Tip for pen tops...

Since the videos have been added for the Spectrum Noir pens I have had many emails about them.

But one of the things I said in the video was about my disapointment with the numbers wearing off the pen tops very quickly, and so making it awkward to identify the pen at a later time.

Well the problems has been solved by a lady who watches my videos  and she sent in this very simple tip to stop that from happening.

She suggested that when you buy the pens ... and before you start to use them ... coat the top of each one with some kind of laquer.  And so I raided my cosmetics and found some clear nail polish and set to work doing just what she had said.

I covered both ends to every pen that I had ... and then I did the same thing along the barrel of  some pencils that I needed to keep the colour groups on. 

It took a little whitle to dry but once it was I then had the perfect preservation for all my Spectrum Noir Pens.

So thank you to Miriam for this wonderful tip and it is one that I am sure many many people will follow as well. 

Hugs xx

Spectrum Noir Pale Skin ...

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So yesterday saw the introduction of these pens and today we will get started with colouring in a pale complexion.

I will cover other skin types over the course of these videos and I will only be using the pens that are in the six pen collections.

For this one I have used the Skin Tones and the video will show you which of the set in particular.

When you are colouring in you may think it does not look correct but you will need to allow the alcohol to evaporate for the final result.

So don't throw anything away until it is all finished and even then you will be able to salvage some part of the the image that you are not happy with.

But remember that the more you practise the better you will get.... and I  am retired so I get lots of time to practise

And now here is the video for  Pale Skin   and it doesn't matter if you are using a different character from your own collection.

If you want to follow on with me then keep your chosen stamped or digital image safe and we will continue with the hair in the next video.

Hugs xx

Spectrum Noir Introduction

Here is the first of the promised videos and this one will introduce the pens to those that are new to them.

They are an alcohol based colouring system that has many good point in it's favour.

They are more affordable than some of the other pens on the market and that has got to be something to be considered for us crafters.

They are refillable and the nibs are replaceable too so that's another plus point.

The video is availble on the website and here is the link.....Spectrum Noir Introduction 

I have another one ready to add tomorrow and that will cover skin tones.... and bit by bit I will cover different coloured skins, hair colours, clothes, transparency, creating back grounds and making embellishmnets fit the colour scheme.

Hope you will enjoy them

Hugs xx

I'm being lazy ...

Since we got back from Canada we have been very lazy. Griff says it is jet lag and that he feels his will last about three months....  No chance !!

So today I have been busy preparing everything I need for the new videos I want to do and tomorrow it is back to work with a vengence.  So my "Film Crew" will have to get his hat on again and get up his ladder.

This is some of my  Spectrum Noir pens and some of the paper that I use to colour on.... which is a  160gsm Text and Graphic  card from   Staples         

This will be the start of a set of videos showing how I use them.   I do not pretend to be an artist ... this is just the way I make these pens work for me.

I have had several emails asking about them and so I thought that a video or two would be the best way forward rather than answer the questions individually

So tomorrow I will introduce the pen system and explain some of the things about them to those that are new to alcohol marker pens.

These are some of the cards that have been made using this system and hopefully ....  fingers crossed ....  you will enjoy the videos and find them useful to you in your own colouring.

Click the photos for an enlarged view.

The images are from   Mo's Digital Pencil  ... Lili of the Valley   and   Just Inklined  ... and all make the most adorable cards.

The "Bling" as always is from Want2Scrap and has been added to the Elephant card.

Hugs xx

Babies, babies everywhere.

Since I discovered these beautiful images from   Mo's Digital Pencil   I have had so much fun colouring them in.

I have used Spectrum  Noir pens  throughout the process and they are available from Crafters Companion


Here are some that I have coloured in using the same image but I love the way they have turned out...and although the image is the same one the effect is different each time... and I will be adding these to cards as I need them





This baby was featured in a card a few posts ago and has been coloured with Spectrum Noir pens....

Clicking the photo will give you a larger image so that you can see the different effect on each one.

