The Geography of You and Me - YA Bingo

Book Completed On: April 27th
# of Pages: 337
Bingo Category: A Book Set In Paris

Gotta love book loans at work; just as efficient as a library :) This book just arrived at our store recently, and once I noticed the mention of the two main characters using postcards to communicate with each other, I jumped at the chance to give this story a read.

The basic premise is this: the son of the super, Owen, and long-time resident of the building and of New York City, Lucy, find themselves trapped together in the elevator during a blackout. On that night they form a connection, but shortly after the night ends, both of them find that they have to move away, Lucy heading to Europe and Owen driving around the US with his father. They decide to keep in touch, through both postcards and emails, so that they can try not to lose that connection.

I think that a lot of lady geeks out there can relate to Lucy, who instead of making friends at school would much rather curl up with a good book. She buys a book in pretty much every location she visits with her parents.

While there isn't a very big chunk of the book that is set in Paris, Lucy does visit there with her mother, and there's a particular sight in Paris that is significant to the story: Within Notre Dame, there is a plaque on the ground that marks Point Zero, aka the exact center of Paris. Lucy tells Owen about this while they are spending the night of the blackout together, and she eventually gets to visit this spot, stand on the plaque and make a wish.

All in all this was an enjoyable book. The story carried along at a nice pace, and there was actual growth to be witnessed in not only the two main characters, but their flawed family members, and that was very refreshing to see.

25/04/14

Items In My Mailbox: 2 Items!

Item #1: "Special" Postcards from Amazon!

Truthfully the package came from China, but I ordered these through Amazon. These were ordered along with my Pattern postcards and the Modern Vintage ones, as well as the Box of Kisses postcards. They just came packaged in a simple plastic sleeve once I opened up the mailing envelope, and each postcard has a picture of an international structure, most of them from Europe. The majority of them are pictures taken of things in Paris, although there is one London postcard that I recognize, because it's one I received as a Postcrossing card a while back! So I thought that was pretty nifty :)

Each of the postcards in this pack (there are 9 in total) has some sort of kind message plastered on the front, along with the picture of a famous landmark. They say things like "To Someone Special", "Thinking of You", "Happy Day", and "Best Wishes", which I found to be rather nice. I hope that when I use these cards for Postcrossing, or with my pen pal,s I won't just be sending along a card, but a kind message that will bring a smile to their face :) That's the hope at least.

Item #2: Postcrossing Postcard from Russia!

I wish I could've taken a picture to show you the cool stamps that were on the back of this card - 5 of them in total! - but they're of course a bit too close to the address to get a really good shot. The sender told me her name was Anastasia, and immediately she had my attention. When I wrote her a thank you message I felt compelled to tell her that I've always been partial to the name Anastasia. I've always liked the idea of long, beautiful, historic names, especially when in modern society they can be shortened to cute nicknames, like Anne or Annie. I've probably been hooked specifically on the name "Anastasia" since the animated movie came out (which for the longest time I thought was a Disney film XP I was wrong). But I like a bunch of long, beautiful names like that, such as Evangeline.

While this doesn't fit with the "long" category, I've also always really liked the name Lilly. Two L's in the middle, just like that. I always figured that if I ever had kids, and if I had a girl, she would be Lilly. Although those other names are tough to beat as well XD As to why I've decided to ramble on about names this time, I haven't a clue, but oh well!

I'll keep you guys posted!

The Spectacular Now - YA Bingo

Book Completed On: April 4th

# of Pages: 294

Bingo Category: A Book With A Break Up

This is one of the first books I picked up to read from the small stack I received as Christmas gifts. I had a little time amid my last week of school and I decided to take away from of the edge of the stress that came with the studying and essay writing to come and curl up with a new book.

