Wednesday Wonders: School Days Zipper Portfolio Case

We'll admit it. It's been a while since some of us at Cool Pencil Case have had some homework or had to sit through a history lecture, but that doesn't mean we don't have any memories of school!

Some of us were slow turtles. Our PR Coordinator, Marra, says "I still have this issue of taking forever to pack up to go. That problem kind of stemmed from middle school up until college."

That's why she chose our School Days Zipper Portfolio as our Wednesday Wonder. It's 50% folder, 25% briefcase, and 25% personality. Of course, we've got our fair share of cool pencil cases in our online store, but staying organized at school may have just gotten a little bit better.

This zipper portfolio can is available in four different designs. From scrapbook sketch themes to lifestyle designs, there's a zipper portfolio for students and artists of all ages.

This zipper portfolio doesn't include the three rings to attach notebooks or tab dividers, so it allows you to utilize all the space. Art projects would also be a great fit into these portfolio cases. Freely put slim notebooks, workbooks into it so you can easily pack up and leave once the bell rings. Maybe it's something Marra could have really used a couple months ago for her college lecture halls.

Another great thing about the School Days Zipper Portfolio Case is the handle. Everything in this is easily secured with the end-to-end zipper enclosure.

The School Days Zipper Portfolio Case is available at Cool Pencil Case for only $6.85. Check out all four designs now!

Easy DIY: Floral Trim Stationery Tape

An item that's a CoolPencilCase.com office favorite is the Floral Stationery Trim Tape. For those of you who are fans of washi tape, you'll definitely be fans of this tutorial. We decided to take some props from our photo studio and see what awesome and easy do-it-yourself designs we could think up. Get ready to spruce up your office and living space with these ideas!

For this project, you'll need our floral trim stationery tape,
scissors, and a vase or bowl.

It's easiest to measure how much floral tape you need to wrap
around your object. This stuff is too cute to waste!

It's the summer, so bright colors are a win! We chose a jolly
yellow and bright blue color combo and gave this plain
object a total makeover. Now, it's anything but ordinary.

Our floral stationery tape come in really cute cutout
designs. Here's an up-close shot of the butterfly pattern.

We didn't stop there! We took strips of the floral trim stationery
tape and cut them into angled strips for a modern, chic look.

 We took a piece of black paper to provide a great contrast
against our selection of fun and bright colors. These would make
 great scrapbook or journal cover designs!

Seeing how great the angled strips looked, it was only
necessary to spruce up some more household objects.
We took this plain white vase....

...and turned it into this. How cool does this overlap effect look?

And it's a small, but fun makeover in minutes!
Leave a comment below and let us know which design is your favorite!

New Arrivals: Graduation Gifts Edition

Congratulations to the Class of 2012! Whether your grad is set to move on to the big bad world of middle school or they're ready to go on for the first official career hunt, Cool Pencil Case has some great gifts that deserve a spot on any graduation gift list.

For the college grad

Here at the Cool Pencil Case office, we've been going crazy over the new Rilakkuma (and Korilakkuma) desktop assistants. We're sure you're well-aware that plenty of adults still go crazy over these adorable characters, and that's definitely no exception with some of these items!

 

Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma Magnetic Paper Clip Holder

The Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma Magnetic Paper Clip Holder serves as a great desktop paperweight, and of course, a magnetic clip holder. Admit it. That extra minute of trying to grab a paper clip lying flat on a desk is extremely annoying. With these magnetic clip holders, Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma has the pleasure of holding paper clips on their bellies and at the base of the donut. The college grad on your list will surely appreciate one of these for her desk at work or at home.

Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma Pen Holder

Rilakkuma and Korilakumma are at it again with these pen holders. Of course, they're an essential desktop piece for a touch of cuteness, but think of all the things that can be held in these. Makeup brushes? Eyeglasses? Flowers? Let your graduate choose!

Rilakkuma Sweet Charm 0.5 Mechanical Pencil

Even college graduates need mechanical pencils. Elegant is the best word to describe these mechanical pencils. The gold detailing along with the stud charms and pearls add a touch of sophistication that is appropriate for the first day of work.

For the younger grad

Animal Friends Deluxe Stationery Set

Gift sets are an easy option for those who don't consider shopping their forte, and even better for those on the receiving end. The Animal Friends Deluxe Stationery Set includes over 10 items to get young grads started on summer school shopping. Just a little tip: keep checking CoolPencilCase.com for even more gift sets to come!

Pirate Treasures Pencil Case

Ahoy there matey! Believe us when we say, you have to check out how many compartments this pencil case has. Specifically geared towards the boys (although some gals on our Facebook page say that they would grab one for themselves!), the Pirate Treasures Pencil Case features a detachable center pencil case, pencil compartments, key holders, and even ID slots!

Secret Code Personal Diary

Okay, so secrets aren't always safe, but Cool Pencil Case has a solution. Your grad can go ahead and forget about a lock and key, but make sure they don't forget the secret code that comes with the diary. Even young grads need their privacy and a healthy outlet to express their feelings! Check the link to see more color combinations and designs.

Mother's Day Decoration Card

If you've been following us since yesterday's blog post, you've seen the step-by-step tutorial for our glitter sticker craft pens. Now that the stickers' gel has finally dried, we'll show you the last part of our Mother's Day Craft idea.

Today we'll be using the Popcorn Pens, one of our most popular craft pens. The ink looks like acrylic paint, but it's really a special ink that turns into a popcorn-like consistency under the high heat of a blow dryer.

