The Per Annum Insider - News, Product Reviews, Contests & More

Weekend Giveaway Winner Announcement

Hello! I hope you all had excellent weekends and you're not feeling the after-effects of Super Bowl Sunday too much today. We are here with an announcement that should help ease the Monday blues for one lucky reader. We received a record number of entries for our latest giveaway, and without further ado, the randomly-chosen winner of the Raika Leather 3-Ring Portfolio Binder is....

 Charlene G.
Stanford, KY

Congratulations, Charlene, and thanks for your blog and Facebook comments. We hope this portfolio comes in handy for your family research. We will contact you shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

To everyone else, we thank you tremendously for your participation -- and fear not, for another Giveaway is already in the works! Check back with us (either here, or on Facebook, or on Twitter -- or even better, all three!) on Wednesday, February 9th for details. Exciting!

Giveaways Days Are Here Again

Okay, okay, I admit it:  We had such a good time with our daily giveaways last week that we just couldn't stay away for long! So we're back with more -- and we hope you will join us once again (or perhaps for the first time!) for a chance to win some great Per Annum prizes. Sound good? Good! Let's take a look at today's giveaway.

Here we have an item that should be appealing to photo-hounds, scrapbookers, collectors, organizers or businesspeople -- it's the Raika Leather 3-Ring Portfolio Binder. At its core, it's a standard 8.5" x 11"  three-ring binder that can used for storage & display -- but Raika has kicked it up a notch in terms of style and performance.  It contains a 1.25" ring capacity, generous pocket space, pen loop and removeable writing pad.

 
This portfolio is made from Raika's luxurious, smooth Royal leather in classic Black -- equally stylish and professional. It retails for $120 but we'd like to award it to one of you loyal fans for nothing more than a moment of your time.

To enter, simply leave a comment below and tell us how you would use this portfolio. To display artwork? As a writing folder? At the office? General life organization? For additional entries, be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and follow the instructions there (more entries = greater chance of winning). This contest will be open all through the weekend and we will choose a random winner on Monday, February 7th at around 2 p.m.

I look forward to reading some fun responses. Good luck!

The Photographer Behind Our 2011 NYC Wall Calendar

We were happy and proud to introduce the 2011 New York City Wall Calendar this year, and we thank all our customers who decided to give it a try! When our production team decided to produce the company's first-ever wall calendar, they didn't have to go far for the featured NYC-themed photography.  At the time, Per Annum's own Lisa Flanagan was in the middle of a just-for-fun Twitter Project 365 that she called “Scenes from My Commute”. Each day she would take a picture of her daily journey between her home in Westchester, NY, and our office in Manhattan and post it on the popular social media site.  Liking what they saw, the team asked if they could feature some of her best shots in the calendar.  A few months later, the 2011 New York City Wall Calendar was published and has been a wonderful success!

If you've been living without a calendar for the past month, are jonesing for some NYC nostalgia, or just want to see what all the fuss is about, you can still get the calendars on our website in 12x12 and 9x8 sizes.

       

For you photographer-types out there, Lisa took the calendar photos exclusively with her iPhone, occasionally manipulating them with some of her favorite apps, including:

• CameraBag
• Hipstamatic
• Cool Fx
• QuadCamera
• Lo-Mob
• PerfectlyClr

About Lisa

Lisa has been with Per Annum since 1998.  In addition to taking many of the product shots for our website, Lisa is an accomplished travel and portrait photographer.  Her photos have been published in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.   Her photography – including many more from her commute – can be seen at www.LisaFlanaganPhotography.com.

Lisa also has a fan page on Facebook and if you're on Twitter, @LisaFlanagan tweets often about all things photography and more.

A Giveaway A Day: The Final Winner... For Now!

Happy Monday to all, and a special thanks to all those who took a moment out of their too-short weekends to participate in our final giveaway! Looks like the Kolo Photo Album Gift Set was of particular interest to our fans, and rightly so -- these albums should make an excellent addition to any photo album library. And without further ado, the lucky winner is....

 Tiara M.

Congratulations, Tiara, and thanks for your blog, Facebook AND Twitter entries for this giveaway -- and for being involved through the week. (You see, folks -- persistence pays!) We hope you put the albums to good use.  We will contact you shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

And with that, this round of giveaways has come to an end.  But be sure to check back with us often, because we had a lot of fun with these contests, and we have lots more great stuff on our warehouse shelves... so you never know when A Giveaway A Day might return....

