Pencils with Personality! (Featured in New York Magazine)

Pencils with Personality, set of 12 – $22.50

Crayola was close to brilliance when they started naming their colors after things like “mac-n-cheese” and “inchworm”. I’ll admit I loved  searching through my box (120 count, of course) and reading all of the uber-descriptive and exotic names. But even though they were fun and descriptive, they were missing personality…they were missing sass!

Well my fellow color-lovers, despair not. While they’re not quite the chubby nostalgic crayon, these gorgeous colored pencils have got you colored! Er…I mean covered! Whether you’re feeling mellowy-yellowy or you’ve got a serious case of the moody blues, these Pencils with Personality are perfect for expressing yourself on the page. They even come in a slick metal case, perfect for simple yet stylish storage. Get them for yourself, or buy them for a friend! Either way, they are sure to be appreciated – unless you are a robot.

Oh My Word!

Loving these new little notebooks by Word. Notebooks. True story – a nice British couple WALKED all the way here from Williamsburg yesterday since apparently we’re the only store in NYC that carries them and they are the couple’s favorite notebooks to use.  Word. Notebooks are designed to help organize your life while looking good in the process. Each pocket notebook features 48 pages of lined paper with the unique Word. bullet point system. Speaking of the British, we’ve actually had a few Brits in over the weekend. I love that guidebooks now say that Brooklyn’s where it’s at!

Word. Notebook – $12

Built for Lunch

I’ve had my eye on these Built Lunch Bags for a while now and was thrilled to learn that Annie has started selling them in the store and online.  It’s hard to find a lunch bag that an adult can use that is both fun and functional and doesn’t make them look like a little kid when they tote it around on the subway.  Better yet, this bag is insulated, expandable, and machine washable.  Seems like you can’t go wrong! Built Lunch Bag – $28.00

How To Sharpen Pencils

It’s a poorly-kept secret that I’m (Jess) obsessed with pencils. It comes from years of working in the museum world, I suppose, where ink is a major no-no. I’m not really a collector myself, but if there’s one thing I do collect it’s pencils. And maybe coffee mugs. I’m all about functionality, see? So when Annie showed me this new book, How To Sharpen Pencils by David Rees, I was smitten. How does one devote 200+ pages to something as mundane as sharpening pencils? As it turns out the craft of pencil sharpening is far from mundane, and Mr. Rees’s knowledge is staggering. The inclusion of an appendix devoted to wines with a bouquet comparable to a pencil strikes a special chord in my cold, graphite heart. But don’t listen to me. Trust the brilliance of author John Hodgman who writes, “You may think that sharpening a pencil is easy, but David Rees makes it look hard, and that makes all the difference.”

Inkwell Pencil Sharpener, $12

I think Mr. Rees would also approve of our beautiful and highly functional new inkwell pencil sharpeners.

Indecision 2012

Stephen Colbert Twitter Feed Poster, 16"x20", $35

If you’re anything like me, you’re anxiously awaiting the South Carolina Primary results. Not as a republican voter, but as a member of the Colbert Nation. Stephen Colbert’s most recent foray into politics has shed a light on the complicated world of campaign finance with the creation of his Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow Super Pac. Sure, he’s not on the ballot in South Carolina and there are no write in candidates in primary elections in South Carolina. He may not have a shot in hell of winning, but it’s still fun to watch him satirize the electoral process. If you’re not a registered South Carolina voter, but still want to honor the Great Man, what better way than with the Stephen Colbert Twitter Feed Poster? Colbert’s complete Twitter ramblings through 2010 are rendered on a 16″x20″ poster, using the negative space to create an image of Colbert and his iconic bald eagle. And the text is completely legible, so you can treat yourself and your friends to a dose of Colbert Truthiness in your home or office.

The Notebook of Picasso, Hemingway … and You!

Perhaps writing your first novel is on your list of New Years Resolutions, or maybe you just a Moleskine junkie? Moleskine notebooks are famed for their celebrated devotees, like Picasso and Hemingway, but with this gorgeous Moleskine Writing Box, now you can harness your inner creative as well. Containing a black ruled notebook and an attachable ABS pen, the writing box is perfect for jotting down notes at a coffeeshop, keeping a travel journal on the road, or penning the next great novel. Here’s to writing in style. Moleskine Writing Box – $39.95.

A Modern & Minimal Design Classic: The Stendig Calendar- get yours NOW!

Calling all lovers of midcentury modern design: pull up your Eames rocker, turn on your Arco floor lamp, and keep track of what day it is with your very own 2012 Stendig Calendar. Designed in 1966 by Massimo Vignelli, this minimalist classic is the only calendar in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (impressive!). Black and white with a streamlined and simple design, it’s sure to make a statement in any home or office. 2012 Stendig Calendar – $36. And people– if you want one of these, get them NOW! I can’t tell you how many emails we got for these all year (up until first weeks of November!) for the 2011 calendar….crazy Stendig-ers!