I must plant these next fall

Hair Allium
One of the key features listed by the catalog is "conversation piece"

Alphabets and such

                            
I could spend hours reading through all the alphabets and languages on Omniglot!

When I was a wee one, I used to keep a notebook that I filled with samples of typefaces and calligraphy that I liked. Some girls had scrapbooks of idols, mine were filled with fake chinese lettering and big bubbly seventies writing among other novelties.

I even made up a language that I taught my friend at summer camp. We thought we were so cool, until we kept evolving it to the point where she and I both had very different dialects.

Favorite Notebook

Moleskine notebooks seem to have a cult-like following. I admit I have lusted after them in my heart. I love the look; the size; the elastic; the pockets; and they have some interesting formats like the storyboard. I used to carry something very similar. But I find that I hate writing in a notebook that I can't fold completely open so I tend to like wirebound (or any other binding that allows me to fold it over).

So here's what I've been using for years now. I always get these Clairefontaine notebooks with the grid paper...I really hate writing on anything other than grid. Don't ask why - I have no rational answer. And I always use the 6-3/4 X 8-5/8 for work and the 4-3/4 x6 -3/4 for carrying around with me to jot down ideas,etc.

I always end up hacking them a bit:
- Always create two pockets: one inside the front cover and one inside the back cover. To do this I usually hack up a couple 8-1/2x11 envelopes.
- Glue in a pad of sticky notes
- At one time I tried hacking on a pen holder...that wasn't so effective

The covers are not beautiful, I'll probably try my hand at hacking some sort of cover one of these days.

I have to admit I have recently been tempted by the Rhodia but they are too large.

How interesting that someone would bother to create a notebook and paper with "Sensuous curved edges". Must be some interesting market research behind that one.

More Papercraft fun

Chao Labratory has patterns and instructions for these sweet characters and others projects.

Tea Productivity

I love the 43folders site , especially the all the life productivity tips (AKA life hacks). Closest to my heart are the tea hacks.

Paper Adventurer

Ahhh...I can just feel the wind trying to blow through my big hair. Damn that Aqua-Net is strong!Can you believe this is a paper motorcycle? Yamaha has a pattern and instructions to make this and several other motorcyles.


And what could be more adventurous than a paper safari ?

The Art Wrapper - Christo

For those of us who whine about how modern packaging makes wrapping more difficult, imagine wrapping a building...in this case the Reichstag (in 1995)


Christo is currently working on The Gates installation in Central Park. It's slated for completion on Feb. 12

Finally... ice spikes explained!

Before I got a fridge with an icemaker, these ice spikes were very common in our ice cube trays and very interesting to me. I developed a theory that they were little ice volcanoes. Kenneth G. Libbrecht, chair of the physics dept. at Caltech explains how ice spikes are really created. I wasn't sooo far off.

I found this link on Caterina Fake's blog