Update 3/20/15- This just in! Due to manufacturing issues, Stampin’ Up has made the decision to pull the plug on the Blendabilities Markers. If you received defective markers, you MUST seek a refund by June 2015.
Here is the official announcement from Stampin Up:
BLENDABILITIES PRODUCT LINE HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED
Many of you may already be aware that we have experienced a quality issue with our Blendabilities product line, and we thank you for your patience as we’ve worked through this sensitive matter.
We’ve done everything possible to work with our manufacturer; unfortunately, with no solution in sight, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to discontinue this popular product line.
We have provided you with a Q & A in the hopes that this will answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for your support as we continue to look for products that will meet our customer’s needs and provide you with the quality that you have come to expect from Stampin’ Up!
Alcohol markers are all the rage in papercrafting- for coloring, creating layers/backgrounds, and for custom-tinting embellishments. Now you can get ones that coordinate with all of your favorite Stampin’ UP products with Blendabilities Markers!
These markers are two sided- that is, you get both a brush tip and a writing tip in the same barrel.
And you can get a nice variety of lines, too. The barrels are squared so that they don’t roll off your table. There is a photo illustration showing you which nib is which. The caps fit VERY tightly!
It’s always easier to show you, so I put together this video for you!
They come in a set of three- a light, medium and dark hue and they retail for $11.95 per set.
The sets are as follows:
- Calypso Coral
- Costal Cabana
- Cherry Cobbler
- Crumb Cake
- Daffodil Delight
- Melon Mambo
- Night of Navy
- Old Olive
- Pumpkin Pie
- Rich Razzleberry
- Smoky Slate
- Wisteria Wonder
There is also a Color Lifter (blending pen?) and I’m hoping to get one of those soon to try out and report back on.
They work perfectly with Memento Ink Pads (read my review of those, too) and were smudge-free with my Brother ScanNCut drawing pens!
I drew out a Tardis with the machine and then colored it in with the Blendabilities Markers:
I’m thinking about doing a full tutorial of that process- leave me a comment if it’s something you’d like to see!
So… considering that these are some of the most cost-effective alcohol markers on the market, I think they are pretty great. (Seriously, $4 a marker is a good deal for a dual nib AND a sizable barrel full of ink!)
I’d love to hear your thoughts- and if you have questions, leave them below!
Disclosure: samples provided for review; opinions are honest and based on my first-hand experience with the product.
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Melinda Morgan says
I would be interested in more info about alcohol inks. Thanks
jengd says
I’m looking forward to playing with these in person though I’ll be missing the next 2 months’ Stampin’ Up get-togethers. 🙁 These are definitely on my must-check-out list. Thanks for the quick look!
Angela says
these SU blendabilities look great but even though the price point is good-they have a nylon tip so hopefully they will last quite a while but I would also like to be able to get the refills for these alcohol markers. Hope they will make more colors!!
Georgia Browne says
Nice, informative post. Now all I have to do is find it in NYC. Maybe The Ink Pad on 13th St. will have it. Keeping my fingers crossed. Any way of purchasing some of your products online via your post? gb
Carla says
These look great and especially when they can be combined with other SU items.
Have you compared them with the copic-markers and Spectrum Noir markers yet?
I’m curious to see the differences between them, because I do not have any of these alcohol-markers yet.
JoM says
Thank you for the information and video. Do you know whether they will have refills for these pens?
beg1nagn says
Stampin Up markers are available through their web site at Stampinup.com or any local demonstrator. If you are looking for a demonstrator near you, you can call Stmapin UP or go online to request a list near you. I am not sure these are refillable and alos not sure how “full of ink” they are? Just because the pen is a good size doesn’t mean the ink is filling up the entire space. Just a thought.
I would be interested in more techniques on using these markers. Thank you for the opportunity to learn more.
SU has sold blender pens for a long time for use with water color pencils. They are fun to use and very useful for lifting ink from stamps and allow you to paint in details in other colors for stamping. Fun stuff. I imagine these pens to be equally fun and useful!
Be sure to store them laying down and not up on end, if they are like the other markers they sell. They will last longer that way supposedly.
Thank you for the review! It’s nice to see unbiased information!
Judi Carpenter says
Great review! Just one thing, though. The Blendability Color Lifter is not a blending pen. It’s used to “push” color back into an image when you’ve gone outside a bit. It won’t completely remove the color but it sure helps. The Blendabilities are really cool and make coloring like a pro a breeze!
