Content of the Blog

Hello everyone,

          Thanks to everyone who is following my blog so far. I’d like to update you all on what the content of the blog will be and what I have been doing lately. 

          You may have noticed that the blog no longer updates as much as previously, this is because I’ve been thinking about the direction of the blog. In the coming weeks you will notice a change in the way the blog works. I’ll still be doing some reviews of my favorite subscriptions but you’ll also see me sharing some creative projects I’m working on. I’ll also be dedicating some posts to all things Kpop, journaling, and Asian dramas that I have watched and liked.

          I hope you like what you see on my blog and for everyone who follows me to find something in the new content that they are interested in.

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!

OwlCrate - April 2018

          The theme for April's Owlcrate box is "Shadows & Secrets". One of my favorite things was included in this box...I'm sure by the end you'll know what it is. Oh! And no it is not the book lol.

 
          Speaking of the book, this month's book is the first in the Shadow Games series by Amanda Goody, Ace of Shadows. From Goodreads.com: "Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play."

I have another book by Amanda Foody, Daughter of the Burning City, but I have not read it yet.


 
          Next up is a sneak peak for a book by Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval. This is an excerpt from her latest which goes on sale on May 29, 2018.



          COFFEE!!!! Need I say more? This brew is from Bones Coffee Company.


   
          This is the second time that I have seen Owlcrate include a pillow case in their boxes and as usual, good quality with a quote from Crooked Kingdom and designed by Stella Bookish Art.



          As the label says, handcrafted Bar Soap from Three Sisters Apothecary by Soap Cauldron.



          Finally, these pretty pencils with quotes from Harry Potter on them. They were created by Owlcrate and Jubilee Designs.

Have you guessed my favorite thing in this box??

The Zakka Kit - April 2018

          Following their awesome Cherry Blossom Kit is the Spring Rabbit Kit. So let us just get into the box.

          A Black Brush Pen from Uni (Mitsubishi). The pen has two sides one for thick lines and one for thin lines. This would be great for sketching and lettering. 

          Next up is a Pastel Soufflé 3D Ink Pen by Sakura. There were two different options that one could get, pastel green or pastel pink. I’m glad I got the green one :-) 

          This cutesy Rabbit Memo Pad is by Oriental Berry. It is cute enough to be used in mixed media projects, journals or for good old reminders.

          I didn’t know what these cute little rabbits were used for but it turns out they are paper clips. They are made by Midori and can hold up to 7 pieces of paper. I only tried it on two think papers and it works but I still need to try it on normal paper. Just remember to slide the papers into place not forcing the clips open.

          I love the washi tape that is included in the Zakka kits. The designs are always unique and lovely. 

          Spring Rabbit Letter Paper and Envelopes by Frontia are really sweet and lovely. It makes me wish that I had someone to write letters too. I think I will probably use them with gifts instead of letters.

          Rabbit Stickers by Seal Do and Shinzi Katoh are made from transparent plastic so they are waterproof and can be used on plastic and glass as decorations.

          Finally, Spring Petal Masking Seal Stickers by Mindwave. These are stickers which are made from translucent washi paper so they can be used to decorate notes, gift cards and journal pages. 

Cloth and Paper - March 2018

          I'm really enjoying the paper edition of the Cloth and Paper boxes so far, the pen box was really hit and miss for me and I did cancel that part of the subscription so I think this is going to be the last box with pens in it. 

          The box was really full this time and I liked the way they had a proper box for the pens. Since I brought up the pens I'm going to start there. The box had 5 pens, one refill and one box of ink cartridges.

          This is an Olika fountain pen, and it came with a cartridge inside the pen body plus two inside the package of the pen. It also has refilled cartridges included in a separate package. So all in all it came with 8 ink cartridges which should last me quite a while.

          The first pen you see in the picture is the Cloth and Paper pen. It comes with black ink. Next is the Zig Lettering Pen (the peach one) and its refill pen. The ink for the refill is blue.  The white one is Le Pen Drawing which is a technical drawing pen. It has black pigmented ink, it works like a micron does. And finally, the pink pen is the Baoke Signature pen. You can see a pen test for each of the pens below.

          Next up I'm going to check out the paper part of the subscription, and there is a lot to look at there. Much of it (as usual) has to do with journaling. The first item I wanted to look at was the Habit Tracker. Each sticky note tracks 8 habits for one week.

          The next item, is 2 packets of stickers, and each packet has 3 sheets of stickers. The stickers are for "To Do", "Meeting", "Appointment"...and so on. You can't really see the stickers very well in this picture because they are in gold.

          The box also included two greeting cards, one says "I adore you" and one says "Thank You" in French, and a packet of 14 post cards with the words "Comme çi Comme ça" on them.

          I can never have too many paper clips, especially because I journal a lot and these help me find different places in my journal. I especially love it when they don't look like the normal paper clips. And these paper clips certainly look cute and different.

          The next two (and final) items in the box have to do with daily planning. One of the packets is a notepad of daily planning that includes prompts for a to do list, notes and quote of the day. The other just says to do on the top. They are a little to small for my A5 but the paper is sturdy and I'll add them to it anyway. They look really pretty.

          I always find something really useful in the boxes from Cloth and Paper and this box is no exception. I can't wait for more from this company.

Spotlight Stationery

          The theme for this box is Bright! The purchase price of this starionery box includes a donation to From Me To You, a charity which encourages people to write letters to cancer patients. 

          A collaboration between Craig from DarkStar and Spotlight Stationery resulted in these beautiful  handmade pocket notebooks, the last ones he will make. 

          I love post its, and the ones from SemiKolon are the best. 

   Every box from Spotlight Stationery contains pens and this one is no exception. I openned the box in front of my friend and she took them all!!!

          A pair of clips from Rapesco are also included in this box. 

          Finally, four post cards with beautiful drawings in a personalized envelope.

Owlcrate - March 2018

          My box from OwlCrate really came to me banged up that I was so worried for the items inside. Luckily the people at OwlCrate really know how to pack the items so that they are not harmed. The theme for this box was "Across the Galaxy".

          This was an exclusive candle from Wick & Fable. They sent out two different seats and the one that I got was Kady Grant from The Illuminae Files. I didn't even have to open the candle lid to smell the scent of the candle it was all over the box the moment I opened it. It smells like heaven.

       

          Next up is something really cute from FUNKO. They are pint-sized heroes and there were three different ones sent out; I got my personal favorite Baby Groot! It is totally going to go sit next to its brothers and sisters lol.

          As someone who reads everyday, and sometimes reads a few books at a time, it is never a waste of space to give me a bookmark and this beautiful one from Lexy Olivia is just what I like to see in a book subscription box. It is a watercolor bookmark with a quote from Star Wars.

          I was very confused when I got this out of the box. At first before taking it out of the package I thought it might be a pillow or a blanket but then when I opened it I was like huh?? Then I went to check the card that had the spoilers. This is an exclusive infinity scarf made by OwlCrate. The print on it is very beautiful and the material is so soft and stretchy! I can't wait to wear it.

          What can I say about this beautiful mug? I drink tons of coffee a day and this mug is just an enabler for me to drink me. It is inspired by the Lunar Chronicles and designed by Sasha Natasha. It is a ceramic mug so it is dishwasher and microwave safe.

          Finally this beautiful (and signed!) book. It came with a letter from the author along with a character poster. The edges of the book are a beautiful color purple. From Goodreads:"Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?"

This book is the first in the series.