My favourite art supplies for using in my art journal

Have you ever wondered what my favourite go to supplies are for use in my journal? Well if you have I am going through all that in this video. I also talk about the journals that I am currently loving too (with a bit of a flip through of the art created in them).

I did this same video in 2013 so if you would like to watch that and see what has changed you can check that out here:

What's in my pencil case?

Have you ever wondered what I keep in my pencil case? What my go too favourites are? Well I have filmed a 'what's in my pencil case' video! It's been a while since I did one of these so I thought it might be fun to do and share especially since I love watching these types of videos myself. Shop the Trolls section of my shop here: https://www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/?s=trolls

Want to know what was in my pencil case last year? Check it out below.

I also have a pencil case tag video. If you fancy taking part the questions are on this video:

 

New Art Supplies!!

You guys know that I love love LOVE my Art Supplies and getting creative in my journals, right?

Well today is a very exciting day for me...today is the day that I launch the new Art Supply section in the Mrs Brimbles Shop! 

Many happy dances were had I can tell you because I literally have this in my possession...

I kid you not. The rack loaded with all the paints is sitting on my desk. I want to keep them all ha ha! Just look at those vibrant colours. Lusciousness for sure.

So to celebrate the launch of the Art Supply shop I thought I would offer you guys the chance to shop on me! I am giving away a £15 store credit voucher so you can grab yourself a few supplies to add to your collection or to get your creative journal supplies started. To enter just use the giveaway widget below.

p.s. you see the photos of the brushes and oil pastels, well they are actually my own well used and loved ones he he!!

By submitting an entry to this giveaway you agree to the following Terms & Conditions: 

• Your email address will be added to my newsletter database - I will not sell this to anyone else nor will I constantly be spamming you and you can unsubscribe at any time! 
• Open internationally
• You must be over eighteen years of age or have parental / guardian permission.
• The prizes stated above are the only prize(s) - no cash alternative.
• One winner will be chosen at random and notified by email. Winner(s) will be announced on this page on the rafflecopter widget after the closing date.
• If the winner(s) do not respond to my email within 48 hours a new winner(s) will be chosen

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's in my pencil case?!

It's been 18 months since I did a 'What's in my pencil case' video and as I my pencil case(s) look a bit like they are over flowing I thought I might sort through it, maybe downsize and show you what is in it as I do that!

If you would like to see my last video and take part in the tag - there are questions to answer you can see that here:

The questions to answer are:

1. What pencil case are you using / do you use?
2. Why do you use it?
3. Where was it from?
4. Do you carry it out and about or does it stay at home?
5. Show us what is inside?
6. What was in there that you had forgotten about?
7. What is your most used / favourite item?
8. Now you have gone through you case what will you leave out? if anything!
9. How often do you go through your case and change things?
10. What are your future plans for your case? New case? New contents? What is on your wish list?

The lovely Chris from Scrawlr Box sent me a January Box to review / share with you guys. What is a Scrawlr Box? ScrawlrBox provides subscribers with a monthly box of mystery art supplies. Inspiring artists of all abilities each month, with a new selection of creative tools. So what was in the box??


To find out more about Scrawlr Box including prices & distribution (they do ship internationally) please visit: http://scrawlrbox.uk/ you can also find them all over social media too @scrawlrbox

PLEASE NOTE: I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opionion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not

Supplier Spotlight - Cloudy Cow

It's time for another 'Supplier Spotlight'. You have seen Cludy Cow on the blog before BUT you can never have too many cute stationery items right?

I took part in a 'stock swap' with some other ladies who run, well, errrr shops obviously lol! I showed you My Pretty Week last week and today it is time to share the goodies that I got from Daisy aka Cloudy Cow.

So the first thing she sent me was this super cute washi tape with lots of wellington boots on it. I mean seriously cute! I love it and it is going to work perfectly with journalling about the garden (or festivals if I should be lucky to go to any lol). It will also inject a bit of colour into Autumnal pages as I like to wear my wellies when we go for woodland walks. Perfect!

