Welcome, Frinds! I have a very special post lined up for you today, kicking off three days of fabulous content, sharing my favoritest new little color medium! Also, I'll be hosting a fun giveaway on day three, so be sure to join along!
Okay, so you all may know by now, I consider myself a somewhat frugal paper-crafter. Not in the sense that I don't splurge from time to time, or that I don't have a pile of pricy supplies, but more in the sense that I like to invest into supplies that do a bit more mileage. Chances are, if a product does only one thing, it won't get a whole heap of use, and thus won't last very long in my stash. This approach has not only helped me minimize my stash and crafty storage space, but it's also helped me be more creative, inventive, and definitely less overwhelmed with product overload.
Okay, so you all may know by now, I consider myself a somewhat frugal paper-crafter. Not in the sense that I don't splurge from time to time, or that I don't have a pile of pricy supplies, but more in the sense that I like to invest into supplies that do a bit more mileage. Chances are, if a product does only one thing, it won't get a whole heap of use, and thus won't last very long in my stash. This approach has not only helped me minimize my stash and crafty storage space, but it's also helped me be more creative, inventive, and definitely less overwhelmed with product overload.
So I am very careful when I introduce a new product or share a new love with you, because all new things must pass this value litmus test before they get a share on this little blog. And um, these fabulous new color mediums definitely pass! Let me share a little background.
WONDER STIX EXPLAINED
I could write a novel (and in fact, you might think I have)
about how much I love these awesome new color mediums I discovered one day
while browsing the aisles (not even papercrafting!) of our local craft store. But instead of a novel,
I’ve decided to break down this favorite new find into some useful categories. Today, I'm sharing an intro, and tomorrow I'll be back with a heap of tips and techniques! I really hope you’ll read on and see for yourself that these little crayons might just be the best
new addition to your stash! And for roughly the same cost as
a couple of Starbucks runs - for a whopping set of 24 gorgeous, STUNNING colors
- I promise it will be worth your time! Let’s dive in!
PROPERTIES
What are Wonder Stix?
You can read all about the traditional uses for Wonder Stix here from the makers of these little crayons, but my article today diverts from this quite a
bit, as I’ve had the pleasure of playing with these crayons for some weeks now,
and I’ve discovered a heap of amazing things they can do! They are water-reactive,
and perform a bit like what you may be used to with other crayons, such as Gelato’s,
BUT they are very, very different in some big ways, and deserve an introduction, and a spotlight, of
their own!
Smaller than Other
Crayons on Market
Similar in properties to Gelatos, but a whole lot smaller
and easier to grip and detail color. This is one of the defining features I love, because it
opens up a huge variety of techniques that cannot easily be done with any other crayons on the market. Being able to add detailed
coloring is huge in my books. While you still may find lots of uses for your larger crayons, I
PROMISE you will love the smaller tipped Wonder Stix even more!! Because you
can apply colored details straight from crayon to project, the creative uses
are endless!
Sharpen-able and
Shavings Don’t go to Waste
Because Wonder Stix are smaller (which also means they are
smaller to carry around and store), they can be easily sharpened! I have loved, used, and abused my set so much, but have been able
to easily and quickly twist the crayons up, sharpen with a regular sharpener,
and then twist back down for easy use. Also, the shavings never go to waste. Since the crayons are water-soluble (like watercolor) I simply store mine in
watercolor palettes, and then activate them with water whenever I feel like a
little bit of watercoloring! Talk about even more bang for your buck!
Just a word of caution, it helps to be a bit on the gentle side when sharpening to avoid breaking the crayons.
Creamy, Full Coverage that is Water-Reactive and Blend-Able
You will notice quite a creamy application on cardstock and other surfaces. Like with most crayons, there is a little bit of what I like to call "crumbing" - the little bits that come up when color is applied with a heavy hand. But it's rather minimal compared to other brands, and since the coverage is so creamy, heavy application is not always necessary. Also the crumbing is not very dusty, rather a bit sticky, so it doesn't spread all over the project. The hues are aslo completely water-reactive, meaning that, on cardstock or watercolor paper, you can easily spread the pigment with water. But this is not to say that these will replace your watercolors. You will notice a different texture, and a more matte finish with Wonder Stix. The colors are also blend-able, but in a different way than ink. I love that it's a whole new way to work with water and my foam blenders, and that they complement my watercolor and ink collections nicely.
Just a word of caution, it helps to be a bit on the gentle side when sharpening to avoid breaking the crayons.
Creamy, Full Coverage that is Water-Reactive and Blend-Able
You will notice quite a creamy application on cardstock and other surfaces. Like with most crayons, there is a little bit of what I like to call "crumbing" - the little bits that come up when color is applied with a heavy hand. But it's rather minimal compared to other brands, and since the coverage is so creamy, heavy application is not always necessary. Also the crumbing is not very dusty, rather a bit sticky, so it doesn't spread all over the project. The hues are aslo completely water-reactive, meaning that, on cardstock or watercolor paper, you can easily spread the pigment with water. But this is not to say that these will replace your watercolors. You will notice a different texture, and a more matte finish with Wonder Stix. The colors are also blend-able, but in a different way than ink. I love that it's a whole new way to work with water and my foam blenders, and that they complement my watercolor and ink collections nicely.
