Mailbox Goodies: JetPens & Pen Pal

Awesome pen pal delivery! A delicious recipe, ink samples, 2 bottles of ink, 2 pencils, lip balm, cherry blossom seeds, Post-Its, stickers,
writing samples, and a letter!

Kaweco Liliput Al Fountain Pen with a medium nib, Kaweco 6 cartridges in sepia, and Kuretake Waterbrush in medium.

JetPens's special sticker arrived in my previous order! Isn't it so cute? I have no idea where I'm going to stick it...

April 29. 2012 - Sunday Reads

Stationery

• Giveaway! Thinking about an insightful response to JetPens's new blog column: Pen and Ink, for the chance to win a Stipula Passaporto fountain pen!
• Giveaway! At d'blogala - go check it out! It is also a great post about 10 minute journaling (something I really should try). 
• Enjoying the writing samples of Shangching's recent review of the Fabriano EcoQua note pad.
• Reconsidering a TWSBI Diamond 540 fountain pen while reading Palimpsest's review. 
• Wanting a Uni-ball Signo 207 Bold based on The Pen Addict's review. I like bold nibs.
• 100 Things to Draw When You Are Bored: 2012 Edition, at Wonder Strange. 
• Gearing up to sort through my stationery to see what pens I have to send to Pens for Kids (thanks to Shangching for tipping me off about this!)

Food

• Planning to try this delicious recipe of summer squash risotto from Vegenista. 

Green

• Looking for accessories/replacement glass bottles to have on hand for my Life Factory glass bottle I recently acquired.

Photography

• In absolute awe over these beautiful pictures: Visions of Earth 2012 (and all the other years... check out all the tabs). I love National Geographic.

Review: Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point Raden - Medium

This is a review of the Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point Raden with a medium nib.

Hello pretty girl.

Packaging

The VP arrived in a black leather box with silver trim. The top is printed with "Namiki" and it is simple overall. The inside has Namiki in gold screen on the top lid, with a satiny cream material. The pen is held by a strap on to the removable plastic tray. Underneath is a user and care guide, as well as a warranty card. There is also an ink cartridge in there - that I only just discovered! The case is decent and sturdy, and will certainly protect the pen should I ever relinquish it from my pencil case for storage. (Although I really would have preferred the wicked packaging that the matte black VP comes in...why did it not come with this awesomeness? Why did I just get a box? Hmph.).

So-so packaging.

But very gorgeous pen.

The Pen

The Vanishing Point fountain pen has a modern design that differs from the classic capped fountain pens in that it is retractable. The body is torpedo shaped on both ends with the clip at the nib end, which is unusual for a fountain pen! The back end contains the “clicker”. The body is very durable and has held up just fine to normal use. The pen is not very small, but is by no means a monster (like the Pelikan M1005 I reviewed awhile ago). It is solid and feels perfect in my grip - and that makes me feel complete.

The raden has rhodium accents and a black body. It's very sharp and sleek. The gorgeous color that speckles the darkness is bits of abalone shell fragments that are placed by hand. The pen is then hand-lacquered, resulting in a seductive finish. ... It seduced me, okay?.

Left to right: Lower exposure to higher. You can see the varying bits of shell changing!

Roly poly pretty penny.

As mentioned, the nib end also has the clip attached to it. The clip works very well! It is smooth to slip on to a stack of paper, and it holds very snugly. It is all metal so I have no qualms about breaking it, and I'm confident

I had looked at many pictures of this pen prior to purchasing it. I am very attracted to shiny things (well...who isn't...) and I couldn't get this pen out of my mind once I had seen it. I found it on sale at Isellpens and then I really had no other option but to get it. 

As noted by another reviewer, the pen is not cool to the touch. It does appear as though it would be, being a solid pen, but when you pick it up, it's almost as if the lacquer picks up the heat of your hand and warms. For some reason, I always think of mood rings when I'm writing with it - the ones that changed color when you wore them.

The Nib & Writing

Nibberific. 

