If you are a regular reader to La Plume Etoile, you know that I love J. Herbin inks.  This letter and quality at the company makes me love using their inks even more.  In fact, yesterday I got J. Herbin’s Rouge Bourgogne on my favorite white shirt.  Acting fast, I was able to wash it out quickly and you’d never know it was there.  This has happened to me several times and it is so reassuring to know it will wash out, in addition to it being safe for my pens.

La Plume Etoile + J. Herbin = Love.

Happy Valentines Day!

Vogue 2012 Diary:  I reviewed the 2011 version previously.  You can read that review here.  I love the cover on this and am happy to be using it in 2012.

Gutenberg Notebook:  You have a choice between a white or black cover and Bible or Times New Roman font.

Astrology Notebook:   Each astrology sign features Swarovski crystals and the notebook comes in a gift box.

Slab:  I chose gold, which looks like  a real slab of gold.  So cool!

I’m looking forward to sharing more details with you!

Bridgett B!

To pick the winner, I numbered the comments 1-4 (1 being the first comment posted, 4 being the last) and plugged them into the random number generator below.  The generator picked #1, which was Bridgett’s comment.  Here’s a screenshot (click to see detail):

If for some reason Bridgett does not claim her prize, I will pick a winner from the remaining entries.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

How to enter: Leave a comment here saying your favorite aspect of La Plume Etoile or what you would like to see on the site that is currently not featured.  You will get an extra entry if you Tweet or re-post about this giveaway, then come back here and add an additional comment with proof you posted the giveaway (e.g.  a link.)  I will pick one entry at random for the winner.

Contest run: Contest opens at 12:00 AM on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 and ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, November 8, 2011.

Additional rules: (Even though I don’t like excluding my international readers) this contest is open only to US applicants due to the cost of postage.

More reviews will be coming soon.  Good luck!
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365 Things to Write About Cover - the inside format is the same!

The premise of the book is exactly as the title suggests, there are 365 topics about which to write.  Each page begins with a one to three word topic, and the rest of the page is blank except for lines on which to write.  The paper is not of Clairefontaine quality, but so far it has acted friendly with my Parker 45.  I have experienced minimal feathering and bleed through with the Parker ink.

You can use this book in a variety of ways.  Some suggested uses are for poems, descriptions, short scenes, short stories, or whatever other thoughts come to your mind.  I personally decided to use the book in a different way.  I am learning to speak Italian, so I decided to write about each topic in Italian as an additional way for me to practice.  The 365-topic format makes it a convenient way for me to incorporate daily writing into my life.

The book is also accompanied by a website at http://365thingstowriteabout.wordpress.com/, where the authors post some of their writings.  You can buy the book at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and through October 31, 2011, the authors will donate 100% of their royalties to art programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The authors have also kindly offered to send me a copy for giveaway.  Dear Readers — is this something in which you would be interested?  Please leave comments with your answer and if you are interested, I will do a giveaway of one copy.

She has posted about it at her blog here.

Thanks again to all who entered!

You have not emailed me to claim your Cookie Bookie notebook giveaway prize.  If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow, I will pick a new giveaway winner.

Thank you,

La Plume Etoile

Sandra Strait!

I numbered the comments, where #1 was the first comment posted and counted up from there.  I used the random number generator and comment #2 was picked, which was Sandra’s retweet.

Congrats Sandra and please email me with your addresss.  Thank you to all others who entered!

**Please note, the Executive Journal will not be available for the retail market, but is “for corporate clients to emboss their logo and/or insert advertising pages.” (according to Daycraft)**

Cover: The cover is made from “fine Italian PU.”  “PU” is polyurethane, which for this journal is like synthetic leather.  It is black and soft.  Is PU good for the environment?  I have no idea.  However, it’s great for those of you who don’t want to use real leather and save the animals.  Also, it’s Italian so I automatically like it.  I chose the black version, which the Daycraft website lists as dark grey.  The padded cover has some nice black stitching with a little stitched box on the side featuring an embossed number for the current year.  I thought this was a great idea for a planner or journal because if you use the product in the correct year, you automatically know when it is from when looking back through your old journal stash!

