Doane Paper has once again created a limited edition team-up product, this time with Winter Session out of Denver. The team created a heavyweight waxed canvas pouch to fit into a 3-ring binder to go along with Doane’s 3-ring loose leaf paper. The pouch measures 11×7.5 and include an industrial zipper, heavy-duty grommets and an unstated leather tag. It’s simple, modern and enviably covetable. $45
![Image credits (clockwise from top left: Noyolajose, Mary Kate McDevitt, Tuesday Next [that's me!], FPGeeks, Rad And Hungry, MyCoffeePot, Rad And Hungry, Elltbr, and GouletPens)](http://wellapptdesk.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/instagrams-linklove.jpg?resize=800%2C800)
In other news:
Paper and Notebooks:
Pens and Ink:
Pencils:
For Valentine’s Day:
Each beautifully laser-etched stationery box ($48) from Little Low on Etsy comes filled with a Marvy Le Pen (assorted colors), a wood-barreled calligraphy pen with nib, a Zebra #2 mechanical pencil and a roll of washi tape. The lid slides and inside is two compartments — one for writing tools and one for smaller bits. Be sure to check out their other products too. Hint, hint there are some great Valentine’s ideas in here.
I’ve been wanting to write about my favorite craft knife for some time now, but I bought it several years ago and had never seen it in stores again. Well, we are all in luck because last week, I found it again at my local Joann’s craft shop. Its the Fiskars SoftGrip Craft Knife ($5.69). It has a soft rubberized grip area with a unique soft arced shape.This creates a comfortable grip and keeps the knife from rolling off the table which is a big plus.
I use X-acto blades everyday because of my job so finding a comfortable tool is paramount importance. This is the best knife I’ve owned. My daily knife is a soft aqua color that has turned a dull blue gray from years of use. These are photos of my new bright orange version for home use. Goodbye, metal tube knife!
If you’ve never used a utility or craft knife before, I highly recommend adding them to your arsenal of tools. Combined with a cork-backed metal ruler and a self-healing mat, trimming paper, photos or other straight edge cutting will be fast and clean. Detail cutting can also be done with a craft knife and is less hand-cramp-inducing than scissors.
How do you replace the blades?
Untwisting the knurled end will loosen the clamp on the blade to easily replace with a new sharp blade. The Fiskars takes a standard #11 craft blade. I use Excel blades in the box of 100 ($18.75) which is by far the best value. Align the knife blade and tighten the knurled end.
Storing a craft knife
It comes with a cap to cover the blade but, sadly, the cap does not stay on well and I get nervous removing the cap that I might slide my thumb over the blade when removing it. I’ve actually done this in the past so I definitely have that once-cut-twice-shy behavior. Also, I lose the caps within weeks so its not a big deal to me. I do recommend storing all X-Acto style knives, tip-down in a cup or jar to avoid accidents but the whole point of a knife is to be sharp so use with care. If you need a portable X-acto, I recommend a retractable version like a utility knife rather than a knife with a cap.
What do I do with all the dull blades?
Use an old can or jar with a cover (or make a slot in the lid just big enough to drop your blades into) to put used blades into. When full, tape it shut and drop it at metal recycling facility.
I hope this helps inspire you to try a new tool.
Following the post this morning about painting with ink, I started thinking of other ways ink could be used. Its very much like watercolor paints so I thought I might share some fun ways to use watercolors that might inspire you to play and experiment with all those bottles of ink and ink samples you’ve accumulated. I wouldn’t recommend trying these with bulletproof or other waterproof inks but most fountain pen inks should play nicely.
Just brushing ink on paper, like you would with watercolors, can inspire and inform you. You can see the undertones of an ink color easily as well as the range of lights and darks of a color. Add a little water to ink in a dish or bowl to create color washes.
Try blending two colors and drawing your favorite quote in ink.
The inks can be used to tint other papers, create tissue puffs, coffee filter hydrangeas or something else entirely!
Use masking fluid to block out areas on your page. Let it dry and then paint over it with your inks. Then peel the latex away to create a fun, colorful piece.
While any paper should work, a heavyweight watercolor paper will give texture and will be less inclined to curl or distort. I’ve been using an Aquabee Super Deluxe 9×12 wirebound sketchbook for playing with watercolor and ink. It is textured (cold pressed) on the front and smooth (hot pressed) on the back. If you’re searching the internet for watercolor paper, think hot is like ironed (smooth) and cold is wrinkly (textured) if that helps to remember the difference.
Hope these ideas inspire you. Drop me a link if you try any of these. I’d love to see what you create.
I received an actual letter from Leah a week or so ago. She asked lots of different questions about pens and tools so I thought I’d include some of my answers here as well as in a letter to her.
She asked:
What pen/nib did you use for the titles of your 12 Days of Inkmas?
The secret is that I didn’t use a pen at all. I used a brush!
I got the idea to use a brush from seeing some ink “swabs” on European Paper. They were using a brush to create a lovely little ink swab. I like that a brush was easy to clean and I wasn’t creating a landfill full of q-tips in sampling inks each month.
I’ve used several different brushes that I’ve accumulated over the years to not only create “swabs” but also to create a more interesting header for the 12 Days of Inkmas. I’ve tried to keep up the habit for future ink samples and reviews as I can see the range of shading with the inks this way.
EDIT: The word “Wide Strokes” was done with the Scharff FINELINE 3000 #3, not the #6. Oops!
I’ve acquired brushes over the years from friends, yard sales and various art supply stores. I’m stunned to see how expensive the Scharff #6 brush is ($67)! I’ll definitely take better care of it. I’m confident that any good quality round brush recommended for watercolor, acrylic or oil would make a perfect tool for “swabs” and ink tests. Visit your local art supply or craft shop to pick up a couple.
Just remember to wash out your brushes in water, squeeze dry and reshape the tip to dry. Don’t scrub them and make the bristles flair out or you risk breaking the fibers and/or hairs. Always dry your brushes with the tip up and don’t leave them sit indefinitely in your wash water or the bristles will bend at a weird angle. If you let them cake with inks or paints, try The Masters brush cleaner. It will save just about all your brushes!
Need to keep the snack-stealing, pencil-nabbing, cube-dwelling troglodytes from running away with your beloved office supplies or snacks? The KnockKnock MINE! sticky notes might do the trick. They are standard 3×3″ squares with removable adhesive and a place to clearly establish your ownership. $3.99 for a 100-sheet pad. Just in time for Valentine’s Day.
I have a CRAP sticky notes pad and, while they are not the stickiest sticky notes in the world, I always get comments on how fun they are.
