Altered Art – Provocraft Frames

Reported By Julia Stainton

As the popularity of papercrafting continues to rise, cardmakers and scrapbookers are looking for fabulous new ways to take their designs off the page and out of the envelope. Altering items and crafting home décor brings their passion for papercrafting into their everyday life. What better way to enjoy it than frames and wall-art that you can see everyday?

One of my favorite recent pastimes is designing frames for gifts and my home. A treasured family photo deserves a special presentation in a frame crafted by loving hands. The fabulous thing about altering your own frames is that you can match your décor or the event, perfectly. Simply gather supplies that will look wonderful in the setting or personalize the frame to suit the personality of either the recipient or the photograph. Some paper, ribbon, paint, embellishments... whatever you wish to choose. With no right or wrong, just your own personal inspiration. It is sure to be a lot of fun!


Provocraft makes a fabulous line of wooden frames that can be altered. These frames are specially designed for the crafting industry with lots of alterable space for you to express your creativity. Some are sold as unfinished wood and others have a white primer finish that can be painted or left as is. I find the frames to be very well priced and easily affordable. The smallest size, a 5 inch square frame is one of my favorites and retails for only $1.50 CDN. The one drawback with the 5x5 frame is it’s cheap construction. My husband, who has worked in the construction industry for 20 years, cringed at the corner miters of it, but when he saw the final covered result, he was quite impressed and agreed the price was unbeatable. Some of Provocraft’s wood frames are available with a small photo size and a very large wood surface, ideal for altering. Others are a rectangular shape and a few of the frames even come with openings for more than one photo. To see Provocraft’s whole line of wood frames, visit Provocraft's Website.


Provocraft also makes a wonderful new line of prefinished grooved wood frames for crafting. These frames have a fabulous grooved beadboard surface and give a great Shabby Chic or cottage feel to them. Easily altered just by adding a few small touches, these MDF board frames are perfect for the busy or beginning crafter. They are completely usable just as they are…add a few extra touches and you have a quick, beautiful project.


How to Cover Wood Frames With Paper
Adding paper to frames is a very simple process. You only need a few basic supplies…adhesive, cardstock or patterned paper, some scissors and some sandpaper.


For most projects, I use Alene’s thick and Tacky Glue. Again, a very inexpensive item found at Michael’s and many other Craft Stores. This is a great glue that works well for adhering paper to the wood frame. I find the glue dries quite quickly if spread thinly and evenly allowing you to get to work almost immediately on your project. I am a crafter of limited time and patience so this is a big plus factor for me! If you are using a light-weight patterned paper, you may wish to use a light application of Mod Podge on your frame instead to prevent buckling. After your paper is dry, use small scissors to trim close to the wood frame. It is really almost impossible to get a great edge just by cutting. The sandpaper is quick and very easy way to remove those excess pieces of paper and give a nice clean edge finish. If you wish, you can also use some paint or ink to finish the edges of the frame and add a little extra depth to your design.


Another idea I love for frames is to use a quote instead of a photograph. A small little frame with a quote would be perfect for sitting on your desk with a little inspirational quote in it. A stamped design would also be very pretty inside the frame or even some special piece of memorabilia could be included. Don’t hide it away when it could be made into a conversation piece.

I love this last little triptych style frame. At $7.99 Cdn, a fabulous price! The little gold tone hinges work well and this frame is well made. The white primed finish makes it easy to get right to work on your project and lends itself particularly well to a paint finish. I decided to drag out some old paints from my basement and finally, after sitting there for years, give a crackled finish a shot. In hind sight, it may have worked better if I had used a lighter tan paint and also used a thicker coat of the crackle accents but as this was my first try, it doesn’t look too bad. I certainly did get the rustic appearance I was going for.


I was really pleased with my experience with all the Provocraft frames I’ve tried. I know that I’ll be picking up more in the future for other projects and would highly recommend them as a great starting place if you are new to altered craft projects. If I’ve inspired you to try out a frame or if you have any questions I didn’t address in the article, I’d love to hear from you! At Craft Critique, we love to share our opinions and experiences, but we really love to hear yours as well. Below are some ideas to get you started!

Some frame altering ideas

• Paper
• Paint
• Ink
• Ribbon
• Stamps
• Embossing Powder
• Rub-ons
• Fabric
• Chipboard

Stop the Press, and Welcome Julia!

