June Stationery Giveaway

This is the first anniversary of the monthly Stationery Giveaway at Letters & Journals! Thanks to our sponsors and readers for helping to make it so successful! We have an awesome giveaway this month as well as some new rules for entry.

Let's start the June 2011 Stationery Giveaway with this awesome SRX Galaxie Fountain Pen, bottle of Chesterfield Ink and a package of ink cartridges all from a new sponsor, Xfountain Pens. It's not often that we have a fountain pen and ink to include in our monthly drawing, so this just adds to an already great giveaway! The fine folks at xFountain Pens were also kind enough to include an extra set for us to try, so I will be having a review on this exact pen and ink later in the month.

This unique journal from Revolver Bound Books is actually two journals in one. You see the red journal in the photo, but if you open it up a special way and then fold back the red covers, you will reveal a second journal that has a black cover. One of the journals has blank pages and other has lined (64 pages each).You can see a video on their website of exactly how this works.

"Two journals in one with a little magic in between."

A reader recently commented that it was harder these days to find boxes of loose leaf stationery and asked if I knew where to purchase any. As it happened we had just received a package from Peter Pauper Press so I sent her to their website where you can find lovely designs just like the one pictured below for $9.95 (30 sheets + 24 envelopes). I love this set!

The Texas Pen Company donated a box calligraphy set containing 2 Scheaffer Fountain Pens, 3 calligraphy nibs, 14 ink cartridges, a practice pad and calligraphy booklet with step-by-step instructions. WOW! That is a lot. Sometime in June we will also be giving away one of these sets in a drawing on our Facebook page.

Papaya Arts has been a long time donor to the monthly giveaway. This hard cover journal is just "write" for starting a diary or daily writing journal.

Artist and children's book illustrator, Nina Crittenden, donated this set of five simply-yet-divinely illustrated note cards and packaged so nicely in a a clear fold out package and tied with a light blue ribbon. There are five different illustrations. You will love them. Trust me!

This Cavallini & Co. journal of San Francisco featuring the Golden Gate Bridge with a postage stamp in the corner was donated by Journals and Paper, a Canadian sponsor who also contributed some photo note cards (not pictured) to be included in this month's giveaway.

Product Superior sent in this colorful Octopus and Submarine print (8x10) along with a handful of unique greeting cards. Love it!

Ex Libris Anonymous, otherwise known as Book Journals, have submitted another of their unique books made from an actual book that they turned into a journal by adding 75 blank pages of acid free paper and rebinding the book with spiral binding. Each of these books is unique and for an added touch they have left a few of the original pages from the book interspersed among the blank pages. If you see one you like on their site, GET IT! As once they are gone, they most likely will not have it again.

The originality of the small sized Parker Planner is that they come undated so that you can plan and use your planner for any four months that work for you. The planners were created by Ethan and Benjie when they were in college and were looking for a planner to fit their needs. Not finding one, they created their own. I met them at the National Stationery Show this year and they were nice enough to send me home with some of these wonderful little planners.

And, is that pink Pentel pencil in the photo also part of the stationery giveaway? Why, yes it is! Thanks to Pentel and Julie at Whatever, where I was lucky enough to win more than a handful of Pentel products. So I am spreading the joy (and pencils.)

Our next sponsor is Survival by Design who just announced that some of their product line is now in the Target stores. The nirvana of many companies- getting into a big box retailer where they will receive national exposure. Let us say Congratulations to the fine folks who create these eye-less wonders!

Wimzie Prints has donated four gorgeous colorful cards that seem to say Summer! (And I'd like to add, finally! as it has been a cold, windy, rainy spring in Minnesota.) Thanks, Wimzie, for helping to brighten our days with your cards!

 Journaling Arts is one of the original sponsors of the monthly giveaway and this month they offer the Mood Quaderno Sketchbook which comes with a snap cover and its own pen! The sketchbook offers blank pages  and a page for your information as well as a plastic catchall for receipts and/or ephemera. Journaling Arts is also offering a 20% discount on your entire purchase (Use code JAPC20)

Botanical Paperworks has sent in this lovely 3 pack miniature notebooks - each unique and handmade. Botanical Paperworks has a terrific line of earth friendly papers comprising all sorts of cards, journals and notebooks.

Puppy Paws Productions: Dog Note and Greeting Cards is a first time sponsor of the giveaway and they have sent in a package of these lovely poodle cards. Cute, huh? I thought you'd agree.

Sean McMahon created his own line of musical greeting cards and there will be five of them included in the June stationery giveaway. You can check out Sean's line of cards on his musical website and also read about the feature story that L&J wrote about Sean here.

And there you have it! The wonderful selection of prizes for the June Stationery Giveaway at Letters & Journals.

How do you win? Just leave a comment on this blog post with your email so that you can be contacted. Winners can be from anywhere and you will have 5 days to respond to the email with your mailing address. You are also welcome to include your address in your comment. Some people are OK with this and some are not. I don't require it. I just want it to be easy for me to contact the winner and get the prize package put in the mail!

7/1/2011 UPDATE: The winner of the June Stationery Giveaway is Glenda T from TX. Glenda left a comment at the regular www.lettersandjournals.com site. Thanks to all who commented. Try again in July!

Pentel Pens and Pencils

What is more fun than trying out new pens? Tying out new pens that you win!

I won this wonderful selection of pens and pencils from Pentel at a contest at Julie's Whatever blog.I will write some of my impressions of them later, but wanted to share them with you now before they went their separate ways (purse, work, bedroom, office, pen pal letter kit, etc.)

In order of appearance from left to right: 
1.  Purple e-Sharp .05 Pencil
2. EnerGel Needletip .05
3. Handy Lines Yellow Highlighter
4. Purple Rolling Writer 0.8
5. Twist Erase PinkPencil .07
6. Blue Hyper G .07
7. Jolt Pencil .07
8. EnerGel Red.07

Pen and Ink Swap

I happened to comment on the Asda fountain pen that Sam reviewed in his blog at Future: Nostalgic that I wish we had that particular pen in the US. Lo and behold, we had worked out a trade and look at all of the goodies I got from the UK!

It's hard to pick a favorite. The Asda fountain pen (far left in the blue package) is a lightweight pen that comes with ink cartridges and has an excellent fine tip writing point, which I love. You can read Sam's review of this pen at his blog.

The Inoxcrom pen in the package on the right was a heftier fountain pen with a nicely weighted feel, but I found that the pen wrote a little hesitatingly. I like rich smooth flow of ink. Maybe I will experiment with different inks, like Sam did with his Parker 61 (which is on my wish list) to see if that will help.

The Pilot B2P is a new gel roller where the pen body is made from plastic bottles. It has a fine point (0.7) and a thick, easy flow of ink, which I prefer. It's a smooth writing retractable pen which is great for portability.

Probably my favorite is the Pentel Fine Style ballpoint pen. Although the flow is not thick or generous, it's a smooth writing fine point that's light weight and consistent. It has a slim design and a comfortable barrel.

As an added bonus, Sam included an Oxford notebook. This is a quality notebook with a hard cover and the smooth-lined pages. Naturally, I tested each of the pens on the paper and am very happy with the results. I should have added a picture, but it's pretty scribbly as I wasn't planning to take a photo when I was trying out the different pens. Next time I will know better!

Thanks, Sam, for adding to my collection/addiction!