Pelikan Pen Contest Still Going Strong!

I suppose this post is the equivalent of the "bump", since our last post was also a reminder, but you should definitely stop by our Facebook page and leave us a comment about your last letter writing experience (either a letter you sent or a letter you received)!

Pelikan m215, Black

Pen Giveaway Reminder!

Don't forget that eInvite is giving away a beautiful Pelikan pen via our Facebook page, in celebration of Universal Letter Writing Week. I took a couple of photos of the pen to share with you!

Pelikan m215, Black

All you have to do is write a note on our Facebook page: here about a letter that you have written or received, and you'll be entered in the contest to win either the m215 (above) worth $120 or the ballpoint version below!!

Pelikan r215, Black

A winner will be chosen at random from everyone whom comments on our wall with their memories of letter writing. As letter writing (and handwriting in general) becomes more rare, sending and receiving letters becomes so much more valuable and precious. Think about how you feel when you get a handwritten note, or how you feel when you send one.

Never sacrifice your loved ones for the sake of a little convenience!

Write me a letter...

{image of Maria Thomas in her home studio shot by Adoniram Sides}

This stunning collage was created for our friends at Checkerboard by insanely gifted calligrapher, Maria Thomas as a promotion for Escargot Stationery. She is a lifelong letter writer herself who has shared wonderful stories of lifelong pen pal writings that took her to London to meet her friend that she had been writing to for years. She is a renowned letterer who collaborated with Checkerboard for the stationery line that features 8 exclusive alphabets designed by Maria.

To watch her work is amazing. To hear the pen on paper is extraordinary and to receive her work in the mail is a gift. I am sure everyone at the post office goes a little slower when her envelopes are processed. The personal feeling of receiving a handwritten note in the mail is pretty tremendous. Now more than ever, taking the time to write and craft a letter or a note makes so much impact on the recipient. No, we don't all have the skills of a calligrapher, but letters brought by mail are savored and cherished. The gift of your words on paper are priceless.

If you are a parent, try sending a note to your children, big or small. Encourage them to write to their grandparents and friends. The excitement of receiving mail is such a thrill to them, no matter what their ages! Not only is this Universal Letter Writing Week, but you know that red, hearty holiday is approaching and the world of consumerism will undoubtedly pressure you into spending and thoughts about what to give to your loved one...why not your words with that little something? That brings me to ...

I am so excited to have ordered the Greatest Love Letters of All Time this morning {yes I am a little dorky}, as I was thinking about letter writing and expression. Some of it looked pretty juicy, so maybe some pointers/exerpts are coming your way for the perfect Valentine's Love Letter. Some of the letters that caught my eye were Franz Kafka to Felice Bauer, Voltaire to Marie Louise Denis, Anne Sexton to Philip Leglar, Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, Frida Khalo to Diego Rivera, and Kahlil Gibran to Mary Haskell. {I don't know how George Bush was included in this mix, but there is a one in there to Barbara...random.}

This little note card , also from Escargot is so cute for an adult valentine message.

A Love Story...

This was originally posted in August 2009, but in honor of Universal Letter Writing Week, I wanted to revisit the touching story of Jaime and Jeremy. Enjoy!

Jaime and Jeremy, on their wedding day.
{image via NY Daily News}

If you have been reading any online news source in the past week or so, you have more than likely seen the story about Jaime Benefit and Jeremy Clayton. During the Persian Gulf War, Jaime (then 13 years old) decided to send a letter addressed to "any soldier" thanking them for their service. The letter ended up in the hands of 19 year old PFC Jeremy Clayton and the two became pen pals, writing back and forth whenever they could.

Fast-forward almost 20 years, and Jaime decided to try to find Jeremy. After some unsuccessful attempts at trying to reach him through more traditional methods, Jaime used Facebook to sort through over 300 Jeremy Claytons! The rest happens only in the movies - Jaime and Jeremy met, instantly fell for each other and were married in July of this year. After reading an article about them, I knew I had to speak with Jaime about her extraordinary romance and how paper brought them together. One of the things that really got me about Jaime and Jeremy is that they still write each other little notes every day. She puts them in his lunch and he'll put them on the bathroom mirror for her - she says that they're as simple as "I love you" or "hope you have a great day", but that they mean so much to the two of them. Jaime says:

"Handwritten letters add a personal touch and it means a lot more when you take time to write someone, especially in today's society when emails and text messages have become the norm. With a handwritten letter you actually put your hands on it and they can save it to read at a later time."

Jaime actually kept all of the letters that Jeremy sent her during the Persian Gulf War, and Jeremy had to hide a couple of Jaime's letters in his truck so he could hang on to them. Most of us delete our emails or text messages or let them pile up in our inbox - Jeremy took the time to hide letters during a war. Jaime and Jeremy are just as technology obsessed as the rest of us but Jaime still sees the letter as a way to let someone know that you care about them.

