Voyeuristic Tendencies

Do you pick up notes you find on the ground (sometimes)? Or open envelopes found in old books(always)? How about reading a grocery list left behind in the cart( usually)? Reading used notebooks in a garage sale(yes) or inscriptions inside used books (guilty)?

These voyeuristic tendencies must satisfy some kind of primal need since I think that most people are curious to see what others are thinking, feeling, doing. This explains the premise of Found Magazine.

The magazine can be a bit overwhelming to read in one sitting, so I keep a copy at my desk and read a few pages here and there. First published in 2001, this unique magazine has an interesting slant on collecting subject matter.

"We collect found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, doodles-- anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's life.

Another site is called Forgotten Bookmarks. Michael works in a used book store and blogs about "the personal, funny, heartbreaking and weird things I find in those books."

Abe Books website has an article called 'Things Found in Books' and it lists things such as old baseball cards, a pinky ring, photos,etc. Very interesting reading.

Silent Type II

'Silent Type II' was published in October 2010 by Strikethru and I was lucky enough to get a copy of this in the mail. If you're not familiar with Strikethru, it is a blog about 'typewriters, typecasting, ephemera, Moleskin blogging, junk cameras, notebooks, stamps, writing, paper crafts, and other curiosities.' Visit and enjoy!

 It made my day to sit in a comfy chair with a cup of cinnamon flavored coffee at my side and leisurely peruse this gem of a zine.

 The high quality of the paper (smooth and glossy) added to the colorful pages and enhanced the captivating images used throughout the publication.

 Both editions of Silent Type are available for free in PDF format at the Strikethru blog. Just look in the left navigation bar for their covers.

The November Stationery Giveaway

The November Stationery Giveaway at Letters & Journals offers a prize basket with 7 different items- cards, journals, pen, birthday calendar, flying wish paper and a notebook.

First up, we have a new contributor who features cute poodles on much of her designs.  On these cards from Haley's Handmades there are poodles in all kinds of poses and settings. There is an assortment of 5 cards in the November giveaway.

Next we have a second new donor, Rock Scissor Paper who I found by winning something on their blog in September. If you have 20 seconds, you should check out the cute video that announced the winner. They contributed a birthday calendar that can be reused year after year.

Archelaus Cards has sent in a set of four different greeting cards such as the one shown below. Their cards offer a unique selection of quotes and wonderful drawings.

Ecojot continues to support the monthly giveaway and has sent in one of their hard bound spiral notebooks to be offered in this month's drawing. If you visit the Ecojot blog you will see that sometimes they publish pages of journal pages that people have sent in such as this colorful entry.

Flying Wish Paper donated another large wishing kit. These have been popular as people write to tell me they have never heard of it but are happy and excited to try it. I hope you will be too.

Next we have another hardbound ribbon journal from Crane. This blue journal is the perfect place to write your goals and dreams and ideas for your life. If you're on Facebook, you may want to check out the new BlueBook app that Crane has developed. The BlueBook app makes etiquette fun by allowing you to reward good behavior and correct behavior that needs correcting.

Finally, Letters & Journals is offering a Write Dudes pen that was purchased at Target for $1.94. This pen was featured in a recent blog along with some other stationery purchases made that day.

There are just two ways you can win this luxurious stationery giveaway: 
1. You are signed up for the free Letters & Journals monthly e-newsletter
2. You are put on the mailing list for information regarding the premiere edition when that information is available (No subscriptions yet- just a heads up on the status of the print edition) Send info here.

Good Luck!