Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Shoplet.com Review: Numi Organic Teas

You might be surprised to know, Shoplet.com doesn’t just carry pens and paper! They also carry something that a lot of people really like to have at work - no, not coffee… they carry teas! And not just any teas, my friends. They’ve got the REAL kind of tea - Numi Tea!
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The office supplies I received from Shoplet.com is a box of assorted organic teas by Numi Teas. The delicious flavours included are:

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Berry Black is no longer available at Shoplet.
What makes Numi Teas so special? 

Most importantly: the ingredients. Numi Teas use quality ingredients to make their teas; blending USDA organic full leaf teas, fresh herbs, and real fruits, to achieve the flavor and wonderful taste you will find in their teas. This is unlike many teas that are blended with added oils and “natural and artificial flavors”. It’s nice to know some companies are still making their products with the highest quality and best care they can. 

Even better than that, Numi Teas support and create partnerships with farmers (fair trade). And they are making effort to be environmentally friendly - Numi Tea cartons are made of 85% post-consumer waste, are recyclable, and the tea bags are made of biodegradable filter paper. 

As someone who cannot consume a lot of caffeine (mostly because I’ll be bouncing off the walls and awake all night), I am thrilled that Numi Teas are labelled with a relative caffeine content: caffeine free, lower caffeine, medium caffeine, and higher caffeine. What a wonderful thing to add for we caffeine-sensitive folk! Plus, some people have no idea what the difference between a white tea and a black tea are, so this scale can be very helpful. 

I tried out three flavors to begin with! And before I begin, let me say, I have learned from my experience with teas to ALWAYS pay attention to the brewing instructions. No, you cannot brew a black tea indefinitely like you can with a rooibos (well, you could, but it would taste very bitter). So for the following products, I was careful to follow the brewing instructions on the packet. I didn't add any sugar or milk either, so as not to change the tea's flavor.

Numi says, "Our organic Moroccan Mint, known as "nana mint," flourishes in North Africa. With a flavor as light and lively as a newly picked leaf, it has a sweet spearmint flavor that is refreshing and soothing any time of day."

When I opened the packet, I immediately got a strong smell of real mint. And then I inhaled the packet deeply (because I like to sniff things) and it was a wonderful, sinus-clearing mint. Brewed correctly, this tea produced a straight up mint taste. It is very clear from the flavor that there was nothing else added. It truly tastes like I plucked some spearmint leaves myself, and boiled them to make my own tea. 

Likes
A nice, moderate mint tea - not strongly minty, and not so weak that you can't taste it. A great, breath-freshening, caffeine-free pick-me-up for the office.

Dislikes
Personally, I like mint blends (such as with peppermint and/or tarragon) so I found this tea to be a little too mild for my tastes. 

“Egyptian chamomile blossoms with Australian lemon myrtle leaves for a sweet organic brew that imparts a lingering calmness with citrus murmurings.”

This tea smells just like chamomile when you open the packet! When I smelled it, I was thinking, "Okay. Time for bed." I associate chamomile teas with pre-bedtime and I always look forward to a nice, hot cup of soothing chamomile tea before sleep. 

Likes
I do not expect a chamomile tea to be strong as it is a mild mix to begin with. This was my favorite tea of the three flavors I tried for this review. It is difficult to describe the taste of chamomile apart from "soothing" and "smooth", which is exactly what this tea is. There is also a faint citrus taste that makes the tea more crisp and exciting than just plain chamomile.

Dislikes
None!

Numi says, "We age organic Assam black tea with real Italian Bergamot for several weeks so the tea absorbs the orange scent. Enjoy a robust (flavorings-free) Earl Grey with subtle citrus notes."

This packet had the scent of earl grey indeed - black tea and Bergamot. I was actually expecting the tea to be an outstanding Earl Grey. I am a big fan of Earl Grey so I was really looking forward to trying this. 

Likes
If you are not a big fan of strong teas, this may be a good choice for you. Especially if you have never really tried Earl Greys. The flavor is moderate - not overbearing or bitter. 

Dislikes
This is a mild Earl Grey, to my tastes. One can certainly detect the Bergamot flavor in the tea but to me, a cup of Earl Grey should really smell like Earl Grey - filling the room with its wonderful, amazing scent. Unfortunately, I did not have this experience! I did not dislike the tea, but I prefer a stronger Earl Grey.
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Moroccan Mint in a double-walled glass mug
Price
Numi Organic Tea: Moroccan Mint $6.41/box (18 tea bags)

Numi Organic Tea: Chamomile Lemon $6.21/box (18 tea bags)

Numi Organic Tea: Aged Earl Grey $6.37/box (18 tea tea bags)

Overall
Numi Teas are a nice, mild set of teas to have for yourself, or to give as a gift to others (a classy, tasteful gift!). You can rest assured you are drinking premium ingredients and wonderful teas that are created with care. 

