We hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas yesterday! Before the clocks run down to the end of 2012, just a quick reminder to pick your 2013 datebook!

For artists of all ilk, we’ve got you covered with Stillman & Birn’s premium sketchbooks. Capture your work for years to come on Stillman & Birn’s archival-grade sketchbook paper where you can let your creativity flow in a variety of media.

S&B History

Stillman & Birn Alpha Hardbound Sketchbook 5.5 x 8.5

Founded in 1958 by Philip Birn, a preeminent Viennese bookbinder who pioneered the concept of the traditional hardbound sketchbook, Stillman & Birn inspires artists with their focus on high quality sketch paper. Upon cracking open a new Stillman & Birn sketchbook, you’ll instantly feel the difference in the weight and tooth of the paper. Acknowledging the importance of sketchbooks in art history, Stillman & Birn support the evolution of the sketchbook with “true art paper” as they call it, meaning it can withstand multiple erasures, it’s suitable for precision work, and has internal and surface sizing to provide durability.

With both hardbound and spiralbound sketchbooks, Stillman & Birn offers you a platform for expression in either dry or wet media with their sketchbooks. Use colored pencils, ballpoint or rollerball pens, fountain pens with wet ink, watercolor, pencil, and much more.

Sketching in the Present

Stillman & Birn Gamma Side Spiralbound Sketchbook 6 x 8

Re-established in December 2010, the new Stillman & Birn organization is led by Birn’s nephew, Michael Kalman and his partner Oscar Hernandez, both with many years of expertise in sketchbook manufacturing. Kalman and Hernandez have revived S&B’s original mantra of “Paper Matters … Feel the Difference!”

Whether you use your sketchbook to jot down ideas and doodles, or for recording your art pieces, Stillman & Birn puts the choice in your hands so you can pick the ideal sketchbook for your art: white or ivory paper, heavy (150 gsm) or extra heavy (270 gsm) weight paper, and the three options of vellum, rough, or plate paper.

Stillman & Birn’s 5 Premium Sketchbook Series:

• Alpha Series – 100 lb./150 gsm – White – Vellum Surface
• Beta Series – 180 lb./270 gsm – White – Multi-media Surface
• Gamma Series – 100 lb./150 gsm – Ivory – Vellum Surface
• Delta Series – 180 lb./270 gsm – Ivory – Multi-media Surface
• Epsilon Series – 100 lb./150 gsm – White – Plate Surface (smooth)

Bound in the USA with heavy-duty binder boards that resist warping, each sketchbook stands out as unique and robust – perfect for artists who care about their paper quality. You can always be confident you’ve got the best, when you’ve got a Stillman & Birn sketchbook.

Clairefontaine is a paper manufacturer in a class of its own. Originating in France, their rich history in paper-making led to their focus on quality products and sustainable practices that have made Clairefontaine a universal name in the paper world. Currently the only European paper manufacturer still making their own paper for their own products, Clairefontaine has a unique control over the quality of product as well as the impact their facilities have on the environment. Clairefontaine manufactures all of its products from two mills in Europe, making notebooks and stationery products at the Clairefontaine mill in France, and fine art paper and stationery at the Schut mill in the Netherlands.

Clairefontaine’s Mills History

The Clairefontaine mill was founded in the small commune of Etival-Clairefontaine by Jean-Baptiste Bichelberger. Established in 1858, the mill opened on the site of a paper mill that was built in 1512. Best known for making the first school notebooks in France, the Clairefontaine mill has been manufacturing paper since 1858 and stationery products since 1890.

One of the most popular Clairefontaine notebooks: the Classic A4 Side Spiralbound

The Schut mill in the Netherlands has been operating since the dawn of paper making. Built in 1618, the original De Veentjes mill joined over 170 small paper mills in the Veluwe area of the Netherlands that found success due to the large demand for paper during the Dutch Golden Age. The mill was bought in 1710 by the Schut family, who operated it successfully for nearly three centuries before the mill burned down on May 6, 1895. A modern, steam-powered mill was built on the same spot and was eventually acquired by Papeteries de Clairefontaine in July of 1998. The Schut mill is the last specialty grade producer in the area, but retains its traditional values and dedication to quality.

Unique Environmental Control

Because they make their own paper, Clairefontaine is able to directly control their environmental impact on the surrounding lands. All of the wood pulp used in Clairefontaine paper is purchased from PEFC-certified sustainable forests. The company also has an advanced biological water purification system which removes nearly all of the paper by-product matter in the water so the water can be safely returned to the environment. In fact, people can swim, fish, and boat directly downstream of the Clairefontaine mill on the River Meurthe because the water returned to the river is actually cleaner than when it reached the mill!

