I’m Still Here

Tags

andy everson, eccolo, franklin christoph, spring finale journal, staples, stone paper, things engraved, william hannah

I wanted to write a quick message: I am still here! I am sorry for the empty field that is my posting of late. I have lots of ideas and little time it seems. But I am working on it. I know I’ve been saying that for months (!) but it’s true. I am just finishing up one of my journals – the Franklin Christoph Notebook – and I am trying to decide which journal to move into next, as my daily journal. I started the Stone Journal for the ink display with the glass pen but I’m not sure about it being a daily journal. Is the time right to jump into the William Hannah Notebook? I’m intimidated by it’s beauty but drawn to it every day. Or maybe into a rough and tumble Eccolo? Or a cheaper (so less pressure) Staples special? Or my beautiful dragonfly journal? Wow I’ve had that one for two years now and haven’t written in it yet. So many to choose from.

I need something to write in tonight so I will open myself to my journals and one will choose me. This weekend I will let you know which one. Happy journaling everyone.

Journal Writing Wednesday: 7 pages

Tags

amazon, bazaar of bad dreams, black friday, cake, cross aventura, franklin covey, jennifer aniston, julia cameron, reese witherspoon, staples, stephen king, the artist's way, wild

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, Winnable Executive Journal, the Seven Seas Writer, and the Franklin Christoph Notebook.

Total pages written since this post (Nov 25): 7

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1389

Total pages written in 2015: 549

I’ve been using my Delta Journal and loving it, but finding it SO difficult to not post it. I am a poster but the cap on this one is a very tight fit when posted so I really don’t want to damage the resin. I will keep trying. I will announce the pen for January on December 30.

Purchases: I’m gearing up for my post on my second visit to Scotsdale Pen and Knife, so that will probably go up on Sunday. But this week I happened to be in Staples and I bought a Franklin Covey fountain pen. I will review that one soon too. More on the pen below.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Black Friday has come and gone for another year. I stayed away from all malls and stores but I did spend a bit on Amazon. I bought quite a few Christmas presents but yes some things for myself as well. Stephen King’s book, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, was on sale for $10 in hardcover so I grabbed one. And I finally pulled the trigger on The Artist’s Way book and workbook by Julia Cameron, as they were in a sale bundle for $30. And then a few things for the house….Yes I may have been slightly carried away by it all, especially the lightning deals in which you had only 10 minutes to check out or it would be lost forever. I’m such a sucker for things like that. I had to forcibly close the browser and do something distracting. Craziness!
• We are consolidating floors at work and next Friday we have to be all packed up for a move over the weekend. Only one floor but there is a lot to do. Big changes and some people are losing their minds. Change is not popular! I like my new area but it is very different. Change is good for the soul so bring it on!
• As I mentioned above I bought a black and silver Franklin Covey pen at Staples. Christmas is the only time Staples has nice pens. My local one had two fountains: the Franklin Covey and the Cross Aventura. The Franklin Covey was on sale for $19.99 so I bought one. The Aventura was $44 so I passed. A surprisingly good writer. Review to come.
• I finally watched the film Wild with Reese Witherspoon. I much preferred Jennifer Aniston’s Cake. I thought Aniston’s performance drastically outshone Witherspoon’s. I had forgotten that one of the reasons she goes on the long hike is to come to terms with her mother’s death. I had a hard time watching it. It’s been 15 years since my mother passed but those feelings never really go away, they just get easier to handle. The scenery is amazing though. And the Blu Ray I got out of the library had a little booklet with a message from Cheryl Strayed, the author of the book the movie is based on. It was like a liner note from a CD. Very cool. But I didn’t like the movie all that much.

Until next post, happy writing!

Stationery from Calgary Public Library, Staples and Dollarama

Tags

calgary public library, dollarama, highlighter, k and company, markers, page flags, sharpie, smash, staples, zebra

One of our weekly trips is to the library, usually on Saturday. And this week I noticed they had a bunch of merchandise with the Calgary Public Library logo! I picked up a few things. Then we went to Staples and Dollarama, where I picked up some more things.

