Sep

20

“The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes” by Doug Stillinger

Filed Under Book reviews, Stationery Lover's Life | 1 Comment

If you love nice paper, but are consumed with guilt for wasting it, making paper planes is a tremendous way of giving your scribbled-on sheets some more life. Seriously, try suggesting it. The child (or forever-young adult) in your life will think you’re The. Coolest. Thing.

If you know only one plane design, and even that doesn’t fly very well, “The Kluts Book of Paper Airplanes” will save you from the imminent crash. It even comes with 40 sheets of paper printed with pretty designs, just so that you, the paper lover, have something to covet while the junior masters of origami are testing their engineering mettle.

The cover of "The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes" by Doug Stillinger

What’s inside.

First of all, we get a reference table, in which we’re introduced to the 10 paper plane models and their characteristics. Difficulty (from 1 to 5) and the number of folds needed (up to 15) will give you the idea of what you’re getting into, whereas flight speed, distance and time aloft lure you with untold rewards for when the project is finished.

The planes are of three types: Dart, Glider and Stunt. (There is also a solitary Toy, which looks pretty but doesn’t fly as well). The differences between the types, as well as some general instructions for launching each type, get a chapter of their own. Apparently, “the trick is to figure out what type of plane you’re throwing, and how you want it to fly. Then, give it the launch it needs to get there… The way the plane is designed, it will naturally ‘like’ certain angles and speeds, but not the others.” The pictures explain it all pretty clearly, though getting it right will need some practice, of course.

The instructions for folding each plane are clear, well-illustrated, and not too hard to follow. Our Young Guy - aged 8, and not very patient with crafts - needed help only with the most difficult plane, “The Hammer” (“time aloft: 4.8 sec; distance: 102 feet”), and we the grown-ups encountered no difficulty at all. The planes came out looking sleek and flying great even with minimal practice.

At the back of the book there’s a pocket with beautifully designed A4 sheets of paper: twenty designs, two sheets of each. Try not to start filching them from your child right away, though I can see a paper lover being tempted. My favourite was this one:

Young Guy favoured these two:

Although the rest of the designs are equally pretty, and very pleasant to the touch, a green-minded person would have no problem getting the same results with plain paper than was already headed for recycling.

How we tested it.

The book came on holiday with us this year, and became the Young Guy’s favourite reading matter for the whole of our week away. He tried out all ten models of planes, and made several of his favourite types (the Hammer and the Headhunter). When we asked if he would let us recycle these and make new ones at home, rather than carry the whole fleet back, there were tears of grief in his eyes when he said “Leave them if they’re too heavy.” (The planes came home; we’re not that feeble or cruel.)

We haven’t tried scaling down the models with paper of different sizes, but I can see trying it out some time with used up sheets from my university notes.

All in all, the book has proved to be a fantastic source of entertainment, provided us with a stream of nearly-free toys, and gave me some pretty paper to love and stroke. Result.

(If it’s time for frugal entertainment, check out “Fifteen Ways to Have Cheap Fun With Your Kids Using a $1 End Roll of Paper“: there are some more cool ideas on how to pass on your love of paper to the kids.)

Get your own.

If you would like to join in the fun, get “The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes” here.

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Now proudly pitching a tent at the First Book Review Blog Carnival.

Sep

19

A reader’s writing toys

Filed Under Random stationery, Stationery Lover's Life, index cards, sticky notes | 5 Comments

Index cards, post-its, bookmarks, highlighters...
(Image by wenxin)

I envy the high organisation of this reader. I’d like to emulate it; I probably even have all the necessary tools to put together my own kit like this one. (Not highlighters, though. I’m catastrophically lacking highlighters.)

However, I’d probably end up so engrossed with whatever I’m reading, that I’d forget to take notes.

I wonder how she uses the index cards. Anybody have any idea?

Sep

16

Types of Stationery Fetishists

Filed Under Stationery Lover's Life | 7 Comments

You know how it goes: I like nice pens and paper, you have a collection, and she is bloody obsessed!


