First, thanks to everyone who entered for making this one of the most successful giveaways that we’ve ever had!

It was exciting to see the entries pouring in, and we had our fingers crossed for each and every one of you (yeah, we know that wasn’t quite rational but we wanted everyone to win).

Now, a bit of bad news.

TonyB – me – dropped the ball on the Twitter part of the giveaway. Instead of noting each tweet as it came in, I figured I’d simply search the hashtag when it was over and run that list through Random.org. Except that, apparently, there is no reliable way to do searches for older tweets. All the searches turned up no results, when we know there were many entries.

We’ll get to what we’re going to do about that in just a minute.

You want to know who did win.

1. For the blog giveaway, the winner was Anne (nytetiger). She will receive:

• Artline Drawing System Pens 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 0 .4, 0.5 and 0.8mm
• Artline Calligraphy Pen 1.0mm, 2.0mm, 3.0mm, 4.0mm
• A Wallet of 8 Artline 200 0.4mm Fine Pens in assorted colours.
• Artline 7810 1.0mm Ballpoint pen
• Artline 660 Fluorescent Highlighter

2. For the Facebook giveaway, the winner was Zenpen (Shirley). She gets:

• Artline Calligraphy Pen 1.0, 2.0, 3.0,
• Artline Multipen set of 6 assorted colours 0.3mm tip
• Artline Geltrac wallet of 5 assorted colours
• Artline 999XF Silver Marker
• Artline 999XF Gold Marker

As always, thanks to Random.org for helping us choose the winners.

Now, as for the Twitter giveaway, first we apologize to everyone who has entered over the last two weeks. We hope you’ll forgive us for the boo-boo.

But we still have an Artline prize pack, and we really want to give it to someone.

So, jump on Twitter between now and 6 p.m. EST (US) tomorrow, and tweet the phrase “Tiger Pens Giveaway.” One of you will be randomly selected to receive this:

• 12 assorted Artline 200 fine 0.4mm pens

Winners, please use the ‘Contact’ link at the top of the page to send us your mailing addresses so we can get your prizes in the post.

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

Being pen people, we aren’t crazy about that whole ‘picture is worth a thousand words’ thing, but sometimes, we have to admit the photos just speak for themselves.

And it was a good weekend for finding cool pen-and-paper pictures. Here are some we enjoyed, and we hope you will like them, too.

(via Insane in the Membrane)

(via Life. In Plain English)

(Sharpie and a button for writing your resolutions, via Notcot.org)

(pen and watercolor of a Matroyshka doll, via Perduliar)

(via Peak Pen)

• The LA Times reports that a new device expected out this summer will allow you to write with a pen on paper and transmit everything you write to your iPad in real time, exactly as it appears on paper.

The iNotebook itself really is the combination of an iPad app, the case, a transmitter/recorder and a special pen that connects with it.

How it works is that the transmitter sits above the page and watches you write with the special pen via infrared sensor and records what you write. Then through the app and a Bluetooth connection with your iPad, it shoots over your words — or doodles — in your very own hand almost simultaneously.

The downside: There’s no optical character recognition. So what you write is what you get. As a result, there may be no visual character recognition either, depending on your handwriting.

The $150 device could be useful for saving notes, phone numbers, etc. but no word yet on how well pen writes, or how well it doesn’t.

• Japanese pen maker Sakura put out a press release earlier this month announcing the release of a new one-stop calligraphy pen.

According to Sakura, the Pigma Calligrapher is:

 …a unique, all-in-one, durable lettering art tool that produces crisp edges and sharp hairlines in 3 nib widths and 6 Pigma ink colors. This disposable pen has a hard nylon nib that withstands heavy pressure and constant use, and still provides a reliable, smooth ink flow from edge to edge.

Sakura says the pen is a cost-effective tool for beginning calligraphers because it eliminates the need for refills and multiple nibs.

Interestingly, Sakura started out making crayons nearly 100 years ago and claims to be the first company to have created gel-based ink.

• It’s a common question: Can you poison yourself by writing on your skin with ink?

The answer is not really because the amounts of toxic substances in inks are so small that you would have to ingest large quantities (as in cups full) just to make yourself slightly ill.

However, the student paper at the University of Alaska – Anchorage decided to look into the matter and came to the conclusion that writing on your skin can be quite dangerous.

For instance, a blue gel pen uses a chemical called copper phthalocyanine (I’m glad this is written and I won’t have to try to pronounce that). Its Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) states that it is “hazardous in case of skin contact.” I think that’s straightforward enough.

