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General – Writer's Bloc Blog

8 Tips For Using the Leuchtturm1917 Adhesive Pen Loop

Leuchtturm1917 Adhesive Pen Loop
Leuchtturm1917 Adhesive Pen Loop

The Leuchtturm1917 Adhesive Pen Loop is a easy way to add a handy pen holder to a paper notebook or journal that doesn’t have one. Just peel the backing off the small 1.5″ x 1.5″ square piece of vinyl, stick it on to where you want it and voila, your notebook has a new elastic pencil or pen loop! Here are 8 tips for using your Leuchtturm1917 pen loop:

Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop stuck on a Quo Vadis Habana Journal
Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop stuck on a large Quo Vadis Habana Journal
  1. The Leuchtturm1917 pen loop works best with slender writing tools such as regular size wooden pencils, Staedtler triplus pens, cheap Bic or Paper Mate ballpoints, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, you get the idea. I didn’t like using pens with rubberized or highly textured grips with this pen loop because they are too difficult to slide in and out. Maybe you are more patient than I am.
Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop holding a Staedtler Triplus Textsurfer
Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop holding a Staedtler Triplus Textsurfer

2. I was able to use the pen loop to hold pens with a medium size barrel only if they were cigar-shaped (tapered on the ends) and had a smooth barrel. A couple of examples of this are the Platinum Plaisir fountain pen and Pentel Tradio pens.

Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop holding a Platinum Plaisir Fountain Pen
Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop holding a Platinum Plaisir Fountain Pen

3. For pens with a wide barrel and squared ends, the best you can do is attach your pen clip to the elastic pen loop. Check out the photo below to see how you can use it with the clip on your LAMY Safari fountain pen.

4. When I use a fountain pen, most often I prefer to write with it “unposted”, or without the cap placed on the top (non-nib) end of the pen. While I’m writing, I’m always looking for a place to put the cap so I won’t lose it. The pen holder is a handy place to attach the clip of my fountain pen cap until I need the cap again.

Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop holds a LAMY Safari by the clip only
Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop holds a LAMY Safari by the clip only

5. Think before you stick. The Leuchtturm1917 pen loop is only meant to be stuck in one place and not removed and stuck somewhere else. I put mine in the center of the back cover of my large Quo Vadis Habana Journal because I am planning on using the pen loop to grasp the center portion of my pen. If you want to use it to grasp the top part of a pen near the clip, you’re better off sticking the pen holder near the top of your notebook. It’s a good idea to figure out what pen you want to use with the holder, put the pen in the loop, and then put it next to your notebook to figure out where you want to place it before you stick it on the cover.

6. Once my notebook is used up, I will get another pen loop to stick on a fresh new notebook. This makes sense, because even if the Leuchtturm1917 pen loop used the best quality materials in the world, over time they eventually wear out.

Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop
Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop

7. The pen loop is not a fool-proof way to avoid losing your pens and pencils. You still need to exercise care so as to not lose your valuable writing tools. Also, if you want to remove the pen loop, don’t expect it to remove cleanly.

Leuchtturm Pen Loop holding an Apple Pencil
Leuchtturm Pen Loop holding an Apple Pencil

8. Even though the Leuchtturm1917 pen loop is designed to be used with paper notebooks, some people have successfully used it on a tablet or smart phone cover to hold a stylus for their device. It does a great job at holding the Apple Pencil! This is a hack, so try this at your own risk.

How do you use your Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop? Do you have any tips or tricks to share?

Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop
Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop

 

 

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Join Us in Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary!

10-year-anniversary

November 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of Writer’s Bloc! It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years already since we opened the doors of our first retail store on NW 23 Avenue in Portland, Oregon. We were motivated by our love of good quality fountain pens, writing instruments and paper to create our shop to share what we love with others that have the same passion, and also to inspire others to develop a love for handwriting.

Our 10th Anniversary Sale is already underway, offering 10 weeks of deals on many of your favorite products. This week you can get an extra 10% off on all dot-grid notebooks. We’ve still got 7 more weeks of sales to go until the end of 2016 – visit our website often and follow us on social media to check out the latest discounts.

Writer's Bloc History
Writer’s Bloc History

That first shop focused on a variety of well-made pens, unique journals, office supplies and stationery from Asian countries. We also had a pretty rad display of Eurogames! Check out this collage of some products from the past – anyone remember these?

what we love with others that have the same passion, and to inspire others to develop a love for writing
Nostalgic collage of items we used to have in our shop

We’ve come a long way since 2006. You helped us to discover Clairefontaine, Rhodia, J. Herbin Ink, Noodler’s Ink, LAMY, Quo Vadis Planners and more essential high-quality tools for writers. We’ve expanded the number of fountain pens on our shelves. Who knows what will arrive at Writer’s Bloc in the future! You’ve helped us get to where we are now and we really appreciate the great community of pen, pencil and paper people out there that have supported us and provided us with inspiration over the years. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our 10 years a success!

Some of our favorite items that can currently be found at Writer's Bloc
Some of our favorite items that can currently be found at Writer’s Bloc
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Back to School 2016 for Stationery Lovers

Back to school for students who love stationery is an exciting time that means backpacks full of shiny, fresh school supplies with that brand-new stationery smell! Here are some of our favorite supplies for your stationery fix in the new school year.

