Saturday, June 29, 2013

Cat content

Tiny, silky soft and not pen related


The last weeks haven't given me much time to play with my pens or take pictures, mostly because of these two guys who moved in with us last Saturday!

Linus (cream) having an eye on Chaplin (red)

They are called Chaplin and Linus, they're brothers and thirteen weeks old. They love to play, grapple with each other and cuddle with one another and humans alike. They are extremely attentive to everything going on in the house, especially if it's making a crinkly or rattling sound. Being separated from their mother and their other siblings must've been hard on them but they've taken it really well and seem to feel quite at home as long as they've got each other. The first days they always stuck together closely but meanwhile they seem to feel safe enough to sleep in different rooms or do different things for a while.

The first time we saw them in the middle of April, by then they were hardly three weeks old and the long wait began - not quite as long as for a new Nakaya but still long enough!

Linus

As you can see, their eye color doesn't seem to have fully evolved yet. At the very edge of the iris they're still kitten blue, but the amber around the pupil will probably be the permanent color.
Warning: nasty phone snapshots following!






As our balcony is three stories above ground level and the railing wouldn't keep a cat in we decided to attach a net. Unfortunately the weather isn't warm enough at the moment but it seems they will like it a lot to be outdoors when it's warmer.

As soon as we get a bit more sun (I'm reluctant to use the flashes at the moment with the kitties around) I'll post some more pen & paper content as well - there's some pretty nice Monsieur Notebooks I'd like to show you, Rivoli stationery and a parcel from Paper Republic on the way!








Saturday, June 1, 2013

Design.Y leather journal

Design.Y "EP Record" leather journal

Today I'd like to show you some details of my rather new leather journal made by Design.Y - near mint in Japan. It's their newest model in A5 size, called the "EP record" (though sadly there's no record included! I would have been interested in the sound).

In my opinion the details are what makes this notebooks truly special, but I'm planning to show some larger scale pictures, size comparisons etc. as well.


Design.Y "EP Record" leather journal

The cover which is thin but stiff is made of finely grained veg-tanned goatskin with a beautiful smell. It's available in black and brown, I chose a matching cream colored ribbon.

The paper doesn't have a smooth edge like in their smaller journals but has a hand stitched feel to it.

Design.Y "EP Record" leather journal

At the back side of the journal their logo is embossed into the leather. To me it looks like a person doing this: \o/

Design.Y "EP Record" leather journal

I don't like thin journals so this one is just right for me. Filled with 480 (!) pages of creamy white and super thin but still immensely fountain pen friendly Tomoe River paper this provides enough room for noting a lot of thoughts, writing about many months of your life, making a very long journey or writing a novel - maybe even two.

Hot tea in June

Okay, I've really been trying to keep the weather out of this blog, but as the recent streak of chill and rain doesn't seem to end anytime soon, it seems I just have to tell you how extremely annoying this is.

On the upside it's just the right weather for reading, writing and doodling while sipping a large mug of delicious lemon-ginger-mint tea. What you need is:

  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh mint
  • a little piece of ginger
  • half a lemon, preferably organic
  • honey.



Peel and grate the ginger until you have about half a teaspoon of ginger mush. Also grate a bit of the lemon peel. Use your hands to queeze the lemon joice into your cup, then cut the lemon into pieces. Add those also. The mint sprigs can be added as a whole. Add everything to your cup along with a teaspoon of honey. Infuse with boiling water (best use a large mug that holds 0.3-0.4 l). As soon as the tea is cool enough to be drunk it is ready.

I find this to be one of the most delicious drinks ever. Besides the ginger and lemon juice will hopefully prevent colds.