moleskinerie

Ode to Moleskine

"In the comments to my last entry, Pooks asked, "What is a Moleskine?"

The quick answer is, "It's a notebook."

The longer answer is, "It's a notebook with great paper and a envelope on the back cover and an oilskin cover and a sewn binding and the whole thing is kept tightly shut with an elastic band that makes a satisfying snap as you close your notebook for the day after a session of fantastic writing and it's an object of adoration for quite a few people out there who would rather pay an outrageous sum for a beautiful, useful object like this than a dollar-ninety-seven for a cheap spiral-bound notebook at the drugstore (not that there's anything wrong with dollar-ninety-seven cheap spiral-bound notebooks if that's what you like)."

You can pick the style of notebook that's best for you. First of all, there's the large (13x21cm) and the small (9x14cm). Then you can choose whether you want blank, squared, ruled, or sketchbook paper. There are also the Moleskine diaries -- week at a glance, or a page-per-day. And there are the new Moleskines: the music book and the storyboard book. There's also something Moleskine sells that is three thin books in one package -- there's no oilskin cover, no elastic band, what's the point?

The Moleskine notebook lies flat on the table, waiting for you to write or sketch something brilliant in it. The acid-free paper is fantastic for writing on. Cheap paper is rough, an impediment to the ballpoint. But Moleskine paper is smooth and lets your hand fly across the page. It has that pocket in back, so you can keep receipts, movie tickets, love notes on cocktail napkins, photos of loved ones. And no matter how much you jam in that pocket, that elastic band around the notebook is going to keep the whole kit-and-kaboodle together -- you won't lose anything."

Nobody Knows Anything

[Thanks Jon!]

 

Cut + paste

"C U T + P A S T E is a one woman business, founded by me, Jenny. The idea for the site came up around July 2002. At first it was just a fun place for me to sell some stuff. Noticing that lots of other crafty kids didn't have a place to show off their stuff, I offered consignment a few months after the site launched. Then it got crazy, and now I've had over 70 consigners take part in the shop and it's growing everyday!

The site is run out of my tiny apartment in Brooklyn. I built and designed the website, which is hosted by aabox and my new shop section is powered by oscommerce. I do most of the work on my aging Powerbook and I have an awful habit of never backing up important documents."

cutxpaste.com

Moleskine: iPod of Notebooks

"Moleskine: iPod of Notebooks"

You read it first at  Ray Grieselhuber's weblog, "Sacking Rome".

New Pilot Pens

"I just met Pilot today and they presented some new products to be launched in Jan 2005. A lot of Moleskine lovers use Pilot G2 pen, there are 3 colors (Red, Blue, Red) currently, but a new Dark Blue is coming out soon. On the other hand, a smaller sized Pilot G2 is also going to be launched. The smaller version seems a very good companion with pocket size Moleskine. Finally, they will launch a new 7 color pen series called Illusion. The amazing thing about this is when you write with these pens, the ink are all black on paper, but if you use any eraser to rub on them, which generate heat, the ink will turn into colors. Even more amazingly, if you put the paper into fridge, all the ink turn black once again. Well, I was amazed by the magic but still haven't been able to think of some creative use of them, so let me know if you have any idea!"

Patrick Ng
Moleskineart.com

10x10

"10x10™ ('ten by ten') is an interactive exploration of the words and pictures that define the time. The result is an often moving, sometimes shocking, occasionally frivolous, but always fitting snapshot of our world. Every hour, 10x10 collects the 100 words and pictures that matter most on a global scale, and presents them as a single image, taken to encapsulate that moment in time. Over the course of days, months, and years, 10x10 leaves a trail of these hourly statements which, stitched together side by side, form a continuous patchwork tapestry of human life.

10x10 is ever-changing, ever-growing, quietly observing the ways in which we live. It records our wars and crises, our triumphs and tragedies, our mistakes and milestones. When we make history, or at least the headlines, 10x10 takes note and remembers.

Each hour is presented as a picture postcard window, composed of 100 different frames, each of which holds the image of a single moment in time. Clicking on a single frame allows us to peer a bit deeper into the story that lies behind the image. In this way, we can dart in and out of the news, understanding both the individual stories and the ways in which they relate to each other.

