Sorry posts have been so sparse here lately, folks. I'll be explaining why shortly. In the meantime, our Lost Crates winner is:
Kristen | October 31, 2011 10:49 AM | Reply I'm addicted to moleskine and field notes books. And any fine tipped pen that doesn't bleed.
Congratulations, Kristen!
When I did my curated subscription round-up, one of the subscription programs I found most intriguing was Lost Crates. Each month, Lost Crates sends a customized "crate" of notebooks, pens, and other stationery accessories, based upon the personality profile you take on the website. The cost of the service is $38/month, including S&H, US-only.
Like a lot of people, I'm a bit of a stationery fiend. I love notebooks, journals, cards, pens...stationery makes me happy. So I was quite excited to receive my first Lost Crate earlier this month. My crate contained:
-medium black EcoSystem Artist Journal ($14.95)
-2 pack of French Paper Company Pop Ink Memo Books ($2.50)
-2 Stabilo Point 88 pens, black and red ($.85 each)
-Made by Humans Staple-Free Eco Stapler (2 for $19.95, or $9.98)
-Virginia State Field Notes County Fair graph notebook (3 for $9.95, or $3.32)
The packaging was excellent--a small cardboard "crate", filled with recycled packaging material, and a little note, personalized with my name, explaining what each item was. The whole thing felt very much like a gift--the products are all full-size and high quality, and the effect is that you feel you are receiving something special and high end. They are also all useful products--nothing cute but useless was included, which I think is great.
Lost Crates is clear that they do not consider themselves a discount site. The products in any crate you receive will be worth a very similar amount to the $38 you paid for it. Instead, they offer introductions to new companies, revisit old favorites, and give their customers the excitement and joy of a monthly surprise. Whether or not that makes the price tag worth it is, of course, a highly individual decision.
What might make your decision in whether or not Lost Crates is for you a bit easier? Perhaps, winning one? Head on over to the Lost Crates site and look around, then come back and tell me what you'd love to see in a crate. For an additional entry, follow Lost Crates on Twitter and/or like Lost Crates on Facebook. For yet another entry, Tweet or FB link to this contest! Contest will run for two weeks, to be closed on Tuesday, November 8. Thanks for playing!
Disclosure: I was not compensated nor did I receive free products for this review. However, the Lost Crate giveaway is courtesy of Lost Crates.
Congratulations to Emilie C! The very last entrant in my Stumptown Coffee giveway is also the winner!
Emilie C | October 19, 2011 9:44 PM | Reply We usually get one of the dark blends and I always make cold drip coffee to keep in the fridge. It's always on hand then! I always use lots of cream and vanilla flavor.
Congrats to Emilie!
*pouts*
For a long time, I've wanted to do a series of "Grace's favorite things" giveaways, inspired, of course, by Oprah. I tell you about lots of products I love here on the blog, and what's better than sharing them with you, too? So, in between other giveaways (I have several more sponsored giveaways in the pipeline), I'm going to be giving away a few of my favorite things. Some will be makeup, some food, some little oddities, all will be things I love.
My first giveaway is a product VERY near and dear to my heart: coffee. I am both a coffee lover and a coffee snob. My Pacific Northwest heart shows when it comes to java. And my hands down favorite is the stuff from Portland's own Stumptown Coffee Roasters. I LOVE Stumptown. Mark and I even spend the rather ridiculous sum it costs us to order our coffee and have it shipped from them every couple of months. So it's the first thing that came to mind to share with you.
If you would like to win a sampling (I'm thinking probably three bags) of Stumptown's finest, leave me a comment and tell me which roasts/blends appeal most to you (my favorites of the moment are Costa Rican Villalobos and De Los Santos), how you make your coffee (drip, French press, Moki pot?), and how you take it. In two week's time, I'll pick a winner and have Stumptown send you some beans (or, if you aren't a self-grinder, some grounds). Then you can enjoy one of my favorite things!
For an extra entry, blog or FB or Tweet and tell someone about my blog and how much you love me, then leave a second comment.
This contest is open for one week, until Thursday, October 20.
Good Luck!
As for my last contest, in which I gave away a New Beauty Test Tube, congratulations to winner LaurenB!
Coffee. I so wanted you to do coffee. I'd love to try your favourites. I drink decaf Berres Brothers on the regular, but I'd love a treat. At home I tend to make single cups with the keurig unless I have company. At school I have a french press. I drink my coffee black. Or ridiculously doctored in place of dessert. Squee! Coffee!!!
