The Vac Mini (+ Other Shop Updates)

The Vac Mini's are here!! ! !  ! ! So, it's basically Christmas, already. I have been looking forward to these Vac Minis for as long as I can remember. I get excited now and then for new pen arrivals, but I have to say this is the most exciting thing we've ever received from TWSBI. And that is including the Minis with white & rose gold, one of which I have and love dearly. New products are always being released and re-stocked from distributors, and it's always nice to get new stuff in. True to how we do things here at the shop, I don't usually know the specifics of what's going on in the pen world until someone actually sends us tracking information. However: I've had a tab open on my laptop with the tracking for these bad boys since I got the e-mail. I've inked mine with Diamine Autumn Oak. I thought I was going to do something Christmassy, but I wasn't organized enough when the pens came in, and the pen needed to be (vacuum-)filled, you know, immediately. We also have the new Vac-20 bottles, which will also fit the standard size Vac-700. The parts are not compatible with the old Vac-20 bottles. I thought I would keep a black, but I am liking the orange. Who knows. I'd like to do a comparison with the Vac-700, but not having used the Vac-700 too extensively, maybe I will just do a post with a few more details of the Vac-Mini. The bricks & mortar is closed from December 25th to January 1st, so I've got a list of blog posts and reviews I'd like to do. Stay tuned! Other shop updates: New Tomoe River Paper I know it's been a bit frustrating as our stock has gone in and out with this paper, but I think we're now a bit more organized in having it available regularly. The big news on the Tomoe River paper is that we now have it in White in addition to Cream, and we have it cut to both the European A4 size (like before, or like in Rhodia A4 pads) as well as to the American Letter size. Lamy Boxed Gift Sets We now have Lamy gift sets! Perfect for Christmas giving, or other gifting events, since they come in a nice box. These are really a great deal, even if you're not boxing them up to give away, since you save some money by purchasing it in the set. We have them available with a Charcoal Safari or a Graphite Al-Star. We've brought these in as a one time thing for Christmas, and I don't think we'll be ordering more of them. Our distributor offered them as a great deal for the holidays, and of course we took him up on it. If you're thinking that this might make a good present for a birthday or graduation in the new year, now's the time! Christmas Shipping Our guideline dates have come and gone, but actually, I would venture to say that we still have a bit of leeway if you still need something for under the tree. If you're close by (within Ontario or Quebec), and especially if you're in a major city, packages are expected to arrive within one business day. With Canada Post shipping through the weekend, you may still have some time. If you're a bit farther than that, we might still make it, or you can also give us a call or e-mail for an Xpresspost quote. We normally ship Expedited through Canada Post.

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So we're singing Christmas jingles while Jon is pulling out his hair with people's Christmas orders, and now I've got my Vac-mini. It's like the world is at peace, and my pen roll is finally complete. Who am I joking, it's not really complete, because I am expecting a few more pretty delicious things to arrive in the new year. And even then, is a pen roll really ever complete??