I picked up a pack of 11 Sharpie Fine markers at Staples, the highlighters and page flags at Dollarama, and the “thumb thing” and blue pencil case at the Calgary Library.

The Sharpie pack was $10, a back-to-school special at Staples. I thought it was a good price judging by the fact that a pack of 5 Sharpies is $6. And this pack has some nifty colours. I did a writing sample in my journal to show you.

The Neon colours are fun but hard to see, especially the yellow. The packaging said the Neon colours  become fluorescent under black light. The regular Sharpies are vibrant and clear, just what you would expect. And the silver metallic is a lot of fun. I can see it looking great on black paper, along with the Neon colours.

The highlighters and page flags I picked up at Dollarama. I thought the highlighters were interesting because a) they are made by Zebra, the same folks who made these fountain pens, and b) they are refillable and come with a cartridge refill. How cool is that?? The refills are available on Amazon but they are not cheap. Looks like the refills cost almost 8 times what the highlighter did at Dollarama!

I tried out the pink one in my journal. There was some smearing on the fountain pen ink (not surprising) but the ballpoint ink held up very well.

Refillable highlighters are better for the environment. And the pen design is the same as for the fountain pens and I just find it so comfortable. It makes sense to me.

I was surprised to find K & Company Smash items at Dollarama. Usually they are only at Michael’s and a little pricey. This pack of vintage-looking page flags was only $1. I’m always curious about the stickiness of any page flags other than PostIts but I wasn’t disappointed with these. They stuck on very well.

Sorry for the blurry image; this must have been the 15th image I took! I just couldn’t get the focus right. But in terms of the stickiness they did not immediately curl off the page, which happens a lot, especially when buying flags from a dollar store. These ones seem a little better at sticking.

The “thumb thing” is available at the Calgary Public Library but it does not have the library’s logo on it. It is used to help your hand hold open the pages of a book.

The back of the packaging says: a thumbring to hold your book open. It’s a neat little gadget that actually works. It was $6.

Of course I couldn’t resist the Brass Pen with a clip that can be engraved. It is a ballpoint and very solid feeling in the hand. The finish is slightly textured and feels like velvet. Very smooth writer.

In the picture above the brass pen is resting against the black velvet pouch it comes in. The cost of the pen was $7.50. The pencil case contains 4 items, which are all visible in the photo above: a small ruler, a plastic pen, a pencil, and a pencil sharpener which also has an eraser.

Neat huh? The cost of the loaded pencil case was $5.

I did a writing sample in my journal, for each of the ballpoints.

To advance the ink tip the barrel of the Brass pen should be turned in a clockwise motion until the tip appears, and vice versa to retract it. It was a pleasure to use.

And here is the writing sample for the other ballpoint pen. It is much lighter than the Brass pen, being made of plastic. One click advances the tip, and another click retracts it. Nice colour ink and a very smooth writer.

It was really great to buy stuff from the library. All of the proceeds support the work they do, from programs to services to collections. The librarian who checked my purchases told me there are more items on the website. Love the bookworm earrings! And the journal, of course. She said they awarded one of their volunteers a Calgary Public Library earring and bracelet set. I can see the possibilities for Christmas presents already! 🙂

Journal Writing Wednesday: 20 pages

Tags

online, reid's stationers, staples, sushi, winnable executive journal, writing

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, Winnable Leather Journal, Winnable Executive Journal and the Believe In Yourself journal

Total pages written since last JWW post (Apr 29): 20

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 965

Total pages written in 2015: 225

Monthly Pen for May: ONLINE in Black

Next monthly pen will be chosen on May 27

Purchases:

I reviewed my Nanami Paper purchases in this post.

The first pen from a seller on FP Geeks arrived today. Review this Sunday I’m hoping.

I am still waiting on my ebay pen (coming from China) and a pen from another FP Geek seller (coming from The Netherlands).