I used the palest in the turquoise set and outlined it all with a pale beige.

I just love the sofness of these images and they are perfect for new baby cards or a first birthday.

My Great Grand daughter will be getting one of these on her first birthday in October.

This one has been coloured with pale greens and the effect on the dress is created with the pens.

And this one is in a pale Lilac with a Polka dot dress and this is my favorite colour scheme.

Such a delightful image deserves your best shot at colouring it in and making it into the prettieset card you can.

Hugs xx

Colouring In ...

While I was in Canada one of the things that Naomi wanted to learn was how to colour in images that  are from  stamps or  digital downloads. 

One of the images I coloured is on her blog page so why not pop over and  take a look at  Creative Bug on the Loose  She has made it up into a very pretty card that would suit any occasion and I just love them

It features one of the Fairy Babies that I bought from Mo's Digital Pencil  and there are so many beautiful images on there that you will be  spoilt  for choice. 

The artist,  Maurie Manning,  has given me her permission to use these images in a series of videos that I am going to make on using the Spectrum Noir pen system.

Naomi made a very good pupil and watched as I showed her which pens to use to get the effect for each individual thing that we wanted to do.

All the parts to this card are done with the Spectrum Noir pens and this is Naomis' first attempt at using them. 

 The card that we used was not the correct one for the pens and once Naomi gets some smooth paper she will be even more pleased with the results.

We coloured the ribbons, pearls and the acetate background with the same pens, and blended them all to match the colour scheme.

The little tag sentiment at the bottom Naomi has covered with the  Glass Beads  that I told you about the other day.

The flowers are of course Spellbinders Blossom 3 and she has inked the edges with Distress Inks.

So well done Naomi with this beautiful card.... and the videos will be here shortly.

Hugs xx

Sea Glass

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This is some beautiful Sea Glass that Naomi and I collected for Souris Beach which is right in front of her house. 

All we had to do was cross the road and there it was.... and such a beautiful view from the big window in her front room.

Enlarge the picture to see the array of colours in the glass and the smoothness of some of the pieces ... and when I learn how to make it into some lovely jewelery I will be sure to show you what I have done.

Some of the pieces are small enough to add to cards, but there are some that would make wonderful earrings.  The pinks and lilacs are gorgeous but my favourite is the very pale turquoise.

The blue is not so prominent and apparently the red is very rare.  I asked Griff if he would come collecting it off our local beach and his answer was ..... "Nope"  ..... spoil sport !!

Hugs xx

Glass Beads

This is a product that I took over to Canada to share with Naomi and the effect on your cards is quite amazing.



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They are tiny glass beads that are added to double sided adhesive sheets, and because they are so clear the image or sentiment underneath can still be seen.

I bought mine from  Creatuve Studios  and you can get both products from their website ... just click their link to take a look at some of the other super products that they have.

Click to Enlarge

I hope that the picture gives you some idea of the effect that has been added to the Rose design from Polkadoodles

The beads cover the flower but it can still be seen easily through them. I would suggest that you decant them to a larger container that you can dip your image or sentiment in to.




Ckick to Enlarge

Stamp or print off the image and colour if needed.

Then remove one side of the backing sheet from the  double sided adhesive paper and place it over the image.

Trim it  to size. Remove the other backing sheet and press the sticky side  firmly down into the beads and make sure that the area is covered.

Once you take it out of your container make sure all the beads are stuck onto the sticky sheet and remove any loose ones.

Add the extras that you want to finish your card and the result is very pretty.  Hope you like !

Hugs xx



...Hello UK

Here I am back at home. We flew through the night and got into Heathrow this morning ... and after travelling for 26 hours we are both really tired. 

We are trying to stay awake as long as we can though to get back on track with the time change ... but at 9pm this Saturday evening it is getting harder by the second.

So not many photos in this short post but this is a story I  just had to share with you. 

Just after I had finished writing my post in the airport lounge I decided to go and check on the time of our flight.