 The second thing that Daisy sent me was this super cute ice cream pen in lilac. I love slimline pens like this as they slip into your pen loops nice and easily. I also love the fine tip on them as they are great for writing small.

Don't you think it looks right at home in my purple original Filofax!

Please do go check Daisy out and show here some love... Places you can find Daisy / My Cloudy Cow:

Shop: http://www.cloudycow.bigcartel.com/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mygreencow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cloudycow and also: https://www.facebook.com/mygreencow instagram: https://instagram.com/cloudycow/ and also: https://instagram.com/mygreencow

I asked Daisy if she could tell us a bit herself and the shop...

I’m Daisy, I live in the UK and am 21. I became self employed at 18, and since then I’ve managed to set up two businesses, and I also started a YouTube channel (MyGreenCow). I’m a lover of all things stationery/craft related, and share this love via my YouTube channel and other social media. I’ve always been a creative person, so it’s amazing to be able to incorporate that into my full time job! I set up Cloudy Cow so that I could offer cute stationery items you can't find as easily in the UK. But I do offer worldwide shipping! At the moment the shop has three different sections! They are as followes: 

WASHI TAPE- Here you will find a wide range of washi that is available. Not ALL the washi will be in stock at ALL times, but I do my very best to keep the shop well stocked.

POP UP - Here you will find random stationery items! It's called the 'pop up' section for a reason. The items listed here won't ALWAYS be available, they may only be available for a limited time, there will always be limited stock and they may not come back again, so grab them whilst you can! I decided to add this section, because it adds variety and a bit of fun to the website!

OTHER - Here you will find others items which will be a permanent fixture on the website, these will not be going anywhere and will be restocked regularly, much like the Washi Tapes.The recent re-launch gave me time to full revamp the website and ‘mould’ it into shape a bit. 

I’m extremely happy with how it’s turned out and this should hopefully be the start of a long journey for Cloudy Cow!


PLEASE NOTE: I participated in a swap with this other small business owner. I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opionion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not be sponsored or endorsed. None of the links are affiliate links. Unless otherwise stated, all photography is my own.

May Brimbles Box Reveal!

It's time to reveal what was in the Brimbles Box this month, the month of May!

If you would like to watch videos of unboxings from genuine customers as well as honest reviews from bloggers you can watch the YouTube Brimbles Box playlist As I say they are all very honest so you can get a better feel for what was inside.


So what was in the box this month? In April I said "without April showers we would have no May flowers", well no one realised that there was a little clue there for the next box he he! We haven't actually had many showers here this April so I hope we do get those May flowers! This months box has a delightful garden theme.

Of course there is always a postcard from me setting the theme behind the box:

So of course as always we start with a postcard from me:

"Do you remember in April I said that we need those April showers because without them there would be no May flowers…well we haven’t really had the wet April that we usually have instead we have had warm sunny days, days that you can spend just pottering and mooching about in the garden. We have had an abundance of Spring flowers not only in my garden but also in my village which has been a very welcome sight.

I love to be outdoors, especially in the garden, I can while away many an hour sitting in the garden, sipping tea, reading a book and listening to the birds sing.  I like to tinker around planting seeds and watching things grow and my favourite is growing herbs and then picking them for tea. Oh yeah did I mention I like me tea! Well you guys already know that as I mention it so often. I very often paint, plan and journal in the garden as I find that I am more inspired when surrounded by nature.

This month I thought I would bring a beautiful garden to you. A delicious mix of flowers and veggies to get you in the mood for those long Summer days that are waiting for us here in the Northern Hemisphere (hopefully), and for you Southies something for you to remember your Summer days as you slip into Autumn!"

This month was quite hard because there were somany wonderful products, I just couldn't narrow it down so instead I bought everything and then just gave each box a random selection of products. So each box received 6-8 of the following products and the total RRP of the box was £21 so whatever you received it was all worth the same. 

