Review of the Exacompta Basic Pocket Portfolio

Review of the Exacompta Basic Pocket Portfolio

A while back I saw a review of the Exacompta Basic Pocket Portfolio, and I fell in love.  It's so adorable!  Cute as a bug!  Okay.  I know I'm officially an paper addict geek when I get warm and fuzzy feelings over a small folder file---but it's soooo cute!  

I was over the moon when Karen at Exaclair agreed to send me a couple of these.  They are 4.75×6.25″ and come in red and black, as well as the green and kraft colors you see here.  Not everyone will be as awestruck as I am, lol, but they are a very handy item.  Too large for back pockets, but nice for purses or drawers.  

You can keep them flat, and store 4x6" cards or tags or coupons or bits of ephemera, or you can fold them along the scored lines and turn them into boxes that are about 1/4" thick.

Or--if you are like me, and have to do something totally different with them, you can turn them into journals!

I took some 9 1/2 x11" Clairefontaine GraF It paper and made three signatures of 6 sheets each (I cut each signature into slightly different sizes, just 'cause).  After sewing the signatures to each other, I sewed them to the portfolio.

The portfolios have a textured surface, but not so textured you can't stamp, ink, or emboss them, and I did all of that.  I used a dauber to darken the edges, and punchinella (sequin waste) to ink up some patterns, and then I embossed the front with a Viva Las Vegastamps! stamp (Item 18821 Plate 1425-Bird Thingie 3 1/2 x 2 3/4) .

It's still cute as a bug, but a prettier bug now.  And there is still room to add cards or bits of ephemera for collage or notes.  

So now I have some bad news and some good news. 

The bad news.  I wanted to buy some more of these.  Alas, I could not find them online.  I found the larger size portfolio--9 1/2" x 12 1/2"  at Classic Office Products, and will buy some of those, but I want these little guys!  I'm infatuated, you see.  

 I am still looking, and will let you know as soon as I find a place to buy.  

The good news.  Did you notice that I haven't said much about the kraft-colored portfolio in the first couple of pictures?  It hurts me incredibly, but I'm giving it away, lol.

But wait!  There's more.  I've been raving about the Rhodia dotGrid paper, and the wonderful Karen at Exaclair agreed to send me a WebNoteBook (aka dotWebbie)--for a giveaway!  

So thanks to Exaclair, you now have a chance to win an Exacompta Basic Pocket Portfolio and a Rhodia DotWebbie.  But wait--there's more!  I wanted something in the giveaway to come from me, so I'm adding a set of 6 Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  It's the Turquoise set, because I noticed that every time I drew something using these turquoise colors, everyone ooh'd and ah'd.  And because turquoise really goes well with the orange dotWebbie cover!

You'll be seeing some artwork that I've done in my own dotWebbie, soon.

Thank you Karen!  And thank you Exaclair!  Did you know that Exaclair, Inc. is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Clairefontaine, Exacompta, Rhodia, Quo Vadis, G. Lalo, Brause, J. Herbin, Mignon and Decopatch products?  You can learn more about these Exaclair products at their website, the Rhodia Facebook page, and the Rhodia Drive blog.

Karen sent me several products, so over the next week or two, I will also be reviewing the Quo Vadis Habana notebook, a Decopatch Frame kit, and the Clairefontaine GraF It sketchpad.   Be sure to come back and check them out.  

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