Artline Monday - Spring home & garden organisation

Spring always gives me the motivation to get cracking on things like tidying up the gardens after winter and tackling my house with a big spring clean, it is the perfect time to get back to basics and concentrate on things around your home.  With this in mind I thought I would share a few Artline products in today's post that are really handy to have around the house.

Handy pen's to have in your home

If you love cooking up a storm in the kitchen then the Artline 770 freezer bag marker is the pen for you!  

Perfect for batch cooking

It is perfect for writing on, well freezer bags (of course!), sandwich bags and all kinds of packaging and boxes so whatever you want to mark up and pop into the deep freeze this pen has got you covered. The 770 also writes clearly on greasy surfaces and can withstand sub-zero storage unlike other pens.

When I get the chance I make up big batches of things like chilli and bolognese and then freeze them in smaller portions for when my kids all want something different to eat.  I use the freezer marker to label the bags with what is inside them and the date they were made and frozen.  It kind of makes me feel like a domestic goddess to look in the freezer and see bags of homemade food, even though I am really not one!

Getting the garden ready

If spring makes you want to get outside and enjoy the sunshine then doing some gardening is a good way to pass the time.  Whether you are planting seeds, bulbs, flowers or vegetables the Artline 780 garden marker is the right tool for the job.  It dries instantly and is waterproof and UV fade resistant so whatever the weather this ink can handle it all.  The pen can be used on lots of different surfaces too like plastic, wood, metal, glass and porcelain.

Keep your private information private

Do you receive a lot of junk mail in the post?  I feel like I am forever finding useless brochures and marketing materials being put through my door.  To make matters worse they all seem to have my full name and address on them so I can't just throw them into the recycling bin.  If you're in the same boat then you need one of these Artline secure markers to hide your personal information!  The black ink obscures anything you want to keep private and it is completely opaque once it has dried.  Scribble over the text you want to redact and then the paper can be recycled, problem solved!

Labelling with the Artline 750 Laundry marker

If you have children in school then this Artline 750 laundry marker is a godsend!  If you labelled all your children's uniform, PE kits, swim kits, bags and coats in September with this pen then they should all still be clear and readable, but if your children are anything like mine then they have probably lost or outgrown at least one or two pieces since the start of the school year.  If you have replaced anything grab this pen and write their names and classes etc on the labels and fingers crossed they will make it the end of the school year!

Which of these pens do you think would be the most useful for you?

Artline Monday - National Allotments Week

Today is the start of National Allotments Week, "What is that?" I hear you ask!  Well it is a special week being held to encourage people to try their hand at gardening, growing their own food and maybe even decide to rent their own little allotment and see just how green their thumbs are!  I also thought it would be a great time to introduce you to the brilliant Artline garden-marker!

Artline Garden Marker

The garden marker was specially made to be used outside, it is UV and water resistant as well as quick drying making it the perfect pen for plant labels (or lolly sticks as they are know in this house) and anything else you would like to write on like plant pots and tools.  It won't fade in the sun or run in the rain so I guess you could say it is weather proof and ideal for gardeners or general use outside.

During National Allotments week allotments all over the UK will be opening their gates to visitors and sharing their knowledge and passion for this pass time so if you are interested in learning more it might be worth googling your nearest allotment and seeing if they are doing anything special to mark the week.  

Grow your own fruit and veg

I have a friend who has rented an allotment for years so I popped down to visit this weekend to take a peek and I have to say I am really toying with the idea of renting my own space there!

Sunflowers

Some people use their space for growing flowers and make it really pretty so they can sit on their plot and enjoy all their hard work once things begin to bloom while others are busy growing fruit and veggies like these tomatoes.

I'd be so proud if I could grow my own tomatoes

I was put to work on my visit labelling plants with the garden-marker and tying back any straggling plants so they can grow tall and strong.  I have to say I'm grateful there was no digging involved!

Perfect pocket sized tools

After I finished my tasks I took a wonder through the allotment and had a small taste of how quiet and peaceful it was out there.  I really can imagine taking a flask of tea with me and trying to grown some prize winning fruit and veg, or you know, any kind of fruit and veg and I would be happy!  I think I would save the flowers for my garden though and just enjoy the view of everyone else's.

Exploring the allotment

Are you a keen gardener or do you already have an allotment space you are proud of?  I'd love to know your hints and tips for growing things if you have any!  

Artline Monday - Jazzing up plant pots and planters

During all the lovely weather we have been having recently I spent a lot of time outside sprucing up my garden.  I brought some new planters and pots and thought I would jazz them up a little with my Artline poster markers and pens.

My pot, planters and pens

The poster markers are great to use on plastic and metal surfaces and they will stay in place unless you wipe them off with a wet cloth.  This means if you make a mistake or don't like how your design looks you can wipe it off and start again.

For my first planter I used these two poster markers in pink and metallic silver.

Pink and silver

I used some washi tape to mark out a stripe around the top of the pot...

Marking out with tape

... and then painted it with a bright pink poster marker.

Painting the planter

The paint dried very quickly and then I slowly removed the washi tape.  Afterwards I used the silver poster marker to define the edges of the pink and mint sections by drawing along them freehand.

Removing the washi tape

Here is the finished piece!  I think the bright pink looks great paired with the pastel mint and silver.

Pink, silver and mint planter

For the yellow pot I wanted to add some flowers as decoration and I used all the poster markers below. 

Pens used

The 12mm size poster markers have a rectangle shaped nib so I used these pens to make the petals by dabbing them gently as if they were one of my stamps.  I drew in the centres of the flowers with the 6mm pens.... 

Making the petals

... and added some spots around the flowers for an extra touch.

Adding some spots

This is how it turned out.  Please ignore how sad the plant looks, it has had too much sun!

Pretty flower pot

On my last planter I decided to keep the original pastel look so I chose silver and white pens to work with.

Artline 900XF, poster and paint markers

Again I used washi tape to mark out the shapes I wanted...

Making a diagonal stripe with washi tape

... and then coloured them in with the white and silver pens.  I repeated this process until I had three new stripes on the front of the planter.

Colouring in with my silver Artline 900XF

After the inks and paint were dry I removed the tape and drew along the edges of my new sections with the complimentary colour (white along the silver stripes and silver along the white ones).

Highlighting the white stripe with silver

This is how it looks now!

Silver, white and mint planter

I'm very happy with my finished pots!  They are unique to my garden and I had fun decorating them outside in the glorious sunshine.  

On my doorstep

Have I inspired you to have a go a creating your own pots?  I'd love to see them if you do!