Jenny says
Carla- I have a post coming soon that compares EIGHT brands of alcohol-based markers! 😉
Colleen says
These look very interesting. It is a shame that SU will not have them available to purchase when their catalog goes live on June 1st.
Danielle Skean says
It’s nice that Stampin Up are stepping up and joining the party…… making alcohol markers accessible to more people. For me personally for $1.31 more a marker ($3.98 vs $5.29) I will definitely be sticking to my tried and true Copic Sketch that I know are refillable, nibs replaceable and I will be passing them down to my children because they are THAT good a product. I can’t comprehend people buying their Copics from a few very popular websites that charge $7.99 a marker…..that is insane to me AND they’re often sold out. I pay no more than $5.29 a marker, sometimes less if I catch a sale (which I’m always looking for), infact I ordered a few yesterday from a site that had them on clearance for $4.00. I didn’t name the sites that are overcharging people because it’s a negative…however I will mention the sites I use, love and trust. Otaku Fuel $5.29 a marker and if you buy 3 at a time (markers, nibs or refills) shipping is FREE….great service and fast shipping and Scrapyland charges $5.29 as well…shipping is free for over $75 and they are fast and great as well. Sorry this was so long…it was actually your Tardis that caught my attention…WOW!!!! It’s amazing…and you got the color perfect…..awesome. Allons-y!!!
Jenny says
Danielle- I’m working on a BIG comparison of alcohol markers….and for the record, I think Copics are over-hyped and over-priced! But to each her own… 🙂
JoM says
I agree with you. Even though I like the idea that these will follow the SU colours, my opinion the Copics have proved themselves as being reliable and lasting. Most of the others are just following in their footsteps. I’ll stay with the originals.
scrappin2boys says
Will you be comparing these to the new generation spectrum noir pens? Those are 11.99 for 6 pens, an even bettet deal. (8.99 at dick blick). I’d like to see both compared along with the copics. Do you know if the blendabilities are made by Crafter’s Companion? Loved the video.
carla says
Jenny 8 brands????
I will be under the appletree waiting for your post on ALL these markers ;o) SUPER!! Thank you.
Leona says
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for posting this! I was wondering, do you know if they really only work best with Stampin up paper (like their ink pads supposedly do)? Or should they be fine on different paper types like Copics?
Thanks much!
Rene Stansell says
Hi Jenny,
I haven’t tried any alcohol markers, so you think that the S/U blend Blendabilities are better than the Copics? I will wait a while and see what you think how all eight brands differ from each other. Have just discovered your website and love it. Thanks for the video.
Rene from OZ xo
Jenny says
Rene- I am liking the Blendabilities just fine- but the color palette is much more limited. I do like Prismacolor markers better for price. I really don’t know any crafter that needs the refill option or the replaceable nibs- it’s really just cheaper to buy a new marker.
Laura P says
It’s not cheaper to buy a new marker when you can refill a marker multiple times with one refill bottle. And you’re not helping the environment by tossing all those markers in the trash. That’s why I’ll stick with Copics. Yes, not everything we craft with is good for the environment, but we need to do what we can where we can. *Very* disappointed to read what you said about “any crafter that needs the refill option” – that’s pretty disparaging to those that try to recycle/reduce whenever possible.
Jo says
I must agree with you Laura. With Copic it is good being able to refill them. The palette is also larger.
Jenny says
Laura- the point I am making is that you will purchase a marker and eventually said marker will go into a landfill or recycle bin. Most casual crafters will *not* use up all the ink in a marker (unless letting it sit so long that it has dried up first counts.) Only a few professional artists I know actually use up an entire marker. So for most of us, the refilling capability is a useless option and only lures us into a) purchasing a more expensive marker and b) purchasing refill bottles that we don’t really use. And keep in mind that when you buy the refill, you are ALSO purchasing plastic that will end up in a recycling bin or landfill. I love to reduce, reuse and recycle- but I’m also wary of a company that tries to play on our “green” sensibilities and charge us a premium for that.
Laura P says
I’m no where near a professional artist nor will I be. However, I’ve refilled multiple markers. I buy the refill bottles when an ink runs dry. Xmas red has been refilled multiple times. I started out with a few markers and now I have all of ’em as I thoroughly enjoy using ’em. I’m glad I started with something that can be refilled. And when I stop using ’em or keel over and die, I know they’ll be passed on to someone that will continue using and refilling ’em.
Kelsey says
Would love to see tardis and doctor who craft videos!!