When my girlfriend Mary got engaged last year I was so excited for her that I immediately started to plan her bridal shower. Instead of the typical bridal shower…..pastel colors, flowers and games involving constructing a bridal gown out of toilet paper, I decided to throw a shower for her that reflected her personality. I grabbed my craft supplies and BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers and went to work to design a "Diva Bling Bridal Shower!"

Once I decided on a theme, I chose the BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Marker colors, Flamingo Pink and Tuxedo Black to use throughout the party. I also used white and a lot of bling created by using glitter, jewels and faux diamonds. Zebra patterns also added the diva touch to everything!!!

INVITATION:

Every great party starts with a FABULOUS invitation. I created one out of card stock, glitter and BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers that looked like a diamond ring. In the center of the invitation the words read "Bling, Bling, Mary got a ring!" Inside the card reads "Please come and shower her with things!" The envelope had pink and black zebra, along with some glitter to match the invitation and the party theme.

CENTERPIECE:

The centerpiece is the focal point of the table at any party. For this diva, bling party I created a mock wedding cake using three round hat boxes with the initial M for Mary on top. Each layer was decorated differently and reflected the theme of the party (pink, black, white, zebra and bling!!). Not only did this cake act as the centerpiece, but it was also a gift for the bride-to-be. I filled each hat box with gifts for her wedding. This centerpiece can also be used for a bachelorette or even a sweet sixteen party!

PLACE SETTINGS:

For the place settings I came across black charger plates rimmed with diamonds that were discounted from Halloween. It pays to start your party planning early!!! I also created napkins from zebra printed fabric and used large diamond ring napkin holders that I found at a discount store. Name cards were made out of pink card stock, ribbon, glitter and my Tuxedo Black BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Marker.

BRIDAL BINGO:

I do admit that I have been to some pretty boring bridal and baby showers in the past. Three hours of gift opening and it is really hard to keep your eyes open!! To keep your guests awake and entertained during the long process of gift opening, I suggest to get your guests involved by having them play a game of "Bridal Bingo" while the watch the presents open. This game also works for baby showers as well.

To create the Bridal Bingo cards pictured below, use BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers, or you can use a computer to create them. Write "FREE" in the center of each card and give out the cards to your guests along with individual BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. Have each guest fill in gifts in each square that they think the bride will receive. If the guest guesses correctly, then they can mark each square with their BIC Markers until they have achieved BINGO. You can give out prizes for each winner during the gift opening. Make sure you make extra Bingo cards and have plenty of prizes to go around. Sometimes you have multiple winners!

FAVORS:

At the end of a party, I always like to give a favor to say "Thank You" to my guests for coming. I wanted to create something personalized for Mary that remembered the day and tied into the theme of the party. I found these really cute inexpensive diamond ring key chains at the party store and created a personalized box to hold them. The box said "Mary’s Bridal Shower" and the date. They were also pink zebra with a little bling that matched the centerpiece!

As you can see, Bridal showers can be as unique as every bride. Forget the traditional, and focus on the bride’s personality or her favorite things. With a little imagination and your BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers, you can create a unique party for any occasion!

Ahhhhhh it’s summer time! The weather has been great so the kids have been busy playing outside every day riding their bikes or running through the sprinkler. But what happens if the kids wake up to a rainy day or the temperature outside becomes unbearable? Why not grab your BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers and create some easy and fun summer crafts!

FUN WITH COFFEE FILTERS

If you have any coffee filters in your pantry, you can turn them into beautiful tie-dyed creations! All you need are the coffee filters, your BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers and a blending solution to blend the colors together. My daughters and I created beautiful flowers and butterflies – I blended almost all 36 colors of the BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers using a blending solution you can find at your local craft store and my daughters put together the butterflys and flowers using pipe cleaners and googly eyes. We even decorated our flip-flops with tie-dyed flowers! They look fabulous and are perfect for any beach outing!! Please click here for directions on blending.

