Stubby Pencil Studio: Review & Giveaway

I was recently contacted by the nice folks at Stubby Pencil Studio to do a review of some of their products. After one quick glance at their website, I was all in! Stubby Pencil Studio offers eco friendly kids art materials & school supplies. They also offer unique gifts for children: toys, games, books, craft kits. And their site is SUPER easy to manuever around, which is bonus.

This is what SPS sent the girls & I:

Watercolor crayons

We've never used watercolor crayons before. It took some practice getting used to them. But, what fun! The fab thing about this particular brand is that they are triangular in shape, which means they won't constantly roll from the table to the floor!

Watercolor colored pencils

Watercolor pencils were new to us as well.  I've always wanted to try them! They come in a metal tin which is nice. Both watercolor pencils & crayons also come with their own brush.  And I like the thought of this being one of those portable crafty supplies I can toss in my bag on a trip. No water mess. Just pencils.

Watercolor paper No 4 by Schoellershammer

I pretty much dislike this paper. Not really the paper itself, but the whole darn package. Maybe it was a manufacturing error or maybe I'm an idiot, but the two long parallel side of the paper were sealed/binded. I ripped several pages before deciding to try to carefully slide a knife down one side & cut it free. What a hassle!! The paper itself is nice watercolor paper, but "GRR!" to the rest of it.
UPDATE: Just found out from my lovely friends at SPS that the watercolor paper glued on both sides has a purpose: to prevent the page from buckling when painting. That. Is. Genius. So, it wasn't a manufacturer error. I was an idiot after all. (haha!) But I was correct in  separating the sheets with a knife. Couldn't find the paper in the shop, but if I find a link, I'll add it.

Holiday smencils 

Oh my goodness! These are AMAZING!! They come in 5 scents: cinnamon, sugar plum, candy cane, gingerbread & sugar cookie. They each come in their own tube & they're made from recycled newspaper. We had fun smelling them. Over & over & over. Really, a unique item! (And a great stocking stuffer!!)

Two Art journal kits

I was tickled that they sent two. The girls picked their favorite journal & ran off with them in their room. The journals vary slightly--the color of the front & back covers are all different--& made from heavy card, & blank for decorating! They all come with 5 pages of decorative paper & 6 pages of heavy cardstock---all in different designs & colors. There is a 14-page section in the front of the journal that explains different creative ideas for attacking your journal---from collage to different drawing techniques to doodling. And then there are 26 (or 52 front & back) quality white heavy pages for creating your masterpieces.

Two Flip tops

Seriously, one of the best inventions EVER! I think this should be at the top of your "stocking stuffer" list. (They're only $1.30 each!!!) We had SO MUCH FUN with these! The top starts off spinning this way:

But then, if you get it spinning fast enough, it actually turns itself upside down & spins this way:

We have spent HOURS playing with these. And sometimes my kids would even walk into the kitchen & see me, by myself, playing with the flip tops on the kitchen floor.

They come in this natural color, but also stained in blue, green or red.

The book: 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do

The girls & I already have the 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do card set, so we've had practice creating some fun fairy crafts in the past. But, I really love the book format!

I have already earmarked Stubby Pencil Studio as a resource for unique gifts I'd like to give. Here are a few of my favorite items:

Animal hands (temporary hand tattoos)

9x12 Cupcake sketchbook

Finger printing art kit

Hedgehog erasers

If ordering from Stubby Pencil Studio, be sure to check out their BONUS & SPECIALS section to see if any of the freebies or specials can be applied to your order.

The girls & I would personally like to mail the 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do AND the Gingerbread scented smencil to one winner! Please leave a comment to enter the drawing. Winner announced this Sunday, December 4th.

♥