Keys That Click - Minding your own design business and other observations

Posted in Design, Miscellaneous, on May 9th, 2010 by Carlos.

When I picked up a new Moleskine notebook last week, I discovered a problem that I didn’t encounter with other notebooks I used in the past – I had no where to put my pen! Previously I had always used notebooks with spiral coils which would conveniently house my pen when not in use. Given the fact that the clip on my pen is oddly shaped, I couldn’t just clip it on the front cover, well not without it creating a massive bump and causing my self-diagnosed OCD to kick and drive me nuts, that is.

I hunted online for some solutions which included using leather straps, metal clips or even duct tape. Then I came across Kate Lightfoot’s blog, ScarlettCat,  where she has a quick how-to on creating a simple pen holding solution for your Moleskine. Her solution includes using a hammer, a nail, a button and a needle and string. As you can see in the photo below, the button is used to hold the elastic strap in place. It still keeps your Moleskine shut, but also gives you a place to put your pen!

With a little determination, but more importantly, a lot of help from my wife (I can’t be trusted with a needle and string), I put my brand new Moleskine under the knife nail. It was a surprisingly quick and easy exercise, even with having to restring the button after my first attempt at it, which left the string bound too tightly and didn’t leave enough room for the Moleskine’s elastic strap to fit underneath! That’s when my wife took over and did it the right way. In fact, I think it took longer for me to decide on what button I was going to use!