I haven't seen the movie that was inspired by this book starring The Fault In Our Starts actress Shailene Woodley, but I hope to someday. The synopsis on the back of the book is what made me put it on my Christmas list - it looked to be a story filled with a skewed sense of optimism by the main character, Sutter Keely, who likes to "embrace the weird," and desires to "take a ride straight into the heart of the spectacular now." The character of Aimee is also interesting, who the author describes in Sutter's voice on the back cover as "a social disaster." At the core of her, she's your everyday geek girl with a meek disposition and not enough self-confidence to stand up for herself when her mother takes advantage of her daughter's kindness and uses her as a doormat. As an escape from the real world, Aimee contents herself with reading sci-fi novels, and admires one female protagonist from a particular series that she ends up bonding over with Sutter (after he does a thorough Google search on the character).

In case you're worried, the category on the bingo card is not a big spoiler to anything that happens in the book - you find out from reading the back of the book about Sutter's girlfriend Cassidy along with Aimee being the new girl in his life. Cassidy actually plays true to that initial threat pretty early on in the book, so I'm by no means giving away a huge plot point by choosing that category.

For this book I don't want to give too detailed a review, since my biggest comments would be about the ending, and I'd hate to give it away. What you should know is that it's quite an enjoyable read, and the characters, especially Sutter and Aimee, are far from predictable. If you're looking for a story that's a little off-kilter than your typical Young Adult novel, this is a book that you want to pick up!

I MET JENNY HAN! / YA Reading Bingo

As I may have mentioned before, I love to read. I work at a bookstore, and my discount is very often applied towards books for myself that I am eager to dive into. Even though I'm not a teenager anymore, one of my favorite genres is still Young Adult fiction, and I wear this badge proudly :) I'm young at heart after all, and nobody should be ashamed of the things they like to read! Jenny Han is a YA author. She's the author of the Summer series - consisting of The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, and We'll Always Have Summer - as well as the co-author of the Burn for Burn series along with Sibohan Vivian - Burn for Burn and Fire with Fire are out now, Ashes to Ashes will be released in September.

I've read both of these series, although I only have the audio books for the Burn for Burn series (which are extremely good by the way, for anybody who likes audio books as much as I do). Recently she just published another book, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, and I finished it Tuesday night. I was in a slight hurry to have it read because . . . I was planning on meeting her the next day! And I DID!

The event was held at the Chapters bookstore in Brampton, ON. For those who don't know Ontario geography at all (and I'd be shocked if I had readers that knew the area, to be honest), the city where I live, Welland, is about an hour and a half away from Brampton. I also live about 2 hours away from Toronto, just to give you an idea of what surrounds my city. When I read about the event on Facebook, I was dying to figure out a way to go, but I knew that trying to wrangle a bus there would be a LOT of trouble. I happened to mention it offhand to my boyfriend, just as mindless conversation, and without hesitating he actually offered to drive me to Brampton so I could meet one of my favorite authors. I was shocked - you've got to understand, I've never dated a guy that would willing do something like that for me before. Maybe it doesn't seem like a whole lot, but for those girls who have dealt with boyfriends who aren't willing to go out of their way the slightest bit for you, maybe you'll understand why I was so moved by my boyfriend's offer. I thanked him profusely - after he offered, before we left, during the drive, while we were at the store, and on the way home XDD

It was thrilling to be standing there (all the chairs were taken when we arrived) and see an author I have long admired step out and take a seat on the mini-stage the good people at Chapters had set up for her. Things started off with her explaining the premise of her new book, and she also did a reading, one from the first chapter and she also read one of the first love letters that are a big component of the story, the letter the main character Laura-Jean wrote to Peter Kavinsky, a boy she fell in love with in middle school. It was really funny to hear the letter read in the author's voice. Afterwards there was a Q&A where people got to ask Jenny Han questions about her writing process, her books, etc. I had a question that I wanted to ask, but she ended up indirectly answering what I wanted to ask when giving the answer to another person's question, and I couldn't think of another one that I wanted to ask. A couple of t-shirts were given away that had the title of the new book decorating the front, but in order to win a shirt you had to answer a trivia question about her Summer series, and there I was out of luck. I've read all 3 books, and I own them, but that was quite a few years ago now, so I couldn't get the answers XP

