Review: Shoplet Featuring Officemate Products

Another round of great office supplies from Shoplet Promotional Products to try out! This time it features Officemate products! This review was a little tougher to do for me since I don't use these type of products everyday but I definitely could get used to using them everyday. :)

The items to review include:
Officemate Portable Dry Erase Clipboard Case OIC83382
Officemate Recycled Rotary Organizer OIC26255

First up is the Officemate Portable Dry Erase Clipboard Case. I was super excited to give this a try since I've been looking for a storage clipboard for personal uses. I wanted to be able to take my comic pages or art/sketches with me if I happened to go travel somewhere and needed something that could carry the bare necessities. This turned out to be great for me! It's like a mini briefcase in which has all the things I need for travel.

Here is the clipboard completely opened. Notice it has some storage spaces above and below the handle but beware that any loose items will move around. Although all items stays within the storage space when it is closed, don't expect small items to stay completely put when it's open. Nothing is magnetic, it is completely plastic. Also there is a little compartment for pens or pencils at the bottom which is good and bad. It accepts only certain widths of pens. It does not fit my Lamy Safaris or other wider pens. Thin pens and pencils work fine though.

Plastic clip holds tightly and securely but I wonder how long it would last since it is only plastic. There is no back up clip, if it breaks the entire clipboard won't close and you'd be forced to buy another.

A close up of the handle, it's comfortable to hold and is smooth. It won't catch on your hand uncomfortably so you won't have any problems grabbing and going it if you're in a hurry.

Trying out the dry erase feature. It's great if you're in need of illustrating a point to someone visually. Of course you'd have to carry a dry erase marker which I'm not too sure who does that these days...Still you could just stick it in the clipboard and forget about it until you need it! I had fun drawing on it knowing I can erase it later. You should note that if you place papers on top of the dry erase board it will wipe or scratch off the dry erase marker. So make sure you copy down the important information before you put anything on the clipboard part.

Clip of the clipboard! It's also plastic but fairly sturdy. It gave me a fairly good, even pressure on the paper so that it didn't slip when it was clipped. It also wasn't too tight that it wouldn't slip out easily, I'd have to give it a good tug which is fine with me.

Some sketches trying out the clipboard. I was a bit concerned that writing/drawing on the dry erase board part would make my writing or drawing uneven which is only true around the edges. If you keep margins like a half inch to an inch from the edge of the paper you should be fine. You don't have to worry about unevenness if you stay within the margins. If you're the type to use the ENTIRE sheet of paper you might have to readjust the paper so your lines stay straight.

Inside of the clipboard, just had the papers/comic/art in the larger area. Stuck some clips and a notepad at the top compartment and a kneaded eraser in the bottom. I have a mechanical pencil and a click eraser at the bottom. Overall, it's a neat and convenient portable clipboard and I hope it lasts for awhile because I could get used to using it everyday. A few things I wished it had was enclosed compartments that would ensure any small objects wouldn't fall out and that it was made of some recycled materials such as the following product.

This is the Officemate Recycled Rotary Organizer it's a nice little organizer. Actually it's not really small with 17 compartments! It's funny because it actually had more compartments than I could fill out with stuff. It is made of 30% post consumer recycled content which is good. The organizer is really handy because you can put any well loved item there an never lose it (as long as you remember to always put it back).

Some shots of the organizer with my stuff in it. It's a bit deceiving, the center compartments are actually much deeper than they look. Pencils and my nib holders poke out conveniently. However, my fountain pens barely show up, you can seem my Lamy Safaris and Noodler's Ahab kind of peeking out of there. That makes it a bit harder to grab and use, I'd have to dig a bit which isn't bad but does make it inconvenient if I'm in a hurry. The built in tape dispenser is nice but a bit hard to get out at first but it wasn't too bad.

Top view of the front part of the rotary organizer. Fits a bunch of stuff which is extremely nice!

There are swooping compartments where I put the correction tape and chap-stick I have. I thought it was unusual but then realized you could put paperclips and such in there. I didn't have any at the time but I wondered why it swooped like that. XD

Here are more compartments at the bottom of the organizer. Again, plenty of space for whatever office supplies you need to put there.

Back side shots! Love the notepad compartment, easy grab, tear, and write! I should note the rotating of the organizer isn't really smooth but it does move. Hopefully, it won't bother you too much, it's not a huge deal for me as I don't rotate it much. I put the things I need the most up front anyways.

A great product which allows you to make the most of your space while keeping it all organized. It's very convenient and something that many people could find this useful. It doesn't have to be used for office supplies but also for arts and crafts if you do that.


**Disclaimer: These products were provided by Shoplet and in return for this review I was able to keep the product in exchange for an honest review.

Alternative Frugal Traveler's Notebook Pt 1: Cover + Sketchbook Binding

I've been wanting a traveler's notebook for awhile but couldn't see myself paying so much for a leather wrapped notebook yet. In addition to the high prices of the traveler's notebook is that I did not care for the large long sizes of the notebooks and I think the 3x5 pocket sizes were a bit too small for me. Instead of making one which I've seen many talented people do I decided to see if I could scavenge one instead. :D Of course my intentions and qualities I'm looking for in a sketchbook/cover would be different from yours and the luck of finding a cover you'd want is usually unpredictable. Each store varies in items so you have to shop around.

Materials for my Scavenged Traveler's Notebook

• Notebook cover - Bought, hand-made, fabric, leather. Whatever you prefer to look at.
• Sketchbook/Notebook Paper - Your favorite type of paper
• Sewing needle
• Waxed thread - I used old tooth floss
• Rubber band - to enclose the book (you can buy elastic as an alternative)

Awhile ago I got lucky on a trip to the thrift store and found a good size leather wallet. I bought it with the intention on using it as a sketchbook cover for my scavenged traveler's notebook. I wanted it big enough that it would hold a decent size sketchbook but not too pocket size. I knew it wouldn't fit in a pocket which was fine since I was going to put it in a bag. What I didn't know was that the wallet size was unusual so it was hard to find a refill that would fit perfectly just popping it in.