Please join me in welcoming our newest Staff Reporter; Julia Stainton! When Julia expressed an interest in joining Craft Critique I was just thrilled! I know she will be bringing an edge of experience to our team, and I am eager to share her first article with you... check back Monday for that! :)

Julia Stainton is a long-time crafter who is delighted to share her unsolicited opinion as a reporter for the Craft Critique Team. Julia has been crafting since as far back as she can remember, most of her 30 plus years. During her childhood, and much to her mother’s dismay, she was constantly creating things; often leaving evidence of glitter, ink, paint and threads behind her. Every new thing that caught her eye just had to be tried at least once! Both her grandmothers were very skilled with needles of all kinds and taught her to sew, knit and do needlework. It was from them that she learned the joy of creating beauty from the most basic of materials. Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Julia took art lessons and adored her photography class in high school.

For the past eighteen years, Julia has been married to her sweetheart; her very patient husband and lives in Ontario, Canada. They have been blessed with five wonderful children ages 22 months up to 16 years old…four of them boys. The youngest having the unfortunate experience of wearing some sort of glitter from his mom’s projects since the day he was born. A stay at home mom, Julia has continued crafting as a creative outlet from her busy days. No crafting aisle in safe from her eager eyes. Cross-stitch, sewing, smocking, painting, cake decorating, even soap-making…she’s been there and done that!

In 1999, Julia began scrapbooking her family memories. Noticing the stamping trend on layouts 3 years ago, she decided she had to give it a whirl. So many fun ideas and techniques had her hooked within days. Today Julia primarily focuses her time on rubber stamping and papercrafting. She really feels she has finally found her niche. Julia has just finished a term as a designer for the Splitcoaststampers Fan Club Design Team and is currently on the Lizzie Anne Designs Design Team. She also designs as a freelance concept design for various papercraft magazines. You can find Julia’s designs, papercrafting tips and ideas on her wonderful blog; Belle Papier.

Crafty Books - Create, Alter & Personalize!

Reported By Sue Mylde

As crafters, we are always looking for stuff to re-create and personalize.. even the simplest things when altered can become extra special to you or the person you give it to.

In this little article, I’m briefly looking at some book altering samples and offer some resources and inspiration for creating your own.

There are so many products out there ready to be altered. Maya Road (and many other companies) have a big range of chipboard books in a variety of sizes and shapes (yes, shapes) that you can alter. I used my Maya Road ‘Lunch’ Book to create this quick album to focus on the important things on my life: just some words to remind me when I’m feeling down. When I created this book, I knew these were the words and concepts that were important to me, but only as I journaled on the pages did I find deeper focus and true understanding of how they actually figured and related to my life.



Here are the ingredients used for my Inspiration Book 2007:
Maya Road lunch book
A set of Basic Grey Lily Kate papers and letter stickers
Stampin’Up! Cardstock
7 Gypsies ‘Inspiration’ stickers
Miscellaneous embellishment and rub-ons from American Crafts Mod Podge Matte

I’ve really loved creating this little album and journaling for it. The chipboard pages were easy enough to alter since all you need to do is stick on the Mod Podge glue, stick the papers on and trim accordingly. My only complaint with this book is that once the pages and the embellishments were placed back into the rings of the album and the rings snapped back into place, the covers wouldn’t close as tightly because it was too thick! :)


These are some of the chipboard pages I altered. The book came with 8 pieces of Chipboard - all pre-pierced. I embellished and decorated both sides for 16 pages.


My introduction page










If you’re a beginner in the ‘alteration’ world, these chipboard books are a trendy and of course, cute way to start. The output looks professional without the need to do a lot.

For those of you who’d just like an even simpler project to personalize, try the covers of notebooks which you can purchase at the Dollar stores. Here’s my creation:



I used the Stampin’ Up! Chipboard book available in the current Stampin’ Up! catalogue, and added miscellaneous paper and die cuts also from Stampin’ Up to achieve this look. For an extra personalized touch, I added the tabs, created from the Stampin’ Up Tab punch - I can’t mention enough how I love this punch, see my creations here and here - they’re not just ‘tabs’ but useful in other ways too.

My ‘L is for Love’ book is also one which I’m particularly proud of. Using the 5x5 chipboard book available from the current Stampin’ Up! Spring Catalogue, I’ve combined some Stampin’ Up! designer paper with 7 Gypsies stickers (yes, I love the 7 Gypsies) to create a pre-made scrapbook to insert all the lovely things I want to cherish with the love of my life…







This is truly an easy project to create - just some stickers and paper - and you’re all done. Whenever I’m ready, I’ll be adding some photos, and journaling. Simple.

You can create pre-made scrapbooks using these altered books and because of the compact, finite size of the books, you can easily accomplish scrapbooks in just one evening! Here are some ideas for themes you might like to consider working on.

