What isn’t there to like about the See Jane Work Sharpener Pencil Cup? Made from solid wood and metal detailing, this life-like pencil sharpener is not only a great desk accessory, but a definite conversation piece. Not-to-mention, it’s a perfect match for the Quack Tape Dispenser.

To purchase please visit SeeJaneWork.

Last week I visited my daughter’s school to attend her Awards Day Program, and I finally remembered to take a snapshot of these old school pen and notebook paper dispensers located in the main hallway of the school. Each time I seem them it brings back such fond memories for me.

When I was in elementary school, waaayyy back in the day, we had machines just like these. Not like these fancy schmancy, high-priced vending machines you so often see now-a-days, filled with scan trons,  highlighters and the like. Nope, we had these simple old-school dispensers, and ours were located in the school cafeteria. Which is a little strange, now that I think about it. But I guess this was the optimal location if you remembered you needed a pen or some paper at breakfast, or your teacher threatened you not to come back to class after lunch with no paper and pencil in hand.

I remember purchasing many pencils- even when I didn’t need them, especially the scratch-n-sniff variety. It was just so fun to wait and see what pencil or notebook design designs would come rolling or shooting out. For some reason, I distinctly remember the camouflage  and smelly Valentine’s Day pencils, although there was usually a nice selection. But God-forbid you should get two pencils that were just alike or one you already had. Those would immediately face a certain death via ‘pencil break’ ( a two-person game in which you take turns striking each others pencils in an attempt to break them for no good reason, other than sheer boredom and a natural tendency to be destructive as a child!)

Back then, I believe you could get two pencils for 25 cents, and a medium-sized composition folder for 50 cents. I could be mistaken though- elementary school seems light years away now.

Doing this post reminded me of these composition notebooks I picked-up at Target. They’re a lot fancier than the kind that I used to get back in elementary school.  But at just $1.50 each, I thought the hardback ones (in orange and green) were unique, while the soft back ones were sporty. And I picked up the folders, just because they matched. My sister has called dibs on the folders, while all the notebooks will likely be gifted to my daughter since all except one has wide-ruled paper-which I avoid like the plague!

Have you seen any products, office supplies or other items that brought back childhood memories lately? I’d love to hear about them!

Like most desk dwellers, book lovers, and frequent note takers, I love post-its and sticky notes- particularly the ones that are lined. In my opinion, they’re one of the best office supply inventions ever, and by far one of the most convenient ways for me to keep up with all things I “shoulda/woulda/coulda.” So when I recently spotted the Avery See-Through Sticky Notes at a local retailer, I thought it was a pretty neat concept and decided to give them a try. But first I had to get over the sticker shock.

After design, the next thing that caught my eye about the Avery See-Through Sticky Notes was the price. At $3 for 50 sheets, I found them to be pricey. Especially considering that at the same store, a 3-pack of standard Avery Sticky Notes with 450 sheets only costs $4. Now I realize that specialty products almost always typically cost more, but in this case I think the price difference is a bit excessive. Never-the-less, I purchased them, and came home and made a few notes.

The packaging suggests that the See-Through Sticky Notes work best with “ballpoint pens, permanent markers and pencils.” So as part of my initial test run, I tried them all out, and included a gel ink pen just for kicks.

As you can see from the pictures below, the Sharpie by far worked out the best. Not only did the ink dry quickly, but the boldness against the paper made it really stand out. The ballpoint pen worked pretty well too, but there was minimal skipping.

The pencil gave me my most surprising result. The pressure from the lead actually scraped the color off the note, giving it a stenciled appearance that was very noticeable and distracting. I initially wrote with a mechanical pencil and wondered if this was the issue, but even a standard #2 resulted in the same look. Finally, coming in last was the gel ink pen. As I suspected (and to Avery’s defense, the gel pen was not recommended) mixing the gel ink and the Note’s smooth surface was a poor combination, resulting in a faded out appearance and smudging.

All-in-all, I’d say the Avery See-Through Sticky Notes do deliver on being transparent, easily removable, and working best with permanent markers and ballpoint pens. But I’d steer clear of using them with pencils. And at $3 a package, they definitely won’t replace your normal sticky. However, they’re a good find for anyone who takes notes in books and other materials where information is obscured by traditional stickys.

I’m Cleaning Up My Act With WallPops

To be honest, I have a million and one places to jot notes. A  cell phone, laptop, desktop, a Franklin Covey planner, a DayRunner, journals, notepads, spirals, and the list just goes on and on… and then on some more.  But no matter how many journals, notebooks, and the like that I buy- I just never seem to stick with one method. Not-to-mention that when I’m working at my desk,  I have to admit that my notepads and notebooks often tend to come up missing in action, defeating the purpose of writing things down so I don’t forget them!

Consequently, one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to get more organized and to streamline my daily planning (I’m proud to say that I am actively doing this on a daily basis now), and one of the helpful tools that I’ve discovered to help me clean-up my act are WallPops! Dry-Erase Dots.  WallPops! are a full line of residential/commercial wallcoverings and decorative accessories that come in a wide assortment of designs and styles.

When you visit their site, you’ll see that you can decorate everything from your walls to your windows with Disney characters, stained glass, Fatheads, and other neat WallPops! designs. And what’s even more cool about them is that they’re peel & stick, removable, and the dry erase calendars and boards are of course, erasable. So if you want to move  or rearrange them you don’t have to worry about ruining your paint job, or the WallPop! losing its adhesion.  I’ve moved mine twice now, and it still adheres like brand-new. However, there was very slight paint removal the second time. Probably because I placed it in the same location both times,  and my wall is textured. Fortunately my wall is also white, so the the marks are unnoticeable.