In the end, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to make my own sketchbooks and it'd be a fun little side hobby. I just never got around to it until recently. I must say that it was a little hard and confusing at first but once I got the hang of it, it was actually quite fun.

Here's the wallet, I wasn't sure if it was authentic leather at first or not after awhile I didn't care. I loved how supple it felt and with it only costing less than $3 it was practically a steal. A lady who overheard me talking about it said that her parents used to own a leather store said if I scratched it a bit and it left a mark then it was authentic, she tried and said it looked like it was. lol Not sure how true that was but I just liked how it felt so I was ok with it. The wallet has card holders on the inner flaps which turns out great to hold little things like notes or even business cards.

When I got home I researched the Saddler's brand and looks like it's legitimate. I love that it has it's own history, I've no idea who the previous owners were but it looked in decent shape. The reason I wanted a leather wallet specifically was that I assumed that the wallet would be well made and built to last. Plus people donate/toss out their perfectly nice old/gently used/excess wallets. I'm ok with using something used, if you prefer new you'd probably better off purchasing a new wallet/cover.

The only issue was that the backing on one of the sides was coming apart. I thought about sewing it back together or using Elmer's glue but I thought if I used water to wipe it, it would fall apart again. haha My awesome mom recommended using a special leather glue that she had. After reading the back I realized it was perfect. It only took 2 applications for it to seal it back together. Other than that, there were no other holes or problems. Perfect. :D

You can see a tiny bit of glue residue but other than that it doesn't open up anymore.

One day a couple of weeks ago I finally decided to book bind the sketchbook. I wish I had pictures to show you guys but I was more focused on making it since was my first time so I hadn't considered taking progress pictures until it was done... I had trouble figuring out what size to use based on the wallet size and settled for using a pre-cut 5x7 pad I bought from the local Jo-Anns. The size was close enough when I cut it in half. I took the whole pad apart keeping the backboard as the covers. I took the paper and folded them all in half.

I made the signatures with 3 pages per signature because I wanted it lie flat. I did not know which type of stitch to use but ended up settling for the Coptic Stitch at the end since I thought the spine stitch was nice and I wasn't planning on adding a spine. I ended up watching a Youtube video on how to do it. I think I was a bit messed up on the top and bottom stitches but it still holds up well enough.

Here are the finished products. I don't really care how the covers look, if I feel up to it I may decorate them but it seems pointless if I have the leather cover for now. Once I do finish them I may decorate the covers based on what I do on the inside. I may decorate it as I fill it up. Not sure, I guess it'll depend on my mood. :)

I didn't do too bad on the first book so I decided I wanted to do a second sketchbook while I was on a roll. XD It went much smoother the second time and only had to refer back to the video a couple times. It's not too hard once you got the hang of it. Just takes time and patience.

The first attempt is on the bottom, the second attempt is at the top if you couldn't tell. haha

They turned out a bit thicker than I thought but it's fine. It does fit fairly snug in the cover, I may have to use thinner notebooks so that it's not as bulky.

Flips 360 degrees but I may be stretching the threads a bit and it's not super flat but it's interesting that I can bend it this much without it falling completely apart. I probably shouldn't be doing this but I'm just experimenting to see how far I can push it. Also the threads are a bit loose since I didn't pull the threads tight enough when I was sewing them together.

Just messing with the book as it fans out.

I liked the Coptic stitch but I didn't love the gap between some of the signatures... It sort of bothers me. I'm probably just being aesthetically nit-picky and it's not that big of a deal. If you do full spreads of watercolor or other mixed media it may bother you because it could leak between the signatures. I tend to focus on one page at a time so it's not a huge deal.

Some things I noticed for my first and second attempt at bookbinding for my wallet cover:

• second attempt was better than the first, a bit cleaner and tighter in the binding
• looser binding worked better in the wallet because of the wide inner folds of the wallet (something I did not consider)
• not sure how I feel about the gap between signatures for the Coptic stitch (I'll probably try a different type of book binding later)
• add a half inch to the height and a half inch less on the width if I ever cut the paper myself
• it turned out to be 36 sheets in each book

Overall, I think it's successful and kind of nice to know that I can customize the cover to hold whatever books I like. In the follow up post I'll show how I've arranged my traveler's notebook. Still trying to figure out the perfect arrangement.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly. :)

Sick + Sketch Dump

Sorry guys, I haven't gotten around to finishing my blog posts for book binding so you're going to have to wait for another week. It'll be worth it, I promise!

I've almost finished with my submission to an anthology. I just need to do a cover. Have to brainstorm some ideas for that. Otherwise, I've just been trying to tone the one shot comic I've been working on. Still need to work on inking some other pages for another comic I was wanting to do but that looks unlikely for now. Need to get an outline done so I can finish writing that novel I've been wanting to do to prep for next month.

Just been feeling sick lately and have had a loss of appetite because of it so I've just been trying to take care of myself. Decided to take a long nap yesterday which I think helped me for sure. :D I don't usually get sick but when I do I'm kind of a mess. >_<;; Still feeling a bit lightheaded but my stomach is feeling better so I'm grateful for that. I'm hoping this doesn't last long because I don't like being sick and I want to get some stuff done!

There's more that I wanted to write about but I can't remember what it is at the moment. Sorry if this post is random and doesn't make any sense. XD Yeah, I've been kind of out of it so have some sketches!