 Those that ordered a planner box will have received an art (painted by me) dashboard as well as a planner charm. One of the following dashboards will have been received (randomly chosen by me) as either Personal or A5 size depending on which box size you signed up for

Please do watch the above video as you can see all the products much more clearly and appreciate them better and of course you can learn more about the products and what to do with them.

I hope you like it, it was a lot of hard work sourcing a collection and putting it all together! At the time of writing I have some excess boxes available to purchase as a whole as well as some individual items so check out my online shop for those. I also have some of the dashoards and planner charms available to purchase in my Etsy Shop.

See you next month for June’s box. Remember if you would like to order a subscription or a one off box and you would like that box to be the June one you can order up to and on 30th May from: www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/shop

Supplier Spotlight - Craftin Chaos - Planner Clips

It has been a while since I did a 'Supplier Spotlight' because I haven't been buying much of late. What with vets bills, saving for a new camera and the fact that I probably have more stationery related products than I should have it has been a bit quiet on the purchasing front!

Anyhoo I have something adorabubble to share with you today. About a month ago now I was doing the Websters Pages Color Crush Planner daily photo challeneg on instagram and one of the prompts was 'rainbow' and this is the photo that I shared...

I love Rainbow Brite and this is my original doll from when I was a child in the the 80s and the stickers were sent to me by a friend in the States. I can never use them, I just have to hoard them! Actually I am going to laminate them and make them into a page marker! So after I shared that photo someone whispered in my ear that my good friend Deb from Craftin Chaos made her a Rainbow Brite clip. How did I not know this!! Of course I had to have one didn't I, it stands to reason. Now Deb doesn't really make this to sell because as you can see it is so inticate with lots of itty bitty pieces but her arm was twisted and she made me one and I am crazy in love with her...

She even has a little rainbow to match...

If you have never checked out Deb's shop before you certainly have to because her clips are simply stunning. She has such an eye for detail and the quality is incredible. I have a few of her clips now but these two are also new additions that came with Rainbow Brite.

Isn't little Foxies glasses just simply adorbs!

And look at my Splodgey bear made into a paperclip, she can go in the FluffyFax to be with her friends forever...

Thank you Debs for another amazing package and seriously folks, go check out her store, it's a must!

The Letter Bee Box - Stationery, PenPals & Journals - April Unboxing

It's Letter Bee time again! 

The Letter Bee box is a monthly box curated by Patty from Furthermore Press. The box is aimed at everyone who loves letter writing, stationery and journals. Each box is themed and all the goodies inside the box relate to that theme in some way. This is my second Letter Bee box and I can tell you I love it!

About the box:

Boxes can be ordered through Patty's Etsy shop - Furthermore Press

Letter Bee box: $35US inc shipping in US   $30US + $22.50US shipping for UK which in totaly equates to £36. Patty also offers a Petite Letter Box: $22US + $5.95US shipping, outside of the US you need to get in touch with Patty so she can give you a quote.

As many of the items are unique and hand made there are a limited number of boxes each monthso get in quick if you want one!

I filmed my unboxing so that you can get a better sense of the products or do please keep on reading for photos of what I received.


So the theme of this month was 'eco' and recycling which I love (I used to write a blog on Eco stuff called Our Little Eco Journey). My heart started missing a few beats when I saw how much Kraft stuff was in their as I do love my Kraft paper he he!

The massive eco element of this months box is that rather than contain it all in a cardboard box, Patty sent a reusable plastic box which I think would be great for housing supplies and taking them out in the garden with you.

As usual there is a card detailing all of the items inside as well as a sweet treat and some lovely tea.

On to the items then. Please note that there were also some itty bitty bits including but I have stuck to just showing some of the bigger items.

Firstly were reusable page flags, Clips, sticky notes and note cards

As always there is a good selection of note cards, postcards and greetings cards, all centred around this months theme (not all are shown here).

There was a selection of die cuts which is perfect for adding to your journal and if you don't have one don't worry because a handmade one was also included!

