Video: Moleskine Hobbit Series

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)

Halfway Through: PaperBlanks 2013 planner

Paperblanks planner: halfway through

I’ve been meaning to do a “halfway through” post about my Paperblanks planner. Seeing as how its technically 3/4s through 2013, I decided I better get to it.

Since the book started off with a subtle distressed finish, the nicks and dings from riding in my bag, back and forth to work, have not marred its appearance. I have crammed it with various bits of paper, notes and markings so the covers have bowed a bit to accommodate it. I don’t use the elastic to close it since the book gets accessed multiple times a day so it has not stretched out though it does seem a little loose inside the back cover. I’ve written in it with pen, pencil and marker. I get a little show through with dark, bolder colors from page to page but no bleed through. The binding has withstood being open and closed repeatedly and stretched to get page to lay flat. I often keep the book open all day on my desk so that I can use the right hand page to jot notes, reminders and messages.

Paperblanks planner: halfway through

I tend to walk away from planners mid-year because they don’t do what I want, do too much or I get itchy to try something different but I’ve been pleasantly satisfied with the Paperblanks. The paper stock is an improvement over the Moleskine planners I’ve used in the past. The size is a good “desk size” (A5-ish). I love the clean simple typography inside. The two ribbon marks let me mark the page for the week as well as the corresponding page for the monthly view.

I don’t keep all my meetings listed in the planner since those are mostly kept digitally and get changed, moved and updating with a frequency that would require a personal assistant to update my planner hourly. Instead I keep track of personal tasks, project to-do’s and overall scheduling.

I’ve started hunting for a new 2014 version of my Paperblanks planner but I clearly selected the more obscure page formatting (the Verso formatting) and I’m having trouble finding an exact match at present. I’ve contacted Paperblanks directly about availability for 2014 and will elt you know what I find out.

Other formats are available and in multiple sizes. Visit the Paperblanks site or Jenni Bick to see the selection.

Monsieur Notebook Goes Global

Help get Monsieur Notebook, the real leather notebook manufacturer, the funding they need to truly take their products worldwide. They are using IndieGoGo, a service like Kickstarter, to help finance an increase in production and warehousing to be able to keep up with demand.

They have expanded their range of products since my previous review to include eight different colored covers and a range of paper stocks including fountain pen-specific paper, dot grid, sketchbook and watercolor papers as well as the original lined and blank editions.

I have reviewed Monsieur notebooks in the past and think their products are worthy of recommending to my fine readers.

Link Love: Long Labor Day Weekend Edition

I’m taking off for the Labor Day weekend but will be back, re-inked, freshly sharpened and opened to a clean page on Tuesday. In the meantime, enjoy the diverse collection of links this week and feel free to explore the archives! Happy Labor Day!

Pens:

Inks:

Paper and Notebooks:

Misc:

House Industries Goes to the Desk

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I have been a loyal supporter of the type design gurus at House Industries since the early 90s. They have a flair for the vintage and an eye for detail seldom rivaled so when I heard they were introducing a line of office supplies to their already extensive repertoire, I knew it would be good.

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House Industries has partnered with Chronicle Books to create a box set of 100 letter-centric postcards ($19.95), a set of four pocket notebooks ($9.95) featuring their graphics on the covers and a set of die cut labels and stickers ($10.95).

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(via Chronicle Books and House Industries)