The VP has a skinny mini little 18K gold nib and is available in fine, medium, and broad. Being a Japanese pen, the medium nib I got is in fact a little smaller than the Pelikan M1005 fine nib. The nib actually makes up the entire inside of the pen - including the twist converter. This pen can also take cartridges. The nib is slightly springy because of the gold, making it a lot of fun to write with, and giving a very smooth writing experience. The nice thing is you can get replacement nib sections, so you can have different nib sizes without having to buy another pen - although this is somewhat of a shame, what with so many colors available...

Teeny nib.

I didn't clean the pen or anything, I just pulled it out of the box and inked up. The first fill was with J. Herbin Lie de Thé. At first, it wrote very well with lots of lovely shading and I was really excited. Then my parents came to visit and I packed all my pens away and didn't really have a chance to use them. Recently, I pulled them out again and tried writing a letter with it and it was skipping and I had to keep tapping it to get it going and it just wasn't writing and I was like, what the heck! Why is this stupid pen not working! Well, either the ink was drying up, or it was just too dry to flow in general. 


I refilled the pen with Mont Blanc Lavender Purple ink and it wrote quite wonderfully for a line or two... but then that too started to dry up, even with a full cartridge. I could write a line or two and it would run dry, as though there was no ink in it at all. At this point, I'm thinking, okay, I need a wetter ink.

Last pick of ink: I decided to try Noodler's American Blue Eel, hoping the lubricated ink would flow better, and it certainly helped. It wrote wonderfully for a full paragraph before it started feeling a little more dry. It skipped a few times, but not terribly. I'm a little disappointed that I am limited by the type of ink I can use in this pen, but I have a pretty decent selection of ink so I think I'll manage. After all, I am selective of what inks I put in my Pelikan M1005.

Note how the ink changes based on going from wet to dry writing.

I'm not certain exactly how much ink the pen holds, but it doesn't feel like a whole lot. Because it's not a flex nib, I don't mind because it isn't guzzling ink. This might irritate some people if they have to keep refilling. But then, it's a good reminder to clean your pen regularly!

I can't stop staring at this thing.

Once I got it going, the pen was a pleasure to write with. I actually prefer medium nibs (because they mask my messy writing I suppose), and as I mentioned, this is on the smaller side of medium. I actually wish I had gotten a broad nib but I can still get one as they're easy to swap out. The only other Pilot fountain pen I've written with is the Cavalier and I was a little nervous about taking the plunge on this pen. I wasn't certain if it would be a smooth, inky writer (it did turn out to be a nice, smooth, and moderately wet writer). The sad truth is, the raden work won me over and I figured, I'd enjoy the pen no matter what, it would just vary to what extent I loved it.

On the left, from top to bottom: Pelikan M1005 demonstrator, Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point raden, Noodler's Ahab, Lamy Al-Star, Lamy Studio, Platinum Preppy, Waterman English Version super flex, Waterman 52V wet noodle. On the right, from left to right: Platinum Preppy fine, Lamy Al-Star fine, Pilot/Namiki VP raden medium, Pelikan M1005 fine nib.

Do I love it? In the end, yes. I was really bummed at first when I couldn't get it to write properly. But now that it is, I am much happier. I love the way it looks. I think it's absolutely beautiful. It writes very nicely and I'm pleased with that. I do think the nib is too tiny - I like big whopper nibs because they feel more full of character to me and are more fun to write with. But this pen is very different to what the rest of my collection is, so I'm glad I acquired it. 

Other Tidbits

There is a lot of talk about these pens because of the placement of the clip. As mentioned, it is very uncommon for a pen's clip to be placed on the same size as the nib. I took a risk based on studying how I hold other pens and it turned out just fine. The clip sits right in between my thumb and index finger when I'm holding the pen so it doesn't get in the way at all. 

I don't grip where the clip sits, fortunately!

If you're thinking, well, I can spend $300 on a different pen. That is certainly true. But will it be really pretty and have beautiful shell bits in it? For $300, you'd be hard pressed to find another fountain pen with raden. 

