This week we're doing Happy Hour a little differently, by giving you an in-depth look at our new Architect & Engineering Pad.

Without further ado, let's dive into the notepad. The Architect & Engineering Grid Pad measures 7 x 10 inches (the same size as our Undated Weekly Desk Pad) so there is plenty of room to work with. On the right side of the pad we've given you space for the project name and a lined notes area. 

Now onto the grid itself. An engineering grid stands apart from your average grid by grouping the smaller squares into large squares called clusters. Because most US measurements can be easily broken down into quarters, we've included 4 columns and 4 rows in each cluster, for a total of 16 squares per cluster. While an engineering grid will typically include a set scale, we thought it would be more useful to leave space for you to include your own, since scale can vary greatly from project to project. 

So what can you do with an engineering grid pad? Absolutely anything you want. The beauty of this grid is that it can be used for so many different purposes. Still, all those possibilities can be a little intimidating, so we thought we'd show you a few different ways we've started using this notepad. 

Technical Drawings

Cloth & Paper owners Ashley and Ryan are currently moving into their new home, so Ashley has been using the grid pad to create floor plans and layouts. The clusters are perfect for setting the scale by the foot, 1 cluster to 1 square foot (1:1) for smaller rooms, or 1 cluster to 2 square feet (1:2) for larger rooms. Then you can precisely place furniture and fixtures in the room using the smaller squares; which would be 1/4 of a foot using the 1:1 ratio or 1/2 of a foot using the 1:2 ratio. Here you can see Ashley's plans for the kitchen taking form. The grid provides a to-scale sketch, while the lined section is perfect for notes and tasks. 

Products: Crystal Collection Gel Pen in White, Purchase Tracker inserts in HP Classic

Planning & Journaling Layouts

For those of you who like to create your own planning and journaling spreads, this notepad is the perfect place to sketch out and plan the layout before it goes in your notebook or planner. There is nothing more annoying than spending hours creating the perfect spread only to realize the spacing is just slightly off or find out you don't like the design as much as you thought you did. Fear not, the engineering grid is here to help. Using a 1 cluster to 1 inch scale, you can easily map out the spacing for any size planner or notebook. There is plenty of room for a two page spread, like this one done for an A5 sized notebook. Not only can you plan your layout, but you can also test out color palettes and pen nibs. 

Products: Tombow Dual Brush Art Marker in Cool Grey 6, Write Choice Gel Pen, Sakura Ballsign 0.4 in Black, Minimal Shape Stickers in Ube and Ash

Lettering & Handwriting Practice

The engineering grid clusters and squares give you the perfect layout to practice lettering and handwriting. Not only does it provide a guide to practice uniform letters, but it also easily allows you to test spacing and layouts when lettering phrases and quotations. Just set which lines you use as your guides for height and width, then start writing. With some time, patience, and practice you can train your hand to form consistent letters every time you write. The versatility of this grid allows you to practice print, cursive, traditional calligraphy, modern calligraphy, lettering, typography, and everything in-between. This particular letting practice focused on juxtaposing print and cursive lettering using one of our signature phrases: there is luxury in simplicity.

Products: Tombow Dual Brush Art Marker in Sand

Graphs & Charts

Making trackers, graphs, and charts becomes easy when the grid is already there for you. The clusters make calendar layouts a breeze, while the small squares are perfect for precisely recording things like number of hours of sleep per night. You can also use the notepad to create spreadsheet like checklists and reference charts. This particular layout tracks an overall daily mood, and give you space to describe the day in a few words. The sleep tracker allows you to look at how sleep may be affecting your mood during the day.

Products: Drop Stickers in Ash, Fawn 2.0, and Ibiza, Pilot Ball Liner in Black, Sakura Ballsign 0.4 in Black, Zebra Dual Permanent Marker, uni EMOTT in Beige, Transparent Page Flags and Square Page Flags in Cashmere

Vision & Inspiration Boards

Sometimes you need to see it to believe it, and the engineering grid is the perfect backdrop for a vision or inspiration board. You can use the grid to perfectly square each picture and have uniform spacing, or place things a little more freely. The high quality paper will also stand up to markers, fountain pens, paint pens, and light wash watercolor if you want to use your own creativity to inspire yourself. With this inspiration board we thought we'd give you a sneak peek of what inspired the Penspiration box this month. Can you guess what kind of pens we've included?