September Stationery Giveaway

Welcome to the September Stationery Giveaway!

First up this month, we have a bottle of Private Reserve donated by Richard at My Ink Pen. This plum colored ink will be a welcome addition by any fountain pen enthusiast!

Amy Sue Crafts sent in two writing themed art magnets. These little gems should help place you in the writing frame of mind.

 

Donating for the first time, Missive Maven has donated a set of 5 writing themed postcards. Missive Maven was one of the first people to greet Letters & Journals when it launched in 2009 and she has been continuing to support us with links and mentions throughout the year. So I'm especially pleased to have her be part of our monthly stationery giveaway.

This spiral mini notebook is from our friends at Ecojot. This unlined journal is perfect to put in your purse or pocket.

Tilia Press sent these letterpress 'Hello' note cards that are perfect for sending short notes of greeting or thanks. Any excuse to send a letter will do!

Donated by Peter Pauper Press, this package of Sparkly Garden Thank You cards is exquisite! Described as having a linen finish, glitter accents, scalloped edges and embossing, these cards are the perfect thank you for any occasion to give thanks.

The Rifle Paper Company sent in this set of 12 Recipe cards. The floral design and smooth writing surface will have you looking for new recipes to add to your collection.

Patricia from Journals + Papers sent in this vintage lined journal that is sure to get the creative juices flowing. Stories, thoughts, plans, lists, doodles, collages... all await you in here.

The Hymns of Praise #2 journal was donated by Ex Libris Anonymous. I'm intrigued by this well-worn cover which has a copyright date of 1925. If you click on this link, you will be taken to the home page of Ex Libris Anonymous and immediately see colorful old children's books which are sure to spark a memory of some phase of your growing up years.

The Texas Pen Company once again has sent in a box Scheaffer Calligraphy set containing 2 Scheaffer Fountain Pens, 3 calligraphy nibs, 14 ink cartridges, a practice pad and calligraphy booklet with step-by-step instructions. Awesomeness. And if you don't want to learn calligraphy, why then you can just practice your doodles with these new writing tools.

Haley loves poodles! Maybe you do too! This month Haley's Handmades generously sent in a box set of note cards, 4 individual note cards, a poodle magnet and one small card with its own envelope.

Chewy Tulip sent in a set of squirrel themed postcards. If you love postcards or squirrels, you're going to love this set of cards!

Sean McMahon has once again contributed a 6 piece assortment of his musical greeting cards. Sean has written, designed and scored hundreds of cards for all occasions. Check out his musical site for a better glimpse into the world of Sean McMahon.

Leave a comment to be entered into this giveaway.

The September winner will be selected on October 1. I contact the winner by email, so be sure to include that with your comment or you can send me your email address: Jackie (at) lettersandjournals (dot) com. You still need to leave a comment as I number them and use the Random Number Generator to select the winning number each month.

Winner: Jan F from California who has confirmed she won and sent me her mailing address. (10/1/11)

The Note Project

The Note Project wants to encourage you to send one note (more if you want) of appreciation to someone. This is a free global project to get a million people to pledge to send a note to someone who made a difference in your life. Their goal? To make the world a million times better by sharing appreciation.

There are free videos, audios, a $1 letter writing kit, e-cards, a blog and much more.

Won't you take a moment to make a pledge and then send a note?
You can also follow the Note Project on Facebook and Twitter.

Edward Gorey #17

The description on the back of card #17 says, "P is for Prue trampled flat in a brawl." - from The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey. I'm not familiar with The Gashlycrumb Tinies but I assume this is P.

This cannot bode well for young P as she reaches for the saloon doorknob to go beyond the foreboding brick wall. Or maybe it's worse to stay outside?

What story would you imagine for this scenario? I will send this postcard to one of you who leaves a comment. Just be sure to leave a way to reach you if you're not registered or I don't know who you are. Winner selected on Sept. 1, 2011.

Store Contest Winner

I'm pleased to announce the winner of the store database contest from the July newsletter - Melissa K from WI.

I'm trying to build my database of stores so I asked for people to comment with their favorite stationery store.

Melissa listed her favorite store, As You Wish located in Fon du Lac, WI.

The prizes listed here include 5 postcards from my collection, 5 different .44 stamps, 1 gel pen, 1 notebook and a set of note cards from Tilia Press.

Enjoy your winning package, Mel K!

Letter Links

Since there was such a positive response to the first blog with Letter Links, I've decided to do this regularly. It keeps me on my toes looking for links to share. Enjoy!