But wait, that’s just the pigment. What about the solvent? It’s the component of the ink that makes sure all the ingredients stay together and you don’t get one liquid flowing out before another. Gel pens use a solvent called ethylene glycol. Its MSDS is even freakier than copper phthalocyanine’s. Even though its carcinogenic (cancer causing) effects aren’t classifiable for human or animals, its mutagenic effects sure are. And wait, there’s more! They’re specifically mutagenic for mammal’s body cells.

A little, um, over the top…but hey, we’re just glad they’re still interested in writing on something with pens.

• Paper Mate is running an all out marketing campaign to promote its new InkJoy pens, using the gimmick that theirs is the world’s most stolen pen.

According to Media Post:

The effort…includes TV ads on cable channels Bravo, HGTV, Oxygen, TLC and TNT. There is also a digital buy on tap across multiple properties, including Facebook and Twitter, as well as social media and word-of-mouth. There are also in-language websites for each country.

Scott Crist, global director of marketing for Paper Mate, tells Marketing Daily that the last time the company ran TV ads was in January 2010 around the Winter Olympics in limited U.S. markets on select NBC stations.

“Paper Mate has strong brand equity around the world but we’ve been a little lackluster with our advertising and promotion over the last few years,” he says. “The InkJoy launch is helping communicate a new, more modern Paper Mate in step with today’s more value-minded consumer.”

The article also reports that women are the No. 1 buyers of Paper Mate products.

We’ve been picking up some new readers lately, so it seemed like a good time to give our new friends a little idea what they can find on the Tiger Pens Blog.

We’re all about ink pens here, from fountain to ballpoint, and the ways that people use them, whether for writing, office work or creating pieces of art. Occasionally, we’ll touch on notebooks and paper, but there are several excellent blogs that do it so well, we usually leave it to them (we’re looking at you, Notebook Stories, Rhodia Drive and a dozen others).

Our favorite pens are the ones that are relatively inexpensive, reliable and comfortable to use – gels and rollerballs and hybrids from Pentel, Uniball and the like. We’re also fans of novelty pens, or just about any kind of pen that is ‘different.’

In keeping with our love of pens and their uses, we run several regular features on the blog. In no particular order, they are:

Pen Reviews – Fair, honest assessments of the newest disposable and refillable pens, as well as the classics that deserve a new look once in a while. Yes, we probably sell most of them, and, if we like a pen, we’ll tell you…but if we don’t like one, we’ll tell you that, too.

Giveaways – Pens are great fun…and FREE pens are even funner, err, more fun. So, every month, we set aside a special package of pens to give to one of our readers just as our way of saying ‘thanks’ for visiting. If you discovered our blog through one of the giveaways, welcome, and we hope you stay a while.

Totally Random Pen Stuff – This is an occasional feature comprising news about pens coming to market, pen-related stories in the media, and mentions of interesting pen collectors, as well as other miscellaneous pen nuggets of interest.

Conversations About Handwriting – Pens aren’t much good if we don’t use them, and handwriting is one of the most common uses of pens, so naturally we follow the chatter on this topic with great interest. Our occasional handwriting feature collects tidbits of news and opinion on handwriting, from features on handwriting teachers to the handwriting practices of presidents.

Inappropriate Uses of Pens – Some people do the craziest things with their pens…things that pens were clearly not intended to do. Sometimes, they are amusing, other times, mind-boggling. We collect those stories, and once in a while, post them for our readers’ enjoyment.

Penthusiasm! – There is a wonderful, vibrant community of pen enthusiasts online who happily share their endless knowledge of pens through blogs, Twitter and Facebook. Every week, they write dozens of posts about pens, pencils and paper that are, by turns, amusing and fascinating. Each week, we try to round up some of the best ones and share with our readers, in case there is something they’ve missed.

Blog Reviews – Each month, we try to select one pen- or paper-related blog to feature as an outstanding blog. We choose them based on…well, basically, their ‘wow’ factor. If they often have posts that we read, then say, ‘oh wow, that was cool!’ then there’s a good chance we’ll review them at some point.

Guest Posts – We’re continually amazed at the level of expertise or just plain enthusiasm of some in the pen community. When we come across someone who writes brilliant pen posts, whether reviews, anecdotes, or obscure finds, then we invite them to post on our blog, both to help spread the word about them…and to impress our readers with our nifty pen friends.