See some more VP

Ink Nouveau - VP

Ink Nouveau - Filling

Tyler Dahl

Pueo711 via FPN 

Price

Goulet Pens - $304.00

Colorado Pen - $299.00

Amazon - $304.00

Nibs.com - $304.00

Fountain Pen Hospital - $299.00

Overall

The Pilot VP really does have a very clever design. It's a gorgeous fountain pen and, if the clip works for you, it is a beautiful writer. In my opinion, this raden is a small work of art. Most raden pens are well out of my price range (this one too) so I was very pleased to find this pen at the price I did. It is very convenient just clicking a pen, but still having the luxuries of a beautiful fountain pen. If you are still on the fence, I would recommend trying out the pen before you buy it - if at all possible. It could make or break your decision. Personally, I prefer big, springy nibs so this pen is a little unusual for my collection, but like I said, it's a work of art, and I had to have one. It's still part of my regular rotation!

One last look. Shiny bits make me crazy. WITH LOVE.

Whiskers & Paws: April 2012 Edition

I love Koa's marbling in this picture. It's so inky and rich.

Contemplating attacking the railing.

Loungin'.

Posing... except she forgot a groomed area that's sticking up.

"What tuft?"

They look guilty, don't they?

Mr. Pants!

Head tilt.

A little crazed.

Still crazed. These are not shot one after another. She's just always sitting like this. Watching.

Hi Ellie.

*Tra la la la laaa*

I KEEL IT!

I KEEEEEL ITTTT!

Hey. What's that?

Posing purty!

Posing purty as well!

Review: PaperMate InkJoy 700RT 1.0mm Ballpoint Pens

This is a review of the PaperMate InkJoy 700RT 1.0 mm ballpoint pens in black, blue, and red.

I saw the InkJoy not too long ago at Staples and I was itching to try it but I kept telling myself, no, no, Ziza, you have too many pens. Of all six styles of InkJoys, the 700RT have my favorite barrel design. I think I was attracted to its simple barrel design and clean, white look. The glossy barrel is shaped like a stretched out hourglass. I don’t know how the writing is stuck to the pen (sticker? etched?) but I don’t think it will be chipping or peeling off. The color scheme is white and grey, with metal ends. The body is quite sturdy and should last awhile - perfect because this pen is refillable. This also makes the pen more affordable and economical.

The color of the ink is indicated by a ring around the clicker (I really don’t know what the proper term is for this). The clip is metal and is moderately snug. I don’t care for the clip too much. I think it could be a bit “cuter”, but oh well. I’m sure a lot of InkJoy 700RT users wouldn’t want a “cuter” clip. 

The grip is grey and has indented waves (I’m sorry. I don’t know how else to describe it) along it, and it is flush with the barrel of the pen. As it is on the end, it’s a bit wider than the center of the barrel. It’s not soft and mushy but is rather smooth and slightly rubbery. Despite its texture, it doesn’t attract lint and fur/hair. 

The pen is heavier towards the tip and of course, since it’s retractable, there is no cap to post to balance the weight. I prefer when retractable pens are evenly weighted rather than tip heavy but the easy flowing ink covers this - there’s no pressure needed from you while writing. The 1.0mm tip provides a steady flow of bold ballpoint ink. There was a little jelly blob covering the tip so as soon as I removed it, the pen started writing instantly. All three inks are really nice colors - although just black, blue, and red - they are very solid. The ink and tip size allows for great coverage (great for doodling). But, with larger tips, lines aren’t as clean and crisp as micro tips (such as the Uni-ball Signo DX).

As with all ballpoint ink, blobbing and smudging becomes a concern. In a “drying time” test, ink still smeared even after 10 seconds which is a pretty long time when you’re scribbling really quickly with ballpoint ink. The 1.0mm large tip also allows a lot of ink to flow out of the pen and as a result, ink collects on the tip and when you least expect it (or even when you do expect it, there’s not much you can do about it), you get a big ink blob. And boy do those ink blobs ever smear - on paper, on fingers, and on anything else it touches! Beware of the blobbing and smudging. If you’re a left-handed writer, steer clear of these bold writing ballpoints.

