Betsy Robertson

PANS: I do a lot of my painting on site (Urban Sketchers is a great organization, search for a local chapter) so pans are convenient. And it makes it easy to replace a pan as needed. I took on old Prang school kids set and replaced the wells with individual half pans (glue 2 strips of metal to the case and glue strip magnet chips to the bottom of the pans. Leave space in the middle for a couple of brushes.). Then fill the pans with paint from tubes in layers letting each layer dry before loading the next. That minimizes cracking and shrinking.

PAINT QUALITY: As in almost everything, buy the best you can afford, even if it means fewer tubes. Student grade is lower than artists. I’ve tried several brands and like Daniel Smith for the balance of quality and price.

I am trying to buy 12 hardcopies of the BWB book. After I've submitted my credit card information there is no way to exit that page without signing up for PayPal which I do not wish to do. Any suggestions?

Never mind. Just read the similar post in a previous thread.  I'll do it through PayPal.

David, You'd be amazed at how much compost you can make just with the used coffee grounds. My husband (bless his heart) brings home a 40 lb. bag on his bike after his daily visit to the coffee shop. I stockpile bags of leaves in the fall and combine the two throughout the year. That plus garden and kitchen waste and an occasional load of manure and we have an ongoing supply of great compost. Also, with a good balance of Nitrogen to Carbon, you shouldn't have any smell. I would think twice about the restaurant scraps because of all the meat that would attract unwanted animals.

I'm in San Marcos, took the PDC last year in Austin and am slowly implementing my plan at our 1/2 acre in-town homesite. There's a pretty active Facebook group on the Texas State campus called Permies.