Dixon Ticonderoga My First tri-write

Fat and triangular - perfect grip for little hands.
That they write well is a bonus!
5 stars!

Here's the Amazon link:

Dixon Ticonderoga My First Tri-Write Triangular #2 Pencils, Primary Size, Wood-Cased, Black Writing, 36-Count (13082)

Let's Post-it

I remember my very first pack of yellow Post-its. A gift from a neighbour who's son lived in London. This was way back in time before Post-it Notes were freely available in India.
I used them sparingly and made them last!

Now, Post-it Notes, Flags, Prompts are available at every corner stationery and general store. So are a multitude of other brands of similar stationery. I love the different colours and shapes that are now coming into the market. Most of these 'other' brands are decent and do their job well. Post-its, being 'the' brand, is  more expensive.

Some Amazon links -

Post-it Notes, 3" x 3", Canary yellow   Post-it Notes, 3 x 3-Inches, Canary Yellow, 12-Pads/Pack

Highland Notes, 3" x 3", yellow    Highland Notes, 3 x 3-Inches, Yellow, 12-Pads/Pack

Post-it Notes cube    Post-it Notes Cube, 2 x 2-Inches, Bright Colors, 400-Sheets/Cube, 3-Cubes/Pack
 
Post-it Flags   Post-it Flags Value Pack, Assorted Colors, 280 Page Flags and 48 Arrows of 0.5 Inch per Pack (683-VAD1)

Post-it Page Markers   Post-it® Page Markers, 1/2-inch x 1-3/4 Inch, Ideal for Temporary Marking and Noting In Books, Assorted Ultra Colors, 500 per Pack

Post-it Tabs with On-the-Go Dispenser    Post-it Tabs with On-the-Go Dispenser, 1-Inch Solid, Pink, Green, and Orange, 22-Tabs/Color, 66-Tabs/Dispenser

And for those of us who spend a lot of time at the PC, here are some virtual Post-its!

Post-it Digital Notes - free for a 30 day trial, then $9.99 to buy.   

http://download.cnet.com/Post-it-Digital-Notes/3000-2351_4-10060027.html

To browse and choose, there's also Best Free Sticky Notes Utility at
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-sticky-notes-utility.htm 

Pencil Story

Something that seems so basic but has been at the start of almost every artistic or creative endeavour - the pencil.

This article narrates a wonderful story about pencils -

http://www.pencils.com/blog/the-story-of-pencils/

My Grandfather's Nibs

Weren't too large for the shelf

Didn't stand 90 years on the floor

They were prized very much

By the ol' man himself....     

          
                            

                                                                                                                                

 

Maped Eraser Caps

Eraser caps are somewhat hard to come by here in India. After I caught the eraser-cap-bug, I hunted high and low for them. Finally, found a pack of Maped eraser caps.

Nice and colourful with a peculiar shape. They look strong enough too.  But, I won't say they're great. Decent but not great. They erase all right, but are not stable enough on the pencil. There is a bit of a wobble and they tend to crack very soon.

Hmm, they'll get a rating of 3 on 5.

Pencil lead? Where's the lead?

So! We all grew up talking about the lead in pencils. At some point in school, we learnt that it wasn't 'lead', but graphite. Now, I learn that it's a mix of graphite and clay.

So where did the word 'lead' get into pencils?

Here's a lovely article that answers this question and gives us some more interesting pencil trivia!

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/11/why-pencil-lead-is-called-lead/

Apart from this article, the website http://www.todayifoundout.com/ itself sounds interesting. Something new to learn every single day!

Pencil History

Who made the first pencils? How were pencils made centuries ago? With what were they made?
Find some interesting pencil history at

http://www.pencils.com/blog/pencil-history/

The Birth of Pencils

We use a pencil almost everyday. Writing, doodling, scratching our heads, winding loose tape back into a cassette (though we don't use cassettes anymore)... lots of uses! Different types of pens come and go but pencils live on. Millions of pencils are made daily. Have you given a thought to how pencils are made nowadays?

Here's an interesting post from the pencils.com blog!

http://www.pencils.com/blog/pencil-making-today/

BILT Matrix Notepads

Some years ago, I'd discovered the BILT Matrix Conference Pads - wonderful paper, excellent quality - a pleasure to write on.

Two weekends back, I got reunited with BILT Matrix - this time, with their A4 sized single lined notepads. Ahhh, the joys of owning good stationery! Since then, I've gone and got myself their Youth series of A4 pads and some of their Premium A4 and A5 notepads. The Youth series have the same smoothness, but have thinner paper - good for writing letters internationally where the weight counts. The Premium series have 70 gsm paper - perfect.

The pricing is excellent too, with the Youth series A4 sized 100 page notepads at Rs.29/= and the similar Premium one priced at Rs.42/=

Only drawback - not many stationers in the area seem to stock it - apparently BILT has very poor marketing and their salesmen hardly ever drop in to the stores. This is most unfortunate because I would rate BILT as having the best quality around. What we need is also a good online stationery store, like Office Depot. Ballarpur Industries Limited, are you listening?

For old times' sake

A nib, nib-holder and a good ol' ink-pot!