While we are not affiliated with Timbuk2, the San Fransisco bag manufacturer founded in 1989, we do want you to know that it is possible to customize a bag to hold your most favorite orange and black stationery products….

We’ve got 12 people from all over the US writing, drawing, and creating collages dedicated to their “Favorite Things” in our first ever Rhodia Journal Swap. The dozen members of this project are all working in large Rhodia dotWebbies and are documenting their creations on the group Tumblr blog that we set up for the swappers. Each person is working on several pages in each book before sending it on to the next person.

Would you be interested in participating in a future swap? We are considering starting a second round midway through the first.

More recent creations from the swap:

From Sandra Strait

From Andrea

From Tammy

Top image by Kristina.

I love to see Rhodia pads appear in unexpected places.

Lori and I sat down for a post-Easter dinner snack at the Hellenic Snack Bar in East Marion, NY.  A young woman came over to take our order and pulled out a black No. 12 Rhodia pad!

“Is that a Rhodia?” I asked her.  She pulled out the pad for a look.  “No one claimed it from the Lost & Found,” she said. “I love the smooth paper.”

There isn’t any place to buy Rhodia out on the North Fork of Long Island (yet) so I promised to bring along a few Rhodia notebooks for her chemistry classes.

Hey, who lost their Rhodia?

If you get to the Hellenic Kitchen (as we locals call it) – don’t miss the lemonade.  It’s the best!

Season 5 Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg and award winning mixologist James Lee recently opened a full service catering company called Blackbelly. Might he have conceptualized this idea within the covers of one of his favorite Rhodia Reverse pads? We’d love to think so! Working out of a custom-built mobile kitchen trailer allows Blackbelly Carering to travel their clients location and prepare meals fresh on site.

From Chef Hosea’s website: “The company draws from fresh, seasonal ingredients, including naturally raised animals and produce from Hosea’s Blackbelly farm, to deliver innovative cuisine to accommodate its variety of clientele that range from corporate events to private residential dinners.”

Read more about Chef Hosea and Blackbelly on Westword’s Cafe Society.

Gentian Osman is one of our favorite calligraphy artists from the blog Drawing with a Squirrel where she can often be found creating the most amazing ink and watercolor art. In this image, Gentian is using the last page of a Rhodia Unlimited pocket book to test a few Hi Tec C Coleto pens.

I myself have kept specific journals to test different kinds of fountain pen inks, and in my various journeys to find the perfect journal have often sacrificed a page or two to see how my different pens would write on any given type of paper. Our friend Brad over at The Pen Addict tests a new pen or pencil almost daily on his blog and makes me feel like I am not alone in this world of wanting to find the ultimate pen/paper/ink writing combo.

Do you like to test different pens/pencils? Do you have one book or tablet where you keep the tests for reference?

Sabato “Simon” Rodia (April 15, 1875 – July 16, 1965) was an outsider artist who built the Watts Towers – an infamous Los Angeles landmark. Simon began construction of the Watts Towers in 1921, but did not finish them until 1954.

From the ArtJunction website: “Located in south Los Angeles, in a community known as Watts, stands a monument to one man’s spirit, ingenuity, and determination. Built single-handedly by Simon Rodia over a period of 34 years, the Watts Towers consists of 17 separate sculptural forms made of steel and covered with cement mortar embedded with pieces of ceramic tile, pottery shards, sea shells, and broken glass. The tallest tower is nearly 100 feet high.” To read the full article, please click here.

View a short documentary created in 1957 on Simon and the Watts Towers:

A beautiful photo documentary of the Watts Towers can be found here.

An additional detailed article about how the Towers were almost demolished can be found here.

A few eagle eyed Rhodia fans recently spotted a large orange spiral notebook with our familiar logo on the front on the new NBC show, Smash. (Actress Debra Messing is shown holding it above.) “Smash” is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire – to be a “Smash.”

I’ve sent a note to NBC to try and find out if this book was a simple prop, or since it appears to be well loved, if it actually belonged to one of the cast or crew. I will keep you posted!

I wonder when this image was taken. 1940′s maybe? I’m specifically eyeballing the cahiers on the right – the ones that look like composition books. Seeing the rounded corners on each of the products above makes me so happy – rounded corners are kinder on the palm of your hand when you reach the bottom of the page.