A lovely selection of stickers and pens.

And last but by no means least is this gorgeous art work from Patty herself. I love it and it will sit with my one from last month just above my desk where I can see it!

Another super fun box and a delight to receive, use and spread the love when I write to pen pals. Next months theme looks fab too so if you don't want to miss out make sure you head on over to Furthermore Press on Etsy to buy yours!

PLEASE NOTE: I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opionion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not be sponsored or endorsed. The photography unless otherwise stated / credited is also my own. None of the links are affiliate links

Sweet, Sweet Bunnies! - This Weeks Pages

I hope as you are reading this that you are not too stuffed from all your Chocolate Easter Eggies! I am actually writing this on Good Friday whilst Mr B busies himself making hot cross buns for our afternoon tea. Whilst he was busy in the kitchen I was having a bit of a planning session and creative play. I love bunnies, you probably already know that by now, it doesn't have to be Easter for me to use bunnies everywhere in everything that I do so whilst this week is bunny themed it is not neccessarily for Easter if you see what I mean. I am a bit ignorant about the rest of the World but here in the UK we have a four day bank holiday weekend so we will be chillaxing and going for nice walks (if the weather stays nice) and visiting friends.

I am still in my white Websters Pages Color Crush planner which I am loving, it goes with everything! I haven't felt that it gets dirty. I did get pen on it but a bit of spit and a vigorous rub with my thumb pretty much sorted that out lol! Next week I will be moving into my Sky Blue and I have something pretty cool to show you but it may have a bit of a 'marmite' reaction he he! Stay tuned for that.

I posted a photo on instagram of a package that I had received from Hey Charlie Shop on Etsy. It was packaged really really cutely and she had used the cutest little bunny stickers on the packaging. I fell in love with them instantly and knew that I had to salvage them and use them in something creative, so you guessed it...I carefully peeled them off and added them to my pages this week...

Products Used
Planner: Websters Pages Color Crush Planner in White with matching folio
Planner Inserts: Websters Pages week on two pages
Washi Tape: Sprinkles and polka dots from Hey Charlie Shop on Etsy, Thin pink tape is the MT brand but I can't remember where I got it from. The Stripe tape is from Websters Pages and the bow tape I received in a swap from a friend in the States so not sure where it is from.
Stickers: Hey Charlie Shop
Journal Cards: Websters Pages - These are the days collection
Paperclips: Ribbon Bow - Hey Charlie,
Sticky Notes: Target $1 spot

It is a totally explosion of pink and sickly cuteness and I love it he he!! I used a sticky note and cute it down for the space as the top of the page. I never really use this part of my pages other than for decoration and just thought this was a cute way to use the space.

I have used loads of bits from Hey Charlie this week. You should so go and check out her Etsy shop because she has such cute things!

Creating Daily

During the Christmas break I shared with you what I received for Christmas, well I thought I would give you a bit of an update on how I am using two of the things...

I was very kindly given a Paperchase bound diary from their Dreamscap collection. As you know I do love my ring bound planners for the flexibility of being able to move things around and in/out, Mr B also knows this but he bought it for me he said because he knew that I would like the cover design and thought that I could make use of it somehow. Oh how right he is! How could you not love the design? It is simply beautiful. The paper inside is a cream colour but so beautiful and smooth as well. I do love it.

oh by the way I am showing you photos of my messy artists desk too lol!

I also received a set of Spectrum Noir pencils. I knew they did markers but had no idea that they did pencils too. I have coveted the Prismacolor pencils for a while now but have never taken the plunge to buy them. I don't know why. I see people use them in videos etc all the time but I wonder if I would enjoy using them too. When I think of pencils I always think of the cheap kids ones that you have to really work at to get any colour at all. I know everyone raves about the Prismacolors I am just yet to try them for myself.

