I have long been a user of Sakura’s Gelly Roll Pens and when Kaisercraft’s version came on the scene I may have turned my nose up at them, convinced that there was no need to even give them a try.

Enter my friend Natalie who owns Scrapbook Centrale in Montreal.  In July we had the chance to spend some time together on the last day of the SPC show in Salt Lake City.  Natalie stowed her luggage in my room while she walked the show and eventually we both ended up in there at the same time.  I watched with amusement as she packed, arranged, and rearranged her stuff into the suitcases, blissfully unaware that I was going to repeat the process the following day.  I was convinced that my suitcases would each be under the 50 pound weight limit.  Oh how wrong I was (scroll to the end of this post to see a photo of how wrong I was).

Anyway, as she packed and repacked it became clear that something had to give.  Since she’d scored the set of 48 pens from the nice folks at Kaisercraft she happily gave me her set of 24, clearing a bit of room in the bag and making me very happy.

Home at last, and with a little time to play, I discovered how very nice these pens are.  So much so that I now have a set of 48 in my studio along with the original set of 24 Natalie gave me.  There is a huge range of colors and effects; enough to make a magpie gog-eyed with delight.  The ink flows nicely from the tip of the pen and covers well.  I used them to color a preprinted page in an adult coloring book, to accent parts of one of Virginia’s stamps I colored with inks in a waterbrush, and with some other preprinted items.  In addition, you can write with them; just plain old writing.  Lists, notes, and in the Happy Planner or whatever planner system you may be using.

You may be wondering why you need these pens and the obvious answer is that they’re available in colors Gelly Roll pens are not.  It’s really that simple, plus the price point is fabulous.  A set of 12 pens retails for $9.99, which is pretty darn attractive, but made even more so when you factor in the case the pens are stored in.  Hard plastic with slots to hold each pen securely, they’re a really nice touch.

In the video you’ll see me try various things with these Gel Pens and you’ll discover, as I did, how versatile they are.  Coloring is the most obvious option, but don’t limit yourself to the obvious.  Try new things and see how it goes.  That’s how interesting discoveries are made!

Supplies For This Video:

Kasiercraft Gel Pens

Wellspring Coloring Notepads

mambi Happy Planners, Punch, and Accessories

American Crafts Creative Zen Coloring Folders

As I was prepping to leave Salt Lake City, I had 2 suitcases; both full, or nearly so, and found myself needing to cram all of this stuff in there too.  Back and forth to the gym I went so I could add stuff, weigh the bag, and see how much more I could cram in.  Or remove when the bags went over 50 pounds.  Which they both did.  I ended up having to buy a duffle bag to get the overflow into and then carried it on the plane.  Travel is glamorous, or so everyone thinks.  Mostly it’s just a lot of work in a different location!