I'm a terrible coffee picker, I usually choose new coffees by their names. Holler Mountain appeals, as does De Los Santos. My coffee is drip, because I always forget about the french press until it's cold, and what I put in it depends on the time of day and how I'm feeling. Not much, usually.
Villalobos sounds excellent. I make drip coffee every day. Drink about a pot all by myself every morning.
I like your blog. I lurk here every day.
tweeted and facebooked too!
The Trapper Creek Decaf sounds good as does the Ethiopia Mordecofe. I make my coffee the boring way, drip! Or with our keurig if I'm at the studio. I prefer my coffee foo foo; cream, sugar, flavor syrups, you name it!
Hot damn! Winning this would absolutely make my day. We went to a coffee tasting/tour at Zingerman's Coffee Company over the weekend, which caused me to realize how little I actually know about coffee despite being an enthusiastic consumer and former barista.
Our primary mode of home coffee making is pour-over - in the Chemex for the two of us, or in an individual pour-over thingy for one. Shane is a fan of the Clever Dripper and has also used an AeroPress for coffee at work. We have an espresso machine, but it isn't really worth using. We used to do French press until we realized that we really prefer pour-over.
I've never had any of Stumptown's beans, but would absolutely love to try any of the following:
- El Salvador Los Caleros
- Ethiopia Mordecofe (though I don't like hops!)
- Costa Rica Torres Villalobos varietal sounds AMAZING
- Ethiopia Duromina
And we take our coffee black. Black black black - unless the beans are more than a few weeks old or we're at a diner.
Aaaand tweeted and xposted to FB:
http://twitter.com/#!/khamsin/status/124503299721400320
I'm no good at picking from a description like that! I like my coffee dark and bitter like my soul. The coffees I have loved the most lately were from either Africa or Indonesia. We use a Chemex, which I love, love, love. (I think you should DQ anyone who doesn't grind their own beans!) I usually take my coffee with less than one sugar and a little milk. More milk if I am rushing and want to cool it quickly, almost black if I have time to sit and really savor it.
Hmmm...
The Ethiopian Mordecofe, the Indonesian, and the Holler Mountain blend are intriguing. I take my coffee with brown sugar and whatever liquid form of dairy product is least likely to have gone bad in my refrigerator, usually half and half, but sometimes just milk. (I feel compelled to specify cow-milk - the babies don't share the breastmilk.) I make my coffee in a Cuisinart Grind and Brew that some genius person helped me pick out when I returned to the fold of coffee-drinkers after almost a decade of being lapsed.
I will tell the world how much I love you. Or, at least the Internet world. And my cats, because they're home right now.
I had the great pleasure to stock up on Stumptown in Seattle a few months ago but I am running low. i generally am a french press person but my french press just broke so I am in the process of buying a new coffeemaker at the moment. Suggestions?
I'm psyched about Ethiopia Mordecofe (hello chocolate & hops!) and Guatemala Finca El Injerto Bourbon Varietal.
replied to comment from jenny
| October 13, 2011 11:37 AM
| Reply
The Mordecofe is fantastic. I think I'd try a Chemex if I were buying a new coffee maker, but I'm pretty happy with the French press in general. I break 2-3 of them a year, though.
Keurig, grind my own, balanced medium blends, with milk. :-)
I got a new espresso machine recently (for staying at my job FOREVER) and would love to learn how to make espresso with good beans. Usually I just drink drip coffee. Love your blog, am about to start watching SOA because of your reviews. (They filmed an episode near my house.)
Ahem. French press, grind my own, with milk(whole or 1/2 and 1/2) but no sugar.
I tend to go for medium blends, but almost everything on the website sounds amazing. Hard to pick, but these three sound really good:
- Ethiopia Mordecofe
- the House blend
-Nicaragua Finca La Amistad
Your favorite things is one of mine, too. I haven't had stumptown in ages, though, since I don't live nearby. And by ages, I mean about a year. It's a sad truth I am definitely one who favors the latin american variety. Guatemala Finca El Injerto, GET IN MY MOUTH, please. I am a french press girl. I grind my beans every morning and put 3 heaping tablespoons into my press pot. Then, I wait 4 mins, use some light cream and sugar or take it black, and enjoy it in my favorite mug. The mug is a really important part. It's my halloween mug from target and i use it everyday
ANY coffee is good for me. We do french press or unbreakable metal drip coffe filter.