Despite the ink blobbing and smudging, I still really like this pen. I did kind of figure out a way to not get blobs - as explained in the picture below.

Despite blobs if I'm not holding the pen at the right angle, the pen itself looks really simple, but sophisticated and cool, it’s comfortable to write with, and I can’t wait to doodle properly with it because of the great coverage and smooth flowing ink! And even better, PaperMate makes the best smelling ink ever. I always write a little and lean over to sniff the page. It just smells so inky, so for me, InkJoy is very appropriately named. It makes me think about the inky-smelling ink.

The clicking mechanism is a little bit stiff and feels like it’s rubbing on something as I depress it. The click is still soft and satisfying. As always, I wish the 700RT line had more ink colors! But the 700RT is also available in a high-gloss black body as well, which I must admit looks really awesome. 

Some recycled content wouldn’t hurt. Recycled plastic tends to be glossy anyway (at least in pen form) so it would likely fit in very well. 

More InkJoy

From The Pen Cup

Stationery Review

PaperMate on Twitter

Office Supply Geek

Rhonda Eudaly

On Tumblr

Economy Pens

Price

Staples - $19.99 for a dozen 

Shoplet - $16.35 for a dozen (~$1.36 each) (with quantity discounts)

Overall

Okay, so these pens are a bit more expensive than the classic Papermates, but they’re pretty, easy to write with, and have great smelling ink. You may not want to write a novel with it because your hands will get inky, but it’s a cinch for having on the desk to sign documents or just to scribble down a note here and there. Or, in my case, it’s perfect for learning how to Zentangle because of its fantastic ink coverage and easy flow! They’re still too nice to lend out though. So keep some crappy pens in your pencil case for those just-in-case moments when you have to be an (unwilling) pen provider. 

Wordless Wednesday

Shades of Tuesday

Leuchtturm 1917 dot notebook in lavender, Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 extra fine, PaperMate Flair medium, Pilot G2 Limited, PaperMate InkJoy 300RT, micro Sharpie. 

Pelle Journal Winner!

The winner of the Pelle Journal giveaway is...

MARY JANE ONG! 

Okilee dokilee MJ. Send me an email or DM with your mailing address so I can send your prezzie on to you! Remember, if I don't hear from you within seven days, I'm going back to draw another winner...

Thank you all so much for entering, sharing, and being excited with me about my very first giveaway! And a big thank you goes out to JetPens for the sponsorship that made this giveaway possible! I know many of you are disappointed, but there will be more giveaways in the future so stay tuned!

April 22. 2012 - Sunday Reads

Please note: this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the amazing things I've read over the week by other amazing bloggers and artists out there. This list is just what tabs are open in my browser!

Stationery

• Possibly the cutest pen EVER: staring at this adorable fountain pen from JetPens. 
• Checking out this new pen and paper blog and the Schneider Slider Edge XB Review by @postedpen. 
• Reading and drooling over Tyler Dahl's review of the Pilot Vanishing Point in matte black. 
• Reading and drooling over Gentian's review of the Rohrer & Klingner calligraphy and drawing ink in burnt sienna.
• Trying to figure out how on earth I could make an ink reservoir like Gentian's. 
• Reading this hilarious and awesome review by No Pen Intended of the Akashiya Bamboo Body brush pen.
• Observing and pathetically practicing IAMPETH's lessons in calligraphy and penmanship.

Green

• Browsing Reuseit.com for ideas on how to reduce waste generated in my day-to-day life.

Fitness

• Getting ideas from The Runner's World on how to go from not running back to running (sans injury - which I seem really bad at).
• Getting more ideas from the Runner's World on building core muscles. 

Food

• Drooling over these peanut butterliscious bars. I know they're terrible for me. But I like to look anyway.

Pets

• Catching up on how Dexter from Pet Meadow is doing.

Random

• Reading this interesting story about a Jewish boy from New Jersey who has a Jamaican accent.

Review: Itoya Paper Skater Gel Pen

Have you ever heard of an Itoya Paper Skater? I had no idea what they were until a friend sent one for review. I am so glad I was introduced to this pen. It is up there in my list of favorites already. And it's not even a fountain pen!

