Showing posts with label stationery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stationery. Show all posts

1/11/2024

Misgirlot Canvas Pencil Wrap (Ocean, 72 slots)

This is a great storage option for my pencils, just to have them away when not needed, but well protected. The roll sewing template is quite simple (a long piece of fabric, with some elastic pencil slots inside, a protecting flap sort of pocket to protect the pencil points, and a tying cord) but very effective. The wrap feels like is handmade, and I love the feeling and look of it. The cover printing is very lovely, gender neutral, and a reproduction or imitation of the famous Japanese wave painting. The wrap is also very light even when full.
 
Needless to say, once the roll is filled in, it doesn't look as small as in the photos on the product page, and it can be still bulky.
 
I got this a very discounted price, so that's an added bonus. 

NOTE 
Ikea has a similar holder, in plain linen, ivory colour for just half the price :)

1/02/2024

Scotch 3-pack Magic Tape 19mm x 7.62m

I love this tape as it has myriad uses. This version is the normal width of the normal Magic Tape. I use to stick pieces of small artwork in an album (but used on the back of the image, as otherwise lifts paint or collage areas),  as page marker,  bookmark and any other use that I would give to a normal sticky tape. However, it is low-tack and I can lift it and reposition it easily, so it has a longer use life. The dispenser is light and the guillotine cuts easily and cleanly. The only thing I dislike is the length of each roll, but this three-piece package makes do for it.

10/30/2023

Five Star Stand 'N Store Pencil Pouch

Super-light good quality mesh pouch that holds a good deal of pens and pencils. Even my tall Tombows, can be put comfortably in. Unlike other vertical holders, the pouch has a rigid lower body with a fold-down upper body. The upper part has a small inner pouch perfect for a small eraser or USB.  The lower body is made of sturdy light mesh. Good zip. The two lateral holders that can be used for different purposes, to hand them from a backpack or put them on a wall or desk holder. The main downside is that the product is sold in assorted colors but you cannot choose the one you get. I got one with the upper in green, which I found convenient to put all my green stationery there.

10/24/2023

Derwent Tinted Charcoal Pencil, Sand TC01

I love this coloured charcoal pencils. They are certainly charcoal, but made of a very soft one that spreads easily either with your fingertips or with water. This colour is my favourite in the range because it's actually the colour of those golden sand beaches that you find in some countries. It's perfect to ad subtle splashes of colour to any mixed-media piece, or to use them in combination with soft pastels (bear in mind that tinted charcoal pencils have way less pigment than soft pastels).  Also ideal for charcoal studies where you want subtle coloured highlights without the piece being fully coloured. I use an average sharpener with this, and it works well with these pencils. I bought this item in a promotion, so the price was fantastic, but they're usually a bit pricey.

MCWTH 3D Astronaut Large Pen Pouch

I bought this cute pen holder for my nephew's birthday, knowing that he loves astronomy. He's a little kid. He told me that he loves it "too much". Indeed, this is very cute and whimsical. The pouch is made of good quality rubber. It has a 3D upper lid and opens on the side with a zip that glides without difficulty. I thought it would be roomier inside, to be honest, but it's enough for a good selection of children pens, pencils, erasers and small USB drivers that can be easily stored in the inner mesh pouch. I thought that, if it was mine, I'd use it as flight cabin pouch to put some basic toiletries and makeup in.    

8/14/2023

Sluxa Cat Pencil Pouch

I'm in love with this. I bought this pouch as a gift for an impending birthday, but I will be purchasing one for myself. It's just like in the photos. The cat illustration is very realistic and more so when the pouch is full. The holder is made of some sort of silicone material outside and fabric lined inside. The zip runs smoothly and has a chain puller. The zip chain and zip head are the only things that could be improved. The pouch is generous in size (see my photo against an A4 wallet).  I couldn't resist checking how much stuff I could fit in.  I was able to comfortably fit in 17 items (a mix of markers, new pens, pencil erasers, and even my Townbows) and there was still room for small items like erasers a small USB etc. Very roomy! I bought this very discounted, so that's an added bonus.   

7/26/2023

Friinder Pen Pencil Telescopic Holder Pen Holder Bag (Pink)

This is such a cute telescopic pen holder. I love the Kawaii pink style design; it brings out the child in me. It has plenty or room inside. I have put many markers and pencils inside and there is still room for more. The holder is plastic-lined inside, which prevents leaking from possible ink spills. The outer part is sturdy canvas and it stands upright easily. The design is really good as the straw part in the design helps me pull the pouch up easily while the two lower tabs help me to pull the pouch down. The zip is good quality. as well. This holder is a bit taller than other similar pen holders I own, so I can put some of my longer pencils and markers inside. Not my Tombows (see my photo) if I want to zip the pouch. As it is made of canvas, I don't put it on my table when using acrylics as it can be stained easily.