Vacation - Beach / Road trip etc.
My favourite quotes
Friends for life (a book of your closest friends, with photos and some journaling about them)
Our favourite things - gather some pictures of your family's favourite stuff together in a fun place
Things I love about (you, my city, my daughter - the possibilities are endless)
Don't forget the sad things - I hate to be a downer but sometimes journaling the bad and sad helps to keep life in perspective - and helps us be grateful for the things we have
Speaking of grateful - An 'I'm grateful for...' album

The small 5x5 size gives a non-intimidating space for journaling so - don't hesitate - go get started!

I’ve just given you some brief examples of altered books that I’ve created myself. The altered (book) craze though, has really taken leaps and bounds… If you’re really up for the challenge - go look at how Ngaire Bartlam has altered the printed book ‘She’ (gasp!) from Compendium she’s ultra-artistic, isn’t she?

For even more reviews and scoops on altered books, check out the Altered Book Kit Clubs and these Altered Books Artists. Just some worthy places to go to for more inspiration - after all, we’ve all got a stash to use, don’t we?

Have fun altering and don't forget to come back and share with me your creations - I'd love to hear from you!

Glaze Pen by Sakura

Reported by Sarah Moore

Have you ever owned a pen you loved so much you never wanted another pen in your life? This is how I feel about the Sakura Glaze pen. I am such a fan of a nice bold line, and I have always preferred Gel style pens over felt nibs. These pens run so wet and smooth, and so bold (.70 mm line)... and they dry glossy and raised, and they are a pleasure to use.

You can read all about the basic stats of this pen at the link above. I personally like it best for doodle art on paper. I love that it is raised, and so in a way it looks more "complete" that a flat ink would... I feel like it makes my doodling look almost like it's stamped and embossed. It works great with watercoloring... no running. It dries in about 5 minutes.

Scalloped border is doodled with the Sakura Glaze Pen

Close up of ink

One of the pen's claims is that it has an embossed look, and I would agree. The final look is slightly raised and glossed. It also claims that it works well on most non-porous surfaces. SO I tested that theory. Refer to the pictures below for the details on each surface.

Items are numbered clockwise from Lower Left

1. Twill Tape: As you can see it's not a good look... fabric is too porous and textured to except ink.
2. Grograin Ribbon: Ink bled into fabric. Not recommended.
3. Sheer Organza Ribbon: Worked well! Use a light touch so ink does not bleed through and smear.
4. Window Sheets/Transparency Film: Works well if you go slow and steady.
5. Glass Jar: Worked surprisingly well. Go slow and steady.
6. Clear plastic lid: Lines look even more solid than on the glass. Use a slow hand.
7. Vellum Paper (inside of a metal edged tag): Great look! Ink is solid and thick. Looks more "embossed" than if on standard Cardstock.
8. Hard Plastic Tag: Ink beaded and pooled... didn't work.
9. Shrink Plastic: Great look! Ink did not run or bleed and is still raised after melting. Item is also Water resistant!
10. Metal Tag: No good, ink beaded and pooled up.

In summary; you really need to experiment... some plastics took the ink better than others. I was unable to find an unfinished metal that excepted the ink. But on paper, this baby is "da bomb". :)

Nominated for a Blogger's Choice Award!

Hey all; check it out! Craft Critique was nominated for a Blogger's Choice award! We are thrilled!

If you love Craft Critique Like WE love Craft Critique please go and vote for us! :) Tell your friends! Shout it from the rooftops!

Stampin' Up! Markers and Brush Marker Techniques

Reported by Sarah Moore

Way back when, circa 1999 I was a die hard scrapbooker... I owned it all; and was totally into doing all my own lettering and titles; by hand. No computerized journaling for me... and no stickers. I was old school baby! One of my huge investments at the time was the full line of Zig Memory Scroll/Brush Markers which are no longer being produced.

Fast forward to 2004 when I was introduced to Stampin' Up! I gradually began to collect all the Stampin' Up! exclusive colors... all of them. Of course I had to have the markers to match... again... all of them. My Zig Memory Markers were still going strong, and to be honest the markers are almost identical. In fact; since EK Success (owns Zig Memory) produces punches for Stampin' Up!, I bet you dollars to doughnuts the SU! Markers ARE made by EK Success... the packaging is identical and the quality just as good. Plus I never used the scroll end of my Zig Markers... I love that the Stampin' Up! Markers have a journaling/fine line tip instead of a scroll tip.

So now I am a Stampin' Up gal; I am in love with these markers... and they are a wonderful hobby marker for the price point ($119 US). Now they don't compare to professional markers like Copics or Prismacolor; but if you are a hobby stamper who wants markers to match your inks you won't be disapointed with Stampin' Up!'s Markers. They are durable and vivid, and can be used for multiple techniques.

I mainly use my markers like everyone else; I color in images or use them direct to rubber on stamps, but I thought it'd be fun to bust out some old school brush marker techniques that still have some relevance today.