Tiger Pens News – It’s no secret that we sell pens, but the last thing we want to do is flog our products too much on the blog. This blog is first and foremost about providing our visitors with informative and entertaining posts about pens and pencils. But once in a while, we get in a new product, or have a special deal running that we really want to share with as many people as possible. When that happens, you’ll read about it here. Just not too often.

One thing we’ve been thinking about is adding a regular feature on artists and theworks they create with pen-and-ink and pencil. So many of you seem to be quite talented, and we love seeing the drawings and sketches that you post on your sites and on Twitter. Whether a new visitor or a regular reader, please let us know what you’d think about seeing a regularly featured artist on the blog.

And, if there is anything new or different that any of you would like for us to try, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send an email using the ‘Contact’ link at the top.

The blog is here for you, so we want it to be exactly what you want.

There are a lot of artists among our readers, so we’ve decided we wanted to do something special for you guys this month.

Instead of the usual blog giveaway, we’re going to have 3 contests. One on the blog, one on Twitter and one on Facebook.

The prizes are awesome packages of Artline drawing pens.

1. OK, for a chance to win the blog set, do like usual and leave a comment at the bottom of this post. The winner, chosen at random, will receive this:

• Artline Drawing System Pens 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 0 .4, 0.5 and 0.8mm
• Artline Calligraphy Pen 1.0mm, 2.0mm, 3.0mm, 4.0mm
• A Wallet of 8 Artline 200 0.4mm Fine Pens in assorted colours.
• Artline 7810 1.0mm Ballpoint pen
• Artline 660 Fluorescent Highlighter

2. For those who haven’t “liked” us yet on Facebook, you can get a chance to win the second set by going to our Facebook page, clicking like, and then coming back here and leaving a comment letting us know you did it. (That means you will leave two comments…one for the blog giveaway, and one for Facebook.)

Sorry, this one is just for new likes. If you’re already a fan, enter the blog and Twitter contests.

The randomly selected winner gets:

• Artline Calligraphy Pen 1.0, 2.0, 3.0,
• Artline Multipen set of 6 assorted colours 0.3mm tip
• Artline Geltrac wallet of 5 assorted colours
• Artline 999XF Silver Marker
• Artline 999XF Gold Marker

3. Or, for a chance on Twitter, just tweet this between now and the end of the month, “#TPjan-competion Just entered Tiger Pens biggest competition yet…check it out. http://bit.ly/xr7V0G”

That random winner will end up with:

• 12 assorted Artline 200 fine 0.4mm pens

It’s that simple. Three chances to win just for being a Tiger Pens reader.

All three contests will be open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Jan 31. The winner will be announced Feb. 2.

Don’t waste any time, though. Get your entries in, and get ready to win.

Good luck to all.

Pens are like people…different talents, different personalities, different contributions to the overall.

Some of them are like class clowns, maybe not particularly helpful, but you still love having them around just for the laughs.

As you guys know, we love those kinds of pens.

And it just so happens, we’ve stumbled across some real winners of late. (Several courtesy of our fellow penthusiasts.)

In no special order, here they are.

1. Swiss Army Pen

OK, first, anything Swiss Army is cool. But a pen shaped like a bullet, with a blade, screwdriver, nail file and scissors – and a Fisher Space Pen pressurized ink cartridge? How could you not want one of those?

Oh, it also has a flashlight built in!

This is one of those pens that’s not only fun and unsual, but that you can actually use, too. The Swiss Army Pen comes in several different models – including Aviator and Golf – and in various colors, including classic red.

And for some reason, the range also includes a Swiss Army Pen loaded with essential oils.

They’re carried by our friend Tom over at Goldspot Pens.

2. Hog Wild Slot Machine Pen

Take a little gamble every time you use this pen (no, we’re not saying it might leak all over you).

This is an 8-inch plastic twist-open ballpoint pen with a clicker that spins a slot machine wheel each time you press it. Perfect for sitting at your desk, daydreaming about hitting in big in Vegas and retiring to a full-time life of leisure.

Unfortunately, even if you hit the jackpot, the pen does not pay out. But still, c’mon, it’s fun.

Our only real beef with this one is the price: more than US$12.

3. Combi-Lock Pen

Hat tip to Does This Pen Write? for turning us on to this little gem.

It’s a pen with a combination lock built in so that no pen thief can actually use the pen without knowing the combo. Of course, the thief probably won’t discover that until after making off with the pen, but at least you will have the satisfaction of knowing you got the last laugh.