"[It's] a way to show them that they are in your thoughts and that they are worth the extra minute it takes to write something out for them."

Who knows, that extra 5 minutes you take to actually mail a letter could make someone's day 20 years from now. So put down your cell phone, pick up a pen and piece of paper, and connect with someone special.

World Class Pens

I have waxed poetic about pens before, but this time things are a little different. Why? Because eInvite.com is giving away a pen by one of my favorite pen manufacturers. We're not talking about the sort of so-called "fancy" pen you might find in a big-box store or office supply. We're talking a luxury writing tool from Pelikan. Free. Gratis.

Well, there is one, tiny catch. It's a contest. So stay glued to eInvite on Twitter, here on Blogger, or at our Facebook page. Lest you miss out on owning a great pen. Remember, there is more to writing than words on paper.

Image: Adoniram Sides, Pen Courtesy eInvite.com

Pelikan makes some wonderful pens. What makes for a wonderful pen? As it turns out, a few objective qualities and a few subjective, combined: mechanics, features, "write-ability", and aesthetics. Let's take a quick look at each quality in turn.

Mechanics:

This tends to vary with regard to the style of pen you like to use. The popular types tend to be felt-tipped, ballpoint, and fountain.

• Felt-tipped pens are commonly called "markers" and use a porous material as a membrane between the ink and the paper. The mechanical action is exceptionally simple, but leaving the cap off a felt-tipped pen will usually result in its demise, as the porous material allows air into the ink and will eventually dry out the pen.
  
• Ballpoint pens apply ink to the page through friction applied to a tiny ball, often made of metal. The ball separates the ink, held in a case, from the elements outside the pen (paper, air, etc). As the ball spins, the ink flows past the ball, coating it in the process, and is applied to paper. This type of pen has a variety of mechanical benefits: they tend to inexpensive, they have great longevity, and many people enjoy the lack of attention required to write. A ballpoint pen will write in just about any direction, as long as gravity continues to feed the ink. Some ballpoint pens are pressurized to remove the gravity feed problem and allow you to write in any direction, even upside-down.
• Fountain pens are, in my opinion, the most luxurious to use, but also the most difficult to use. Ink is fed by capillary action, through pressure applied to the nib (or point) of the pen. The design of fountain pens requires a more fluid ink that does not dry nearly as quickly as that of a ballpoint or even felt-tip pen. There are benefits, however, that the other two cannot reproduce. Greater pressure applied to a fountain pen results in a wider line, allowing for emphasis to easily be added to text, or allowing for beautiful flourishes and ligatures. Modern fountain pens are also easily refillable, making them a far more environmentally friendly choice than the mass-produced, disposable ballpoints.
  

Just like any tool, the quality of the design, materials, and machining have a huge impact on the mechanics of the pen. Metals and alloys make for durable, beautiful pens that write well and live long. Properly machined and fitted parts ensure the comfort (and quiet) of a fine pen. Have you ever noticed that, like a cheap car, cheap plastic pens squeak and bend as you use them? A good pen will not interfere with you as you write.

Features:

Oddly enough, pens have features, much like any other device. Grips, clips, tips, and a myriad of other design elements allow your pen to do more than just write. However, I am not a fan of generalism. I think you should excel at what you have been designed to do, rather than try and solve a bunch of problems that I don't have. Plenty of people like mediocre things, but if you're going to spend more than a few dollars on a pen, it should be exceptional. The two parts of this puzzle, in my opinion, are the remaining qualities: "write-ability" and aesthetics.

"Write-ability":

This term is not a real word, of course, but it does meet the need to describe how a pen really works. After all, a pen is really there to do one thing: write. When taking notes, I rely on a ballpoint pen, as it dries quickly but has an easy flow of ink to the page. It is not nearly as pleasurable as using a fountain pen, but it does the job admirably well (I use a Cross Century). Disposable pens, particularly those made by Bic, also write very well, though due to the sheer volume of manufacture, tend to be a little less reliable than a more expensive version of the same essential design. When you combine a well manufactured ink system with longevity, the only piece remaining is aesthetic.

Aesthetics:

This is the most difficult quality to quantify and a great deal of it is subjective. When it comes to pens, I like conservative design, where the appointments don't overwhelm the pen. I like a thin body, because I have a tendency to "crush" the pens or pencils that I use (I hold them with too much force). The smaller form forces me to use a lighter touch. Choosing the design of a pen is really up to you, but bear in mind that the size and shape will have a significant impact on how long you can use the pen and how well you can write with it. If you find a gigantic pen with all kinds of doodads and appointments that appeals to your tastes, try to imagine how it would feel to use. Similarly, if you're the utilitarian type, remember that there is more to the pen than how well it writes: rare metal and good manufacture can keep your hand cool and your fingers tireless.

Hopefully this has whet your appetite for more on pens, and writing in general. Leave your experiences and tastes below! We love to hear from you and always try to respond to comments quickly (so return often)!