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• Using my pen of the month, the ONLINE pen, is a bit of a challenge. I cleaned it before inking it up because it had not been cleaned in a while, and now I find it leaking at the section. I hope that is not a permanent condition. I will persevere.
• I went into Staples the other day for post-it notes and I couldn’t find any Winnable Executive Journals! I panicked. I’m almost finished my existing one and I really want another; I love the paper, and how flat it lays, and how I can stick all my paper stuff into it and it still looks good. I just might have to make a trip to Reid’s if Staples can’t help me out.
• I had a fantastic sushi dinner with friends on Saturday night. This particular group is precious to me; I have known them for a very long time and we have the absolute best conversations. You know who you are; love you guys. And yes let’s start a writing group!!

Until next week, happy writing!

Journal Writing Wednesday: 13 pages

Tags

staples, winnable

Journals I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree and the Happiness Journal and the Winnable Leather Journal (see below)

Total pages written since last JWW post (July 9): 13

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 472

Total pages written in 2014: 417

Total number of notebooks/pens/ink bought since self-imposed spending freeze (Jan 1/14): 22

• 1 pen + 1 bottle of ink = 2 items in a gift set on Jan 14
  
• 1 bottle of KoninginneNach-Blauw from Akkerman on Feb 5
• 1 Visconti Rembrandt Calligraphy set in Red = 2 items (pen and ink bottle) from Goldspot on May 15
• 1 bottle of J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche from Goldspot on May 15
• 1 bottle of De Atramentis Heather Violet from Goldspot on May 15
• 5 pens, 4 notebooks, 3 tins of ink cartridges from Reid’s on June 14
• 1 Jinhao X450 from ebay; received on June 19
• 1 bottle of De Atramentis William Shakespeare ink from Goulet Pens; received on June 25
• 1 Winnable Leather Notebook on July 10

Wow it was only two weeks ago that I declared July to be a No-Spend month for me. Well I have no defense for the Winnable purchase. I’ve been ill, I was feeling sorry for myself. I saw it in Staples and had to have it. It wasn’t on sale. It wasn’t something I’ve been wanting for a long time. I picked it up, hugged it and it hugged me back. So it had to come home with me.

It may not win any conventional beauty contests but I think it’s beautiful. And it’s bigger than my usual size: 10 x 8.25. And it’s refillable which I LOVE.

The paper band that held it closed says it’s from the Winnable company, located in Markham, Ontario. It says it’s leather but it doesn’t feel or look like leather to me; it feels more like a recycled material. I looked for this notebook on the web page but couldn’t find it. I will contact them when I need a refill, although I guess Staples may carry them.

I think it was the paper I fell in love with. The lines are just a touch narrower than standard and the paper takes fountain pen ink very well. There is no information on the notebook itself or on the webpage so I have no idea what kind of paper it is. I’ve been writing in it with my Parker Urban with Black Quink only. I haven’t wanted to change colour once, which is unusual for me. I just can’t stop writing in it. I haven’t written in any of my other journals since I got this one.

Topics covered since last update:

• Musing on why I had to have this notebook, in the middle of a No-Spend month. Thoughts on retail therapy and why I needed it so badly.
• Celebrated a friend’s birthday at Japanese Garden. Never been there before; food is fabulous but the service is not. Good time with friends. My voice (or lack of one, really) is very entertaining.
• Privately whining about how awful I feel. I’ve discovered lung infections are no fun. At all.
• In an effort to stand up to my lungs and show them who’s boss, I went to a second-hand record store with my husband. We had fun and I fell into bed that night exhausted. Slept a couple of hours and then my lungs reminded me who REALLY was running the show.

Until next time, happy writing!

Arc Notebook

Tags

arc notebooks, notebooks, staples

So I was in Staples the other day and found a huge display of Arc customizable notebooks. Check out the US webpage; they have a much better web ad than the Canadian Staples site.

