Pretty Pens!

A pile of pretty pens, some unpackaged so that you can see the prints better.

I unscrewed the cap so that you can see where to enter the paper.  Just pull the ink out, enter your curled paper, and use the tip of the pen to "push" the paper in the rest of the way.

I mentioned a few days ago that I had been having trouble sleeping since taking the flonase, and the dizzy drug.  Well I quit all that a few days ago and have been "knocking" myself out with Ambien the past two nights.  That works for about 5 hours and then I am up.  So look what I was doing at 4 am this morning!  Making up some pretty pens for my booth in WI Dells.  These are really quite simple to do, and I thought I would share how I make them.  But unless you are a card maker or scrap booker, a person probably wouldn't have the right supplies.  You need some scraps of patterned paper.  I feel that Stampin' UP! has the best designer paper on the market, but for this project, it is better for the paper to be thin.  The thinner the better I have found.  The paper I used for the one in the last picture is actually the best paper for this project.  A couple of years ago Stampin' UP sold designer wrapping paper.  And they were huge rolls.  I bought one pattern, and Melissa bought the other pattern, and we split them in half, and swapped.  It was such nice wrapping paper that it worked just like designer paper for layering on cards and scrapbook pages, but was thin so you couldn't use it for 3D projects.  So this is perfect for the pens, but you can also use cheap thin scrapbook paper (as my stamping gang would call it, CONTRABAND) and some of them I have used SU's paper on, but you just have to be a little more careful when curling it as it can get crumple marks on it.  I cut the piece 1" x 3 3/8" with my paper cutter, rolled it up tightly, and shoved it in the end of a Pentel R.S.V.P. Pen.  It will open up after it is inside, and you will probably have to take the tip of the ink pen, and stick it inside the barrel to push it in the rest of the way.  Screw the cap back on....and wallah!  You are finished!!  Now wasn't that easy!  You need to be a little selective on the prints you use.  I have found that large prints don't show up, little patterns tend to work the best.  These are my "Go-To" pens at my house.  I love that they are pretty, and I love writing with a fine pen.  They write like a dream, non stop, until the ink is gone.  At the flea market, I sold them unpackaged, but it works best in the Dell's booth to hang as much stuff as possible, so I put them in narrow 1" x 8" bags that Lady Di gave me, and made a cute little topper on them so I can hang them from the pegboard.
Di and I went to the Dells yesterday so that I could get some more things put in.  It was really busy in there, as with the Warren's Cranberry Festival going on this weekend, people are traveling all over the state of Wisconsin.  After we got done over there, we headed over to Walmart to pick up some groceries and things.  Di had one of her "cravings" and wanted Chinese so we went to the buffet for supper.  It sure was yummy.  We both really love Chinese.  We decided that being we were next door to the Memory Bank, we should pop in for a minute to see what was new.  Mistake (a good one).  We both ended up with a few things.  :-D  I found a couple of things that I have been hunting for several months for so was very happy about that!
It was a BRRRRR.....day at the flea market until later in the day when the sun came out.  It may have been out earlier but I was too busy to get outside in it till later in the afternoon.  I am giving up my stall, so this will be my last weekend there.  I was busy selling my fixtures.  I sold the two white bookcases in the back of the booth right away in the morning, so had to get them emptied off.  Then the people decided to buy my drop leaf table.  But they went and took the book cases home so it would give me time to get the Tastefully Simple moved off of it.  In the mean time, I was selling other things too, plus my next door neighbors at the flea market who will be renting my stall, decided that they will buy the rest of my fixtures that I want to sell.  Some things I am taking home, as I might need them in the future, like my card racks.  I am running 25% off all in stock Tastefully Simple to sell that down, so that was going out at a pretty good rate.  Needless to say, it was quite chaotic around there, and I was trying to get these fixtures (except for the ones the neighbors want) emptied off, and the merchandise displayed nicely, because even though I am going out of business there, I am still in business there until the weekend is over and it needs to be displayed nice for it to sell.  With the cold, and all the bending, I was one hurting girl with my fibromyalgia, so any little doubts about whether or not I should give it up, didn't last long.  But I do love the people down there, and I shall miss that a lot.  I was joking with my neighbors that it will probably be a bad thing for me to give it up, as I will be able to be buying next year instead of selling, as I won't be tied down to a stall.  LOL  I can always set up on a table if I feel like it and can always come down to visit.  I also wanted to tell my far away friends/customers who come to the flea market, that if you are going to be here, I would love to see you.  Just send me an email or give me a buzz!  I hope you are all having a great weekend, and staying warm!