Forest Choice Colored Pencils... Awesomeness

Click to visit ForestChoice.com

A while ago a good friend of mine got me a set of Forest Choice colored pencils. Since I resolved (though not technically an official New Years Resolution- I don't believe in those- the timing happened to work out that way, thanks to the holiday and a very productive weekend) to get back to creating art (see yesterday's post about all these frames I have to fill!), I decided to finally put those pencils to use.

They seemed like the perfect choice for Operation: Fill-A-Frame: Eco-Friendly! All my frames were from a thrift store or rescued from being trash-bound, so the project is inherently environmentally friendly. Combine that with the Strathmore Premium Recycled Drawing paper on which I chose to do my first drawing for the project.... It all fit together. (I can't find the actual paper online, I think they changed their line up a bit since I bought mine, but here's one that looks close: http://www.strathmoreartist.com/product-reader/items/400-series-recycled-drawing.html)

I expected the pencils to be.... okay. What I didn't expect was that I would love them so much aside from the fact that they're made from environmentally responsible sources. They are really great pencils!

So what's so great about them?

• Artistically I felt that they blended very well and the colors maintained themselves really well- meaning when I pressed hard on the yellow and then later accidentally went over it with a darker color, the yellow maintained its integrity there on the paper. The darker pencil did not trump the lighter color.
• There are 12 in the set: Two blues, two greens, a yellow, a pink, red, orange, purple, brown, black, white.
  
• Environmentally the wood in the pencils comes from well managed forests and is certified by the FSC.
• The label is printed on recycled paper (not sure the content info) and the wrapper appears to be made from some recycled and unbleached paper but I cannot find that information anywhere on the packaging or online.

I love it when I find an environmentally friendly product that is just as good as its larger-carbon-footprint-bearing counterparts.... or better! I would say I enjoy using these just as much as my Prismacolors (actually more since I like the idea behind them) and am absolutely entertaining the idea of drawing with them exclusively for Operation: FIll-A-Frame. I still have a whole box full of Prismacolors and other assorted pencils and wouldn't just get rid of them or anything. But for this project these pencils seem perfect.

I rate these pencils EXCELLENT!

Operation: Fill-A-Frame

After we moved and I unpacked all my art stuff, I decided to actually try and organize some things this time around! One of the first things I did was organize ALL of my empty frames, or frames that did have something in them but the frame got scratched or something.

Sooo many frames.

More frames!

Hm. I have a lot of frames.

A bunch of them were given to me by friends or family- one of my best friends goes to Salvation Army once in a while and if she sees a nice frame for a cheap price, she'll pick it up for me. Some of them I picked up if I saw a good sale going on, not realizing how many frames I already had!!

My goal in organizing the frames was, eventually, to fill them/fix them/paint them/all of the above. Whatever they need to get into good shape and be worthwhile. I also decided that while I could easily fill them with various prints, instead I'd fill them with ORIGINAL art. If the piece needs a colorful and unique mat, I'll use of some of the matboard I have sitting around and do a custom job for that piece. As I finish pieces, I plan to put them in my Etsy Shop since that's the easiest way for me to create unique listings for original one-of-a-kind pieces. If I do any art shows this year I'll probably bring the pieces there as well.
(I haven't signed up to do any art shows this year because #1 I was too busy with the move and #2 I'd like to do some of the local shows here but want to see where I'd fit in best before dropping $500 per show and picking shows at random.)

I'm hoping to start filling a frame today. I woke up feeling quite inspired since last night I dreamed about moths. Soft, friendly, fluffy, fluttery moths that were flying around and landing on people. Beautifully colored moths- luna moths, oleander moths, etc.I'm looking forward to finally getting out my colored pencils and using them again!!

Happy Fluffy Friday!!

Or, Happeh Fluffeh Friday if you speak LOLspeak! :)

Some websites and blogs that feature cute animals (such as my favorite, DAILY SQUEE!) have special weekly posts including "Fluffy Friday."
I don't feel that I've given enough mention to Dear Tosh, Baby Kitty, Pretty Girl, Tosh.0,  or her whole other slew of nicknames, in my blog.... so here's a special Fluffy Friday post, just for her! :)

Reunited!

When we started packing up and getting ready to move, I de-activated most of the items in my Etsy shop since I wasn't sure when I'd be able to find them again.
Last night I was so excited to FINALLY come across a few items I have been missing (and just in time for Chreeeeeeestmas!).

Butterfly Box- $15 + shipping

One of the items is this upcycled decoupaged Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly Box! It's a slide-top wooden box and I've just re-listed it in my Etsy shop- have a look if you've got someone on your shopping list who loves flowers or bugs... or the state of Maryland! (The Black-Eyed Susan is the Maryland state flower and the Baltimore Checkerspot is the state butterfly.)   :)

Want! Want! Wednesday- the Pollinator Tree!

It's **DECEMBER** and that means it's almost CHREEEEESTMAS!

And in proper holiday fashion the catalogs have been starting to arrive like crazy, supplying plenty of fodder for upcoming holiday-themed Want! Want! Wednesday posts! Plus they worked perfectly since Want! Want! Wednesday is all about silly things that I don't need and am not going to pay this much for.....
but I like the idea of them.

(Although at the end of the post I will add, there is hope for those of us who love the items I'm featuring this week!!)

This week's Want is a Pollinator-Themed Christmas Tree! It must be the trendy new thing this year because I found decorations in not one, but TWO catalogs! Observe....

The first set of ornaments was in a catalog by a company called Grandin Road.

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While not all strictly pollinators, these garden-themed ornaments are simply adorable, no?

(I am not sure where all of the other ornaments on this tree came from; I wish the catalog had them all.)
I do wish there were some bees! That's one thing I haven't been able to find... a bee ornament. I've been thinking about making some.


But in this little collection you get 25 ornaments for $99. Actually not a bad deal! That's about $4 an ornament. So this Want is actually obtainable.


The direct link to these items from their website can be found here:
http://www.grandinroad.com/jump.jsp?item=42281&maincatcode=null&subcatcode=null&itemID=31019&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C474%2C6382%2C7946&iProductID=31019




I got another catalog in the mail yesterday from a company called Gump's which, honestly with the prices of some of the stuff, I have no clue how they got my info or why they sent it to me. Even their website says "Luxury Gifts..." but whatever.

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Super cute, right? There is even a grasshopper!
You can see their entire ornament collection here:
http://www.gumps.com/HOLIDAY+SHOP/Christmas+Ornaments/

Now I'll let you in on the best part of this week's Want.
It IS obtainable!

I saw the first set of these ornaments a week ago and didn't buy them but couldn't stop thinking about them. Then I went into an AC Moore with my mom this weekend and.... there they were. Not these, specifically, but *some* bug ornaments! There were butterflies and dragonflies and all were 50% off, so each was $1.99. I picked up 10 of them and figured even if I have to just do a very little tree, I'll be able to have a Pollinator tree this year.
At the Harris Teeter store down the street, they were also doing a sale on ornaments and I scored two glittery hummingbirds! Yay for more pollinators!

So if you love the idea of a pollinator-themed Christmas tree this year but the items here are out of your budget, just keep your eyes open for deals all around you! Looks like bugs and birds are the new thing!

Happy Decorating!! :)