Features (from Itoya)

• Superior writing performance
• Acid free, water-based gel ink rolls smoothly
• Distinctive stainless-steel needle-point tip design for rigidity
• 0.7 mm low-friction roller ball
• Fits pens that take Parker®* style refills

This is a nice, clean, and simple pen. It seems so...innocent. Maybe it's the white. But I love the simple writing on it and the not too round and not too boxy shape of it.

It's fairly light but this isn't a problem because the ink almost hops off the nib to get to your page. The grip is ideally comfortable - not too soft or hard - and not tacky at all. The cap clicks beautifully and posts just as nicely. The shape of the clip makes me think of skis and gliding on a waxed snowboard over snow - smooth and effortless (well, effortless to watch anyway). That is how this pen writes. It is so smooth and so effortless, I was actually surprised when I first wrote with it! The tip just glided across the page. It's beautiful to write with. As you can see, there are no skipping issues.

Sorry, sorry, I wrote ballpoint there but the ink is in fact a gel. It feels like a ballpoint/gel ink amalgAMAZING.

It's also refillable!! Thank goodness because I only have one of these, and I'm already cringing at the thought of it running out!


Price
Amazon - $3.99
Art Stuff - $2.99
Penwa - $2.40


Overall
If you can get your hands on one of these, I highly recommend it. You just have to experience the way it writes! It's so awesome. Personally, I will always keep one of these in my pencil case from now on.

Free & Simple Clicks to Help Shelter Pets

Hiya folks! In case you haven't noticed, I love animals, and in particular of course, I love kitties! I can't foster any cats here (well, I'd love to have more, but I have to draw the line somewhere, right?), and I only have so much to donate to various shelters - though most usually goes to Austin Pets Alive!... In the end, I'm in the same boat as a lot of other animal lovers and animal shelters out there - I want to help but I am limited by resources. I just wanted to share with you two super easy peasy ways to help shelter pets with just a couple clicks at the computer. You can add these to your bookmarks and check in on them daily along with your daily blog reading and catching up with the news!

Every day, Free Kibble has a little trivia question, and even if you get the answer wrong, they still donate ten pieces of kibble to a shelter. You can do this for both dogs and cats, and it requires almost zero effort on your behalf! It's a simple and easy way to help feed shelter pets! Halo, Purely for Pets, sponsors both the dog and cat kibble pages so head over to help out:

Free Kibble Kat
Free Kibble Dog

The other thing shelters always need is cat litter!! Give Litter is an initiative run by World's Best Cat Litter where you can vote for a shelter and for each vote a shelter gets, one pound of cat litter is donated to them! Please check it out here:

Give Litter

Okay, that's all from me. I just wanted to share these great sites with you all, and hopefully some of you will add this to your daily routine! Don't forget - this is all free for you to do! Thank you for reading, and please share with others!

Whiskers & Paws: Bengal Cats in Water Dish

Yep, you read that correctly. Here we have Koa IN the water dish while their regular fountain was in the dish washer. Please excuse the mess. This is from a little while ago when we just moved to the house! Sorry about the freeze frames as well - I took some snapshots while filming.

Still want a Bengal cat?

JetPens Review: Uni-ball Kuru Toga 0.5 mm Auto Lead Rotation Mechanical Pencil

This adorable pencil was sent by JetPens for review so here's a big thank you to JetPens for their generosity!

This pencil is not unlike your average mechanical pencil in that it has: a barrel, an eraser, a clip, and a tip where lead comes out. Plus, lead is advanced by clicking the eraser bit. But it is very unlike your average mechanical pencil because this thing has brains!

Initial Impressions:
I was happy to see this pencil was not over-packaged. Sometimes companies pack a tiny article more than a $1,000,000 crystal vase would be packed when some rich oil tycoon in Dubai decides he wants it to sit on his toilet bowl for decoration.

One can't help but notice how adorable this pencil is. Notice that it's hot pink...just like my blog?? Okay so I was excited about the color right away. I also love the look of the "Kuru Toga engine", visible in the clear portion of the barrel. The pencil is not too heavy at all and is, not surprisingly, very comfortable to hold and write with. I think this pencil has the perfect barrel size for my hand. No need to grip super tightly - the ridged grip area is easy to hang on to. The clip is very functional - I am often concerned about a plastic clip snapping but I tested this one on quite a wad of paper and the pencil sat very snugly on the paper. Furthermore, there's this little ring of rubbery grip just below the clear portion of the barrel which - hallelujah! - resides right where my fingers grip the pencil! It's perfect for gripping the pencil and really is rather comfortable.

The brains of the operation.

I am hesitant to comment too much on the lead and how it writes because of course, this can vary depending what lead you refill with. However, this lead in particular, combined with the comfort of the pencil, resulted in very clean, smudge-free writing.

Lastly, I must re-mention the color.  Hot pink and white, with a tiny touch of orange in the barrel, is possibly the best combination of colors ever. And the cap over the eraser is translucent pink. So pretty.

Does It Work?
I'll admit, at first I was a wee bit skeptical about this clever pencil that could auto rotate its lead. Are pencils that smart?? Apparently they are. I have yet to write with a sharp or scratchy piece of lead. It hasn't broken once - which is unlike my usual experience with mechanical pencils, and the tip is evenly rounded. It's almost like writing with a ballpoint PENCIL. Which really is a unique experience, in my opinion.

I tried to observe very closely for the lead rotating, but I couldn't detect a thing. Either I'm inept at observing things, or the mechanism is so swift and fluid that I was unable to pick up on it. When I write, I lift my writing utensil often just out of habit so it is likely at those points that the lead rotated every so slightly. I'm very impressed with the mechanism and in the end, the lead was a smooth, rounded tip - which is not what you'd see in a typical mechanical pencil.

Top: Pentel P205 0.5 mm mechanical pencil. Bottom:  Uni-ball Kuru Toga 0.5 mm Auto Lead Rotation Mechanical Pencil.

You really may be surprised (as I was) at the difference in your writing with this pencil when compared to any other pencil. My writing was more uniform, more precise, and a lot cleaner than it was with the Pentel P205 mechanical pencil in the same 0.5 mm.

It is surprisingly nice for a pencil, right? Crisp and clean. Like an apple and laundry.

Can you tell the difference between the smooth part of the lead and when I switched to the sharper side? 

Other Bits to Ponder:
I wonder if recycled plastic could be integrated into the body of the pencil (I know you're all probably sick of me saying "recycled plastic" and a tiny baby kitten somewhere must lose its whiskers every time I write that), but it's just a thought I always have.

Secondly, the eraser is tiny. It works surprisingly well with this lead, but it's extremely small and I don't think will last very long. Of course, you can buy refills quite for only $1.50, but still. It's more about the convenience of the eraser. Also, don't lose the cap. Because then you will likely lose your eraser. And then you will lose your lead, because this is where your lead is refilled.

If hot pink isn't your thing - although I can't imagine why it wouldn't be... - check out the other colors offered by JetPens here, in both 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm. If you want to class it up even MORE, check out these high grade series pencils here and here!

Care for some more Kuru Toga?
East...West...Everywhere
No Pen Intended
Office Supply Geek
Dave's Mechanical Pencils
Agent Nerdy
Rhonda Eudaly
From The Pen Cup

Price
JetPens - $7.50
JetPens Eraser Refills - $1.50 for a set of five

Overall
I'm so glad I got to try this pencil because now I can confidently and happily recommend the Kuru Toga to others. This pencil has been on my JetPens wish list (granted, so is most of their entire site...), but because I mostly use pencils for outlines of drawings (which are hardly even drawings - such as this crocodile that looks like whoknowswhat), I had never yet purchased one. But, I am very pleased with my experience. If you had to pick just one pencil to keep in your pencil case, you definitely should get something awesome like this kitten here because no other mechanical pencil in this price range is going to leave you as happy as this one.

