Rhodia and the Gentlewoman
I love to discover new and interesting magazines, and I’d never heard of “The Gentlewoman” until I came across this image on Instagram. “The Gentlewoman is a fabulous publication for modern women of style and purpose. It offers a fresh and intelligent perspective on fashion that is focused on personal style – the way women actually look, think and dress. Featuring ambitious journalism and photography of the highest quality, The Gentlewoman celebrates inspirational women through the distinctive combination of glamour, personality and warmth in its collectable biannual magazine.”
There was a time when I probably had a dozen magazines coming to the house each month, but now I only subscribe to one: Elle Decor because I love cutting it apart and using the images in my Inspiration Journal and also for creating Vision Boards. Occasionally I will splurge at the bookstore and grab things like Yoga Journal, Writer’s Digest, Art News…
What are your favorite magazines? Do you read any via an e-reader? I also read MacWorld on my iPad via my local library and the Zinio app.
Image courtesy of Annemarie Arends – follow annemariearends on Instagram
Write Every Day: Morning Pages
Are you familiar with the concept of “Morning Pages” from Julia Cameron’s popular book The Artist’s Way?
From Julia’s website: “Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. *There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages*– they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind Continue Readering »
Good Quality Sticky Notes?
Hannah W. recently sent us an e-mail asking if we were aware of any good quality sticky notes – she was hoping that there might have been a Rhodia option that she’d somehow overlooked but unfortunately, we do not currently sell any Rhodia Post-It style stickies.
Do you have anything you can suggest or any comments on her question? I’ve always found most sticky notes to not be very ink friendly – and I’m wondering if it has something to do with the glue…
Favorite Color Rhodiarama Webbie?
I’ve been finding lots of pictures of your Rhodiarama Webbies on Instagram. People seem to be really enjoying showing off their favorite colors. Have you picked a favorite yet? I’m partial to purple and red myself.
The Rhodiarama Webbies are currently only available in the 3×5″ size, but what if these were available in the larger 5×8″ version? Would you buy matching or complementary colors?
Image on top courtesy of Delectablepens on Instagram
Exaclair will be at the National Stationery Show 5/19-5/22 in New York City
The National Stationery Show® held at the Javits Center in NYC, is the world’s most comprehensive collection of social stationery and related products for gift giving and self-expression. The show is open to retailers and wholesalers and if you are are going, be sure to stop by Booth # 2637 to check out a few new Clairefontaine and Rhodia products that we are thinking of importing. As always, we welcome and appreciate your feedback!
While at the show, we will be doing some live Tweeting and also sharing photos and Vine clips on our @Exaclair Twitter account. Karen Doherty (our VP of Marketing) will be at the show on Sunday, May 19 from 9-3 pm and Tuesday May 21st from 9-11:30am if you’d like to meet her, but please feel free to stop by the booth any time the show is open.
More good news: Pen World is publishing an article on Exaclair’s stationery. The edition should be distributed at the show.
The show hours are Sunday-Tuesday, 5/19-5/21 9:00am – 6:00pm and Wednesday, 5/22 9:00am – 12:00pm
What would you do with this large Habana notebook?
This is one of the new 8×11″ Large Quo Vadis Habana Notebooks and to tell you the truth, I can’t decide how to use it. For journaling, I typically prefer something in the 5×8″ range or smaller – like the 4×6″ Habana. Are you familiar with the concept of a vision board? I’m thinking about using this as a “Vision Book”
How would you use this book?
Ink A Dink A Bottle of Ink
Antique ink bottles such as this one belonging to Ryan Roossinck are simply beautiful. Take a look at the many different colors, styles and designs of vintage ink bottles at the various links below.
Household Bottles (non-food related)
Pendemonium Vintage Inks and Ink Bottles
Antique Ink Bottles at Collector’s Weekly
The Blue Ink Bottle (A gift from Karen)
Have you tried a Rhodia Pad Holder Yet?
Did you know that Rhodia makes pad holders for a variety of our top stapled notepads? Available in orange and black lightly grained imitation leather with an embossed Rhodia logo, the covers are flexible and smooth. They include an inner pocket for notes, business cards, or receipts. Each holder comes with a pad. Rhodia pad holders are available in the following sizes:
- N° 08 – 3 x 8 ¼” (Long Skinny)
- N° 11 – 3 x 4″
- N° 12 – 3 ⅜ x 4 ¾”
- N° 13 – 4 x 6″
- N° 14 – 4 ⅜ x 6 ⅜”
- N° 16 (w/ Pen holder) 6 x 8 ¼”
- N° 18 – 8 ¼ x 11 ¾”
- N° 21 (Le Carre) – 8 ¼ x 8 ¼”
Rhodia also offers a special “R” Premium Pad Gift Set which includes a No. 16 (6 x 8 ¼”) R pad and a Rhodia pencil.
Who motivates and inspires you?
Augusten Burroughs (Best selling author of Running With Scissors) motivates me to write without fear. Life coach Tony Robbins motivates me to make changes in my life so I can continue to grow and achieve my goals. People like Oprah Winfrey that exhibit an infectious energy in connection with their passion help me to believe that anything is possible. Books that focus on the law of attraction such as “The Secret” have opened me to infinite possibility, and self -help books like “The War of Art” have taught me to recognize and successfully battle resistance.