Back in the day artist Susy Ratto was the queen of Brush Marker lettering techniques. She wrote a book entitled Color Layering System; Brush Lettering. If you click this link you'll note it's no longer in print; but it's worth scoring used on Ebay orAmazon. She seems to not be as active as she was in the past; but I did find a cool old link on DIY that shows some great step by step techniques. I had the pleasure of taking a class with her in 2001, and I even have a signed copy of the book. I will say that the one on one instruction I had with her was invaluable to my ability to pick up these techniques, and the lettering specifically takes a ton of practice. Also; even though she recommends the Zig markers in the book; the SU! markers work great for her techniques.

The other book that inspired the samples below is titled Simple Steps by Anamarie Seidel. This is also a Zig Memory book, but again, in my experience the brush markers by Stampin' Up! do the job. There are a few techniques in the book that feature the scroll end of the old school marker; but it's not the focus of the book.


One of the simplest things that both books have taught me is it's all about how you hold your marker. You need a deep angle for most of these techniques so the marker is almost horizontal with the paper. You may need to play a bit with your "hold" until you discover what is best for you. I sometimes even hold the marker from above for certain swirls and flourishes; instead of resting it in my hand the traditional way.

Now I am not going to attempt to to show you the brush lettering techniques. I will share some samples with you; but it's just not one of those things you can teach or learn in a day. Instead I will focus on some basic and fun new ways to use your brush markers that you can apply to your work immediately. With the whole doodling look back in vogue, many of these looks are doable with today's styles. All these techniques use the brush side of the Stampin' Up! Markers.

Try thinking about your marker as if it's a stamp. You can use the side of the marker to "stamp" a tear drop shape.

Now turn that into a heart by stamping twice!

This technique is called "loading". You can scribble a bit of a darker color on a non-porous surface like a transparency or as shown below; an acrylic block. Now run the tip of a lighter color marker through the darker splotch to pick up some of the ink on the tip of the marker. After you are finished be sure to scribble with the pen until the darker color no longer shows before you store the marker away.

Shown above with a Summer Sun Marker loaded with Real Red. Shown below with an Only Orange marker loaded in Real Red.

This flower was "stamped" with the Orange/Red combo.
The leaves were created with Green Galore.

Flowers combined with Brush Lettering and Doodles to make a notecard.



Daffodils are created by "flicking" the brush to form the flute of the flower, and then "stamping" the base at the very top of the flower. Multiple shades of color are used. The dragonfly wings are "stamped" with the edge of the marker and then highlighted with the journaling end of a darker shade to give definition.



Free form vines of flowers; all "stamped" with markers.



Brush letters are created by layering colors in graduated tones. These lines of color from my practice sketchbook contain 3 colors each. On the far left you can see how one side is created by "flicking" the color upwards and then back again downwards. The Color Layering System Book shows step by step methods for each letter, stroke by stroke.



Finished letters are ornamented with gold Gell Roll pens by Sakura and additional doodles.

FabricMate Fabric Markers by Yasutomo

Reported by Donna Lannerd
FabricMate Markers by Yasutomo are pigment fabric dye put into a marker. This is a great way to add a little color to some of your fabric you use in your projects. The packaging shows them being used on ready made garments such as T-shirts and canvas tennis shoes. Although I purchased these with the intent of doing designs on my daughter's clothes I still haven't done that. Instead I was drawn to the "fabric dye in a pen" wording on one of the packages. I have always wanted to dye my own fabrics and have done some in a class but have never went through the process at home.

For the purpose of testing out the markers I chose a very light grey/white fabric that is more like a white on white print. It has a floral design which I colored in with the markers. I did very little outlining and did some shading. The fabric does not look anything like the original and all I did was color like my daughter does in kindergarten. I plan on making this into a fabric postcard.


I also used the same fabric and did only an outline of one of the flowers. From a short distance this looks like it may be embroidered. This makes a quick and easy motif for a crazy quilt or small patchwork project. It would also be ideal framed in an open window of a handmade card. I might have to make a few these.


The last test I did was to make over dyed fabric. In the normal dying process you would prepare a print fabric and then immerse it in a vat of dye then rinse and rinse and dry. For this I simply colored an area of the fabric one solid color. This would not be good for large areas but just to add color to a small area or to see if a print would look good over dyed it works well.


The markers also state on the package that heat setting is recommended but not required. I did heat set them and then I put them in water with a little soap and guess what! The colors didn't run. If you haven't done any regular fabric dying then you might not know that sometimes the dye doesn't always stay put and can be just a little annoying. I feel comfortable trying these markers on some clothing now.

