Lost Scribe

Appreciating the lost art of journal writing and the beautiful instruments associated with it.

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Lost Scribe Lifestyle

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Sevenroll Pencil Case

Review:

We've been searching for a pencil case to store our pencils.  We always lean more towards the vintage/leather/canvas side look to our stationary these days.  So when we came across the Sevenroll Pencil Case it immediately grabbed our attention.

What we first loved about it was the color.  The deep rich Espresso color has a great contrast against the pens/pencils that it holds.  It's also very well made.  The leather is soft and can easily roll once you have items inside.  It also has a little pocket that's great for extra lead, small erasers and perhaps even a few dollar bills.  It can hold anywhere between 4-12 pens/pencils depending on the thickness of each.

Once rolled, there is an additional loop on the outside that can hold a pen or pencil for easy access without having to unroll everything.  Overall we thought this pencil case was fantastic.  It's a nice quality build and serves it's purpose effectively.  Enjoy the pictures below.

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Lost Scribe Lifestyle

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Schrade Tactical Fountain Pen/Rollerball Pen

Ok this is immediately on our want list.  It sounds like something very appealing as we tend to opt for the thicker barreled pens.  Anodized aluminum?  Yay!  We like!  We really don't know why but we like!  

And of course we really like the great review from No Pen Intended.  More after the jump!

(source: no pen intended)

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Here is a great review on an inexpensive fountain pen that serves as a great vehicle to the world of fountain pens.  The review is on the Pilot Varsity!  A must read!  

(source: http://peninkcillin.blogspot.com)

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Lost Scribe Lifestyle

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Lost Scribe Lifestyle

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Notebook Paper:  How To Spot High-Quality Paper.  This is a great informative post from our friends at paperblanks!  A must read!

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Tops Royale Hard Cover Notebook

Review:

We enjoy having different types of notebooks readily available for any type of occasion.  There's a true trusty travel companion that tends to accompany us everywhere (we think you already know which one that is, the T.N.) but for specific opportunities we like to opt for something a little harder, in this case, the Tops Royale Hard Cover Notebook.  

Let's start off by saying that this notebook can deliver one heck of a bang for your buck.  The hard cover notebook has a beautiful durable black cover and comes with a black ribbon marker.  Each page has a labeling box to easily organize projects by date.  They come with 96 sheets per book and are stocked with 20lb white paper.  Below you'll see some of our note taking which was taken with a Kaweco Sport Fountain pen with blue ink.  Virtually no transparency to the back page after writing so we were happy about that.  Oh and get this, we paid a little over $10 for this notebook!  This is a nice workhorse notebook that can take a beating and available for a great price.

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We saw this amazing video and had to immediately share with everyone. A very talented calligrapher!

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Midori Brass Ballpoint Pen

Review:

We just received our Midroi Brass Ballpoint Pen and we must say it's a beauty.  It instantly feels so nostalgic like something that perhaps has been handed down from your great grandfather.  And to think that with age it will look even better.  We can't wait to say the least!

The Midori Brass ballpoint pen is inspired from old WWI bullet pens that were basically manufactured from real bullet casings.  The Midori one you see here is a little similar but unique in it's own right.  Each pen comes in two parts, the top brass part and the bottom part is where the actual pen is held.  You can refill the pen part with refillable ink inserts after easily twisting off the tip end near the ballpoint area.  (inserts are sold separately)  

I love having the ability to use it in "writing format" and if I want to minimize the size to ease use of transporting, I can easily flip the pen back inside the brass cap and shrink the size.  With the pen out and attached to the cap it measures approx. 5.5".  With the pen inside the cap it measures a tad over 3.75".  The pen itself has a very fine point and writes smooth enough to quickly fall in love with.  We can't wait for our new pen addition to start wearing it's aged vintage colors that brass is so well known for.  

The only drawback we could say this pen has was the packaging itself.  After being spoiled with the packaging from the Midori Traveler's Notebook and the Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen, we realized that perhaps this is the one small and only unappealing characteristic of the pen.  In conclusion, we recommend adding this classic pen to your collection!

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Gepetto's Pencil Sharpener

This is a really creative pencil sharpener sold by a company that we just happened to stumble on, Monkey Business.  Aside from other interesting lifestyle gifts, they have a nice desktop & office section.  Many different artists contribute efficient yet affordable designs.  This particular one was designed by Avichai Tadmor. We love it the products and idea behind this company!  

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We're thinking of getting our own personal custom letterhead to use as thank you notes etc.  We saw these from Page Stationary and we must say they look just dandy!  Letterpress has an authentic feel of sincerity that feels wonderful, even more so when coupled with quality paper.  Find even more options after the jump...

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This is the Jon Contino Utility Notebook by doane paper.  Although we haven't got our hands on some of these yet we must say they look fantastic.  We love how the paper in their notebooks is both lined and grid.  You must check it out!  Purchase this and more at their website.

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The Lost Scribe Lifestyle Picture Post Monday

Every Monday we'll post a picture that highlights the Lost Scribe lifestyle that complements our interests in journal writing.  

Image from exyc.

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Smencil, the gourmet scented pencil.

We thought the idea of a pencil smelling like watermelon was yummy.  And now here we are...reviewing a Smencil.  Don't worry it's just not a pencil that smells like watermelon (they have tons of other scents) but it's also an environmentally friendly pencil since it's made from recycled newspapers. Yay! We have to try and help the environment somehow right?  :)  

Smencils makes their pencils (try saying that ten times fast) by rolling newspapers really tight around #2 graphite and then hardened so they take on the shape and hardness of a traditional pencil. Then they soak them in their "gourmet" liquids, which happen to be from an award winning fragrance company (seriously, we're not making this up).  Once dry they attach the erasers and individually pack them in these biodegradable freshness tubes. Interesting right?  We're still not really sure what's "gourmet" about having "gum-e bear, juicy melon, cherry vanilla, waffle cone, pom paya, sorta soda, pearrrfect, razzleberry, syrupdipity and kinda cola" scents but it's a unique twist on the traditional pencil.  Yup, and all that applies to just the "original scents." They have a plethora of other products on their site.  

Favorable characteristics:

- Smells like watermelon. 

- Environmentally friendly pencil and biodegradable tube.

Unappealing:

- Smells like watermelon.  (ok, we liked it for the first 5 minutes then we were done with it)

- Eraser seems rough and inexpensive

- Leaves fingers smelling like (in our case) a fruit basket.

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Celebrating A Dying Art

Here is a great read about the dying art of handwriting. It's from one of our favorite news sources, The Economist. Enjoy!

CELEBRATING A DYING ART

Photo:  COMMISSIONED FOR INTELLIGENT LIFE MAGAZINE Nov / Dec 2011 Handwriting shoot by Mike Diver