In Paper Review

Paper Review: Iroful A5 Notebook (75gsm)

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Paper Review: Iroful A5 Notebook (75gsm)

“Iroful” means “colorful,” — an amalgamation of the English word “color” for the Japanese word “iro” which also means color. The intention of the name is to convey the paper’s ability to show color cleanly and crisply.

The Iroful Notebook ($9.75) is a standard A5 soft cover, 75gsm Japanese paper, made by Sakae Technical Paper, original manufacturer of Tomoe River paper. The notebook features 96 pages. The notebooks are also available in lined and dot grid and the dot grid is also available in a larger 160 page version as well.

So, does this paper hold up to its name and illustrious family name?

The notebook has crisp corners and a tape-bound spine. The notebook is stitch-bound under the tape so it lays flat easily.

The paper is soft warm white, not bright white and the texture of the paper reminds me a little bit of Cosmo Air Light. I have a notebook with Cosmo Air Light in 75gsm and it feels a little thicker than the Iroful which is listed at the same weight.

The powdery feel of the Iroful paper makes it tactile and will slow you down when writing as opposed to slick, smooth papers like Rhodia. The toothiness of Iroful prefers smoother nibs, sharp italic nibs may catch in the fibers of the paper.

I love writing on it with my arsenal of Sailor Pro Gear Slims with fine nibs — it slows me down a bit so I can’t write faster than I can think. My stub nibs work well too but my sharp italic would catch occasionally, even though the writing looks amazing!

There was no bleed through with any pens I tested and all performed beautifully! Lines were crisp, colors were true and dry time was in the middle — not as slow as Tomoe River 52gsm but not as fast as I’d liked, especially in the hot, humid climate of a midwestern summer.

Final Takeaway:

I really like the Iroful paper. I wish the notebook featured a stiffer cover or was available in a hardcover version. I would also prefer round corners since I tend to poke myself with crisp corners or the corners get dinged. So, really my complaint is more with the notebook itself rather than the paper. The paper is lovely and that why I want more notebook options. But for the price, its totally worth giving it a try.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Tools

Tool Review: Dominant Industry Rubber Stamps

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Tool Review: Dominant Industry Rubber Stamps

While I was in Houston a few weeks ago, I picked up a couple Dominant Industry rubber stamps from Dromgoole’s. Both rubber stamps were sealed in Dominant Industry’s kraft boxes so I needed to get them to see what was inside the boxes.

Conjurer’s Recipes Rubber Stamp:

The first was the Dominant Industry x Dohwa Stationery Conjurer’s Recipes Wood Stamp. Unfortunately, Dromgoole’s no longer has these stamps in stock so I found them over here. This cute little stamp, about 1.5″ square, features a little magical cauldron surrounded by bottles, crystals and puff of steam. It stamps cleanly and was fun to paint with a water brush and some fountain pen inks.

Log of Elixir Wood Stamp:

The other stamp I grabbed was the Log of Elixir Wood Stamp that coordinates with the Log of Elixir Ink Archiving Book. On the kraft box, there were two short lines next to the bottle for adding ink sampling information which I cut off the stamp with an x-acto blade. I didn’t see the Log of Atlantis Wood Stamp which did not have the lines included which I probably should have bought instead (or as well).

I also painted this with fountain pen inks and love the snake on the cap. Its witchy and charming.

Overall, I like these stamps and I hope that Dominant Industry will continue to create coordinating products in a series like the Log of Elixir and Log of Atlantis. I like a themed collection with journal, inks, stamps, washi and more that all go together. These two collections have all been things I’ve loved. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.

Tools:

Inks:

Paper:

Stamp Pad:

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Kobe Ink Felissimo Chocolate Museum Strawberry Chocolate

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Ink Review: Kobe Ink Felissimo Chocolate Museum Strawberry Chocolate

Kobe Ink Fellisimo Chocolate Museum Strawberry Chocolate ($33 for a 50ml bottle) was a bottle of ink I picked up at the California Pen Show in February with Valentine’s Day in my heart. I mean who doesn’t love chocolate covered strawberries? So I grabbed this ink which was created in combination with the Fellisimo Museum in Kobe. There was also a Milk Chocolate and Bitter Chocolate but this dusty pink really caught my attention.

Writing Samples:

Ink Comparisons:

I clearly like these dusty pink colors because I found quite a few that I already had in my collection that were similar. Vinta Vintage Collection Bini Bini Pink Rose 1973 was probably the closest in color but was a limited edition release in a sett of four bottles of “vintage” themed inks. So if you wanted this color, Strawberry Chocolate is a good alternative. Robert Oster Cherry Blossom is a little more purply and Sailor Studio #237 is a bit brighter pink with a coral/orange undertone.

Final Thoughts:

I do have a few of dusty pink inks in my collection at the moment so I probably didn’t need the Kobe Strawberry Chocolate but I love a Sailor-made ink and the color is lovely. Will I keep all the dusty pinks colors going forward? I’m not sure but I might consider paring down to just a few pinks in the future if it gets worse. I would like to continue to keep my personal ink collection under 100 bottles.

I acquired this ink from Vanness Pen Shop but it is currently out of stock. It appears to still be available directly from Kobe Nagasawa but would ship from Japan which will include shipping charges and possible tariffs.

Tools:

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Long Weekend Ahead

Author AnaPosted on
Link Love: Long Weekend Ahead

Here in the US, this weekend is Fourth of July weekend when folks go to the beach, the lake, the pool or if you’re me, you pop open a cold drink and stick your feet in the kiddie pool in the backyard. How ever you choose to celebrate the joys of summer, I hope you get to embrace it with both hands (drink in one, pen in the other!)

