HERO Pen Winners

I’m happy to announce the winners of the HERO haiku/limerick/poetry contest.  I’d like to share their poetic worldplays too.

From Julia:

A fountain pen, found on the moon
Had a talent that caused me to swoon
I filled it with ink
(Leaning over the sink)
And the pen commenced singing a tune!

From Jean:

It was the dogeared years that most

inspired the calligraphers to say

the burgundy pen on the table was

none other than the famous Hero owned

by Sir John Hammond who inhabited

the Lakeland Guest House and brewed his own glogg.

 

name draw

Honorable Mentions are:

Letters are meant to read,
either written with ink or lead,
sent coast to coast,
sometimes lost in the post,
but the LWA knows the best way it is said.

—- Antonio R.

There once was a fountain pen dubbed Hero.
Another Chinese knock-off, scoring a zero?
But The Well-Appointed Desk tried ‘em,
So I may have to buy ‘em –
Or hopefully get one sans dinero!

—– Ashli K.

A stationery blogger from Kansas City
Had a green pen that she thought very pretty;
She filled it with ink
Of a hideous pink,
And wrote out a humorous ditty.

— Alan B.

A simple letter
Traveling around the world
Brings such happiness

— Geoff

Thanks to everyone who played along and wrote verse, rhyme and poem. I love to read all the creative things you wrote. I will be contacting the winners to get their addresses. I wish I had more pens to give away to all of you!

Top iPhone and iPad apps

There is a new list available of the top paid and free apps for the iPhone and iPad. Of the 50 apps listed, I decided to see exactly how many of them I own:

Screen shot 2013-05-03 at 10.32.19 AM

I have more free iPad apps because I have more space on my iPad than on my 16GB phone. Its definitely the most common or most widely recognized apps. I’m impressed to see that WhatsApp is so high on the list.

How many of the apps on the list do you have? Which apps do you think should be on the lists?

(via shawnblanc.net and macstories.net)

Video: BEGIN Japanology

I forgot to include a link to these videos in yesterday’s Link Love but this is more of a Friday waste-a-few-minutes-on-the-company’s-dime activities anyway. Tipping my hat to Brad at Pen Addict for posting these videos. If you’re a fan of shows like “How Things Are Made” AND you like pens and stationery, especially from Japan, you’ll like these a lot. For more information and detailed descriptions of the episodes, check out the NHK World TV web site.

So grab a doughnut and a fresh cup of coffee. Bonus points if you decide to play Name-That-Tool as the camera scan across products.

Happy Friday!

Link Love: TWSBI Future Releases, Inks, Notebooks and Bag Check

twsbi_vac_mini_fountain_pen_concept_comparison-798x598

Pens and Pencils:

A sample of Mont Blanc Toffee Brown from IvanR via Instagram
A sample of Mont Blanc Toffee Brown from IvanR via Instagram

Inks:

Paper:

Flora Chang has released some of her whimsical designs as exclusive covers fr iPhone 5 and iPads through Redbubble
Flora Chang has released some of her whimsical designs as exclusive covers for iPhone 5 and iPads through her very own Redbubble Shop.

Misc:

Ask The Desk: Moleskine Portfolio Book Alternatives

Ask The Desk Header

Yesterday, following Moleskine’s release of their new portfolio books, John from Pencil Revolution asked:

Anyone know of a portfolio type item that is not made by Moleskine?

This is the portfolio book in question. From the outside, it looks like a standard Moleskine notebook but on the inside its a divided pocket accordion book with an elastic closure. The 3.5″ x 5.5″ size sells for $13.95 and the 5.5″ x 8.5″ is $18.95.

Moleskine Portfolio Book

I did a little sleuthing and came up with a couple alternatives:

1. Pocket Accordion Organizer from The Container Store ($10.99): Printed on the side of this accordion pocket book is “I know I put it somewhere”. Inside is a multi-pocket accordion folder for notes and scraps and a notepad and pen. (4.125″ x 6.5″)

Container Store Folio Cover Container Store Folio

2. Knock Knock Crap Receiptables Personal Assistant Organizer from ModCloth ($13.99): This cheeky option includes a notepad printed with “Endless Crap” at the top, stickers for the tabbed accordion folder and comes with a ballpoint pen. (7.25″ x 4″)

KnockKnock Crap Folio

KnockKnock Crap Foilo Inside

3. Paperthinks Memo Pocket Notebooks ($14.95): This is my favorite choice. Its made from recycled leather, includes a notepad for lists and notes and an expandable divided pocket. Its available in 24 different colors including my favorite, lime green. (3.5″ x 6″)

Paperthinks Memo Notes

Paperthinks Memo Notes

Hope this helps and if anyone has any other options, please leave a note in the comments.