Boarding Pass – Little Brown Pen
One of my favorite things about living in Paris is that it’s a city that people regularly pass through. After getting to know Nichole Robertson through her blog Little Brown Pen, it was great to finally meet her a couple weeks ago when she was in town. During mini Paris meet-up, Lindsey and I sat there amazed and inspired as we listened to all of the amazing projects Nichole has cooked up, and how things like her blog, twitter and etsy have really let her do all these amazing things (a copy writer by trade, Nichole regularly teams up with her equally as awesome – a business minded whose secret identity is as an illustrator – husband Evan on projects). This year the duo released their first major project – the Perpetual Paris calendar, which combines their favorite typographic photos of Paris. I’m excited to see what comes next, but in the meantime, enjoy a look into how Nichole’s travels inspire her work! {Thanks, Nichole!}
home town:
Columbia, Pennsylvania. It’s a small town in Lancaster, County, and people jokingly ask me if I’m Amish when I reveal where I grew up. I’m not, but I can bake a wonderful whoopie pie–Lancaster’s other claim to fame.where you live now:
Glen Ridge, NJ. Glen ridge is about 12 miles west of New York City, which is about as far away as I could possibly be.
last trip taken:
Paris
next trip on deck:
Boston, MAone place you would go back to again and again:
Paris. I travel to Paris multiple times a year, and I never tire of the way the light hits the buildings, the way the bread smells baking and the way I feel when I am there, which is giddy.place you’d most likely recommend a friend go visit:
The Bavarian Alps. I have a client (Amala) whose headquarters are in Sulzberg, Germany. The mountains are stunning and the small charming towns are so peaceful. The pace of life is anything but frantic, and you feel at one with nature. Once when I was there for a meeting, the President of the company stopped us mid conversation and said we’d finish later as it was “a perfect time to take a dip in the lake.” I remember he also mentioned something about the sun being in the just the right spot. Try to imagine this happening in America.preferred method of transportation:
Though I love to travel, I’m not a fan of flying. The worst part for me is takeoff, and my husband has the scars to prove it. I watched a movie about a plane crash when I was 9 (hey, thanks, Dad!) and I never recovered. I love to travel by train, and wish it were more practical in the US. Though there is something to be said for a good old Americana road trip.place you’ve never been but dying to go:
Greece. It’s on my list of things to do before I am forty. And time is running out!
place you’d never go back:
I don’t like to say never, but the Poconos come to mind. I wanted to like the Poconos, I really did, but just found the whole area depressing. Perhaps I just stayed in the wrong area.
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
My husband and I took a three-day road trip in Pennsylvania when we were younger and broke. Diners, dives and camping! And that’s all I can say about that.how do you prepare for a trip?
I can leave for a 2-week trip in an hour. I travel scandalously light. When it comes to itineraries, I am light on that front as well. I may pick out a place or two I want to visit, but mostly I just take things as they come.how do you record your travels when you’re traveling?
My camera, a notebook, and a “little” brown pen.what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
The small stuff: coffee cups, chairs, bikes, street signs. I rarely take full shots of monuments or vistas. There are already thousands of wonderful photos of the popular attractions taken by much better photographers. I like to capture the place the way it is lived in by those who call it home.on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Thousands!what’s in your “designer travel kit” ?
A Nikon D5000 and a zoom lens, a moleskin journal, a brown fine point Sharpie and black sunglasses

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?
I usually blog while I am traveling, and share photos on Flickr. I am pretty diligent about updating photos fairly quickly. I have never scrapbooked and I rarely put photos into albums. I often mean to, but never get around to it.favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Always food. Especially coffee and butter.
More from Nichole:
- blog: littlebrownpen.blogspot.com
- online shop: littlebrownpen.etsy.com
- on flickr
- on twitter
Click HERE for more great bloggers, designers and travelers featured in Boarding Pass!
Lindsey
January 31, 2010 at 7:42 pm //
This is by far my favorite Boarding Pass you’ve done! Love it, love the photos, love the interview! Paris really is the place for creative people!
boatx2
January 31, 2010 at 8:03 pm //
from this interview, I feel like I want to be Nichole’s best friend.
