May 4

Thermal Printing – A cool new thing?

By accident, I kinda stumbled upon the world of thermal printing or better say, its use for tiny printers which you can take along with you to make stickers, notes and scrapbooking with. Thermal printing itself is actually something we all have come in contact with in the form of receipts you get at a cash register. But using it for private creative projects was a totally new concept to me. It was intriguing enough that I wanted to try it out. But after doing some basic research I found out that thermal printers come with their own advantages and disadvantages. So let me introduce you to the Phomemo M02 Pro and tell you what I like and what I don’t like about it.

Let’s start with the specs of the M02Pro, it’s 3,3 * 3,2 * 1,6 inches and fits effortlessly in the palm of my hand. Paired with its lightweight of about 400g, it lives up to its name and makes a very portable printer, that fits into almost every handbag or even the pockets of a jacket. I could not find any definitive answer as to how long the device holds up, other than Phomemo themselves saying “can print 6 rolls of paper continuously when fully charged”, which I could not really test out… But when I was using it to make about 10 cards, it never died on me. I charged it overnight and was able to use it multiple times the day after. So I would say it’s at least decent for normal usage :)It connects wirelessly via Bluetooth with any android or apple device, in my review here I used an iPadPro and a Samsung Note and it worked without problems. All of this sounds like an advertisement, but I don’t get paid to say that xD Those technical specifications are one of the reasons why I was so interested to get one of these things for myself, it almost sounds too good to be true 😛 And it actually might be…

Some of you might already know how Thermal printing works, but let me explain it again so that we are all on the same page. Ink printers use one or multiple coloured inks to bring a certain image onto a paper. For that, you can use almost every paper but not every ink and when the cartridges are empty, they have to be refilled, often at a high price, which is one of the reasons why I stopped refilling my normal printer at one point. The thermal printers technically do not have this problem, because they work fully without ink, instead, they use a special paper with a thermal sensitive coding which is activated by the printer applying heat to it. This means that you can only use special kinds of paper, but you will never have to refill any cartridges. The biggest problem that comes with that though, is the fact that the image created on thermal paper will fade away after some time.

It’s hard to say how long the paper with the image printed onto it will hold up, because the paper used in these special printers like the one I review here, created for the purpose of using it at home, is a little different from the receipt paper you would get in a supermarket. It also highly depends on the way you store it. If it is in a cold and dark room, it will obviously last longer, than when it sits in direct sunlight. Different sources on the internet say different things, but the average time that a thermal printed paper will hold up in good storage condition seems to be between 5 and 7 years. Phomemo themselves state on their website that: “Just like all other thermal paper, our prints will eventually fade. Different paper has different storage time, we have 2 yrs,5 yrs,10 yrs,20 yrs, long term effective(over 20 yrs) for your reference.” Which is still quite the bummer, at least it was for me. But after thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that you could still get a great value out of a product like this, depending on what project you plan on using it for.

Taken from Phomemos Website: https://phomemo.com

Let me tell you a bit about what you can actually do with a Phomemo thermal printer. To operate it you need to install a free app that comes itself equipped with some free-to-use templates for different tasks. Such as to-do lists, different frames or you could just type your own text into the app and it will be printed out, making it a great use for label printing. You could also use your own images such as pictures you made yourself, free to use stuff from the internet or your own art. I tried out all of these options and have to say it might not be the best photo printer, but I loved being able to just print something aesthetically fitting the theme of a project I did or making my own art into stickers.

For my review, I have used 3 different kinds of paper, all of which have been self-adhesive: plain white paper, transparent paper and silver glitter paper. On their website, it says that all of them are long time effective papers, said to hold up more than 20 years. I mostly choose them because they were part of a kit you were able to pursue on amazon and I did not want to put too much money into something, I had not really tested yet. But there are some more options to choose from like semi-transparent paper, normal coloured paper(which gives your black and white image a coloured background, sometimes even with a nice pattern) or paper which makes your print a different colour. That last paper is what I am most interested in since it’s as of now the only way I have seen printing something in colour, using the thermal printing method. Maybe I will use it in a future review 😉

When you are following my blog for a long time now, you must have seen that I like to design greetings cards myself and send them off to friends and family. I have used different methods for my designs, I have hand-drawn them using different pencils or watercolours, I tried fully digitally painting and later printing and I even used some scrapbooking techniques with different stickers and Washi tape. This scrapbooking technique is what I used the least, mostly because I needed to rebuy stickers for it over and over again, since using multiple stickers for one card, makes them deplete very fast. And honestly, that was always something which I dreaded, that I needed to know in advance which kind of stickers I wanted to use and also buy them in advance. With the thermal printer, I can come up with designs for stickers myself or search for already existing designs(free-to-use) fitting the mood I am in or the card I am designing. Which I love, but it would also mean, that nobody could really keep my cards, since the designs would fade away eventually. But honestly, nothing lasts forever, right? And maybe that makes the cards and the experience of receiving them even more unique and interesting 😉

Obviously, in this review, I was not able to try out all of the different options you have with this thermal printer, but I hope that I was able to at least give you a good overview of the product and you now have a better idea if it would be something for you or not. I can’t say that I am fully convinced about thermal printing being the best printing and I think it highly depends on the person and what they intend to use the prints for, but at least for me, it was worth buying and trying this printer out. I especially liked how the transparent stickers did not fully cover the scrapbooking background I made, but kinda added to it. If I keep using it on a regular base, I try to make a follow-up review maybe using different papers but also showing how much the designs I made in this review faded until then. If you have any questions or use a thermal printer yourself, tell me about it in the comments 😉

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Art, Review | LEAVE A COMMENT
April 28

Mystery Box – Dark Academia

Hello and welcome back to another Mystery Box review! Today I want to show you another Box made by the same people who did the Blinddate with a Book Box I reviewed about a year ago. It’s very similar in the way that’s it included a mystery book again, but it has some very different extras which is why I wanted to show it to you^^