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

Shoplet.com Review: Roaring Spring Paper Products

Oooooh paper notebooks! These office supplies were sent by Shoplet for review! This super duper parcel included the following items:

• Roaring Spring Landscape Format Writing Pad – College Ruled
• Roaring Spring Landscape Format Writing Pad – Quad Ruled
• Roaring Spring Wirebound Notebook – 1 Subject
• Roaring Spring Wirebound Notebook – 3 Subject
• Roaring Spring Environotes Sugarcane Notebook
• Roaring Spring Elephant PooPoo Paper

I've picked three of these products to review in detail, and they're going to be fun ones!

Roaring Spring Wirebound Notebook – 3 Subject - $5.28 each

What Do I Like?

I love colors. I love that each subject has its own color - easy to identify which subject you're looking for (or writing in). This notebook is perfect for note taking at school. I love poly covers as well because they are sturdy and easy to clean. Furthermore, this notebook is made with recycled paper!

I was rather surprised that this paper tolerated fountain pen ink so well. Of course, a very wet writing fountain pen will bleed through the paper, but given that it's recycled paper, it holds up quite well to ink. Gel ink and ballpoints are no problem of course. 

What Don't I Like?

The colors of the pages are a tiny bit too dark, and they certainly limit what color of pens/pencils/highlighters, etc, that you can use while note taking. Of course, if you only use black ink, you'll have no problem.

Roaring Spring Environotes Sugarcane Notebook - $2.26 each

What Do I Like?

This is new to me - sugarcane paper. I know sugarcane is very fibrous and pulpy (I have several stalks planted in the backyard and my dad has had me eating it since I was little), and it seems so obvious to make paper out of the pulp! Sugarcane is a more sustainable source than trees - it grows faster, takes up less space, and we get sugar out of the cane itself! This paper is made out of the waste material from the sugarcane refining processes.

I was even more surprised that the sugarcane paper tolerated fountain pen ink - even more so than with the wire bound notebook! Somehow I expected the sugarcane paper to be very thin which would lead to a lot of bleed through of ink but as you can see, only a little bit of ink bled through. Once again, gel inks and ballpoint pens were no problem.

What Don't I Like?

Nothing! I'm very pleased with this product. It performed beyond my expectations.

Roaring Spring Elephant PooPoo Paper - $5.28 each

What Do I Like?

Oh my god. This list could go on and on. I was so excited to get this product to try - PooPoo paper! I am so pleased to see paper notebooks expanding to include more sustainable sources, and what's more sustainable than a steaming pile of elephant poopoo?! I absolutely love the theme of this pad, and the fact that it's recycled and odorless (yes. I don't really want to write on a pile of paper that smells like elephant dung). The fibers are removed from actual animal poo to produce these papers.

As this paper is very fibrous, it doesn't hold up well to fountain pens (nor should fountain pens be used on very fibrous paper as it can clog the nib), and pencils also catch the fibers and tear the paper. Gel pens scratched at the fibers as well and the paper sucked the ink out of the gel ink pen and made it write rather dry. The best choice for this paper is ballpoint pens. 

Whoa. Check out the orange bleed through from a Pelikan M1005 fountain pen with a fine nib. 

What Don't I Like?

This notebook arrived individually poly wrapped. I'm not sure what the need is for individual wrapping. It is recyclable plastic, but it still takes energy to make, and then to re-recycle, right?

Overall

I am so happy to see a company really put effort into making sustainably sourced paper notebooks. Kudos to Roaring Spring for coming up with such fun and practical paper notebooks and note pads. I am trying to learn calligraphy and art of sorts so lately, I have been using up a lot of paper and although I recycle as much as I can, I'm still constantly worried about how much paper I am going through. I definitely feel better using sustainably sourced paper notebooks as opposed to knowing trees are being cut down for me to draw and write butcher and destroy both art and calligraphy. Remember, every little bit we do can as individuals and companies will make a difference in the long run! Go PooPoo!

Disclaimer and reminder: These office supplies were sent for review by Shoplet. I was not paid to write this review, but I do get to keep these cool products.