So what am I doing with these two things? Well I am putting them together and creating daily. I am working in my Fauxbonichi in the evenings when we finally sit down to watch some telly. After I have done with that I then pick up this book. I love love love my Fauxbonichi don't get me wrong and I do find it relaxing but I do have to think about what I have done that day to record it. Once I have done that I pick up this book and this set of pencils, nothing else and I let my mind wander off and draw whatever it needs or wants to. Whatever comes out of my head goes onto that paper. No carbon pencil and eraser, nope just straight down with coloured pencils. No thinking, no worry about mistakes, just creating and letting the mind go. I love it, not that any journal or creativity is particularly stressful, nor should it be, but there there is something about just letting your mind wander through the extension of your hand and a coloured pencil or two. I have even found a couple of characters that have come out on the page that I would like to develop and take further so that is great.

I am still not sure about the pencils as to whether or not I like them. I don't know if it is just pencils in general that I am comparing to other media but they just don't seem to be as pigmented as I would have liked them to be. Maybe it is just me. Maybe I am expecting too much from a pencil I don't know. Blending wise I haven't yet worked out how to really do that. I know you can buy blending solution but I don't really know what that is and how you use it so I really must look into that. There doesn't seem to be that much information so I will keep digging around.

Anyways for now I am just enjoying my little doodle time at the end of the day!

Supplier Spotlight - Hey Charlie!

I am back with another supplier spotlight and this week I have for you...Hey Charlie.

Charlie is a fellow blogger and also recently took part in the Filofax Blogger challenge. I was delighted to find out that Charlie has started her very own Etsy shop selling stationery items and other items aimed at planners and pen pallers, is that how you say people who pen pal? Anyways you get the gist of what I mean!

When my box of goodies came it was presented beautifully wrapped in tissue paper with a hand written note from Charlie herself...

Inside my box were some lovely goodies that I would like to share with you. This cute little fabric pouch is one of her 'Pen Pal Grab Bags' which was just bursting with goodies. I am not showing all of them here in this photo but believe me there was lots inside and everything was just lovely! I received two sheets of masking stickers which for me personally was exciting as I have never used them before so I am going to try them and see how I get on!

I also wanted to share with you this gorgeous little glitter journal / notebook. It is A6 in size so very handy for putting in your bag whilst you are on the go. It feels great in your hand, it is a hard thing to describe but it is nice and chunky to feel good but not too chunky that it is chunky! I know, odd but it just feels right to me. Whilst we are talking about feeling, it also has a plastic cover which again, I can't put my finger on it but it just feels right!

I love all of my goodies from Hey Charlie, definitely an Etsy shop to keep an eye on for the future!!

You can also find Charlie over on her blog... http://heycharlieblog.com/

Uber Cute Paper Clip Unboxing!

Through one of my many Instagram browsings, I came accross a lovely lady called Deb who makes the most, and I mean the most amazing paperclips. I instantly fell in love with them and I enquired about purchasing them. Deb had never sent any internationally before, anyway she is a lovely lady and we got chatting and she offered to send me some so that I could help spread the word for her, see how they posted internationally (to make sure they arrived in one piece) and also....drumroll...to do a giveaway for you guys. So are you ready for the cuteness overload? Here we go....

When they arrived they were all wrapped up in beautiful dotty tissue paper done up with twine and then when I unwrapped that they were all beautifully, individually wrapped in their own little glassine envelopes, again all done up prettily in twine. I could already see how cute they were but I really wanted to open them to get a really good look at them.

Here they are altogether happily smiling away at me. Don't they look so cute. I love how smiley they all are and just so friendly, you couldn't help but smile when you see these could you now!

It is nice to see them all bundled together in one happy crowd but the photo doesn't do them justice. In person they are very vibrant and  you can tell that all the materials used are of a high quality. The attention to detail is just simply amazing. The bunny even has cotton whiskers and a fluffy tail on the back. The hedgehog has a twine bow in her hair and all the characters have little design elements and detailing on them that gives them their beautiful little characters.