(Image by Lord Biro)

I told my friend M about my new stationery blog. His reaction: “I like a good notepad, but collecting random pictures of them? Cin, you’re a pen pervert.”

My immediate reaction was to say, “Maybe, but at least I don’t spend hundreds of pounds on an antique collection and gold nibs.” But I bit my tongue. Because the only difference between me and the people who have systematic collections of stationery (other than they’re a bit richer than me), is the degree of our passion: we’re all “pen perverts” in the end. We’re equally alien to the people who have forgotten the sight of their own handwriting.

When I thought about that, I decided to create a typology for stationery fetishists, so that people like my friend M. know who they’re dealing with.

Sep

11

How to make a quill pen

Filed Under Pens, Quills, Stationery Lover's Life | 5 Comments


(Image by Digital Paradox)

When I was little - and already addicted to writing equipment - I dreamed of trying out a quill pen. Living in a big city, the only birds I saw up close were food, or maybe pigeons - but my mother was fond of peacock feathers.

I stole one of those off the wall where it was mounted, and tried dipping it in watercolours (the nearest thing I had to ink). You can imagine how well that went down. The tip never did get clean again.

I remembered this incident when, browsing around on an unrelated search, I found that there are plenty instructions available if you fancied making your own quill pen.

Here’s how you do it, then.

1. Unless you’ve got geese wandering around, you’ll be needing some quill feathers. You can buy those in hobby shops, and they’re pretty cheap. Ducks or geese are best.

2. Get your pen knife. You can strip the plume completely or keep some of it, whichever you prefer. The plume may get in the way of your writing, but it’s pretty, so you may want to sacrifice your comfort a bit. In any event, strip enough of the tip that you have a comfortable grip, and scrape away the scales near the tip.

3. Some sources recommend soaking the quill in cold water beforehand, or dipping it into boiling water to soften it like your fingernails before a manicure. Others advise that you temper it in hot sand to make it more brittle, and clean out the inside of the quill with a piece of wire. Try out all these methods if you like, but I’m quite lazy, so I’ll go on straight to cutting the nib.

4. To make a nib, first slice the tip of the quill at about a 45 degree angle. Shape the remaining tip into a sharp point; after this - and that’s counter-intuitive, but recommended in several places - chop the very tip off to make it slightly blunter. Mind your fingers though.

5. To finish off, working from the inside, cut a groove in the nib to help the ink flow.

6. You are done. You may now dress up in your Rennaissance Faire garb and write long, beautiful letters to no one in particular.

This pair of videos demonstrates in helpful detail everything you may not have figured out from the description above:



Quill-making and calligraphy resources used in preparation of this article:

Sep

9

The Stationery Fetishist’s Manifesto

Filed Under Fountain Pens, Pens, Stationery Lover's Life | 7 Comments

Pen in hand, I declare
Photo by ItsGreg

  • My love of office supplies is irrational, but it is pure. Don’t ask me to explain it, just hand over the multi-coloured index cards.
  • You may want one expensive present for your birthday. I want several notebooks, some pens, and a box of funky paperclips. Make the pens Montblancs, if it makes you feel better.
  • How is sharpening pencils not meditation?
  • I could be a writer. If only I could settle on the perfect damn notebook, and find my favourite pen.
  • Maybe I should write my book in a dip pen.
  • I’m not feeling very well; maybe I should go out and buy a box of pencils to cheer me up.
  • Yes, there is a point in owning quills and ink-pots in the 21st century. The quills and the ink-pots *are* the point.
  • No, I do not have too many notebooks. Or enough notebooks.
  • My stationery will expand to occupy all available space.
  • Of course I have a pen on me.

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This post is now proudly pitching a tent at “Just Write” and “Everything Worth Reading” blog carnivals.

Sep

8

The blog is born

Filed Under Fountain Pens, Notebooks, Pens, Stationery Lover's Life | 2 Comments

I can’t keep the secret any more: I am a stationery fetishist.

Montblanc Pen, photo by Gep
(image by Gep)

Are you like me?

You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.

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