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Tuesday, 4 October 2016

Birthday Flipbook | Blogtober

Happy Tuesday! As many of you will know, it was my 24th Birthday on Saturday. I received some lovely presents from my friends and family, including something from my sister that I really wanted! Both me and my sister have a huge love for stationery and getting crafty, although she's a lot better at it than me! She makes and swaps the prettiest flipbooks! Ever since she started, I wanted her to make me one, and she very kindly made me some for my Birthday :) I wanted to share this lovely flipbook with all my fellow stationery fans. I hope you all enjoy reading! Also, today's Blogtober entry is my 200th blog post, like wow that many already?! Time flies when you're having fun I guess, haha.

Blogtober

When you think of flipbooks, you probably picture one of those super cool books that require you to flip the pages quickly in order to see a clever moving animation. However, in the crafting world, a flipbook is more like a multi-layered and intricate card or booklet filled with all sorts of tabs, pockets and fold out pages. Some flipbooks made by avid crafters can include all sorts of fancy decoration, such as the use of ephemera, which are basically all sorts of little bits and pieces used for scrapbooking or other crafty hobbies. Examples of ephemera are train tickets, old stamps, maps, playing cards etc. Flipbooks can be made using just about anything, and they are also like little scrapbook pages. 

The flipbook that my sister made for me has so many awesome elements, that the only way to show you is by filling the rest of this post with SO MANY PHOTOS! It's seriously so nice!














Seriously, how fabulous is this flipbook!? It has so many gorgeous stickers, emphemera, pockets and such. How adorable are those two mini envelopes that she filled with the sweetest card butterflies and hearts!? I especially love the little pocket on the left hand side with the little 'love ya' tag inside. My sister is not a particular soppy person so I really wasn't expecting that. I also really like all of the birthday references and the big 24! The flipbook also had a big pocket which she packed with the cards and stickers above. It was really nice touch :) She's so good at making these things, right? I am really really happy with my Birthday gift. Thankyou Nicole! 

 Thankyou for reading! 

 ♥

Have you ever seen, or even made/received a flipbook before?
What do you think of my sister's flipbook? What's your favourite thing about it? 

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Wednesday, 3 August 2016

July Papergang | Review

Hey everyone! As if it's now August already! I can't believe how quickly this year has gone and that next month it will be a year since I started blogging! Wow :) I hope that you have all enjoyed reading Raiin Monkey. Thankyou to everyone that has read my posts, left me lovely comments, followed me on social media, and just supported me and become my friends. You are all awesome and have made my blogging experience great so far. I just wanted to let you all know how much your interaction with me and my blog means to me ♥ Today's post is another Papergang Box review. I hope you all enjoy reading!

The Papergang Box, Papergang, Papergang July, July Papergang Box,

 I really liked the pink and purple pattern on the front of the July Papergang Box, but what was immediately different was the size of the box. I wasn't sure at first if it was because the items inside were smaller this month or whether Papergang have redesigned the size of their box. I'm hoping it's the latter as then the boxes will be able to fit through the letterbox and be easier to store away. So here's what was inside...

The Papergang, The Papergang Box, Papergang, July Papergang,

The July Papergang Box contains six individual items and a pack of three notebooks. The individual items include a Screen Printed Wooden Clipboard, a pencil, a Riso Printed Calendar and three greetings cards. The notebook set contains three A6 notebooks, all with a different cover design. Although there are some lovely items inside this box, I was a little disappointed about the variety of items I got to be honest. 


These two items are my least favourite in the July Papergang Box. I do like that the design on the front of the box matches with the one on the little wooden clipboard, however I do not like the clipboard itself. It's very thin and rough, and feels pretty cheap as a result even though the RRP of the item is £6. The metal part at the top that you use to secure your paper is also very hard to use as it's really stiff and actually hurt my hands and wrists to lift up. This may be because I have painful hands and wrists anyway due to fibromyalgia but that's another reason why I didn't like the clipboard. 

The next item is the Riso Printed Calendar; it's simply a piece of card with a calendar printed on, which has a retail value of £1.95. I personally am not really a fan of the design or have any uses for it, however it could be nice to stick into a bullet journal or a planner, or even use a magnet to attach it to the front of the fridge so you can circle your appointment days on it or whatever dates you need to highlight. 

The Papergang, The Papergang Box, Papergang Box, Papergang Box July,

I do like these small (A6) notebooks. They are cute and can fit easily into a bag to take out and about with me. I like how you get three different designs too; my favourite is the grey one with gold lettering. Another thing that I like about the notebooks is that the paper inside is blank so I can use them to doodle or to quickly jot notes down. I'm quite tempted to start a little art journal/sketch book as I used to enjoy drawing and I'm more likely to do it when I'm out, relaxing somewhere with my friends or sat in a cafe. You get three notebooks for an RRP of £5.95 which I think is a good price. 

Papergang Box, The Papergang, July Papergang, Papergang Box July,

The pencil is another item that I'm not really keen on, as it feels like a filler item but I guess you can never have too many pencils. At least I now have a few pencils to start drawing with in my new notebooks. I do think the gold lettering on the side of the pencil, reading 'On Point' is pretty cute.


This 'Pugtato' greeting card is actually my favourite item from the entire box. Even though I'm not a huge lover of Pugs like everyone else seems to be, how can anyone not instantly fall in love with this adorable chubby potato-pug!? It's so random and super adorable. I want a pet pugtato! I think this will be another card that I never get around to using because I don't want to part with it. I might use it in a scrapbook or even frame it. It would also make a fantastic addition to office wall art. There's just something about square cards that I really love, I don't know what it is but I prefer them so much more to standard cards.

July Papergang Box, The Papergang Box, The Papergang, Papergang Box July,

The final items in the Papergang Box are these lovely greetings card. I love the tiger card, it's absolutely gorgeous and I really like the realistic and well-detailed design of the tiger. It's eyes are so piercing and beautiful. I have a few friends who are mad on tigers so they may just be getting this little cutie through their letterbox on their birthday. The other card is quite comical as it reads 'Good Luck. You're going to need it' and I think it would be great to make someone smile before an exam or an interview. Although not if they are as anxious as I am, because this card would make me panic a little! I also like the shade of blue they've used as it's one of my favourite colours. Something that I do love about the cards from Oh Deer (who make The Papergang Box) is that they are quirky and unique, usually with brown envelopes, I love them! They are normally blank inside too which I prefer. I like to be able to write whatever I like and decorate the inside of the card with stickers and little doodles. 


The Papergang Box, The Papergang, July Papergang Box, July Papergang,

Here is the design on the back of the Papergang sleeve featuring the usual origami style cut-out animal. The July Box has a Ram to create, which is rather random compared to the items in the box this time but oh well, it's still an addition to the design of the packaging that I will forever be a fan of. Overall, in my honest opinion, I wasn't thrilled with what I received in the July Box. There are some items that are both pretty and useful, but I did get quite a few items that I don't personally like.

Thankyou for reading!

♥

What do you think of this box? What's your favourite item?
If you are a subscriptor of the box, what was your opinion of this month VS the other boxes?

 See what was in my previous Papergang boxes: 

 



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Wednesday, 13 July 2016

June Papergang

I was really impressed with last month's Papergang box! All of the items included in the box featured illustrations from the awesome, super talented artist Gemma Correll so I was sure that I was going to love the majority of items inside. I definitely wasn't disappointed. So, here's what I got in the June Papergang subscription box. Enjoy!

June Papergang

June Papergang
I was instantly so happy with the red, white and black theme of this box; it even came in a red box and with the items wrapped in red tissue paper. Everything is just so cute, too! The items in the June Papergang box: A5 lined notebook, Greeting Card, x3 Washi Tapes, Dancing Pug Pen and a sheet of giftwrap. Altogether, the items in this box have a RRP value of just over £26, which is fantastic when you are paying around £10 for your subscription box :) 

June Papergang, Papergang Box, The Papergang, Ohh Deer,

June Papergang

I love that they included a set of 3 washi tapes, I would have been happy with just one! I like how each of the washi tapes has a different design and my favourite is the stripy red & white one. It reminds me a little of the design of airmail envelopes. Each of the washi tapes is also 5 metres in length,which is a great amount. I can't wait to use them for snailmail and scrapbooking. I'm not a huge fan of pugs (please don't hate me!). I think they are cute, but they are definitely not one of my favourite breeds. The design of the pen is still really nice though, and any dancing dog is adorable! It's such a great quality pen and it looks like it will be awesome to write with so I'm really happy to add this pen to my stationary collection. 

June Papergang, June Papergang Box,

How nice is this wrapping paper!? The print is just so so cute with all of the animals wearing party hats. It would be perfect for any of my animal lover friends, but I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to bring myself to use it. It's just too nice. It's another very good quality item; Ohh Deer really make the loveliest products! My favourite thing about this print has got to be the tiny hamster wearing a party hat. Oh my gosh, it's really adorable! 

June Papergang Box

June Papergang, The Papergang, June Papergang Box, Gemma Correll,

I absolutely love this card. This 'Nope' illustration is actually one of my favourite designs by Gemma Correll. It honesty perfectly describes my feelings on a daily basis. Some  days, it can be really difficult to get through the day without procasinating about everything when you are a spoonie. On the days when I'm not powering through the pain and fatigue, this is definitely me. Another thing I love about this design is how neat and simple it is, it's just a fabulous drawing, it's good enough to frame. I really like the red & white striped border on the envelope too. 


This is the best item in the entire June Papergang box, in my opinion. I love love love notebooks and this one has an incredibly cute design. Chinchilla's are gorgeous animals and I love the clever play on words that gives this illustration it's theme, 'Chinchillin' out'. It's awesome! The notebook is a wonderful quality, I love the feel of the front cover (I literally stroke it a couple of times everytime I get it out of the box for a look!), it's so smooth. Who else really admires a great texture? Or am I just weird? The lines on the paper inside are red which I think is a nice touch. I've been thinking about setting up a self-care journal to encourage and remind me to look after myself, and I think this would be the perfect book for that.

Papergang Box, June Papergang, June Papergang Box,

As always, the back of the box contains a cut-out origami style animal. This time, it's a little pug to match with the contents of the box. I always say this in my reviews of the Papergang box, but I really think this is a fantastic use of the box! It's such a unique addition to the Papergang box and I love it. Overall, I really loved June's box and I'm hoping that July's box is the same quality. For me, it will be hard to beat this box! 

 Thankyou for reading!

 ♥

What is your favourite item in this month's box? 
Also, what's everyone's favourite dog breed?

 Like this post? Check out my other Papergang posts:

 
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Wednesday, 29 June 2016

May Papergang Box

Happy Wednesday guys! I'm finally going to be showing you all what I got inside my May Papergang Box. Sorry that it's taken me so long to get this post up! If you haven't heard of The Papergang before, it's a monthly subscription box from the wonderful company OHH DEER. It includes stationary and sometimes even a quirky item or two. If you love stationary, then you should definitely check it out. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy reading! 

The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,

The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,
 
 I absolutely love the packaging of The Papergang Box. It's really unique and I love how the design seems to reflect the items that are going to be inside, so it's kind of like a little sneak preview. I really like the cut-out lettering on the front of the box plus how cool is it that there's an origami character included on the back of the packaging!? This month's box has a Hare for everyone to make, and I can't wait to give this a go myself (that's if I can figure out how to do it, I'm rubbish at this sort of thing! haha). I think it's super awesome how they've utilised the packaging to make it useful and fun. 

The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,

Here are all of the items that were included in the May Papergang Box. From the left: Magnetic Kew Cacti Shopping Pad, x2 Foil Pencils, Crane Scissors, Greeting Card & A4ish Cacti Notebook with Graph Paper. As much as I love all stationary and will be able to find a use for every single one of these items, I want to give you all an honest opinion of what I think whenever I review something. I was a little dissapointed with what I received in this box. It just didn't wow me as much as my first Papergang box did (read about it here), and I'm not personally a big fan of the black cacti design. It's just not for me, but I know that lots of people will love it so it's all down to what you like and dislike. 

The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,

The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,


The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,

The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,


The May Papergang Box, Papergang Box, May Papergang, The Papergang,

My favourite item in this box has to be the crane scissors. They are just so gorgeous and unique; I've never seen anything like them before! I'm not usually a fan of gold but in this case it's perfect as it makes the crane look more majestic. I'm really impressed with the amount of detail on the scissors and it's just something really nice to have handy when I'm doing crafty/artsy things. Another item that I really like is the greeting card. It's a fantastic illustration and would make a lovely Birthday card for any animal lover or for any of your loved ones who are particularly grumpy haha (I think the Rhino looks so grumpy!)

The shopping pad is also a great item! I don't like the black cacti design, however I really love this style of list pad so I know it will be well-used. I love how these types of list pad usually come with a magnet on the back so it can be attached to the fridge to make recording your shopping list much easier. The items that I didn't enjoy as much as the others inside the May Papergang box were the A4ish notebook and the pencils. 

The pencils are too simple for me and I'm not keen on the greeny-yellow colour of one of them. Although the tiny gold leaf and flower details are cute, it still doesn't make the pencils any more special to me and I feel like they look quite cheap. I'm hoping that they are a decent quality when I use them. As for the notebook, because of it's black cacti design, it just doesn't appeal to me. At first glance, I looked past the pattern on the cover because I love notepads and I can never have too make of them, but then I realised it's square, graph paper inside! I really don't like notebooks with graph paper, they remind me of high school maths which I truely hated and I can't think of what I'm going to use it for now. I might give it to a friend :)

Overall, The May Papergang included some cool items and I feel happy that I enjoyed some of them, however it was not my favourite box and it made me worried that the June Box would be similar. Since it took me a while to get this post up, I've actually just realised my next Papergang Box and it seriously did not disappoint! I will show it to you all very soon!

Thankyou for reading!

 ♥

Do you get The Papergang box? What did you think of this month's box?
What's your most & least favourite item?  

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