CRAFTS FOR OUTDOOR FUN

Fishing and catching bugs are two of my kids’ favorite things to do during the summer. Creating a personalized fishing tackle box or a bug catching jar is another fun summer craft. Tackle boxes and bug catching jars can be found at any discount store, or you can make them out of plastic containers with lids. Just make sure to add breathing holes for the bug jar!! It’s amazing how creative kids can get! Using BIC® Mechanical Pencils, my son sketched his favorite bugs to catch, while my daughter made her jar into a hotel for bugs!! I was then able to help them create the drawings on their bug jars using BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers.

Another fun outdoor craft to make is a wind sock. We made one into a shape of a fish for my son because he loves fish. But there are many different shapes and designs you can use. All you need is an opening for the wind to blow into to make the sock fly! This fun summer craft can be easily made using one of those plastic shipping mailer envelopes that you can find at any office supply store, a plastic cup, some string and your BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers of course!

BACK TO SCHOOL CRAFT

I know school is the last thing your kids are thinking about in the middle of summer, but why not get them excited for their next school year by having them help you create their own individual personalized lunch box with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers? Your kids can help you decorate their lunch boxes with all of their favorite things. Nobody at school will have a lunch box like theirs! Your kids can use a BIC® Mechanical Pencil to draw princesses, monsters, cars, or any thing that interests them on the surface of the lunch box. Then you can use BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers to add color to the design! BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers are even great to label binders, pencil cases, and folders too! Hopefully, labeling everything with your child’s name will prevent them from loosing their brand new school supplies at school.

There are so many easy and fun crafts you can make using BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers , and you don’t have to wait for a rainy day to do it! All of the above ideas plus many more can be found at www.bicmarkit.com or even find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bicmarkit! This summer, like all before it, is flying by quickly—pretty soon it will be time for school. Until then, grab your BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers and get crafting!!!

It’s June! The weather is becoming warmer and the kids are counting down the days until summer vacation. YEA!!! No more early morning chaos, YIKES!!! What do I do with my kids for 2 ½ months?? I have some ideas for that, but that will be in next month’s blog!!

Anyways….over the next few weeks, schools will be having graduations and end of the year parties before school is officially out for summer. How about making something special for your child’s classmates or favorite teachers and grads? I have some cute inexpensive ideas that you can make using simple materials and BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers! You can even use these versatile ideas below to make year round party favors or thank you gifts!

SWEET AND SUMMER INSPIRED GIFTS

"Cool Cones"

This year my kids will be giving out sweet and summer inspired gifts for their teachers and classmates. My youngest daughter, who is 4 and is in pre-school , will be helping me make mock ice cream cones with a coupon inside for a "free" ice cream cone from a local ice cream shop. These cute cones are made out of snow cone cups, colored tissue paper, and scrapbook paper. I used BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers to personalize each cone. Tucked inside is the coupon and outside is a note shaped like an ice cream cone wishing her classmates to have a "COOL" summer.

"Sweet Summer Treats"

My oldest daughter who is seven is giving out mock wrapped candies filled with little surprises for her friends. These round paper mache boxes are wrapped to look like a large faux candy box and are decorated on the outside with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers . These sweet surprises wish each classmate to have a "SWEET" summer. These gifts also make cute party favors for a faux candy box themed party or a great gift for anyone with a sweet tooth!

"One of a Kind Flip-Flops"

For a teacher’s end of the year gift, I found these cute unfinished paper mache flip flops that I painted and decorated with a flower embellishment and BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. Inside we will add a gift card to either a book store or craft store. These also make cute party favors for a beach themed party!

GRADUATION GIFTS

"Personalized Picture Frames"

My daughter has had three graduations in her lifetime and she is only in first grade! Last year for her Kindergarten graduation, I made personalized graduation frames for each of her classmates out of unfinished wood frames, paint, stickers and BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. This picture works for any graduation and is a good way to mark any graduation occasion!

