Archive for Featured
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?
Faber Castell Artist, Don Colley
Last month at the NAMTA show I had the opportunity to meet Don Colley, an artist who hails out of Chicago. Don was over at the Faber Castell booth, and came by the Exaclair booth to ask me a question about our paper sizing (which I didn’t know.)
During his visit, Don showed some some of his sketches on an vintage ledger, a Quo Vadis Note 27, and mentioned he had sketched in Rhodia, too. He draws on all different types of paper, journals and notebooks with pencil, color pencils and inks. 
Don pointed out to me how flat the accounting ledger lay–almost perfectly flat–making it a great surface to work. Other than our very large planners which come close, I don’t think any of our books with sewn binding lays as flat as that ledger. I made a mental note to mention this to our product developers in France.
I thought Don’s sketches were better than any photograph–and told him so. He is one of the most talented portraitists I have ever seen.
You can see more of Don’s work on his website, on this Faber Castell video, and on our Rhodia Drive Facebook page.
Rhodia Fashion Show in Ulan Bator
It was in Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia and coldest city on earth, that the first Rhodia Fashion Show took place last December 15, 2010…
Inspired by the 75th Anniversary of Rhodia and the famous communication campaign of 12 glamorous fashion photographs and combined with a free interpretation of the iconic brand of two fir tree, a fashion show was born. Continue Readering »
A History of Gfeller Casemakers
More and more people write to Exaclair asking where they can get a custom leather cover for their journal or notebook. Our diaries and sketchbooks are precious possessions, and nothing lends a sense of ruggedness and individuality more than a leather cover. After all, it was made especially for you.
Gfeller Casemakers makes covers for Moleskines, and recently they started to make them for both large and pocket Rhodia Webbies. They also offer their Idaho Professional Field Folio specifically sized for the A4 top stapled pad. All their products can be seen here.
It is important to me to know the history of a company or product I plan to make my own. It will tell me about their values and character, and by extension, what’s important to other people who own and use the products. It’s that perceived kinship–past and present–that helps me to decide whether or not I want to belong to that group.
At my request, Steve Derricott, president and co-owner of Gfeller Casemakers, wrote this history of the company. I am delighted and honored to share it with you on Rhodia Drive: Continue Readering »
Sermons
Back in July we were contacted by Wilson Hines, a divinity student, with some suggestions on how the Rhodia Weekly Notebook-Academic year could be improved. He suggested that we have a two-page spread for the fall, spring and summer semester schedules. He also pointed out–quite correctly–that our current August-July year does not exactly match university sessions. We explained we have arranged it as we do to basically cover the school year and keep the cost down; more pages = more expense. However, we will bring up the changes Wilson suggested at our next product development meeting. Wilson’s comments on the Weekly Planner can be found on his blog, A Journey thru Academia. 
Wilson and I got to meet at the DC pen show a month later, and it was great to be able to talk to him in person. I asked him where he first heard of Rhodia and he said he discovered it on J. Mark Bertrand’s blog, Bible Design Blog. Mark Bertrand uses Rhodia pads to prepare his sermons. You can read about it here.
Bible Design Blog is a site devoted to innovative design and quality Bible binding. Mark Bertrand is also a mystery author. His latest book, Back on Murder, is the first in a series about Houston homicide detective Roland March.
Stephanie reminded me that Father Matthew Thurman, a frequent contributor to Rhodia Drive, uses a Webbie to write his sermons.
Earlier this spring, Fr. Thurman commented on using Rhodia in his work and ministry: “…as a pastor, I do a lot of preaching/teaching that involves putting together ideas from several different things I read. I’ve started using side-stapled Rhodia notebooks as “project books” for making notes and composing teaching outlines–i.e., a Bible study notebook, a sermon notebook, an adult class notebook, etc.”
Fr. Thurman’s blog is 30 Days.
Do you use or know of others who use Rhodia notebooks for sermons, inner reflection, as a retreat diary, or other spiritual work?
My New Pen
I am so delighted with my new pen I wanted to share it with all of you on Rhodia Drive! 
I ordered the pen from Brian Gray of Edison Pen Company at the Washington, DC pen show last month. “The Huron” felt good in my hand. I was intrigued with a new “snake clip” Brian had created, and ordered a black pen with the silver clip. Here’s a photo. You can see more on his flickr album here.
Even though I am a leftie I’m tired of writing with fine nibs all the time so I requested a medium nib.
I name some of my most beloved possessions, and have decided to name this pen after a character in a book I read growing up. The Iroquois Trail is the story of a young orphan boy, Dickon, who goes looking for his adopted brother among the nations of the Iroquois and meets many legendary figures, including Deganawida (The Great Peacemaker), Hiawatha, and Jigonsaee. One of the characters–who I think was also based on a real person–was a medicine man that supposedly had snakes in his hair. The character returned from memory when I saw the snake clip, so I’ve decided to name it after him. But I have to retrieve the book at the house to remember his name!
Friends, what color ink should I use first? I currently have Sailor, Pelikan, J. Herbin, Diamine and Pilot inks so I’m open to all suggestions.
