End of Year Sale!

Hey CPC Club -- If you haven't heard, we're holding our End of Year Sale, where you can get 10% off your $30 purchase at CoolPencilCase.com! See code below and feel free to pass along to friends who also have had an eye out for that special pencil case or planner all year long!

#CPCPlannerGirl Profile: @livebeautifullyandlove

We've met quite a few amazing individuals through Instagram who share the same love for washi tape, planners, bookmark tabs, and a good FriXion pen! Today, we're introducing Val of @livebeautifullyandlove. We just wrapped up a giveaway with her yesterday, giving one lucky follower a $20 gift code to CoolPencilCase.com. That's all the more reason you should be following @coolpencilcase to keep up to date with new promotions and giveaways!

A few of my favorite goodies from @coolpencilcase! Thank you so much for everything, I love it all! If you guys like adorable stamps, planners, and unique pencil cases (obviously 😉), then stay tuned for a giveaway on Monday to their site! 😁🎉

A photo posted by Val (@livebeautifullyandlove) on Sep 11, 2015 at 6:00am PDT

Shop her faves: Java Coffee Cup Stamp Collection, The 365+ Planner, DecorativeTape Collection

Read more on how Val stumbled upon the planner community and how it's helped her to keep more organized!

1. Describe your love of stationery to us.

Pretty paper just makes me happy! I love a crisp, clean new sheet, and the potential to create something beautiful on it!

2. What do you love best about your favorite Filofax/planner and why?

I used to have a spiral-bound planner. In the spring, I purchased my first ring-bound planner binder, and I'll never look back! My favorite thing about my ring bound planners is the fact that the rings make them so customizable! I change my mind a lot about what I want in my planner, so that feature is like gold to me!

3. Tell us about your favorite and most used Filofax/planner accessory?

Hands-down, my favorite and most used planner accessories are my tassels from Vanessa of Hautepinkfluff on Etsy (and Instagram)! They're so cute and fun, and the fact that they come in a variety of sizes and colors means that there's something for everyone, and every planner!

4. When did you start using your Filofax/planner and how did it change the
way you prepared for the day/week/month?

I've pretty much always use the planner. My school gave us one at the beginning of each year, and when I started working I just bought a small, very simple planner just to keep my work schedule straight. I really only started getting serious and having fun with my planner at the beginning of 2015. I discovered this whole planner community, and I love it! I'm much more organized now. I have everything in my planner--my schedule, meal planning, house cleaning routine, workout routine, to-do list, budget... the list goes on! It keeps me on task (except when I decide to make a new dashboard instead of going for a run), and has become one of my favorite hobbies!

5. How do you organize all of your stationery and supplies?

I posted a video of my supplies organization on my YouTube channel (Val Nach) a couple of months ago. Basically, I just use a raskog cart from IKEA to hold my stickers, small boxes of miscellaneous pieces, paper trimmer, washi tape (that I display in apothecary jars), etc. I also have several decorative stackable boxes that house my scrapbook paper pads, laminator, and other odds and ends.

Celebrate Spring with 10% off Your $30 or More Purchase!

Cool Pencil Case is stationed on the sunny West Coast, so it's hard for use to really feel the transition from Winter to Spring. A daily 70+ degree forecast is old news for us, but please believe we are more than excited for the slew of new arrivals that just hit CoolPencilCase.com! If you haven't been following us on Instagram lately, you're missing on the beautiful images of planners that our friends have been posting! Won't you give @coolpencilcase a follow?

To celebrate the start of Spring, enjoy 10% off your $30 or More Purchase at CoolPencilCase.com! Just enter code "SPRINGWITHCPC" at checkout! Offer ends on March 31!

 

Notebook Craze!

Anyone who has stepped foot into the Cool Pencil Case office already knows that our office supplies are anything but ordinary. No, regular sticky notes are not allowed. And of course, the yellow legal tablet is nothing compared to our cutout animal notebooks. Our to-do lists and reminders are suddenly much more fun to look our with pops of color and fun featured in each notebook and notepad. With a fresh new batch of new arrivals debuting this weekend, here are a couple of our favorites (new and old), that help us get our tasks done day after day!

Playful Striped Monsters Notebook ($3.85)

Looking for something simple and with just a tad bit of cuteness? Grab one of our new Playful Striped Monsters Notebook in one of our four color options!

Big Animals in the Zoo Cutout Mini Notebooks ($2.85)

If you don't write entire novels when tacking down notes, a mini notebook might be best for you. These new mini notebooks are cut in the shape of these adorable animals, including a cat, rabbit, bear, and elephant!

Kutusita Nyanko Paw Notepads ($3.25)

With eight different color options to choose from, these Kutusita Nyanko Paw Notepads are a fun way to remind classmates (and yourself) of quick to-do's and to bookmark pages in textbooks or personal planners!