"Reach for the Stars Memory Box"

This year her 8th grade buddy will be graduating to high school so we wanted to make her a little gift. I found inexpensive undecorated star shaped boxes at the $1 store and decorated them with paint and BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. The box says "Reach For The Stars" and "The Class of 2010". Not only does it make a nice gift box, but a great keep sake box for her buddy to keep graduation memories inside.

SCRAP BOOK GIFT IDEAS

Personalized scrap books are another great inexpensive gift for friends and teachers. They will appreciate the time you spent to capture the memories from the school year! This year my daughter’s teacher will be leaving the school so the parents and kids got together to make her a scrap book from their year together in first grade. I decorated the cover of the scrap book with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. Each child in the class decorated their own scrap book page by adding their picture and answering two questions: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and "What is your favorite Memory of first grade?". Then they added their own personal message to the teacher. My daughters also helped me to make mini scrap books with memories of the past year at school and gave them out to their BFFs as well.

Pretty soon the last school bell will ring and summer vacation will officially begin. I hope I have given you some ideas and inspiration for making the end of the school year a memorable one. I know these gift ideas made with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers will be a big hit with friends and teachers and will be cherished for years to come!

Congratulations and thank you to all who participated in the BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Marker Craft Contest. We received many great entries. Check out the photos of 2 of the winning crafts that we recreated.

Baby Jar Candle Votive

1. Use an empty baby food jar and make sure the outside of the baby food jars are clean and dry, use your BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers to draw either a scene or geometric design on the front of the jars. This can wrap around and be as complex or simple as desired. The darker the design the easier it will be to see when this is complete.


2. When you are satisfied with your design, dip your paint brush into the glue mixture and start painting over your design.


3. As you paint, start laying the tissue over the damp glue. Completely cover the baby jar.


4. After this dries completely, you will have a stained glass-like votive that you have personalized. Drop an unlit candle in each one and give as gifts!

Window Clings

1. Buy clear vinyl from the sewing section at your local mass merchandiser, hobby store or hardware store.


2. Find a picture to copy. Coloring books work great or you can use a photograph or some design. You can also do your own drawing.

Q. CAN I USE ON FABRIC, TERGAL OR COTTON? CAN IT RESIST THE WATER, CAN I WASH IT?

A. Thank you for your question and interest in BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers can be used on surfaces such as metal, plastic, photos, foils, coated paper, oily and damp surfaces. They are not recommended for use on fabric surfaces.

Q. Could you please tell me if there is any way to refresh a BIC Mark It marker? cap was loose on the pen , thank you

A. Thank you for your question and interest in BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. The best way to refresh the marker is to recap it. After several hours it should work again.

Q. Hi Linda-
If I want to decorate wine glasses...are there any issues for "food safety" and if not, how should I instruct a gift recipients they should clean them?
Thanks (I'm thinking anniversary gift)

A. Thank you for you question. BIC Mark-It™ permanent markers can be used on glass surfaces and we recommend you hand wash the glasses in warm soapy water.

In addition, BIC Mark-It™ permanent markers were only designed for use on non-food surfaces and we have not tested this product for use on food surface items. Therefore, when decorating a wine glass that will be used to drink out of we recommend decorating only the base and stem.

Check out the below link for a champagne glass candle favor craft idea! http://bit.ly/9gqhb1

Forget the old traditional way of decorating faux Easter eggs! With BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Marker’s 36 bold colors, you can create egg-citing unique faux Easter eggs that not only look beautiful but can be displayed year after year!

There are so many faux egg options just waiting to be decorated with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers! On a recent trip to the craft store I filled my basket with all sorts of faux eggs made of different materials. I purchased the faux eggs made out of paper mache, wood, ceramic, plastic and a new foam material. The foam eggs come in different sizes and can be carved with a carving tool just like the faux pumpkins I have decorated in the past.

As I walked the aisles of the craft store searching for additional items like, ribbon, rhinestones and glitter to add more pizzazz to my faux eggs, I came across the scrap book section and grabbed a bottle of an alcohol ink blending solution. Since BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers can be blended using this type of solution, I thought it would be a great idea to use decorating the paper mache and wooden eggs! (click here for directions on blending).

