Archive for February, 2011

Karen and the Skin Project

Posted February 25, 2011 by
in Beautiful Creations, Cabinet of Curiosities, Pens, Paper & People | 1 comment »

A few years ago, Karen participated in artist Shelley Jackson’s Skin Project, a story that was “published” word by word in tattoos on the skin of volunteers.

Now, Jackson’s piecing together a reading from videos of those volunteers. It will be hosted on the Berkeley Art Museum’s website starting on March 1. In the meantime, here’s a video I took last week of Karen saying her word.

Karen will be posting her own thoughts and experiences soon. If there are any other words out there who’d like to share their stories, please get in touch!

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Paper cars and the blank page

Posted February 24, 2011 by
in Videos | Add your comment »

From my French counterpart comes a link to this Audi video, in which blank pieces of paper come together to form the outlines of a car. (“Nothing inspires us like the blank page.”)

A bit self-serious for a car ad, perhaps, but a neat image all the same! Enjoy…

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A letter in Larmes de Cassis

Posted February 17, 2011 by
in Beautiful Creations, Pens, Paper & People, Product Reviews | 1 comment »

Thanks to contest winner Annie for sending us a picture of this lovely handwritten note! A great description of Larmes de Cassis, too: “like the stain you would get if you dropped a piece of blueberry pie onto a white shirt.”

(And yes, I do know the color of that stain. Why do you ask?)

Click through to see the full-sized letter…

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Writers’ Project interview with Cole Wardell

Posted February 16, 2011 by
in Pens, Paper & People | 1 comment »

Our latest Writers’ Project interview is live! We did something a little different this time, catching up with Cole Wardell, an as-yet-unpublished writer who lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Anyway, be sure to check it out… and look through our older interviews for more information, inspiration, and advice!

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Do you have a work Valentine?

Posted February 15, 2011 by
in Editorial, Pens, Paper & People | 2 comments »

Karen saw this article in the Wall Street Journal last week about so-called “office spouses,” co-workers with close Platonic relationships.

It’s been years since I’ve had an office to go into every day, but I have definitely developed close friendships with some of my clients. I don’t know if it’s occurred to me to send them Valentines, however — in general, the relationships feel more familial than spouse-like.

Do you have an office spouse? Did you do anything with him or her for Valentine’s Day?

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted February 14, 2011 by
in Announcements, Editorial | 6 comments »

And thanks for being the most creative, opinionated, and inspiring bunch of readers we could ever hope for.

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More Artist Series eye candy

Posted February 11, 2011 by
in Announcements | 2 comments »

I didn’t realize it earlier, but our new Habana artist series encompasses more than Keith Haring — we’re also importing two Matisse designs, along with Picasso’s Portrait of Dora Maar (above).

Here’s a preview of the Matisse:

Continue reading »

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Congrats to our winners!

Posted February 9, 2011 by
in Announcements | 3 comments »

Many thanks to all who entered Karen’s Chinese New Year giveaway… may your red Habanas bring you luck in the year of the rabbit! Our winners are:

Aeroblazer
Eileen
Muse
Robin
RC
J
Barry
Ginigin (who posted a lovely Haiku!)
OnigiriSama
stax

If your name is on this list, Karen has already sent you an email — with the exception of Muse, whose address bounced. Muse, can you please contact us? We need your mailing address in order to send you your prize!

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Equology notebooks?

Posted February 8, 2011 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Product Reviews | 8 comments »

Thanks to everyone who wrote in about expanding our line of Equology planners… we will keep you posted if/when we add new formats. Next question: how about an Equology notebook? They are available in France, and we’ve been toying with the idea of importing them for a while.

As before, the issue of fountain pen friendliness will doubtless play a role. But perhaps more pressingly, given how many different notebooks and journals are competing for your attention… would you try out a new option just because it’s eco-friendly?

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Chinese New Year

Posted February 3, 2011 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Where to Go? | 31 comments »

Today marks the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival.  Based on the moon, the Chinese lunar calendar was invented almost 5,000 years ago by the legendary Emperor Huangdi to help Chinese farmers mark weather changes.  The holiday is celebrated over a two-week period. It is a time of feasting, gift-giving and renewal.

2011 is the Year of the Rabbit or Year of the Hare.  Read more about the rabbit in Chinese folktales, and rabbit-people traits here.

Click here to see what animal you are and its characteristics.  (I found out I’m a Water Dragon.)

Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world.  In Paris, a parade featuring music and dancing in the 13th arrondiseement attracts more than 100,000 people a year.  Here in New York, the Empire State Building is illuminated in red (happiness) and gold (wealth) to mark the first two days of Chinese New Year.  A Lion and Dragon performance will be held on Mott Street in New York’s Chinatown today.  A big parade will be held on Sunday.

Eclectic dragon that I am I decided to honor the holiday by signing up for a course on “Discovering Dumplings” at the Institute of Culinary Education. Taught by Kian Lam Kho, a chef, food writer and teacher, we will learn how to make eight different kinds of dumplings from the various regions in China.

Visit The Steamy Kitchen, the food blog by Jaden Hair, to get your own Chinese New Year recipes.

Finally, in honor of the new year, we will gift ten lucky people with a red Habana notebook.  If you prefer blank pages vs. ruled let us know. 

To enter… you know the drill. Leave a comment on this post before Tuesday, February 8th at midnight EST. We’ll select the winners at random, and follow up via email to sort out mailing addresses.

Good luck!…and Happy New Year!

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