The Crossfield from Nanami Paper

Tags

bullet journal, hobonichi techo, nanami paper, rhodia, seven seas crossfield, seven seas standard, seven seas writer, tomoe river

In July of 2014 I wrote this post on Bullet Journaling, and it has taken me this long to find a suitable journal to try it out with. I’m loving my Hobonichi Techo as my current planner, and it occurred to me that before I move to a Bullet Journal I would like to have the same paper. So I checked Nanami Paper’s website on the off chance they had an A5 journal like the Writer or the Standard. And there it was: the Crossfield.

These Seven Seas journals are magnificent, as I’ve said before. The Tomoe River paper is fantastic. They are not always available because of their popularity. And the folks at Nanami want to make sure that each journal is perfect so they examine a few at a time and then release them onto the site. As the instructions say, if one of these journals appears to be out of stock, keep checking. That’s what I did, over a period of about a week, every day, sometimes more than once a day. And I got one. They also get regular shipments in so if they are truly out of stock it will only be for a few months, usually. And they are well worth the wait.

So I ordered the Crossfield and it arrived in about a week. Each Seven Seas journal comes in a paper slipcover as shown above. The Standard (blank paper) is bound in brown, the Writer (lined paper) is bound in black, and the Crossfield is bound in a rusty-red colour. And each Seven Seas journal comes with a package of pink blotting paper to help with the ink remaining wet longer than you might expect on the Tomoe River paper.

The paper is actually not grid, but tiny crosses that form the corners of each square. It’s like the dot grid paper you see by Rhodia, but instead of dots we see tiny crosses.

Here’s a closeup of the paper. See, it’s a field of crosses!

From a distance it actually looks like dots. I really like the blue colour of the crosses. I did not do a pen test because I did one for the Writer in this post.

I don’t know when I will start my Bullet Journaling. Maybe when my Hobo is done (end of this year) I will start 2017 with a Bullet Journal. I just don’t know if I can wait that long – the Crossfield is very enticing.

Above you can see my progress in the Writer – these journals are great value because it takes a while to get through 480 pages. I recommend these journals and Nanami Paper in general. Great customer service and excellent products. Don’t be discouraged by the appearing to be out of stock-ishness! Just keep checking. 🙂

Monday Miscellany

Tags

christmas, journal ceo, journal prompts, nanami paper, scribblings of a storyteller, seaweed kisses, seven seas writer, the journal diaries

If you love beautiful writing, take a moment to read Ratika’s blog, Scribblings of a Storyteller. She writes with an intense honesty I find addicting. Thank you for sharing your soul Ratika.

I stumbled upon this post on The Journal Diaries category of the Seaweed Kisses blog and I was really taken with the double columns and ink/pen changes by the author, Ellina. And she uses a Seven Seas Writer from Nanami Paper! Of course she does. Just amazing visuals, of her pens and her journal.

And finally here are some fun Christmas Journal Prompts from the Journal CEO on YouTube:

Until next post, happy writing!

 

 

Nanami Box and Tea at the Biltmore

Tags

arizona biltmore hotel, compendium inc., goulet pens, high tea, hold-on clever pen loop, jetpens, nanami paper, phoenix, seven seas standard, seven seas writer, super clip bookmarks, write now journal

A few weeks before I travelled to Phoenix to spend time with my sister, I took advantage of her US address and placed an order with Nanami Paper. You might remember that before my trip last year I placed orders with Goulet Pens and JetPens. It’s always nice to avoid paying shipping costs to Canada.

I wanted to buy another Seven Seas Writer like the one I wrote about in May of this year, but of course they were sold out. They are so popular and they are specially made for Nanami in Japan so they go out of stock quickly. I like the Writer because it is lined but it occurred to me that I could get a Seven Seas Standard A5 journal and use my writing mat and achieve the same end. And woohoo the Standard was in stock.

I also ordered another Hold On pen loop, this time in green; I actually ordered two and gave one to my sister. The silvery clippy things are the Super Clip Bookmarks, and come in packs of 10 for $4.25 US. The Standard is exactly the same as the Writer, which I’ve already reviewed (see link above). But I wanted to see if I could use the writing mat to simulate lines. It’s not easily seen in this photo, but in real life it’s very easy to see and write on the lines of the mat.

If the lines aren’t dark enough for you, you can always make your own insert with a Sharpie or similar dark inked marker. I am happy with the Standard; it’s a good substitute when the Writer is out of stock. And as I write this I’ve just checked Nanamipaper.com and both the Writer and the Standard are currently out of stock. The Standard will be restocked in Feb/Mar 2016 and the Writer in early Dec 2015. Get your orders in fast and early.

That was the only package I had delivered to my sister’s place. And during my stay I only bought one notebook: a Write Now journal from Compendium Inc. My sister and I went for High Tea at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel and while perusing the gift shop I found this pretty notebook.

My first thought on reading the cover was – Why yes, I’m doing just that! It’s a beautiful notebook with quotes about the sea.

***

It was an inexpensive notebook and the paper isn’t great, but I fell in love with the cover and the quotes. And that is as good a reason as any to buy a notebook!

What an amazing hotel. It is a breathtaking “jewel in the desert” with a rich and varied history. The High Tea was one of the best tea experiences to date. I brought my pens along (of course) so they could enjoy the adventure too. 🙂

Journal Writing Wednesday: 5 pages

Tags

cadence, lg pocket photo printer, nanami paper, seven seas writer

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, Winnable Executive Journal, the Believe In Yourself journal and….. drum roll please … the Seven Seas Writer! (the backstory to this is below)

Total pages written since this post (Aug 19): 5

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 1144

Total pages written in 2015: 304

It is time to say goodbye to the Parker Urban as the pen of the month. I never really say goodbye to it; I love it so much I use it and the blue one all the time. But – today we choose the September pen: the Cadence 3! (I have 3 Cadence pens; I distinguish between them by the number that is on the back of each nib.)

This is good because I do not have converters for these pens so this will give me a chance to use up a couple cartridges. Love these pens.

Purchases: A couple of things on ebay which will be reviewed when they arrive.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• I’ve been running low on paper for my LG Printer so I thought I would go to Best Buy this past weekend to get some. The friendly fellow told me LG is discontinuing the packaging for the photo paper. So he checked the computer and one store, almost on the other side of the city, had some in stock. I phoned them, they put their last 3 packages on hold for me, and I sped off to get them. And they were on sale too – $8 per box of 30 instead of $16! Score.
• I recorded all of the entrants for my 500 Subscriber Giveaway in my journal, and who the winners were, and their addresses, etc. Thanks again to everyone who entered. I can’t wait to reach 1,000 subscribers to have another giveaway!
• Ok so here’s the story behind me putting the Seven Seas Writer into rotation. I have been DYING to start it but wanted to finish at least one of the three that I have going right now. But then I got an email from a subscriber asking me very detailed questions about my thoughts and impressions of using the Seven Seas Writer, and asking advice on different items available on Nanami Paper’s website. So to answer his questions I had to start writing in it. And surprise, surprise I can’t stop writing in it! I might even turn my thoughts and impressions into a review this weekend. Thanks Matthew!

Until next post, happy writing!

A Box from Nanami Paper

Tags

fauxdori, hold-on clever pen loop, nanami paper, post-it, seven seas writer, tomoe river

Nanami Paper is an online website that specializes in fine Japanese stationery. They are famous for their Tomoe River paper notebooks and writing pads. The website is a treasure-trove of stationery facts, including a notebook buyer’s guide, a notebook value calculator, and pdfs for improving your letter writing. Even if you buy nothing the site is a fun place to spend time reading about notebooks and paper.

I first mentioned Nanami Paper in this post from Aug 2014. Since then I have heard great things about the Seven Seas Writer notebook. It’s a lined notebook, with 480 pages of Tomoe River paper. I’ve checked periodically and they have always been out of stock. But a month ago the notebook was in stock so I jumped at the chance to get one. And I bought a few accessories too.

I ordered the notebook plus 4 other items on April 22 and it was on my desk at work by May 1. Shipping was $18 US. The entire order came to just under $70 US.

The items were packaged very well in foam and kraft paper, and then within these kraft paper envelopes.

From left to right: The yellow Seven Seas Writer slipcase, with the notebook inside; a blue Hold-On pen loop; a clear plastic writing mat with grid; a brown vinyl notebook cover; and a clear plastic notebook cover.

The Seven Seas Writer comes in this slip case. The pink paper you can see peeking out is blotting paper.

The notebook, on the left, is bound with a simple heavy cardboard cover, in black. Nice and plain, but a cover is recommended.

The notebook is thread bound and so lays flat upon opening, with no stress to the spine. Gloriously flat!

This is the MF Faux Leather A5 Notebook Cover. It is more expensive than the Cheap Notebook Cover (which I will discuss shortly) but considerably less expensive than the Gfeller notebook cover, which is Kip Leather and wonderful, I’ve heard. I chose the MF because of the price: just under $20. It has a bookmark and looks pretty good. I also bought the Cheap Notebook Cover because of the price: $2.50.

Here is the MF cover open. I couldn’t help but think what a great piece to start a Fauxdori with. And the Seven Seas Notebook slips in beautifully.