Thank you!
Another Look at Paul Smith Notepads
Christina Villecco is an attorney and consultant who works in fashion merchandizing and related services. She also maintains a style blog, Wearing White After Labor Day. Here’s what she had to say about Paul Smith Rhodia pads: 
“No outfit is complete without the perfect accessories. Whether you’re a fashion addict like me, or someone who occasionally browses the New York Times Style section, the Rhodia notepad is a must-have. I’ve never been a one-size-fits-all kind of girl, so when it comes to my notebooks, there’s no exception. When Rhodia celebrated their 75th anniversary last year by collaborating with English fashion legend Paul Smith, the result was both obvious and irresistible. The iconic orange and black notepads got a facelift with ironic images from the English brand. If you’re wearing a simple white T and jeans kind of dresser, the classics are still a safe bet. But if you have a little edge in your step and prefer to mix stripes and patterns, try out the Paul Smith logo collection for an accessory sure to put the finishing touch on your ensemble.”
Rhodia Weekly Notebooks Update
In 2009 Rhodia introduced a Weekly Notebook. It features the week on the left, and a full page for notes in the famous Rhodia grid. The large size is made with 90g paper, and the pocket version with 64g paper. They are very slim and light.
Although the paper and cover materials come from France, it is made for Rhodia by Quo Vadis in Hamburg, NY. Quo Vadis does not consider it a Quo Vadis planner. It is a Rhodia product. While only offered now in the U.S., I understand it may be picked up by Rhodia for other countries including France.
We sold out two printings completely by September 2009. We could have reprinted a third time, but couldn’t get cover material in time from France.
The standard Weekly Notebook runs from January-December. This year we are introducing an academic year version that will run August-July.
If you plan to attend CAMEX, the college bookstore show in Orlando in March; the National Stationery Show in May, or the DC Pen Show in August, Rhodia Weekly Notebooks will be on display for you to see and examine.
As always, your comments and thoughtful suggestions are much appreciated.
Online Retailer Spotlight: JetPens
JetPens founders: Adrian Mak, Lily Kim, and Shu Yao, in front of Stanford University’s main quad arch.
I’d like to take a moment to welcome JetPens into the Rhodia Drive Retailer Spotlight. JetPens specializes in hard to find Japanese pens and stationery supplies. (They also carry products from Exacompta, J. Herbin and Rhodia- including the new Webnotebook.) I, like many of my friends, have spent plenty of drool time (and cash!) poring over their glorious selections of brush pens, fountain pens, and gel pens- oh my!
When we selected JetPens for the latest Retailer Spotlight, I had a few questions for Shu Yao, one of the founders of JetPens: Continue Readering »
Retailer Spotlight: Art Brown International Pen Shop Find them online and in NYC
For me, Art Brown’s retail store located at 2 West 45th Street in New York City is a paper, pen, and ink lover’s dream come true. “One of America’s leading Fine Writing Instrument Dealers. In business more than 83 years.”
The most Rhodia I have ever seen in one place – and there was yet another free standing rack filled with the new planners and smaller tablets.
Clairefontaine journals in every size, shape and color.
Miquelrius and Moleskine journals as well as several brands that I wasn’t familiar with. (I spy a Quo Vadis red Habana in the upper left of this picture…)
Every color of J. Herbin ink right at your fingertips!
Diamine inks…. and there were loads of other ink brands as well- some not as familiar to me as these three. I purchased a bottle of the hard to find Sailor Nano Black ink.
And my oh my, does Art Brown sell pens! We were in the store the day the new Sailor Realo was introduced in America- and were also quite fortunate to have our Sailor pen nibs tweaked by Mr. Nagahara from the Sailor Pen Company.
I regret not having spent more time in the store, but I was actually afraid to look at the pens because I would have been there for days and I needed to get back to Port Authority to catch my bus. I can’t WAIT to go back. Next time, I’m buying a pen for sure!
Retail store located at 2 West 45th Street, New York NY 10036.
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am-6:15pm Sat 10:am-6:00pm
You can also visit Art Brown on the web at http://www.artbrown.com
Chef Hosea Rosenberg on Rhodia
Season 5 (Bravo Network) Top Chef Hosea Rosenberg, originally from Taos, New Mexico, was always good at math. After graduating 3rd in his class at Taos High School, he moved to Boulder, CO to study at the University of Colorado. His dream was to be an astronomer. During his years as a Colorado Buffalo, Hosea worked in local kitchens to pay his way through school. In 1997, he was awarded a Bachelors of Science in Engineering Physics. After graduation, he spent some time traveling and it was then he realized he was spending more time thinking about food than about math.
We just learned that Chef Hosea likes the Meeting Notebook and the Reverse Pad:
“Rhodia can handle the abuse of my work environment: moisture, dirt, and getting tossed around. I carried one with me during my competition and it really came in handy. I love to sketch my ideas on paper but most notebooks just fall apart in the kitchen. The Rhodia pads look great and stay together all the way to the last page.”
