Rebuilding Paper Stash

[kmeredith923]

*sigh*

You spend years searching for the perfect FP friendly papers. They're expensive, but you know they're worth it! Finally..finally you have a good supply.

And then disaster strikes! As it always does when you get comfortable with your situation.

I had papers and pads and notebooks of all kinds, from Rhodia, to Tomoe, to Mitsubishi, to Life and Mnemosyne, to a Leuchtturm1917 my husband bought me for Christmas several years ago and wrote an inscription along with the Waterman Carene pen and leather pen roll- and all of it in my prized Levenger Bomber Jacket Briefolio. ...all ruined when the ceiling of the apartment we were in the midst of moving out of collapsed due to a burst pipe. There was grey water, plaster, sheet rock and god knows what else everywhere. It's all gone. Most of it is replaceable but some of the paper was NOS that just isn't made anymore. I have nothing but 1 Life notebook and 1 Tomoe notepad. Everything else is gone.

I don't know how to set about rebuilding my stash. I feel a little shell shocked. A lot of it is available online, but where are good spots with decent prices. (Apparently insurance doesn't value "paper" very highly!) I got a lot of it in bundles here from people who were overstocked on paper and notebooks and gave me great deals. So, I thought I'd come back and appeal to people who know what they're talking about where to look and hooe some might have some stock they'd be willing to sell on the cheap.

Any ideas?

[arellano81366]

I'm sorry for your loss. The only advice I can give you is keep an eye on Michaels as from time to time they have 50-70% discount on Rhodia dotpads A4/A5.

[jonathan7007]

This is sad news - moving is hard (pandemic moving... worse) and these paper stocks were clearly thoughtfully assembled as way more than a convenience. I can't find the right words to describe how paper and pen together draw out thoughts, memories, plans, drawings... life of the eye and mind.

 

All our best wishes for you both.

[mhguda]

Are you sure there is nothing salvageable? sometimes, if it's just water, the books may dry out again... maybe not in their original, pristine condition, but still - usable, after a time. (once we had some books here sit in about 4 inches of water for hours. We did not throw them out, and while the damage is still visible many years later, the books are legible.)

If I were in the US, I'd send you some of my extras, but now with the mail so totally unreliable and air traffic uncertain at best, that won't work. Maybe later?

[Sailor Kenshin]

*sigh*

You spend years searching for the perfect FP friendly papers. They're expensive, but you know they're worth it! Finally..finally you have a good supply.

And then disaster strikes! As it always does when you get comfortable with your situation.

I had papers and pads and notebooks of all kinds, from Rhodia, to Tomoe, to Mitsubishi, to Life and Mnemosyne, to a Leuchtturm1917 my husband bought me for Christmas several years ago and wrote an inscription along with the Waterman Carene pen and leather pen roll- and all of it in my prized Levenger Bomber Jacket Briefolio. ...all ruined when the ceiling of the apartment we were in the midst of moving out of collapsed due to a burst pipe. There was grey water, plaster, sheet rock and god knows what else everywhere. It's all gone. Most of it is replaceable but some of the paper was NOS that just isn't made anymore. I have nothing but 1 Life notebook and 1 Tomoe notepad. Everything else is gone.

I don't know how to set about rebuilding my stash. I feel a little shell shocked. A lot of it is available online, but where are good spots with decent prices. (Apparently insurance doesn't value "paper" very highly!) I got a lot of it in bundles here from people who were overstocked on paper and notebooks and gave me great deals. So, I thought I'd come back and appeal to people who know what they're talking about where to look and hooe some might have some stock they'd be willing to sell on the cheap.

Any ideas?

I can send you SOME loose sheets of this and that (TR incl), if you're interested, including some wacky NOS onionskin that really does take ink.

 

PM if you want it.

[kmeredith923]

Are you sure there is nothing salvageable? sometimes, if it's just water, the books may dry out again... maybe not in their original, pristine condition, but still - usable, after a time. (once we had some books here sit in about 4 inches of water for hours. We did not throw them out, and while the damage is still visible many years later, the books are legible.)

If I were in the US, I'd send you some of my extras, but now with the mail so totally unreliable and air traffic uncertain at best, that won't work. Maybe later?

Unfortunately it was grey water- meaning containing waste water. Luckily it wasn't full on sewage but it was a pipe draining a clothes washer that broke, so it was dirty water. The only good paper I saved was a couple cheap but FP friendly notebooks and some loose printed stationery that happened to be in another place in the apartment and didn't get wet. It was an absolute mess. Sheet rock and plaster all over, gross water. Luckily we had renter's insurance and will get some reimbursement but it's a fight about electronics etc..paper isn't really going to have true value for them. Plus there was some handmade paper and some made by companies that don't make it anymore. The single bright spot was that a handbound notebook I commissioned from a gentleman on here was in a ziplok plastic bag and didn't get wet! I'd have cried if that sucker bit it!

Edited October 29, 2020 by kmeredith923

[kmeredith923]

I'm sorry for your loss. The only advice I can give you is keep an eye on Michaels as from time to time they have 50-70% discount on Rhodia dotpads A4/A5.

Excellent. I hadn't even thought to look there. I'm so used to buying from specific stationery stores, a craft store wouldn't have crossed mu mind as being paper suppliers!