Pictures from the Esty Shop Coffeeacademia, advertising the box

The Box is themed after Dark Academia, which was something I have heard about before, but could not really tell what it was about actually xD So I did a little research and it turns out, it’s actually similar to something I do know which is Cottage Core. Liking Cottage core basically means adoring a kind of lifestyle where you would live out in nature in a cottage far away from modern cities. It’s about the idea, the aesthetics and the items connected to it. People buy certain clothes, decorative items and even books, to match this idea.
Dark Academia seems to be the same thing, but of course with a different image in mind. It’s about people wearing student clothes inspired by universities like Oxford in 1930, reading high literature books and watching artistic films. The “dark” part of the aesthetic comes from the gothic building style most older universities have. So instead of wanting to live in a cottage people like the idea of studying in dark corners with candlelight, reading books that make them think about life or books which take place in an academic scenario too. So with all of that in mind, I am actually pretty curious about what I will be getting in this new Mystery Box 😉

Firstly I sadly have to say that my original box got lost in the mail :/ I would normally not have mentioned it, since it got replaced as soon as the Shop got wind of it being missing and I even got some extra gifts because of it, but it did have slightly different contents, which I will be talking about in more detail later in the review. But for now, let’s get back to the opening of the package! As we know it from the Etsy Shop Coffeeacademia everything was packaged nicely, which makes opening this box not only about the items you get but an experience all in itself. What I really love about boxes from them in particular, it makes them stand out from other Mystery boxes I have opened. Most things were wrapped in this vintage-looking brown paper, one of them even had some scrapbooking on the top, which I think looks beautiful and I even tried to save it somehow, even though I don’t know what to do with it later. But it seemed too precious to be just thrown away after getting to what was inside! And there were a lot of things 😉

Let’s start with the extras before we get to the main attraction of the box. One of the first things we get is a metal candle holder which has a little handle on one side and really reminds me of the old times when people needed to carry a candle around at night if they wanted to see. With the theme of dark academia, I could imagine a scene where scholars would be studying books until late in the evening or even the night and at some point, when they want to get another book, they have to carry their candle to the bookshelf, to be able to read the names written on the back of the books sitting there. Still, it somewhat bugs me that originally I thought I was getting a wooden candleholder without a handle, to only be used on the desk. Because even though I just described a possible scene, when I look at this kind of candle holder, for some reason my mind goes to a different kind of aesthetic. Still, I like the candle holder very much, it’s just not as fitting for me.

Next up is the little bust which of course is to decorate your surroundings to feel more in a room that could technically be at an old university. Where they have busts and statues standing around, for people to look at, take in and get inspired by. I can see how it would help get into the right mood for studying, but when I say this bust is little, I mean very little, maybe 3-5cm depending on how you measure it. I can’t say for sure, but I feel like on the picture they made to represent their box on Etsy they tried to make it look bigger. And for me personally, I think it would have needed to be at least a little bit bigger, maybe 10cm to actually have the effect I just talked about. With a statue smaller than my little finger, I can’t really try to imagine myself sitting at an old prestige university…

Last but not least we got a feather quill pen in a beautiful turquoise colour with a leaf, that vaguely reminds me of lord of the rings. It does look cool and all, but I have to say it might be almost the item that got me disappointed the most, mainly because I do already own this kind of quill pen. One thing to mention is that the box I did buy(or better got gifted) was a limited edition box, but almost right after the last box was sent away, the shop seemed to have made it a regular thing, maybe because it was received so well by their customers. In this new dark academia themed box, they did use different pictures even though most items were the same. Now that’s exactly where my problem comes in because I do think for the new box they got different materials and on the pictures, they do advertise a different kind of quill pen, the one I got obviously. But the quill they did advertise before was a little different. It had a long golden shaft with some marking on the top and the bottom and it looked really special to me, since as some of you know I do use different kinds of quills for writing letters or greeting cards for special occasions, so I do already own some but not this particular one. And I was really looking forward to getting a model like that, it might have even been the reason why I decided to get the box in the first place. So not getting it eventually makes me a bit sad. But I don’t really know if it would be fair to really include that in the verdict at the end since the shop obviously could not really do something about it, they did not lose the box and they did not have any spare models of this quill or at least that’s what I assume since they did not really tell me. Which I do think, they could have.

As a little extra for the box getting lost I guess, next to the candle holder coming with two instead of one candle(one green, one white candle) I got a cute little pin. It’s shaped like a blue heart with golden embellishments and it says “courage, dear hearts”. I don’t really get the connection to the theme of the box, but I do like the pin as a little compensation. I also got two little things, which I think can be used as bookmarks but are not the typical bookmark 😉 One is a very thing metal feather painted in gold and the other is a little sword, not sure what it’s made of, but it’s painted in silver. Only the feather was mentioned on Etsy, so I assume again the sword might be a little extra, which I am very happy about. Looks cool in a book, I am just a little scared that it maybe get lost easily, but we will see about that 😛
I also got an already sharped pencil, a very small post-it block and some page markers in different colours. I don’t really know where to include them since they were not advertised on Etsy and also don’t really seem to fit the aesthetic… The pencil is very typical, just a solid orange-like colour with no writings on it and a red eraser on the end. The post it’s and the markers look like very normal(and kinda cheap) office materials. I guess it can be used for studying, but not in an aesthetically pleasing way and I thought that was what this whole box was about, so I am a bit confused.

In almost every box the shop sells they do also put a cup because drinking a hot beverage might it be tea or hot chocolate, or a coffee maybe while reading a book, is most people’s definition of a great book date. They also always include one of the aforementioned beverages in this case they send me two small bags of tea, which I do appreciate(even though I liked the option from the last books I got from the shop, being able to actually choose because I would have chosen hot cocoa). But the cup itself is always kinda underwhelming… With the packaging, the scrapbooking and the vintage feel of everything, when it comes to the cups I would have expected to see something more special. In this case, maybe a cup which is made to look like it’s a cup from one of those famous universities, or a cup which has a reading quote on it for example. I just feel like it’s a wasted opportunity and I also don’t really need a boring cup with every box, because they have no advantage over the cups I do already own.