I left Griff finishing off his drink and I walked over to the display board.  I was very shocked to read that our flight had been delayed ... on the board it had flight 806 delayed 24.

 I rushed back to where Griff was and told him and his response was "You're joking'

"No" I said "come and check it with me" ..... and as we went back over to the board he wanted to go the washroom first.

While he was gone I saw two official looking men walking towards me and so I asked politely where I could get more information on a flight that had been delayed for 24 hours.    "24 HOURS ...." one of them said in a surprised voice ... "where are you going?  " Heathrow" I told him and he asked me to go with him to the Air Canada information desk and he would find out.

In the meantime Griff had come to join me and we asked questions of one of the men who was an airport policeman and he was very helpful and friendly.  H explained that the other guy ... who had gone to find out what was going on ... was the airport director.

Well eventually he came back all smiles and told us "Yes ma-am your flight has been delayed ..... by 30 minutes to 00.15 .... the 24 is the gate number" 

Guess who felt such an idiot ????

But we all ended up laughing at what was a very easy mistake to make... well I think it was anyway and it was because I was tired.... and that's the excuse I am sticking too.

Hugs xx

Bye bye Canada ...

I am squeezing in this post while I am at Halifax Airport, Canada waiting  to fly home to London Heathrow and  the next one will be from home.

It has been another hot day and neither Griff nor I are looking forward to the long journey home.

This is the boring bit waiting to board and take off.,,, and Griff hates flying at the best of times.

We are hoping to get some sleep on the flight because we have a long drive at the other end before we get back home.

This is our last view of Prince Edward Island as the ferry sailed away from the shore, and we take with us some very fond memories of our holiday with Naomi and Troy.

The sail across the Northumberland Strait took 70 minutes and the sea was so calm and sparkly.

We stopped at a town called Truro and had a walk around the park and these were some little friends that we made.

They came rushing up to us when we entered the park .... probably thought that we had food for them ... but sorry guys no such luck.

Now this is a photograph I could not resist sharing with you.

This is  Griff checking out his teeth in Naomis' magnifying mirror last night while we were all getting ready to go out for our farewell meal.

Caught unawares and I just happened to have a camera in my hand..... what more can I say except that it makes a real change from him photographing me doing something stupid.

And oh I have enjoyed adding this to this blog post.   Bless his little cotton socks ....

Hugs xx

Last Day ...

Yesterday was a bit if a disaster. Griff has proved to be rather tasty to the local bugs and he has been bitten several times whilst we have been here.


Both his left  hand and a foot have swollen up quite considerably.

Having been to the pharmacy we were advised to go to the "Walk In" medical centre ... and  we spent two and a half hours waiting to see the doctor.

I am happy to say though that he has responded well to the antibiotics he was prescribed and the swelling has gone down a lot overnight.

So today we have been out and about again enjoying our last day on Prince Edward Island.

This was the wooden train in Georgetown and we also visited the Kings Playhouse.... were Griff did his party piece on an empty stage and I filmed him ... so which one of us is the most stupid .... don't answer that !!  

We stopped by the river in beautiful Montague for a delicious salad lunch and wandered around this pretty place for an hour and more.

After a lovely afternoon we motored on to St Peters
and walked over the boardwalk across the river to the little gift shops.

Once back at Naomis we all got ready to go out for a last meal together at the local seafood restaurant.

Griff and Naomi had to select lobsters that they wanted to eat ... and then had to wait for it to be prepared.


The meal was lovely ....

... and this is Naomi tucking in to her lobster.

They were both supplied with plastic bibs and Troy and I said it was like sitting at a table with two 2 year olds  in bibs.

But it was a good night out and we all enjoyed our selves.

And tomorrow we set off for home again and have long day of travelling in front of us.

In the morning w e will be getting the ferry from Wood Island across to Nova Scotia and then our flight will leave Halifax at 23.45

Both of us are hoping so get some sleep on the flight because when we get back to London at 09.30 on Saturday morning we still have to drive back to the North West of England.

