The Well-Appointed Desk

Yesterday was a big day for me. The September 2013 issue of Country Living magazine showed up in my mailbox and included a Collecting featurette about collecting vintage office supplies that featured some of the jewels from my personal collection. Yep, you read that correctly.

I sent my beloved Adler Tippa typewriter and some of my other favorite vintage office supplies to the Country Living office to help them put together this feature together. I’ve had to be a bit hush-hush about it but now I can shout it from the rafters. That’s my typewriter!!!

(via Country Living, September 2013 now available on newsstands)

In photo

Washi Tape Addict

AnaAugust 12, 2013Leave a comment

I pulled open my “tape drawer” to add a few rolls of the new Scotch “washi” tape to discover that I have amassed quite a collection lately. Some might call it a problem. I call it an enthusiasm.

The best washi tape is still the MT brand from Japan. While the Cavallini paper tape is gorgeous, it doesn’t peel off the roll worth a darn. The new Scotch brand washi tape is a little shinier on the surface than true washi tape but for the price and availability, I’d say grab a couple rolls and decide for yourself. The Martha Stewart paper tape is shiny too and not particularly sticky so I would pass on it completely in the future.

Do you stock up on washi tapes? How many rolls do you have?

In feature

Review: Poppin Jumbo Mobile Memos

AnaAugust 12, 2013Leave a comment

When Poppin suggested that they send me some of their Jumbo Mobile Memos in the hunt for the better-grade-of-sticky-note, I was thinking “jumbo” meant bigger than the standard 3×3″ square. You know, maybe 4×4″? Imagine my surprise when I got these.

Here’ s picture with a regular, rather diminutive sticky note and the Jumbo Mobile Note. When Poppin said “Jumbo” they meant 8.5″x8.5″ JUMBO. Once my amusement at the monstrous size subsided, I wanted to try them out. How sticky are they (on the backing paper it say “I am super tacky”)? How well will they take ink? How awesome would they be for meeting brainstorms, notes on the office fridge and to really make a point?

I was shocked at how well they took ink. For such a large piece of real estate, I wanted to try Sharpie Markers (or in my case, the discontinued but much-loved Crayola InkTank marker) and got from there. The wide felt-tip permanent marker wrote beautifully so I got out the pen arsenal and went to town, starting with a fountain pen with an italic nib. No problem. At this point, everything else seemed guaranteed to succeed and it did.

I tried a white gel pen, just to see, but the bright color overshadowed the opaque white gel pen. Otherwise, this paper works great!

Even the reverse side of the paper shows no ill effects. There’s a little show-through from the marker but that’s to be expected and not nearly as visible as I would have suspected.

Sticky-wise, I hung these up on my chalkboard/memo board on Saturday afternoon and, as of Monday morning, they haven’t budged. The pink note was moved to a plastic surface and its still stuck. All-in-all, these are fun and effective. My supply closet will soon be chock-full of lime sticky notes, for sure!

A three-pack of assorted Jumbo Mobile Notes are $18, individual Jumbo Mobile Notes are $6 and available in yellow, orange, pink and lime. Mobile notes are also available in the more traditional 3×3″ size for $2 or packs of 10 for $12 in the same array of colors. Paper file flags that are 0.6×2″ are available in an assorted color pack of 15 pads with 5 different colors for $5.

In feature

Brand It With Office Supplies

AnaAugust 10, 2013Leave a comment

I appreciate any company whose branding leans heavily on quippy uses of office supplies. For one, few jobs are nothing but sparse workspaces and iPhones so of course you need good office supplies. And second, the products aren’t overbranded with the company’s logo but rather with the principles that guide the company.

I’m speaking of the new branding campaign for advertising giant Hill Holliday. They are using stark black and white with liberal Helvetica to create the brand message without using logo-fied golf shirts (don’t do it).

I love that they quoted Yoda on an office wall.

(via Under Consideration with a shout-out to Paper Pastries for the tip)

In photo

Leather Letter Clutch

AnaAugust 10, 2013Leave a comment

The gorgeous brilliant blue leather clutch, from designer Karina Hesketh, is stitched with vintage travel decals, postcards and postal marks with ivory leather tie. While the £80 price tag is a bit much for me, the whole thing is giving me IDEAS. A leather clutch that looks like a letter? Of course I need one!

(via Pinup Polly)

In video

Video: How Do They Make Bic Cristals?

AnaAugust 9, 2013Leave a comment

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)

In feature

Vintage Book Tablet Covers

AnaAugust 9, 2013Leave a comment

I mentioned earlier how my dearest friend, Rebecca AKA Squirrel Junkie had created fabulous tablet covers using vintage books. Well, she is now selling her creations so if you’re not inclined to make your own, you can purchase one directly from her. Each tablet cover includes a vertical elastic closure and soft felt lining and sells for $26.50 plus shipping.

These are designed to hold a Kindle Fire, BlackBerry Playbook, iPad Mini, Nook HD, Samsung Galaxy 2 & 3 and other tablets of similar size. Tablet stays in place with velcro dots provided.

Clearly, this Spanish edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone is a favorite.

(via Squirrel Junkie)