See anything you like? If there were enough interest, maybe we could convince Rhodia in France to reproduce one of their vintage designs…

Mr. Frank Thompson (“Frankie T”) is a lobster fisherman living on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine. He needs to keep records for the National Marine Fisheries Service, and he uses Clairefontaine wire bound notebooks to write down his entries. Some of the fishermen use laptop computers, but Mr. Thompson considers them unreliable, and sticks with Clairefontaine. His faith was rewarded after a recent disaster.

His boat, Independence, struck a ledge, and went down in 10 fathoms or 60 ft. of water. Nine hours later, he had it on a barge headed back to the harbor for repairs. Mr. Thompson searched the boat looking for his notebooks. It is vital he find them, because they contained all his numbers and information on his fishing gear.

He finally located the notebooks on the top of the engine. All his entries were still readable. The paper was damp, but the book held together, and he was able to turn the pages. “They were in good condition, just a little smudged with diesel oil. It was just like when I wrote on them. Quite remarkable,” he said.

Mr. Thompson and other fishermen purchase their Clairefontaine from Carlene Michael at Vinal’s News Stand AKA “The Paper Store” in Vinalhaven. Carlene told us “fishermen love Clairefontaine paper because it holds up so well in the damp weather of Maine.”

In case you’re curious, Mr. Thompson writes with a ballpoint pen. Nothing fancy, just good and reliable. “The Paper Store” has been around since the 1870s.

Our UK friends at the Pens and Paper blog tested a number of notebook papers with four different fountain pens – each filled with a different ink. If you ever wanted to know how water based inks react on a certain paper, this is a great series of photos and commentary to help you choose the best product for your needs. The papers that were tested:

1. Whitelines (grid);
2. Rhodia Webnotebook (lined and dot grid);
3. Quo Vadis Habana (lined);
4. Monseiur (plain);
5. Moleskine (lined);
6. Leuchtturm 1917 (lined);
7. Rhodia ePure (plain);
8. Jottrr (lined/plain);
9. Rhodia Exabook (lined);
10. Clairefontaine (lined and Séyès ruled);
11. Smythson Featherweight (lined); and,
12. Archie Grand (plain).

Read the full post here.

Karen recently received some questions about Herbin’s Perle Noire ink. Since this is one I have reviewed and regularly use, I’d be happy to respond.

Is this ink a really dark black? While I haven’t tried every black ink on the market, I have used quite a few across brands such as Noodler’s, Sailor, Pelikan, Aurora and Diamine. It was important to me to find a very black ink and I was happy enough with the Perle Noire that I stopped looking. I’ve heard of Noodler’s having a number of different black inks that I have not tried. (I’ve only ever used their Bulletproof Black)

I also tend to place a certain amount of importance on the smell of an ink- Herbin inks have a slight sweet odor that I find completely acceptable. Some inks have more of a chemical scent which I try and stay away from.

Second, is this ink pH-neutral? From JHerbin.com: “Herbin uses all natural dyes in their fountain pen inks. This natural composition is reflected in the very neutral pH of the inks.”

Third, is this pen a ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ ink? In my own personal experience, I would call this a “wet” (quite free flowing) ink – and is probably the “wettest” of all the Herbin inks. (I’ve tried them all)

Fourth, which pens would be best suited to the J. Herbin ‘Perle Noire’, or will it work well in ALL fountain pens? It’s going to be a matter of personal opinion of which pens would be best for this ink. It’s suited for all pens, but one must consider the  pen/ink/paper combination as a whole. Since it’s a fairly “wet” ink, I’ve found that I like it best in a thinner nib on quality writing paper.

Lastly, what is the drying time of the Perle Noire ink? This will depend on the paper you are using as well as the relative humidity of where you are doing your writing. Fountain pen friendly papers tend to slightly resist inks which mean a slightly longer drying time. I’ve never noticed that this ink took longer to dry than any other. (As much as I can remember anyway… I’ve tested a lot of inks and I’m getting old.)

Click here to read my original review of Perle Noire
Click here to see a comparison of 4 black inks including Perle Noire

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 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!