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

The best way to keep us in kiddie pools and cocktails is to join our Patreon. Your patronage supports this site, our kittycrew and our drinking problem (don’t worry, its mostly LaCroix). Without you, we could not continue to do what we do and we’d be parched. Thank you!

In photo

Wish you were here: Scotland travel edition

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment
Wish you were here: Scotland travel edition

By the time you read this my husband and I will be running through the highlands and sight-seeing in Scotland. We’re on another adventure with Race2Adventure. (My husband is the runner… I’m more of the jogger or walker).

But that means I had to put together a kit for the trip! For the last few trips I’ve been keeping a travel log in a Paperblanks notebook that Ana gave me. This time I’ve decided to up the game and add some stickers, washi and a few pens. All the better to catch the ephemera of the trip with!

Here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve got going on:

I’ll be back soon with photos and hopefully some stationery adventures!

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Sailor x Dromgoole’s Apricot Jam & Mint Jelly

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

I don’t know why I waited so longer to pick up the Sailor x Dromgoole’s collaborative inks: Mint Jelly and Apricot Jam ($20 each for 20ml bottles). These were released last year around the holidays inspired by Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner accompaniments.

At the last pen show, I grabbed bottles of both and have fallen in love with these. I am not normally a fan of orange inks (too bright usually) and I’m super picky about greens (too bright, too blue, too green, too dark — I said I was picky) so that might have been what made me wait to pick these up. I’m so glad I gave them a try.

Writing Samples:

Once I started writing and playing with these two inks, I fell in love with them. I actually love the food apricot jam and so I’m so glad that Apricot Jam really embodies the color and look of the jam. It captures that delicious glowy, slightly dirty orange-y/coral color.

Mint Jelly, as a food, is not something I like so I had a knee-jerk reaction to it initially. Once I started playing with the ink, the color is more sage-y — it’s a light, low-saturated muddy green. It’s unique, complex and lovely. The color works okay in fine nibs however it is much more impactful in a wider nib.

Ink Comparisons:

I did find a few similar inks in my collection: Lennon Toolbar Atmospheric Firmament, Kala Nostalgia Abstraction Sierra Mist (pigment ink) are the closest but both are a little more saturated/brighter.

Lennon Toolbar Atmospheric Fimament and Kala Nostalgia Abstraction Sierra Mist are both pigment inks so they are water-resistant and would serve different use cases than Mint Jelly which is a water soluble ink.

Ferris Wheel Press Moss Park Green in a similar saturation but is more green-brown and is also being discontinued so if you prefer this color, grab it quick. If not, Mint Jelly is close.

The first ink I though to compare with Apricot Jam is an ink that is most coveted: Robert Oster Campfire which was an exclusive for Phidon Pens in Canada and no longer available. Campfire is one of the only orangey inks I have kept in my collection and Apricot Jam is very close, just a little less saturated which would make this a perfect ink for the fall months. Can you say “pumpkin spice latte”?

Other inks I had that were close but different are Callifolio Inti which is a little lighter and slightly more yellow and J. Herbin Ambre de Birmaine is more yellowy/amber.

Final Thoughts:

Sometimes inks can surprise you and Mint Jelly and Apricot Jam surprised the heck out of me. I love these colors and look forward to using Mint Jelly as a delightful seaweedy color for my July planner theme and Apricot Jam is going to be my new go-to for October and November — ginger spice, pumpkin pie, bring on the spice!

Remember, these are limited edition exclusive colors from Dromgoole’s so grab them while they are still available.

Tools:

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Planners & Organizers

July Planner Set-Up: In My Mermaid Moment

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
July Planner Set-Up: In My Mermaid Moment

This month my theme is Mermaids, the beach, the ocean and cool aquatic vibes. I hope this video and planner/journal set-up inspires you to stay cool and beachy all month long.

The Basic Supplies:

First, are my planners and cases that I am currently using.

Pens & Ink:

I chose four fountain pens but I am still using the Kobe Nagasawa Fresh Green for June so it was not in my case (I wander around with a pen in my hand and then set it down somewhere and spend hours trying to remember where I set it down — on top of the mantle? on the kitchen counter? WHERE?!?!) The other three pens were selected for their mermaidy-ness. Two Kaweco Sport models: Sage and Iridescent Pearl which were both limited edition models and are getting hard to find in shops anymore. But they sure are pretty. And the star of the show is the Sailor Pro Gear Slim “Follow the Mermaid”. I mean, how could I resist?

I filled the pens with inks in shades of greens, blues and a sandy, driftwood brown. (I forgot to photograph my sea blue color choice: Robert Oster Morning Mist — even the name is perfect!)

Pens & Ink:

Stickers, Washi & Ephemera:

Most of the washi tape and stickers I am using this month is leftovers from my stash. I believe in trying to use what I have at the moment, and only pick up one or two new things just to keep things interesting each month. If you want ocean-y washi, I recommend looking at some of the MT Tape solids and patterns. The Kitta Starry Sky washi sticker kit has been discontinued but there are lots of other fun Kitta tapes available full of blues and greens.

Planning the Planner:

Finally, there is the actual process of laying out the pages. There’s a full walk through in the video above but I thought a few still photos might help show how I prepare my pages so they feel fun and I can avoid that whole “fear of the blank page” issue.

The whole Mermaid theme started with the printable this month. I am embracing my inner mermaid, even if I can only live vicariously through watching MerPeople on Netflix.

I worked out about two weeks of pages so that I am ready and can get down to being salty or siren-y, as needed.

What’s your plan for July? Do you set up your pages in your journal/planner ahead of time?