10x10

 

100 Ways To Succeed

" #29:

Get The Story!
Everybody has a story! It's your job-opportunity ... consultant, boss, project-peer ... to get it!
Remember Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot above: "It was much later that I realized Dad's secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened to a fourth-grade kid in Spring Valley who shined shoes the same way he talked and listened to a bishop or a college president. He was seriously interested in who you were and what you had to say."

Likewise, in London I was driven around by a fellow who sometimes drives Richard Branson. Branson is famous, among other things, for his hundreds (literally) of notebooks in which he meticulously records what he hears from Virgin clients, and damn near anyone else he buttonholes. This driver confirmed Sir R's habit, and said a trip with RB is non-stop conversation about the world as seen through the driver's eyes. "He bloody well interviewed me, for 90 minutes, non-stop," this chap said with clear admiration, "as we crawled to town from Gatwick." There was nothing or no one beneath RB's abiding, compulsive interest. As we chatted, the driver (himself a Richard) allowed as how "the whole bit made me feel as though I had something important to say."
Message/s:

The Driver/Richard II did have something to say!
(Axiom: EVERYBODY HAS A STORY, DESPERATE TO ESCAPE!)
The Driver/Richard II is important!
(Axiom: CONNECT!)
Richard I /Branson doubtless learned a thing or seven, duly recorded.
(Axiom: JUST ASK!)
Richard I/Branson made a friend-informant-confidant for life!
(Axiom: GET A STORY, MAKE A FRIEND.)
Richard II/driver will pass on the story of Richard I/Branson to 100, if not 1,000 people ... and thus willfully extend the brand-enhancing mythology surrounding Richard I/Branson.
(Axiom: CONNECT, JUST ASK, GET A STORY, MAKE A FRIEND, CREATE A "BUZZ-GENERATOR.")
All because Sir Richard was determined to ... Connect & Get the Story!
So ... Get the Story!
(And, if you're wise and of a mind, take pages from RB and record it as well. Someday, you may be on notebook #600-about RB's tally, I'm told-and counting you Billions.)"

From Tompeters.com

(Thanks Nicola]

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be out delight

'Till by turning, turning we come round right."

"Simple Gifts"
by Elder Joseph Brackett, 1848
Alfred, Maine

WMP #8 Jerry Everard

"Travel makes us monstr'ous to our own kind"

These words - attributed to Horace - point to the way in which we are changed by travel, just as this wonderful Moleskine notebook is transformed by its journey.

Would those in Finland or America have imagined that this notebook would see a sunrise like this - in a campground at a folk music festival near Braidwood in outback New South Wales in Australia? - where the white cockatoos' screech adds a distinctly Australian flavour to the scattered fiddles, guitars and accordions greeting the day!

The Spring sunshine is warm - it will be another hot and dry Christmas this year. The hottest time is always late Summer - end of January/early Feb. The poppies are now in full bloom and the place looks green and fresh after the recent rain.

Our fire circus show was very successful, drawing a huge crowd - gasping as the fire staffs swept beneath my feet while I was playing fiddle.

I have included a couple of images from our fire-circus show at the festival, as well as a context image of Moleskine #8 sitting on the fiddle case I finished making at 2.00AM on the morning of the
festival.

... travel well my friends :-)

Cheers
Jerry Everard
Australia
...

Thanks to our friends:

Diane, N.J.  Visit her Amazon Storefront
Tricia L. , CA.
Abizer N., London
Prinedes,  Wa. Drop by his eBay auction
Lisa Laughy, NH. Check out her eBay Store,  Ninth Wave Designs

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim du Beleg.

WMP #10 Stephan Herminghaus

Stephan Herminghaus
Germany
Notebook No. # 10

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim du Beleg.

Ricardo Saramago

"I decided to contribute a little for the Moleskinerie Gallery with a picture of two of my Moleskines... It's not much, I'm not very gifted in the art of drawing but it's my life that's there.

By the way, I'll send Moleskine's #9 scan as soon as I ship it to the next person...

Thanks and cheers as usual...

Ricardo Saramago"

...
View a larger image at the Moleskinerie gallery
...

Pen experts, kindly help Ricardo identify this mystery pen:

"I was digging through some of my father's old stuff when I found an odd and old looking case, when I opened the case it revealed an old silver pen. My father says it belonged to his uncle but before that he's not sure. I guess by the look of the pen it look that it has at least 70 years, but I'm sending to a specialized shop to be clean and maybe dated. Meanwhile if you could help me gathering some info of showing the pen photos to someone I would be very thankful."