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:

Remembering Dreams

How to Keep a Dream Journal

Benefits of Keeping a Dream Journal

Dream Journals: Dream Telling

Keep a Dream Journal – Why Bother?

Dream Journaling 101: How to Keep a Dream Journal

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. 

• 12 people will be chosen to participate and will each receive a large orange dotWebbie in which to create. You do not have to be an artist/writer to participate. This 1st swap will be open to US residents only. (Future swaps may be expanded outside the US)

• Each participant will create on a specified amount of pages within the book and then is responsible to package and mail each book to the next person on the list at monthly intervals. (USPS 1st class mail or Priority shipping is recommended at a cost of roughly $5-7 per book) The participant address list will be structured in a way that should allow the shortest shipping time (and cost) between each person. In the end, you will get back the book you started which will be packed with interesting things…
  

• The theme of the swap is “Favorite Things” and can be widely open to interpretation via: thoughts, ramblings, short stories, poems, lists, art, doodles, clippings, printed photos. We ask that content be safe for public consumption.

• There are 96 sheets (192 pages) in a large Webbie. Your minimum contribution in each book will be as follows: Fill 6 pages on one side. (Leaving the other side blank) Start something on 1 page to be completed by the next person, finish something on 1 page that the previous person started = 8 pages per person (6+1+1) x 12 = 96. You MAY fill 12 sheets (6 pages both sides) if you desire.

• Participants agree to scan/snap/snag/upload/tag images to a group Tumblr blog documenting their process which could include: content, you & your Rhodia, your creative process.

• You own all the rights to your original content in the books and on the web. By submitting images to the group blog, you grant us permission to share them (with attribution) to the Rhodia Drive Blog and also our Facebook page. We encourage you to share your content via your own blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc.

If you are reading this via e-mail or in certain feed readers, you may need to visit http://rhodiadrive.com/ to see the form.

I saw this article the other day about a 76 year old woman who just had removed from her intestines a pen that she had swallowed TWENTY FIVE years ago. Once removed, it still worked! But who really cares about the pen, if she knew it was in there, I’m curious why it wasn’t a priority to get it back out again! I don’t even know how she managed to sleep at night knowing that there was a long pointed object lodged somewhere in her abdomen that could potentially poke a hole in something fairly important in the organ department.

When I searched for other pen swallowing incidents, I happened upon this rather amusing video…

I found this sign at a local antique co-op and couldn’t stop giggling because what on EARTH does disco dancing have to do with fountain pens? What an interesting marketing idea! I would love to know how many people sent away for this book and whether or not the book helped them to improve their dance moves. (Or writing ability!)

After a little digging, it appears as though the book dates from 1965 and includes dances such as “The Watusi” and “The Hitch-Hiker.” What, no “Hustle?” Additional images of the pen packaging can be found here.

My grandmother used to drink Folgers instant coffee. (The best part of wakin’ up, is Folgers in your cup!) She’s been gone since 2000 and I wonder what she’d think of all of the gourmet coffee available today. She had been a cook in a nursing home for 18 years somewhat of a food snob long before the Food Network started converting us. She’d go on group tours to other countries – to Italy to see the Sistine Chapel, ask her about the trip and she’d describe it by the food she ate.

I remember once sitting on her couch and watching a cooking show where they were making something with portabello mushrooms. I told her I wished I could make that dish but how portabellos (at the time) were pretty expensive. I couldn’t even get that out of my mouth before she is pulling a $10 bill from her change purse and pressing it into my hand. “Buy them” she says…

I really appreciate that she encouraged me to experiment in the kitchen. I only wish that I would have written down some of her recipes. She made a meatloaf that I still dream about – nothing has ever come close.

Is there anything that one of your relatives used to cook that you long for? Something that you have tried to replicate but cannot?

Photo courtesy of Mike Rodriquez.

The most popular Rhodia pads are the No. 11 & No. 12 (3 x 4 and 3 3/8 x 4 3/4 respectively).  This has held steady for a number of years–people like the pocket-size ease and convenience.

But another size is rapidly closing the gap…the No. 16…which is sized at 6 x 8 1/4.  So much so, one of the top two may be replaced by the end of this year.

Are you surprised?  What is your favorite size Rhodia pad?

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.”