Although I did like these markers I don't really think that they would last through a really large project and I would probably get actual fabric paints for that job. But, for small projects that don't require a heavy coating they work fine. I did try to color stamps with them and then stamp the fabric but the image did not show up very clear. Another downside I found on some of the markers was that the cap color was supposed to be the dye color but this was not always accurate. For example, I had one that was clearly a pink cap but the color was a very deep pink almost red and one of the blues had a much lighter cap while the color was almost navy blue.

Some tips I would recommend when using these markers: iron freezer paper on to the wrong side of the fabric for stability and keeping your work area protected, use only on light color fabrics and test on a scrap of the same fabric to check color.

Are Marvy’s Metallics Marvelous?

Reported by Colleen Schaan


I had always heard that Marvy made marvelous metallic markers (phew – say that fast three times!). I personally found them as challenging to use as the previous phrase is to say. Let me elaborate…

I purchased my Marvy Metallic Markers to use with altered domino pins. I wanted to add a gold or silver “frame” around the sides of each piece, and these markers worked wonders. I was able to “paint” a frame on each side of the domino quickly and easily with the wide tips, and while the ink did take some time to dry (10-15 minutes) I was pleased with the results.


This is what I know about Marvy’s Metallics:
*They are water-based pigmented ink.
*They have a wide tip ideal for large coverage.
*You need to shake them vigorously to mix before each use.
*They claim to be fade proof and waterproof. (I can’t vouch for fade proof, but I did test for waterproof and yes…they are.)
*The packaging states: Use to color in stamped images or use directly on rubber stamps
for metallic effect - ideal for Rubber Stamping.

So, being ideal for rubber stamping, I put them to use. I was somewhat disappointed (and a bit surprised) with the results. I decided to put them through their paces and test them on different types of surfaces using different application methods. Here is what I found:


Regular cardstock – I decided to use the “color directly on the stamp” method and I was surprised by the results. The image on the left is using an acrylic stamp while the image on the right uses a rubber stamp. I don’t know why, but the image using the acrylic stamp just did not work. You can see that the image did not stamp clearly or ink up completely. While I don’t believe this had anything to do with the markers themselves but rather the firmness of the stamps, I was surprised to see that the acrylic stamp was instantly stained from the metallic marker. No amount of cleaning or scrubbing removed the ugly yellow discoloration. I also did a “strip” test where I drew a line directly on the paper using the marker itself. You can see that the silver strip is solid and reflective while the gold marker left a blob at the end and does not reflect much at all.



Glossy Cardstock – I used black glossy cardstock because I really wanted to put the silver marker through its paces. I applied the marker directly to a rubber stamp and stamped gently to create this image. You need to be very careful to avoid moving the stamp and smudging the image. The image lost some of its intricate lines because the marker was very wet. It looks more like paint, even leaving some texture behind. I did the strip test again with similar results. The silver is nice and solid but the gold is splotchy and inconsistent.



Window Sheets – I moved on to window sheets thinking this technique would make for some stunning wedding or anniversary cards and it could, if you use choose the right materials. Like the glossy cardstock, the image smears easily on the slick surface. If you have a gentle hand, you can get some interesting results. Again, the marker was pretty runny and the result is a bit more like paint than ink – raised with a bit of texture and even some popped air bubbles. The strip test on the window sheet was extremely telling. The silver covered cleanly and smoothly while the gold was almost transparent, again leaving a blob at the end. While I found this less than satisfactory, I am sure some of you craft geniuses out there could work this into a positive point.



Vellum – These results were probably the most depressing. I was really excited about using the metallics on vellum to create some elegant projects, but my plans have been put on the back burner. As you can see, the images stamp nicely and the strip tests are even and reflective, but the vellum itself is puckered and curled. Apparently the markers are too wet to use successfully on vellum which is upsetting because the ink looks so nice.



Chipboard – I trudged over to my pile of chipboard coasters just dreading the results of this final test. By now I was realizing the metallic markers really were too wet to ink up a stamp. I figured the marker would just soak into the chipboard and run, leaving blurry edges and soggy images. I was WRONG!!! I am thrilled to say that Marvy’s Metallics work wonders on chipboard! I inked up the rubber stamp and came out with a clean, crisp image. Even my strip tests came out better than on any other surface. The gold is still not as uniform as the silver, but it does give off a nice, metallic sheen.



So while I found Marvy’s Metallic Markers to be only mediocre, I am still glad I purchased them. They are good on some surfaces and not so good on others…I will just stick to using them on chipboard and non-porous surfaces and leave the rubber stamping to my regular inks.

Thanks for stopping by… and have a marvelous marker day!

Readers: Let us know what You like to use this product for best! Any tips or techniques to share? We will have an announcement very soon about how leaving helpful comments might win you something fun!

Creative Memories Pens

Reported by Melissa Norris

Markers and pens are items that can transcend many areas of crafting. They can be used to put ink on stamps, journal on scrapbook pages, or just color.