Email him for details

William Stafford

"What's in my Journal

Odd things, like a button drawer, Mean
Things, fishhooks, barbs in your hand.
But marbles too. A genius for being agreeable. .."

William Stafford
"What's in my Journal"

Link: williamstafford.org

[Thanks Joy]

 

The Power of Purpose

"Brother John is the true story of how the author’s contemplative retreat at a Trappist monastery turns both magical and terrible when a simple monk offers to share an umbrella on a cold and rainy Christmas Eve. This simple act of loving-kindness proves almost more than he can bear, and becomes the catalyst for a gut wrenching re-evaluation of life, love, and the terrible yet fascinating nature of God."

"Brother John" by  August Turak
Grand Prize Winner
2004 The Power of Purpose Awards

Link

 

Moleskine's New Image

New Clothes for a Legendary Notebook

An intriguing peek at how Moleskine's new look came to be.

LeftLoft
Milan, Italy

View the case history
[Flash]

[Thanks to Chris Long and David Paul !]

My Pen (From Pen Talk...)

"I always have a pen in my pocket - always. Without my pen I feel like I've left my watch off, or something...
  A favourite pen has to have only three main attributes:

  1. One must like the way it looks and writes;
  2. It must be identifiable by others as Yours and Special (i.e. it is not a stationery-cupboard issue pen);
  3. It must not be irreplaceable or hugely expensive ( It's with you always - what if you lost it ... !? )
Beyond that, it can conform to all your personal tastes in a pen.

But a pen chooses you as much as you choose it: For a pen is a friend, an extension of your personality, and it is your confidant, your secretary (as in secrets), the keeper of your thoughts,  your intelligence, and your ideas, in a way that a pencil, a keyboard  or a PDA can never be.   Your pen holds in it's silent, gentle barrel the words that you will write, and it holds them secretly and carefully until the time comes for you to choose them and loose them onto the page. It writes your name (even on a credit card chit) with love and care, in the way you
wish to appear to the world. It makes the notes you want to make; sometimes the notes you wish you could make. It does what you wish your  hand to do. It makes you feel as you wish to feel.

  Choose a pen that does this as you wish, as you would like, as you would wish to be and be seen. Choose a pen that flatters you. Whether a cheap G2 or a coveted Ici Et La, choose your pen wisely."

via Stephen
www.20six.com.uk/redtag

(Image © www.kschweizer.com)

Notes from the Road

"We drove to Chinchón after dark, and followed the empty yellow-lighted alleys about until we made it to the Plaza Mayor - the town square. Chinchón is a historical city - like Cuenca, it is ringed by water, and in the summers, the whitewashed and wood-framed square is converted into a giant bullring. The center lamppost is removed and rows of stadium seats are erected.

I liked this square, but I also tend to think bullfighting is cowardly torture; something extravagant and flashy and sensational that derives from that same Latin mistake called 'machismo'. Bullfighting is not an ancient Spanish tradition - it is a modern spectacle, a sick and sadistic voyeurism into the blood of death. Flamboyant peacockishness in males can be seen in any culture, but these over-hyped coliseum sports seemed awfully fishy for a landlocked metropolis.

Before bullfighting existed, hip peasants slid into the bullpens of wealthy ranchers and faced the bull bare-fisted, and slaughtered them in the true sense of sport and adventure. That tradition has replaced the sport with extravagance and entertainment. Traditions die, as is the siesta, anywhere. Hemingway loved the bullfight and he also loved marlin fishing."

from "Cuenca and the Southern Meseta"
Notes from the Road

Text and story: ©2004 Erik Gauger

[via TPB, Esq.]

 

Pay for the razor, pay for the blades

"King Gillette is famous for his invention of the disposable-blade razor, and the associated business model, "give away the razor, sell the blades". This strategy was widely imitated, but it seems marketers have struck an even better one: why give away the razor when you can make the chumps pay for it?

There are a number of products, some high-tech and some not where you actually pay handsomely for a device that is a doorstop without proprietary refills or service. Some examples:

In the US, most cell phones are either hard-wired to a specific service provider (CDMA) or SIM-locked (GSM). A consumers' group is fighting in court to ban or at least limit in time the practice, which is either outlawed or strictly regulated in most other countries.

Sure, the carrier is subsidizing the handset, but that is offset by extra profit margins in the contract. Once the contract's minimum term is over, there is no justification whatsoever for maintaining the SIM lock. AT&T was one of the most egregious offenders, it is not clear if their policy will change after their takeover by Cingular.