I was intrigued by the colors and quality of the notebooks. And I was blown away by the price: the most expensive is $21.99 Cdn, an 8.5 x 11″ leather notebook. The system works on a disc system, much like Circa by Levenger, but at a lower price point.

I chose a blue leather notebook, sized 5.5 x 8.5, known as the “Junior” size.

Each notebook comes with 60 sheets of ruled paper. The Junior size notebooks are $14.99.

I think the Canadian stock must be from the same source as the US because the insert advertises Calendar, To Do and Project Planning pages which are not available in Canada. At least not yet. And the UK page is a real treat; they have a lot of different items from the US stock. Check out this brown woven fabric notebook; I love it! I guess I have to find a UK friend who is willing to purchase it for me; I spoke to Staples Canada customer service and there is no way I can order from the UK site to a Canadian address. 😦

Here we have the back of the notebook with a pen loop. The loop is leather not elastic.

The back of the notebook.

All the supplies I bought with my notebook. This is the really great thing about this system – all the accessories are inexpensive. I think everything in the picture cost less than $30 (and the notebook was half of that so there you go). See the complete Canadian range here.

Starting from the top left I bought a package of poly zip pockets. There are two per package. Great ziploc kind of pouch for carrying stuff in your notebook. Next on the top right is a package of poly tab dividers. There are 5 in each package, in bright colours. You can also buy these in all black. And finally a package of poly pocket dividers, which also come in a pack of two. The super neat thing about these pocket dividers is they have pockets on both sides, so you get two pockets for each divider. First time I have seen a pocket insert like this.

This is a set of expansion discs or rings, in the 1.5 inch size (the notebook came with 1 inch discs). I thought this would be perfect to hold my extra supplies, and it works perfectly. These are just under $2 each so you can make your own notebooks/journals very easily.

On the left is a package of ruled graph paper, and narrow ruled lined paper on the right.

The tasks pads (shown above on the left) are neat in that they lie flat against your page but also have a lip at the top so you can easily flip to them when you open the notebook. I use them for To Do lists. And the page flags are great when you need a flag at your fingertips.

But this clever machine makes the Arc system so fun and interesting to work with. This is a Desktop Punch, with an 8 sheet capacity, for making your own inserts for the Arc notebooks. The silver guides on the bottom allow you to choose the size of notebook you are punching for, and you simply slide your sheet in and press the handle down, much like any other hole punch. There is a drawer in the bottom that catches all the punched material. It is very easy to remove and empty.

I had an interesting experience with the punch. I didn’t buy it the same day as I bought all the other stuff pictured above, simply because I didn’t like the price in the store: $39.99. I thought that was too much for the ability to make my own inserts. But then I went home and looked at the range online. And the punch was advertised for $25. I phoned Staples customer service and they confirmed the price. So I ordered it online. I mentioned the discrepancy between the store and the online price, and the mistake was fixed a couple of weeks later. I am so happy with the punch, and even more so that I got it for such a great price!

***

I couldn’t resist showing you the stickers I bought at Michael’s (right next door to Staples) during the same shopping trip. I love anything by K&Company.

I also love anything to do with tea and I struck gold this trip with tea items. Obviously Mary Engelbreit loves tea as much as I do!

But back to the Arc notebooks. If you are looking for an inexpensive notebook that is super customizable and usable look no further. And you can always drool on the Levenger site and purchase items that will fit your Arc discs.

The best blog I have found so far for all things Arc is http://arcit.blogspot.co.uk/. I found Amanda’s tips, tricks and round up of youtube videos invaluable to me as I was setting up my own
Arc. And her printouts are fantastic, especially for those inserts that are not available in Canada.

Now prepare to drool: http://www.levenger.com/ Wonderful site for notebooks but also any kind of leather good you can think of. I’m currently loving the Tahoe Circa Jacket which was also recently featured on arcit.blogspot.co.uk.

I will share photos of my Arc once it is put together. I thought this post was log enough already!