And here is the filled MF cover. I quite like the double row of stitching. And of course the bookmark.

Here is the notebook inside the Cheap Notebook Cover (sorry for the glare). It’s fine too but let’s face it: the MF cover looks better. This Cheap cover fits standard A5 notebooks so I’m sure I will find a use for it, as I have a few of those (ahem).

I also bought the writing mat, which is exactly that: a mat upon which to write. You can slip it in between the pages of the notebook as they are super thin, one of the characteristics of Tomoe River paper. And when you are close to the bottom of the page you can use the mat to rest your wrist. The Nanami web site suggests using your smart phone to the same end if you don’t have a writing mat.

I have a thing for pen loops. I want every single one of my notebooks to have a pen loop. And this Hold-On Clever Pen Loop for Notebooks just might be the ticket. Too bad you can only buy 5 at a time. Seeing how great they work I should have bought more.

They are $3.60 US. And the website shows you how to make a “hack” for it, if you don’t want to get the sticky adhesive all over your notebook cover. A non-permanent solution, if you will. Luckily I had some Post-It Tabs handy and followed the instructions.

I stuck the tab on the inside of the back cover. I then stuck the Hold-On pen loop to the tab. To truly avoid sticky residue I only removed the backing from the pen loop to the width of the tab (got out the old craft knife). The sticky back of the pen loop is super sticky and will not come off the tab very easily. Whereas the tab is easily removable but not so easy as to fall off. Ingenious!

Here’s a quick ink test on the back page. Notice how sharp each example is. The paper is smooth like glass and there is no bleedthrough. There is a bit of a wait for drying time but that’s what the blotting paper is for.

There is definite show through but as my sister says, “I LIKE show through!” I realize some don’t and if you don’t just use one side of the paper.

I am thrilled with this new notebook. The service from David at Nanami was excellent and the products are superb. The feel of the Tome River paper is exquisite; smooth and buttery. There’s a reason it’s so popular with fountain pen enthusiasts. And if you want to try a sample David can help you out there too; he offers 6 sheets (3 white, 3 cream) of Tomoe River paper anywhere in the world for $3 and free shipping. Yes you read that right. You really should try it out because it is amazing.

No wonder there is a purchase limit of 5 for the Seven Seas notebooks. Get one while they last.

Journal Writing Wednesday: 14 pages

Tags

de atramentis, goulet pens, monteverde prima, nanami paper, phasha, pilot coleto multipen, tomoe river, waterman

What I’m currently using: the Paperblanks Blue Filigree journal, Winnable Leather Journal, Winnable Executive Journal and the Believe In Yourself journal

Total pages written since last JWW post (Apr 15): 14

Total pages to date since project inception (Dec 11/13): 921

Total pages written in 2015: 181

Monthly Pen: Monteverde Prima in Purple Swirl

Next monthly pen will be announced on April 29

Purchases:

My new Coleto arrived this week and I will review it this Sunday. I am still waiting on another ebay pen, as well as the Goulet ink mentioned last week. And today I ordered a bunch of stuff from Nanami Paper; they finally have their Tomoe River paper notebooks back in stock. Stay tuned.

Some points covered this week in my journals:

• I am still using my Purple Prima and the miracle I hoped for has happened: I’m in love with it again. I’m taking it to work everyday and using it as much as possible. I’ve run through the MI6 (De Atramentis Aubergine) ink and now I’m onto Waterman Purple. I used it to write a thank-you note for a co-worker and he admired my handwriting and the beautiful ink colour. 🙂
• I’m getting over a cold (again) and the recovery for my leg is taking forever. With colds comes coughing and sneezing, and it feels like for each cough/sneeze I’ve earned a week of excruciating leg pain. I’m waking up in the middle of the night again, but it’s not so bad that I have to actually get up, which is a plus. One day at a time.
• I spent a few hours working on my Letter Journal; I’m slowly filling up the Phasha journal and I love the look of it! I wrote in my journal how happy it makes me to revisit old letters.

Until next week, happy writing!

Monday Miscellany

Tags

fountain pen geeks, fountain pen studios, nanami paper, smitten by britain, victorian, words

Just a short miscellany tonight:

Fountain Pen Geeks uploaded a video about Fountain Pen Studios and here is their website. Beautiful pens, with a lot of amazing presentation options.

Here are some fantastic Victorian words that have, sadly, gone out of fashion. I love Gigglemug and Skilamalink!

I found this fantastic website, Nanami Paper. They have Tomoe River paper pads and neat paper clips. They also have a Resources section where they give you links to all kinds of great pdfs to enhance your writing experience. Great site!

🙂