Clairefontaine Side-Staple Notebook
Clairefontaine Side-Staple Notebook

Clairefontaine Notebooks

Clairefontaine notebooks rock some of the best paper in the world for writing! This paper has a super smooth coating on it that reduces writing fatigue by allowing your pen to easily glide across the page. The quality of the paper minimizes any instances of ink bleeding through or showing through the paper which allows you to write on both sides of each page. Clairefontaine notebooks are especially awesome if you like to write with a fountain pen. There’s a huge variety of notebook styles and sizes from Clairefontaine, we’ll mention a few of our favorites here and you can check out the rest yourself.

LAMY Safari Fountain Pen in Blue
LAMY Safari Fountain Pen in Blue

LAMY Safari Fountain Pens and Pelikano Fountain Pens

A fountain pen is the perfect companion to go along with your Clairefontaine notebooks. Fountain pens help with writing fatigue by reducing the friction required to write and Clairefontaine paper has a satin smooth surface to reduce the fatigue even more. If you’re going to spend a lot of time writing you may as well enjoy it! For school or college purposes we would recommend a pen that’s not too expensive that can be filled with washable blue ink cartridges (more info on that in a moment). When you’re on the go, ink cartridges are easier to use than bottled ink and both the LAMY Safari and Pelikan Pelikano have washable blue ink cartridges with a decent ink capacity: LAMY Blue ink cartridges or Pelikan Royal Blue giant ink cartridges.

Pelikan Super Pirat Ink Eradicator
Pelikan Super Pirat Ink Eradicator

Pelikan Super Pirat Ink Eradicator 

The Super Pirat Ink Eradicator can erase mistakes made when writing with royal blue fountain pen inks and then you use the blue correction tip to correct the mistake. This correction pen is a fantastic addition to your fountain pen and Clairefontaine paper. If you’re wondering how it works take a look at this blog post: What is the Pelikan Super Pirat Ink Eradicator?

Quo Vadis Textagenda Academic Planner with a Red Chelsea Leather Cover
Quo Vadis Textagenda Academic Planner with a Red Chelsea Leather Cover

Quo Vadis Academic Planners for 2016-17

Academic planners are special because their dates correspond to the school year instead of the calendar year. They begin with the month of July or August and end with the month of July in the following year. Quo Vadis offers a variety of high quality planners and covers to keep even the busiest students organized.

  • Textagenda Daily Student Planner
  • Minister Weekly Student Planner – fountain pen friendly
  • University Pocket Size Student Planner
  • Scholar Weekly Student Planner – fountain pen friendly, open format
  • Monthly 4 18-month Monthly Planner
Clairefontaine Multiple Subject Notebook - Large
Clairefontaine Multiple Subject Notebook – Large

Clairefontaine Multiple Subject Notebooks

Clairefontaine Multiple Subject Notebooks get their own mention because they accomplish more than one purpose. In addition to tabbed, different colors of paper to keep your notes on different subjects organized, they also help save on space and weight to minimize the number of supplies you need to carry with you. These multiple subject notebooks have paper with a 5mm x 5mm grid so if you happen to have small handwriting you can get a lot of notes on one page. Clairefontaine Multiple Subject Notebooks are available in small, medium and large sizes.

Uni-ball Jetstream 3 Multicolor Pink Ballpoint Pen - 0.7mm
Uni-ball Jetstream 3 Multicolor Pink Ballpoint Pen – 0.7mm

Uni-ball Jetstream 3 Multicolor Ballpoint Pen

If you’re not into fountain pens, check out the space saving, smooth writing Uni-ball Jetstream 3 Multicolor Ballpoint Pen. It conveniently gives you 3 choices of ink color in one pen body. The pen comes with blue, black and red ink ink cartridges with a 0.7mm tip but can be refilled with any colors you wish. The pen is available with your choice of a pink, light blue, lime green, black or transparent body.

Clairefontaine Basics Blue Oval Leather Pencil Case
Clairefontaine Basics Blue Oval Leather Pencil Case

Aston Leather or Clairefontaine Leather Pen & Pencil Cases

Carry your writing instruments in style with a leather zippered pen and pencil pouch from Aston Leather or Clairefontaine. Both cases are reasonably priced and durable enough to last for years.

What are your favorite new school supplies to buy at the beginning of the school year?

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2016 is Our 10th Anniversary!

Writer's Bloc Shop on NW 23 Ave
Writer’s Bloc Shop that was on NW 23 Ave

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 10 years since our family owned business opened in Portland, Oregon. Time has flown by, and since then we’ve moved and now we’ve got a small office and warehouse in the bustling metropolis of Houston, Texas.

NW 23 Avenue
NW 23 Avenue & the Portland Streetcar

Our first brick-and-mortar store shared a space with a flower shop and was located on NW 23rd Avenue in the Nob Hill area of Portland. This charming neighborhood is both a great shopping and a great eating destination! We loved walking out the door to find lots of interesting boutiques, coffee houses and restaurants with delicious food from around the world. In addition to the food, shopping and coffee, we love the large trees and old Victorian homes in the area. When we opened it was autumn and the colors of leaves on the trees was fantastic!