I suspect one of the big reasons for SIM lock is so carriers can charge extortionate international roaming charges, since without SIM lock, it would be cheaper to just pop in a prepaid SIM card in the country you are visiting. Actually, roaming charges are so overpriced that it is cheaper to just buy a new phone for the prepaid card and toss it away afterwards....

...As in most cases the utility of the machine without the overpriced refills or service is nil, the fair market price for it should be zero. The Vonage/Linksys situation is a special case as the wireless router remains partially usable, albeit without VoIP features if you switch providers. But marketers will keep trying to have it both ways until consumers push back by implementing a zero-tolerance policy, akin to the "broken-window" theory of policing. Do not accept to pay for a cell phone from a carrier that refuses to unlock it after a reasonable amount of time. Refuse to purchase digital devices that require service from a specific vendor to function."

Fazal Majid
Low Intensity Blog

 

Cover Art

Moleskine Cover Art
by Nutmegpie
@ Moleskinerie/FLICKR

Moleskine Stickers

"I don't use a typewriter,
I write longhand with
a pencil. Essentially I'm
a horizontal writer.
I think I'm better when I'm lying down."

Truman Capote

...
A set of Moleskine "Writing" stickers from Abizer in London.  Thank you!

Textbook Disclaimers

Disclaimer Stickers for Science Textbooks
Link

Moleskine Hacks

After Bill B's rather drastic mod, 43 Folders has issued even more cool hacks. This one's my favorite:

• "Spine Icons - I know some of you, like me, are multiple-Moleskine nerds. It’s sad, but this is how God’s made us. So, this means you might have a lined notebook, a sketch book, a music notebook, or even a storyboard notebook—all of the same size and outward appearance. Using a silver Sharpie or the like, make a small icon or letter at the same place on each spine to remind you which is which."

Visit: 43 Folders
...
On the way back, drop by Penny's who sent us this tip.

 

Postcards from a Blogger

"The whole subject of bloggers who meet online and ultimately connect in person is fascinating but hardly new, yet the mechanism seems different. With bloggers there is a body of work: their views about themselves and the world around them. Unless the writer is the cleverest of cons it would be hard to keep up appearances over time and not provide the reader with a sense of who the blogger truly is and whether he or she is…well, something other than an ax-murderer sociopath. Not that I’ve read the blogs of such evil doers before, but…

What blogging provides that simple emailing and occasional letter writing does not, is that sinfully voyeuristic look-in-the-picture-window view of our lives. Through our blog writings people can hear who we are and what makes us tick; what we like and where we’d like to go; and in ever-surprising spurts of revelations how we hurt and would like to love. I started blogging as an exercise to accelerate my writing beyond the bland—yet profitable—world of business writing. I’m always marveling at how much I’ve been willing to share of a nature that previously I might not have even told one person much less blindly posted for the world to see. Something about having an audience yet having no tangible, obvious audience frees us to blather about things we secretly want to share but typically don’t. Dangerous, but cathartic."

Gary Varner
Inkmusings

Also check out his latest post: Blogdar .

 

Colorful Tails

You can argue that our friend Brendan Curry is seeing things but can you blame him?

"... I see a similarity between the different colorful bands that encase a new moleskine notebook and the lables on yellowtail wine bottles.  The colors look very similar."

Link: Yellow Tail wines

What Do We Write?

"What is writen about writing applies to writing in general, not just writing in a Moleskine. Please, fellas, let's keep it real here.

I don't see what the big deal is, truly. In Australia, a pocket Moley goes for AUD$22-$25 and, having used them, the price is not justified. Yes, they're neat, shiny little numbers and yes, they function well. But, at the end of the day what you have is just another notebook and an expensive one at that.

Kudos to Modo&Modo who have run a very slick and - judging by the number of people sucked in by the hype surrounding the brand - an extremely successful marketing operation."

Blackbird @ "What Do We Write?"

Comment here.
Related discussion:  Does a Moleskine Notebook Tell The Truth?

Kirk H. Edelman

Kirk H. Edelman
New Jersey, U.S.A.

Notebook #3
...

