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.

Cloth and Paper -April 2018

          April’s Cloth & Paper subscription box was a lot of fun for me. It included a lot of stuff that I’ve been thinking about lately like getting a smaller planner and trying it out for a while. So let me get into the box.

          I’ve been meaning to buy a small ruler that would fit into my hand bags and this rose gold ruler is just what I needed. It is sturdy but still small enough to be carried around in a bag without fear of it breaking.

          These three pockets are interesting. On the left hand I could probably insert some cards though I’m not sure my cards are small enough to fit in there but on the right hand there are pockets which I could store things into like some notes or money or even the cards that might not fit. 

          The box provided a pen loop and a pen holder I prefer the pen holder but the loop looks good clipped on to any notebook too.

          This is my favorite bit in the box. The planner. It is a bit smaller than pocket sized notebooks but still very chic and functional. I’m used to this sort of planners having elastic bands however and at first I struggled with it to insert the pockets provided...then I looked at the blog post on the Cloth & Paper website and I found out that the rods come out! It was so much easier to insert them then.

          They also provided the small -sized notebooks that fit into the planner. I added those in and this is the end result!

Isn’t it pretty? I can’t wait to use it!

The Zakka Kit - March 2018

          I love the Zakka Kit because I know that there is always going to be something special and delicate in the box. This box is no different. 

          The theme for this box is the Cherry Blossem. The theme itself gives off vibes of shades of delicate and as we shall see there are some delicate things in the box. 

          The Washi Tape comes in three different spring designs with Cherry Blossoms. The tape is by Shinzo Katoh and Seal Do. 

          Light Pink Midliner Highlighter by Zebra. Now that is a pen that I wanted to try out and finally had the chance to do so now. 

          I love when the Zakka Kit includes stamps because they are usually unique and cute. This box is no different. The Zakka Kit is a Sakura stamp by Kodomo No Kao. 

          The Neko Box Sakura Art print is just goergious! The print is of a Cherry Blossom scene. 

           I always look forward to the papers included in the Zakka Kit. The designs included on the paper (2 pink Sakura papers) are very delicate and simple, which makes the paper beautiful. 

          No Zakka Kit is complete without stickers and the Sakura Stickers by Pinup Japan are beautiful pink and metallic gold. 

          Finally, a Blue Sakura and Bird letter set. It is decorated by Cherry Blossoms and birds. The set is by Frontia.

          So much goodness in the box, so much goodness!

NEW SUBSCRIPTION ALERT - Cloth & Paper - January 2018

          Hey gang! I've got a new subscription from Cratejoy and Cloth & Paper to show you all. This is a subscription that offers two boxes for you to choose from or you can do like I did and subscribe to both 😆. The cost of subscribing to both is 48 dollars with shipping. The small box is called Peninspiration because it is a subscription of purely pens and the larger box is called Stationery Box. The theme for the two boxes for the month of January is "You're a Boss!"

          So let's begin with the Stationery Box. The box itself was a little banged up from flying around the world but the stuff inside was all safe and sound, and there was a lot of stuff!

          First up are the foiled index cards. There are two packets of 12 index cards 14 pointed uncoated card stock with matte gold foil finishing.

          If I should ever lose my mind and show you a picture of my desk you'll understand why I am always so happy to have sticky notes...these are a bit...MORE. 2 packs of Memorandum sticky notes each pack has 25 pages so 50 pages in total.

          This is the Memorandum notepad with 14 point card stock pages and simple design for writing down things on the go if you don't have your Agenda with you. This would fit perfectly in any bag.

          I was thinking of shaking up my Agenda a bit and this product is perfect. It is the A5 Memorandum insert notepad and I'm looking forward to adding it to my William Hannah to see if it works for me.

          This is really cute, it is a sticker sheet with all the interesting little icons that could be added to any agenda or organizer.

          Now, the final product in the Stationery Box is the pen. The Icon Rollerball pen is peach colored and writes in black. What I love about this is that it is refillable.

          Now let's look at the Peninspiration subscription. This box has 6 pens, the pink black and silver pens that look the same are all by Miaguang and write in black. The other pink and green pens are by Aihao and write in pink and green. Finally, the black one that looks like a Sakura pen is called Truecolor and writes in black. I've never heard of these pens but they write consistently and are very smooth.