Hello Kitty For President

With the presidential election coming in a week, we're hoping all of our cool pencil case lovers are registered to vote. If there's one campaign we've been watching closely, it's for our favorite character, Hello Kitty!

Yes, Hello Kitty has been make her rounds from state to state, campaigning for your vote. Turns out, Hello Kitty has made quite a mark on U.S. history before her attempt to fill the Oval Office. Check out our favorite Forrest Gump-esque moments featuring HK herself.

 

 

 

 

NEW ARRIVALS: Back-to-School Edition

As much as we hate to admit this, Summer is coming to an end here in the States. The idea of back-to-school has already made its mark onto our calendars and shopping lists, but that doesn't mean some excitement doesn't deserve a place in there as well.

The back-to-school season is Cool Pencil Cases's most exciting (and busiest) time of the year. For the past couple of weeks, we've been stocking up on some fun school supplies that will turn heads on your first day of school. Here are a couple of our office faves that make us wish we were still gearing up for some classroom action in a few weeks.

1) Rilakkuma Deluxe Set ($16.85)

Talk about a money-saver for mom and dad. For just $16.85, students and Rilakkuma lovers alike can start the school year off with a set of pencils, a tin pencil case, mini notebook, and ruler. As an added bonus, the lovely people here at Cool Pencil Case add in a mix of either a badge, digital accessory stickers, mini notepads, or an eraser to complete the set.

2) Mini Piggy Pencil Sharpener ($5.25)

With an awesome pencil sharpener like this, you'll never have to leave your seat during class to keep your pencils sharp. Available in four fruity colors, the mini piggy pencil sharpener is a school supply essential that deserves a spot in your pencil case.


3) 6-piece Metallic Rainbow Gel Pen Set ($11.65)

Bits and pieces of our adult selves melt when we see these gel pens. They're perfect for an extra boost of color when proofreading essays, writing letters, and highlighting important key facts in your lecture notes. From recent experience, we found it hard to stop yourself from writing with this 6-piece set. Every stroke is a mix of either funky colors and metallic, galaxy-inspired hues.

4) Rilakkuma Ultimate Sticky Note Set ($5.25)

When we say ultimate, we mean ultimate. Each set includes three full-size sticky notepads, five sticky mini tab pads, two cutout notepads featuring Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma’s faces, and two half-sized sticky notepads. Send yourself to Rilakkuma notepad heaven with all four adorable designs.

5) Create-Your-Own-Clay Eraser ($7.50)

So you've seen our huge collection of Japanese erasers, and it seems that the possibilities are endless. Now, you can get your creative juices flowing just in time for the start of school. With this 5-color set, you can create your own erasers in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Most importantly, have mom and dad help you boil your creations for about 10 minutes, and let cool.

What's your favorite back-to-school pick from our list? Let us know in the comments below!

New Letter Sets from CoolPencilCase.com

E-mails are necessary. Text messaging is easy. But when was the last time you received or even wrote a handwritten letter?

Even receiving thank you cards or Christmas cards is getting a bit rare nowadays, but with these new letter sets from Cool Pencil Case, maybe you can turn that around! Our new letter sets are now available in our New Arrivals section. Each set includes different theme designs for sheets, envelopes, and matching stickers to seal your handwritten messages. Sorry, stamps aren't included! Surely these adorable designs will make up for it.

Baby Love Stationery Set ($8.45)

Sweet Life Stationery Set ($8.45)

School Essentials Stationery Set ($8.45)

Scrapbook Travels Stationery Set ($8.45)

Bear's World Travels Stationery Set ($8.45)

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!

Web Favorites: Cute USB Flash Drives

USB flash drives are a total must-have for both students and working professionals. It gets a bit inconvenient e-mailing yourself large files or carrying around data disks (who does that anymore?). While we've seen our share of boring, lifeless flash drives in office supply stores, you should know by now that  life and color is what CoolPencilCase.com is all about! Take a look at our favorite flash drives from around the web.

Scrumptious Donut Flash Drive

Piggy USB Hub and Flash Drive Set

Disposable Flash Drive

The Avengers Flash Drive

Badtz-Maru x MIMOBOT® USB Flash Drive

Hello Kitty Nerd Kitty MIMOBOT® USB Flash Drive

Parenting OC Magazine Giveaway

See us on Page 10 of Parenting OC Magazine's June Issue!

We know how much our fans love giveaways! Check out Parenting OC Magazine's Summer Fun issue featuring none other than CoolPencilCase.com! They're giving away one of our most popular pencil cases, the Kawaii Milk Carton Pencil Case, as well as an awesome school supply set to give OC residents a head start on back-to-school shopping.

Orange County residents, all you have to answer is this:

Who was your favorite teacher in school and why? E-mail your answer to contests@parentingoc.com for your chance to win!

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.