I {heart} Handwriting! (And, of course, pens...)

A few of the buckets on my craft desk...

I love writing letters.

As in letters of the alphabet.

For as long as I can remember, I've loved writing.  I can remember, as a child, I would get a blank piece of paper and my big box of markers and go to town.  I am sure there were times I drew pictures, but what I remember most is writing words.  I would write names, then trace around each letter with different colored markers until it filled the page with glorious, rainbow lettering.  My parents tell me I've always had an affinity for pens, markers and writing in general.  They say, as a child, I would just sit and draw words then decorate the letters and make them pretty.

I think I must have been a weird kid.

Fast forward to the present...  Nothing has changed.  I adore pens of all kinds.  I adore handwritten notes.  I adore gorgeous rainbow colored ink.  I adore lovely stationery.  I just love it all!

Japanese Stationery Store.  Yes, Please!!!!!!!!

Along with my love of writing, I love handwritten things.  I think handwriting says so much about someones personality.  The style of the letters, the color and type of pen used, even the paper says a lot about you.  My hubby and I are prime examples of this....

Let's say we are each going to make a shopping list.  I will pull out several colors of pens (which I have with me at all times, by the way).  Sometimes it will be felt tip; other times a bold, gel pen.  The pen I use is directly dependent on my mood at the time.  After I've carefully chosen a few pens to use, I then must choose the correct paper.  Lined? Unlined?  Again, it depends on the mood.  I will carefully write out the list, often putting it in order the items are laid out in the store.  If I mess up, I'm very likely to re-write the entire list.  I write in a slow and methodical manner because neatness matters to me.  Writing the list is a process I thoroughly enjoy.  I told you I was weird.

My husband, on the other hand, will grab a pen.  He ONLY uses black, extra fine tip pens.  No variety.  No excitement.  Just simple, predictable, boring black.  He doesn't look for a great notepad to write it on.  Anything will do.  He'll use a receipt, a scrap of paper or an envelope that previously held his paycheck.  He will write his list in no particular order, scribbling some illegible words as he goes.  He does not care if the list is neat, tidy or pretty.  It's a shame, really.

Now that you know about our lists, Let me give you a short summary of our personalities...

I am flamboyant; he is subdued.
I am bubbly; he is serious.
I am frivolous; he is practical.
I love sparkly pink; he loves flat black.
I am excessive; he's a minimalist.

You get the point.

My theory makes perfect sense, right?

I realize I'm rambling here, but really, is there a better subject to ramble on about?  I think not.

Anywho....

I know I cannot be the only one who feels this way about my beloved pens.  Do you love great pens?  Gel? Felt tip? Roller ball?

Tell me all about your pen love.  I could chat about pens all day...

Cheryl

New Trimmer!

I posted a few days back asking for input on trimmers.  I am finally the proud new owner of this fancy baby:

I waffled back and forth between the guillotine style or the rotary blade.  I decided to try something new (because I love change!) and I am pretty happy with it.  I haven't done a ton of crafting over the last few weeks, but I purposely cut a variety of weights and types of paper the day I got it and it was pretty darn nice!

I purchased this from Amazon for $26.44.  You can get one here, if you're interested:

Swingline ClassicCut Lite Guillotine Trimmer, 12 Inch Cut Length, 10 Sheet Capacity (9312)

Affiliate Link

  Since I'm a member of Amazon Prime, I got free 2 Day shipping, so I thought that was a decent deal.  I looked at some that were cheaper, but I'm a firm believer in "You get what you pay for"!  If you're not a member of Amazon Prime, you should be.  It's awesome!  You get FREE 2-Day shipping on any Prime items, Prime Instant Videos (Think Netflix, only, in my opinion, better) and now they've added Amazon Prime Music as a part of your subscription. You can try it FREE for 30 days to see if you like it.  You can read all about it here: 

Amazon Prime (One Year Membership)
Affiliate Link

We've been members of Amazon Prime for almost 4 years now and it just keeps getting better.  My hubby loves to read and it really saves us money on shipping since he buys tons of books.  He says he just can't switch to reading on a phone or tablet - He likes a good, old-fashioned book in his hands.  And I like getting stuff in 2 days because I'm impatient!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Trimmer Help!

A few weeks ago, I was in the middle of making several cards and had a huge mess on my desk.  I dropped my trimmer in the floor beside my desk because it was taking up too much room and totally forgot about it.  I'm sure you can imagine what happened next.  I got up to take a potty break and SNAP!  I stepped right on the arm that swings out to measure the paper.  Here's what I was left with...

I broke the poor thing's arm!  {sad face}

I can cut anything out to 5.25" and that's it.  So now I'm on a quest for a new trimmer.  This is a big decision for me.  I am pretty picky about trimmers.  I have had several that have been mediocre and I would like to have one I love - but what to choose?

I need your help!  What trimmer do you use?  Do you love it?

Here are the few I've been looking at on Amazon: (These are affiliate links)

I have never owned a swing-arm or guillotine style trimmer and I never really wanted one until I used this super old one at work.  I was cutting coupons at lunch and a co-worker told me we had one stashed in the back.  I love it!  The thing is that it's great for coupons, but will I love it for crafting????  I just don't know.

