Archive for Editorial
Shopping your local Farmers’ Markets
With spring and warmer weather on it’s way to the US, many of our seasonal local farmers’ markets are getting ready to start back up. I live in a metropolitan region of 800+ thousand (3rd largest in PA behind only Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) and we’ve got more than a few mainstays with regards to local markets. Continue Readering »
2013 Rhodia WebPlanners
Friends, your voices have been heard.
We are manufacturing a 2012-2013 Rhodia WebPlanner academic edition in pocket and large. They will be available in black or orange covers.
We are also bringing back the orange cover for the 2013 calendar year edition. 
The academic year editions will begin to ship to retailers in early May; calendar year by mid-June.
We are completely sold out of the large 2012 WebPlanner….right down to the two samples we had in the office!
If you want the planner of your choice, please see your retailer early in the season.
Stephanie will host some WebPlanner raffles when they roll off the presses so stay tuned!
Oscars Anyone?
In the late 80′s when VHS players became reasonably priced, I, like many others, bought one and began turning my living room into a nightly mini-theater. My husband and I would put pillows and blankets on the floor in front of our 25″ TV and pop in one after another of our favorite horror movies and also every new release we could get our hands on. Continue Readering »
Friday Link Share
Five things I learned in Creative Writing Class at Writing Forward
Tohkin Pencil Holder at Pencil Talk
Fisher Space Pen Review at Field Notes and another at Quo Vadis Blog
Modern budget fountain pens at The Well Appointed Desk
Ink Formula Modifications And Consumers, An Unhappy Mix at Inkophile Continue Readering »
Rhodiarama Rhodia
A couple of people have written to us asking when Rhodiarama Rhodia will be available in the US. 
Rhodiarama Rhodia is a new product for 2012 – it basically 15 colored versions of a pocket Webbie. Colors include: black, chocolate, taupe, beige, anise, turquoise, sapphire, iris, purple, lilac, raspberry, poppy, tangerine, orange and yellow. The paper is 90g, and the size is 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ or A6.
You can see them on the French Rhodia website here.
Here’s the biggest reason we are not carrying them now: they aren’t made yet. What you see on the French site is a prototype.
We expect the manufacturing to be done this spring, and hope to have some samples on hand at the National Stationery Show (May) and for Book Expo (June).
If there is sufficient interest by our retailers we may bring in some? all? of the colors to have on sale by June or July.
They are expensive—and will retail somewhere between $18.50-$20 each. Are you willing to pay that amount for a pocket journal?
If so, what colors do you like?
Thank you! Your votes make a difference!
Randi’s Safaris
The Lamy Safari is a very popular fountain pen- I know because I’ve got more than a few myself. They don’t cost an arm and a leg (around $35 with an ink convertor) and are pretty darn sturdy. They are a great starter pen for new fountain pen enthusiasts because of their firm nib design. People switching from ballpoints/rollerballs to a fountain pen may at first write a little harder than they need to until they get used to the fact that they barely have to touch the pen to the paper for the ink to flow. While the nibs on some fountain pens are more delicate and can become misaligned or damaged with a heavy hand, I can say that my Safari’s have come shining through a fair amount of abuse. (Except for the one I dropped nib first to the kitchen floor)
As you try different fountain pens, (because I don’t know anyone that only has one) you may decide that you prefer a firmer nib (affectionately called a “nail”) or one with more flex. (Super flexy pens are known as “wet noodles.”) I tend to flip flop depending on my mood.
Photo courtesy of Randi Zafman. See more of your favorite pens in our Photo Pages.
Connecting one thing to another
I’ve received a recent question pertaining to Tuesday’s blog post in which I wrote about my husband cooking me a dinner of loose meat sandwiches. The question surrounded the relevance of that post to Rhodia and its fine writing products, so I have decided to elaborate and see if I can explain how my brain made the connection. Continue Readering »
The First Ever Rhodia Journal Swap is underway!
“What a friend you are to me,
When the “chips” are down, you are there for me.”
So starts Trillium’s poetic musings in “Ode to a Redfish” – one of his first contributions to his shiny new dotWebbie.
The group should all have received their journals by now and are starting to dig in. You can see how and what they are doing via the group Tumblr blog we’ve set up: Rhodia Journal Swap.
Have you written in your journal today?
Sloppy Joe
Working late in my studio tonight, I get a text from my husband that he made “Sloppy Joe’s” for dinner. Yum. What’s a Sloppy Joe?