Thanks to our friends:

Diane, N.J.  Visit her Amazon Storefront
Tricia L. , CA.
Abizer N., London
Prinedes,  Wa. Drop by his eBay auction
Lisa Laughy, NH. Check out her eBay Store,  Ninth Wave Designs

For updates and donations, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim Beleg.
...
Have a great weekend everyone!
Best wishes to our friend Lohr Miller on his birthday, November 22nd.

 

 

New Writing Tips Page for Moleskines

 

I built a new Writing Tips PDF. Print each page on one side of a piece of paper and then cut that piece of paper in half (I used the "fold, lick, fold, lick, tear" method). Fold each half twice and tuck it in the pocket of your Moleskine pocket journal.

The sources for the writing tips include Strunk and White's Principles of Composition, Edward Tufte's Presentation Tips, George Orwell's Six Rules and Six Questions, Robert Heinlein's Six Rules For SF Writing, and my own painfully acquired collection of Evil Metaphors and Phrases.

On the back of the sheet is a page from La Operina, a book written in 1522 by Ludovico Vicentino, a scribe from Italy, on the subject of handwriting. This handwriting is known as Chancery Italic and this book is the oldest known book written on the subject of handwriting. Though over 482 years old, the letters he carefully outlined are still very legible today.

You can copy and paste the Writing Tips Text version into your own format if you so choose and find something else for the reverse side.

Each 5.5 inch by 8.5 inch page folds over twice to end up less than half of the thickness of the original 8.5 x 11 version. Fold it up and tuck it into the back pocket of your Moleskine. Carry the words of these master writers with you everywhere you go!

Mike Shea
Contributor, Moleskinerie

Image: Rodenbeck @ Moleskinerie/FLICKR
© Rodenbeck

Friday's Feast

"Welcome to Friday's Feast. While our questions may sometimes be related to food, the main idea here is to feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions. Each Friday when you visit this meme, you will find 5 enticing courses for your mind to gobble up:

Appetizer
a quick, tasty morsel to get you started

Soup
something smooth and warm to soothe your mind

Salad
a nutritious blend of veggies for your brain

Main Course
a hearty portion that is sure to satisfy

Dessert
a fluffy, light concoction to tempt your sweet tooth"

Friday's Feast

(Thanks Joy!)

Sale!!

Pocket notebooks with oilskin binding, elastic band and inside pocket. 3" x 5" Availability: Usually ships same business day. MB710Regular Price $10.9510% Off Use Coupon Code "Gadgets" $5.00

iGadget.com
...
Thanks to J David @ Moleskinerie/FLICKR

 

Jeffrey Fulvimari

"Jeffrey Fulvimari was born in Akron, Ohio. He now lives and works in New York City. Jeffrey studied art at the Cleveland Institute of Art where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He moved on to Cooper Union in 1985 where he concentrated in photography, video and conceptual art.

Jeffrey has worked in all aspects of printed media: advertising, editorial, sales promotion, etc. His illustrations have also been animated for Naked Chef of Food Network, MTV, Nick at Night, music videos, and numerous commercials in Japan.

In 1999, Jeffrey created the marketing concept and main visuals for AFTER THOUGHTS, a fashion accessory retail chain with 800 shops throughout the U.S. Retail sales have gone up to 400% since Jeffrey's illustrations have gone into use!"

Jeffrey Fulvimari
Visit his website.

[via Moleskineart]
Image: © JF

M R&D

From our GMailbox:

"I've always thought that Moleskin note books were lovely 'Things' to own and use but never had one. Recently I decided to give my clients one for Christmas this year (I am a photographer) and most of my clients are creative thinkers so it looks like the perfect gift. Just trying to source 60 at the moment, the US seems to be the place to buy with the rate so good.

The designer I am working with is trying to find a smart outer hard plastic case to mail them in and around the outside will be placed a paper band with a message. (see attached Pic)

Your web site is a great notion and I will forward a link inside the books when they are given out. I hope it will be a source of inspiration to first time users to use their books well !

Excellent

Trevor"

A Peek at the Moon

LTO-63C3
Peek

Lunar Topographic Orthophotomap (LTO) Series
Publisher: Defense Mapping Agency
Scale: 1: 250,000
Projection: Transverse Mercator

Lunar and Planetary Institute

...
"the regions have cute names (daguerre, hypatia, kant, very, da vinci, fahrenheit, gutenberg, etc)."

Christine

Ban Comic Sans

"In 1995 Microsoft released the font Comic Sans originally designed for comic book style talk bubbles containing informational help text. Since that time the typeface has been used in countless contexts from restaurant signage to college exams to medical information. These widespread abuses of printed type threaten to erode the very foundations upon which centuries of typographic history are built.

