Tuesday, April 8, 2014

{Birthday Blogaversary Bash} The One Who Obsesses Over Office Supplies

Hey guys! Today, we have Kaitlin from Reading is my Treasure. And while her choice of topic might seem a bit unusual, I think a lot more of us might obsess over this too, once we really think about it.


When RachelMarie first told me the theme of this guest post, I panicked a little. What in the world would I write about? I've never considered myself a "fangirl" and I don't nerd out about much besides books (not enough to write an interesting post). Movies, tv shows, music, hobbies—nothing fit for the theme. Then I thought of the kinds of things that I ask my mom for Christmas . . . it was the perfect thing for this post, though it's not the typical thing to obsess over.

The Office Supply Aisle:  Pens, Notebooks, and Organizational Things

Other than book aisle (if there is one), my favorite store aisles are the the office supplies and the ones near it. There's so many neat things! Paper, pens, pencils, Sharpies, pencil holders, notebooks, sticky notes, desk accessories, calendars, dry erase boards, and all sorts of useful little things like that. I don't think I nerd out over the items themselves as much as all the possibilities that come with the items—what I can write, how I can write, what I can store in it, how it will keep me organized, etc. I love all the things I can do with office supplies and related items.

Pens

When my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year, I told her that I would like some new pens. Books and pens, that's what I wanted as presents. I hand write a lot of stuff: lists, reviews, interview questions, plans, outlines, notes, essays, calculations, and sometimes blog posts are usually written in pen first. My thoughts just come out quicker when I'm writing my thoughts out instead of typing them. That said, I've realized that I absolutely love pens (that work).

The purple pen below is my personal favorite! It was my go-to review writing pen before the purple gel ink ran out (that was a really sad day). 

Notebooks

Who doesn't like a good notebook? Well, apparently I do because I have 12 composition books, 8 large notebooks, three small ones, a large notepad, a small notepad, note cards, and of course, sticky notes. I seem to have a thing for paper bound between two covers. 

The two comp books on either end of the row are what I write my reviews in. Most of are nearly empty. I use one of the large notebooks for school and one for book related lists. I use all of the little notebooks and the big notepad for random things, including book notes.

Aw, so adorable, right? I hardly ever use it, though.

Organizational Things

This is the thing that I obsess over the most.

Boxes, people. Boxes. Last Christmas, I said "ooh, boxes! I can use these!" when I discovered that I could use the ones some of the presents came in to store things. The last few times books have arrived in a box instead of a package, I said a similar thing. I use boxes for pretty much everything. There's a box for my lotions/body sprays, two for my socks, six to store/stack books, two for papers, two for decorative plates (plates are a way I organize things, too), a bunch more for miscellaneous items, and a lock box for important papers and objects. 

I also love all sorts of other organizational things. Jewelry boxes are nice, though I rarely use them for jewelry. Desk organizers and those towers with the compartments (both are sort of shown on either side of my comp books above) are also incredibly useful. Old candy boxes—the heart-shaped ones sold around Valentine's Day—are really handy in storing smaller things. For awhile, I used a really nice one to store watercolor and acrylic paints in. Cookie tins, gift bags, makeup boxes, Rubbermaid containers . . . basically, if I can store things inside it, I love it.

See the box that the perfume came in? I like to put my bookmarks in it. ☺

Thank you, RachelMarie for allowing me to share this little obsession of mine during her Birthday Blogaversary Bash! 


And thank YOU, Kaitlin, for that post! I wouldn't have thought it until I read her post, but I DO also obsess over these things. And I'm sure most of us can relate! New pens, pretty notebooks, even if I have no reason for it, I still *need* it. And I may or may not have a slight obsession with cute sticky notes.

And don't forget to enter the blogaversary giveaway below, or the Blind Date with a Book giveaway!

