My children and I recently had the opportunity to experience the fun of using The Original Blendy Pens™. Blendy Pens literally make it possible to create hundreds of color blends as you design your own artistic masterpieces or color one of the ten posters that are included in the set. Included in the kit is: 24 Original Blendy Pens™, 12 Fusion Chambers, 10 Posters, 2 Stencil Pages, 1 Art Portfolio, and a BONUS Blendy Pen Airbrush™. With the 24 Pens and 12 Fusion Chambers you can make 276 color combinations! Blendy Pens and Sets can be purchased online and in select retail locations. This particular set retails for $24.99 but may vary from store to store.

So exactly how does a Blendy Pen work? Each Blendy Pen is separated with another pen via a middle fusion chamber. The fusion chamber is where the magic happens! You twist both markers on each end and twist in opposite directions until they “click.” Next, you hold in place for five seconds. At this point you will actually be able to see the colors mixing together. It really is pretty cool. Third, you pull the bottom marker out and begin creating. As you begin coloring the color will change hues. The Blendy Pen AirBrush™ is really cool. You place your Blendy Pen in the AirBrush base and blow through the blow hole and it creates a true airbrush effect. The Magic Reveal Posters that are included in the kit are really neat. The kids and I thought that these were just regular coloring pages until they started coloring and the magic began. As you begin coloring the pages reveal patterns, textures, and hidden surprises. My daughters argued over who would get to color and keep the Art Portfolio. The portfolio is made of thick cardboard and has elastic straps to keep it closed.

With five daughters, I have purchase a lot of crafty stuff throughout the years. When I first got this set the first question floating through my mind was, “How well are these pens actually going to hold up to the use and abuse of four girls?” Well, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they have performed and held up to the constant use. All of my daughters have had a blast creating and playing with this set. The airbrush was definitely a hit. I think that the first day that we used the set my girls managed to create all 276 color combinations! My 14-year-old enjoyed creating her own freestyle artwork. My 11-year-old said that her favorite part was creating the airbrush pictures and coloring the portfolio. My 9-year-old enjoyed coloring the coloring pages. She loved seeing all of the patterns and hidden surprises emerge as she colored. They all had fun seeing how many color combinations they could create. I am very grateful for the huge ream of butcher paper that I recently purchased at our local warehouse club. All of the materials fit in the Art Portfolio for easy storage.

My daughters were somewhat underwhelmed when it came to the stencil choices. They were begging me to find more stencils to use with the airbrush. Also, kit accidently came with a duplicate coloring sheet and one of the coloring sheets was missing which my daughters were bummed about because it was one that they really wanted. Other than these two things, Blendy Pens are overall great.

I would most definitely recommend The Original Blendy Pens ™ to others. These would make great stocking stuffers or Christmas gifts. Having a family gathering this holiday season and needing something to keep the little one occupied. Blendy Pens would be a great way to occupy the time between holiday events. Definitely check out the website to find an online site or retail location near you to get some Blendy Pens this holiday season.

-Product review by Jennifer Ladewig, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2018