Plus, you can keep your hands busy playing with the dials while you talk on the phone.

Now the bummer is, apparently this pen is hard to find in stock now.

4. Drumstick Pencils

Technically, not a novelty pen, but still brilliant.

If you’re that person who loves to drum on things with your pens – and really, who isn’t? – then these pencils are perfect for you because they’re writing utensils on one end and drumsticks on the other.

Bada bump!

Good-looking natural wood color, but no details on what type of lead. And make sure you have an eraser handy because the pencils don’t come with them.

5. Breeze Pen

So you’re standing in line at some sweltering government office, wondering if this is what Hell is like, and suddenly, you think, “Hey, I can cool myself off.”

Then you just reach into a pocket and pull out your Breeze Pen. It has a tiny little battery-operated fan that will soothe you with a steady flow of refreshing air.

Yeah, fantasy.

But the pen looks cool. And according to Brookstone, it’s a rollerball, so it should write reasonably well. It’s also ‘finger safe’ so you won’t hurt yourself.

Not a bad price, either.

6. LED Pen Camera

This one just appeals to us because it makes a noise and flashes. Silly, we know.

It seems to be your standard ballpoint pen, except that it has a little camera on the top, and when you push the plunger, the camera flashes.

That’s it.

Nothing fancy, just a good pen for fidgeters.

It comes from Kikkerland, which makes a range of assorted fun little pens.

Got any fun pens of your own to recommend? Jump in and tell us about them.

Now that the fun part – tearing open all those wonderful gifts – is over, it’s time to start thinking about saying ‘thank you’ to the people who put time, effort and money into making your holiday special.

Yes, writing a stack of notes can be tedious, especially if there are a lot of them. But it’s the right thing to do, and it doesn’t have to be a complete chore.

Simplify the process with these quick steps:

1. Make a list of who gave you what. Use the gift tags or cards that came with your packages to help keep them all straight.

2. Choose some fine stationery or ‘thank you’ cards printed on good stock. You don’t show appreciation with notebook paper and plain white business envelopes.

3. Set aside a specific time to write the notes, within at least 3 days of Christmas. Do all the notes at once.

4. Break out your best pen and hand write each note in a slow, neat hand. Be brief. Say ‘thank you,’ mention exactly what the gift was, tell the person how it will be useful to you, and close with another thanks. Shouldn’t be more than three or four sentences, at most.

5. Hand address the envelopes. Labels are just tacky for these types of things.

6. Stamp the envelopes and immediately drop them in the mail. If you wait, you might end up forgetting.

Want to really make your friends and family happy? Take a photo of yourself with each gift, and include the photos with the ‘thank you’ cards.

When you’re done, come back here and tell us all about the neat loot you got!

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is usually slow for most offices, so we thought we’d give you a long list of good pen and paper reading for those moments when you’d rather not be working.

Julie at Pen Paper Inks…Whatever shows off the colors of the new Iroshizuku inks.

Speck at The Purple Penhead goes inside the Eddie Bauer journal.

Dan at Fountain Pen Geeks takes an approving look at the Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock limited edition fountain pen.

Sheila at Does This Pen Make Me Look Fat investigates the DeAtramentis Sherlock Holmes fountain pen ink.

Yochanan at Multi Pen Dimensions gets a comfortable week’s use out of the Swan Neck Pen.

Dowdy at The Pen Addict searches for a little nostalgia with the Pilot Better Ballpoint retractable.

Peninkcillin tests out Noodler’s Firefly Yellow highlighter refill ink.

Nifty at Notebook Stories shares a photo of the North Korean dictatorial entourage toting notebooks.

The Pen Buff gives a brief but firm thumbs-up to the Zebra F-701.

No Pen Intended finds design flaws in the Uniball Style Fit Mystar 5 Color Multi Pen Body.

Rhonda at the Blog of Rhonda Eudaly checks out the finer points of the Uniball Signo Bit 0.18 mm pen.

Economy Pens turns out a solid recommendation of the Sharpie Pen Grip.

Derek at Derek’s Pens and Pencils offers a look at his recently restored vintage Yankee fountain pen.

Azizah at Gourmet Pens saves a ton by modding Monteverde refills to fit her Retro 51 Tornado.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve received some impressive entries in the Tiger Pens essay contest.