In the meantime, if you had your heart set on some of the items we've given away, or if you want to find something similar, or something completely different, be sure to check out our vast selection of City Diaries, planners, calendars, photo albums, scrapbooks, frames accessories, Nannini eyewear & more at www.PerAnnum.com.  And if you use coupon code BLOG10, you can take 10% off your order. Score!

A Giveaway A Day - Friday, 1/28

Well, we've come to the end of a fun week of giveaways. I hope that you've enjoyed these contests as much as I've enjoyed giving this stuff away. The latest round of entries have been tallied and a random winner has been chosen. The nifty Two's Company Bamboo Magnifer & Letter Opener Set goes to....

 Tracy P.
Sanford, NC

Congratulations, Tracy, and thanks for your retweet! We hope the letter opener and magnifier come in handy for all your letter-opening and magnifying needs.  We will contact you shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

Now it's time for the final giveaway. Today (and all weekend long) you can enter to win a special Kolo Photo Album Gift Set, containing a Hudson 3-up Album and a matching Noci Brag Book, both in the attractive Lake color. These are two of our most popular photo album selections.  The Hudson holds 300 photos and is perfect for those events/occasions/vacations/etc. where you couldn't help going a little camera-crazy! The Noci, meanwhile, holds 24 photos and ideal for carrying around photos of your most treasured memories wherever you go.  They also make excellent gifts.  (Combined retail value: $57.)

To enter, simply leave a comment below and let us know what kinds of pictures you'd fill these albums with. Baby pics? Vacation memories? Friends & family? Something totally out of the ordinary? For additional entries, you can Like our contest post on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and RT our contest post there. We will choose a random winner tomorrow, Monday, January 31st at around 2 p.m. EST.

Good luck!

A Giveaway A Day - Thursday, 1/27

Today's blog post is coming to you live from Per Annum's secret ice fortress, buried deep below snowy NYC. Just kidding -- I managed to make it to the office despite our latest blizzard, and so, the daily giveaways will go on! Thanks again to yesterday's entrants. The big winner of the unique, colorful Nannini Sport Trend Mountain Sunglasses is....

 Kathleen K.

Yes, Kathleen, we still let you win even though we are very jealous of you for living in Hawaii right now... but we hope these come in handy next time you visit Mauna Kea!  Congrats, and we will contact you shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

Today's giveaway will feature one of the more "unusual" products that we offer.  Aside from diaries & planners, journals, photo albums, scrapbook supplies and Italian eyewear, we also carry a wide variety of accessories -- both fashionable and functional -- ranging from clutches to luggage tags to iPhone cases and all points in between. We also have this very nifty Bamboo Magnifer & Letter Opener Set by Two's Company (retail value: $55), which would make an elegant addition to your home or office.  Plus it makes mundane tasks as opening your mail or poring over fine print seem a little more exciting.

To enter, simply leave a comment below and let us know what you think of these giveaways so far! (Inquiring minds -- i.e., mine -- want to know.) As always, for additional entries, you can Like our contest post on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and RT our contest post there. We will choose a random winner tomorrow, Friday, January 28th at around 2 p.m. EST.

Good luck!

A Giveaway A Day - Wednesday, 1/26

Another day, another prize to give away! Thanks once again to everyone who commented, liked and retweeted their way into this contest -- but alas, there can be only one winner. The envelope has been handed to me and the Oscar -- er, I mean, the Per Annum Prize Pack goes to....

 Chesnye G.
Kansas City, MO

Congratulations, Chesnye! We hope this prize pack helps keep you organized throughout the year in all facets of life. We will contact you shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

We're having another cold, snowy winter day here in NYC, which ties right into today's giveaway. Now, you may or may not be aware that Per Annum is the official North American retailer of Nannini FlatSpecs and Sport Specs -- an Italian-made line of unique eyewear ranging from compact, to high-end sunglasses specially designed for different sports and activities.