From Wikipedia: “A sloppy joe is an American dish of ground beef, onions, sweetened tomato sauce or ketchup and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun. Commercially made sauces are also available…. The Original Sloppy Joe Sandwich was invented by a cook named Joe at a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, as a variation of the popular “loose meat” sandwich (which does not contain tomato sauce).”
As my husband is learning to cook, I won’t hold it against him that he bought a can of the prepared sauce, but I will someday soon teach him to make it like my Mom used to. She’d first saute green peppers and onions, (always chopped very small) then add and brown the ground beef which she’d season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. The sauce? Heinz Ketchup mixed with Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard. (The 2 major condiments of my youth) Super simple and very tasty. She’d serve it along with her homemade macaroni salad – comfort food at it’s best.
When was the last time you ate a version of a loose meat sandwich? Do you have a special recipe for the sauce?
Superbowl Bet
Superbowl fever has gripped NYC. Everyone I know will be glued to the TV or out at a bar watching the game on Sunday. Except me. My team–Green Bay–got knocked out, and the NY Jets never made it to the playoffs. My spouse is a big Eli Manning fan, so she’s rooting for the Giants. Her family–Massachusetts born and bred, considers her a major traitor! 
But ever since girlhood, when my Packers would go up against my Dad’s NY Giants, I have loved to bet on games. This year is no exception!
Anybody who guesses the final score will get a new Webnotepad (flip top reporter style with dot grid) when they arrive from France!
Good luck!
My guess: NEW YORK GIANTS – 27 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS – 24
Friday Link Share
From www.officemuseum.com Large Office. Photograph by National Photograph and Advertising Co., Chicago, IL.
Cleaning Fountain Pens at Pentamento
Notebook Necklaces at Notebook Stories
Intuitive Ink Prep at Creative Every Day
What’s in your DIY Toolkit? at Lifehacker
Eight Charachteristics of Good Writing at Writing Forward
Carving stamps the other way at daisy yellow blog
LiveScribe your planners and notebooks at QuoVadis Blog
Pen Storage: How do you store your pens? at A Penchant for Paper
US Postage Rate Increase in January 2012 at Missive Maven
Fountain Pen Nib Comparison Video at The Pen Addict
Abandoned Hollywood Theater Hidden Above NY Shop at WebUrbanist
Favorite Brand of Fountain Pen Ink- The Poll Results at Inkophile
Starting a New Journal – Which Format do you Use, Digital or Analog? at The Gadgeteer
Visit www.officemuseum.com for many more vintage office photos like the one above.
And finally, searching “Office Supplies” on Pinterest cool stuff!
FOX CLASSICS – Forever Classic ID – A Full Minute from The DMCI on Vimeo.
Journal Swap Soon to be Underway!
Thank you to everyone who signed up for our 1st ever Rhodia Journal Swap! We had quite a few entries and it wasn’t easy to chose 12, but we did. Once I confirm their participation, the swap will commence!
You might like to know that since we had so many people sign up for this first swap, we are considering implementing a second one in 6 months – stay tuned!
Fountain Pen Friendly?
Several years ago when I first started writing with a fountain pen, I quickly discovered that many brands of paper did not play well with the water based fountain pen inks that I had grown to love. This lead to my somewhat obsessive testing & publicly reviewing various paper, pen & ink products on my personal blog biffybeans.com. While some brands like our Rhodia & Clairefontaine products are known to be fountain pen ink friendly, (no bleedthrough, seethrough or feathering) this recent post on the Writer’s Bloc blog says it best:
“Each fountain pen nib, each brand of ink, each color of ink and the paper in each notebook or journal will interact differently when used with each other. The equation pen + paper + ink = good/bad results changes each time you change a component of the equation.”
I’ve also found that humidity can sometimes be a factor in how quickly the ink dries (or fails to dry) on the page.
Have you found a specific combination of paper/pen/ink that you are happy with?
Your Preference for Paper Color
I’ve always been more of a fan of writing on off-white paper than white. I think the off-white is easier on the eyes for long writing sessions, but I do like the intensity of a white page for brainstorming, mind-maps, and event planning. Fans of fountain pens love to use the plethora of available ink colors and while I know that white paper will really show them in their glory, I don’t mind the nice warm hue that the off-white paper adds to my favorite ink colors.
Which color paper do you prefer and why?
Webbie Lite?
We recently received this request from a fan and are wondering what you think – would you have a use for a Webbie Lite?
“I love my dot Webbie and would love it even more if a slightly different version were available. I am thinking about one with a thinner cover (like the premium pads) and slightly fewer pages (~72 vs. the current 96) but still with the elastic closure and expandable pocket and still with the gorgeous ivory 90g paper.”
From Mike in AZ
