provided by the lovely June over at "Dezinaworld" (you should have a hop over there and see the lovely stuff her DT come up with).

The pages for the inside of the planner are coming along and I'll share those a few at at time as there are quite a few.

Hope the weather is better where you are - enjoy your Wednesday......................

Getting there...

...sloooooooooooooooooooowly!

Morning folks, hope your Sunday is a bit brighter than it is here - cloudy, dull...but at least it is dry for the moment. This post has quite a few photos so you might want to go and grab another cuppa before settling down to this.

My 2011 Christmas Planner is gradually coming together.

As you can see, I've gone for the greyboard/book ring option and the covers are made but not yet decorated...that's the next decision to make LOL
The board has been cut just slightly bigger than the envelopes that I'm using as pages and I've punched 5 holes ready for the rings. I thought 5 would be more secure than 3.
I have actually completed the title page...
...don't you just love Kerryanne's artwork - it is so enjoyable to use...
...and I love the little details like the stacks of presents.
At the moment, although I've coloured a lot of the template pages supplied I haven't actually made up the pages - I wanted to get the colouring sorted first.
Aren't these just adorable...the expressions are lovely and such fun. I have coloured them using a mix of Copics and Flexmarkers and if you've noticed a little bit of shine that's because I've used a stardust gel pen to highlight the stars.
I've had a slight problem with my colour choice for making the lists look a bit like parchment. The base colour I've used is Copic E50 and guess what...yep...it ran out. So off I toddled to get a new one (or two to be on the safe side) and they didn't have any - plenty of E51 but no E50. Luckily, after a rummage in my stash I did find another tucked away with some other pens - fingers crossed it lasts LOL
The Santa holding the 'Christmas Day Menu' is in his PJs - not surprising after his busy night LOL and I have kept him to the blue/mauve colour scheme.
This is the paper stack that I'm using for this project and as you can see, there is plenty of it so I don't think PP will be a problem.

I think Kerryanne is hoping that folk will share their planners in a linky party next week so I'd better get my finger out and crack on with this.

Catch you laters..............................