When the kids start writing..

Kaylee is now in kindergarten.  5yrs old and now that she has started to spell, write and draw everything she can think of, I am trying to find some ways of not only encouraging this behavior (monkey see monkey do) I am trying to find some great pencils pens that will promote good penmanship.

I thought about a Lamy student fountain pen and might be getting her a few next year (hey it's less than a month away and mommy and daddy have already blown their wad on Santa).  I have been looking for some good pencils.  She has a heavy hand and the regular #2s are snapping like dry twigs.

She is a perfectionist in that she gets frustrated when she sees my handwriting (No comments from the peanut gallery) and wants it to be like mine (PRINTING!!  not the scribble I send you folks :).

Numbers are getting better the 5s still tend to look like S's. and the 3's look like E's  b and d get confused.  But over all she's doing great.  Papa couldn't be prouder.  Letters/Cards written by her are starting to go out.  Some may have already received a few.

So, here is my question to you folks.  Do you have little ones (preferably under 8)? Do THEY like getting mail, small trinkets?  Are they interested in letters?  How/Do you encourage their stories/writing?

She is now writing books with stories/drawings, so I have been assembling a few pages and stapling them together, a cover and 3-4 interior pages.  She is getting a sketch book and some colored pencils for Christmas.  The crayons are just not holding up, and she wants to use what I'm using.

On the other end, I have Kims nephews who have taken an interest in letter writing.  What did "they" want for Christmas?  STATIONERY!!

So I went online to one of my accounts and let them both pick what they wanted.  They chose this.

With matching envelopes. and what would stationery be without something to write with??

What can I saw they want what I use.  This was my first fountain pen and I now have a few of these loaded with different inks.  This is a habit this Uncle will happily support.

With that, don't forget the giveaway I'm doing for December.  A Very nice box of Original Crown Mill and Arpa Handmade letter set.  Only 19 days left to enter!!

Till next time..

Derrick

Return Labels and such

You have probably received some of the seasonal return address labels from (insert charity here) looking for various donations this time of year.  Be it St. Judes (i do give to this one) or Ducks Unlimited (yep they got me as well - Hey I have hunting dogs that like a duck dinner every now and then, but only if they get it themselves).

Have any of you had stamps made?

I was using some for awhile that I had done at shutterfly.  Needed to use up some free money there and "thought" I would have gone through them before moving.  That didn't work out. But now that we are home owners and will DIE in this house.  I figured I needed something more permanent to go with the house.  So I ordered one from 2impress, they are on Etsy.  I prefer Etsy to many others as they cater to vintage and handmade goods.  Feels good to support the small businesses.

I have been looking for various stamp makers online and just kind of liked their run of stuff..

I do believe I will be ordering a few more of these in different flavors.  The pricing was right and the product received is very high quality.

So how do you folks tag the return.  Handwrite? Stamp? Sticker? Front or back?

Derrick

OMG, OMG, OMG...

In the words of the brain trust that is Mr. Homer J Simpson.  Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God!!!

I have just hit 10357 blog views.

I started this little project on Dec 25, 2011.  Over 10,000 views and 30 pounds later ( I really need to start walking again) I seem to be writing something a few people (all 5 of you that keep hitting refresh) want to peruse occasionally.

SO, being that I actually made it a year and seem to still have something to write to you folks about (hey I have a 5year old kid and a wife, there is ALWAYS material) I have decided to close out 2012 with a bang.

There are a few of you who have stated they like the stationery I send out.  It comes in 2 flavors.  Pure Cotton or Laid Paper and 6 colors from Original Crown Mill.  I am a fan.

I have decided to bite the bullet and am trying a little side venture here and will be selling some different papers at GREAT prices.  Not trying to get rich, just provide some neato paper to folks who like REALLY good paper without getting gouged in the process.

So with that I am going to give away for Christmas (the day of launch on my blog) one of these.

This is a "correspondence" set from Original Crown Mill - 100 Sheets of Laid paper (2 pads) and 50 envelopes in cream color.

and This,  4.25" x 6.5" larger note size. This set would make an lovely invitation or announcement too. Subtle deckle on all edges of the flat cards and on the 4.75" x 7" envelopes. wrapped in string and sealed with wax. Handmade in Spain in pale blue color.

So, interested?  But where is the catch?  There must be something?

I need 3 dozen krispy kreme donuts on my doorstep by 6am or the milk jug gets it.  

No really, they closed the one by our house and now I need to drive forever to see that lovely flashing neon sign "HOT DONUTS".  

Ok not really, what I need is mail.  You want to be entered you have to send me something.  The site is called i Still Write, so write something.  