Size: This one is w142 x h203 mm and 240 pages.

Layout: There is a monthly calendar in the front and space for names/addresses in the back, along with some maps and area codes for Hong Kong.  The rest of the book is filled with lined paper.

Paper: The paper in this journal is a nice weight, white and lined with grey lines, except that the top and bottom lines of the page are red.  The paper is very smooth and very friendly with fountain pen ink.  There is no bleedthrough, nice shading if your particular ink is prone to that, and minimal feathering (only with some inks – otherwise no feathering at all).  The paper also has silver gilding on the edges – fancy!

Overall: Like I said, another great product!  Visit Daycraft’s website at http://www.daycraft.com.hk.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Daycraft now has a USA distributor.  If you live in the US and would like to purchase any of Daycraft’s products, contact:

Company:  Star Imports

Contact:  Mr. Andrew Oentojo

E-mail:  starimport.andrew@gmail.com

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One lucky reader will win the adorable Cookie Bookie Notebook in “Cheese Cracker” by Daycraft.  Cheese cracker is brown and orange, with 6.5 mm lined orange paper in and sandwich biscuit style cover (fine Italian PU).  It measures 125 x 125 mm and has 144 pages.

How to enter: Leave a comment here listing your favorite way to eat cheese crackers (toppings, accompanying food or drinks, etc.).  You will get an extra entry if you Tweet or re-post about this giveaway, then come back here and add an additional comment with proof you posted the giveaway (e.g.  a link.)  I will pick one entry at random for the winner.

Contest run: Contest opens at 12:00 AM on Saturday, June 4, 2011 and ends at 11:59 PM on Saturday, June 11, 2011.

Additional rules: (Even though I don’t like excluding my international readers) this contest is open only to US applicants due to the cost of postage and because I figure Daycraft would want more US writers to be using their products.

Good luck!

Cover: In my opinion, this is one of the greatest cover in the history of diary covers.  It is available in ivory, blue or black quilted patent leather.  It might be plastic, but it looks like patent leather.  I chose ivory and it is feminine and oh so glamorous – just my style.  It is case-bound and sturdy with a red velvet ribbon to hold your page.

Size: I chose the large size, which is is w151 x h215 mm and contains 408 pages.  It also comes in a tiny pocket version, a small version, and a long skinny version.  You can view all the dimensions at the product page here.

Layout: The large size is a day per page with timeslots for each hour, 8am to 10 pm.  However, the weekends featuring Saturday and Sunday each filling one-half of a page without hour markings.  Each page also features a few lines at the bottom for notes.  Each month has a different color scheme.  The months are separated by a colored and patterned page and then each day of the month also has a matching strip of that color/pattern at the top of its page.  The first page of the month also features an extra space for notes, a quickview calendar of the days of the month and an inspirational quotation.  I find the quotations are quite a nice touch and make the diary feel more personal.

Paper: The pages are sturdy and the paper is a nice weight, although not as thick as Clairefontaine.  The shade is a nice white (not too bright), lined with black/dark grey lines for your entries.  The paper is definitely fountain pen friendly.  You can see writing on the backside of the pages, but there has been no actual bleed-through.

Improvements: There are two things that I would prefer differently for this diary.  First, I would prefer Saturday and Sunday to have their own pages with hour markings, just like the other days of the week.  Second (and most important), I would like the cover to be re-fillable.  Daycraft changed the Vogue covers from 2010 to 2011 and I do not know if they will change the covers again for 2012.  I would absolutely love to just refill the planner part and keep using the cover forever!

Other notes: Daycraft diaries feature extra pages, such as international holidays, world times, IDD codes, nutritional information and more, which can be helpful.  There are also pages for contact information and notes; another great addition.

Overall: LOVE LOVE LOVE!  This Daycraft Diary definitely makes my day.  Visit Daycraft’s website at http://www.daycraft.com.hk.