Now to get to the heart of the box, let me show you the books that I have got! The smaller one is a penguin book with short tales or maybe even fables in them, which I feel like do fit the idea of dark academia very well. Because when I think of this topic, heavy literature comes to my mind ASAP. For some reason mostly stuff that I know if I would read it, I might not be able to understand it on the first go xD And these fables are exactly that, but in a more user-friendly kind of way, since rereading such a one-page fable is easier than rereading big chapters in an old book. So I feel like this one really hit the nail on its head for this box. The other one not so much…
The second book I’ve got is a spy/assassin story from what I understand. It’s not exactly “wrong” since when it came to choosing which kind of book I wanted, I choose the option “Suprise me with an English book” but I also wrote to the shop and asked for a vampire book(if they would have any). They actually never answered me and I can’t say for sure, that the book which got lost with the other package might not have been a vampire book, but I still was kinda disappointed with this one. Not only did it not consider my wish for the genre, it also does not seem to have anything to do with the theme of dark academia at all.

Final Verdict
Coming up with a verdict on this box is very hard for me. First, there is the problem with the original box getting lost and the question of: Is it fair to view this box with the expectations I had for the other one? On the other hand, I feel like the shop could have at least asked if it would have been okay to send a replacement package and what to include. We can’t say something about the other box, but my vampire request did not seem to have been considered at all in this one or at least I have no indication of they may be trying. No note which says “Sorry we did not have any vampire books at hand, but hopefully this story will be to your liking too!”. The customer experience really was not the best one this time :/ I am sadder about the items I did not get or getting them in a different version than I can really be happy about the items I did get. I do like the idea of a themed box like this one and I would love to try another theme done by the shop one day maybe. I also think that fans of the dark academia aesthetic will like this box, if they don’t expect to get certain items, but rather just wish to get a fitting selection. So I guess I would say I am not the biggest fan of this box in particular but if you are interested in it, there is no reason not to buy it 😉

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Mystery Box, Mystery Box, Review | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 30

Sketch A Day – A Drawing App By Artists for Artists

Sketching something once a day is a great concept! It can not only help you to improve through practice it can also help you to make drawing daily part of your routine. But there are problems with it, sometimes you just don’t know what to draw or you will draw the same things over and over again. A friend from Slowly(another great app which I can highly recommend!) told me about this app called “Sketch A Day” which I want to present and kinda review for you here today 🙂

Sketch A Day basically looks like a light version of Instagram, where you can upload pictures and other people can like or comment on them. But if you dive deeper into the functions of the app, you will see that it’s a lot different, because it’s made with artists in mind. When uploading an image you can for example tell the app what kind of medium you have used, so that later your drawing can be sorted accordingly and found by the people who enjoy exactly that. You can choose between very common ones like digital, pencil or ink, but you have many more options such as gouache, charcoal or pastel. You can also talk about the reference you have used if you have used any. Which I mostly used to share and find new cool tutorials. But the biggest advantage of the app, are their prompts!

As I mentioned before, there are those days when you look at a white sheet of paper or a white screen and your mind seems empty. A prompt can not only help you start it can also make you try out motifs and styles which you might have never thought of yourself. Prompts can also be interpreted in many different ways, making it a fun challenge to come up with something interesting. One prompt could be the word “story” which might lead some people to think of some kind of storybook right off the bat. Other people might think of their favourite story and draw something out of that, while others might draw a storyteller.
A prompt that really made me think was “symbol” because that could be almost ANYTHING! It could be an icon used to show people where the restrooms are, it could be referencing something or symbolizing a feeling. In the end, I decided to go for drawing the sign which I have often seen used as a symbol for sign language in general. It’s actually the international sign for “I love you” often used by deaf celebrities when posing for a picture. But drawing that was more difficult than I thought… I went from drawing a realistic hand to an emoji hand to adding an emoji heart but still, the canvas looked empty. So I tried out different things and in the end, created something that itself references old comic books. I don’t think I would have ever come up with that idea if it were not for the app.

Some of the Drawings I did on the App for the prompts “Flying”, “Atmosphere”, “Massage” and “Bug” 😉

There is also the option to become a gold member, which I personally have not tried out yet, but I still want to talk about it. One of the functions which you are gaining by signing up for it is being able to create an artist profile, which basically means adding a background picture, description and everything to your already existing profile and being able to show off the artworks you have made on there in a better way. Which to me sounds a bit… underwhelming considering that I could do almost all those things on Instagram for free. The other function which will be opening up to you is chatting with other members, which I know you can do on Instagram too, but hear me out! Because that’s actually the function I would love to have the most, which made me consider signing up sometimes already xD Because compared to Instagram, which basically everyone can use, on Sketch A Day there are only artists, many different ones with many different styles. And more than once I would have wanted to be able to ask someone how they drew something. And I feel like if I have had the option they would have answered.

But even without these features, I feel like the app is still worth recommending! One of the things that gives me additional motivation is my streak meter which is showing me how many days in a row I uploaded a drawing. At times it can be stressful to come up with an idea inspired by the prompt, but you can always see the prompt coming the next day and if you watch an advert (which sometimes works, but sometimes it does not for some reason) you would get to see all of the upcoming prompts for the rest of the week. So that way you can at least think about what your next drawing could be, which I find super helpful^^ Also there is a kind of library with texts other members have written about how to draw. Recently I read one about how to draw hair the correct way. I am still not able to do it(because I suck I guess xD), but I think it’s cool to have this kind of knowledge collection on there.