I drink it black!
Well, as it was you who really pushed me into getting away from flavored creamers and into cold brewing, this is fitting, no?
The Panama Duncan Estate and the Nicuragua Finca la Amistad sound the best to me. I love a strong cup with a creamy flavor. Yum!
my love right now is light roast guatemala. i love it all ways but i do a press pot/french press or cold processed overnight. i like high caffeine low acid coffee.
oh! i forgot, i got so into good coffee i forgot to say i drink it black. looks like i am in good company too.
Mmmm, good coffee. You'd think it would be easy to find in Vancouver, but this west coast coffee things grinds to a halt at the border.
I like really rich medium to dark roasts, but hate any burned flavour. I get perfectly good results making drip coffee. It's really the beans that matter IMO.
Mmmm, good coffee. You'd think it would be easy to find in Vancouver, but this west coast coffee things grinds to a halt at the border.
I like really rich medium to dark roasts, but hate any burned flavour. I get perfectly good results making drip coffee. It's really the beans that matter IMO.
I'm also a coffee enthusiast and have fallen in love with Trader Joe's Kona. It's still spendy, but it's so worth it. I grind my own each morning, however I haven't yet researched why I should upgrade my ancient freebie Mr. Coffee grinder.
Anywho, I use a drip machine, though after a french press experience this year, I may switch it up. My fave is Kona (not a blend). However, I'm open to new experiences and tend to like a dark or medium roast. My love of central america leads me to want to try what they put out.
Cheers!
Our lives are so regimented these days with work, pumping and Penelope that we just put the ground beans in the coffee pot the night before and set the coffee maker/timer. It's part of a nightly routine that involves so many things we had too make a chart to remember it all. In our pre-newborn days, we were french press in the morning people.
I like most coffees, with the strong exception of flavored ones. No pumpkin spice and those of that ilk, please). If I have a choice, I'll usually go with a French roast.
I take my coffee with half & half, no sugar. There are few things in life that gross me out more than sweetened coffee.
i love coffee. i love the way it tastes, smells, the way the shiny brown beans look...love the stuff. my lifestyle also fosters a dependency on this, my favorite stimulant. fortunately, i live (and grew up) in a state that starts feeding this beverage to its young from an early age in the form of coffee milk (a contender for the official state beverage), and i am lucky enough to have 2 very good roasters within stumbling distance. i drink my coffee black, except sometimes when it's iced, or special occasions, and then i throw in some soymilk. i use a programmable grind and brew drip pot given to me by my lovely sister as a "welcome to medical residency," either to grind my beans for a french press, or to do the hard work for me on days when i get up before 5:30 am. i am a die-hard for african coffees, especially those from ethiopia, and tend to like fuller varietals like those from sumatra. but i keep an open mind and recently had some killer beans from columbia...
i don't really need any more coffee, but i couldn't resist the urge to comment. and now to go shameless plug your blog!
and facebooked!
oh i will be tweeting & fbing, by the way. And for some reason the reply to your comment did not work for me.
I have considered the chemex, or rather, I have considered buying a much cheaper food grade Erlenmeyer flask and using that. :)
I FB'd it. Also, I have a tragic coffee-related problem - my french press stopped working! Nothing seems different but it's letting lots of ground through.
Ooh Stumptown! We went there (frequently!) this past weekend. We can get pretty good coffee in Ann Arbor, luckily, but Stumptown was good.
The worst thing about being pregnant was that coffee suddenly no longer tasted good. And then of course, having two kids meant that we stopped making french press and starting making drip. I think we need a better machine.
I love me some light/medium roast coffee. Honduran and Mexican tend to be my favorite. With cream.
I love love love coffee! I think the Kenya Tegu and the Hair Bender sound right up my alley. I take my coffee however I can get it, but at home I swing between a french press, cold brew, and a Gaggia classic espresso machine, depending on how much time I have and how urgent my need for caffeine. I never drink coffee hot, though, always iced with cream/milk and a little sugar. I'd love to win this giveaway!
We usually get one of the dark blends and I always make cold drip coffee to keep in the fridge. It's always on hand then! I always use lots of cream and vanilla flavor.
What a wonderful idea!
I love journals, pens, notebooks so I have bookmarked their site.
I would love to see items that I can't find at my local Barnes & Noble.
So accessories, gadgets or other items that aren't just big name products.