Thanks for a wonderful Boarding Pass.
vintage simple
January 31, 2010 at 9:32 pm //
I have to second what Lindsey said… I loved this boarding pass. And Nichole – completely charming and incredibly talented!
Thanks to you both!
xo,
-maria
jodi
February 1, 2010 at 1:42 am //
oh, i love nichole’s blog! so wonderful to read more about her travel style here.
nichole
February 1, 2010 at 2:46 pm //
Thanks so much for having me! I really enjoyed participating.
– nichole
Bess
February 1, 2010 at 3:54 pm //
fun interview and beautiful photos (as always!). i think it’s so great how nichole has translated her love of Paris into ways to be creative and make money. very inspiring :)
Prêt à Voyager
February 1, 2010 at 4:10 pm //
well put, bess! i totally need to follow nichole’s lead and create something fun (and profitable) out of my passion for paris :)
anne
p.s. nichole, you have such an awesome fan club :)
Amy@OldSweetSong
February 1, 2010 at 4:11 pm //
Nichole rules. She’s my travel idol.
Also, great series.
megsheff
February 1, 2010 at 4:11 pm //
Such a great boarding pass.
These are some of the most Paris of all Paris photos. The bistro chairs, the sugar cubes, the chalk menu. Love it as the Paris I know.
@laurelautumn
krystal
February 1, 2010 at 4:19 pm //
i just stumbled across your site from Little Brown Pen – I am in love with your Boarding Pass project! If you ever need anything from Switzerland let me know!
Estelle
February 1, 2010 at 5:20 pm //
Oh my. So much to love about this post. But the part about stopping a business meeting to appreciate the placement of the sun and take a quick dip in the lake? That is a man who knows his priorities. Love it.
hatjunkie
February 1, 2010 at 5:38 pm //
Thanks for a wonderful feature. NOte to self: Go to Paris.
BakerGirl
February 1, 2010 at 9:05 pm //
Love this! Wonderful interview and as always, wonderful photographs from Nichole!
Life Abroad
February 2, 2010 at 12:34 am //
I love Nichole’s blog and really enjoyed reading about her love of travel!
Hannah
February 2, 2010 at 5:48 am //
I ALWAYS love reading your Boarding Pass posts Anne! They make me want to travel all the time.
Looks like you’re having a splendid time in Paris!!
Xx
Hannah
(Chronicle Books Hannah)
Penelope
February 2, 2010 at 9:41 am //
Great boarding pass! I love Nichole’s blog, and the photos are amazing. Keep up the good work!
life and the memoirs
February 2, 2010 at 9:42 am //
I recently found Nichole’s blog, it is simply AWESOME! She is one very talented and creative lady. I love her blog and her work!
And now I’ve found myself another interesting blog to ‘follow’. Anne I’m looking forward to reading more at ‘Ready to Travel’ :)
Prêt à Voyager
February 2, 2010 at 2:42 pm //
thank you ALL for a the amazing comments and feedback. nichole has the best readers/followers/fans ever :) so sweet – i can’t thank you enough for your kind words.
anne
Janet
February 2, 2010 at 7:00 pm //
I really enjoy Nichole’s blog, so thank you for this boarding pass post! Her photographs always just pop off the screen.
risamay
February 6, 2010 at 12:43 am //
Just found you via Little Brown Pen after just finding her via Etsy. What a joyful journey! My two new favorite blogs :)
Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels
February 17, 2010 at 9:13 am //
I wasn’t even done reading this fabulous boarding pass before I just had to check out Nicole’s blog and Flickr photostream, and follow her on Twitter. The charm and talent that shine through are just irresistible!
(I did finish reading the whole post after that :-))
Term Papers
March 11, 2010 at 10:57 am //
Thanks ever so much, very useful article. Great information! Very smart, thanks for kindly sharing it with us. Very well done indeed
a quotes
March 24, 2011 at 10:19 am //
Wow this is quite work for someone who is living in NY. I love Paris and drop quite often because I could take Euro Star from London. These information would be handy for even regular visitors, thanks.
mirckur
April 1, 2011 at 1:11 am //
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Yemek Tarifleri
July 19, 2011 at 8:16 pm //
Yemek Tarifleri Thanks for this post – I have struggled with this as I have NO comments yet on my blog and in some ways feel badly about that (until i read your posts about this) and yet I see there is more that I can do. thankss.