Creative Memories offers two styles of pens, fine-tip and round-tip. As with all of the pens in the line, they are permanent, photo safe, and fade-resistant. Both pen styles feature 5 different sets, each containing 4 pens. The color families are, basic, bright, classic, pastel, and metallic Precious Elements. Each of the colors in the 5 families coordinate nicely with each other and with all of Creative Memories products.

The tips on the fine-tip style are similar to the Pigma Micron featured yesterday. The ink is very smooth flowing. I love to use these pens for journaling because you don't have any skips in your writing where the ink doesn't flow. The tips on the fine-tip metallics are a roller ball style and they come in 4 metallic colors, perfect for writing on dark paper.

The round-tip pens come in the same color families and feature a felt tip, marker style, rounded tip. These are great for making titles on your scrapbooking pages and wide doodling. The metallics in the round-tip line feature a larger felt tip and are more like a paint pen, in which you have to press it down when you first open it to let the ink flow.

Overall, I really like both styles of these pens. I often have trouble finding pens that write smoothly all the time and I haven't had any problems with my Creative Memories pens. CM does recommend storing all of their pens horizontally so they last longer and work better. I have never had any problems with any of my CM products and the company is great with customer service. When I ordered some about 2 years ago one of the metallics wasn't working well and I called them and they sent me a replacement ASAP. You can't beat that. They stand behind their product and insure that it is save for all of your scrapbooking needs.

Link to interesting Creative Memories' Q&A on Journaling.

So what do you think? Leave a comment and let us know how you feel about the Creative Memories line of Pens.

Pigma Micron by Sakura

Reported By Julie Fei Fan Balzer



I can’t draw. I’m not much of a painter, either. But, I have discovered a black pen that makes me look like I can do both!

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the Sakura Pigma Micron is the greatest black pen on earth. I have a collection of them in various sizes, but 01, 03, and 08 are my three “go to” sizes.

So, why do I love these pens? They’re archival, waterproof, fadeproof, juicy, and the tips don’t easily squish. I’m hard on pens. I use them for doodling, journaling, drawing, and I like to write on unusual surfaces. My Sakura Pigma Microns handle textured paper, painted surfaces, and chipboard with ease. They will write on plastic or metal, but you have to use a sealer or they’ll rub off. I use them on fabric (such as quilt labels). You don’t even need to heat set! They dry quickly, so there’s no smearing (always a plus for lefties or messy folks like me). But, it’s their ability to make me look good that I love the most.

Here’s my secret:

1. Use a pencil to make a horrible little scratchy sketch. Erase and fix. Erase and fix. Erase and fix.
2. Use one of the thinner pens (01 or 02) to trace your sketch. The real trick is to make the lines smooth (rather than sketchy) – like an illustration.
3. Erase all the pencil lines (a.k.a. “the evidence”).
4. Use watercolor paints to color in your drawing. Don’t worry about going outside your pen lines (the pens are waterproof).
5. Once it dries, you are left with your little masterpiece. (And nobody has to know that you can’t draw!)

Welcome to the Carnival! All About Markers and Pens!

Please visit the following terrific Marker/Pen related links and let them know Craft Critique sent you!

First up we have Nicole Seitler of Inkblog; and she's been busy!
Shading with Markers
Stamping with Markers
Markers and Ink
For the Love of Omitting

At Jana's Creative Pursuits in Stamping we get a great look at the popular Sakura Glaze pens and neat-o outline stickers!

Lisa Somerville at Splendiferous Creations shows us what to do with ALL those markers we already own!
Markers, Markers Everywhere!
Gel and Acetate Cards
Color Challenged

Kraftin' Kimmie's Korner is hoppin' with lovely Marker projects!
Hugs and Fishes
High Hopes!
Pretty Bella
Pink Cat Studio

Alli at Card Metaphors has a cool technique to share on how to make your marker projects POP with the use of a White Gel Pen!

Vicki at My Stamping Smiles made a soft and pretty markered card for the Splitcoast Ways-to-use-it Challenge and wanted to be sure to share it with us!

Speaking of the Splitcoaststamper Ways to use it Challenge; look at the Gallery for this extraordinary "marked up" collection!

Look at this WOW on Ashley's Creative corner... so Summery!

Speaking of Summer, Yvette's Paper Garden is going Buggy with markers!

Karrie Winters in her blog Creative Happenings discusses some of her favorite products; and a great Marker related use for the amazing Craft Mat by Ranger I will soon be purchasing (wink... any Ranger fans out there?) She also shares a bit on Tombow Markers.

Monika at M.A.D. Stamper busted out her Stampin' Up! Markers just for us! Thanks a bunch Monika!