Encased in Plastic,
Great for You and Your Littles
Wonder Stix are encased in plastic which means no messy hands!
For both you and your littles! This also means they are a little more
durable, because of the plastic encasing. Should your crayons break
(which has only happened to one of my colors after extensive use), I’ve found
that placing them back into the casing and applying normal pressure while
coloring helps them stay intact enough to keep them going. Alternatively, any
broken crayons can also be saved for later watercolor or mixed-media use. All of these
features also make Wonder Stix a great choice for whole-family crafting
projects.
Price-Point Makes Wonder
Stix Perfect for Family Crafting
How many supplies have you invested in over the years that
the littles aren’t necessarily allowed to play with? Not because you don’t
cherish their creativity and spending time with them, but because that set of
$200 markers, or the uber expensive dye ink collection is not always easy to
replace should it be roughly loved by the littles :) The BEST part, in my
opinion, about Wonder Stix, is that they’re readily accessible to everyone, at
every budget! With a full set of 24 beautiful, stunning hues costing what a
mere two coffees set you back. This makes any
broken crayons, one less thing you must worry about! So go ahead, invite the
littles, and share your supplies!
The COLORS!!
O my word. Did I tell you how I stumbled upon these? I was
browsing the aisles of my local craft store, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the
most beautiful rainbow of crayons. I immediately grabbed them, inspected them,
and read what the box had to offer. Even though these seemed geared to
little hands and multi-purpose classroom and household use, I was SO curious! The colors had
me at first glance. If they only turned out to work well on paper, I would have been
so happy. The colors are soft and delicate, but creamy and bold at the same
time. Needless to say, they worked perfectly on cardstock, but genuinely blew
my mind away that they could be used for so much more. What a payoff! In 24 gorgeous shades :)
They Color on
Virtually ANY Surface (Porous and Non-Porous)
I love that Wonder Stix can be used on any surface! They
don’t gunk up like regular crayons on slick surfaces, and the color stays
vibrant and smooth. On slick surfaces, the pigment is creamy and vivid, but temporary. It can be washed away
with just water (but I will show you LOTS of ways that
I’ve figured out to set these so they will last on your projects. I'll be sharing these tips in future posts). On porous surfaces, they are permanent, but water-reactive and blend-able. Meaning they act sort of like matte watercolors or a blendable medium, which makes them so
fun for oodles of techniques. I’ve done a thorough
investigation on everything you can do with these fun color mediums and I can't wait to share it all with you!
But for now here’s quick recap of all the
surfaces they work on:
Cardstock
Super opaque, creamy coverage, on both light and dark cardstock, with
a tiny bit of excess flyaways with heavy application (I
have a trick to setting the colors, and in helping contain any mess that could
arise – promise to share more).
Slick Surfaces (Such as Acetate)
Provides for surprisingly creamy
and full coverage even on slick surfaces such as acetate! I was amazed.
Watercolor Paper
These coat watercolor paper quite nicely! If
your paper is super textured, the crayons have a bit of a harder time covering
the dips in the paper, but that is to be expected of all stick color mediums.
In this instance, I just lightly rub my foam blender over the color to help
smooth it out, or add a little water and watercolor away.
Vellum
O my goodness, this is hands-down my FAVORITEST thing about these!!! I have never, ever come across a medium that provides a more
even, soft, creamy coverage on vellum than Wonder Stix! Up until now, I’ve been
using professional colored pencils and they definitely worked ok, but I could never
get the colors to look as vibrant as they are on paper, especially while
working on the back-side. Also, if I pressed too hard with colored pencils, the
color application would show de-bossed pencil strokes. But Wonder Stix?! They
are a game changer for vellum! And remember how I said they’re smaller than
other crayons? This feature makes them perfect for coloring in stamped detail.
Use all Around the
Home
Since these crayons can be used virtually anywhere, and are washable, they are perfect for use around the house, in the playroom, for
kiddos learning and crafting activities, and so many more things! Wonder Stix
were actually designed with kiddos in mind, helping families and teachers
alike, from the classroom to the home, so they’re great for everyday use.
Aside from traditional crafts, why not let your littles adopt these hues into their everyday art? Perhaps take this pretty rainbow to tub time for some art? (Although they cleaned up perfectly on our tub, please make sure to test small areas to ensure they will not stain yours.) Or use them on a chore whiteboard chart? The
possibilities are endless!