Fall Colors in Portland OR
Fall Colors in Portland, OR

When our store first opened we featured many kinds of Japanese pens that you can’t buy at large office supply retailers. We really like the superior writing quality that these Asian pens provide, especially the pens with a very fine tip.

Jetstream Pens
Jetstream Pens

Since we love Eurogames, or German-style board games, these were also featured in our shop. If you’re not sure what these are you’ve been missing out on a lot of fun times with friends and family! Board games like Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan are considered Eurogames and our customers were excited to have a local shop to buy these at.

Metro Board Game
Metro Board Game

We had (and still have) a good supply of environmentally friendly rice paper which is harvested from the branches of the paper mulberry tree. The manufacturing of this paper does not require that any trees be cut down. It is made from the bark of the tree and does not harm the health or growth of the tree. It is naturally pure white and when it’s colored it is dyed naturally, eliminating the use of harsh chemicals.

Rice Paper Party Favors
Party Favors Wrapped in Rice Paper

When we were able to get them, we had a good variety of super cute Asian planners, notebooks, stickers and pencil cases from Jetoy, Lamb-Lamb, the storybook themed Art Deco 7321 and many more.

Alice In Wonderland Notebook by 7321 Design
Alice In Wonderland Notebook by 7321 Design

Then customers started asking for Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Lamy fountain pens and Noodler’s Ink. We were as excited as our customers were when we started to stock our shelves with these fantastic products! These have become some of our favorite writing tools of all time and have grown to become a major part of our store’s inventory today.

Clairefontaine Notebooks
Clairefontaine Notebooks

The best part of this experience is you – our wonderful customers! We appreciate that you’ve loyally been with us over the years and share our love of all things related to pen, ink and paper. We’re happy that you’ve taken the time to introduce us to many new writing tools that we hadn’t had the opportunity to experience before, and we’re sure that you’ll continue to help us grow in the years to come. Thank you all!

Lime Green LAMY Safari Fountain Pen
Lime Green LAMY Safari Fountain Pen

 

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2016 Pantone Color of the Year & Your Favorite Office Supplies

Rose Quartz & Serenity - Pantone Colors of the Year 2016
Rose Quartz & Serenity – Pantone Colors of the Year 2016

The Pantone color of the year for 2016 is actually a pairing of two colors: Rose Quartz and Serenity. The Pantone website explains the thought behind their selection for this year:

Joined together Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.

Would you like to add these calm, relaxing colors to your stationery arsenal? Below are a few of our favorite choices of pens, ink and paper related items that are part of this color family.

Platinum Plaisir Fountain Pen - Frosty Blue, Medium Nib
Platinum Plaisir Fountain Pen – Frosty Blue, Medium Nib

The first pens that come to my mind when I think of Serenity and Rose Quartz are the Platinum Plaisir fountain pens in a pearlized soft pink and frosty blue. Also worth mentioning is the popular Aurora Style Aquamarine pale blue fountain pen.

Aurora Style Gemstone Collection Fountain Pen Aquamarine
Aurora Style Gemstone Collection Fountain Pen Aquamarine

It’s not common to find pastel shades of fountain pen ink, however there are a few inks out there that remind me of the 2016 Pantone colors. Noodler’s Periwinkle Eternal Ink is inspired by the color of the blue curve of a periwinkle snail’s shell and Noodler’s Ink Polar Blue makes me think of washed denim. J. Herbin’s Bouquet d’Antan is a soft, muted shade of light pink. If the thought of a tropical sea makes you feel relaxed, then try J. Herbin Bleu Azur fountain pen ink.

Noodler's Ink - Polar Blue
Noodler’s Ink – Polar Blue
Noodler's Periwinkle Fountain Pen Ink
Noodler’s Periwinkle Fountain Pen Ink
J. Herbin Bleu Azur Fountain Pen Ink
J. Herbin Bleu Azur Fountain Pen Ink
J. Herbin Bouquet d'Antan Fountain Pen Ink
J. Herbin Bouquet d’Antan Fountain Pen Ink

The PlePle Candy Wrap Pen and Pencil Case is a calming shade of blue.

PlePle Candy Wrap Pen Case Blue
PlePle Candy Wrap Pen Case Blue

Personalize your letters or other items by using a brass stamp and J. Herbin Rose colored Supple Sealing Wax.

J. Herbin Supple Sealing Wax in Rose
J. Herbin Supple Sealing Wax in Rose

Shades of blue and pink pastel paper can be found in Clairefontaine’s Multiple Subject Notebooks (small, medium or large) and Clairefontaine Loose Sheets of paper with Graph or French Rules. Exacompta also has pastel colored index cards that are super smooth and their grid lines make it so that any side of the card can be the top.

What are your favorite Rose Quartz and Serenity blue colored pens, paper and ink?

Clairefontaine Multiple Subject Notebook
Clairefontaine Multiple Subject Notebook
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