I tried the Tombow VIP Box...Here’s What Happened (Update)

Hi everyone, happy New Year! Gaby here with a review of the Tombow VIP box! So I’ll start by saying that I was super excited to get this when I first heard about it, but the box was underwhelming 2 months in a row. That may not sound like much, but at $30 monthly, I could have taken that $60 and gotten something I really wanted.  I figured that Tombow has so many products that I would be likely to get something awesome each month. In December I received many items I already had, but the value was very good and the items were all useful, even as duplicates.

It included a 6 pack of dual brush tip pens, a grey and black fudenosuke pen pair, an eraser and some cute colored pencils. Not a lot of new items for me, but still useful, so I decided to give January a chance. I wish I had gone with my initial thought to cancel. This box contained a mono 2way corrector, a 4 color pen, a mono twin pen, an adhesive, some small stickers and a Happy Mail calendar that prompts you to write letters.

This was SUCH a bizarre choice! It also included a certificate for 20 free pictures (to use in your calendar) but nothing really cool.

I would have preferred a hand lettering workbook, or even some worksheets. To be fair, I’m sure many people liked both months, but I can’t help but think that I could have taken this same money and gotten some Irojiten pencils. I do not regret trying the subscription box, but I did cancel it right after I opened the box for January. This is just my 2 cents and I try to be fair when I review because I never want to bash a product/company. If you tried out the VIP box leave your thoughts below!

****Update**** 

One day after this post I was contacted by the Tombow Team asking for my specific input about what I did not like about the box and what I expected before opening. First, I think it was awesome that anyone cared that a customer was not entirely satisfied, so many companies just keep moving forward, ignoring customers. I was already a Tombow fan (I asked for the Twintone Markers for Christmas!) but knowing that they request feedback from customers makes me love them even more. I hope that input from all customers is evaluated and it results in a better box for subscribers and Tombow! I really appreciated their approach to this whole thing.

Happy crafting! 

-Gaby

Cricut Bright Pad and Tombow Markers

Hi there, it's Gaby here with a quick project that will let you work on your hand lettering without eraser marks!

Meow!

I started with some drawing paper and a few Tombow pens.

I drew my image on paper and then put it over my Bright Pad with another sheet of drawing paper on top.

Then I traced the drawing and added some color!

I added some details and a few more colors and it was all done!

I did my tracing with a Tombow Fudenosuke and then added details with my Monotwin. This was a fun, easy project and this would be a good way to practice your hand lettering as well.  Until next time, happy crafting!

-Gaby

Decorate an Envelope

Hi there, Gaby here with an idea you can use to pretty up any envelope!  I used Tombow markers for this and a Wink of Stella pen.

I put a piece of card-stock in the envelope to keep any ink from seeping through the paper.

I started by using the Meet The Jelly Friends stamp set and did some masking to group three of them together. I used pigment ink here so my stamped image would not bleed.

Hey guys!

I did my coloring here by doing the back ground first and then coloring in each stamped image.

I added my Wink of Stella and then used my Monotwin to fill in the part of my sentiment that did not fully stamp.

Finally, I cleaned up my image and then covered it with MicroGlaze, that way when it goes through the mail it will be water resistant.

If you do use MicroGlaze, write the recipient's address and apply your postage first because the glaze is almost like a wax.  I had to glue on a stamp once because I forgot!

I used the Mono Sand Eraser to clean up pills before I applied the MicroGlaze.  That's all for today, I hope you make some amazing mail art! Happy crafting.

-Gaby

Scatter Kindness Card

Hi there, it's Gaby and today's tutorial is about making a background with markers and embossing powder. I will be showing how to make the card below; it may look complex, but it's easy to do.

This uses lots of heat embossing. 

I started by creating my background and used Bristol paper because I wanted to use my Tombow markers to "watercolor". The Bristol paper is cut to 4-1/4x 5-1/2. 

I love seeing all the colors! 

I used a Winnie & Walter "Kindness" stamp set and some Versamark ink to stamp multiple leaves to create my background. 

Such a unique stamp set with great sentiments. 

Then I used white embossing powder on the paper and heat set it. 

I catch the powder in a coffee filter to put it back in the jar. 

Next I added some color with my markers and just put them in different areas and used a water brush to blend them. 

Once I added a little pink and blended it all, I grabbed some metallic gold to add splatters.

I used an acrylic block as a "palette". 

Then I stamped the sentiment in gold embossing powder on vellum. 

I heat set it and cut it into a banner shape. I used a Tombow glue pen to trace behind the embossing so the glue would be invisible from the front.

I weight the vellum down with some acrylic blocks to let the glue dry.

Finally, I taped the card front to a top folding notecard. 

That's it, you're done! I hope this post was helpful and that you have a chance to try some of these techniques. Happy crafting! 

-Gaby