So probably no post tomorrow but once I get settled back at home we will be back to normal again and crating will resume as normal.

We have had an amazing time here with Naomi and Troy and been made to feel so welcome. Both of us are very grateful for the opportunity they have given us to visit this lovely part of Canada.

Hugs xx

Confederation Bridge

This is the bridge that crosses the Northumberland Strait from Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick and it is 11.5 kilometres long.

To get onto the island is free but to get off it you have to leave by either the ferry from Wood Island or via the Confederation Bridge which has a toll.

This is quite a modern bridge and we were surprised to find out that it was only completed in 1997.

This is a memorial at the base of the bridge to the Quartermasters and has the names of people engraved into bricks that have given service to the island crossing.

People sometimes come over by ferry and leave by the bridge or the other way round but we will be leaving on Friday the same way we came via the ferry from Wood Island.

Hugs xx

Province House

It has been a really hot day here in Canada and once again we have been exploring this pretty island.

This is Province House and it was free to wander around.  It is the birth place of  the  Confederation  and it was well explained in a short  video that we sat and watched.

At the Arts centre there was a superb performance by a group of young performers and we sat in the shade and watched.

And once that was done it was time for coffee and some lunch.... and to sit for awhile and relax in the sunshine as we watched the world go by.

A young man booking tours offered to take this photo of the two of us with a bronze statue of one on the Confederation Founders.

All too soon it was time to make our way back and we had a homemade Seafood Chowder to look forward to.

One of Naomis friends ... Patricia had offered to make us her own special recipe and bring it round for us to try.

I am not a seafood lover but I was willing to give it a try and I have to admit that it was delicious. Naomi made hot biscuits to go with it and a delicious Blueberry cheesecake to finish of Mmmm Mmmmm!!

I will definitely need that diet when I get back home ... and that is coming round at an alarming rate.

Hugs xx

The Bottle Houses

We have had full day out touring Prince Edward Island and seen some very pretty towns on the way.

We set off early in the morning and went over to the West side, and stopped for some ice cream in a pretty  place called Summerside.... and I promptly dripped chocolate ice cream down the front of a new white T-shirt.

Fortunately I had a shirt on over the top so at least I didn't look  a mess for the rest of the day.  Griff says he is going to buy me a babies bib in future ...

The main attraction we wanted to see was the  "Bottle Houses"  at Cap Egmont.

They were created from all coloured bottles that many of the towns people  helped to collect.


Thousands have been ..used to make a house, a chapel and a tavern.

They are quite amazing and big enough to walk around the inside of.

This is the inside of the chapel and there have been real weddings performed in here.


It was really peaceful and cool to sit in here for a little while and relax.

The six gabled house  is beautiful and set in lovely gardens that you can walk around.


And the perfume was delightful too.


Still more to do yet on this summer vacation... and more photos to add as we explore some more.

And this is  my handsome "Film Crew" doing what he does so well and that's filming.

And the look says ... "Are you  taking photos of me taking photos ??????"   and the answer was "Yep !!"

Hugs xx

Canada Day ...

Canada celebrates it's birthday on the 1st of July each year and this small town is no exception.

We have been down to the park area for the party and to join in the fun.

The town was named Souris  (pronounced Surrey)  by the French and it means mouse.

This character is the Souris Mouse and he went around  welcoming everybody to the park.

There was lots of stalls and entertainment as well as a talent show for the local youth .... and the sun was so hot all day long.

Now this is a couple of strange men that we found at the park all dressed up for Canada Day..... Naomis' Troy and my "Film Crew" having a laugh.

Griff bought a Canada T-shirt and has flags draped around his neck ... and Troy has red glasses with flashing lights along each side.

But we had fun and tonight there is more to come.  Music on the beach ... which is just outside Naomis'  front door.... and we are having a BBQ with all of their friends.

Great vacation so far and very kind weather too.

Hugs xx