While we recognize the font may be appropriate in a few specific instances, our position is that the only effective means of ending this epidemic of abuse is to completely ban Comic Sans.

We understand font selection is a matter of personal preference and that many people may disagree with us. Those who do not share our views should visit the Comic Sans Appreciation Society and the Illustrated History of Comic Sans."

Bancomicsans.com
...
Thanks C!

 

Stillness Speaks

"The Now is as it is because it cannot be otherwise. What Buddhists have always known, physicists now confirm: there are no isolated things or events. Underneath the surface appearance, all things are interconnected, are part of the totality of the cosmos that has brought about the form that this moment takes."

- Eckhart Tolle
Stillness Speaks

[via Whiskey River]

Bloggers as TIME's "People of the Year" ?

" Each year around this time going all the way back to 1927 the editors of TIME magazine sit down to debate and select their Person or People of the Year. Last year, if you recall, they selected the American soldier. In prior years they have selected everyone from Charles Lindbergh (1927) to The Computer (1982)...

The Person of the Year is defined as folllows:

"Person of the Year is an annual issue of TIME magazine that features a profile on the man, woman, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year"

For 2004, I cannot think of a single person or persons that had a greater influence on society than the bloggers. Let's remind them by making our voice heard. If you think about American politics, media, business - no one, no one had a greater influence for better or worse than the bloggers. Not Osama Bin Laden. Not Sadaam Hussein. Not John Kerry. No one. The bloggers absolutely deserve to be this year's People of the Year. If you agree, then make your voice heard. Send an email to the editors of TIME and explain why the bloggers deserve to be this year's choice. "

Steve Rubel
Micro Persuasion

Link: letters@time.com

CEA Code Of Conduct Campaign Encourages Responsible Camera Phone Usage

The voluntary guidelines presented by CEA in the Code of Conduct include seven tenets:

1. Camera phones should not be used where photographic equipment is typically banned, for example: museums, movie theaters, and live performances. Users should look for signs posted in public places, which indicate whether photographic equipment is banned.

2. Camera phones should not be used in public areas considered "private" by those who use them, for example: bathrooms, changing rooms, and gym locker rooms.

3. Camera phones should not be used without authorization to record and/or transfer confidential information. This may apply within a corporate, government or educational environment...."

Learn more at the CEA Website.

 

Dial M

"Since confessions are in order, I have cut my pocket size Moleskine in two, with a bandsaw (gasp), and now have two really small pocket sketchbooks, each so portable that they can go anywhere I go."

cheers,
bill b. @ Care & Feeding

Stefan Sagmeister

" I love limitations when designing a project. I don’t love limitations when they are revealed only after we designed the project. I don’t love unorganized clients. I don’t love that period when the deadline is looming and there is no idea yet with the pressure slowly mounting..."

Stefan Sagmeister

Interview with Steven Heller

AIGA Journal

Lynne Parella

"The first time I ever saw this image by Ingres, it was in a History of Fashion textbook in art school.  I was stopped dead by this frontal image of a generously-sized and commanding iconic image of Womanhood.   The portrait seemed to speak volumes about secrets, and societal rituals, and thwarted power.  Decades later, I stood in front of the actual painting, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.   It was like finally getting to visit a highly-respected mentor.  There she was, right before me.  Oddly enough, I prefer the black and white version of her, and use her often in my artwork.  In this case, I have surrounded her with collage elements, and placed a sunflower behind each ear."

Lynne Parella
Visit her website.

[Thanks Joy]

Moleskine Ephemera Collage Gift Set

"The Moleskine artist on your gift list will be thrilled to have such an inspiringly creative and aesthetically pleasing collection of Moleskine items. The combination of Moleskine Sketchbook with the visually compelling assortment of collage-ready paper items is the perfect inspirational starting point for the creative notebook artist. This gift set contains all the items necessary to create multiple unique collage images on the heavyweight pages of the Moleskine Sketchbook. The assorted ephemera included is an instant collection of old stamps, pieces of maps, marbled paper, and illustrated pages from old books: over 50 pieces in all that can be cut and pasted in a myriad of ways. The entire gift set is contained in a clear plastic envelope with a secure button and string closure, to keep all the collage items in one organized place. The variety of colors, textures and imagery will spark many creative expressions within the pages of the classically styled, functionally designed and endlessly aesthetic Moleskine sketchbook."

