I almost never win anything in my life. I was just about sure that I had a dark cloud looming over me just about everywhere I went. However, last Saturday was a bit different from the other days because I actually won something.

I won an iPad mini!

I work at the mall and there was a kiosk that was set up right in front of my work area last Friday. Even though it was in the “prime” area, people avoided it because they didn’t want to be sold on a service and because they didn’t exactly know what the kiosk was really all about. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I went over there with Peter to check it out. I got to play around with a lot of things and the representative told us that they were giving away an iPad Mini the next day. I didn’t think we would get it since I never win anything and the fact that we bought one in March magically kills my luck. I must’ve forgotten that Peter tends to win everything all the time from XBOX gold memberships to video games to Hulu. I should’ve known.

I was working the next day when my co-worker, Challen, came up to the booth to start his shift exclaiming, “Did Peter really just win an iPad mini?!?” I instantly did my happy dance, boldly and proudly, for everyone to see. I haven’t been so happy in a long time. Peter came over to my booth and brought it to me. We had spoken the previous night that if we ever won it, I would get the new one since he already had one. Recently, I had used his iPad mini but it wasn’t set up for me so there was little I could do with apps and settings that could never be beneficial to me. I had just hoped that the agreement of me getting the iPad would stick.

Mine. It’s All Mine!

So Peter handed me the iPad mini and I told him that we would get to open it together when we both got out of work a couple of hours later (because I am patient like that). I’m all about delayed gratification! I put the new iPad into my bag which housed the other iPad mini and I secretly felt smug about having two at the same time. (silly me!) When we got out that afternoon, we climbed into the car and I took off the plastic shrink wrap and unboxed it while Peter snapped photos of the event. I put the iPad back into the box and decided I would take it home before I did anything with it. Here is where you all reading this find out how weird of a person I am. I got home at 4 PM and I literally left my iPad mini, still covered in plastic, still in its box, and still in my bag, on the floor propped against my desk for a couple of hours. I didn’t take it out to set it up until 8 PM. I’m sure Peter wanted to ask me why I hadn’t taken it out yet and perhaps he didn’t think I was excited enough. I was completely and very excited, so much that I had to get my usual tasks such as emails, homework, and etc., over with before I could finally have the peace and quiet to open it and enjoy it. I told you that I am weird.

I installed all the finances programs first and my social networking apps, games, and etc. I put everything into folders so my iPad literally only has one screen. I am minimalist (not when it comes to words though!) and I keep it pretty tidy. All the apps are in their respectively labeled folders (Games, Social, Entertainment, Tools, and etc.). I set up everything and was quite content with the results, especially after Peter installed iOS 7 on both of ours. I was finally glad that we didn’t have to share anymore and that I finally had a tablet. Peter has about 4-5.

Finding the Case

The past few days have been quite hectic because I am paranoid about things getting dinged and scratched, so much that I did not take the plastic that the iPad mini was encased in off. I know the feeling of damaging new items so I take precautions. I knew that I needed Ghost Armor for the screen (I’m going to get matte tomorrow) and I knew that I needed a case. Peter has a smart cover from Apple but I find it too flimsy, lacking in structure and the fact that it did not protect the back of the iPad even though the material is quite durable already. I went onto to Amazon, found a few potential candidates but none exhumed quality. I went on designer label sites and found the designs lacked originality. I then began to Google quality iPad mini cases and I finally came up with a few things. I proceeded to Youtube reviews of the cases and made note of every comment. After a whole day of research, I decided to order my case from:

Pad & Quill

The P&Q cases called out to me for several reasons.

1. They offer a variety of designs although they are uniformly made out of Baltic birch. There is a design for everyone whether you are a professional, an artist, a student, or a full grain leather lover. All of their cases (everything from iPads, iPad minis, MacBook Airs, iPhone 5s, to Kindle e-readers) are designed to look like a handmade book. I have a journal that looks like a handmade book and it is one of the best things I’ve ever paid money for (I only wish I had gotten more at the time). I am aware that there are other brands that make the tome-styled cases, but the Pad & Quills are very well-made and of high quality (and they’re not that expensive either!).
2. They are family-owned and handmade. Don’t be surprised when you call them and find out that the person taking the phone calls is also the one making the cases. You don’t get that much these days. Everything is mass manufactured so many corners are cut in order to produce a lot for so little. The process P&Q uses to make their cases is very traditional and mimics a lot of the methods used in bookbindery. The great thing about these small mom-and-pop owned companies is that they are more likely to listen to the feedback of their customers AND be able to do something about it. I feel more comfortable buying from a company who is more likely to be able to deliver if I push hard enough.
3. Their cases are not uniform. They are unique. Not only is it handmade, I take pride knowing that there are little nuances in my case that make it different from another case. It is sturdy yet light and structured yet tight. The wooden part of the case is deeper and there are individual slots for everything as opposed to an open concept. The Pad & Quill holds your electronics so well that a built-in ribbon is needed to take your item out. I tried to pry, shake, and take the iPad mini out without the ribbon and despite all my attempts, the iPad mini stayed in and hadn’t budged a bit.

Sure, I could’ve gotten a DODOcase or an Otterbox but I must say that for my own needs, I went with Pad & Quill because of those three reasons listed above. I ordered on Monday and my case got here yesterday. I had ordered two of the Graduate edition cases at $59.99 per case, one in Slate/Deep Sea Blue (for me) and one in Cayenne/Slate (for Peter). I like the feel of bindery cloth so I opted for the Graduate over its leather siblings, the Aria and the Octavo.  The shipping was free for my order and I used my promo code to get $10 off the whole purchase. I spent just over $100 for them and I’m very content.

For anyone interested in Pad & Quill cases, please check out the link below:

http://www.padandquill.com/

I hope you enjoyed the post and please feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an email if you have any questions about the cases (I do not work for these guys. I just get excited about things I buy.).

I’ll leave this post with photos of my new iPad mini (16GB wifi … haha, I wish it was wifi + cellular!) and the Pad & Quill Graduate Edition case: