One of my favourite letter writing papers is it ultra thin paper from Life Stationery, the Life Airmail pad.

This paper is just a delight – air mail paper that is a bit like onion skin paper, thin and lightweight, as originally designed to lessen postage costs while enabling the author to fit more pages into an envelope. I enjoy the very thought of stacks of letters, tied as well as string, holding the story of months or years apart between a couple. The thin, crinkly texture with this paper is a bit nostalgic, and you understand that’s the secret way to my heart.

But what makes this paper truly excellent is the fact that along side being very thin, it is also extremely fountain pen friendly, despite having broad and wet nibs. The paper is really thin it is translucent, and yet I can use just about any nib and ink combination I have, with my letters and lines looking neat and crisp.

Alas, due to the fact paper is really see-through, the backside associated with paper is not super for writing on, until you’ve used an extra fine nib or perhaps not a fountain pen.

This paper isn’t the same as Tomoe River paper – it’s definitely thinner (and it has more show through), and also has much more texture. It’s hard to catch a photograph from it, but it has a texture sort of like cotton paper while I would still describe this paper as generally smooth. It’s also more crinkly than Tomoe River paper, since it’s so incredibly thin – the Life Airmail paper is more like true onion skin paper.

The lines are the guidelines included with the pad to place underneath, and on the right is the Airmail paper on the left is the cream Tomoe River Paper.

The paper is B5 sized, that is a size that is great letters and notebooks, one of my favourite. I use A5 for thank you notes or simply writing to say hello, and A4 when I’ve got too much to say, but B5 is an excellent size that is intermediate.

The very best sized envelopes because of this are the #6 air mail envelopes from Life, which will be the size that is best for B5 envelopes in general (why don’t more companies make this size?). These envelopes in particular are also thin, but they are still very strong. You are meant by this size can just fold your letter up into thirds horizontally, without having to fold your letter vertically to fit in.

The largest drawback if i’m writing a letter in stages, and need to leave the sheets on my desk overnight or for a few days, they tend to get crumpled and show wear more easily for me is that this paper is a bit fragile, so. I guess it’s all the more reason to create aside a dedicated time to start and finish something, however these days I’m trying to be productive in all the tiny pockets of the time I’m able to find. Perhaps really, it’s even more cause to be much more organized with the junk custom writings We have piled up on my desk.

After our hiatus in December, we’re having our letter Club that is writing again night, Thursday, January 11th, from 7-9:00. We’re hoping to see some people there! Now because of the new baby, things are a little hairy around bed time again, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for two soundly sleeping babies so I am able to join in the enjoyment.

We’re coming up on InCoWriMo again, this February. It a good go every year, I find myself leaning more and more into longer and more meaningful letters with closer correspondents, compared to brief letters, which doesn’t lend itself to a daily activity while I give. I may, however, make things easy on myself, and perhaps compile a summary of individuals to whom I’ll send a postcard or short note.

We’re slowly settling into a back that is routine, even though there are some big, sweeping changes coming up ahead of us, and that knows what our day will appear like. Things sometimes appear to be they’re starting to get into place – dinner plans or stock that is replenishing the holidays – and then sometimes I’m searching for renovation photos, find a folder on my desk top labeled “renovation photos,” simply to open it and find it empty.

The renovations continue to slog along, with a few road bumps. City zoning and permits and testing that is environmental weird by-laws. I really like this populous city, but sometimes the bureaucracy could be a little much.

We’re getting ready behind the scenes, collecting furniture, repairing treasures from unlikely places, & most exciting of most, sourcing a couple of new brands and lines for the big opening. It’s all basically a jumble back here, attempting to shipping that is organizing the warehouse filling up with elements of furniture taken apart and stacked up. You may also see some of this furniture stacked behind the counters at our shop, like this lovely saran-wrapped library card catalogue from the right. It’s actually a vintage University of Windsor card catalogue that Jon paid an arm and a leg to obtain delivered here, and today that arm and a leg are just sitting in our shop, operating as an extremely tall side table.