So, today we are giving away a pair of Nannini Sport Trend Mountain Sunglasses, which are specially designed for the snow and winter sports enthusiast.  Going skiing, or mountain climbing, or just braving a snowy commute to work? These sunglasses can help. As an added bonus, if you win, you can choose one of four colors:  Red, Green, Yellow or Orange.
These glasses have a retail value of $200 and are currently on sale for 50% off at www.FlatSpecs.com -- but you can have them for free!

To enter, simply leave a comment below and tell us where and/or how you'd most like to use these glasses. As always, for additional entries, you can Like our contest post on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and RT our contest post there. We will choose a random winner tomorrow, Thursday, January 27th at around 2 p.m. EST.

Good luck, and stay warm! (Unless you're already living in a warm climate, in which case, please don't rub it in!)

A Giveaway A Day - Tuesday, 1/25

Okay, gang, the entries have been gathered and a winner has been chosen for yesterday's giveaway! The lucky recipient of the unique, chic, colorful and useful Eccolo Avant Garde Journal is... drumroll, please....

 TERRI L.
New York, NY

Congratulations, Terri! Thank you for being a fan on Facebook (and in real life!), and I hope this journal comes in handy. We will contact you shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

Now it's time to reveal today's giveaway! Since the Raika agenda giveaway proved to be quite popular the other day, we've decided to put together a Per Annum Prize Pack containing some of our very own dated products for 2011.  This pack will include:

• Per Annum City Pocket Diary  (you choose the city & color)
• 18-City Metropolitan Desk Diary (with black eurohide cover)
• MyBook Adaptable Planner (6" x 8" size)
• NYC Wall Calendar (9" x 8" size)

With this collection, you can be sure to keep yourself organized at home, on the go, on the wall and even creatively! This prize pack has a retail value of $90.

      

To enter, simply leave a comment below and tell us why you'd like to win this prize pack. As always, for additional entries, you can Like our contest post on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and RT our contest post there. We will choose a random winner tomorrow, Wednesday, January 26th at around 2 p.m. EST.

GOOD LUCK!

A Giveaway A Day - Monday, 1/24

Okay, folks, I know everyone is waiting with bated breath for today's giveaway, so let's get right to it! Today's prize will be a lovely Eccolo Avant Garde Journal. The Eccolo collection of Italian leather crafted products was inspired by the avant garde artists of the 1920s -- each book is handcrafted with a unique combination of colors, so no two are alike.  But rest assured, yours will make an attractive writing companion....

 
 

This journal originally retails for $65 and was even once featured by Oprah herself -- and we'd like to give it to one of you loyal fans with our compliments!

To enter, simply leave a comment below and tell us how you would use this journal. Would you turn it into a recipe book? A dream journal? A place to record your innermost thoughts? For additional entries, you can Like our contest post on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and retweet that contest post  We will choose a random winner tomorrow, Tuesday, January 25th at around 2 p.m. EST. (And we'll announce the next giveaway at that time, too!)

Good luck, one and all! I look forward to reading your responses!

We Have a Winner!

Wow, everyone, thanks so much for all the entries in our weekend giveaway!  Clearly the Raika Leather Six-Ring Agenda was a much-coveted prize. The names have been tallied and a random number has been chosen -- so without further ado, the winner of this giveaway is....

Heather H.
Lexington, KY

Congratulations, Heather! You were vigilant with your entries and it paid off! I hope this planner comes in handy with your photography business and all aspects of life. We will contact you shortly with instructions on how to claim your prize.

To those who did not win, fear not -- we will be having more giveaways every day this week, so you will have plenty of chances to win something cool.  The next contest will be posted later this afternoon, so stay tuned!

A Giveaway A Day Returns!

It's been a while since our last round of giveaways, but we've got a bunch of great items just waiting to find new homes -- so let's get on with the Return of a Giveaway a Day! We'll have one giveaway up for grabs this weekend, and then a new one every day next week -- so if you haven't bookmarked this blog yet, now is the time!

We're going to kick off things with a bang.  Today's giveaway is for a Raika 2011 Six-Ring Agenda in stylish-and-classy Bronze Crocodile leather. This luxury planner features a complete organizational system and is packed with features including credit card slots, I.D. window, zipper compartment, pen loop and space in the outside cover for cash, papers, etc. Ample space inside for your daily planning, phone numbers & addresses, special events and more.