What Makes Clairefontaine Paper Extra Special

The clean manufacturing processes at Clairefontaine create an exceptional paper that is loved by people around the world. Though notoriously shiny and white, Clairefontaine paper is absolutely chlorine-free. This is made possible by the use of calcium-carbonate, a mineral that creates the ultra-smooth writing surface that enhances the delight of writing on Clairefontaine paper. The paper is also opaque, meaning you can write on both sides without ink bleeding through.

Another fave of Clairefontaine fans: the Classic Large Top Spiralbound Notepad

All inks used in Clairefontaine products are made from vegetable oil pigments (soybean, corn, linseed oils) rather than mineral ones. This reduces emissions and ensures non-toxic and non-irritating inks. The company is also dedicated to waste reduction. All usable waste is converted into agricultural compost while the package design features returnable containers and bulk packaging. The Clairefontaine mill operates on a dual power generation system that supplies 80% of its own energy needs.

Clairefontaine’s rich history and conscious practices ensure consistent quality and minimal environmental impact, just two of the many reasons that people love writing on Clairefontaine paper. Check out the full selection of Clairefontaine on EuropeanPaper.com where you’ll find Clairefontaine’s Top Staple, Side Staple, Top Spiral, Side Spiral, Hard Cover, and Cloth Bound notebooks and notepads.

Ink Reviews

East, West, Everywhere: Sailor Jentle Shigure

Pen/Pencil Reviews

Multi Pen Dimensions: Rotring Tikky Rollerpoint EF Liquid Ink Pen

Rhonda Eudaly: The Apen a4 Digital Pen System

The Fountain Pens: Waterman 52 1/2v RHR

Woodclinched: “How to Sharpen a Pencil” reviewed: Flawless marriage of parody and informational writing

A Penchant for Paper: Pentel Aquash Waterbrush

No Pen Intended: Another Look at the Platinum Preppy

Notebook/Datebook Reviews

Modern Vintage Man: Quo Vadis Weekly Planner Review

Economy Pens: April Carnival of Pen, Paper, and Ink

Inkophile: Martha Stewart Home Office Supplies

1 –>  Economy Pens: April Carnival of Pen, Paper, and Ink

2 –> Because I Really Felt It: Mobile Letter

3 –> Paperblanks: How to Spot High-Quality Paper

4 –> Leigh Reyes: Pen People Ethnography

5 –> Wired: Rite in the Rain: A Weather-Proof Paper Notebook Full of Badass

6 –> PenInkCillin: 3 dollar nib flossing tool

7 –> Well Appointed Desk: Travel Week: Flying With Fountain Pens

8 –> Your Postal Blog: Service With a Smile

9 –> Inkophile: Fountain Pen Nibs – It’s All Relative

Early this week we offered up three Whitelines notebooks to bloggers interested in doing a reviews on them. And the three bloggers picked at random to receive Whitelines notebooks are … (drumroll please …)

Tracy at CrazySuburbanMom.com
Jane at JaneMonkStudio.com
Carolee at GoodMailDay.com

Tracy vouched for the Whitelines Side Spiralbound, but both Jane and Carolee were interested in the Whitelines Hard Cover so … let’s get ready to rummmmmbllllle!  Or we could just say between Jane & Carolee, whoever comments on this post first to smack down their dibs on the hard cover, gets it! (And thus, the other will receive the Whitelines Perfect Bound notebook – not a bad consolation prize, if you ask us.)

The available Whitelines notebooks are:

1. Whitelines Side Spiralbound A5 Notebook – White / Squared [going to Tracy]
2. Whitelines Perfect Bound A5 Notebook – White / Lined
3. Whitelines Hard Cover A5 Notebook – Black / Squared

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway and spread the word! We’ve got loads more giveaways, articles, tips & tricks, etc. on the way, so check back frequently. To keep in the loop, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our RSS feed, and/or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

If you have any ideas or feedback, definitely let us know in a comment on this blog, or you can email us at info@europeanpaper.com!

Thank you so much for following our blog! We’ve been making a few updates behind the scenes and now we have a new link address:

http://www.EuropeanPaper.com/Blog

We appreciate any and all help you can give us by switching your own links to the new URL (if you have one on your blog or website) and getting the word out to others.

(And no worries if you try to go to the old link, it will redirect you back here. But while the redirect is in place, the new URL is crucial to start using.)

Thanks to all our fans and followers!