Ninth Wave Designs @ eBay Store
Visit Lisa's personal gallery of Moleskine art.

[Sponsor's Link]

Pen Talk

 

"My weapons of choice

In a small pocket moleskine, I have slipped a Spauling (metal) fountain pen (F nib) on the elastic band. The mini-pen doesnt really add space or weight.

In my daypack goes a full size moleskine and an old levenger leather case. It carries a Amber Pelikin and my Namiki vanishing point, pluse ink carts.

At my desk, in a pencil cup, I have two Lamays: one blue ink for signing and one for black ink.

I always have a pilot G2 running around on me in various pockets. I use them when I lack the time to be careful.

I also have a Mont Blanc Meisterstück. I received it as a college graduation gift. I finally gave it to my twin, who has hounded me for it, because the meisterstück is just too large for my small hands.

I have oodles of old pens I keep meaning to restore.

(All my fountain pens are fine or extra fine when I can get that size nib.)"

Penny @ Moleskinerie/ORKUT

Image: Pelikan

Ghana Calling

"I'm surprised to find that there is such a following for the notebooks. I was doing a Google search for a cheap source of Moleskine books and came upon this log. I've been using these books as ethnographic fieldnote books for a while (before knowing they were a trend!). If any of you know of a cheap internet source for these books, email me. I'm currently in Ghana, West Africa studying the Chinese expatriate communities here. I know mailing the notebooks here will be expensive. *sigh* But they are the near-perfect fieldnote book."

Conal Ho @ Mail Call

Map: CIA Factbook
...
Hang in there Conal. We're organizing an air drop! ^_^

Spam Filter

Mailbox on IL Rt. 31
Photo: A.B.F.

View a larger image @ AFK*

From WMP Notebook # 3

"A week and a half ago, I received Wandering Moleskine sketchbook number 3. The pages were completely unmarked and ready for my inaugural entry. Well, as it happens, my son Nathan managed to acquire the Moleskine and scribble on the title page! After my initial shock, I was actually pleased to see Nathan leaving his mark on the book for posterity sake. This morning I signed his work "Nathan Rohde, Age 2yrs" so it wouldn't go unnoticed. :-)

Since Nathan's entry, I struggled over what to do with my own entry. I briefly considered sketching a Milwaukee landmark, but due to limited time, this seemed impractical. So, the book remained un-marked until this morning..."

Mike Rohde

Rohdesign

mike@rohdesign.com

http://www.rohdesign.com/weblog/

Wisconsin, U.S.A.

#8, 9 and 10. All set to go. Thanks to our friends:

Diane, N.J.  Visit her Amazon Storefront
Tricia L. , CA.
Abizer N., London
Prinedes,  Wa. Drop by his eBay auction
Lisa Laughy, NH. Check out her eBay Store,  Ninth Wave Designs

For updates, visit the WMP page.
View the scans at " Journey", the WMP Gallery hosted by  Joachim Beleg.

 

The Japanese Yatate

"If someone were to bring up the topic of Japanese antiques, what images would come to your mind? Kimono? Swords? Armor? Possibly netsuke? A few might even know what an inro is. How about the yatate? I have conducted informal surveys among my Japanese acquaintances (I live in Tokyo), and was surprised that the average Japanese does not even know what a yatate is!

A yatate (pronounced yah-tah-teh) is a Japanese portable writing set. The yatate has been around since the Kamakura period (1185-1333). It contains a traditional Japanese bamboo brush and an inkwell filled with cotton that has been soaked in liquid sumi ink.

Yatate literally means "arrow stand."

Russ Stutler
"The Japanese Yatate"
Learn more at Pentrace

 

Colorstrology

"The color for the month of November is Claret Red. Intense and passionate, this color inspires depth, strength and love..."

Colorstrology
...
Intense and passionate greetings to our friend Alan Webber on his birthday today, November 11th. From all of us @ Moleskinerie/ORKUT.

War Magicians

"Masters of wizardry and illusion, they hid the Suez Canal. They moved Alexandria Harbour."

"The War Magician".

"I think that camouflage men must be among the few otherwise sane beings who yearn to be bombed."

Geoffrey Barkas , The Camouflage Story

"...after facing initial scepticism from the British authorities in Cairo, Jasper Maskelyne and other newly arrived desert camoufleurs were able to gain credibility by introducing , on a shoestring budget , clever improvisations that had military value.