All in all this app seems to be made by artists for artists, it’s a way to connect to a creative community and not only be inspired by them but also motivated to draw. It gives you ideas and hints, that keep you drawing on a daily basis and thus practising and getting better with time. I feel like it makes sharing art, for someone who might be still a bit insecure(like ME) about their work, easier because as of now I have never gotten a bad comment or no likes on a picture. So it might be a good first step, before switching to another app one day. Therefore I would highly recommend it for beginner artists, but also don’t see why a professional artist could not have fun with it. I guess this app is for everyone, who like to create something visually. If you got curious now and want to check it out, you can do so here on android and here on apple devices 🙂

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Art, Review | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 16

Papergang – One Year Later

You might all be familiar at this point with my monthly reviews of Papergang Mystery boxes, now it has already been one year of me subscribing to them and I think that’s worth a special review 😉 I actually already did a half years box and my verdict after half a year was actually that if those last boxes don’t manage to sweep me off my feet, I might have to cancel my subscription. Let’s see if they have managed to do that in the end or not!

This is NOT an official design by OhDeer or Papergang, but an interpretation of their old designs to fit the theme of this post created by myself 🙂

One topic I get can out of the way already is the Brexit. It cost me a lot of nerves in the second half of 2021, because at first many of my boxes got lost or shipped back to the UK and when they were delivered in the end, I had to pay extra, A LOT. If you want to know more about why that was, you can read about it in my other post *here*. But gladly the team behind the Papergang subscription found a way to solve the problem, which they had not even caused in the first place. This is why I don’t want to consider it in my review at all. It happened this one time and it got fixed, it could have been communicated better with the customers, but all in all, they did their best 🙂

What I will be focusing on in this review are mostly the points I already criticized in my half-year review and if they did improve upon them or not. Let’s begin with my fixation on the boxes having or not having a theme to them 😛 When reviewing the Papergang next to the scrawler box from October 2021, I have to say that the Scrawler Box did fit my wishes way better because they had a clear goal in mind: Providing you with the utensils you need to do a certain project. And I loved that, they even had the artist from that box make a drawing with those exact things.
But with Papergang it’s not so easy, since it’s not really connected to art. But still, I feel like there could have been more of a theme in many boxes. Like for example focussing on a set to write letters to friends and trying to pick utensils that would help with that particular idea. Or focussing on notetaking and notetaking alone. What I observed after a year of Papergang is that they treat it more like a refill box for stationery you are going to use up over time anyways. In almost every box you will get a graphite pencil and sticky notes, but only one time you get one pencil case in 12 boxes, because that’s not something that gets used up. I would have loved for the things that I get in the boxes to feel less random.

Art is a big debate when it comes to Papergang in general. By working together with an artist for every new box and really only including exclusive items inspired by their designs, Papergang is standing out and I think it’s a brilliant idea. But it could be improved immensely when they would actually include their art. I know they don’t like to put artworks in because people will complain about it not being stationary and not having practical use. But I feel like trying to get the design from an artist on a pen, often does not work out which is why sometimes, I don’t think like the cooperation is really worth much. Not because the artists are not good, but because we don’t even really get anything from them. Most pencils are only in a colour matching the artwork on the front of the box, planners are often printed with their designs, but most other things are not. I just feel like that’s a bit of a waste and it could be such a cooler experience if we would actually get some art to keep or try to incorporate their designs better into the refills we get.

Customer Service was a negative point in my half years review. I admit that was mostly due to me being a bit annoyed at awaiting a cool compensation and only getting some random cards and randomness as you know, it’s not something I am fond of xD But all in all, I have to say the customer service is great, you get an answer pretty quickly and they try to help you solve your problem ASAP. I even got about half of the extra costs for the Brexit problem repaid and not with a coupon or a free box, but with the money no questions asked. If I should name one things that I loved the most about Papergang I would say it’s their customer service, even though I would have liked it even more to not rely on them so much aka not having had so much trouble with the boxes last year xD

This is NOT an official design by OhDeer or Papergang, but an interpretation of their old designs to fit the theme of this post created by myself 🙂

Final Verdict
I have to say sadly there was not one box anymore which impressed me as much as the box from 2020 which I had bought previously to my subscription. I kinda took this one as a stand-in for the whole year of Papergangboxes in 2020 and I later even got some more from that particular year. Maybe this year the topics had just not been my personal favourite or the artist they choose to work with did not cater to my style. Sadly with most of the boxes from 2021 I was just bored which let me cancel my subscription or better not renew it for 2022. Though I will miss having to open and talk about a box each month, I am not quite sure yet if I will get a replacement or not. I would not say I will never again buy a Papergang box, since I have still hope they can improve and maybe, just maybe I will even have a year-long subscription again in the future. But for that to happen, they would have to wow me and we will have to see about that.

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Mystery Box, Mystery Box, Papergang, Papergang, Review, Subscription Box | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 3

Papergang January 2022

Remember me talking about a goodbye in the review of my last Papergang box? Well, I might have been a bit dramatic when I wrote that down. When I am writing this post, I am not sure if my One year review of Papergang has already been uploaded or not, but just to be clear I did in fact cancel my subscription at Papergang. But that does not mean that I can’t get boxes anymore 😉 Basically, my plan was to not pay for a full year of boxes from which 60% or more might bore me but keep an eye on what boxes are to come and only buy the ones I am really interested in. That’s exactly what I did with this one, so let’s take a look at it together 🙂

This month’s box seems to have been inspired by calligraphy much, which is actually why it caught my eye. Calligraphy is something I do enjoy in my free time and what I saw in the pictures on their website, looked like something good. This box contains one debossed Daily Planner(dotted), some ombre sticky notes, a 6-sided ruler with measurements and markings designed for lettering, a refillable fountain pen(which comes already filled) and an Art print.

My camera picked up the colors here in a very strange way but I sadly only realized later :/ That’s why the next picture will look different, just so you know 😛

I mostly wanted to get this box because of the fountain pen, on the pictures, it looked like a high-quality pen which I thought might be specially made for using it for calligraphy. But when I open the box and took a good look at the fountain pen, I was really disappointed. Not only does it feel and look like very cheap quality, the nib is also no different from the fountain pen nibs you can buy at every store for school. What I was expecting was a fountain pen with a wide nib for example, or a nib that widens when you press it down or even multiple nibs you could interchange. But what we got, was less impressive than any normal fountain pen you can buy for cheap. The only thing I liked, was that there is a small hole right under the screwline that lets you check on how much ink is still left in the cartridge.