Unbranded Telescopic Pouch Pen Holder (White& Black Grid)

For the rest, a great good-looking pen holder. The only downside is that it's slightly shorter than most telescopic pen holders I own, so my longest new pencils or my dual Tombow markers won't fit in if I want to zip the pouch. Also, there is no tab to pull up tab to help bring the upper pouch up. I love this pen holder. It has a very elegant gender-neutral style that I love.  Most importantly, it holds a lot of pens, pencils and markers inside, as per my photos. It's plastic-lined inside, so the outer fabric won't get stained if there is ink spillage. The outer part is made of sturdy canvas so it stands upright without a problem.  It has a good-quality zip, too.

7/20/2023

Tombow Storage Tote Bag

This is a lovey large, roomy, beautifully-made storage bag. The bag material is good-quality threaded nylon and the combination of colors, finishes and embroidered logo made up a very good-looking bag. Both the upper reinforced handle and the shoulder bag are sturdy, and the latter is easily adjustable. 

My photos don't make it justice to the amount of stuff I've been able to put in, and there is still room for more.

The two Velcro separator individual sheets come handy to create different spaces within the bag, and can be moved and/or re-positioned easily. There are two mesh external elastic pouches that can hold plenty of stuff, and I store all my crayons and pastels flat tins in the front pocket. 
 
I don't use it to store my markers but to store a good deal of art & crafts supplies. 
 
THE WEAKEST LINKS
I find that the bag has three design flaws that rest quality to the product if used for anything that isn't markers. The first one is the average quality of the zips, that aren't sturdy enough to carry a fully loaded heavy bag. This mostly affects the upper zip, which is pulled every time I carry the bag.
 
I find that other type of containers hold and organize my markers, pens and pencils better (either vertically or horizontally) and I won't store mine upright here.
 
Finally, although the bag cover is very roomy, it has no reinforcement inside, which seems necessary to me to counteract the pressure put on it by the holder when the bag is full; the sewn attachments aren't strong enough and might eventually  break through here.
 
IN SHORT 
Great storage bag. Good looking. Very spacious. It allows me to store tons of stuff. Yet, the upper cover and the zips are a bit of a let down as they seem fit for a mass-produced bag not for a Tombow product. I will update this review in the future if necessary.

4/15/2023

Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan Artist Tiles, 30 Sheets

Although not made for water colour, this 4x4 paper stock is really fantastic for mixed media and zentangle. I use them to create tiny series of mixed media studies . The tan colour can be incorporated into the art piece but I usually gesso the paper and then work on it. It stands heavy, flow and high flow acrylics, water soluble crayons, water mist, drawing inks and basic hand/ machine stitching. I find that this paper is better than other similar tiles with more gsm. My only but is that these are usually a bit pricey.

Limnyves Purple Butterfly Birthday PopUp Card

This is a great whimsical pop-up 3D card. It has a beautiful flower & butterfly scene inside and the colour of both the card and the envelope are wonderfully elegant. The card has gold accents and is made of good quality card stock. It has a inner tab that you pull out and it has a large note to write the message. In this way the beautiful card is not damaged but I can still write something meaningful for the person I give it not just a short congratulation. As the card comes without added text I use this for both birthdays, farewells from work colleagues or any other sort of congratulatory event in my life.

Desk Pen Rotating Holder

I have several rotating pen holders and this is the roomiest of the lot. It is made of good quality sturdy plastic in a lovely ivory colour that fits in perfectly with my Scandy studio. The different compartments are taller than other pen holders so I've been able to fit in all my paint brushes, small or tall, spatula, water brushes and scissors. It rotates 365 degrees beautifully. Very happy with the purchase, as it has tidied up my brush mess in the best possible way.

2/24/2023

Hallmark Paper Wonder Pop Up Card (Displayable Bouquet)

I have given this card to a dear co-worker who is leaving my workplace. She absolutely loved it. The colours are beautiful, the size perfect to have it displayed on a work desk, and, as it's fully 3d, it looks like a cute pot plant. It looks as pretty as in the photo. I also love this cute card and I will buy it again. The only downside is that the card round base needs to be pushed up and clicked to get the plant standing and click and down to be folded, but I have to do this carefully, especially in the latter case not to break the base. For the rest, a wonderful card

2/22/2023

Quill, Q Series sketchbook, Spiral bound, 110gsm, A4

This is a nice paper pad at a very good price. After using it and testing it, I can say it's only good for drawing with coloured pencils and graphite, nothing water-soluble or needing of the slightly amount of water. I bought this pad due to the price and to the fact that use cheap pads to clean my paint brushes from paint, when I have some acrylic paint left after a painting and then I use the pages as collage paper in my artwork. I also try new water-soluble crayons colours on them. In both cases this paper fails. Even thick acrylics create bumps on the paper back and the paper corners buckle; the same can be said of water-soluble crayons, which barely require any water. If there is some sort of wet area on a page and I close the pad, the pages get stuck and the spot area breaks off badly. Needless to say, the paper is useless for water colour painting or anything requiring of added water or soft body acrylics. For the rest, this paper is warm white paper, as per my photo, not black. Actually, I bought the pad thinking that it was black paper due to the description info so I was quite disappointed when I received a white paper pad. I won't buy it again.