Eventually , they would be given their own base — a 'magic' valley near Helwan — from where they could offer their unusual services to the Eighth Army. The camouflage war would then enter a more ambitious phase, with greater resources committed, not only to manufacturing authentic looking fakes, but also to devising means of disguising the real military hardware.

The latest challenge from Geoffrey Barkas ,i.e. to conceal the vast port of Alexandria, seemed impossible. A problem of this magnitude required a rare combination of creative and pragmatic thinking. The kind that a successful stage illusionist might possess? Maskelyne's dream , after all, was to transfer the principles of stage illusion to the combat world.

Jasper Maskelyne
Master of Make-Believe

We salute all soldiers who served. Veterans Day 2004.
 

Journeys

Julia
Visit her blog, Journeys
NY

A Barista Buzz, Home Style

"THE first coffee of the day is a make-or-break moment. A robust, flavorful cup can clear the mind, cheer the soul and boost self-confidence. A watery, bitter brew almost guarantees gloom.

Small wonder that the corner Starbucks has become a kind of beverage wayside chapel, restoring the spirit with sacramental espressos, cappuccinos and lattes.

If only you could get them at home.

A new generation of coffee makers promises just that, in record time. The at-home brownie frappuccino remains a distant goal, but several machines now on the market serve up espressos and frothy coffees at the touch of a button. Some take their cue, and their price points, from the nearly professional-grade machines that companies like Rancilio, Capresso and Saeco introduced to the market in the late 1990's. Others take dead aim at the Mr. Coffee consumer ready for an upgrade."

"A Barista Buzz, Home Style"
NYT Style

[Reg. required]

Blink

"What is "Blink" about?

It's a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. When you meet someone for the first time, or walk into a house you are thinking of buying, or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusion. Well, "Blink" is a book about those two seconds, because I think those instant conclusions that we reach are really powerful and really important and, occasionally, really good.

You could also say that it's a book about intuition, except that I don't like that word. In fact it never appears in "Blink." Intuition strikes me as a concept we use to describe emotional reactions, gut feelings--thoughts and impressions that don't' seem entirely rational. But I think that what goes on in that first two seconds is perfectly rational. It's thinking--its just thinking that moves a little faster and operates a little more mysteriously than the kind of deliberate, conscious decision-making that we usually associate with "thinking." In "Blink" I'm trying to understand those two seconds. What is going on in inside our heads when we engage in rapid cognition? When are snap judgments good and when are they not? What kinds of things can we do to make our powers of rapid cognition better?"

Malcolm Gladwell
Blink

 

Sugar Paper

"sugar paper specializes in custom designed letterpress stationery and invitations. we also offer a unique selection of cards and paper goods by terrific boutique designers."

Sugar Paper

 

Cafe Bag

"Last weekend I stumbled across a great new bag while creating an Indiana Jones costume for a party on Saturday. I wanted to share the details of my new "Cafe Bag" bag, in case you might be interested in picking one up for yourself.

First, I should offer my definition of a so-called "Cafe Bag" eh? It's a bag large enough to hold multiple 8.5x11 or A4 papers, sketchbooks or magazines, deep enough for library book toting or reference book carrying. It should also accommodate pencils, pens and other such items. I call it a Cafe Bag, since it's primarily used to carry my gear to the cafe for writing, sketching or reading over coffee..."

Mike Rohde
Rohdesign

 

Moleskineart

"A project just started in Hong Kong, targeting to share experience and artwork. Exhibition is to be held in February 2005.  There is a forum for discussion."

Visit Moleskineart
...
We just got this invite from Patrick Ng in HK. Congratulations on your exquisitely beautiful site. Its great to see another gathering place for Moleskine enthusiasts around the world. Moleskinerie wholeheartedly endorses this project.

  ....

N.B. Moleskineart is a personal project of Mr. Ng and not a sponsored site as earlier posted.

 

Aurora Borealis

Where to look:

Start by looking toward the northern horizon. 90% of auroral displays start there. From the northern horizon, a full blown northern lights display can expand overhead or even into a portion of the southern sky. There can be a tendency for the light to be most enhanced in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the sky.

What to look for:

Auroras may initially take on the appearance of a fog bank on the horizon. One difference between the glowing, foglike cloud on the horizon is that stars are visible through th