 
Not bad, eh? This agenda retails for $182 and can be yours with our compliments -- you just need to follow a few simple rules:

To enter this contest, simply leave a comment below and tell us why you need this planner.  For additional entries, you can Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and retweet our contest post  We will choose a random winner on Monday, January 24th at 10 a.m. EST.

Good luck, and be sure to check back next week for more chances to win great prizes!

MyBook on Heidi Swapp Live!

Happy New Year, Per Annum faithful!  Hope the first few days of 2011 have been treating everybody well.  Do you have big plans for the year ahead? Scrapbook megastars Heidi Swapp and Rhonna talked about this topic and our very own MyBook Adaptable Planner on their live web cast last night and showed off some pretty nifty artwork!  See the video below -- MyBook makes its grand appearance about 22 minutes in.

They’re offering special value kits on the House of 3 website featuring a 2011 MyBook + printable and digital art designed by Rhonna – watch the video, then look for the “Remarkable” kits!

Of course, you can also get the 2011 MyBook Planner directly from us at Per Annum -- we're currently offering specially-priced "multi-packs" -- the more you buy, the more you save! They are going fast, however, so get them while you can....

2011 Diaries Are Going Fast!

Brad Pitt FlatSpecs Fever may still be in the air here at Per Annum, but this time of year is always a busy one for our crew.  It's prime season for individuals, retail stores and corporations to buy their 2011 Diaries and we are deep in the process of sifting through those orders and shipping them out.  Those of you who pre-ordered your copies as far back as February should have received your copies by now.  But if you haven’t ordered yet... well, now is definitely the time!  In fact, I wouldn’t wait much longer, because they are going fast -- believe it or not, we are already sold out of the following colors:

Manhattan – Purple
Chicago – Teal
San Francisco – Purple and Teal
18-City Metro – Teal
Boston – Purple

Plenty of other great colors are still available, though, so don’t hesitate if you have your heart set on a particular style.

Here’s a handy list of the 2011 Diaries (as well as our all-new City Wall Calendar for NYC), with direct links to our website:

Manhattan Diary
Boston Diary
Chicago Diary
Los Angeles Diary
San Francisco Diary
18-City Metro Diary
NYC City Wall Calendar
Manhattan Daily Plan-It
Metro Desk Diary
InfoPlan Diary
InfoPrint Diary
InfoCord Diary
New Yorker Desk Diary
MyBook Adaptable Planner

Order soon!  2011 will be here before we know it....

Cayman Python Collection by Graphic Image

When it comes to our leather albums and accessories, we always offer the traditional or “safe” colors, but when fashion trends change – as they often do – we like to mix things up a bit.  So, for those of you who like to be bold, daring or just a little bit different, we will periodically introduce our latest fashion swatches. Some will have staying power, some will be a passing phase – it will be up to you to decide!

Today, in honor of this week's Brand of the Week, we feature the Cayman Python Collection brought to you by Graphic Image.

This stylish python-embossed leather (genuine leather that has been embossed to look like a textured python skin) comes in cool, deep jewel tones of Blue, Purple and Magenta, along with a rich chocolate Brown and a cool Grey.  It is available as a leather option for a wide variety of Graphic Image items, ranging from albums to picture frames to photo envelopes to luggage tags to iPad sleeves.

 

Shop all Graphic Image products by clicking HERE.  And since it is our current Brand of Week, be sure to use coupon code BOWG10 to take 10% off your Graphic Image order!

SPOTTED: Brad Pitt is a FlatSpecs Fan!

 

Well, imagine our surprise when we were alerted to the following photo in the British Daily Mail:

 

(Click the photo for the full article)

Yup, that's Brad Pitt sporting some stylish-looking reading glasses.  But wait -- don't those specs look familiar?  They are none other than our very own Nannini FlatSpecs Readers!  (Style Compact 1 in the Dolphin color, to be exact -- click here to find them on our website.)  Per Annum has been the official North American retailer of these Italian-made specs for several years and they have slowly but surely been gaining traction here in the States -- needless to say, this celebrity sighting makes us very happy!

Brad, it's great to see that you're a FlatSpecs fan!  If you need any other colors for yourself, or if you'd like to give a pair to Clooney as a gift, or perhaps some similarly-styled sunglasses for Angie and the kids, you can find them (and more) online at www.FlatSpecs.com.