[mhguda]

Unfortunately it was grey water- meaning containing waste water. Luckily it wasn't full on sewage but it was a pipe draining a clothes washer that broke, so it was dirty water. The only good paper I saved was a couple cheap but FP friendly notebooks and some loose printed stationery that happened to be in another place in the apartment and didn't get wet. It was an absolute mess. Sheet rock and plaster all over, gross water. Luckily we had renter's insurance and will get some reimbursement but it's a fight about electronics etc..paper isn't really going to have true value for them. Plus there was some handmade paper and some made by companies that don't make it anymore. The single bright spot was that a handbound notebook I commissioned from a gentleman on here was in a ziplok plastic bag and didn't get wet! I'd have cried if that sucker bit it!

Ah, so you must be a fellow fan of TMLee's... he ships his notebooks in ziplock baggies. So glad for you that got saved. Those are the best!

[kmeredith923]

Ah, so you must be a fellow fan of TMLee's... he ships his notebooks in ziplock baggies. So glad for you that got saved. Those are the best!

Yes!!!! That's who it was! A řmailer, a ziplok, some tissue paper, then finally my beauty! It 100% saved his hard work and my investment!

[mhguda]

In the midst of misfortune, you have something to be glad about, and I'm glad for you. His notebooks are wonderful, both inside and out, and I love the process, how he works with you to make it exactly right, too...

[kmeredith923]

It was absolutely a joy to pick out my own end papers etc! It made the investment seem smaller. And it 100% got me in my favorite hobby- bookbinding!

[mhguda]

It was absolutely a joy to pick out my own end papers etc! It made the investment seem smaller. And it 100% got me in my favorite hobby- bookbinding!

There you go. Maybe once you're ready, order another. And in the meantime, get a ream of good paper and bind some yourself. I find the sewing therapeutic, even if my efforts yield a much less neat result... good enough for me, and I've even made gifts to my siblings (not a journal exactly, but cahiers...).

Good luck, and here's to rebuilding the stash.

[XYZZY]

You were already moving out when this happened? The irony of that just makes it so much worse. I'm really sorry to hear that.

 

I've been thinking that I need to add pens to my homeowners insurance, probably the same thingummy that my photo gear is on. This will remind me to consider ink & paper. Frankly I don't have enough ink/paper for it to matter, but it's best to consider and then decide no.

 

I highly recommend having an agent that you deal with in person and have done business with for a while. They should listen if you sit down and tell them your story. Maybe it's too late for this loss, but they ought to be able to explain options going forward. Note that you might need to actually talk to The Agent and not just one of the agent's office assistants who deals with most stuff.

[XYZZY]

So, I thought I'd come back and appeal to people who know what they're talking about where to look and hooe some might have some stock they'd be willing to sell on the cheap.

Any ideas?

 

I can't offer a lot of help, but Stephen from Taroko Shop has done deals for me on orders of multiple Enigmas. So if you're really trying to build a new stash, and you like 68gsm Tomoe River paper, try contacting him. There's probably a "contact" link on his Etsy page, or PM me for his email if you can't find it. He also does blank journals now, which are a new thing for him.

[kmeredith923]

In the midst of misfortune, you have something to be glad about, and I'm glad for you. His notebooks are wonderful, both inside and out, and I love the process, how he works with you to make it exactly right, too...

They really are exceptional. I wish I could afford more!!

[kmeredith923]

You were already moving out when this happened? The irony of that just makes it so much worse. I'm really sorry to hear that.

 

I've been thinking that I need to add pens to my homeowners insurance, probably the same thingummy that my photo gear is on. This will remind me to consider ink & paper. Frankly I don't have enough ink/paper for it to matter, but it's best to consider and then decide no.

 

I highly recommend having an agent that you deal with in person and have done business with for a while. They should listen if you sit down and tell them your story. Maybe it's too late for this loss, but they ought to be able to explain options going forward. Note that you might need to actually talk to The Agent and not just one of the agent's office assistants who deals with most stuff.

Yes, we were packing our bedroom last because it was the place with the widest variety of things and needed more attention, plus we wanted to get a lot of the extraneous furniture out to have more room for our keep/throw/donate piles. Part of the reason we were leaving was due to how little upkeep was done on the place, despite the owners also owning a construction business. We were getting cracks in the ceiling, mold in the bathroom from the vent being too weak, the vent leaking every time snow thawed, paint peeling in the hallway from moisture.. it wasn't a great place. We'd been there 16 years because we didn't want to go through the pain of moving, but it got too bad. We moved there originally because it's next door to my parents which was awesome when my son was small, plus I have multiple sclerosis and was hospitalized a lot, requiring their help. Also, at the time it was cheap enough and my town has a huge housing shortage. (They built a lot of new apartments but they're too expensive for most people. Our house payment + most of the bills is about the same as as 2 bdrm!) So yeah, it was enraging that it happened when it did!

Definitely add to your insurance! And take pictures of things! We were lucky that a lot of the REALLY expensive things were already out, but even the less expensive things add up. We added a much higher valuation to our homeowners policy because of this. We didn't even have renter's insurance the 1st probably 10 years we lived there. We didn't think we needed it! Surprise!!!!! :/

[TMLee]

WHAAAAT !

 

Late to the thread , but I am much relieved that journal was spared ...

 

Thanks to the inventor of ZipLoc !

 

If it was damaged, I would also cry with you .... 😭

 

And .....

 

You havent used it  ? ?? !! ...

 

🤔

 

Must've been a terrible experience ... damages to the flat and moving etc ...

But I wish you well ...

Do take care