After that came the signing, and I eagerly waited in line for my chance to meet Jenny Han face-to-face. There was a bit of a wait in the line, but luckily I'd brought another book with me to read while I waited, that being The Geography of You And Me by Jennifer E. Smith, which I'd recently gotten as a book loan from work (one of the many benefits of being a bookstore employee). And finally came my turn :) Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to really chat with her too much. When she expressed her hope that I'd enjoy the book, I told her that I'd just finished the book last night, and she looked to be pleased. Best of all, I got a picture taken with her! :) After I thanked Jenny and then the nice Chapters employee that took the photo for me, I headed off to find my wonderful boyfriend, who was reading through a book in the fantasy section. I then ran off quickly to browse in the YA and manga sections, then we were on our way home. Well, first we hit up the Wendy's drive-thru, and THEN we headed home XD

All in all it was a very enjoyable evening! I got to meet a very talented author, I learned a bit about her writing process during the Q&A, and I now have a signed keepsake which is sitting safely in a glass cabinet downstairs along with other signed books in my possession. I'm very glad that I got to go, and I definitely enjoyed reading Jenny Han's new book. I also learned that she is currently writing the sequel, which will be titled P.S. I Still Love You, so make sure to look out for that in the future!

While we're on the topic of YA books, I'd like to talk about a series of posts I will be writing in the future. My fellow vlogiggles made me aware of a small challenge hosted by Random House titled "YA Reading Bingo". Now that I'm not in classes as often and I have more time on my hands, I'd like to try filling out the entire YA Reading Bingo card, either over the summer of throughout the rest of the year. In the past bit I've already read a few titles that will belong on here, such as Jenny Han's new book. I will dedicate a post to each square, where I'll talk about the book along with the category on the Bingo card that it fits into. I'll also be encouraging other YA-enthusiasts to participate with me by telling me in the comments to these posts what books they've read and what squares they'd fit into, along with any questions/comments people might have about the books I'll have read for this challenge. Look forward to those posts very soon :) 

365 Photo-A-Day Challenge: Week 16

Another week bites the dust! I may have gotten a little behind with uploading photos this week - I blame the long weekend, it messes everything up. Even so, I'm pretty proud of the photos I took for this week. Let's take a look!

Day 106: Basket(s)

This is my current Animal Crossing: New Leaf character :) I've been waiting for an excuse to use a New Leaf picture for a while now. This basket was claimed from giving 6 different types of Easter eggs I found to Zipper T. Bunny! I also ended up winning the entire collection of egg-themed furniture, and I turned my back room into something of a spring-themed spare bedroom. I ended up winning a whole extra 2,000 points from the HHA/HRA/whatever they're called XD If anybody would like to see other pictures from the game, or wants me friend code, post in the comments below.

Day 107: Dramatic

In my head, there wasn't anything dramatic I could think of, but I ended up going with the dramatic contrast of light and shadow, as is seen from the light coming in the window of my grandmother's living room. I actually took this picture while I was at her house on Easter visiting with my cousins - also while hiding out in the living room and reading my book XDD

Day 108: Bubbles

Originally I wanted to take a picture of the bubbles from my favorite soap whilst washing my hands, but then came the problem of trying to take a picture with wet hands, so I settled for this collection of bubbles floating in the glass container that held Easter Sunday's dessert before being put in the sink to be washed. I wrote on my caption how bubbles stop being fun when they're involved in washing the dishes. Truth be told, I don't wash the dishes at home - my mother rinses them and loads them in the dish washer, and it's my job to unload XD I know, I'm spoiled.

Day 109: Looking Down

Here is a shot of the floor between my side of the bed and my dresser - and yes, it is a colossal mess right now. There's a bunch of clothes and garbage, and the furry green thing is a pillow I use in bed for when I'm sitting up. One thing I unfortunately didn't notice until I had already uploaded this photo is there a clear shot of one of my bras there in the photo XP That's a tad embarrassing . . . Oh well, c'est la vie!