Here is a great tutorial for getting a watercolored look with markers from the "Stampin' Mama", Erika Martin!

A review of Prismacolor Markers and Facts, tips and tricks on the subject of Prismacolor Markers from someone who knows... Amy Rysavy of Prairie Paper and Ink.

Want to know what's up with Copic Markers? Lend an ear to Sarah Spencer in her "Enchanted Paper Garden".

Tips and Tricks with Stampin' Up! Markers on Stampinsars... a great read!


Did we miss something??? Feel free to leave any links we missed from YOUR BLOG in the comments below!

Be sure to check out our NEXT CARNIVAL on Altered Items! (see sidebar for details and deadlines).

We Have a Winner!

We have a winner for the Fabric Challenge! It was a close race, since all the entries were so terrific! Congratulations to Linda Koch and her lovely Pin! Please visit Linda's Blog "Altered Visions" to see more of her amazing creations and learn more about her artistry!


Thank you all for your WONDERFUL contributions and for sharing your work with us. We hope you will all participate in future Challenges and Blog Carnivals with us! :)

Please visit our other finalist's blogs and galleries as well...

Leslie Brown at "Continuing to Create" and her wonderful Seaside Scrapbook page!

Tami Hartley; Creator of the "Grandma's Buttons" Shadowbox has a terrific Gallery on 2 Peas.

Sheryl Dickenson crafted the wonderful Patchwork card for us, she can be found at "Stamping with Sheryl".

Kate Rehmus at Paper Woods was the designer of the cool and plush Valentine's Day card.

2007 International Quilt Festival; Chicago

Reported by Donna Lannerd

The 2007 International Quilt Festival/Chicago was held this past weekend just 20 miles from where I live. So, of course, I had to go and since it was so close I also signed up for a class. For those of you who may not be quilters or even sewers, let me suggest that you should go to one of these shows. Besides just the amazing eye candy of the extraordinary quilts on display you can find new and unique products for just about any project you want to embellish. The emphasis of the actual show is quilt related but like many other crafters, quilters usually are up to more than just quilting and the quilting world today involves more than just the traditional blocks of prairies long ago.

The works were displayed in 11 different categories. Most of the works were quilts but there was also a fashion show case sponsored by Bernina. Because I was able to attend more than one day I noticed that the fashions changed daily which I thought was a little unfair to those who only get to come one day. The designs presented in the fashion showcase would put most Project Runway contestants to shame and would have been phenomenal to see all together instead of just a few a day. There was an official Fashion Show on Friday at a luncheon but unfortunately I had to work and was unable to attend. You can visit the website to see some of the exhibits on your computer screen.

Another special exhibit was the Journal Quilt Project 2006: A Page From My Book. I really enjoyed this exhibit. It was from the Internet-based QuiltArt group who challenge quilt artists to make a quilted/fabric journal. You can see selections of the projects on their website.

In the midst of the vendor section (which I will discuss shortly), was a special section from the people who bring you the Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. It was called Make It University and it was making its 2nd year appearance at the show. They provided workshops each day of the show for a lucky 25 people each. Because these were limited and so popular, a lottery was implemented before each session started. I did not get to participate unfortunately.

They also had mini-studios set up to see artists in action. I was able to watch and talk to Virginia A. Spiegel while she painted some very unique fabric pieces. There were items from two reader challenges also set up in this section of the event. One was a mixed-media accordion book and another featured paper quilts; both of which I wanted to run home and get working on. I have most of the accordion books shown in the one photo and I have chosen two others for close ups. The paper quilts were just too intricate and small to show how awesome they were in a big group so I have this shot of 4 very different ones.

Now I am going to get to the vendors. There were around 300 of them and I passed by all of them at least once but there was no way I could stop by each one. I think just about every quilt shop in the Midwest neighboring or in the state of Illinois was there. If you needed to get any type, skill-level or brand of sewing machine you would find it here. Many manufacturers were there as well. I met and talked with reps from Clover, Hobbs, Mountain Mist and Electric Quilt Company.

I also met with two fiction book authors, Jane Kirkpatrick and Emilie Richards of which I bought a book from each because they were so nice and seem to have quite the following of fans. I met a mother and daughter who were showcasing a line of metal embossing tools Ten Seconds Studio. The photo below is of monograms they were making while demonstrating. Although I wanted to buy their whole line I limited myself to the rub-ons that were developed especially sticky to attach to metal but can also be used on fabric. Look for a future article on these.

I also met with Jill Haglund of Tweety Jill Publications who has quite the collection of books dedicated to scrapbooking and papercrafts and will have two new books out soon, one on using fabrics and one on altered items. I have a stack of pamphlets, samples and business cards as well as a list of websites that was included in the show catalogue.