To learn more about Numi’s wonderful practices, check out their site. You'll be glad you did! It's chock full of information (and even recipes!)

Full disclosure: These office supplies were sent for review by Shoplet. I was not paid to write this review, but I do get to keep these lovely products.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Comparison: Large Brown Midori Traveler's Notebook & Burnt Cognac Pelle Leather Journal

Hi again folks! This has been an epic undertaking! I know that some of you may be surprised with my opinions but please remember, they are just that - my opinions! You may love the paper or the leather more or less than I do, so take it all with a grain of salt. I'm just trying to give you a comparison to help you in your decisions! For each section, I will highlight my preferences where applicable!


Getting Your Hands On One
Ease of acquisition
  • Midori - Not bad if you know where to go!
  • Pelle - It was difficult at first but it's getting better. If you're only waiting for JetPens, it can be tough. Don't forget you can get them directly from Pelle! Unless you want the burnt cognac specifically. 
Price of journal
  • Midori - $58.00 - $59.95
  • Pelle - $44.99
Price of refills
  • Midori - $6.00
  • Pelle - $9.99
Packaging
In the package
  • Midori - Brown leather cover, one extra rubber band, one refillable notebook (blank), cotton cloth case
  • Pelle - Burnt cognac leather cover, one extra rubber band, one refillable notebook (blank), cotton cloth case
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Cotton cloth case: Midori on the left, Pelle on the right. I prefer the Pelle cloth case as it has a draw string!
Presentation
  • Midori - Great
  • Pelle - Good
Leather
Color
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Again, I apologize for the extra orangey-ness of the Pelle in the top pictures. It really is rather orange though.
  • Midori - Dark brown
  • Pelle - Warm reddish-orange brown
Smell
  • Midori - Starts strongly chemical, but fades to a perfect leather
  • Pelle - Perfect leather, straight out of the package
Size of leather cover
  • Midori  - 4.5" x 8.5"
  • Pelle - 4.5" x 8.3"
Edges of leather cover
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Pelle on top, Midori on bottom.
  • Midori - Dark brown
  • Pelle - Black
Leather hardness
  • Midori - Medium/firm
  • Pelle - Supple/soft
Tolerates scuffing and blending
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I scuffed both with my finger nail. The Midori tolerates general scuffs without being so obvious but they both blended well with a bit of rubbing.
  • Midori - Yes, quite well
  • Pelle - Yes, very well
Leather will earn a unique look with use
  • Midori - You bet!
  • Pelle - Yeppers!
Refills

Refill cover
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Refills: cahier belongs to Midori, linen belongs to Pelle
  • Midori - Kraft cahier
  • Pelle - Linen
Paper (Blank)
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Top: Pelle (creamy), bottom: Midori (more white)
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Top: Pelle (creamy), bottom: Midori (more white)
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Back to front: Quo Vadis Habana + bright white paper, Pelle drawing refill, Pelle blank refill, Midori blank refill, Quo Vadis Habana + ivory paper, Rhodia Webbie, Rhodia R pad.
  • Midori - White
  • Pelle - Off-white/light cream
Paper weight (Blank)
  • Midori - ?
  • Pelle - 28 lbs
Number of pages in a refill
  • Midori - 64 pages
  • Pelle - 64 pages
Toothiness of paper
  • Midori - Good
  • Pelle - Almost none
Fountain pen friendliness - for more details, see the Pelle review, or Midori review!
  • Midori - Low
  • Pelle - Low
Bleed through
  • Midori - Medium
  • Pelle - High
Show through
  • Midori - A little
  • Pelle - A lot
Feathering
  • Midori - A lot
  • Pelle - Almost none
Gel Ink/Liquid Ink/Ballpoint Friendliness - for more details, see the Pelle review, or Midori review!
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Pelle on left, Midori on right. You can see the obvious difference in show through but I rather enjoy the crinkle.
  • Midori - Medium
  • Pelle - High
Bleed through
  • Midori - A little
  • Pelle - Almost none
Show through
  • Midori - Yes
  • Pelle - None
Feathering
  • Midori - None
  • Pelle - None
Details
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Elastic band around journal attached to
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  • Midori - Knotted through hole in center of back cover
  • Pelle - Knotted through hole in center of spine
Elastic bands attached to journal
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Top: Midori. Bottom: Pelle
  • Midori - Tin clasp
  • Pelle - Bead
Elastic band across spine attached with
  • Midori - Knot
  • Pelle - Brass clip
Elastic color
  • Midori - Brown
  • Pelle - Lime green
Back up elastic color
  • Midori - Orange
  • Pelle - Dark brown
Customizable
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Midori on top, Pelle on bottom with two refills.
  • Midori - Yes, many customizable inserts available!
  • Pelle - Only with four refills and back up elastics, no further customization is available as yet.
Lies flat with refills
  • Midori - No
  • Pelle - No
Lies flat without refills
  • Midori - Almost flat!
  • Pelle - Yes
Bookmarker
  • Midori - Yes
  • Pelle - Yes
Made in
  • Midori - Thailand & Japan
  • Pelle - USA (California)
Other Bits
Do you have to be a traveler to be one?
  • Midori - No
  • Pelle - No
Inspires creativity?
  • Midori - Yes!
  • Pelle - Yes!
Makes you feel awesome?
  • Midori - Definitely 
  • Pelle - Definitely
Rustic awesomeness
  • Midori - Lots of it!
  • Pelle - Lots of it, when it's tidied up (tightened strings, etc)
Quality control
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Notice how messy the Pelle looks.
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You can barely see the Pelle journal stamp!
  • Midori - Great
  • Pelle - Moderate
Overall Appearance
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  • Midori - Really awesome
  • Pelle - Fairly awesome, despite the negative bits
Overall

Final Verdict?

Either leather cover is great. If you're looking for a deal or prefer the burnt cognac color, go with the Pelle. If you're not, go with the Midori. Either way, make your own refills if you want fountain pen friendly paper and you'll be good to go and pleased as punch!

I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure there are things I missed or have yet to discover but this is just after a week or two of use!

Review: Pelle Journal - Burnt Cognac, Large

This is a review of the large Pelle journal in burnt cognac.
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The beautiful pristine white box arrived with WRINKLES.
In the package:
- Burnt cognac leather cover
- One extra rubber band
- One refillable notebook (blank)
- Cotton cloth case

LE NOTEBOOK.

To note:
- Size: 4.5” x 8.3"
- Made in USA (the back of the cover is printed with “www.pellejournals.com/Made in USA”)
- American leather
- Stringed book marker
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It's a lot more orange than I was expecting but this lighting makes it look even MORE orange. Sorry folks. It's still a nice, warm color.
First impressions:
- Lovely, warm, supple leather cover
- Great contrast with the lime green elastic band
- Untidy appearance

The Pelle journal is not unlike the famous Midori Traveler's Notebook. In fact, it is rather LIKE the Midori Traveler’s Notebook. Soon you will be able to fill your Pelle with calendars, cases, and pockets, but for the time being, you can select from four different paper refills (plain, lined, grid, drawing), and various colored elastics. Oh, and there’s an adorable “Pelle” print on the bottom of the front cover. 

Not surprisingly, the notebook does not lie flat. The refill is thin but it’s easy to hold it open while you write. The leather is quite supple and soft so it’s really like writing on a small pile of paper. It’s soft enough to fold the cover back when writing so it doesn’t flop around in your way while you write. You will likely need another surface to write on though. This leather journal feels good in the hand, and it looks pretty decent. The Pelle journal gives me the romantic feeling towards notebooks that I get from my Midori
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The lime green makes for some great contrast, no?
LE LEATHER.

The Pelle journal is handmade in the USA, and the leather comes from the eastern US. This particular journal is “burnt cognac” which sounds, to me, like a toasted orange-red. Which is exactly what it looks like. The leather is soft, smooth, and supple, with black edging. The inside of the journal is almost orange and fuzzy. When scuffed with my fingernail, a big, light scuff showed up and I was able to blend it back in by rubbing it with my thumb, because of the oil-tanned leather. Remember, this is a leather journal and by nature, leather has its own unique distressed look and that will continue to change over its lifetime. But not in a bad way! Change, in this case, will only contribute to its character.

The leather came out of the packaging smelling like leather. It was delicious. I still smell it regularly. Just like the Midori, this Pelle makes me feel cool, adventurous, and creative.

LE PAPER.

First, the cover is a thick linen type that I think is a nice, classy touch. It does take away from the “adventure” type feel of the leather journal though, and turns it into more of a classy-student type journal. There are 64 pages of creamy, very smooth, off-white 28 lb paper. Though it is a cream color, it is not as yellow as the Rhodia Webbie. It’s a bit closer to the ivory of the Quo Vadis Habana. It did speak “fountain pen friendly” to me before I even wrote in it. There is very little tooth to it and thus, I imagined there would be very little feedback when writing. While the paper is smooth, it is not so slick that it is glossy, like the old Quo Vadis Habana.  

How does it play with fountain pens?
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THE HORROR!!!!
As you can see from the tests, I used a Rohrer & Klingner glass dip pen (because it’s a heck of a lot easier to clean than a fountain pen between each ink), and it puts down a pretty thick, wet line of ink - certainly more than fountain pens do (even a wet inky flex). I did the fountain pen ink sampling in the Midori first, and had kept wiping the excess ink off the dip pen in the ink bottle. It took a long time so when I was doing this review, I left the excess on the pen and it's pretty obvious what an effect that had! Almost everything I wrote bled through or showed through. The great thing though is there was no feathering, not even with some of the feather-prone J. Herbins. Given that most people wouldn’t be writing extensively with a dip pen, casual writing with fine fountain pens will be tolerated okay. In my writing with a Lamy Al-Star, Lamy Studio, Pelikan M1005, Noodler’s Ahab (Yes. The wretched thing wrote three words, and it was a struggle.), Platinum Preppy, Pilot Vanishing Point, Jinhao X450, Jinhao X750, and Pilot Plumix, there was no feathering, except for my really wet blobs of ink, but a fair amount of bleed through and showing. 

I say fine fountain pens because the paper seemed to “absorb” ink or something, so several colors are coming out a bit darker than on coated paper. This also resulted in more bleed through than I think would be normal with 28 lb paper. If you're writing with a fine nib or dry ink, I think you'll be fine. Otherwise, be aware that you might not be able to use the backsides of the pages. I'm surprised at the results of this paper with fountain pens. 

How does it play with gel ink/ball point pens?
The paper plays really well with other inks! There was very little show through, especially with lighter-colored inks, and almost no bleed through. The only place there was bleed through was where I really colored into the page, and that’s not a surprise. So overall, the Pelle 28 lb paper took the gel inks really well, even the really wet ones! 
Gel Ink Pelle Resized
Much better.
In summary, I am only somewhat impressed with the paper. I wouldn’t mind a wee bit more tooth to it. A weight of 28 lbs is quite high for a notebook that is not really marketed as “premium” fountain pen paper (although for the price of the refill, it is certainly premium…) and given the price, I expect it to perform really well. I think the refills are overpriced given the results of my writing. 

Dislikes?
- Quality control - the back of my journal did not print properly with “www.pellejournals.com/Made in USA”. Not cool! It looks like it didn’t even stamp at all. I know they’re hand made and all but… I’m still paying for a product!
- Elastic band is loose, even with two refills in the journal. I will have to take it out and tighten it. Not the end of the world but kind of annoying.
- The brass clasp of the elastics that hold refills in place seems like it could snap off. It is messily attached and looks blah.
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What the heck is THAT.
- Expensive refills, especially given the amount of bleed through.

Good ideas:
- Make your own refills with Hewlett-Packard 28 or 32 lb laser paper

Pop over for more Pelle!

Price
JetPens $44.99 
  Refills$9.99 
Pelle $44.99  (but no burnt cognac?!)

Overall
Not comparing this journal to the Midori Traveler’s Notebook, the Pelle journal is quite decent. It is a warm, supple leather with really nice refills and lovely, not-too-yellow, smooth paper, if smooth paper is your thing - but beware the bleed through. I love the contrast provided by the lime green elastic against the toasty burnt cognac. Given the price, I’m not too pleased with the lax (but hopefully evolving?) quality control and I think the overall put-togetherness of the notebook is lacking a little and the refills are overpriced given their ability to take fountain pens. However, it’s still a really cool leather journal that I would be way too lazy and inept to make/invent/create myself and I am still enjoying using it and it still inspires me to crack it open and make some goodness! If a journal can do that in someone as terribly uncreative as me, then it deserves some kudos. I do like that it was sourced in the USA! That’s sorta green and local, right? And despite my complaints, it still looks pretty wicked. I just have to make my own refills for it and I'll be pleased with the better paper + supple leather cover combination.

Resor Shop Review: Midori Traveler's Notebook - Large, Brown

This is a review of the large Midori Traveler’s Notebook in brown sent for review by Diana at Resor Shop. Thank you Diana!
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OPEN ITTTTTT
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Is this not the most awesome packaging you've ever seen?
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HAehAEhaehahe!
First, Diana sent this parcel out and it arrived in like, two days. I’m not even kidding. And it was regular parcel post. I’m like, how the heck did this get here so fast? So that was awesome point #1. Awesome point #2 is the super duper cool packaging! I have a thing for the cahier/kraft type paper and twine, which is exactly how this Midori arrived!! Check it out - is that not wicked? 
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In the package:
- Brown leather cover (2mm thick + vegetable-tanned)
- One extra rubber band
- One refillable notebook (blank)
- Cotton cloth case
Midori Resized
LE NOTEBOOK.

To note:
- Size W 4.5” x H 8.5”
- Made in Thailand & Japan (the back of the journal is printed with “Midori/Made in Thailand”.)
- 8.1 oz

First impressions:
- Nice, thick, medium-firm leather cover that will inevitably become softer and more supple over time
- Tidy packaging
- A clean appearance - no loose elastics or bits hanging out

The Traveler’s Notebook is a leather notebook cover with refills and inserts to customize the notebook to your heart’s content (or to some extent anyway). You can get various notebooks, pen holders, calendars, letter stickers, and more. 

The leather cover is handmade in Chiangmai, Thailand, and becomes distressed over time (not distressed like a cat going to the vet in a kennel), but with use, the nature of leather is to change color and become more supple. This will give your notebook a unique look the more you use it! So stuff it in your bag. Shove it in your pocket! It will only make it more awesome.

The inside notebook is held in place with a rubber band that is fastened to the notebook with a little clasp of tin, and the entire notebook can be held closed by the included band (although you can get replacement and more excitingly-colored bands). And sometimes it may need to be held closed, especially if you stuff it full with three refills!

The notebook does not lie flat because it’s quite thin and doesn’t have many pages, but it’s easy to bend back (and in fact, you should, because that’s what awesome travellers would do). Because the leather cover is somewhat supple, it’s not like writing on a clipboard but surprisingly, I don’t mind this very much. And if you have three refills in there, writing on the first refill will be quite firm anyway. And the second, too. Plus, the refills sit quite snugly under the elastics so it’s not going to flop around. I think you’ll be quite pleased with the overall experience you get when writing. It’s just so… nifty. I wish I could describe the feeling accurately. It’s not too heavy, not too light, it just feels so good in hand. So natural. 
Inside Midori Resized
This notebook has a very fun feel to it. Somehow, it makes me feel like hopping on a train and going wherever the train takes me! (A terrible idea because I’d get hungry and the cats and Kevin would wonder where I’ve gone off to). Although I should also probably do this in the UK instead of the US. But if I could, that’s what it makes me feel like. And it’s a pretty neat feeling for a little notebook to be able to inspire such a thing. Maybe it’ll do something different for you, or maybe I’m just feeling particularly romantic towards this notebook - but I love it.

LE LEATHER.
Midori Brown Resized
From different angles...
The leather is awesome - I love the colour! It’s a dark brown but very warm. When I first opened up the packaging, I was hit with a chemical smell - it smelled like solvent! It didn’t take me long to realize it was the leather that smelled this way. This didn’t really put me off at all, I could tell by the smell that it was remnants from the tanning. No biggie. That smell faded pretty quickly. At first, it was quite strong but really, it was mostly gone after three or four days, and after 1.5 weeks, the leather begun to smell like proper, delicious leather! Now, I hold the notebook up to my nostrils and inhale. I can’t get enough of it! I tried scuffing the cover with my nail and I was able to easily blend it back in with my thumb. I can see how over time, the cover will change, but only in the most cool way possible.

LE PAPER. 
Open Midori Resized
The paper is a very ever-so-slightly not white color (translation: it looks like some eggshell shade of white…?) - not apricot like the Rhodia Webbie, and not bright white or ivory like the Quo Vadis Habana. It’s smooth paper but is not slick and velvety. Rather, it has a small amount of tooth which provides a bit of feedback when writing with fountain pens. For a “traveler’s notebook”, I think this appropriate. If blank paper isn’t your thing, you can also get grid or lined paper. 

How does it play with fountain pens?
Fountain Pens - Midori Resized
Not bad, right?
When it comes to fountain pens/inks, I almost expect most paper to have some show through, and often bleed through as well. Therefore, I was not surprised when the Midori refill paper exhibited show through and where the ink saturated the page, bleed through. This generally does not bother me. The only reason this becomes a concern is that in this case (and unlike the Miquel Rius 300 page journal), the refills are not very cheap (~$6.00 - $6.50 for 64 pages). When each page costs almost 10 cents, you don’t really want to waste it. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but given the surface area of the paper, it’s not a whole lot of paper for 10 cents. 

I think the paper takes fountain pen ink decently. As you can see from the tests, I used a Rohrer & Klingner glass dip pen (because it’s a heck of a lot easier to clean than a fountain pen between each ink), and it puts down a pretty thick, wet line of ink - certainly more than fountain pens do (even a wet inky flex). The areas where the bleed through was the worst was where the dip pen was writing really inky. This is not unusual for most papers. However, even with regular writing, the ink feathered quite a bit and that can be quite irksome for fountain pen users. 
Paper Test Resized
Do a lot of travellers use fountain pens? Either way - here you can see the feathering and show through and some bleed through.
How does it play with gel ink/ball point pens?
Gel Ink Midori Resized
Despite the gel ink and liquid inks bleeding and showing through, I love the crinkly result!
There was quite a bit of show through and a little bit of bleed through with gel ink pens, for the most part. Ball points are often tolerated well by even cheap papers but it still shows through a little. The bleed through is not unexpected - I did color a bit on the pages and liquid ink pens definitely bled through with normal writing. I don’t mind terribly… it’s not as bad as with the fountain pen ink so, for the most part, I can write on both sides. If there’s a particular spot that has bled through significantly, I’ll just use some correction tape over it and keep going!

In summary, the paper is not outstanding. It does feel really nice and it looks good, but it’s not really fountain-pen friendly. It has a bit of feedback (which I really like lately), and even though there is some bleed through and some show through, I actually think this kind of adds to the character of the “traveler’s notebook” mystique. Some fine points/dry writers and inks that don’t normally feather could be used to write in here (notice the Pilot Vanishing Point and Pelikan M1005 did not feather).

Don’t think you have to be a traveler (or someone equally cool) to use any of these notebooks! Because of their leather cover, you don’t have to worry about bending the covers when you put them in your bag/purse to take with you wherever you may be headed. It’s tough and remember, using it will only help it achieve its unique distressed look! 

There are many ways to customize your Midori - with different refills, zipper cases, penholders, calendars, instant lettering, stickers, and so much more. Check out Resor Shop’s collection for great things you can get! I really want to get one of everything. Yes, you heard me correctly. … Possibly two of everything so I have back ups. 

Dislikes?
Refills are expensive. It would be nice if there were bulk pack purchase discounts or something. And more fun colored elastic bands. 

More Midori-madness you really should check out

More Resor Shop

Price
Resor Shop - $58.00 
         Refills - $6.00 
My Maido - $59.95 

Overall
Overall folks, I’ve only had this little gem for a short while, but I am having a blast with it. Something about it makes me want to pick it up and write and doodle and draw! The paper isn’t incredible, but it’s got “flavor” - that is, it’s not slick, it’s not coated, it feels like real paper for proper journaling like adventurers should use. It’s a journal that inspires me to explore my creativity and compels me to fill its pages! I have no qualms about stuffing it in my purse and toting it around. If I have free time during the day or I just feel like looking very intelligent and spiffy, I can pull my journal out and scribble stuff down. Come on… don’t you want to look spiffy too? This is rustic awesomeness. Yeah, it’s an expensive journal, but we’ve all spent more money on lesser things. If you’re looking to spoil yourself, this is a good pick! By the way… you can always make your own refills. It’s easy peasy.

Thank you again Resor Shop for providing this wonderful, inspirational notebook to this addict for review!

**I was provided one or more of these products for review, but all opinions are my own!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Whiskers & Paws: February 2012 Edition

Pretending they're angelic...
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Peaches - 8 lbs.
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Koa - 12 lbs.
Sweet as pie, all the time.
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Ellie - 7 lbs.
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Oblivious.
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Tyco - 15 lbs. (Kittens keep this boy trim).
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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sharpie Show

Gratuitous Sharpie pr0n.
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I'm missing many colors - I really want to get the new Limited Edition 80s Glam collection. Not that I need more. They're just cute and fun colors. I tried them out at Office Depot the other day:
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I should have taken this paper home. It was too cool to leave to the hands of others. Le sigh.
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