Who or what motivates and inspires you? Continue Readering »
Keep and Re-Read or Toss?
Writing has been my therapy. A place to say the things I wouldn’t normally say out loud or that I need to say when no one is available to listen. I used to go back and read through older books whenever I’d start a new one, but I don’t really do that any more – which leads me to the question of why I’m still keeping them.
What do you do with your notebooks when you’ve finished one – do you keep them? Read back through them? Toss them?
Image courtesy of Myriam Thibault – follow myriamthibault on Instagram.
Do you write with a heavy hand?
Until I started using a fountain pen, I’d always thought that hand cramps were the norm for long writing sessions. Turns out, what I thought was just my heavy handed writing style was probably caused in part by my use of a ballpoint pen. A ballpoint pen relies on gravity to coat the ball with ink. The ball then spins and distributes the ink as the pen is drawn across the paper. Since my preference was always for clear (and dark) writing, I used a great deal of pressure to obtain this result with my stick pen.
My hand cramps disappeared once I started writing with a fountain pen since almost no pressure is necessary for the ink to flow from pen to paper.
Are you heavy handed with your pens?
Image courtesy of kaniska_canace on Instagram
April Giveaway: The NEW Rhodia Meeting Book 90! Enter now for your chance to win 1 of 20
The all NEW Rhodia Meeting Book 90 – How is it different than our standard Meeting Book? Subtlety ribbed black polypro cover, black spiral binding, 90g ultra smooth white paper. Features found on both versions? 80 sheets/160 pages, Pre-printed two-color pages: Date + Notes +Action, Micro perforated pages for easy and clean removal. Available in two sizes: Compact 6 ½ x 8 ¼” and Large 9 x 11 ¾”
Would you like to try one? We are giving away 20 of the Compact 6 ½ x 8 ¼” NEW Meeting Book 90′s! Continue Readering »
Friday Link Share: April Edition
What’s the difference between a Signo and a Signo Bit? at The Well-Appointed Desk
13 Ways to Manage Your (Hectic) Schedule And Stay On Task at Under 30 CEO
Einstein’s Demands at Lists of Note
Ink containers in pencil at Drawing With a Squirrel
Organize Tasks by Effort to Budget Time Better at Lifehacker
Art Journal Every Day: A New Junque Journal at Balzer Designs Handmade Art
The Digital Public Library of America Launches Today, Opening Up Knowledge for All at Open Culture
Scheduling free time at Quo Vadis Blog
Now Might Be The Time To Try A Calligraphy Nib at Inkophile
How Do You Raise Creative Kids? at Art Therapy Reflections
Masking tape book at Mescrap Studio
7 “Rituals” for Spring Renewal at Psychology Today
‘Sh*t Rough Drafts’ Tumblr Imagines Terrible First Versions of Famous Novels at Mashable
Hobo Signs and Traveling at Pencil Revolution
I Get Email: The Roll-kuli by Rotring at The Pen Addict
I Am Thinking Ahead to Summer at Claudia McGill and Her Art World
Journal Writing: Get Uncomfortable to Expand Your Comfort Zone at Create Write Now
Nite Ize Inka Pen Review at Office Supply Geek
Eberhard Faber Factory in New York, 1903 at Contrapuntilism
Cut + Paste Therapy at Daisy Yellow
Old Art Journals Rediscovered: Palimpsest Journal at A Penchant for Paper
Ink Review: Noodler’s Bulletproof Black at Pentorium
Tiny Verses on Envelopes: The Handwritten Poems of Famous Authors at The Atlantic
Sula Jane and Earl Leather Pen Cases at Ink Nouveau
10 Characteristics of Really Interesting People at Inc.
Image courtesy of retnoir – Rhodia spotted at the University of Melbourne
Swimming in the Bleu Ocean
Have you had the opportunity to try J. Herbin’s latest 1670 Series Anniversary ink, Bleu Ocean?
In lieu of testing it in a fountain pen, I opted for the “everything else I could find in my studio” approach Continue Readering »
Rhodia for Lefties – Any suggestions?
While Kevin McFadden sees the pairing of his Lamy Studio fountain pen and a Rhodia Webbie as a match made in heaven, he is asking if there are any better options for lefties. One of his New Year resolutions was to transform what he refers to as his “historically terrible handwriting” (which I don’t think is bad at all) into something more legible and easier to read.
My thoughts on the subject:
1. Try a Quo Vadis Habana. The Habana is different than the Webbie in that it has a somewhat flexible cover and will open/lie a little bit flatter than a Webbie. On the flip side, the Habana does not come in a dotGrid format and the three available sizes are not the same as what is available in the Webbie. The paper is 85g versus 90g in the Webbie. (You can peruse the entire Exaclair catalog here.)
2. Use a dotWebbie… Whoops. You’re already doing that. Okay then, how about using a separate 6×8″ dotPad to specifically to work on your handwriting?
3. Try working on some simple breathing exercises – something along the lines of “Breathing in…two…three…breathing out…two… three” (in through the nose, out through the mouth) Being mindful of one’s breath can help the mind to be fully relaxed and present while slowly and deliberately writing out the words to a favorite quote. (Try keeping a tablet or notebook solely for this purpose.)
To our lefty readers- or to anyone who has worked to improve their handwriting. Any additional suggestions for Kevin?
Image above courtesy of Kevin.
