Archive for Featured
First Friday in Bethlehem, PA
Many towns have some kind of First Friday events. In Bethlehem, we have a celebration of SouthSide businesses with music, food and wine tastings scattered throughout the shopping district.
Tonight at the Banana Factory where I am a current artist in residence, there will be 4 exhibit openings, including the resident artist “White Works” show. There will be live music, glass blowing, ceramic, and jewelry making demonstrations and much more! It all happens from 6-9pm – so if you can, be sure to stop by my studio #249 to say hello!
My 10×10″ acrylic painting on canvas above, “Hayden’s Adventure” was inspired by my friend’s young son and is also the piece I submitted into the White Works exhibit .
© Stephanie Smith All Rights Reserved.
A Big Welcome to our 1st Ever Official Journal Swap Participants!
While I’m still fiddling a bit with the theme and layout of the new Rhodia Journal Swap Tumblr blog – I’d like to introduce you to the 12 participants from out 1st ever Rhodia Journal Swap. (Click their links to visit their blogs/websites.) If you signed up but weren’t selected – hang tight! We are considering the addition of a second swap 6 months or so into the 1st swap.
Tammy Garcia
Pamela Fishkin Hero
Joy Rothke
Shane Couch
Kate Marshall
Trillium
Seth @ Good Pens
Andrea
Gretchen Boothe Hamilton
Kristina Day Osgood
Julie (O-kami)
Pinteresting?
Okay yes. I’ll admit it. I am slightly addicted to Pinterest. What is Pinterest? It’s a virtual pinboard that allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things we find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
I love browsing to find new ideas for patterns color combinations to use in my art. I find so much inspiration there…
Are you using Pinterest? How do you like it? Pin any Rhodia lately?
National Handwriting Day Today!
National Handwriting Day was established by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association in 1977 to promote the consumption of pens, pencils, and writing paper. January 23rd was chosen because it is the birthday of John Hancock- the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.
In this modern age of computers, I love how so many people continue to joyously express themselves through paper and their choice of a manual writing device. Oh happy day to paper & pens & pencils!
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?
Time is running out! Call for Entries for the 2012 Rhodia Journal Swap: “Favorite Things”
Last call! Interested in participating? Read on, then fill out the form below by tomorrow Jan 18th. We’d love if you would share this opportunity with your friends! Questions? Please submit via comments. Continue Readering »
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
Keeping a Dream Journal
Can’t remember your dreams? I’ve often heard that the best way to remember them is to write down anything you can remember immediately upon waking. Much insight and inspiration can come from examining our subconscious.
To learn more about keeping a dream journal:
Benefits of Keeping a Dream Journal
Keep a Dream Journal – Why Bother?
Dream Journaling 101: How to Keep a Dream Journal
Official Call for Entries for the 2012 Rhodia Journal Swap: “Favorite Things”
It’s here! Time to roll our our first ever Rhodia Journal Swap: “Favorite Things.” Interested in participating? Read on, then please fill out the form below by Jan 18th. We’d love if you would share this opportunity with your friends! Questions? Please submit via comments. Continue Readering »
Gearing up to start the 2012 Rhodia Journal Swap!
It’s happening!!!
I am putting together the final details surrounding the 2012 Rhodia Journal Swap and expect to start searching for our 12 participants sometime next week. If you haven’t heard about the swap, we are going to be providing 12 large dotWebbie journals to a dozen creative people to utilize for a few weeks at a time, who will then mail the book on to the next person, and so on, until it reaches the last person who in turn, mails it back to the person who started that book.
The dozen participants will be sharing their creativity via a group Tumblr Blog for us all to see.
You do not have to be an “artist” or a “writer” to participate, You should however, be creative and willing to share. This swap will be open to US residents age 18 or older. An international swap may happen at a later date.
More details, including the *Theme* of the swap, to be announced soon!
Road Art
I met artist Don Colley at NAMTA’s 2011 Art Materials World conference and trade show. He was demoing at the Faber-Castell booth and happened to walk by ours during a break. His work with colored pencils was so life-like it could practically walk off the page. 
Don had used some of our larger datebooks for sketches because they lay flat. I promised to send him a Webnotebook to sample, and asked him to let me know if he liked it.
I got this email from Don the other day: “Hi Karen, I recently finished drawing in the sweet little orange leatherette covered Rhodia web notebook you sent me. I took it on tour with me this Fall and got some fun pages. Thanks again for the little book, it was well suited to cross country travel in planes and on buses. Happy Holidays.”
Please visit Don’s website – Buttnekkiddoodles-Drawing from Life in Chicago and Beyond.
Thanks, Don! Hope to see you at NAMTA 2012 in Orlando! 
My New Space to Create!
After making the decision to leave my “day job” 3 years ago to lead a creative life, I worked at home amongst many distractions. My snoring husband, hollering bird, the lady across the street that (screams) sings Donna Summer’s greatest hits over & over…
I helped to write a book sitting at a computer in my kitchen (we eat in the living room) and then later graduated to working in the bird’s (tiny) room on a desk that belonged to my husband when he was in grade school. Continue Readering »
Happy Thanksgiving from your Rhodia friends!
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada (Columbus Day in the US) and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.
The event that Americans commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated Continue Readering »
Washington DC – Help a friend find a lost Rhodia?
Via Craigslist
Lost: Orange Rhodia Notebook (Yellow Line)
Date: 2011-11-14, 12:55PM EST
Reply to: comm-esxde-2701894025@craigslist.org
“On Saturday, November 12, late morning, I lost an orange Rhodia notebook somewhere between the Shaw-Howard University stop and the King St Station stop in Alexandria. This was about the 3-by-5 size, filled with graph paper, about three-fourths of which was written on. The writing was fictional narrative in the first person. If you found this notebook, please contact me. Thanks.”
If you are familiar with this area, perhaps you can re-post and/or share this?
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?