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Monday, April 7, 2014

{Birthday Blogaversary Bash} The One Who Has a List

Well, hello! How is your Monday going? I am excited to start off the guest posts with Robin Constantine, author of The Promise of Amazing, who has a list of things she nerds out about. So, without further ado, here she is!

What makes me part of the NerdHerd?

In honor of the one year blogoversary of The NerdHerd Reads, the lovely Rachel Marie invited me to write a post on something I nerd out about.  Since it was really hard to pinpoint just one thing, I decided to make a list!  (Lists are nerdy, aren't they?) So without further ado, and in no particular order - here are five things I nerd out about:

My Dog

Yep, I’m that person who buys those little costumes you see in PetCo.  My dog just about tolerates it – you know, “Okay, yeah, yeah I know I’m adorable but get this off of me.  Now.” He gets a stocking on Christmas, a basket on Easter and a cake for his birthday.  This little bundle of fur brings so much joy to my life.   He’s the perfect writing companion and a decent little foot warmer when it’s cold out.

Walt Disney World

Just the mere mention of the “D” word sets my heart racing.  My morning alarm?  The theme music from Soarin’.  My favorite ride – nope, can’t pick one, I love them ALL.  (But a perfect day would include Tower of Terror and/or Expedition Everest)And it’s so much fun to meet another Disney nerd because the conversation can go for hours. Any time our car crosses under that Walt Disney World sign – the smile on my face is irrepressibly goofy. Mickey shaped food makes life better.

Snowpeople

I suppose anything one collects can be considered nerdy, so if that is a qualifier – I am nerdy about snowmen.  Maybe I can trace it back to that Frosty cartoon – the one where that evil magician locks him in the greenhouse and…he…melts.  Yeah, that one scarred me for life.  Maybe my collection is my way of saving the snowpeople.  Or maybe I just think they’re just cute.  Anyhow, I bring them out before Christmas and they hang around through February.   The picture is of a snowlady I made with my daughter one year – obviously not a part of my collection!  Isn’t she pretty?

Bookstores

No matter where I travel, if I see a bookstore, I must go into it.  A search party is usually dispatched if I don’t come out in ten minutes. Ten minutes in a bookstore...HA!   The bookstore in the picture is [words] Bookstore in Maplewood, NJ.   The first place I ever had a reading for The Promise of Amazing!

Holding My Book for the First Time 

There are so many stages that go into writing and publishing a book that by the time the book actually comes out, believe it or not, you feel a little done with it.  At least that’s the way it felt until my editor sent me a hardcover of the book before my release date. There was squee-ing, and grinning and from what I remember some hopping around.  I was so excited I had to tweet about it!!   

Thank you for letting me share what I nerd out about!  

So, what about you?  What do you nerd out about?


Thank you, Robin, for sharing with us. I'm sure some of us nerd out about the same things. I know I definitely am a huge Disnerd, and I think most all of us nerd out in bookstores. Robin has been kind enough to provide a SIGNED copy of The Promise of Amazing, so enter below! And if you missed the Blind Date with a Book giveaway, you should enter that too!

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Sunday, April 6, 2014

{Birthday Blogaversary Bash} It's My Birthday and I'll Give Away Books if I Want To...

Hey guys! Welcome to the start of my Birthday Blogaversary Bash! I'm actually really excited about today (okay, I'm really excited about all the days) because I think this is going to be really fun. So...would YOU go on a blind date with a book?

Here's the rundown: There are going to be three books that you can enter to win. I will give you some words or phrases that describe the book or what I thought of the book. Then, it's up to you to decide if you're going to risk entering the giveaway for it!

Each book will have it's own giveaway, so that you can enter only the books you want to win, although you're welcome to enter all three! (All the entries are the same, so you're really not doing any extra.) Also, you can tweet only once that day, and use the same link in all three widgets (I'm not going to make you tweet the same thing three times).

Every 50 entries that a book gets, I will give you another clue for that book! You're free to guess in the comments, discuss with each other, etc., I just won't tell you if you're right or wrong :) All three books are hardcover, and the first two have been reviewed on this blog (if that helps narrow it down).

