In the post about my trip to Chicago, I mentioned a journal that I did not buy. Remember this?
Even though I DO NOT NEED IT, I began to regret passing it up. It’s just so perfect.
Soon after I published that post, reader “Lipgloss & Wellies” commented with a link to The Mincing Mockingbird , the creator of this exact journal. So I had to explore.
Yup, there it was, and at a better price than in the Art Institute’s gift shop. So I ordered two (“Two is one and one is none.”), another cleverly titled journal, and some ridiculously wonderful pencils.
Truth be told, I could’ve spent my entire paycheck on their site.
Matt Adrian and Kim Bagwell are the married artists behind The Mincing Mockingbird & The Frantic Meerkat. As the “About” page on their site states, they’ve been “full-time purveyors of ridiculous, humorous and beautiful provisions since 2008.” Matt is the mockingbird and Kim is the meerkat.
These are my people. Or maybe I should say, these are my animals.
Anyone who comes up with the likes of the “Jittery Scribblings…” journal finds an instant place in my heart.
I also picked this up, to stash away for a gift…
There are a slew of other oh-so perfect journal options on their site, along with cards, postcards, calendars, coasters, notepads, and mugs. Yeah, I kind of want it all.
Did you catch the imprints on the Troubled Birds pencils?
“I’d sell you to Satan for one corn chip.” “I’m three ounces of whoop-ass.” Snarky. Hilarious. Smart. Had to have these.
Even the back of the box made me laugh out loud.
Those uses? THE BEST. “Writing?” HAH!
There was a slight glitch with my order. One of my Jittery Scribblings journals arrived a little banged up from its travels.
It wasn’t horrible, but I thought it best to let them know. So I dashed off an email with this picture and had a response within twenty minutes with an offer to replace the damaged journal. The replacement arrived a few days later in perfect condition. That’s exemplary customer service.
Both journals I purchased come with dot-grid paper, but there are other styles available as lined or blank journals (e.g., “Mostly Just Whining” and “Creative Ramblings of a Restless Mind”). Each 5″x7″ journal contains 120 pages of 120 gsm paper that reportedly “takes ink beautifully.” So how does the paper perform? Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t used mine yet. I also don’t care.
These are just too clever and funny to pass up. Well, too clever to pass up a second time.
I’m actually glad that I didn’t buy the journal in Chicago because then I wouldn’t have received that helpful comment from “Lipgloss & Wellies” leading me to The Mincing Mockingbird & The Frantic Meerkat website and their full array of products.
I’ve been poking around some more and and now I want this notepad and these postcards.
The world could surely use some humor and cleverness, and this site has giant helpings of both.
How could I not share?
Love,
Mary, your jittery introvert
You can see more of Matt’s artwork at www.mattadrian.com and view Kim’s paintings at www.kimbagwill.com.
Everything mentioned in this post was purchased with my own funds (with the exception of the replacement journal). I was not compensated for this review. Heck, they don’t even know about it. At the time of writing, I’m unable to locate a link for the “Jittery Scribblings…” journal on their site. Hopefully they’re just temporarily out of stock. I should’ve purchased ten. Or more.
Update: Ink testing has been performed and can be found in this follow-up post.
From the Pen Cup 