Marketplace: The Atom by First Alert

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Among all the exciting things I learned about blogging at BlogPodium, I learned about smoke alarms. The Atom smoke alarm, to be precise. First Alert has just launched a super tiny but super mighty smoke alarm and I am the happy owner of my own little Atom.

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 The First Alert Atom

The arrival of the Atom couldn’t have come at a better time as October is Fire Safety Month (good planning First Alert!). Now is a great time to change the batteries in all of your smoke alarms and check that they’re in good working order. Go – do it.

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The Atom is smaller than my eyeglasses! It’s tiny but mighty!

Update:  First Alert is hosting a contest on its Facebook page for the entire month of October; each day they’ll choose a winner of the Atom. More information here.

The Atom is available at Canadian Tire, Walmart, and Lowe’s.

20 Below & Giveaway: Palomino Blackwing Pearl Pencils

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By the time you read this I will be in London, Ontario, presenting my 5 years of PhD work to a conference room of examiners. I’m emotional. I’m nervous, excited, happy, sad, proud, confident, and scared. I’m mostly thrilled. If I am successful then I will change my name to Dr. Jordana. If I am unsuccessful, I will cry. Please send positive vibes my way. A lot of them s’il vous plait!

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It seems quite fitting that on this very important day (keep calm, carry on) I write a post about office supplies. I have used SO many different types of office supplies in my 12 years of post-secondary education. Today I’m sharing some news about pencils. Beautifully functioning white pencils. The best. They are the Palomino Blackwing Pearl pencils. Palomino just introduced this line of pencils and anyone who loves design and the smooth writing style will be sure to pick up packages of these!

BlackwingPearlCroppedPalomino Blackwing Pearl pencils, $19.95 for 12, Palomino

For those of you who love history…”The Blackwing pencil was first manufactured in the 1930s by Eberhard Faber, but was discontinued in 1998 when the machine that created the distinctive square ferrule (the crimped metal that holds the eraser) broke and could not be repaired.” What happened next? Well, Palomino bought the brand, sorted out the ferrule manufacturing, and brought the pencil back! There’s more to learn about the Blackwing legend and about who uses this pencil.

The Palomino Blackwing Pearl can be bought online at Pencils. If you’re in the Toronto area, you can buy Palomino at the following supply stores:

1. Phidon Pens Limited (Cambridge)
2. Laywine’s (Toronto)
3. Midoco Art & Office Supplies (Toronto)
4. The Paper Place (Toronto)
5. Wonder Pens (Toronto)

Did I jump at the chance to test these out? Of course I did! And I’m a fan. They function beautifully and the square ferrule stands out in my collection of classic HB2 pencils!

And now – here’s a chance for you to test them out too…

GIVEAWAY:

Palomino is offering to send one lucky winner a package of the new Palomino Blackwing Pearl pencils. To enter this giveaway, simply finish the following statement: The last thing I wrote by hand was…. Add your sentence to the comment section below. Contest ends on Monday August 26, 2013. This contest is open to readers in North America. Good luck and happy writing!

Thank you to Palomino & Kim S. for offering this giveaway.

Marketplace: Minted Celebrations

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In addition to great music and delicious food, festive decor is a must for any party. From invites to balloons to signs, the decor helps to set the stage for platters of appetizers, dessert tables, and the drinks station.

Today’s round-up of party supplies are from Minted – perhaps one of the best stocked online party supply retailers.

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The Minted collection includes a good selection of personalized stationary ready to be customized.

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…and a growing collection of cool art prints.

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I recently received an order for a party-in-a-box (essentially) and it is SO pretty! I was completely impressed with the colours, design, and quality of printing and paper. Stay tuned for an official review of my party package!

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