The next thing that I was kinda surprised about was the fact that they put an art print in here. I remember that actually, last year’s January box had an art print too, of two flowers. I also remember it has not been received very well since art technically is not stationary the people subscribing could use it practically. This print is no different other than it having a holographic foil finish on the letters. I also feel like with lettering and calligraphy as a topic, for an art print there would have been more possibilities. Of course, that’s a personal opinion of mine, but I feel like to introduce someone to lettering, you could have used different fonts in different sizes. Even with only two words, you could have had some decorations, different colours and so on. The text on the paper even feels a bit small, as if something would be missing.

The rest of the box is mostly okay, nothing that I could talk about for long. The planner is a great addition to the first box of the year since people can start using it for important dates right away and sticky notes are also always relevant. I am not a huge fan of the designs, since you can barely see or feel the debossing on the notebook and the dotted design on the sticky notes, feels like a wasted opportunity to incorporate some guidelines for people who are actually somehow inspired to do lettering or any other form of calligraphy after receiving this box.

The only thing in here, that I personally feel like actually using is the interesting metal ruler. It has the quality that I was expecting all of the items had, it feels sturdy, the measurements can be read very clearly and with its six different sides, it can be used for many different things. Like making your own guidelines on paper, measuring the size of different letters and so on. And it’s also the only item that to me feels like it is really connected to calligraphy.

My final verdict on this box is, that sadly Papergang can still disappoint me in different ways. This time it was not only kinda boring, like most of the boxes from 2021(which is why I cancelled my subscription) no it did feel almost deceiving. Because I don’t feel like I was the only one with expectations for a box designed like this. I feel like more items that are actually connected to calligraphy should have been included in here. And the ones which are, should have been better quality. All in all I feel like they could have done so much better with only some small changes.

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Mystery Box, Papergang, Review, Subscription Box | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 1

Papergang December 2021

Things were a bit rough at the end of the last year and also the beginning of 2022, which is why I only returned back home in February, where one Papergang box still waited for me to open and review it 😉 So let’s do it together!

The December paper gang box has a jungle-like theme again very similar to another box from 2021, but its contents are very different. This box really feels like one preparing us for the new year because amongst them is a fully customisable Wall Calendar, 2 pairs of 2 different sticker sheets, three dual-ended highlighters, an HB pencil with gold foiling and an A5 Deskpad.

The last paper gang box of the year actually really surprised me since at this point I had already decided not to renew my subscription for 2022 (more on that in a later post) and basically was waiting for it to end xD This might sound a bit tough, but almost all of the last boxes have kinda disappointed me so I really did not expect to love most stuff in the last box that I would get for 2021!


I loved the calendar for its design, every page has a calendar sheet on one side and a beautiful drawing on the other. My birth month march has an owl which I appreciate very much! The calendar sheet is so customisable that you could even use it for another year than 2022 if you might already have a calendar for the upcoming year at home. That’s because only the numbers are printed on the paper, but they are not connected to any days in the year, those are delivered with the stickers or you can just write them in by hand.

The stickers can basically be used to mark every important event in the year: you get some balloons for birthdays, aeroplanes for upcoming travels, a beer and a wine glass for a party maybe? There are also some less obvious ones like question and exclamation marks, some smilies and just coloured dots. Next to the day stickers you also get some that say “Important”, “Holiday” and “Day Off”, all in matching colours to the beautiful calendar.

Last but not least let’s talk about the pens. The highlighters come in a very pastel yellow, blue and red. I actually just found out that they are dual-sided because I made the review and it’s in the explanation sheet, but visually it’s not very obvious xD Visually with the also very pastel coloured paper of the calendar, I feel like they might be a bit too pale to really show. But on the other hand, using brightly coloured highlights might have not looked good either. So I guess it comes down to personal preference.
As with the graphite pencil… I said again and again that I don’t think graphite pencils are a good tool to write something down for the long term. On a small post-its it might be no problem since that’s not used for long but in a notebook or a calendar like this, a smudging pen is not what I would want to use. A fineliner or a ballpoint pen would be the better choice in my opinion. But considering the rest of the box was so great, I think it’s a forgettable detail.


All in all, I would say I am pretty happy to have gotten this box as my last one out of the big subscription, it sadly could not make the disappointment of the other ones go away, but it was a nice goodbye. The calendar is really nice and can be used multiple times, depending on how you decorate it. I only wrote the birthdays in mine, so I can appreciate the beauty of the calendar for many years 😉

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Mystery Box, Papergang, Review | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 5

A Review on “How To Write A Letter” by Chelsea Shukov & Jamie Grobecker

Picture used from *here*

Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Published: 19th October 2021
Length: 139 pages
Genre: How-to Book
Price: 11,99€ on Amazon

What is it about?

The go-to resource for creative ideas and helpful tips for writing thank you notes, addressing envelopes, cover letters, and everything in between, from the creators of Sugar Paper

Feeling like sending a little love in the mail but not sure how to get started? Along with letter-writing golden rules, How to Write a Letter will make it easier to:

• select the perfect stationery for any occasion
• find the best salutation and sign off
• choose the right words for any situation, from congratulations to condolences
• properly address an envelope in style

With this book, you’ll discover how hand-writing your thoughts and feelings have the magic to turn a card, letter, or even scrap of paper into a treasure.

Review:

You might think to yourself: What an odd name for a review! But as you can see, today’s review is not about me telling you how to write a letter, but reviewing a book about that topic! As someone who loves writing letters and sending cards for festive occasions, I really wanted to know what a book like that would be about exactly. If I could agree or disagree with the points mentioned and if it might help me up to my game or bore me a lot. So if you had the same thought or are like my husband and can’t get past the greeting in a card alone hoping this book might help you out, this post is for you!

