Large Kpop/drama Project: Introduction

          For a while now I've been thinking about starting a Kpop/drama project. I've been a fan of both since the late 1990s. After thinking about it for a while I decided to start with my favorite Kpop groups and move on to dramas after I finish with those. The next thing I thought about was the logistics.  I wanted a system where I can move pages around and add to them as the group has new activities. Finally, I settled on the disc bound system of journaling using the William Hannah products, papers and the archival system. All that was left was to think about what I wanted to include in the journals, and this is what I settled on:

• Cover page
• History of the group
• current and previous members
• debute date and background story
• activities
• Albums
• songs
• date of release
• pictures of covers
• Member fact sheets
• personal information
• position in group
• solo albums
• original sound tracks
• TV appearances
• List of favorite songs from each album
• translations of songs

          The information will come from their websites, and youtube videos made about them, and I'll be getting some stickers from sites like eBay, Etsy, and Redbubble, as well as making my own using my trusty Xyron Create A Sticker machine, my selphyie canon printer, and my mini bluetooth printer which prints black and white stickers. Here are some examples of stickers I already bought...

My first project will be the Kpop group VIXX. I’m almost done with the pages and it has been a great way to learn what works and what doesn’t.

OwlCrate - June 2018

          The moment I opened this box I felt refreshed like I’d been to the beach. The cheat sheet on the top was really beautiful. 

          At first glance, even before looking at the cheat sheet for information, I knew this box contained a mug and a towel. However, the first thing I pulled out of the box was the microfiber towel. It was designed by Stella Bookish Art. I love towels of any size and this one is a good sized one.

          The mason jar mug came out next. It was designed by Michelle Gray and Team OwlCrate. I love the color of the mug and the slogan on it.

          I’m not a tea drinker, but if it is a different kind of taste I will try it. Riddle’s Tea Shoppe gave us Apple Picking At Night. 

          I love bookmarks and I love wood so this wooden bookmark from Ink and Wonder Designs is my favorite thing right now.

          Cactus pen from BC Mini, it writes in black and is very smoothe. 👍

          And finally, the book. It is From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon and comes with a letter and an exclusive keychain. From the cheat sheet: “Twinkle Mehra is an aspiring filmmaker who dreams of breaking new ground in the Industry. When fellow film geek Sahil offers Twinkle the chance to direct a short film for the upcoming summer film festival, she jumps at the opportunity. And who knows? Maybe getting to know Sahil will help Twinkle with another goal - getting closer to Sahil’s twin brother, Neil. What could possibly go wrong?”

The Zakka Kit - May 2018

          I'm a little behind on some boxes, so please forgive me. Now on to the box. The theme for the May box was Kokeshi! Kokeshi are hand-crafted dolls.

          Every Zakka Kit comes wrapped in amazing wrapping paper which I have used as part of multi-media projects as well as to wrap gifts. This kit is no different.





          The kit has Kokeshi Memo Pad, Classiky Kokeshi Washi tape, Kokeshi stickers, Kokeshi mini stamp, red ink pad, Kokeshi stamp stickers, and Kokeshi Sakura postcard. So let us look at them individually.

          Kokeshi Memo Pad by Green Flash has four different colorful vintage Kokeshi pages. The pages a smooth and sturdy.

          Classiky Kokeshi washi tape by Classiky and Yonagadou, I got the pink version but there is also a blue one.



          Kokeshi stickers by Mindwave and they come in three different designs. I don't know what the other two designs look like but this is what the one I got looks like.





          The next two items go together, the stamp and the ink pad are both by Kodomo No Kao.

          The four stamp stickers are so cute! They are by Classiky and Mihoko Seki and they are deliberately made to look like large vintage stamps.

          And finally, a Kokeshi Sakura postcard by Frontia. There were two different designs and this is the one I got. 

          I love my Zakka Kits, they always have things that I will definitely use whether in everyday situations or art.

Fountain Pen Friendly Paper

          In a previous post, Fountain Pens and Inks, OH MY!!!, I discussed some of my favorite inks and fountain pens. In this post I'm going to discuss fountain pen friendly paper. I'm going to start with the problems that one might encounter when using fountain pens with paper and then I will list the papers I've used and have worked for me.

Problems:

          These are the problems that you should be aware of when choosing what paper you can use with your fountain pen.

1. Ghosting: this is when you can see a slight image of the writing on the back of the page you are writing on. Depending on your taste, you can try out papers and see how much or little ghosting you can put up with. For me if it is slight enough that I can write and it doesn't interfere with my writing then it is fine. Below is an example of acceptable ghosting to me, your milage may vary.

2. Bleeding: this is when the ink seeps into the paper and you can see it clearly on the other side. It can also sometimes stain the paper underneath the one you are using.

3. Feathering: this is when the ink spreads through the capillaries at the edge of a writing area. You'll always have feathering but how much of it is the key. Below is an example, I had to really magnify it for you to see.

Papers and Notebooks:

          These are the papers and notebooks that I have used with my fountain pens so far. I've tested them out for a bit and they seem to work well for my needs. Again, your milage may vary. All my paper needs are fulfilled by Goulet Pens except where indicated.

1. William Hannah: The papers from this vendor based in the UK are all fountain pen friendly.

2. Rhodia: I've used Rhodia notepads and notebooks and they hold up very well.

3. Clairefontaine: I've used the notepads and notebooks and they are good.

4. Maruman Mnemosyne: I've used a notebook and it seemed okay.
5. Field Notes: Some Field Notes notebooks work great with fountain pens and other don't, trial and error.
6. Original Crown Mill: the paper used here is amazing, also their envelops and cards.
7. Maxi Brite Copy paper: the 80gsm one is amazing, no bleed through or ghosting. Normally I would never use copy paper with fountain pens but this one passes the test. (Amazon or any stationery store)
8. Tomoe River: Some people like this paper but for me they don't work. It is 52gsm and though it doesn't bleed through the ghosting was too much for me.
9. Mead Notebooks: not all of them of course but I have used some which stood up to the fountain pen well with only a little ghosting. (Amazon or any stationery store)
10. Leuchtturm 1917: This works great with fountain pens and many journallers use it.