Day 110: Well Used

Here is a shot of the spot on my desk where frequent use of my computer mouse has begun to wear down the wood finish of my desk XP When I took the photo it ended up looking like some kind of weird white milk stain, when actually it's a very similar colour to the chocolate brown of the desk. That's why I decided on a black and white filter, so it would look a little less like some sort of creepy stain :P

Day 111: Seasonal Colours

I was originally planning on trying out one of my new nail polished from Black Sheep Lacquer for this prompt - specifically the yellow one called Lemon Drop, since it's definitely made up of spring colours. Since I didn't have the time to do my nails, I stuck with snapping a picture of one of my favorite manga characters, Tohru Honda from Frutis Basket. This is actually a picture of the front of one of the anime DVD cases - I own the whole series in a special edition box. I've been re-reading the manga volumes lately, it's been quite the nostalgic experience.

Day 112: Urban Art

Here is a painting that I have hanging on the wall by my bookshelf/behind my door. I got a wicked deal on it too! It's titled "Carnival", and it was made by Trevor Blewett of St. Catharines. I bought it during a festival that was happening along St. Paul St. in St. Catharines a couple years back. This painting was included in a silent austion, and I jumped at the chance and was the first and only person to bid. I absolutely adore this painting  - it spoke to me as soon as I saw it - and I love having it on display in my room.

23/04/14

Happy Belated Easter everyone! The picture above is the beautiful card that my mother made me for Easter, decorated with pretty striped paper and an Easter bonnet. It also came with a Wal-Mart gift card and a HUGE Kinder Egg. Are all of you Americans jealous? ;)

Going Out In My Mailbag Today: 4 Items!

 Items 1-4: Postcrossing Postcards to Belarus, Japan, The USA & China!

Lots and lots of Postcrossing today! I'd been meaning to catch up and I finally had the time. The card with the butterfly on it is headed to Belarus. The lady that will be receiving it had very specific instructions on the kinds of cards she liked to receive, and at first I was afraid I was going to find anything that would match the criteria. Then I came upon this card in my Pattern postcard box, and this pattern was designed by Victoria Garcia. The blue Polaroid with the horse figurine is headed to a mother & daughter in the US - the daughter likes horses. When I wrote my message on the card I made sure to express how much I admire it when families use Postcrossing as a family activity :) The blue Polaroid of the sky is headed to China, to a sender that also had specific requests, most of them things I wouldn't have access to in Canada. Luckily one of the requests was Natural Landscapes, and while that image is more of a sea scape than anything, I certainly hope that she'll like it. The one to Japan is my absolute favorite, the Pokemon-themed card. The recipient is a HUGE Pokemon fan, and when asked what my favorite Pokemon was, I wasn't sure at first before I decided on Pansage. She also mentioned that she liked to draw, and I asked her if she wouldn't mind sending me a drawing sometime, and/or maybe we could exchange some unique cards. I'll let you know what her response is when she replies back to me :)

Items In My Mailbox: 1 Item!

Item #1: Postcrossing Postcard from The USA!

Very unique image on this postcard, am I right? This card actually came in an envelope with my address and a whole whack of stamps on it, much like the stamps used by fellow Postcrosser Patricia. I'm guessing that the sender chose to do this because of the sheer volume of stamps. Because of this, I can show you the back of the card without the fear of revealing my home address, so yay for that! One thing that made me do a double take is where the sender chooses to use the word "geek" as synonymous with the word "weird", so that was a little odd. It was interesting to learn that this Postcrosser was originally from Poland. In my thank you message I mentioned that my experiences with the states are limited - I've been to Florida once when I was 8, and I went to Buffalo once to see the 2nd live action Death Note movie, but that's about it. I think it'd be great to visit all the fellow geeks I know that are living in the states - my RP partner, my pen pals, and of course my fellow vlogiggles!

