4 February 2009
My friends all know I have a serious shoe habit. And anybody who’s been to our house knows about the dragons, the books, the hats, the Mickey stuff and the wall art. And of course, there’s the fabric.
But, also among my tendencies for overindulgence is the love of office supplies. Paper and writing utensils in particular. (I used to think it was weird—hush, you!—but I’ve discovered this is not an unusual fetish! It’s actually very common . . . at least among my friends!) And, my favourite . . . Sharpies.
I have been a lover of Sharpies since the eighties, when there were only four colours: black, red, green and blue. Then, suddenly one day there was purple! And orange and yellow! It was wonderful and very liberating. And, I must not have been alone in feeling that way, because over the last two decades, the Sharpie folks* have gifted us with a veritable rainbow of colours from which to choose our own personal flavour of Sharpie fun. Thirty-nine colours, to be exact. And ten styles—with various sizes and shapes of writing nibs. This photo is of the container of Sharpies that lives on my desk. It does not include the ones in the drawer, or in my scrapbooking bags, or in my computer bag, or in the kitchen, or in the workshop, or in the trailer, or in the car, or clipped to my purse. (Don’t you just love those cute little mini-Sharpies?!)
*A quick bit of easy research shows that “the Sharpie folks” are actually the “Sanford Brands” folks. And Sanford brands include such well-known and beloved office/household staples, as PaperMate, Rolodex, Parker, Expo, and Liquid Paper, just to name a few. And one step further in this little corporate flowchart shows that Sanford Brands is actually a sister brand to another favourite of mine that I’ve blogged about before: Rubbermaid.
Ahhhh . . . the joys of happy consumerism.
~MB
Is this where the Office Supply Support Group meets??
Hello. My name is Mary, and I’m an office supply junkie. I work in a large office with a very well stocked supply room – but their supplies (which my department purchases) do not meet up to my personal standard of ‘flair’. Square yellow sticky notes and black sharpies do not show your personality – unless you happen to be an *engineer. I opt to spend your tax dollars on cheap and ‘functional’ supplies, but then spend my own hard earned money on items which would have otherwise been provided for me, but with much less style. This is only a confession. Not a request for forgiveness, and definitely not a search for a cure! It’s just how it is!
(*Nothing personal against engineers – I was raised by one – I just know your patterns! Form follows Function #1 rule of design.)
Hi, my name is Angie and I am also a Office Supply Junkie. I admit it… I can’t help it. I also LOVE sharpies… Colorfuly post it notes, pretty paper clips and binder clips.
=O)
Hmmm, I think I should sign up for this one also, pens pencils and of course the beloved post-its and other fun note paper that is out there. And then we can’t forget the joys of the paper tablets either.
See? I knew I wasn’t alone! Thank you! Now, where are the rest of you hiding? Is that you, over there behind the holiday stationery and the post-it notes in day-glo colours?
~MB
My name is BJ and my primary addiction is any cutsey post-it. My favorite is the one that says “I am giving you this b/c I don’t want to do it myself.”
you guys make me smile…
hi. i’m the Sharpie PR manager and can I please be in your club? just because you work for the company doesn’t mean you can’t have your own Sharpie addiction. I love brown. Looks cool on my green checks. thanks for being Sharpie besties!
My favorite post-its say “Please perform the following miracle.”
Next would be my “while you were out” stickies.
While you were out, somebody whose name sounded like __________ called. They were mumbling something about _______. I think their phone number was ________. etc etc.
Welcome, SharpieSusan! I am both amused and flattered that you found The Daily KRuMB! Thanks for jumping in . . . it’s nice to find folks that really love their work! I find myself wondering if you were a Sharpie fan before you joined their work force, or if you learned to love Sharpies because you had a job there and were surrounded by them? Either way, it’s obviously a much-shared addiction. And, again, thanks!
~MB
Hi, I’m Starr, and I’m a Sharpie Addict.
My husband and older son know, and this Christmas they delivered. I have limited-edition colors! Hibiscus Tea is one of my favorites.
Ya know, now that I think of it, YOU might have started me on my Sharpie addiction, with your proliferation of colorful permanent marker objects. YOU!
But truthfully, I’ve always loved office supplies. Some Moms & Daughters go shoe-shopping… my Mom and I could spend the same amount of time in Office Depot!
My mom and I do both!
~MB
This is the honest truth. I sought out this job because of Sharpie. I swear on my mother. I wanted to work for sharpie and couldn’t believe it when I found the job posting for PR manager at the company that makes Sharpies. I am also a frustrated writer who loves writing instruments in general. And I was always one of those weird moms who matched the Sharpie to the gym uniform color when labeling. It was fate.