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Ranger Mini Misters Review

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Ever since I bought some mini misters at the NEC I was dying to use them. I’ve used spray bottles in the past and found them to be an awesome addition to my craft stash, but these little magical wonders are so teeny tiny and cute that they are simply irresistable- the perfect size to carry to crops and not to mention super affordable. So I’ve decided that i’m going to convince you that you need to buy some because they are just too much fun to play with.

Fill ’em with water
This is basic stuff, but the first great way of using mini misters is by filling them with plain old water. I assure you, you’ll be surprised how many ways you can use a water filled Mini Mister…

Water colour wizardry
Take a rubber stamp and colour with some pigment markers. Next take your mini mister and spritz some water onto the rubber from about 6-8 inches away and then stamp your image and be dazzled by the result which is that your stamped image looks as if it has been painted with water colours. WOW!

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Or as a twist to this technique, why not spray water directly onto the cardstock and then stamp the image, just as I have done for the tulip stamp in the photo below. The difference is subtle but effective.

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Next tip is to stamp an image using permanent ink such as Stazon or archival ink, and colour it in using watercolour pencils. Next lightly spritz water over the design for a more muted water colour look! Using a brush, blend the colours together.

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Clean your stamps
You can also use this to spray water on inked rubber stamps and use a paper towel to wipe away the ink. The water will not remove heavily stained rubber, especially if you have been using Stazon or another solvent or oil based ink pad, but should be fine for pigment and dye inks. Fun and functional!

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Ahhh…. very useful!!
I personally also use my water spray to spritz onto my twinkling h20s so that they become creamy. This allows you to pick up the colour and paint onto whichever surface you choose. The more water you add the less intense the colour becomes, so the Mini Misters let you add a little at a time with each squirt.

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I also squirt a little puddle of water into a painting pallet to clean my brush when I am using H2Os or watercolour paints. This means that I do not need to keep a jar of water on my worktop which could be easily knocked over – believe me, its happened before! Once I’m finished with the puddle of water in the pallet, I just dab a cloth or paper towel to soak up the remaining water. Plus, even if you do knock over the pallet, it is relatively low risk compared to a jar full of murky liquid.

Marvelously messy
This is my favourite use of my water filled Mini Mister. If you have some distress ink pads and a non stick craft sheet such as this craft sheet from this craft sheet from Ranger, then you should really try this awesome technique. Pat some ink onto a craft sheet and maybe even squeeze a few drops of a reinker onto the sheet too. Next spray liberally with a mini mister filled with water. Lay your paper on top, and pat it down so it soaks up the inky water. Or for a different look, swipe the cardstock across the watery puddles. Peel away from the craft sheet to reveal a fab distressed background which begs to be stamped upon! Iron it flat with a craft iron or leave it crumply if thats your thing! I’ll warn you that it is a good idea to wear latex gloves when doing this technique as it as its really easy to get carried away and it can be messy business.

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What else?
Ok, so we need a mini mister for water, what else do we use them for? Well, I guess you better come back soon for more tips on the beauty of these little gems!

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Journaling prompts

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I want to share with you my latest finished creation that was inspired by a prompt from Shimelle Laine, who made a mini book project to record what she loved right now.

Here is a sneak peak of my finished book, come back soon to see the rest of the pages in full!

Do you find that your creative well runs dry at times? If so, there is no need to panic. It’s not that you have lost your crafty mojo, but merely the fact that you are human. It’s natural to struggle with inspiration once in a while. Sometimes I experience spells of time when I really want to craft but I have such a mind block that I end up staring at blank pieces of paper as time rolls by.

If you ever experience moments like these, why not try hunting the web for some journaling prompts?

I’ve found some great websites that can offer inspiration when you have a creative mindblock, why not check them out?

Prompts from Shimelle Laine

Prompts from Gather.com

Scrapbitsbytracey prompts

Prompts from Scrapbook.com

Thanks for looking and don’t forget to come back to see the rest of the minibook.
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I love the touch of elegance that charms bring to a craft project. Don’t get me wrong, I adore brads, eyelets and buttons, but there is something about charms that hold a special place is my heart. When I think about it, it is probably because of the fact that my Mum has a charm bracelet that I used to love to inspect when I was a child. I remember going into my parents bedroom and opening every drawer in her beautiful wooden jewellery box until I would find her charm bracelet. Very carefully, I would take it out, go and sit on the bed and inspect each charm. It was the details that mesmerised me. I remember one in particular which was my favourite. It was a little church and when you held it up to a light source and peered through a tiny peep hole on the side, you could see the Lord’s Prayer as clear as day. To me it was pure magic. Before long my Dad would tell me to put it away in case I broke it, but I would always look forward to the next time I could hold it again. So I guess this may be why I was so excited to see that craft company Meiflower, which specialises in exquisite charms, had a stand at the NEC this year.

I first saw this retailer at a craft fair in 2007 and I remember that I had to fight my way to the front of the stall as there were dozens of crafters flocked around, oooh-ing and aaah-ing at the many trays full of beautiful charms. Butterflies, dragonflies, hearts, strawberries, keys, angels, flowers, crowns, handbags, lips, shoes, fairies, fans…you name it Meiflower had it, the list is endless. With a variety of price ranges available, it is almost too tempting to dig through every tray and buy handfuls of each. Although I mostly went for the classic silver plated metal look, Meiflower offers a variety of styles to suit everyone, from cutesy to classic. Meiflower also offer a range of mobile phone charms, and also the loop attachments so you can make your own personalised charms for your mobile phone. Unfortunately it seems that the range of charms available at the Meiflower stall far outweighs the variety offered on the online shop, but its still worth a look, so check it out.

Here’s a quick look at how i’ve used charms on some of my projects.


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