I'll keep y'all posted until next time!

17/04/14

Items In My Mailbox: 2 Items!

Item #1: Postcard from My Postcrossing Friend Patricia!

Again, I envy Patricia and her box of Jane Austen-themed postcards. She answered my question about whether or not she was a fan of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries fan, and her written response was quite enthusiastic as she told me "Oh yes, love, love, love The Lizzie Bennet Diaries!", which made me smile :) She's also got a whole whack of stamps on her card - guessing she's using up her old ones since the US postage rates went up recently. I really like the Harry Potter-themed stamps she has, but the other ones she has used look really cool too. She also asked amid the writing on her postcard if I could send her a picture of my Jane Austen-inspired prom dress, and I most certainly plan on doing that! In fact I've got a good lineup of photo-themed packages that I plan on sending out in the mail soon. I might even dedicate a post to sending photos in the mail, so stay tuned for that feature!

Item #2: Letter & Card from My Pen Pal Diana!

Another letter, yay! Letters are always the best thing to receive in the mail, by far - even better than packages that I've ordered online! It might be hard for the non-snail mail aficionado to get how a Powerpuff/Cornetto Trilogy t-shirt can lose against some writing on a page, but there is of course one main thing that a letter has that a cool t-shirt does not possess; feeling. When it comes to Diana's letters specifically, that feeling is usually excitement. I can always just sense the excitement from Diana's writing leaping off the page with every single letter she sends me. I'm not sure if it's because of the multiple exclamation points, which I love, or if its just her excitement upon receiving a letter from me reflecting back as she writes me a response, but there's always a palpable excitement tinged with everything Diana sends me, no matter what :)

I plan on writing her back soon, and I also have something special I want to send her along with my next letter. I haven't been able to respond yet because, silly me, I accidentally left her letter at my grandmother's house XP I brought it with me on Easter because I thought I'd have some time to start writing her a response, but I got too involved in the book I was reading. Luckily my grandmother found it and didn't throw it in the recycling by accident XD So I'll be picking it up again tomorrow so I can start writing her back.

That's all for now! I'll keep you guys posted!

365 Photo-A-Day Challenge: Week 15

It's been 100 days of taking photos, congrats to me and everybody else who is still participating in the 365 IggleBug Photo-A-Day challenge, as well as those who are participating in other Photo-A-Day challenges all over the internet. This week there was no set of photo prompts due to our ringleader having a few emergencies to handle, so I did my best to think of my own pictures. They probably seem a bit random, but randomness is a part of life, so I'm sure that's the point. Anyway, here are my pictures.

Day 99

This picture was taken of the front of the postcard I recently sent out to my pen pal Diana. Truth be told this isn't the actual card I sent out, but I got a whole pack of them for Christmas, so I grabbed another one to photograph since I'd already mailed out the postcard. I sincerely hope she's a Princess Bride fan. If she is, I have 2 other Princess Bride card designs that I can send out to her as well if she wants.

~*Day 100*~

Here's a photo I took inside of Ryson's Music Studio. When I was first interested in starting with violin lessons a couple years ago, my cousin recommended Ryson's. When she went out to describe the place, she chose to describe it as "grandma's house on crack" because of the varying - and surplus - of knick knacks covering every surface and wall of the joint. She was right on the money too! This is just one of the pieces in the "lobby" of the music studio that's joined to the store.

Day 101

Now I took this picture to prove something of a point. When I posted my picture for the prompt "Love", it was of a plate of desserts from the potluck hosted by my medieval class during our last lecture of the semester. On the plate were a few Timbits, and fellow vlogging iggle Joanna commented on Instagram, calling them "donutt holes." This might just be me, but "donut holes: sounds a little strange and vulgar, at least to a Canadian ear - plus I'm so used to calling them Timbits, which I've been doing since I was a kid. So I took this picture to show Joanna where the Canadian name comes from.

