My pen pal, April, and her partner Geof were in town this month for a visit. They live in New Zealand and April is a huge fan of Presley so she stops in to see her when she’s in town. And, we always go to Greer when she visits. It’s so fun to shop in Greer with someone else who loooooves stationery and fancy office supplies as much as I do. 
We were the only customers in the shop while we were there, but you’d never know it as much as we were chattering about Mr. Boddington’s great style, vintage pencils, the many, many notebooks we have in our stashes, and the great variety of greeting cards at Greer. 
Naoto gave me a gift card to Greer for Christmas and this was the first chance I had to spend it. I still have some money left to spend again, but I this time I chose some Mr. Boddington’s pencil-themed stationery, a vintage pencil, and a new pencil bag. (Neither the vintage pencil nor the pencil bag are available online.)
We also went to Quimby’s to look at zines and take pictures in the photo booth. (I can never pass up a photo booth.)
April and Geof were in town for Record Store Day and they shopped a lot of the record stores in Chicago, so we took them to Val’s Halla and Old School Records in our neighborhood. Val’s had live music which really put me in the mood to shop. 
On their last day in Chicago, it snowed six inches, so our plans were adjusted. We ended up going shopping and to Portillo’s for Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beefs. Weirdly, we didn’t write any letters together this time, but there’s always next year!
kimberly ah
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Author Archives: kimberly ah
Happy Spring!
I know it’s been spring for awhile, but it’s just starting to feel like it around here. Today I’m going to brunch with some friends and maybe eating Easter dinner at home, depending on what Chef Naoto decides. And hopefully, I can catch up on some blog posts because it’s almost the end of National Card & Letter Writing Month and I still have mail things to share! Hoping it’s a lovely day where you’re at and cheers to a relaxing Sunday!
Olivetti Valentine
Naoto surprised me with one of the best gifts ever for my birthday last month: an Olivetti Valentine. If you don’t know, the Valentine is one of a few holy grails for typewriter collectors. It was originally designed to be an inexpensive portable typewriter, but became a classic among design lovers. There’s even one displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This page has some fun information and old Olivetti Valentine advertisements. 
I was shocked because I don’t really remember dwelling on wanting one. I think I mentioned it in passing once when we saw one in a store window in Japan and that it is a coveted design item featured at the MOMA. But he remembered and managed to find one and have it shipped safely to him with a week to spare. I was genuinely shocked, which is rare because he has a very hard time keeping a secret and I never thought he would buy a typewriter. This Olivetti was made for Spain so it has some Spanish characters, like ñ and ¿. 
As much as I want to leave it out to admire it, I know dust is a typewriter’s kryptonite so I’m keeping it in its case and vowing to put it away after each use. Oh and I’m only using this typewriter for letter writing and other fun things–I won’t be using it for Galaxie Safari. I want to use it, but not put it through the card-making abuse that my Smith-Corona and Royal are put through. 
Its case is a hard red plastic that snaps into the machine. Apparently it’s designed to be a wastebasket when you take it off to use the typewriter. Every detail was considered! 
So far I’ve written a few letters on it using my personalized stationery from last year’s birthday. I’ll leave you with this fabulous 1970s advertisement for the Olivetti.
My Tidied Letter Writing Spot
It’s Monday and I’m finally feeling human again! It feels so good to be able to breathe out of both nostrils again and to be free from the amped up feeling I get from being on cold medicine. I spent some time recovering on Saturday by clearing off the sunny side of my desk so it would be ready for writing this month.
(Please note that I have only shown you the tidy third of my desk…the rest is still a work in progress. Always…) 
I made a little shelf of mail knick knacks. They won’t live here forever because they are taking up too much desk real estate, but I like them here for Letter Writing Month. For now, I have plenty of space for writing letters, but when I’m making cards, I need a clear deck for production. Eventually I’ll probably hang a shelf for my mail toy collection. 
And I switched out my supplies in my Classiky box…I went with a mail theme for now, but I also have all my spring and Easter things waiting in the wings…so many choices for April! I wrote three whole thank you notes on Saturday before I had to take a rest. It feels good to be participating in life again!
First Letter in April
My first incoming letter for National Card & Letter Writing Month was from my dad! We’re sharing these basil seeds to try this spring.
I am catching up on my own writing tonight after being sick the past few days. I have felt miserable and I’ve missed election parties, work, and meetings and I didn’t even feel well enough to write any letters until tonight so hopefully the tides are turning and I’ll be able to enjoy the warm weekend ahead.
Have a good weekend and I’ll see you next week!
National Card & Letter Writing Month
It’s April and my favorite month of the year: National Card & Letter Writing Month!
As usual, I will be participating in the Write On campaign, and trying to write a card or letter every day this month. I have a little set-up on my desk with some cards and stationery, all easily accessible for a quick note or letter. I am ready to write this month and I’ll share my set-up here soon, along with some other letter writing related posts.
Happy letter writing!
P.S. I found this vintage Dennison (I think?) letter carrier decoration on eBay last month. Isn’t he dreamy?
Seed Swap 2019
A few weeks ago, Naoto and I attended the 9th annual Forest Park Community Garden Seed Swap! We’ve been going for quite a few years, both as gardeners and volunteers. It’s the perfect spring kick-off and a chance to meet other gardeners and start thinking about our plots for the summer. 
For the second year in a row, Empowering Gardens did a presentation for us, this time about soil and seed starting. 
They brought rosemary seedlings for everyone to take…mine is currently wilting in my kitchen. Please send it your thoughts and prayers. 
Other than our rosemary, we picked up a lot of herb seeds (thyme, parsley, basil, and shiso,) some more edamame, and arugula. And I picked up some pretty poppy seeds that I’m going to attempt to plant in the communal area at the community garden. Of course on top of all those herbs and edamame, we’ll be planting our usual tomato jungle…it’s inevitable.
Happy National Pencil Day!
I’m celebrating by writing a few notes with my favorite pencils and prepping my calendar for April…it’s National Card & Letter Writing Month! Do you have any pencil or letter writing plans this weekend?
International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day! I’m celebrating by sending these great postcards by Natalie Harney to a few of my pen pals. It’s also Women’s History Month, so I plan to honor women all month long (here on the blog and in my everyday life.) I was also going to try to only read novels by women writers, except we’re reading George Orwell for book club so, I’ll be reading him too.
Three cheers for women!
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2019
Last weekend, we walked in the Forest Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade with the Community Garden again. Every year, the garden chooses a vegetable or a flower seed to hand out.
Last week, we had a little winter garden happy hour at The Heritage and then we met up to pack Swiss chard seeds to hand out at the parade. We usually pack about 2000 envelopes to hand out, but this year we ran out of seeds and had to substitute with some lettuces at the last minute. 
It was really a great day for a parade on Saturday. It was about 32 degrees (Fahrenheit) and sunny with a chilly breeze. When I first started walking with the garden, I thought people might scoff at seeds, but people get really excited for the seeds. Last year, some drunk lady almost ripped my arm off because I missed her and it’s not uncommon to hear “SEEEEEEDS!” as you walk along handing packets out. It’s so much fun! 
Naoto walked with us and he was so cute. He kept telling children to eat their vegetables. 
Another parade in the books…next up is our seed swap on Saturday. If you’re in the area, please stop by! Go here for details and free tickets.
kimberly ah 