I'd love for them to introduce me to something I haven't seen before.
I don't see how to look around without giving my CC info, which I don't want to do. Would love quirky fun stuff, dishes or bookmarks or ... well, really anything. Who doesn't love surprises?
Following on Twitter.
Liked on FB! Man, I want to win! :-D
Mmmmmm. I love note cards, post cards, funky pens - I enjoy sitting down and writing letters. Actual put-a-stamp-on-them-and-send-them-snail-mail letters. :) I love travel journals, too. What a great give away!
some of those waxy-sealy things. love those.
(and i'll be twitter & facebook liking stuff soon!)
I did the quiz as my son because he LOVES stuff like this. He loves notebooks and fancy pens and drawing stuff. He also loves stuff like staplers and paper clips. So a box with any of those things would be awesome.
How very cool! I would love to find a leather bound journal or the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel in my crate. A girl can dream, right? :)
Many thanks to you and Lost Crates for offering such a great giveaway!
I follow Lost Crates on Twitter - normawatson
I like Lost Crates on Facebook - Cindy A.
tweeted!
https://twitter.com/#!/normawatson/status/128920328469610496
Wow, what a cool idea! I love journals- especially hard bound ones with interesting clasps. And I love new pens that write really smoothly. This is totally my type of place!
I love good letter paper and good-quality pens - I'd love to get a crate with some nice notecards and letter-writing stuff.
I also Liked them on FB. :)
I'm totally intrigued by that no staple, stapler. What do you think of yours? I can't figure out how it's working. If it's good, I'd love to recommend it to my workplace.
And I love anything by French Paper. They have great products and the best design.
What a great idea! I would love to see handmade paper or journals.
What a great idea. I'm a bit of a stationary fiend, myself. I love colourful journals and stationary that has inspiring things written on it. I'd love to add your contest to my couponing/savings group as an American contest.
Facebooked it, and am liking them on facebook.
Like them on Twitter (as nytetyger) and Facebook. As to what I'd love to see? A lovely notebook, a selection of pencils-- perhaps in color? A new rollerball, and a small case to carry writing things around with you.
StationEry. StationAry means it's standing still. tsk tsk
I love Lost Crates
That's the exact same crate I got for my first month except the colors are different.
Moleskine hardbound journals
Pilot frixion retractable erasable gel pens
Cute travel sets of mini stapler, tape, etc. in a small case
Pen cases
Pen sets of different colors
I'm addicted to moleskine and field notes books. And any fine tipped pen that doesn't bleed.
You know I'd be all about the eco, and stuff for notetaking since I don't draw.
Love, love LOVE LOST CRATES! Just got my first one in October and have been trying to be patient for November's delivery! Everything was useful, new and fashionable. Would love to see anything this company sends out! EXCITED!
Fountains pens and postcards
What would I like to see in my crate? Hmmm... A fountain pen for a left-handed person. I LOVED the recycled plastic pencil holder you guys sent. Some neat-o paper clips. Actually, anything!!!! Thanks for asking.
I would love to see journals with sketch paper... ergonomic pens... small sturdy notebooks that can take a beating in a bag. But that's in addition to the things they already have -- love the fountain pens, cool accessories, notebooks, etc.!
I liked Lost Crates on Facebook.
I followed Lost Crates on Twitter. Thank you for hosting this giveaway!
I'd live to see pens and pencils, preferably ones I can't find in my area. Cut paperclips or other quirky stationery items would be fun too ^^
Thank you for the chance!
I follow Lost Crates on Twitter (@diysara).
I retweeted :)
https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/graciemitchell/status/133977058412990465
Would love to see whimsical 3x5 index cards included in one of the Lost Crates!
*also tweeted about the contest and follow Lost Crates on Twitter
Things I'd like to see more of is sketchbooks or art tools aimed for the artist or art journaler. :D
Followed on twitter and liked on FB.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/aisazia/status/133982799723102208
Great giveaway! I'd like to see some fountain pens as well - like the new Noodler's flex!
I liked Lost Crates on Facebook!
Tweeted!
https://twitter.com/#!/GourmetPens/status/133998375325548544
Followed on twitter, retweeting link to contest!
I followed on Twitter and liked on FB!
I have been contemplating on subscribing for awhile, still unsure whether I should do it. It would be a great way to explore other brands of stationery and a surprise in the mail!
Tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/bakanekosan/status/134078320659804160
Followed on Twitter, and liked on Facebook