Day 102

Saw this in front of us at the Tim Horton's drive-thru (another picture brought to you by Tim Horton's), and it made me smile, so I quickly snapped a picture. Yes, I know photographing a car when it's not for insurance purposes is a bit creepy, but I couldn't resist! I doubt it's an official bumper sticker from the graphic novels or the movies, but with the hammer there it still made me smile, so I decided to just roll with it. Can't keep the geek inside contained for long, after all!

Day 103

Recognize this? XDD When you own a treasure as unique and amazing at this one, you can't help but upload the picture of said treasure to as many platforms as humanly possible. I mentioned wanting to frame this shirt in my Instagram caption, and those that commented back definitely agreed with me. It's also reassuring to know that there are other geeks/people out there that are just as obsessed with the Cornetto trilogy as I am - aside from my boyfriend, of course.

Day 104

Not sure what stood out to me about this little section of my hair dresser's garden, but as I was waiting for my ride home after my appointment the other day, this section of the garden caught my eye. The majority of the garden is currently barren, since it's not warm enough for too many flowers to stop popping up, and if it weren't for the house in the background and the surrounding area, you might think this was a larger tree casting an equally large shadow instead of a garden-sized specimen.

Day 105

It's impossible not to smile when you've got a sun-shaped smiling sun sticker smiling up at you so brightly, am I right? This was attached to a letter I recently received from my pen pal Diana. I haven't started responding to it yet since I just got it in the mail yesterday, but I'll be starting on it soon. My next post will also include pictures of everything that Diana sent me along with this letter :)

16/04/14

Items In My Mailbox Today: 2 Items!

Item #1: Powerpuff/Cornetto Trilogy Shirt from RIPT Apparel!

I'm pretty positive that maybe 5 seconds after I read a Tweet from Simon Pegg (if you don't know who he is than you fail - just sayin') about the 1 day sale of this shirt, I'd already finished squealing long enough to order it. This combines nostalgia with one of my favorite fandoms. I loved watching The Powerpuff Girls when I was a kid, plus I am currently obsessed with the Cornetto Trilogy (again, if you don't recognize this term, you've earned more Fail Points). The front character is Shaun from Shaun of the Dead, the one on the left is Nicholas Angel from Hot Fuzz, and the one on the right is Gary King from The World's End, all of which are excellent movies and characters, all played by Simon Pegg.

For those that don't know (and again, the immediate fails still apply), Simon Pegg has not only been acting for quite some time, but he's quite the figure in the geek world. I used this image with Simon Pegg during one of my early posts on my first blog surrounding Geek Culture that I started for a class back in the fall. Pegg definitely gets it right, and I'll continue to follow his career - as well as his Twitter account, where he apparently tips fans off to some of the most amazing merchandise ever! Honestly I don't so much want to wear this shirt as much as I want to frame it XDD It's the perfect combination of adorable and awesome.  I can't wait to wear it out and show off my inner geek! Maybe I'll wear it one day to Niagara Falls Comic Con or FanEx if I don't feel like cosplaying - what do you guys think?

Item #2: Postcrossing Postcard from Taiwan!

Another beautiful postcard with another natural beauty of the world plastered on the front - always fantastic! This rock formation is called "The Queen's Head", and it's located in Yehilu according to the postcard. The sender actually wrote her A/S/L on the card, which reminds me of the not-so-good old days of using Habbo Hotel - for those who don't know, it was an illicit chat room that should not be used by 12 year-old kids, which is how old I was; not a good thing XP Anyway, this postcard contains two cute stamps, one containing a koala bear and the other has some sort of black/forest bear on it with a mountain background. She also drew a cute little stick figure illustration with a big face and a cheesy grin along with her message, which I found adorable. Apparently she's never visited Canada, but she would like to one day. It seems a lot of Postcrossers use different coloured inks for their messages, like how this sender wrote her message in blue but drew hearts, cheeks on her stick figure and the ID code in red. I'll have to remember that for the future . . .

I'll keep everybody posted until next time!