 Paper Party in Lincoln, NE at Porridge Papers
Futurebird's Notebook Collection
CappuccinoandArt Journal You Want Mail?
Julie at Whatever reviews her blank book from Book Journals
Lost Art of Postcard Writing by the Benevolent Postcard Society
Journal Addict's Journaling Challenge: A Week in Your Life (starts 8/22)
Missive Maven tells us about the Stamp a Day Program which highlights the 2012 stamps

I call this Letter Links even though they are not all about letters. Seems to have a nice ring to it. Maybe I will think of something better later. Or you will.

Print Edition Update

Due to lack of advertiser interest the premiere print edition of Letters & Journals will be delayed for one year. Before I go any further, I do want to assure the subscribers that their money will be refunded within the next few days. It's a bittersweet moment to come so far only to be stopped by the lack of advertiser interest.

Cindy (my assistant) and I sent out over 200 emails and letters to potential advertisers in the last 6 weeks as well as appeal to a few niche publishers who we thought might be interested. We did have a couple companies show some interest, but in the end, most of the responses fell into one of the following categories:

• We don't advertise
• We've already used our budget for 2011
• Send us a copy of your magazine when it's published
• Come back again when you have a larger audience
• No thanks
• No response

And there you have it..the unfortunate state of affairs for the print edition of our fine magazine at this time. The plan for now is to continue to grow our audience like we've been doing and then revisit this again next year to see the viability at that time.

Believe me, no one is more disappointed than I, not be preparing the print issue for publication this fall.

Ephemera Winner Announced

Sheila S from NC was the winner of the July E-newsletter Ephemera contest. Odds of winning were 1 in 82.

Some of the items include:

• used stamps
• old postcards
• new postcards
• old envelopes
• library cards
• stickers
• copies of old photos
• map
• dictionary page

 

I'm amazed at how easily ephemera accumulates in my home.This contest is a great way to spread some of the ephemera love.

Edward Gorey #16

Apparently Donald imagines things. He seems to have imagined a friendly reptilian creature in his bedroom. At least he looks friendly- like he wants to have a discussion. This is from the 16th Edward Gorey postcard in the 2011 calendar book.

At first glance I thought he was a boy, but Donald appears to be a diminutive man as he sits on his bed and talks to his imaginary creature.  The back of the card says this image is from "Donald and the ..."

I am sure enjoying really looking at these cards and sending them out to suspecting and unsuspecting persons.

August Stationery Giveaway

The August Stationery Giveaway has a little bit for everyone- a pen, journals, note cards, day planners. Just leave a comment with a way to contact you should you be the lucky winner who takes this all home!

Peter Pauper Press has a lovely collection of stationery and this month they have donated a rollerball pen from their Butterfly collection. This picture does not do the pen justice, so check out the better photos at the PPP website. But be warned as you'll probably find some stationery that you can't live without!

This 6 piece note card set from Botanical Paperworks has a triple bonus- they're adorable, they're plantable and they each have a yummy recipe including one for iced mint green tea. That sounds like the perfect summer drink. Cheers!

Tilia Press has done it again with these adorable lobster themed thank you cards! This 10 piece card set is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. These colorful creatures seem to have a character and charm of their own.

This Cavallini & Co notebook was donated by Journals + Paper, a Canadian online website with fine paper and journals for sale. The compact, lined notebook has a lot of ephemeral imagery that appeals to me- the old time map, the stamps and postmark, the travel sticker at the bottom. I think it's time for an exotic trip.

Next we have these beautiful note cards from Crane & Company. These dandelion colored, hand bordered cards are the perfect stationery to write your best friend a note.

Journaling Arts sent in this Ciak brand journal that comes with a pen and a pullout map of Europe. The pocket sized notebook was handmade in Italy. The lined journal is the perfect size for your pocket or purse.

Product Superior donated this 8 piece note card set for the car enthusiast on your list. There are 2 each : Bent Chevelle, Crushed Charger, Exploding Pantera, and a Burnt Mustang. The set is called the Busted Muscle car set.

Haley's Handmades offers the cutest poodle cards! Haley has now expanded into also offering notepads, magnets, stickers, bookmarks and pins. A couple of these items will also be included along with the note cards.

Papaya! sent in this lovely hardcover journal with foil lining. This journal has a combination of lined and unlined pages for your writing, drawing and other creative talents to be displayed.

Ex Libris Anonymous continues to have a wonderful selection of old books that they recycle into journals. They add quality blank paper and a spiral binding while keeping the old covers and some of the book's original pages to add a unique touch to their product. You'll find Disney, Dr. Seuss, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and many other classic books, text books, music books, etc. to appeal to a wide variety of audience.

The August winner will be selected on Sept. 1. I contact the winner by email, so be sure to include that with your comment or you can send me your email address: Jackie (at) lettersandjournals (dot) com. You still need to leave a comment as I number them and use the Random Number Generator to select the winning number each month.