Archive for September, 2011
Stephanie’s Huge Anniversary Giveaway! (You wanted more dots, you got ‘em!)
In celebration of my 2nd anniversary writing for Rhodia Drive, I wanted to give away a few things that YOU love. There will be 20 winners chosen at random and each will receive 1 large dotWebbie, 1 #12 dotPad and 2 Rhodia pencils.(<- So you can play lines & dots with the dotPads!)
This contest is now closed – winners will be announced here on the blog, Thursday October 6th. Thank you to all who entered!
We love your photos!
We really appreciate seeing your Rhodia pics and you can share them in several ways:
Add them to our Flickr Photo Group
Upload them to our Rhodia Drive Facebook Page
Submit them to be used on our Rhodia Drive Photo Pages.
I especially love seeing people take them on the road. Who has a picture of Rhodia at the Grand Canyon?
Parker 51 Fountain Pen
John Halbrooks’ recent submission of a vintage Parker 51 fountain pen for our favorite pen photo page got me a little sad. I have one of these but it needs repair. Found it a few years back at a local antique co-op. It wrote beautifully then one day started leaking all over my hands – the hood is cracked and I think the nib might need adjustment. I know I can get it fixed but paying for its repair is one of the reason I tend to stay away from vintage pens – the fragility factor. (John’s pen is above, mine is below) I hate falling in love with something that can’t really be replaced.
Quo Vadis Habana Journals
One of my favorite non-Rhodia products from Exaclair is the Quo Vadis Habana. They are a slightly different animal than Rhodia’s Webbie. First off, they have stiff, but not hard covers – take note that the cover on the small Habana is stiffer than on the large.
The paper in the Habanas is an 85g off-white versus Continue Readering »
Rhodia in Kuching, Borneo
I am not sure you all have met Cecilia yet – she is Exaclair’s Product Marketing Manager and also a frequent poster to our Rhodia Drive Facebook page. She sent me the image along with some stories from her recent journey….. Continue Readering »
Cover Decorations
Jon Gaffney recently sent us this picture of his Kaweco fountain pen for our Favorite Pen photo pages and the cool stickers made me want to ask if you are also decorating your Webbie covers or leaving them plain. I know we have people doodling on the Bloc Rhodia pads, but if you show me some interesting cover decorations, (send to stephanie@rhodiadrive.com) I might just have to start up a new photo page. (I actually added a bit of paint to my last Webbie but keep forgetting to take a picture of it……)
Creative Inspiration
A recent Wall Street Journal article – “The Biking Detective” by Alexandra Alter, described how crime writer George Pelecanos gets his inspiration and details: biking around Washington, DC on his road bike, “lingering in back alleys, cemeteries and abandoned parking lots.” “That’s really the time when I’m writing the book,” said Mr. Pelecanos. “In terms of plot, I don’t outline, I kind of search for it when I’m out here.” Mr. Pelecanos has published 17 books and worked as a writer on HBO shows “The Wire” and “Treme.” 
He is working on a new novel called “The Cut.” The main character is Spero Lucas, a 29-year-old Marine who returns from Iraq to find work as an investigator for a Washington lawyer and his shady clients. When a drug dealer wants him to recover a missing package of marijuana, Lucas demands a 40% cut, and enters into a dangerous stand-off with a criminal ex-cop named Ricardo Holley.
The article describes how the plot came together during one of Pelecanos’ daily rides. “One day, he found a squat, dark red brick bungalow near Georgia Avenue that looked like it could house a low-profile criminal like Holley. He rode around back and saw that it was protected only by a cheap, low fence. ‘You could break into it during the day and no one would know,’ he says. The details about the house–the hopable fence and the secluded back alley sparked a break-in scene in the novel that jolts the plot forward.
Reading about George Pelecanos’ creative inspiration reminded me of one of my own. I was hiking along the banks of the Delaware River, when I spotted a bone sticking out of the riverbank. I was sure it was either a relic of the historic skirmishes with the Indians, or the remains of some murder victim. I dug it out and remembering all the crime sitcoms, put it carefully in a plastic bag. I brought it to the local police station to hear it…was…a…sheep bone. Oh, well. But I remember the thrill of discovery, and all the plot lines that began to emerge.
Is your writing or creative inspiration prompted by unexpected discoveries?
Click here to read more about George Pelecanos and “The Cut.”