All entries MUST be received by Dec 24th (edit - I have extended this until Jan 1st, due to interest from new folks) .  This "should" be more than enough time to put something in the mail.  You MUST reference the giveaway "Derrick Dun Lost It" see, it's that whole reading thingy and you must be following the site.  Did they just enter or did they actually read the instructions.

So no mass mailing this time.  I sunk the funds into good stuff.

So go, write me something.  I have some fun stuff to send out on a random basis as well... 

Thanks for the support.. 

Derrick

Of Envelopes and Embelishments

Question of the day,

When sending out your correspondence, do you add that little bit of flair?

I'm not taking Office Spaces Chotchkie’s (well Brian over there is wearing 37 pieces..).  I'm talking about that little touch you put on your envelopes or letters that make it yours.

For me it's stamps.  Some of you have asked where I get mine.  This one in particular.

Am I a "stamper"?  No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

When I first started letter writing, I thought I should get something to say this is me. Something other than sending out just plain envelopes.  Now this doesn't work so well with made envelopes from maps and such, but for the  nice laid or cotton paper stuff I use they are really nice.

I tend to color with pencils, massage them (you guide me, you guide me.. OOooooo  right there..)

This weekend while taking a card making class, I discovered embossing powder (see the leaves on the picture above).  So I went and bought a heat gun and some various powders in assorted shades.  Makes for a really nice effect and unique textures.  Really works nice when coloring as there is no ink to smear (you can't help but color in the lines).  Where this comes in handy is when working with brush pens, you wont run your color over your stamp and trash you nice brush colors.

Stickers..

Some of you have received by Pot Brownie stickers (don't judge me), or station logos, or homer variants.  I try to limit these to hold them things closed uses.  Mainly because I don't have a large selection of them.

Lastly, I know some of you are mail artists and I REALLY like getting those in the mail from my favs.. (to many to list and I don't want to forget anyone (see ~cop out))

Now, for those of you who like the snail mail stamp.  I will be giving away 2 of them for the holiday season.  The stamps ( I just placed a LARGE order from them) are from Cat's Life Press.

So how do YOU dress em up.

There was no joy in Mudville that night..

Well, the season is officially over.  The bats are being put away, the fields covered up for the winter.

We turn our thoughts to spring and the season that may be.  What will happen in the off season.  What trades will be made.  What new diamond in the rough will be found by the scouts to Ooohh and Awww us.

Alas for me the Tigers have gone down in defeat after a stunning sweep of the Yankees.  Only to have it returned by the Giants.  I have ties to both teams, but a Tigers fan first.  So I left with who brought me.

So what I would like from you class is something baseball related.  Something that says Summer is officially over and Fall is now upon us.


For your work I have this.

This little package (including the book) can no longer be had from the fine folks at Field Notes Brand.  I have however ordered a few of these gems for this giveaway.  

Are they free..  Kinda..  No random number pull here.  You have to send me something for it.  I will let you folks pick the winner.  First and Second and Third.  SO..  What else could I toss in....

First - The set (notebooks and A Drive into the Gap)

Second - The Notebooks

Third - The Book (A Drive into the Gap)

So there ya have it.  I will post anything you guys send in baseball related.  Something special going out to Bean for the most unique card I've gotten to date.

Thanks.  Now go take a bat to a Pumpkin.. and serve up some Diabetes to the neighborhood kids

Of Kaylee and the Dr. Visit... Dum Dum Dum!!

So this post has absolutely nothing to do with mail.  It does have to do with my spawn that lives with me.  Kaylee.  And her visit to the doctor (ie: merchant of pain and death).

For the past few weeks, we have apparently been getting these letters from the school nurse, informing us that our lack of parenting was jeopardizing the entire welfare of the school and surrounding community at large.

So while digging through her backpack I came upon the actual letter that had somehow gotten buried under the extra set of clothes, the happy napper and the folder crammed in there for her friday take home.

"It has come to our attention that the small alien unit you call Kalyee is remise in her vaccination schedule and shall be excised if your cooperation in remedying this situation is not handled post haste." (so forth and so on and such)

This was followed up by a letter from the school nurse (sent through the mail.. see a mail tie in after all) stating the same thing.  That our child would be excommunicated from the likes of Frontier Elementary Home of the Frontier Firebirds if our transgressions were not corrected and this would happen on forth coming Monday.  Holy carpal tunnel Batman!!

So being the super daddy that I am, I inform the school principal, her teacher and the school nurse that I will take care of the child they deem Typhoid Mary immediately. (and that I would be taking her out of class in the middle of the day to get her shot up)

OFF TO THE DOCTOR!! (badda badda bum)  (hey you try typing out batman sounds)

So we get to the pediatricians office only to discover that we are early and we didn't know that because the hours for the office had fallen on the floor and I was standing on the sign.

We get in there and I have a question as to whether she actually needs the vaccines in question (I was in there 3 weeks ago and asked if we needed any shots).  It turns out that I needed to wait another half hour for her previous doctor to be back from lunch to check his records.  (insert girl from iponema here)

2 O'Clock..  Yes Mr. Dodson she is due for her under 4 shots.  OK how many is that?  4.  Oh CRAP!

So I have been telling Kaylee this should be 2 at the most.  Now for those of you with small children you know what is coming.  For those of you without children, may you get pregnant soon.. We shouldn't have to go through this alone..

While we are there though I ask to add on her flu shot (nasal) for good measure.  Hey, were here.

Kaylee and I are joking, she's in a good mood.  I'm taking her out for a nice helping of Diabetes after the inquisition that I know is coming.

So nurse Jackie comes in with the tray.  Flu vaccine in the nose first.  No problem, daddy says just like the flonase we get every day.  Then comes the first needle.  My calm and happy child BOLTS off the table.. It was just one smooth move from sitting into my lap with a look of terror I will never forget.  You would have thought that the nurse pulled out a Stihl Chainsaw and fired it up and was looking to add some more human skin to her collection.

I have to tell nurse Jackie that I got this and picked up Kaylee, put her back on the table and held her tight while the injections took place.  3 in one arm and 1 in the other.  The nurse put the bandaids on and asked if she was OK.  Kaylee looked at her arm and the bandaid that was showing some air space and said "Do I look OK.  Look at the bandaid.. It's bulging up!!"

I pealed it up and put it back down.  See all better.  Now lets go and get some stickers.. (cause that will make it all better..  uh huh..)

We leave the office and get into the truck, buckle in, and I ask her  "what happened??  You knew you were going to get some shots.."  She look straight at me and said "I thought she was going to put all of those shots in my nose."

More to come folks, back in the mail business shortly.  Just a short pause in our day to day called life.

Neener, Neerer, We Have a Weener..

Now that I have your attention.  See how a title can just suck you in..

We had our Gold Rush Days this past weekend and I was able to secure almost everything I needed to complete the giveaway.  Almost.  I was unable to get any maps.  Turns out the rights to the map belong to the National Archive and are not allowing willy nilly reproductions.  :P

You know that mass mailing thingy I did 2 months ago, that thing you probably though was never going to happen.  Oh yea sure, he mails this stuff out and asks for me to send in my box tops and my ovaltine lids in a self addressed stamped envelope along with 25 cents.  What do I get BUPKUS that's what.  I waited outside my mailbox for the last 2 months and I got SQUAT.  I'm calling my post master and filing a fraud complaint.

Hold on there sparky!!  I told you I was moving.  I had to allow time for everyone to have a chance to send something in.  They may have been away, attacked by a plague of locust, ran out of gas, they didn't have enough money for cab fair, the tux didn't come back from the cleaners, a old friend came in from out of town. someone stole their car, there was an earthquake, a terrible flood, you know the usual stuff.

Anyway..  Here we go..  And this one time at band camp..

Oh yea, the WINNER(S).  I had quite a few responses (surprised).  This one actually made you send me something.  Not as easy as just "please reply to this post".  For those of you that made the effort, BRAVO.

So here is the list, name and what I will be sending out.

Becky Preston - Wild West postcards, Pony Express Penny

Cal Kitson - Wild West postcards, Pony Express Penny, Pony Express Recruitment poster, Pony Express Coin

Karen Isaacson - Wild West postcards, Pony Express Penny, Pony Express Recruitment poster

Dori Singh - Wild West postcards, Pony Express Penny, Pony Express Recruitment poster, Pony Express Coin

Patty Davidson - Wild West postcards, Pony Express Penny, Pony Express Recruitment poster

PostMuse - Wild West postcards, Pony Express Penny

And the big Winner is..

Jackie Parkins - Wild West postcards, Pony Express Penny, Pony Express Recruitment poster, Pony Express Coin, Pony Express Magnet, Wild West post cards (First Day Issue), The West (Hard bound book from the postal service) 1 Sheet of Wild West Stamps.

So there ya have it.  I will be sending all of these out next week.

You now have the choice to make the call or suggestion for something YOU might want in a giveaway.

Upcoming mailings (Hey I've haven't been getting this stuff to look at).

Movie Monsters (I have some neat stuff for this one)
Civil War (including the book)
Field Notes sets
Christmas (postal postcard set, I don't care if you are not christian IT's A CARD, SEASONAL)


Till next time..