There were stories of lost loves, broken friendships, and classroom bonds, all connected by the common thread of first pens given and cherished. We asked you to move us, to make us laugh, to inspire us, and each of you did.

It was no easy choice selecting a winner. But, after repeated readings and much thought, we kept returning to one neatly printed essay.

The piece came to us from Keily, who told the story of how a Parker Jotter given to her by a teacher helped her cope with the death of her mother. A sad tale, but also a hopeful one about the way small memories keep us going.

Please take a few moments to read it.

Keily, thank you very much for submitting your essay. You will receive an OHTO Tasche ballpoint pen in the color of your choice. We hope that this pen will mark another positive moment for you.

A huge thanks to everyone who entered. We deeply appreciate the stories you chose to share about your first gift pens, and enjoyed each and every one.

If you didn’t win a pen this month, no worries…we’ll be back next month with another great giveaway.

We all love Sharpies…and why shouldn’t we? They’re brilliant, incredibly versatile little tools, used around the world for everything from signing autographs to creating beautiful artwork.

Interesting to look at and fun to wield, sometimes just saying “Sharpie” can make a person smile. And even the CIA loves the smell of freshly Sharpied government documents.

But a few of the things that people get up to with Sharpies are just, well, weird. In some cases, that’s weird in a good way, more like “unusual,” maybe. In others, they’re real head-scratchers.

This is what we’re talking about.

1. Sharpie ‘brows

A trend among some women in the US involves removing their eyebrows and having them replaced with tattoos, or “permanent cosmetics.” Supposedly, there are those who bypass the tattoos in favor of a cheaper, simpler alternative: Sharpie eyebrows. That’s right, they simply draw eyebrows on their bare foreheads with Sharpie markers. Check out these examples of eyebrow fails, including the Sharpie variety.

2. Party Face

Have too much fun – or drink – at a party, and you might fall victim to the Sharpie face. It’s what you end up with when you fall asleep while all your friends are still awake and armed with Sharpies. Typically, this involves writing something embarrassing or drawing something obscene on the face of the sleeping person, using the biggest, boldest Sharpie marker the pranksters can find.

3. Paint jobs

You have to really love your car to spend hundreds of hours lovingly detailing every inch of it with a Sharpie. Or at least have enough money to hire an artist to do it for you. But there are people who do this, turning their sports cars into rolling pieces of Sharpie art. Whether it’s a few Sharpie pinstripes on a classic Camaro, or a tuner covered in designs, they inspire both awe and amusement.

4. Special Effects

Speaking of awe, we were amazed at this one, in which a young woman uses black and red Sharpies to create a disturbingly real-looking wound on the side of her face.

5. Nail polish

Need to touch up your nails on the run, but left your polish at home? No worries…you can just use a Sharpie. Or so says the Internet, which offers tutorials on how to paint your nails with Sharpie. Better yet, you can even give your fingernails a nice checkerboard effect using a couple of markers. Just remember to color inside the lines.

6. Sharpie Tats

For those who are afraid of needles, or who can’t afford a trip to a real tattoo artist, there’s always the Sharpie tattoo alternative. It’s fast, inexpensive and simple…of course, it will eventually come off. And, ya know, look like it was drawn on with a Sharpie, which will make people laugh.

Just for the record, Sharpie does not recommend using its markers for tattoos or eyebrows.

6. Sharpie underwear

Ha! You thought we meant drawn-on underwear, didn’t you? Nope (although someone’s probably done it). Here, a mom explains how to use Sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol to make tie-dyed underwear for kids. She’s actually got some cool designs. Presumably, it works for adults, too.

7. Hair touch-up

A kid in Texas shows up to school with an unapproved haircut. The kid can’t be at school looking like that…and the hair can’t be magically regrown. So what’s a poor teacher to do? Apparently, grab a Sharpie and begin coloring in the kid’s head. Yep, it happened.

There are plenty of other things for which people can – and do – use Sharpies.

As The State newspaper reports, Sharpies have covered up gray in a beard, decorated a prom dress, and even served as an emergency pin for a trailer hitch. They’re also good for things like fixing scuffed shoes and tweaking your wardrobe to your own tastes (second item).

Feel free to try any of these uses for Sharpie markers, weird or not. We won’t judge. Well, maybe we will if you Sharpie in your eyebrows.

If, after applying, you change your mind, you can always try to remove the Sharpie ink, more or less.

(By the way, we have to give a shout-out to our friend Azizah at the Gourmet Pens blog for her impressive collection of Sharpie markers.)