I use my Dots to make quick notes on things I need to do while at my desk. It works well for me here because I don’t have to wonder where my notepad is. I can simply reach up and write on the wall if I’m on call, or need to make myself a quick reminder. And it leaves me my desperately  needed desk space for other things like papers and books. It also keeps me from wasting paper. Few notes on my desk last longer than a week. At that time I’ve usually completed the task (or written it off) and just chuck the paper, which is so not environmentally friendly. With my WallPop! I can just wipe and write again, which brings me to my final point.

The only complaint I have about the WallPops! Dry Erase Dots, is the same one I have for all dry erase products. Once the ink has been dry for a time, it’s impossible to remove the ink with the included pen/eraser combo. You’ll need water, or some glass cleaner derivative (in my case, lens cleanser) in order to wipe the surface completely clean. But it does wipe completely clean, which is better than some other similar products I’ve tried before. All in all, I like my Dry Erase Dots. I purchased mine at Office Depot for only $5, but they retail at right around $15 on their site, with the designer styles and brands costing  up to $99+.

This is nothing like the stippling I did in middle school. Artist Miguel Endara drew this picture of his “Hero”, his Dad, from 3.2 million ink dots using only Pigma Micron Pens! What an absolutely awesome demonstration of  skill, precision, and patience!

Thanks to Samsil for posting this on their FB page!

View more of Miguel Endara’s work.

I can’t even play the piano with my fingers. So, needless to say, I’m impressed by this office supply salesmen playing Flight of the Bumble Bee with pencils. This is pretty cool marketing indeed.

The floppy disk pen and pencil holder is one of those neat things that you see and think to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?”  Designed/re-purposed by Geek Gear, the holder is made from real recyclable 3 1/2 floppy disks, and is a great gift idea for the retro computer geek in your life.  It retails for $5.99 and is available in an assortment of colors.

Now this is one commercial I certainly could have done, and “acting” wouldn’t have been necessary at all!

It so reminds me of when I get products to review and free samples in the mail! Ahh, what a feeling.

You can catch this video during shows including Glee, The Big Bang Theory and Hockey Night in Canada, as well as on specialty channels including CMT, TSN, Showcase and Discovery.

Read the full article at Strategyonline

A good journal is hard to find. And boy did I ever learn that lesson a few weeks ago! As a writer and pen lover, I always try to keep a journal handy. Typically, it’s this one:

Inside, I keep everything from the domains I own to daily inspirations. If I hear about or see a good book, I write it in there. If I get a new blog idea or see a great quote, inside it goes. Pics of my favorite places, things to do, they all go in.

But after reading this inspirational post on creating a vision book, I thought, wouldn’t it be awesome to create a vision book that I could carry with me, just like I do my journal? I already have a vision board.  And hence began my quest (and I do mean quest) for a journal.

Unfortunately, what I envisioned as a simple process quickly turned into a frustrating one. All the journals I found in stores were either just not my style, or had lined pages, which just wouldn’t work with stickers, pictures, and possibly sketches. I soon realized that what I was looking for wasn’t really a journal, but really more of a soft-cover sketchbook.

In the end, what I ended up with was a hybrid between the two, that left me feeling a little less than inspired (due primarily to the run-around involved, and the fact that it took almost two weeks before I finally was able to get the refill).

Finally, after purchasing this Italian-made journal from Barnes and Noble, I decided to keep the cover and look for an unlined refill online (since I liked the cover, but didn’t want the lined pages inside). But when I finally found the refill and got it in the mail, it turned out to be about only half the size of the original refill, leaving my journal looking a wee-bit thin.

The Replacement

However, looking back on it, I guess this size is perfect since I plan on carrying it with me.  And journals can really add some extra pounds to my already overburdened purses.

But before I’d invested in my journal/sketchbook hybrid, I wished I’d seen the Emile by Seventy Eight Percent. This beauty is just what I was looking for. Not only is it made from quality Italian leather, but it also features two pockets, a pen slot, and holds more than 80 unlined pages (perfect for my stickers, pictures, and vision sketching). And at 6.3″x 4.5″, it’s the perfect size for my purse or pocket. So needless to say, when I run out of space in this journal, the Emile will be a definite contender as a replacement.

Seventy Eight Percent also makes a lot of other really cool leather products, including everything from briefcases to leather computer sleeves. I’m also a big fan of the Zazie mini satchel too!

If you’re a fan of The Office, then you’re undoubtedly familiar with the Dunder Mifflin paper company. Now, in what’s been deemed a “reverse product placement” marketing deal to fight the “race to the bottom in the paper business”, Quill.com will offer Dunder Mifflin paper under a licensing agreement with NBCUniversal.

Packages  feature slogans familiar to fans including “Our motto is, Quabity First” and “Get Your Scrant on.” In exchange, fans can expect to pay a higher price according to the Wall Street Journal, which states that the Dunder Mifflin brand will be priced “largely above private-label copy paper.”

It should be interesting to see if consumers are willing to pay significantly higher prices (Dunder Mifflin paper is currently on sale for $34.99 a carton, and is regularly priced at $47.99 per carton) for a fictional brand of copy paper when:

a) sales in the industry are already lagging due to the ever-growing use of technology (email, pdfs, etc)

b) most people typically buy the copy paper that’s the cheapest for general use (well, at least I do anyway)

c) the Dunder Mifflin branding will be on the packaging and not the paper itself

I guess we shall soon see!

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