I love keeping journals. I don’t write in them religiously, but I do keep several going at one time for ideas, lists, art journaling, and as travel diaries. Usually I just buy what is on sale at the craft or bookstore, without any thought to the actual notebook- manufacture, recycled materials, etc. Until I received an ecosystem Artist Notebook  in the mail, I had no idea.

So what’s the big deal? Well, this is the notebook for crafters and artists who are not only creative, but civic-minded, as well. The EcoSystem note books are made of 100% post-consumer recyled materials, and made exclusively in America. Not just assembled in the USA, but all of the parts are manufactured here, using sustainable manufacturing processes.

Let me take you on a little tour of the ecosystem Artist Notebook!

• The one I got is the “large”, 7 3/8 X 9 7/8, with a flexible cover, and retails for $18.95.
• The “Flexi-cover” is soft and sueded- it doesn’t feel like paper at all! And the color is rich and vibrant, a nice departure from so many “green” products that communicate “earth-friendly” with drab colors.
• Each one has an elastic strap to hold your place or keep your notebook closed.
• Pages are a creamy white- not bleached white, but more of an egg shell. And the paper is smooth, too. Nice for writing and sketching!

Interior Cover

• There are nice interior cover papers, with a leaf print and a space for your name and contact info. It’s like an introduction to your own book. AND the story of the company is printed on inside, too.

Back cover has a pocket and ID number

• The back cover has a handy-dandy pocket (LOVE) and a little leaf with an ID number. Your notebook is special!

“WHAT” you say? What is that ID number for? Well, it’s to tell you more about YOUR journal. I went over to the website, logged in, and typed in my ID number. It told me about where each component of my journal and packaging was made, what the companies are, where they are located, and how many Americans are employed. Check it:

Ingredients

Ingredients > ecosystem Book Ingredients > fl02312bw

ecosystem book number: fl02312bw

date of manufacture: July 2009

	Manufacturer Location	ecosystem Attribute	People Employed
binding/sewing/cutting	Sewing, binding and cutting of your book was done in Lewiston, Maine. The binding was assembled in a facility with aggressive environmental savings and recycling programs. This includes: An energy conservation program which annually results in reducing electricity by 840,000 kilowatt hours, 14,000 gallons of fuel, and 816 tons of greenhouse gasses out of the air. An extensive recycling program that last year, 230 tons of high-grade paper and 100 tons of cardboard saving 7220 trees keeping another 1055 tons of greenhouse gasses out of the air. A program to capture, filter and re-use rainwater that falls on the plants 87,000 square foot roof. 65 people were employed in Lewiston to sew, cut, and bind your book. Lewiston, Maine	produced in facility with aggressive ecological savings program	65

That’s only a small part of it, too. It goes on. And it connects you in a real way with what you hold in your hand. We forget that each product we buy goes through many processes and past many people before it gets to us.

But I digress. So, I’ve probably convinced you that this is a worthwhile product because it’s “green”- but the real question is “How does it function as an artist’s notebook?” Glad you asked. I shot a little video with some samples of different media on my pages….

So as you can see, I’ve drawn in it with pencils & markers, sprayed it, stamped it, and painted in it, and even did some collage. It’s holding up beautifully, with minimal wrinkling. I can’t wait to take the journal with me on vacation & to CHA, to keep as my travel journal!

I’ll leave you with a few shots of my pages- I really like this journal, and think it’s well worth the money. I bet you or the artist in your life would love it, too.

So…how about a GIVEAWAY?? ecosystem has graciously donated THREE notebooks to lucky CTD readers! Here’s how to enter:

GIVEAWAY RULES

To enter, you must 1) become a fan of ecosystem on Facebook and 2) comment on this post. Three (3) winners will be chosen at random. Giveaway ends the 5th day of November, 2010 at 12 pm EST.

If you don’t win, you can always purchase an ecosystem online at http://ecosystemlife.com/products/build/
Thanks and good luck!

Official giveaway rules :
– Craft Test Dummies is the official host of the giveaway and is sponsoring the giveaway, ecosystemlife is just providing the prizes to the eligible winners.
– Winners will be chosen via random generator and then checked on ecosystem’s facebook fan page for eligibility. Only those who both comment  & became a fan via ecosystem’s Facebook fan page are eligible to win.
– Only those whom are in the domestic United States are eligible to win.
– Contest ends 5th day of November, 2010 at 12 pm EST.

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About Jenny

Chief Craft Test Dummy, Craft Evangelist, Founder, Editor, bottle-washer, trouble-maker, and creative whirlwind.

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