I didn't know what to expect as I have never ordered any clips that have been handmade like this, all the paper clips that I have have been brought from a shop and have therefore been mass produced. I do have two plushie clips that have been handmade but they are plushy not card etc. I do love to buy from independent crafters though. With the exception of the button, they are all made out of card which as I have said is very good quality. The clips are very sturdy and aren't going to bend or 'dog ear' too easily. I don't think they would withstand sticking out of your planner and going in and out of your bag all day but for general use they will certainly last a good fair while. I gave the clip a good hard wiggle and they are well routed in there so the characters aren't going to detatch themselves from the clip anytime soon.

I think they are truly amazing and would certainly order again as not only are her items of top notch quality, she is also a lovely lady and delivers fantastic customer service. You know that I only share items with you that I truly, genuinely love and know that you will love too!

If you would like to order any of these for yourself or find out more about Deb and her crafty pursuits you can find her in the following places:

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/craftinchaos
Blog: http://www.craftinchaos.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC8TP1Kl_S7yYLzcbYeEJnw
Instagram: http://instagram.com/craftinchaos
Facebook: /https://www.facebook.com/pages/Craftin-Chaos/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Craftinchaos/

As I mentioned I do have a giveaway for you. It was really hard to choose some to giveaway but I have! There are two prizes in the giveaway, the first set I am giving away consists of the hedgehog, owl, mouse and keep calm button as seen below:

The second set is an under the water set as seen below:

Aren't they just gorgeous! Ok so to be in with a chance of winning either one of these sets all you need to do is enter your details into the rafflecopter widget below. I have made 'follow' or 'Favourite' Craftin' Chaos on Etsy as mandatory to qualify to win, all other channels are optional, the more you do the more chances you will have. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By submitting an entry to this giveaway you agree to the following Terms & Conditions:

• Open internationally
• You must be over eighteen years of age or have parental / guardian permission.
• I will package the item(s) and will send in good faith but I cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to the item(s) in transit.
• The prizes stated above are the only prize(s) - no alternative colours, no cash alternative.
• Two winners will be chosen at random and notified by email. Winners will be announced on this page on the rafflecopter widget after the closing date.
• If the winner(s) do not respond to my email within 48 hours a new winner(s) will be chosen.
• Your email address will be added to my newsletter database - I will not sell this to anyone else nor will I constantly be spamming you and you can unsubscribe at any time!

PLEASE NOTE: I was given a set of paper clips in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. All opinions are my own and given in good faith. The photography unless otherwise stated / credited is also my own. None of the links are affiliate links.

How to be a talented artist - The secrets of mixed media!

"I can't draw."
"I would love to....but I am not artistic."
"I wish I was as talented as you."

These are all things I hear all the time and I have had enough of it, you hear me enough! I think it is very lovely and I am always very humbled and chuffed to bits when someone likes something that I have created because I struggle all the time with my inner critic, I really do. There are many pieces of art that I have created over the years that I love, many that I hate and many that are just 'meh'. None of us are exempt from the inner critic but you know, ya just gotta get on with it and create.

Now all those comments listed above are rubbish. Total and utter tripe. Yes that is right TRIPE!

You wanna know what the answer is to those statements...I will tell you..

Firstly it is practice. That is the secret. Practice, practice, PRACTICE and when you have practiced do it again. Honestly and truly, the only way to get good at something is to keep doing it. This is why you didn't just hop in a car, drive to the test centre and pass your driving test straight away, you had to practice at it. The same is true for art, keep practising until you get it where you want it and once you are there, keep on improving it. I truly mean it, the only way I can draw what I draw is because I keep on doing it a bit at a time, learning and trying to do new things.

The second trick is to learn and experiment with your materials. You need to take one medium at a time and learn it. Learn how to blend with it, how it reacts with paper, how it reacts with water etc. I see so many people with stacks and stacks of supplies and they become a jack of all trades rather than a master of one. Don't get me wrong I do love mixed media and experimenting but I see so many people who think that buying all the latest products will make them an artist when I am afraid it does not.

OK there you go I am off my soap box now and you have no excuse but to go forth and create art!