Meet Sterling Witt
It’s kind of an odd story on how I came to meet Sterling Witt. I’d heard of him because he had been nominated for a local music award, but he isn’t local to the Lehigh Valley or even Pennsylvania. Apparently there is a rule that allows any artist that has performed more than six times in our area to be eligible for a nomination for the Lehigh Valley Music Awards though I’m not even sure how Sterling, a singer/songwriter/visual artist from a small town near Kansas City, MO even found his way to the Valley in the first place.
I must have first seen something about him on Facebook then clicked a link to see what he was all about. His music is playful & catchy, his voice deep and soothing, but his art, his ART!!! AHHHH! I loved it immediately! Continue Readering »
Fan suggestion: Rhodia Postcards and Notecards?
I received a recent question from Rusty asking whether Rhodia had ever considered making fountain-pen-friendly postcards or notecards. He thinks they would be a big hit with our fans especially if available in both black and orange versions with a dotted back side.
What do you think? Would you buy Rhodia postcards? Are you finding typical post cards bleed or feather with fountain pen inks?
What Happened to Summer?
I know it’s mid September, but it was down to something like 45 degrees last night – I had to close all my windows and turn the fans off. (Though I didn’t turn on the heat.) I’m not exactly sure where the summer went, but maybe here in the northeast we’ve distracted by earthquakes and torrential rain to notice. I know than many people are big fans of fall colors but this season always makes me a little sad as things start to wither and die as they give way to the cold.
I’ve always pondered living in another part of the country where it doesn’t snow and stays somewhat warm all year and to a degree, it’s somewhat beyond my comprehension. I once visited southern California in the early winter, scraping ice off my windshield in the morning on my way to the airport, then walking out of LAX to a sunny 86 degrees… it’s surreal and I’m not sure how the body calculates the passing of time when the changing seasons don’t make such a dramatic statement like they do in my part of the world.
Do you live somewhere where it’s warm all year? Or have an extended winter?
Maps to where?
I think maybe we all have probably doodled something at one time or another that looked something like a map. The image above is one I found that I made several years ago, but it’s nothing compared to what Jerry Gretzinger’s been doing. Watch his amazing video below.
Jerry’s Map from Jerry Gretzinger on Vimeo.
New Tools: Koh-i-noor Woodless Colored Pencils
Our friend Gail Young recently sent me an e-mail about these Koh-i-noor woodless pencils which I have yet to try. Her thoughts?
- Soft but not smudgy.
- Blend beautifully. Continue Readering »
Art Journal Inspiration from Daisy Yellow.
Daisy Yellow blog has long been an exciting source of art inspiration for me. Tammy’s art, and the infectious way she shares it via her various projects and creative prompts makes it easy to jump right in and start creating. In the following video, Tammy demonstrates and discusses creating a two-page art journal spread in an Exacompta journal.
Pastel Chaos in the Exacompta from Tammy on Vimeo.
This second video shows Tammy flipping through a half-filled Exacompta sketchbook, and I’m sure you will quickly see one of the main reasons I am drawn to Tammy & her work.
Flip-Thru Exacompta Journal from Tammy on Vimeo.
Not familiar with the Exacompta sketch book? You can read my review on my personal blog.
Link Share Friday
New R by Rhodia tablet: my new favorite paper! at The Missive Maven
Andreus Englund at Empty Kingdom
Finger Painted Art Journal Backgrounds at Daisy Yellow
In which the University of Washington renews my faith in bookstores at Strikethru
Upside-down Fountain Pen Doodles at Speck’s Sketch Blog
Journal Writing at Nordljus
Charles Keene – Keene Fountain Pens at Fountain Pen Restoration
Inside my Art Journal: Exploring my Yellow Self at Feed Your Soul Art
Notebook Pockets – Do you use them? at A Penchant for Paper
Art Student Hand-Illuminates, Binds a Copy of Tolkien’s Silmarillion at Make: Technology on your own time
Don’t forget about our Rhodia Drive group on Flickr!
Image at top by Sophie.
Micro-Journaling
Do you Tweet? Use Facebook? When you post those updates, you are essentially micro-blogging. Want to journal but don’t know where to start? Try micro-journaling! Simply put the date and a sentence or two of what’s going on in your life. If filling entire pages with life experiences, goals, or day to day thoughts isn’t your thing, this will allow you to put a minimum to paper for you to reflect upon at a later date – or to pass on to a future generation.
So many people think that no one else would ever want to read what they’ve written, but I bet most of them would jump at the chance to read about a day in the life of a long gone ancestor.
Or not. :o)
