Review Post: crafting with Posca Pens

I was delighted when Posca got in touch and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing their paint marker pens. A packet of their water-based pens arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago and we've been having fun creating with them.

Posca Pens are designed to write on a multitude of surfaces, such as:
* Fabric
* Glass
* Metal
* Paper
* Card
* Wood
* Stone

The pens come in a large range of colours, are water resistant and fade resistant. When I first opened the packet I thought there would be a solvent smell when using the pens. But they are odour free and I felt completely comfortable with my daughter using them.

We decided to put the Posca Pens through their paces and gathered together various materials, which included:
* A plastic yogurt pot
* A selection of stones collected from the beach
* A wooden drinks coaster
* A glass jar

Before you start getting creative, the brand new pens need to be prepped. Each pen needs a vigourous shake to move the ball inside the barrel. I then grabbed a test sheet of paper and pressed the tip down several times to start the paint flowing. Once you've done that with each pen, you're good to go. Remember to replace the cap firmly after using them or the pens will dry out.

First up we decided to decorate three stones we had collected from the beach. Magoo created a bright geometric pattern using a variety of colours. I think it looks fab for a first attempt using the pens.

I doodled a Summer inspired design featuring sunshine, lettering and swirls. We both loved how easy it was to use the pens on the stones. The colours were vibrant and we had more control than with paintbrushes.

Here is our finished group of stones. We have often painted stones in the past, but Posca Pens help to create designs with finer details. There are plenty of examples of Posca painted stones on the internet, including these fun Totem Pebbles. I think we'll have a go at making the Totems next time we gather some stones together.

Next up, the wooden coaster. Magoo set to work creating a floral pattern onto the wood surface. Again the colours were bright and went onto the surface smoothly. I would like to experiment further with wooden surfaces and create some plant markers for our allotment using Posca Pens.

I was keen to try out a bit of doodling on the plastic yogurt pot. I thought this might be the toughest surface test for the Posca Pens. Most felt tip pens do not work well on plastic...this is not the case with Posca Pens. Again the ink glides onto the plastic, looks bright and dries quickly. There aren't many ink pens that team up with plastic in quite the same way.

We then moved along to doodling on a glass jar. Magoo was keen to create a 'dream jar' as we had just seen the BFG film. She covered the jar with lots of swirls, loops and stars. We're going to add a label and create a lid to keep the dream contained within the jar.

Magoo fell in love with drawing onto glass with the pens. I must admit, using Posca Pens on glass is amazing, again the ink glides onto the surface, dries quickly and looks really vibrant.

I spotted a number of images on Posca's Instagram account of artists creating window art for various shops using Posca Pens. The window displays look fantastic, so I decided to let Magoo loose on our patio doors. I had already tested a small area of our windows to see if the pens wiped off easily and I can confirm they do. So Magoo set to work...

I think her Posca Pen drawings look fab on the glass. Using the pens on the windows was a big hit with Magoo and a great way to get creative in the Summer holidays.

As you can see Posca Pens can handle many surfaces. It's easy to see why artists are using these pens to draw onto walls, windows, skateboards, surfboards and just about any other surface you can think of. Posca also hosted a "doodle wall" at the recent Upfest Street Art Festival in Bristol. If you take a look at the Posca Instagram account you can get inspired by the multitude of applications for their pens.

I have to say I'm a Posca Pen convert and will definitely be using them in future crafting projects. Magoo loves them too, in fact she refers to them as 'the special pens'. We didn't try them out on fabric, so that's next up on my crafting 'to do' list. I think we'd also like to use them to colour some creations made with air dried clay. So many possibilities!

Keep your eyes peeled for September's "Crafting is my Therapy", we will be holding a Posca Pen giveaway. Link up with your crafty blog posts to be in with a chance of winning a set of these amazing pens.
Disclaimer: these Posca Pens were sent to me for the purpose of this review. All views are honest and are my own.
This week I am linking up with these lovely blogs:
"Naturally Crafty" over on growingfamily.co.uk
"The List" over on youbabymemummy.com
"Blogger Club UK" over on www.cuddlefairy.com

Book Buddy Review: Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles

"Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles" couldn't have arrived at a better time for us. My daughter is obsessed with colouring books and drawing. Her output is pretty phenomenal & I'm running out of wall space to display her artwork. I've had to resort to storing her creations in folders dotted around the house...

"Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles" taps into everything my daughter loves. The bold drawings appeal to her imagination. But this book is more than just a colouring book, it invites children to create their own patterns and 'complete' the work the illustrators have started for them. I love the way it inspires creativity and my daughter has enjoyed drawing a crowd of football fans, decorated a collection of gloves and brightened up the shells of a group of tortoises. Magoo is learning about patterns and 3-D shapes at school, so this book also ties in nicely with her curriculum.

The illustrations by Bella Bee and Mike Garton are endearing, clear and engaging. I would say this book is better suited to a child who has pretty good pen control, so either on the cusp of starting school or in already in reception. Although as someone in my late 30s, I could easily sit down and happily colour in one or two of these pages.

I think colouring books appeal to many ages & almost everyone loves them. In fact colouring books are having something of a moment in the spotlight (although advocates would say they never went out of fashion). Colouring has been reported to help adults cope with stress and practice 'mindfulness'. I think it also has beneficial affects on children too. Colouring books like "Doodle and Draw Spots, Stripes and Squiggles" help to reduce screen-time, foster creativity and help develop fine motor skills.

As a budding illustrator herself, Magoo's felt tip of choice are Crayola Pip-Squeaks. She uses them nearly everyday and they are still going strong. Crayola Pip-Squeaks are great for little hands and pack a colourful punch.

We really love this coloring book from Parragon and would recommend it for ages four and upwards. Perfect for a rainy day, long car journey or just as a way of relaxing before bedtime. I've got my fingers crossed that Parragon will bring out a sequel soon...

Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was sent to me as part of the Book Buddies Review program. All views are my own.

I'm linking up with My Best Post of the Week #MBPW over on Britmums, Let Kids be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk, Brilliant Blog Posts over on honestmum.com

Book Buddies Review: Around the World We Go!

Around the World We Go!

Written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Christine Tappin

This book couldn't have arrived at a better time for us. We are due to go on our first foreign holiday with our daughter in June. We're off to France for a week & I've been talking to my daughter about other languages & countries. We've been discussing how French people say 'bonjour' for hello & my daughter has been absorbing all this with great interest.

When "Around the World We Go!" arrived delivered from Parragon Books, I was pleased to have a book with which I could continue our discussions about other countries and languages. Very young children need the solid base of home and the family unit and they don't need or want to look much further than that. I think as children get older, they begin to realise there is a world out there to be discovered. My daughter is at the age where she loves to look at maps & books about the world. She is also interested in space, planets and rockets.

"Around the World We Go!" is a charming, easy to read book with beautiful illustrations. My daughter's knowledge of the wider world is growing, but some of the concepts can be hard to grasp, books like "Around the World We Go!" offer a gentle introduction to this subject. The repetition and gentle sing-song nature of the book will appeal to pre-school readers. The concept of difference and similarity between different races and countries across the globe is dealt with in a clear and direct way. It offers a good starting point for discussing these issues further with your child.

My daughter likes looking at images of the Earth, so the page with the globe, a rocket & a satellite is a particular favourite of hers. She created her own copy of that page & she often goes back to the book, lays it out on floor & draws the image of our planet. "Around the World We Go!" has struck a cord with her and often that is the sign of a good illustrated children's book. Her final image has a few extra additions, like Father Christmas & Rudolf (because he flies over the Earth), but her imagination has been fired up by Tappin's wonderful illustrations. Anything that inspires a child to be creative is good news to me!

*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Parragon Books in order to write the Book Buddies review. All views expressed here are my own.

www.parragon.com

Review: Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey

The Contemporary Craft Festival is a three day event which took place on 7-9th June in Mill Marsh Park on the edge of Bovey Tracey. I was persuaded to go to the Contemporary Craft Fair by my Mum who spoke highly of a previous ‘Made by Hand’ event she had attended at Tredegar House in 2010. I did not know what to expect as I have only been to small scale craft fairs in the past. I can honestly say that I was blown away by the calibre of the exhibitors at the Bovey Tracey festival. It wasn’t just the craft on display, it was the whole organisation of the day which impressed me. From the staff manning the car park and entrance gate through to the quality of the food vans and general layout of the festival. Each individual element came together to create the perfect English Summer day out.

I often worry that designer-makers are struggling to compete with mass produced imports and that the crafting industry is experiencing a downturn in the current economic climate. But the Contemporary Craft Fair has shown me there is a wealth of talented people designing and making here in the United Kingdom. Judging by the footfall and buzz of the crowd at the event, there is still a huge appetite for handcrafted creations. Anyone looking for a statement piece for their home, a collectors item of the future or a stunning one-of-a-kind gift would be spoilt for choice at the Contemporary Craft Fair.

The breadth of disciplines on display were particularly impressive. Designers were chosen from a diverse range of media and backgrounds. Visitors to the event could see work in glass, textiles, ceramics, leather, wood and much more besides. There were many highlights, but stand-out pieces included the clean lines of ceramicists such as Jill Shaddock and contemporary furniture designers like Cou Cou Manou. This contrasted sharply with Cleo Mussi’s maverick approach to mosaic making using reclaimed and upcycled ceramics. I was also particularly drawn to the whimsical Brain’s fairies sculptures of Samantha Bryan, a menagerie of mixed media creatures by Anya Keeley and the gentle humour behind Vicky Lindo’s textiles and ceramics.

I was also impressed with the emphasis on encouraging the next generation to enter into the world of design and craft. The ‘Aim Higher’ and ‘One Year On’ marquee housed designers who were in their first year of trading as a business and showcased higher education art and design opportunities in the South West. There was also an amazing Children’s Craft Tent, it offered a perfect opportunity to entice an even younger generation into the world of craft! Forget bog-standard cutting or sticking, the tent was alive with animation workshops, Japanese book making, lino printing, screen printing, mosaic making and even weaving looms for children to get to grips with. The Children’s Craft Tent was one of the busiest parts of the whole festival and it was really encouraging to see so many children enjoying the hands-on workshops available.

Whilst the quality of the craft was extremely high, this wasn’t a stuffy, highbrow event. It was child friendly, many families making a day of it by visiting the craft tent, watching the Punch & Judy show and enjoying relaxed picnics under the trees in the verdant surroundings of Mill Marsh Park. I think the Contemporary Craft Fair managed to strike the right balance between showcasing some wonderful work, but not losing sight of making the event a fun day out. As with all outdoor events in the UK, the forecast can make or break these occasions. As the English weather decided to be kind, we had the pleasure of wall-to-wall sunshine all day. I’m sure this contributed to high footfall, happy visitors and hopefully good sales and commissions for the exhibitors. I was left with a very positive and up-beat impression of the UK Craft industry and we will definitely be back next year.

This review also appears on the UK Handmade website

Cleo Mussi

Brain’s fairies sculptures of Samantha Bryan

Jill Shaddock

Cou Cou Manou

Anya Keeley

Vicky Lindo