It’s a fairly small book, which was what surprised me at first. I was expecting a guide of some sort and ruffling through the first few pages, I was a bit disappointed seeing every first page only being half-filled and every second page filled with an illustration. Don’t get me wrong, those Ilustartions fit the style of the book and look great, but I thought I paid for tips, not nice aesthetics. It gets somewhat better after the initial pages, but there are sections like that in the book till the end. Was that necessary or could more information have been added?

I like the topics they have chosen to talk about like “thank you” notes, professional pursuits, or loss. There is something in here for every important occasion you would want to write a letter about. They all come with example letters, that might kickstart your own ideas or help you understand what writing a letter about loss, for example, is really about. I could really see how someone like my husband, could use this to come up with ideas, especially with their section called “finding the right words”. But it does not give you much, if you need to write multiple letters about one topic, you will either have many similar ones or don’t get past the first. I would have loved some more pages, with some more examples.

The authors Chelsea Shukov & Jamie Grobecker seem to know what they are talking about since they have successfully started the company sugar paper which focuses on gifting something substantial in a digitalized world. They produce their own stationery from paper, over notebooks to their own pencils. Their company really tries to make writing letters in modern times a luxurious thing, everyone should do one in a while. And I really love that idea, but I have to say I am not so satisfied with the book they have created.

Final Verdict:
I really want to say something good about this book, but when I read it, one question was on my mind: Who is this book for? Because letter enthusiasts like me might already know about most of the things listed here, how to find the right words and what the right stationery is for you. And people who can’t find the right words on their own, only find some small prompts and less guidance than you would hope for. Actually, you would get about as many or even more by googling for free. So I would not recommend it for them either. But somehow… I guess I still enjoyed it. I liked reading about something I am passionate about and knowing who wrote it was passionate about it too. I like the design and I got it as a gift, so it might be something someone else would be happy to get gifted too. Maybe it can be an acknowledgement of their passion or can start the passion in someone else. But if you want to buy it for yourself, you might be disappointed or at least have to think about what you want it for.


Greetings and good wishes (and a happy new year!!)
The Mad Hattress

Category: Book Review, Review | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 15

Papergang VS Scrawler Box October 2021

Before I was financially reminded of Brexit and the problems that come with it, I wanted to venture out and find some new subscription boxes to try out! The Scrawler Box was something that meet all of my criteria: its a monthly subscription that perfectly fit into my mailbox and delivers me some things I am passionate about. It can’t be compared 100% to the Papergang Box because it has a different theme, where the Papergang surprises me with unique stationery every month this box is all about art supplies. Still, the size and the number of things inside were close enough that I wanted to review these two boxes side by side. Quick Disclaimer, because of some personal issues I am actually a bit behind on reviewing them, so the two boxes you will read about here are both from the month of October 🙂

Right from the start, we can see the biggest difference between the two boxes which is appearance. Where the people behind Papergang try to come up with a different design for every box, the scrawler box has the same, kinda dull design on the outside since it launched. But it’s not all about what is on the outside, but also what is on the inside, right?

Let’s start with the new box, like the Papergang box it comes with an instructional menu telling us about the content of the box. But instead of doing it like a folded brochure the scrawler box actually comes with a little booklet, which does not only show us the contents but gives us an interview with the artist featured, tips and tricks on how to use the materials, an art gallery showing what fans created with the previous boxes and something called “scrawler extra” which in this case is an article about Movie Magic 🙂
Hidden under some paper are the highly anticipated art supplies, in October we’ve got three differently coloured Copic markers together with special marker paper, one fineliner, one graphite pencil and a kneadable eraser from Farber Castel. Ontop of that we get a unique sticker designed to look like the boxes logo, such as an exclusive artwork and some British candy.

The Papergang Box contains an A5 Notebook with a “Midnight Garden” pattern which can also be seen on the box cover, one birthday greeting card with a gold foil finish, a foldable pen pot with a pink chevron design, three pencils with gold stamped quotes and gold-dipped ends, five A6 sticker sheet and two stainless steel gold coloured metal straws in a pink cotton pouch. Since I want to keep it fair and some of you might not know the folded brochure which acts as a menu guide here also has an interview with the artist they feature in this box such as a colouring sheet fitting with the overall pattern.

As I have just mentioned both boxes are working with a different artist every month, for the Octobers Scrawler box the artist is called Alexandra Olivia and for that month’s Papergang collaborated with Olivia Burton. I have to say, since I am such a Halloween enthusiast I had actually somewhat hoped for a Halloween theme for both boxes, both have kinda disappointed me. But I have to say the Papergangs collaboration and Burton’s design seem a bit more fitting than the brightly coloured markers and art from the scrawler box. But I guess that’s more personal preference than actual minus points 😉

Unlike with the Papergang subscription which I have been reviewing for the whole of 2021, I only have one scrawler box to go off, so I try not to judge the whole subscription too much based on it since maybe other months boxes have done it better. With that that in mind, what disappointed me was the few contents of the box. I remember seeing more in the boxes I saw online. Though I have to say that most of the things came from name brands, which can be quite expensive, so that might explain why there are only three markers. And they are more of less primary colours in a bit more pastel versions, which means you can combine them to get a bigger range of colours in the end.

I did like the artwork that comes with it, which is something that I actually would love to see in the Papergang boxes too. They are working together with artists, after all, I would be happy to have something from them to hang up on my wall. But I know some other people only want stationary and are annoyed by too much art content, so maybe something like the Scrawlerbox really is the better subscription to include something like this.