2/05/2023

Wordsworth & Black Fountain Pen Set, Medium Nib, Silver-gold

This is a beautiful elegant gender-neutral fountain pen. It comes in a very giftable faux-leather box with a pack of complementary cartridges in black & blue ink. The instructions booklet is quite useful and very nicely printed on quality glossy paper. The pen comes with an inverter (rechargeable cartridge), but I always prefer the pre-filled cartridges. These are easy to insert; however, you have to wiggle them a bit before they click in. The fountain pen looks expensive and the metal body is made of good quality metal. Most importantly, it writes beautifully without spitting any ink. My only 'but' is it's a bit heavy for my hands. For the rest, it's is a great pen at a great price.

2/01/2023

Studio Series Artist's Tiles: White (75 pack)

I'm most disappointed with this pack of tiles supposedly 300 gsm good for dry and wet media. I normally use 300 gsm watercolour paper for my mixed media and this is a bit thinner than that, so I wonder whether the gsm on the label is a printing mistake.

The cards are smaller than average, about 3x3 inches. See my photo against a 4x4 grey tile.

I've done comprehensive testing on the paper, and it confirmed my first impression. You can see the photos I've uploaded for everything I say.

Re markers, it's good for my Sakura micron, for my fountain ink permanent ink, for my FC pitt pen, for my Fude brush pen and my Townbows. None of these bled. I tried one of my AS pigmented inks, one drop, and it worked well (the yellow stain on the photo) but my Liquitex acrylic ink (not on the photo) didn't spread well and the light rubbing with my finger sanded the paper a bit. I also applied my red Stabilo All pencil and then used a water brush to spread the colour and it didn't work well and sanded the paper a bit. Alcohol markers and inks DID bleed, as per my photo.

I did a simple abstract exercise using water-soluble crayons, which require barely any water, adding some pitt pens and non-soluble crayons. The paper doesn't have enough hold for the colour and the process of using these materials to be done without tearing or sanding. Needless to say, the paper buckled and deteriorated. As this test was done without gessoing the paper beforehand, I tried again and I did gesso the paper this time.

Gessoing the paper certainly helped with mixed media and acrylics and the results were definitely better. Paper curled a lot, though, and there was tearing and sanding in certain parts. I was careful with the paper due to the fact that I know isn't good quality after the first test.

I find the advertisement notes on the packaging misleading and inaccurate, as per the testing I've mentioned above, proven by my photos. The paper is not good for wet media or mixed media or anything that requires a bit of work on the paper.

Comparisons are unavoidable. I recently reviewed some paper tiles with, supposedly, less msg and they stood anything I did to the paper without any damage, so it makes me wonder.

This paper tiles have been a waste of money and time, as I do mixed media no zentangle or colouring, I'll have to use these tiles for something else, and I won't buy them again. The paper is good for pencil, most markers and, archival ink. It is not fit for wet media, alcohol marker, alcohol inks or anything that requires a bit of work on the paper, slight rubbing etc..

1/29/2023

Scotch Precision Scissors 7 Inches (17.8cm) 1447 Grey/Red

This a good quality pair of scissors. I find them very good for general use and crafting. I have used them for cutting fabric as well as thick cardboard and paper, and they work great. I love the 7-inch size as they are not too big or too small and, personally, I find them to be more versatile than bigger scissors, especially for people with small hands like me. The tip is not pointed and they lack precision in that regard. When craft junk gets stuck on the blades, I clean them with generic household cleaning wipes and no fuss. I don't use them for tailoring or major sewing projects, so I cannot comment on that, but I prefer my small scissors for sewing than these ones. Overall good value for money and great all-purpose scissors.

Tree and Squid Blue Metal Fountain Pen Medium Nib + Ink Converter

This is a very contemporary cool fountain pen. My photos don't really show the lovely blue colour of the pen and the cute octopus logo.

This fountain pen is very enjoyable to use as it doesn't weigh much, so writing is comfortable and flowing. My wrist moves naturally, so my handwriting comes out as it's usually is, something that doesn't happen that easily if the pen weighs a bit. The nib flows on the paper and the ink comes out naturally and neatly, producing a very lovely handwriting.

The pen includes a converter, i.e. a rechargeable ink cartridge, but I'm using it with spare standard ink cartridge that I had at home. I was able to fit it in without problem.

I didn't expect the pen to come in a gift box due to its price. It comes wrapped in a plastic cellophane bag with the octopus logo on it , which is OK if I gift it to a child, not so much to an adult.

Overall, very pleased with the pen.

1/22/2023

HP Ink Cartridge 804 Colour Ink Cartridge

I'VE used this colour cartridges for a couple of years now using a HP average printer. They're fine for every day printing works, like texts and basic diagrams or drawings. However, they're OK for printing images or artwork even if I select the best quality setting in my printer. Yielding is rather poor unless I use the cartridge just for everyday purposes, which doesn't require big amounts of coloured ink to be used, then it's OK.