For this project, you'll need a piece of paper, a large tip marker, and different colors of Cool Pencil Case's popcorn pens.

With the marker, write a special message for your mom. Don't worry about the color of the pen. What you're writing is just a guide for you to follow when using with the popcorn pen. Remember to go over the lines a bit with the popcorn pen so no marker ink is seen!

Just to get a feel of the technique, we started with one letter at  a time. We found that it's best to have the applicator  directly on the paper to control how much ink is flowing out. Hovering over the paper while writing often creates too thick of a layer, which will result in A LOT of blow drying. Trust us, it's not fun.

Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect! Wet ink is glossier than dry ink, which is a good indicator when you're using the blow dryer.

To begin the popcorn effect, you'll need a blow dryer. We found that it was best to apply heat  on the highest setting  right after applying the popcorn ink. Place the blow dryer as near to the ink as possible without touching it.

Another good tip is to rest the edge of the blow dryer at an angle. The heat  will concentrate on one side to begin the popcorn effect and will still warm up the rest of the ink to pop as well.

Here's a close up of how our freshly popped "H" looks like. If you've spent some time on an area that hasn't quite "popped" yet, move on to another area. In a couple of minutes, it will pop on its own!

Now, we've skipped a couple of steps to quicken up the pace. Here's the finished product of a popcorn pen project! 

Based on how thin you apply the ink, the effect can be small speckles....

...or they can be huge bumps.

The end result is a simple decoration. We added a piece of construction paper and string. A sign like this would be a great morning surprise for moms. Before she wakes up, hang a sign like this on doorknobs, her rear view mirror in her car, etc to put a smile on her face.

We've also added the flower and butterfly sticker we created in our last blog post!  Look at the bright colors and 3D effects you can get with our Glitter Sticker Craft Pens!

Do you have a craft idea for CoolPencilCase.com? E-mail marra@coolpencilcase.com to get your idea featured on Cool Pencil Case's blog! 

Mother's Day Craft Ideas

With exactly seven days until we honor our lovely mothers, it's getting harder to find thoughtful cards and gifts. This Mother's Day, creativity is key and will definitely be appreciated. For the first part of our Mother's Day Craft Ideas, we'll be showing you a very easy tutorial for DIY stickers with the help of our very popular Glitter Sticker Craft pens.

Luckily, when you order your choice of Glitter Sticker Craft pens, they come with this template and a transparent sheet of paper to start off your creations. 

We're still in the Spring mood, so naturally we chose the flower for our first design. Start off with the bud in the middle. We chose the orange color.

The best way to stay as mess-free as possible is to start in and work your way out. If you're creating petals, start at the bud and move the pen (while applying the glitter gel) towards you.

Remember to always play with colors. We started off this two-tone butterfly with lavender wing tips.  Try not to spread the glitter too thin. It will most likely dry too quickly or cause your sticker to tear when removing it from the transparent sheet.

We added pink for the last half of the butterfly wings. Note that the flower we were working on a couple of minutes ago is drying up. Once dried, the colors will turn much more vibrant, especially if you apply a thick layer of gel.

Don't be afraid to go over areas that are drying. With a steady hand and a soft touch, you can easily apply polka dots, stripes, or in this case, the body of a butterfly, without messing up the rest of the sticker.

Once dry, simply peel the sticker from the transparent sheet. Want to know how the stickers turned out? Stay tuned for our next blog to find out how our stickers turned out and what other Cool Pencil Case product we used for our Mother's Day card! If you haven't checked out our craft pens, Cool Pencil Case has a load of fun markers and pens that are anything but ordinary.

Craft Item of the Day: Gel Stick Neon Highlighters!

Whether you're an artist or a student, we all know how some highlighters can bleed through papers. It's a mess when writing notes, and even worse for craft projects (a total nightmare for thin stationery paper, right?).

Here's a great alternative the regular ink highlighters. Our Gel Stick Neon Highlighters are made of a gel tip that easily glides over pen ink and even laser ink from your printer. The gel even sticks on to glossy surfaces like magazine pages. Highlight over your notes and watch the ink stay in place. For crafters, watch the ink draw smoothly over your most delicate papers. How great!

Do you have a one-of-a-kind creation that you'd like to show on CoolPencilCase.com's blog? E-mail support@coolpencilcase.com now to get your art shown!

Happy National Crafts Month!

It's time to get our creative juices flowing and celebrate National Crafts Month! Woo! We've got a great lineup of inspiration and craft tutorials just for you guys. We found some great bloggers to team up with to give you an extra boost of inspiration for all your crafting needs -- Stay tuned!

But in the meantime, every couple of days, we'll be featuring some of our top craft products to get you started on your own projects at home!

The Art Mechanical Pencil isn't quite something you'll find in your local office supply store. These erasable pencils use exclusive rectangular-shaped lead, which comes in handy in more ways than one.

Here's a close-up of the lead. As an artist, you're able to control the thickness of the lines you create. A narrow angle creates thinner line, while the use of a wider angle creates thicker lines. We found that the wider angle was really useful for shading (and a lot quicker too, compared to a dull point on a drawing pencil), and using a narrow line is awesome for defining outlines. This useful tool comes with either black, red, yellow, green and blue mechanical lead. Don't forget, you can collect all of the colors with our refills!

Do you have a one-of-a-kind creation that you'd like to show on CoolPencilCase.com's blog? E-mail support@coolpencilcase.com now to get your art shown!

Happy crafting! :D