The people who follow me for a while now know that I love to look for a kind of theme or activity to do with the contents of the box and with Papergang I often fail at this quest. But Scrawler Box seems to really be focused on this kind of experience, which is why you get a small amount of the right paper to use with the supplies to start ASAP with whatever inspiration the box might give you. You have everything you need: A graphite pencil and eraser to make a sketch, a fine liner for the lineart and the markers to colour everything in. You even get a small snack to boost up the creative process, which I really love! And as a person living in Germany, when do I get the chance to try British candy otherwise? 😉

Seeing the outside of the Papergangs October box really got me excited, because that’s the kind of aesthetic that I like, even though it had nothing to do with Halloween whatsoever. I loved being able to keep a part of it in form of the stickers and birthday cards. Of course, there is the notebook too, but it’s mostly white for the writing of course and the cool design rests on the edges of the paper. Here it would be the perfect opportunity again to include an artwork piece, but as I just said, I know some people get upset, so it’s not something I want to judge, but something I wanted to mention and maybe wish for 😛

The pencils are the signature of OhDeer, the company behind the Papergang, but I never really liked them much. The whole point of a graphite pencil is to sharpen it until it’s eventually gone. Meaning that at some point the quote will begin to vanish too, leaving some words without context reflecting the light of their pretty gold foil in the end. Also, I feel like graphite pencils might not be the best utensil to take notes with since it smudges on the paper and does not feel as smooth as a ballpoint pen. But that might also be a personal opinion.

What really got me thinking were the metal straws… It’s not that I don’t need them or do not get the idea behind them, saving the environment and so on, but with the debate about the artworks in mind, these are not stationery items. Yes, I could make myself a hot beverage to accompany myself while writing with the supplies, but with that explanation, I could also use a cool piece of artwork by the featured artist to hang up above my desk to get into the right mood. The straws also have some ridges on the top to mimic the part where you were able to actually bend a plastic straw, which is also a design choice that I can’t really get behind.

It’s hard to say if I can determine a real winner in this review competition since both have their advantages and disadvantages. The scrawler box really seems a bit less nice and luxurious with its brown carton on the inside and on the outside, so the nicely designed Papergang box definitely gets the point there.
But judging on the inside of both boxes, I feel more drawn to the Scrawlerbox having a clear theme and activity to do after the initial opening. With the Papergang boxes, I sometimes catch myself just putting the pencils inside my pencil case without trying them out further.
These October boxes in particular both kinda disappointed me more than they surprised me. I was expecting something Halloween-ish but got nothing. Instead, I got some markers ins colours I don’t like and metals straws that I can’t bend. But that’s more a me-problem 😉


All in all, I would say both boxes have their respective rights to be in the categories they are in. People who want to have more of an activity to do should get the Scrawlerbox to create something right after you have unboxed it. If you are more into collecting unique pencils, note blocks, paper and other stationery you will be happier with the Papergang subscription. That way everyone will get what they are looking for and in my case, I guess I should consider getting them both in 2022, to get all of my needs satisfied!

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Mystery Box, Papergang, Review, Scrawler Box, Subscription Box | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 1

Other Books in the Grishaverse (as possible Christmas presents?)

I had some trouble recently, which is why I was not able to upload any posts for some weeks. I do not only want to apologize for that, but also inform you that this post was meant to be uploaded at the beginning of the month xD But I guess if you still need to find a last-minute Christmas present, it could be a cool idea or just to plan any presents for the future, an upcoming birthday perhaps 😉 Enjoy!

It’s December and 2021 is ALMOST OVER! That does not only mean we have soon successfully lived through another year with Covid but also that Christmas is coming. And even though I am not the biggest fan of Christmas tradition and celebration, of course, I love the gift-giving part 😉 In this post, I not only want to talk about some books I bought but also why they might be the perfect Christmas presents for some of your loved ones! The books I will be focusing on are all written by Leigh Bardugo the famous author of the books on which the Netflix Series “Shadow and Bone” is based on. If you are following my blog for at least some months, you know that I have recently reviewed the series on Netflix and the books and then compared them. That’s why I won’t be talking about them in detail, but of course, if someone has neither seen the Web series nor read the books, those are the ones you should start with, to introduce someone into the story. So they alone make a great present. But if you know someone loved the show or read the first books already, here are some more they will love <3 (Spoiler-free!)

The Demon in the Wood
This is a rather small book, thus not even published as a paperback but available as an eBook everywhere online! With around 50cts this is one of the most affordable out of all the gifts and it’s about the biggest Villan of the Series! Basically, it is a short story about how he became the man we got to know in the books and the Netflix series. I really look forward to reading it myself and actually, when I heard there was a book about him, I had hoped for a 400-page long one, but I will take the 60 pages with little remorse. I am sure they are interesting still, just finished very quickly :/ But beware, this story will hold big spoilers for people who have never seen the series or read the books(especially book 1), everyone else should be able to enjoy this story spoilerfree^^

The Tailor
Same as “The Demon in the Wood” this one is a short story as well, roughly around the same price point and with the same amount of Spoiler alert! But instead of being about the main villain of the series, this story is about a character who is highly debated upon by fans, whether she was a good or bad character. Some say that this eBook helped them understand her and her actions better. Also for completion, every fan of the series will LOVE to have this in their hands 😉

The Six of Crows
The Duology of the Crows chronologically takes place before the Grishaverses original trilogy, but it’s technically not a prequel because it’s not about Alina and Mal from the books, but rather about the band of thieves you get to meet and love in the Netflix Series. Netflix actually took the characters from these books and wove them into the Sun Summoners Story, which for me personally was a great choice. I was actually a bit disappointed to not read about them when I picked up the first books. So if your friend or partner was as excited to see the group on screen as I was, they will love to read these books about their origin story. Some even say they prefer these over the main story books because of their amazing writing and narrative, but I let you or the person receiving it as a gift decide on that 😉

The Lives of the Saints
This one is actually not a storybook, in the sense that it does not bring something new to the table if you have already read the OG trilogy. But rather it’s a book that is mentioned in that story and has a big significance for the characters and their goals. I am sure everybody who loves the series, would love to keep something like this as a collector’s item maybe or to feel even more immersed into the story than before, by holding the book in their hands, which Alina holds in her own. It’s beautifully illustrated on the cover, but also on the inside. Every new chapter begins with a piece of artwork and I can see how this resembles some form of holy text for some in the Grishverse, it certainly looks like it 😉

The Language of the Thornes
Similar to “The Lives of the Saints” this book could be found in Ravka, but as far as I can remember it was not really mentioned in the Trilogy. It’s less significant than the other book is, but you could kinda compare it to the fairytale books published by J.K. Rowling as a kind of add-on to the Harry Potter series. It’s said to be a collection of folklore told in the world of the series, some more insights into peoples lives, and some further information for fans to better understand the world, one of their favourite stories takes place in 🙂 Like “The Lives of the Saints” stories are fully illustrated too and the way they did it is really cool and kinda magical!