15/04/14

Items In My Mailbox Today: 1 Item!

Item #1: "Maha Yodha" - Card Game from Israel.

I've been waiting a long while for this - both for these cards to arrive and to be able to write about it. But they're finally here, and now I can finally tell you all about quite the amazing opportunity that has been bestowed upon me thanks to my awesome Paper Droids editor.

A few weeks ago, my editor sent me an email. It came with a forwarded message from the people behind Double Edged Games. They will soon be beginning a Kickstarter campaign to gain funding for this brand new card game - a collectible card game based on Hindu mythology. She told me that the company was willing to send out a copy of the game in order for somebody to write a review, and that it wouldn't have to be returned, and she asked whether or not I would be interested in reviewing the game. I answered back with a resounding YES, the company was forwarded my address, and from there it was a waiting game, until now. Before I received the cards in the mail, I was forwarded a PDF of the instruction booklet for the card game, so I got to preview some of the art before the actual product arrived in the mail.

The art is gorgeous, and they advertise it as being a quick 2-player game. There's only three types of cards in the deck, so I'm hoping that will be true. I won't be able to review the game until Easter is over, since I won't have a second person to play with until then. But I'm very much looking forward to playing this game, and of course reviewing it. The entire process of not only getting my own copy of this game, but being given the opportunity to review it, has been a big honor for me, and I'm very grateful to my editor for giving me this opportunity in the first place. I hope I don't let her, or the team behind Double Edged Games, down!

Going Out In My Mailbag Today: 2 Items!

Items 1 & 2: Postcrossing Postcards to Germany & The Netherlands!

I've gotten a little behind with my Postcrossing cards, and I'm hoping to make up for it soon. I was able to get started by getting 2 cards out in the mail. What with the Giveaway starting up and a few real life emergencies emerging from the woodwork, I could only write up 2. The card to Germany is going to a sender that, like many Postcrossers, is only interested in cards from the area where I live, so I prepared a Brock University postcard for him. The second card is on its way to a lovely lady in the Netherlands who loves reading, gaming and walking. When I wrote my card I asked her about what sort of gaming she prefers - video, board, card - and I also told her about how I review board & card games in my spare time. I hope she'll respond to my question in her thank you message when she receives the card. I also got to try out some of my new stamps from Michaels, which was a lot of fun :) I have some things I plan to send out which will make great use of my new supplies from Michaels. I can hardly wait!

That's all for now. I'll keep you all posted!

GIVEAWAY: From The Desk of TWW(s) (Closed)

It's finally here, it's finally here!

I'm not sure how excited you guys have been but I know I've been pretty dang excited to host my very first giveaway!

Not only is this giveaway being hosted here, but it's also being hosted by the lovely people of the IGGPPC. Click here for a link to their page where they've got the giveaway info up as well. Many thanks to them for getting the word out about my giveaway!

So here it is! This giveaway will go from April 15th until April 30th. Please read all the Terms & Conditions in the Rafflecopter widget below for all the rules and regulations for entering. None of the social media-related entries are mandatory, but they will give you multiple entries if you so desire. Below the Rafflecopter widget will be pictures and descriptions of all the prizes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Item #1: "Bitch, Bitch, Bitch!" Notepad!

Measuring at 4 1/2" - 11", this notepad is the perfect size to take down phone messages (if there's anybody that still does that), write down a To-Do list (or where you can vent when you don't get everything done) or write down your grocery list as you go about your week (I've got nothing)! There's a magnetic strip near the top of the pad, so this pad can easily find a home on your fridge. Another great feature of this pad is it will give your guests a chuckle as they walk into your kitchen and see it.

Item #2: Tropical-themed 7 Year Pen!

Here we have a green & pink pen with a jumbo ink supply that will allow any writer, journaler, doodler of scribbler to write 1.7 meters a day for 7 whole years! Writes in black ink. Truth be told, we've only been selling these pens at the store where I work for 5-6 years, so I'm not completely sure whether or not they last that long. But as soon as 7 years does come around, I will let you know!

