Make your own Midori-style Traveler’s Notebook in any size (traditional Midori sizes or a leather cover perfectly sized for your Field Notes-sized books) with this great video tutorial:
After you’ve made your own Midori-style TRaveler’s Notebook, don’t forget to check out my previous post about customizing your notebook.
(Thanks to @mattwillgo for the tip)
Its not Christmas but I couldn’t wait to share this. What do the guys over at Tested love to write with? Karas Kustoms pens and Field Notes, of course!
(Link via Field Notes)
David Rees of Artisanal Pencil Sharpening sharpens Blackwing Pencils using an array of tools including a box knife, a Classroom Friendly Sharpener and the El Casco. Is it ridiculous? A little bit, but in his ostentatiousness he gets to the heart of it: anyone can use a pencil and sharpen it with little more than a knife or pocket sharpener.
(via Art Directors Club)
Peek inside some stationery shops like Present + Correct in the UK.
(via Monocle, tip o’ the hat to Letter Writers Alliance)
A GIRL NAMED ELASTIKA from Guillaume Blanchet I Filmmaker on Vimeo.
Enjoy your Friday with a 3-minute short film made entirely out of office supplies. Elastika rocks!
(shout out to my pal Teri for the tip!)
Great animated video about the Hobonichi Planner from the folks who created Domo-Kun!
(via Hobonichi Love)
Fabulous video of a hand-writing automaton boy built over 240 years ago (via Letter Writers Alliance)
Paper & Notebooks:
Pen Pal Interview with Josh Scruggs (via Jet Pens Blog and 26symbols)
Pens and Ink:
Misc:
How much does your Field Notes soul weigh?
(via Field Notes)
Making Mail is a Kickstarter funded documentary about mail art and the folks that create it. The film has been produced and is now being submitted to film festivals, this is the trailer.
(via Paper Pastries, Suburban Pen Pal and Letter Writers Alliance)
My husband stumbled across this video of staplers found in Japan by this colorful Brit from The Grand Illusions web site, a site that sells toys, illusions and other novelty items.
I dug through his videos in search of other tidbits that might be interesting to readers and also found his glass pen demo. He comments that washing the tip with a little soapy water helps to make the ink adhere much better. Good tip!
This video was featured on The Verge this week and features Hallmark and focuses on the precarious state of the greeting card as a means for communication in our modern age. The video also features views of the halls I walk and many people who I’ve worked with over the years (I spent several years in the humor and Shoebox group. Yes, it really is a tiny little division of Hallmark). There are images of our legendary Crown Room (not during lunch), the outside of the building and even some peeks into the cubicles of people I know.
As folks who appreciate analog tools, I hope you also appreciate cards as a way to communicate with family and friends. Not to mention that, without the lovely steady paycheck from Hallmark, this blog might not be here.
PS: Even the Ford ad that bookends the video was filmed in Kansas City.
(Sorry I was unable to embed the video.)
Edit: Updated video and article links on Tuesday, Sept 10 as the original links went bad.
Feeling kind of Hobbitsy? Moleskine is re-releasing the Hobbit line of products in time for the release of the second film in the Hobbit series. So I guess its not so limited anymore, is it?
The covers are accented with debossed designs and metallic foils. Four versions are available in pocket sized including a Bordeaux Red cover and two black with red foil accents and black debossed designs and one black cover with red foil and gold foil. They are pretty but its still filled with mediocre paper stock. Sigh.
(via Moleskine)
After writing my reviews of the hybrid ballpoints, I found an ad for the Pilot Acroball that sort of horrified my senses. So then I had to look further to see if Pentel, Uni Ball or Zebra stooped to similar stereotypes. So I’ve collected them all for you here.
Seriously? This is another Bic For Her travesty (read the reviews for entertainment). Shame on you, Pilot.
This Uni Jetstream video just sells the pens and stops trying to stereotype all women as shopaholics with a penchant for matching their pen to their outfits.
Both Surari and Vicuna features ice skating as a metaphor for the pens’ smoothness. Points to Surari for weirdness of the ice skating zebra.
Judged entirely based on the promotional videos, I give the lead to Zebra Surari. Runner-up is Uni Jetstream but they lost first place because of the goofy music.
How would you rate these? Are you more or less compelled to buy any of these pens?
I’m not at all as enthusiastic about ballpoints as the announcer in this video but it is interesting to see how much work is put into making the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen.The beginning of the video paints fountain pens in a very poor light indeed.
Let the comment raging begin.
(Shoutout to Andy of Woodclinched for finding this video)
If you love vintage typewriters, you’ll enjoy this tour of Pieritz in Oak Park which is filled with wonderful old machines. The tour is led by vintage aficionado Bradley Paul during a recent Letter Writers Alliance Letter Writing Social.
Beautiful video of hand crafting a metal pen.
(via Gizmodo, originally from Alexandre Chappel)
I forgot to include a link to these videos in yesterday’s Link Love but this is more of a Friday waste-a-few-minutes-on-the-company’s-dime activities anyway. Tipping my hat to Brad at Pen Addict for posting these videos. If you’re a fan of shows like “How Things Are Made” AND you like pens and stationery, especially from Japan, you’ll like these a lot. For more information and detailed descriptions of the episodes, check out the NHK World TV web site.
So grab a doughnut and a fresh cup of coffee. Bonus points if you decide to play Name-That-Tool as the camera scan across products.
Happy Friday!
About every few months, someone publishes a story about the death of handwriting or some variation on this theme. Today’s grim reaper is the BBC with a video article about North Carolina Congresswoman Pat Hurley, who is drafting a bill to mandate handwriting be taught in primary school. A professor of linguistics provides counterpoint describing handwriting as “nostalgic”.
The whole video raised my hackles especially because neither camp mentioned the hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills that are developed as a result of writing. Not to mention that handwriting in the joined-up version helps to speed up writing so that students (and later adults) can more quickly capture thoughts and ideas on paper.
On the whole, I think the story was a bit of sensationalist, shoddy journalism and I’m going to be all grr-argh! for the rest of the day as a result.
Argue, agree or debate at will.
Ever been curious what Adam Savage of Mythbusters carries with him everyday? Watch this video to see his favorite tools. Enlightening… I like him even better now!
Have you heard about the pen that can create 3D drawings called the 3Doodler? For more videos and details, check out the article at the Smithsonian website or you can get more info from the company on Kickstarter.
A lovely arrangement of art over her desk adds personality and inspiration (via Kimberly AH)
Pens:
Plugging the Firm:
(via The USPS Stamp Of Approval blog)
Hutch and artwork (via One Sheepish Girl)
This video, from inside the White House, shows what a production it is to have the President sign a bill — including making him sign it using 22 different pens. Look closely, can you tell exactly what kind of pens he uses?
If you, like me, have a whole mess of mismatched B-grade pencils, this tutorial will show you step-by-step, how to cover them up to create a matching set of pencils. Perfect for the jar on your desk or in your kitchen.
Lloyd Reynold’s recorded twenty 30-minute instructional videos in 1968 and again eight years later in color to demonstrate and instruct on italic calligraphy and handwriting. At the 5-minute mark of the first episode, the demonstrations begin. Its a little slow but its over 8.5 hours of free calligraphy lessons, if its something you are interested in learning.
(via Reed College)
Binth is a shop and studio created by my friend Suzanna Bierwirth. Binth is best known for its timeless prints and poster designs for children, she is expanding her range to include stationery and home and office decor items in her Forest Park, IL shop.
The video is a 3-minute piece about what inspires her to create her shop and some sneak peeks of the interior of the shop.