The Severed Moon
This one is especially gift-worthy because it’s actually a diary! You might have heard about the new diaries which have writing prompts in them, said to motivate people more to actually write something down daily. “The Served Moon” is such a book, created by the author of the Grishaverse books for fans of the series. It holds some magical writing prompts and quotes from the books, with beautiful illustrations on the out and on the inside. And it’s said to last for a year, what great gift to give on Christmas for a friend or a loved one to start the new year with 🙂 We all need some magic in 2022 I believe xD

Kings of Scars & Rule of Wolves
This Duology I have saved for last, because technically to avoid all kinds of spoilers you should read these books last. They take place after the story of Alina and Mal ends one way or the other with the third book of the original trilogy. And they may or may not(really trying not to say anything wrong here xD) lead on some stories of characters we have already gotten to know, but they most likely will point to events that have already happened. So to be safe, I would only gift this to someone who I know has already finished or at least bought all the other books, so that they can read them in the correct, spoiler-free order. But if you are very generous this Christmas and want to gift all of the Grishaverse books to someone(who will be very thankful, I am sure) then these books should not be missing, because as far as I know, they will conclude all of the stories Leigh Bardugo told in her magical series.

I hope you have gotten some gift ideas now and I guess I wish you all a Merry Christmas already! Celebrate if that’s your thing or try to get through the time like I do and look forward to next years Halloween again xD

Greetings and good wishes
The Mad Hattress

Category: Book Review, Personal Life | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 18

A Review about “The Shadow and Bone Trilogy” by Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Macmillan USA
Published: 5th of July 2012 (this Box Edition 14. November 2017)
Length: about 400 pages per book + bonus material
Genre: Youn Adult, Fantasy
Price: 20,99€ on Amazon

What is it about?
In this world there are people existing who have different magical powers like bending the wind, controlling the water, and creating fire. They are called Grisha and in most countries, they are feared for their powers, isolated from society, or even hunted down. Only in Ravka they are protected by the King and serve in his army to fight a common enemy “the Fold”. It is otherwise known as the Unsea because it’s like the void of the ocean, but also not at all and it harbors all kinds of creatures, and everything that enters their world is their prey. Even the famous Grisha are not powerful enough to keep them at bay until a Sun Summoner is found. Her light is the only weapon capable of destroying the darkness… or is it?

Review:
Like many others, I have been led to reading this book series by its Netflix adaptation named after the first book “Shadow and Bone” which came out on Netflix this year. This actually lead me to be pretty disappointed when I realized that some aspects and stories from the show, don’t actually appear in the books. I will try and keep this review spoiler-free, but if you want to know exactly what they have changed from the books you can read about it on my other post *here*. And if you have not watched the series yet and want to know more, you can also read my review about it 😉

Having to fight my way through book one was totally my fault since I just had the wrong expectations and also because I pretty much knew every single thing that happened in the books from the series. It may speak in favor of the Netflix series as a great adaptation that the books are not much more detailed, but it may be something you want to consider before starting to read the series. But reading books two and three was actually much more fun and entertaining and even though the web series was renewed for season two, if you can’t wait until then, reading the books it’s based on might be the right choice 😉

Not having the other storylines from the Netflix series compete with Alinas quest to save her country is actually helping it. Yes, she is still a “Marry Sue”-like character, the one from the prophecy which is nothing new. But her character is genuinely interesting, her relationship with Mal feels very real, and exploring the world and its mechanics through her is still very fun. I have heard people comparing the series to Harry Potter, but it’s more like the Anime Avatar: The Last Airbender, with less spell casting and more nature taming. I really like the idea of it and their explanation of the so-called “Small Science”.

When asked about what genre her book falls in, the author started jokingly called it tsarpunk, “it takes its inspiration from the aesthetics, culture, politics, and social structure of early 19th century Russia.” It does really make a difference since most fantasy worlds are often inspired by medieval Europe and having this be more connected to Russia makes it stand out and more unique.

If you want to read more about Bardugo’s takes on her own stories, I can highly recommend going for the box edition I bought on Amazon. Each book had a bonus section with an Interview with the author herself and some specials like a letter written by Mal. And the designs on the cover are awesome, the only problem I have is that there is a Netflix sticker, referring to the show, which is printed onto the cover, you can’t take it off. But if you don’t care about that and might only be placing the books inside the box on your shelves, it will still look pretty great.

Final Verdict:
From the perspective of coming to these books after the show, it was a bit disappointing at first, and reading book one was a bit boring to me. But books two and three hooked me in again and that’s why I actually don’t want to blame the author for me watching the series first. The story itself is pretty interesting, the tsarpunk aspect makes it very unique and you have a nice set of characters to accompany you on your journey. It’s a nice story about magic, power, love, and responsibility. And since they already changed some aspects of the story in the series, they might change the ending as well. So if you want to know what the original author intends for the story or if you just want to dwell a bit more in this awesome world, pick up the books, they are worth it. And if you want to display the books(especially the ones I am reviewing here), keep the Netflix sticker in mind, but also think about the bonus stuff inside this edition 😉 All in all, I would say I loved the story, would not necessarily compare it to Harry Potter, but recommend it to everyone who wants to read something magical and different. I rate this trilogy a 4 out of 5 rating.


Category: Book Review, Review | LEAVE A COMMENT