I use my HP laserjet 6L laser printer and the pot stakes I get from Gempler's. I can print a sheet at a time, and they do hold up well in the sun. I have used these now for two years and you can still read the tags on the few plants I didn't sell in that amount of time. I just go into word and format the labels and then print them, but gempler's will send you instructions with the stakes. You can order a sample pack to see if you can deal with it, and it doesn't cost much. The only drawback is that the stakes are thin and flimsy. They are good to put in new plants as you're potting them up but you can't go back and tag established plants very easy with them because they don't stick into the soil well after the plants are rooted in. Here is a link that might be useful: gempler pot stakes, laser

Are you growing all your own food? The standard for "organic" food in the supermarket does not stop trace amounts of hydrocarbons (or other stuff) getting into vegetables via air, groundwater, or soil. And at least by my reading of USDA standards, "organic compost" (suitable for organic farming) can be sold that is made from paper printed with petroleum-based ink. I sympathize with your worries, but I'm puzzled about how anyone would achieve a diet with no food grown in conditions with even trace amounts of hydrocarbons in the soil. You certainly couldn't rely on "organic" labels. For most of us, composting the cardboard and paper that comes our way is (a) more environmentally responsible than throwing it away and (b) to the extent that it shifts our food intake more toward locally-grown fresh veg, better for our health than what we would eat otherwise. I suggest thinking in terms of reducing and balancing risks. Life is chancy. Enjoy the gardening and the taste of fresh food!

I soooo needed this. I stood in Michael's today totally confused - they're ink pads are 20% off this week - and came home with none. Actually, the 20% wasn't as good a deal as if I used a 40% coupon when they're not on sale, so I thought I'd wait until next week. Thank you so much for this list!!!

I think it is better to paint on color paper. The calla lily is painted on a homemade paper and the bird on mitentes paper - and the rose on another post was on mitentes paper. It is only about $2 for a 24" square. The technique was very easy - you have to keep your pencils very sharp. Sharpen first with an electric sharpener and then when painting use a hand held to keep the point nice and crisp. The first color to put on is similar to the background color, just fill in loosely - don't press hard. Then start your next color - like in the calla lily, we started with a light yellow then we used a pink color following the growth direction of the petal using a little more pressure. Then we shaded in the darkest triangle areas, then added a little green near the throat and where the flower meets the stem. We finished off by using the same base color to go over the entire flower - that blends the colors. The leaves were done basicly the same way. Then to seal the pencil to the paper we used Krylon Final Coat - I think that is the name but I will have to double check that for you. Then frame it. Some of the students mounted their paper to wood boxes with a decoupage glue - but not the top of the paper. It looks just like a painted background when completed. I preferred to frame mine. Check out her website - www.janellejohnson.com. It took a 7 hour class on Saturday to do the bird and the calla lily (we had lots of breaks and lunch) and the rose was finished in about 6 hours (lots of breaks and lunch also.) It was a nice break from acrylics - no water, no towels, no brushes, no clean up. It was fun to do something a little different. B