The class I signed up for was Threads of Imagination which really was a techniques class all about yummy threads and trims. The teacher was Cara Gulati and her basic philosophy is "organic" which is basically don't worry about being perfect just let the process flow. She was so much fun and I recommend anyone of any sewing level take this class from her. The most fun part of the class was taking those threads and trims and making your own piece of fabric from them. Anyone with a sewing machine can do this. You basically stuff a pocket of Sulky Ultra Solvy with threads, yarns and trims and sew the daylights out of it. No straight sewing allowed. You will end up with a one-of-a-kind fabric to embellish or use for whatever you desire. This is the one I made in the class.

For future reference; the best day of this show to attend if you don't like crowds is on Sunday. Although it may have been because of the nice sunny weather we were having, the aisles were much easier to get through than they were on Saturday. There were also a lot of bus tours that stopped on Friday and Saturday making the crowd larger more quickly, as well as the large number of classes that were available then. There were only a handful of 1/2 day classes available on Sunday. The majority of classes were offered Thursday through Saturday.

The Chicago show is actually a sister production of the International Quilt Market and Show held in Houston Texas the first few days of November. The first Houston show was held in 1974 and because of the popularity of the show a second offering for spring was developed for Chicago beginning in 2003. Next year, a summer version will begin in Long Beach, California, July 25-27, 2008. If you are interested in quilting or not you should treat yourself to one of these shows. You can check out the schedule on the website Quilts, Inc. The Houston show is much larger and much busier than Chicago. I have not been to the Houston show but it is on my list!

Share the Crafty Love

Want a cool Craft Critique Widget for your blog like the one shown below? You can spread the word about Craft Critique in style! Download the free/safe Widget HERE.

Please leave a comment (with a link to your crafty blog please) below when you add the widget to your blog; we want to make sure you are added to the list of Crafty Bloggers who support Craft Critique! :) Thanks!

Sharpie Metallic Markers

Reported by Amy Westerman

I only recently discovered that Sharpie made a silver metallic marker. I ran across them at Target, so I snatched it up, always on the lookout for new markers to use in my card making.

The first thing you’ll notice when you remove the cap from the silver marker is the smell. Make sure you’re in a well ventilated room when you use it! Kidding aside, although it’s not horrible, the smell is rather strong.

The marker is the same size and shape as all the other Sharpie markers on the market. It’s about 5.5” long and approximately ½ inch wide. The cap is silver, so there’s no mistaking it for any other color, always a good thing! It retails for around $3.00 (US) for a pack of two.

To see how the marker preformed, I just started doodling with it on a piece of white Stampin’ Up cardstock. My first thoughts were that it seemed like the marker was somewhat dry because it didn’t flow as easily as I had hoped it would. That could be because I was storing the marker on its side in my drawer, and what I learned from their website is that they should be stored tip down. According their website, doing this allows the “metallic flecks to travel down the tip, giving the user a vibrant, shiny mark on the paper”.

Even after I stored the marker tip down for a while, I still thought it didn’t flow that great. The interesting thing about the marker is that when you write with it, it almost appears as the writing is three dimensional! I tried using it both on white and black cardstock, thinking it would look great on black cardstock. Unfortunately, it didn’t look any better!

Because I wasn’t thrilled with the Sharpie Metallic Marker on any of the cardstock I used, I chose not to try it out on a card, so I’ve nothing to show you in that regard. Since I am reviewing the Sharpie Metallic Marker as a craft marker, I have to be honest and say I wouldn’t recommend it for card making. I think it’s more suited to autographs, labeling boxes, etc. It’s not suited for highlighting fine detail on a card!

We would love to hear your comments on the Sharpie Metallic Markers. How have they performed for you? Remember; we have PLANS (hint) for people who leave helpful comments!

Fabric Challenge Contest Finalists!

Attention! Voting is CLOSED! The winners will be announced on Wednesday! Thank you to all who participated! :)


It's time to announce the finalists for our Fabric Challenge Contest. Thank you to everyone who took the time to send in your work; it was so inspirational sorting through the entries and choosing the finalists. All of the entries were splendid and had something to offer... these 5 entries were selected because they had a little something "extra"... the X factor in fabric/paper art.

You can vote for your favorite creation by leaving a comment below and letting us know which piece is your favorite (vote by letter please). You may only vote once and you must use your name to vote/comment. Anonymous votes/comments will not be counted. Voting will close on Monday, April 16th at midnight CST.

The winner will receive a fun goodie box filled with fabrics, fibers, yarns, beads and papers to incorporate into their future creations! (photo to come soon)


Please click on images to enlarge.

A. Stuffed Valentine Heart Card by Kate Rehmus



B. Grandma's Buttons (shadowbox) by Tami Hartley