Item #3: "Hot Mess Citation" Notepad!

This pad of paper is brought to you by the Knock Knock company, who have created various other paper products that I have chuckled at over the years when they send stock to the bookstore. Holding more than 49 sheets, this pad will allow you to provide a citation to your roommate, a family member, or you can even send one as part of a letter to your pen pal if you sense that they need a reality check. Filled with various options with boxes you can tick off to list the accused's various offences, along with one blank space where you can pencil in your own offence, this product will leave you and the accused chuckling for quite a long time.

Item #4: Secret Message Writing Kit (2 Pens)!

So here is how this works: You've got 2 pens, 1 red and one blue. Each pen writes in invisible ink. The lid of both pens holds a small UV light. When you hold the light up to the message that's been read, the message suddenly appears! Keep one for yourself & send one to your pen pal so you can exchange secret messages back and forth. It's really fun and will leave the both of you feeling like secret agents.

Item #5: Set of 3 Lined Notebooks!

Each notebook contains 80 lined pages, and this collection of cover designs is titled Whimsy, created by Jessica Rose. I myself own a small agenda with the same designs littering the pages. All of the notebooks are in store bought condition, still in the plastic wrap, ready for your various notes of wisdom.

Item #6: "Book" Definition Bookmark!

A gorgeous, black bookmark made by Peter Pauper Press Inc., with cream text and a white tassel with a silver metal decoration at the end. This bookmark is decorated by a humorous definition of the word "book" that pokes fun at those that own e-readers as opposed to physical books. I have one of my own as well - we'll match!

Item #7: Strawberry Scented Nail Wraps!

I have personally given these things more than a courtesy sniff, and I can say that the strawberry scent of each nail wrap most definitely lives up to the hype! Don't worry, the actual nail wraps are sealed in tight, so none of that precious scent will be escaping before it arrives in the mail. These wraps are essentially stickers, and they are sized properly for your nails. And in the case that they end up running a bit too big, it would be nothing to trip them to your needed size and length! Whoever ends up winning these better tell me just how delicious it is to have strawberries on your nails 24/7!

Item #8: Set of Airmail Envelopes!

Now I know what you may be thinking - that since I purchased these in Canada that you may be unable to actually get any use out of them if you live outside of the Great White North. But have no fear! These envelopes comes with no added postage, so they are free to use anywhere in the world, no matter what country you live in! There are 15 envelopes in this pack, each measuring 24cm x 10.5cm (9 1/2" x 4 1/8").

Item #9: "Geek Chic" Memo Pad w/ Bow Tie Push Pins


Now this prize is quite special, because I picked it specifically for any Lizzie Bennet Diaries fans that might be lurking around my giveaway XD I'm sure each female viewer of the web series has at one time or another swooned at the sight of Darcy in his shirt and bow tie. And even if you're not a die-hard LBD fan like myself, you will still find a use for this unique, geek-themed memo pad, along with its multi-coloured pushpins. I regret to inform you that the cork board piece behind the memo pad is actually just cardboard printed to look like cork board, so it doesn't come with a piece of cork board with it. Even so, it will transfer to your own cork board and stand out quite nicely :)

Item #10: Homemade Spring-Themed Confetti!

And now for a little homemade something-something to really win you guys over! My creative, crafty mother has graciously donated her time into making some lovely confetti that you can sprinkle into your envelopes to give your pen pal a delightful spring surprise with every letter! What you see in the picture is just a preview, and by no means the full quantity. There will be much more, carefully tucked away in a clear pillow box for safe storage.

Items #11-12: Butterfly & Dragonfly Cutout Stationary Packs!

Now's the time to really spring some spring into your snail mail! These are two plastic-sealed stationary packs with a cute insect-shapped cutout in the bottom-right corner, along with some very pretty and colourful borders. You can keep one and send one to your pen pal! Or keep them both for yourself - I promise not to tell on you ;)