WHERE TO BUY
I know some of you are already super excited to give these a try. If you haven't stumbled upon them in your craft store, you can find these pretty crayons at your local Michael's, on Amazon, or directly on The Pencil Grip website.
If you're still holding off, and want to learn more, come back tomorrow! I'm sharing part two of this post where I dive into fun techniques! You know what this
means right? You may just need to grab a few packages :)
See you back here tomorrow!
SUPPLIES
This list may feature some affiliate links to products used in the project(s) above. Should you use these links before shopping, it will never add any extra cost to your purchase, but it will go a long way in helping support this blog and exciting new content.
Affiliate link or not, I only share products I love, and think you will too :)
Biggest thank you's for visiting and for your support! It really means so much.
See you back here tomorrow!
SUPPLIES
This list may feature some affiliate links to products used in the project(s) above. Should you use these links before shopping, it will never add any extra cost to your purchase, but it will go a long way in helping support this blog and exciting new content.
Affiliate link or not, I only share products I love, and think you will too :)
Biggest thank you's for visiting and for your support! It really means so much.
A fantastic post, my friend! Will definitely have to check these out soon! <3
ReplyDeleteAwe thx girl!! I hope you love them as much as I do! :)
DeleteThanks for all the love you left on my bog (and @12Kits heehee) today! It always brings a smile to my face when you stop by. Thanks for the info on this product. I'm anxious to see more!
ReplyDeleteAw it was a pleasure and I enjoyed it so much! Your latest designs are SO inspiring :) Hugs sweet friend! xo
DeleteThanks Ivana!! I know you would not promote; if they were not worthy! : ) I'll look into this! Hugs, kareno
ReplyDeleteI really hope you love them, Karen! What surprised me the most was the pricepoint! I was also impressed that they can do so much. I really hope everyone loves them as much as I do!
DeleteThanks for explaining about the new Wonder Stix's Ivana.
ReplyDeleteHugs Diane
You are so very welcome, Diane! Thank you for all the visits and sweet notes, dear friend! :)
DeleteHi Ivana,
ReplyDeleteI can't keep up with all your wonderful projects, but saw this on IG & had to see what you were talking about. I'm a sucker for pretty colors--whether or not I can actually make use of the ink, paper, etc--haha! These look incredible--never heard of them! The price is amazing & it makes so much sense to make smaller items as who ever uses up things like Gelatos? Won't go grab them yet, but you may have a commission coming--haha! Anxious to see your projects--especially with vellum!
haha I totally get it! Sometimes I just get overwhelmed and then that defeats the purpose of having all these incredible supplies! I really hope that if you do give them a try, that you love them as much as I do! I'll be sharing a project with vellum tomorrow and hopefully more to come soon! Honestly, if I only end up using them for that one purpose, my heart will be so happy. They work like a dream on vellum - especially for back-side application :) Please don't worry about purchasing them here, I don't really get a commission, just sharing them because I love them so much! Hugs to you, sweet friend :)
DeleteThey sound wonderful, I'm already excited! I'll need to check if they're available in Europe :-)
ReplyDeleteAw I sure hope so, Mirella! If you have issues finding them, let me know and I can figure out there is a way I can help out :)
DeleteThanks, Ivana. For now I found them on local Amazon, but they're almost $40 :-(
DeleteI have just bought some of these on your recommendation and I'm excited to get my hands on them - your comments on the vellum make me excited because I've never managed with any medium to get a good color and so I'm excited to see your projects on this particularly. I hope you do more like this on mediums in the future - and always with such glorious photography!
ReplyDeleteO my goodness, Jenny! These are INCREDIBLE on vellum! They go on super smooth, and look so great with back-side application. They do crumb a bit with a full application, but with a back-side approach, this is really no biggie! I hope you love them and I can't WAIT to see what you create! xo
DeleteOk, I don't know anything about colors, mediums and stuff like that but I really need these in my life! I want to learn, to try and learn, so thanks for these useful post - and I hope to be lucky with the giveaway LOL!
ReplyDeletehaha Giorgia, you're killing me! lol Girl, I think you would ROCK these! And the colors are super soft so I think it would look awesome with your style :) If you have issues finding these, let me know and hopefully I can help!
DeleteI know where I'm going today..michael's!
ReplyDeleteThat you for this. I don't think I would have even thought to buy these if I passed them in the store!
LOL!! I know, right?! Completely unassuming, but it’s the colors that caught my eye ;)
DeleteIvana, what a fabulous review of Wonder Stix! I'm not a fan of water-colouring (epic messes all the time), but these little bundles of colour sound fabulous! Will check them out for sure! You've certainly presented compelling reasons for inviting them into my collection!
ReplyDeletehugs~carol
I hear ya, Carol! I'm one to shy away from big messes too :) I do find that I reach for water less and less with these crayons - they are just too fun to use as-is! I hope you enjoy them if you end up making the dive, they really are so fun to play with! Thank you so much for all the kind words :)
Delete