This giveaway is US only (sorry!), and runs until the 15th. Rules can be found on the Terms and Conditions at the bottom of the Rafflecopters. After the winners have received their books, I will come back to this post and reveal what they were, for those of you who are dying to know.

Fun Facts:

  • 54% guessed Book 1 correctly
  • Exactly half guessed Book 2 correctly
  • Only 5 people guessed Book 3 correctly (well, 4 1/2 because someone gave two guesses)
  • All three winners guessed the book they won correctly (only one got all three, but they all got the one they won)
  • Only TWO people guessed all three correctly (congrats Katherine and Robin!)

Book 1:

YA fantasy. Mythical fairytale retelling. Gorgeous cover.
Clue #1: Not Cinder (or any in that series) :)
Clue #2: Beauty and the Beast

And the book is...



Book 2:

YA contemporary. Best friend romance. Absolutely adorable.
Clue #1: Just released in February :)
Clue #2: Wisconsin Badgers

And the book is...



Book 3:

YA Dystopian. Epidemic. Swoon-worthy romance.
Clue #1: Not Delirium (or any in that series) :)
Clue #2: Yellow

And the book is...


So, did you guess the books correctly?

Saturday, April 5, 2014

{Birthday Blogaversary Bash} It's Here! ...almost

Hey guys! So, I'm super excited about this. I've never done anything of this sort, so hopefully everything runs as smoothly as it's supposed to. I've been very excited to get everything set and finally share it with you guys, and now I can! What is it, you may ask? (Like you haven't seen me talk about it on Twitter) Well, it's...



This is going to be a ten-day event that starts on (my birthday) April 6 and end on (my blogaversary) April 15. I just wanted to give you guys a run-down of what was going to be happening, and to sort of explain everything to clear up any confusion that might arise.

So here's how it works: Tomorrow, we're going to kick it off with Blind Date with a Book. This might possibly be my favorite part (and huge thanks to Stacee for the idea!). What's going to happen is, there are going to be three different books up for grabs. The catch? You don't get to know what it is. Each book will have some words or phrases that describe the book, and you get to decide am I going to take a chance on this book? Each book will have it's own giveaway widget, and you decide which giveaways you are going to enter. You can just enter the one that interests you, you can enter all three, whatever you want. 

Then, every day from the 7th to the 14th, there will be a guest post from some of the author/blogger friends I have made during my last year in the blogosphere. They're all going to be talking about what they fangirl/nerd out about. While we are all here over the shared obsession over books, I thought it would be fun to branch out and talk about some of the other things we like to obsess about as well. 

Some of the posts will have giveaways with them! Although I'm not going to be telling you beforehand who will be making an appearance, I will be keeping a schedule here of all the posts for easy access, if you want to come and see what has already happened. There will be one widget, and some prizes as well as some new entry options will be added to it as the week goes along. 

And finally, it will all end on the 15th by a post from me. Sure, I'll talk a little bit, but mostly I'll be giving away MORE things to celebrate and thank you guys for being awesome.

So, hope that explains everything, and I'll see you back here tomorrow! :D If there is anything else I can help clear up, please let me know!

the schedule:

April 6- Blind Date with a Book (THREE giveaways!)
April 7- Robin Constantine has a list of things she nerds out about! (giving away a SIGNED copy of The Promise of Amazing!)
April 8- Kaitling obsesses over office supplies!
April 9- Celeste nerds out about candy! (giving away a $25 gift basket to Andy's Candies!)
April 10- Jessica Brooks loves words! (giving away Pity Isn't an Option, If I Speak True, and By Sun and Candlelight!)
April 11- Stacee fangirls about Doctor Who!
April 12- Meredith fangirls about retellings! (giving away an ARC of The Here and Now by Ann Brashares!)
April 13- Jessica nerds out about quotes!
April 15- I talk about THINGS and give away STUFF!