Here's the other one I was looking at.  I really like rotary style trimmers and that's what I've used for a while now.  This one folds out to cut 12" paper, but then folds flat for storage.  It's a bit higher, but I'm willing to pay it if it works well.

I really like the measuring grid on this one, but I don't like this blade style.  I find that this type of blade tends to rip the paper instead of cut.  My friend has this kind and really likes it, but my OCD kicks in if I even see a little "fringe" on the paper due to the blade.

Sooooo.... Can you help me decide?  I would like to order one in the next day or two and would love your input.

Smiles,

Cheryl

Amazon Deals

I was shopping for some supplies on Amazon today and found some great deals I thought I'd share with you all.  It takes alot of scouring, but sometimes you can find really good deals on Amazon!

This is for the 5" wide Xyron Sticker Maker.  I have never found the refills this cheap!

I've never seen tacky glue sticks before - but for under a buck, they're in my cart!  I really like tacky glue, so I'm thinking these would be really good for paper that might wrinkle with liquid glue.

Also, I wanted to throw out some food for thought to you all...

I've been looking at new items for the Pink & Paper store, and I've come across an opportunity to purchase  Acid Free tape refills for the ATG guns at a fabulous price.  I would love to offer this in the store, but wanted to see if you all would be interested in it first!  The selling price would be much lower than I've found them at Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Amazon so far.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Have a great day!

Cheryl

Great Deal!!!

I don't know how many of you receive the Daily Deals emails from Amazon, but every so often, they are fabulous!  I thought I'd share this one today...

It's a 32GB Flash Drive for only $19.99!!!  That's a fantabulous price!  I bought a 16GB drive a few months ago and paid $20 for it.  I just thought I'd share in case you're interested.  If you store a lot of pictures (like I do), your flash drive will fill up fast, so you need a big one!  And these are small enough that you can carry in your purse so you'll always have them with you.

Have a blessed day!

Cheryl

TBBM 2

Well, I'm happy to say that none of you heard a screaming fit from Oklahoma last night.  I lost weight when I went to weigh in.  All is well with the world!  Now, on to the good stuff!

I have this weird love for boxes and bags.  I must admit there are several Cricut cartridges that I've bought just for the box or bag cut on there.  For example, Spring Holiday Cards.  It's not a bad cartridge, but I've never used it and the only reason I bought it was for the Gable box cut.  Which I've never cut, I might add.  I've thought about it though.  Does that count?

Anyway, one of my favorite carts of all time is Tags, Bags, Boxes and More.  And now they have #2!!!!  Yippee Skippy!  My heart leaped with joy when I saw this cart.  And I was going to buy it right away, then I saw the price.  Now, I've admitted many times how cheap I am so I'll just say it again.  I am too cheap to pay 50 bucks for this cart, no matter how much my little heart desires it.  I've rambled on to get to this point - I found it on Amazon this morning for $34.98!!!  And now I'm the proud owner of Tags Bags Boxes and More, 2 !  I am counting the hours until it arrives at my house.  I plan on trying every cut on the cartridge, so I will be sharing all of those with you all.

This is the cheapest I've found it so far, so if you've been thinking about it, I would say buy it now!  This is still more than I would normally pay, but with the popularity of this cartridge, I don't see the price going down very quickly and I just can't wait any longer!

I'm off to do some work.  I did get some pictures finally, so I should have some "real" posts soon!

Have a happy day!

Cheryl

Memory Card Deal

Hi guys! I wanted to share a great deal that I found on Amazon this morning.  I purchased one of these a few months ago, and paid around $18 for a 16 GB card and thought that was a great deal then.  Check it out:

If you record videos or take lots of pictures, they can take up tons of space.  The more memory you have the better!  I just thought I'd pass this along if any of you need it.

Happy Friday!

Cheryl

Great Deal on Twine!

Hi guys!  A few moments ago I came across a great deal on some baker's twine posted on Facebook.  I just ordered some and wanted to let you all know so you don't miss out on it!  Click on the picture below to go to Amazon and order.

I don't know if you all are in love with twine as much as me, but I can't get enough.  I have been trying to secure some twine through a wholesale company that I can offer to you at fabulous prices, but in the meantime, this deal will work!  Let me know if you buy some and if you like it or not.  I got mine on 2 day shipping, so hopefully I'll have it soon!

ETA: I'm hearing that this twine is thinner than some of the brands from craft stores and websites.  I'm still ordering it because the price is great, but I wanted to let you all know that I'd heard.

Blessings,
Cheryl

Fabulous Deal!

I love Amazon's Daily Deals!  Today they have a fabulous deal on a Scotch Thermal Laminator.  The regular price is $80.49, but today you can buy it for $16.99!!  Since Amazon is a sponsor, if you click the link below when you purchase one, it will help me out as well!

The cool thing about this is it will laminate up to 9 inches wide and will work on photos, without melting them.  (I experienced that when I was younger trying to laminate some photos - not pretty)

If you buy the pouches as well, you'll qualify for FREE shipping, so why not?

Thanks for stopping by today.  Happy Shopping!!

Cheryl