Why Don't All Pencil Brands Have Numbers?!

It is no secret that I like to be organized. Very organized. I like everything to have a place and if I can label stuff, that is just icing on the cake! A peek at my craft room/studio will attest to the fact that I like to label my things. (And it is NOT because I am getting forgetful! Heavens, no!)

It is also no secret that I like to have all the toys, bells, and whistles when it comes to craft supplies. That includes having more than one brand of colored pencils to use. Truth time: it means having many brands of colored pencils to use!

Many pencil brands have both names and numbers, and you can sort them however you wish. But, sometimes the pencils come without names or numbers. Sometimes they have numbers but no names, and sometimes they have names but no numbers (rare), and sometimes they have neither! WHAT?! 

The best way for me to keep my pencils organized is in pencil cases (like THIS one). To help with putting the pencils back into order in the case it is nice to have them in a number system.

I purchased these pretty pencils in pastel shades from Poland. And, you guessed it, they do not have names or numbers on them! (I have also given the pencils names, but you can read about that HERE.)

I purchased THESE number labels and decided to use them to number the pencils so I could sort them into a number order. It worked out very well. However, I had purchased numbers 001-1000. So any future pencils would have to be numbers 051 and above, or something. 

Then, I needed to label these pencils. This is actually two different brands which are very similar, so I wanted to combine them into one set (Black Widow Monarch and Faber-Castell EcoSoft). I did not mind that I had to start labeling at #051, however these pencils have a glossy finish, and the labels would not stick! I had to go back and wrap each pencil with clear tape! It worked but it is not ideal.

For Christmas I acquired another set of pencils that had pencil names but no numbers. The pencils are actually several smaller sets that I combined into one big set (Spectrum Noir ColourBlends). To make it easy to sort them, I wanted to number them. And, you guessed it, the silly labels would not stick!

Then, I found a package of Clear Full Sheet Labels in my stash. And figured, it would be easy to just make my own labels with my own numbering sequence!

I created a document in Microsoft Word that contained the numbers I needed, which means I can print them again and again as needed. I printed them out and used my paper trimmer and scissors to cut out the tiny labels. EASY!  

I used a pointy pair of tweezers (THESE) to peel off the sticker liner and apply the stickers to each pencil.

The labels fit easily and stuck very well. (Yes, it was a tedious job, buy the long-term benefits will make up for it.)

Now the pencils are all labeled, making it easy to put them back after a coloring project. I can also add the numbers and names to my swatch sheet for color choice. 

But, if there are any pencil manufacturers reading this...for the love of coloring, PLEASE number AND name your pencils! (I am pretty good at thinking up color names, so if you need someone....)