Wednesday, August 31, 2011

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)

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

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.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

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.

Tuesday, August 23, 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!


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

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.


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

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.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

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.