By the time I got home, I had several ideas swarming in my head of how to decorate all of the faux eggs that I purchased using BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. I put the baby in the playpen and put a movie on for the girls and got right to work!

First I started experimenting with the alcohol blending solution. I decorated the paper mache and wooden eggs using virtually all 36 colors. I drew random patterns onto the wooden eggs and rows of colors onto the paper mache eggs. Once completed, I held the wooden eggs over a paper towel and dripped the alcohol blending solution causing the colors to bleed into one another. As they dried on the table my girls screamed from across the room, "COOL EGGS MOM!!" They looked like a cross between a tie-dyed and stained glass egg.

After the kids went to bed I ventured on to the foam eggs. I used the small egg to create a table place card and used a carving tool for the two large ones. The name on the place card was decorated with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers to look like climbing flowers and look very cute sitting inside of a birds nest. The largest foam egg was carved to look like a bird had hatched out of the top and was decorated with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers along with pink glitter glue and filled with Easter grass and foam eggs. It also looked nice with flowers or a stuffed rabbit or chick from my daughter’s room. I decorated the last foam egg with flowers using a BIC® Mechanical Pencil then carved out the leaves and the center of each flower and butterfly. I then decorated the design using BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers and covered the exposed cut edges with glitter to create depth. I also cut a hole into the bottom of the foam egg so a battery operated light or candle could be inserted so the light could shine through the holes. Makes a cute Easter night light!

My vision for the ceramic egg was for something FABULOUS that could be used to decorate a tree or hang around the house. I started off with some glue and pink glitter then created a design using BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. I went for something colorful for this ceramic egg, but I also love to do animal prints and designs using rhinestones. All of these ideas can be found on www.bicmarkit.com. Once the ceramic egg was designed, I created a loop and a bow out of pink ribbon and hot glued it to the top of the ceramic egg. Now all I have to do is figure out where to hang it!

The last egg I decorated was a large plastic egg. I thought about decorating the small plastic eggs used for an Easter egg hunt and adding slips of paper inside each plastic egg with clues on where to find a prize, but I do need time to sleep……maybe next Easter! Anyway, I liked the large plastic egg because it has a larger surface to decorate and can be used to hold small presents. I will be decorating seven of these for the kids in my youngest daughter’s class instead of using goody bags. With BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers I will personalize the plastic egg with a name and a design. I also like adding rhinestones for a special touch. Once completed, I will fill the plastic eggs with Easter grass and small gifts like bubbles, play dough and rings. The kids always look forward to see what my daughter will bring them for each holiday party!

As you can see there are many different ways to create beautiful long lasting and egg-citing faux Easter eggs! All you need are some faux eggs, some inspiration and BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers! I hope you enjoyed reading about the many options that are available along with some ideas on how to create FABULOUS looking faux eggs. There are many more ideas that I would love to share with you but would also love to hear your ideas for decorating with BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers!

Q. Can the BiC Mark it permanent markers be used on rubber stamps or will it permanently stain the stamp?

A. Thank you for your question and interest in BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers. Yes BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers can be used on rubber stamps. To remove the permanent marker once your project is complete, please use hot, soapy water.

Q. Here is my question...I make wall plaques and door hangers with the permanent markers, however b/c the tile is glazed the marker tends to come up. Do you know of a product I can put on top to keep it to stay with out making it run? Everything I've tried makes it run.

A. To protect your craft projects made with BIC Mark-it™ Permanent Markers, use a tough water based polyurethane made for indoor/outdoor use that you brush on. Delta Ceramcoat® makes a polyurethane called Satin Exterior/Interior Varnish™. It protects indoor and outdoor projects made with BIC Mark-it™ Permanent Markers and prevents all 36 colors from “bleeding”. Should you decide to use a water based polyurethane, please be sure to follow the directions and heed any warnings provided by the manufacturer.