Ebrush hack #4... Edible Food Markers

Hello Crafty Friends and eBrush enthusiasts... I got another eBrush hack for you all!! Yay!!

Recently a topic of discussion on Facebook was "what good, food safe, markers are available that would work in the eBrush system?".  I found a few brands online that I  thought looked promising. And all were comparable in price to a pack of Spectrum Noir markers... yeah right, not gonna happen. So, I took to my local Walmart and this is what I found...

Betty Crocker brand Easy Writers. And, these were $2 and some change... SCORE!! My wallet can handle a couple bucks!

For this hack you'll need:

foam pencil cushion/grips (just one)

a package of Betty Crocker Easy Writers

eBrush (with the Spectrum Noir "SN" adapter )

and a pair of scissors (not pictured above).

Cut about 1/3 of a foam cushion. Cut a horizontal slit through one side (as shown above).

Fit around marker with open end on top.

Insert into SN adapter head.

 Pardon the food coloring on my nail.

Marker tip should not touch air nozzle.

If you cannot get the marker into adapter with cushion, try inserting your cushion first...

Now, try inserting your pen.

Once you have the right fit and your marker head is centered... test your eBrush for airflow.

If you do not get a burst of color and your pen doesn't seem to be releasing any of it's food coloring or your marker seems to be dry to the touch... chances are it probably is.

On my first try I didn't get a single drip or even glob (like others had complained about their pens doing), I just got air. :( And I was about to give up when I decided to check the packaging for directions. Here's what the back of the package had to say:

That's right people... "If tip of decorator appears dry, briefly dip the tip in water to activate"!!

And, you know what?? It worked!! That tip sucked up water like a sponge... because basically, that's what it really was... LOL! I only had the tip in there for only a split second and it started to release color into the small cup of water.

Now it looked too juicy. So, I blotted the tip, and again tested my spray.

And BINGO... just right!!

Now to test on some cupcakes!!

AWESOME!!

OH MY!! I think these look too good now...  because now they look fake!

So here's some proof that they are in fact edible. After our pizza dinner this evening I gave the cuppy cakes to my kids...

Pardon the messy food face but the last munchkin had pizza everywhere and was screaming for his cupcake. And, that darn little booger got it and LOVED it too!!

I hope you enjoyed this HACK and decide to give it a try. If you find a new hack or even try this one, we would really love it if you'd share it with us!! 

Thanks for stopping by!!

eBrush - Core'dinations Hack Edition

Hello again Crafty Friends!! Today I would like to share with you all my very first video tutorial. Well, Kind of anyway. My Good friend Debi Tullier had me as a special guest to show you all a kind of eBrush Core'dintions hack!

Please be kind! this was my first video... EVER... and I was so nervous!

In this video Debi and I discuss how to get different color combinations not currently found in Core'dinations cardstock. I used the whitewash family of papers to do this technique. I did this so that When the color goes down over the cardstock it does blend or fight with the base color to be seen. And, also to do the color blending technique you need that white base to see the blends of the colors atop the base color. This video is a bit lengthy!

You can also make your own faux core'dination paper doing this same technique using a nice & thick, good quality, cardstock.

Here I have the samples from the video with out the glare from the web cam and under my daylight lamps. 

As you can see the colors are much more vibrant.

       

 

I didn't sand enough of the top layer off of the pear tag. But, if you look at the lower right hand pear you can really see the yellow on the green. I think the yellow was too close to the lightest green to really make a huge difference.

I hope you enjoyed my first video tutorial and I hope you give this technique a try. I would love to see your color combinations you come up with so please post them here or on the eBrush fan page!

Thanks for stopping by!

Quick & easy eBrush HACK

My latest craze and adventure has been this little machine... It's called the eBrush and is made by Craftwell. It is a airbrush system that utilizes most craft markers on the market. Most... is the key word there. The system comes with 6 adapters. These adapters work with the following markers: Tombow, Spectrum Noir, Prismacolor, Sharpie Fine, Copic Sketch, and Chartpak.

A lot of these markers are very pricey. And, if you are like me and don't have bottomless pocket book you might wanna pay close attention... because I've hacked my eBrush!!

Yes, I don't own most of the brands mentioned above... even with a craft store coupon it is still way out of my priec range. Copics tend to run about $8 a pen. That's right, A PEN!! And a set of 6 can easily set you back $50... YIKES!! Let's not forget that copics come in over 300 colors!

let's do some quick math:

$8 x 300= $2400

Um, yeah... how about NOOOOO!

 I maybe have a handful of Copics (if even that) and I bought them about 10 yrs ago. hey, don't judge, they still work! I do, however, have a pack of sharpies. Walmart had a pack of 12 for $5.97. Now that is an easier bullet to bite.

 I also have in my possession,  markers that I thought were Tombow... Well, it turned out they weren't. They are Marvy Uchida's Le Plume II. Which coincidentally looks a lot like the Tombows... except they are thinner. 

And, guess what, they did not fit in any of the adapters... at first. Here's my hack...

You know those foam/ cushion sleeves/ grips ( whatever you wanna call them)... you know those thingies you slip on your pencils and pens to cushion your fingers... Yeah, those things. Well, it turns out they make awesome adapters for your adapters!!

I found some on my pencils I had for years... removed them from the pencils. Then I cut them into about 1/4" pieces. You can cut several from one sleeve. As you can see I can get about 5 or 6 from this one.

I slipped it onto my marker.

Then slid it into the adapter. For the Marvy's I used the Sharpie adapter. 

Adjust as needed and test the airflow over the marker tip.

While the air is activated, adjust the position till the ink is released in a continuously smooth spray. It should look like a fine mist. That is what's called the "SWEET SPOT". You may have to move your marker further in or further out of the adapter to find it. Still can't find it? Try tilting the tip up or down. 

And there you have it. 

Try the wonderful and inexpensive alternative to buying pricey markers... your wallet may thank you for it!

Stay tuned for upcoming projects made with the eBrush... I'm gonna be trying out for their upcoming eBrush design team... Wish me LUCK!!

Happy Crafting Everyone!