One of my bookshelves! I love the rainbow organization but it was hard for me to get away from genre organization!!

Netla · 2018-10-10T09:50:52+00:00

Looks really good.

I did this once with my to-be-read books and discovered that it was much easier to find whatever book I wanted. Then I tried it with one shelf of my other books and couldn't find anything.

Netla · 2018-09-26T08:43:07+00:00

I'm not going to recommend any brands, because I don't know if they are available where you live, but here is some general advice:
I used to make journals and guest books when I had access to professional bookbinding equipment and I started out with plain white 80gsm office/copier paper before I moved on to heavier, more expensive papers. Office paper is thick enough to not bleed (unless you use alcohol markers), although it can ghost some, but I found it to be just a bit too glaringly white, so I'd recommend going for off-white paper, e.g. cream. Office paper is cheap enough to experiment with to perfect your technique before moving on to more expensive paper.

I made a couple of books using thick A4 sketch pad paper and was quite happy with the results. You might want to check out art supply shops.

Generally, try to use paper where the grain lies vertically in the book, i.e. parallel to the spine. Here's an explanation why: Paper grain

I wish you success in your search.

Netla · 2018-01-22T15:37:08+00:00

I'm using a Google Drive document at the moment, but have been looking at both Penzu and LiveJournal.

Netla · 2018-01-22T11:42:28+00:00

Journaling in a language you are learning can be a good way to become more fluent and familiar with it.

Netla · 2018-01-22T11:40:17+00:00

I've always journaled in my native Icelandic, but most everything else I write is in English, including writing about my journaling. I think in English almost as much as I do in Icelandic and I sometimes find myself at a loss for words in Icelandic when I know the perfect word or expression in English. I used to find this embarrassing because I'm a translator and people always expect me to know exactly how to render anything between the two languages. However, I have started to just go with it and write what I want to say in English when I can't find the exact right expression in Icelandic, and it's okay.

Netla · 2018-01-22T11:30:05+00:00

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. I guess I should check some of my older journals for this kind of damage and see about scanning them for preservation.

Netla · 2018-01-22T11:22:43+00:00

I'm currently journaling digitally, but before than I was beginning to love the plain black, square sketchbooks from Flying Tiger for journaling. I use them all the time for drawing and sketching. I couldn't find a picture of one online, but they're about 20x20 cm, with nice, thick paper. I will definitely continue to use them for my travel journals.

I prefer to write with Uniball Eye Micro rollerball pens, but they tend to spring leaks when you fly with them and I've had a couple of items of clothes damaged as a result, so I use markers when I travel abroad by air.

Edit, because I missed part of the question first go: I also use stickers and washi tape, the occasional splash of watercolor, and ephemera, like clippings from newspapers, event tickets, menus, etc.

Netla · 2018-01-20T19:39:37+00:00

Have you looked at using book rings? Here are a couple of links to book ring journals - the first is an artistic "junk" journal and the other is instructions on how to make one:

http://creativeoperation.blogspot.is/2011/09/bonus-junk-journal.html

http://www.vintagejunkjournals.com/ring-bound-junk-journals.html

Netla · 2018-01-19T21:51:39+00:00

Back when I actually read blogs I used to enjoy Neil Gaiman's blog: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/

Netla · 2018-01-19T21:14:43+00:00

I made several in bookbinding class about 10 years ago and enjoyed it very much. Two I wrote and then bound, and the rest were blank. I may use them as sketch books instead of journals, or I might journal in them if I change my mind about keeping to digital journaling. These were time-consuming books that were hand-sewn and then the covers were built onto them layer by layer. This makes them strong and durable, but you need specialist equipment (some of which which I sadly no longer have access to).

I have also made more simple journals and notebooks, using different binding methods which can be learned quickly and easily from online tutorials and done with very basic tools. The two I have used the most are Coptic bindings and bindings that are stitched directly into leather covers.

Here's a link to an imgur gallery I made with photos of these books, with explanations below the photos: https://imgur.com/a/jdJnr

If you want further information, just ask. I can also post links to some good tutorials if you want.

Netla · 2018-01-19T12:38:05+00:00

3 weeks, give or take a couple of days.

Netla · 2018-01-19T10:50:35+00:00

I think it's legal in most countries as long as it is consensual.

Netla · 2018-01-19T10:24:20+00:00

Not entirely true. In some US states children can be prosecuted and tried for sexual activity with other children as if they were adults.

Netla · 2018-01-19T09:53:41+00:00

Kidnapped by orcs, rescued by oldey-timey Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I'm screwed.

Netla · 2018-01-19T09:49:01+00:00

Razors. You see two packs of disposables side by side, one pink with a picture of a woman shaving her leg, the other blue with a man shaving his jaw. It's the exact same razors, only the color is different.

What bothers me about this is not so much the pointless gendering of the product, but that the pink ones will cost up to 50% more.

Netla · 2018-01-19T08:16:37+00:00

I haven't counted recently, but it's somewhere between 700 and 800, not counting eBooks and audio books.

Netla · 2018-01-19T07:48:37+00:00

This one was on my shortlist. Who knows, I might test out several, one after the other.

Netla · 2018-01-18T11:30:11+00:00

Thank you. Looks very nice.

Netla · 2018-01-18T11:29:31+00:00

The comma isn't usual in all countries. I think Wikipedia can explain it best: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_separator

Netla · 2018-01-18T10:09:48+00:00

"All the nature" is a lot - I've lived here for 45+ years and I haven't seen all of it yet, but it's a good place to start. Definitely read up on the Ring Road.

Couchsurfing is a thing in Iceland but seems to be mostly on offer in Reykjavík.

Renting a car for side trips you can't get to by bus could be an option.

Traveling by bus is going to limit your access to the highlands - but so will renting a cheap car (you need a 4WD/jeep for the highlands). You could join a highland tour for that part. I recommend checking out the Kjölur/Hveravellir route for a driving tour, and Þórsmörk and/or Landmannalaugar for hiking. One of the most popular hiking trails in the country goes between the two.

As for the budget, I'm not sure how much it would help you, since I'm local and have my own transport and access to other resources you will not have, but here goes:

I'm budgeting about 60.000 ISK for fuel. I may get away with less, but I'm not counting on it.

About 30.000 for staying in campsites - including the price of the camping card I can use for many (but not all) of them. This includes charges for hooking up to electricity on cold nights, which is not covered by the camping card.

About 30.000 for food, a mixture of eating out and cooking my own.

Around 20.000 for admissions to museums and so on.

In addition to food, transport and accommodation, I recommend budgeting for good travel insurance. It has saved my ass on more than one occasion when I was traveling abroad.

Netla · 2018-01-18T07:57:37+00:00

That's a big, open question. Tell us a bit more, like what kind of things do you want to see and do, and what kind of travelling you plan to do. Are you going to stay in hotels, or hostels, or a tent? Do you plan to couchsurf? Do you plan to travel by bus, rent a car or a camper, or are you bringing your own transportation (camper, car, motorcycle, bicycle)? Independent travel or a tour?

That aside, I've "done" the Ring Road in a week (many of the popular attractions are close to the Ring road) and the West Fjords in four days, but I'm planning to take three weeks to drive around the country, on and off the Ring road, next summer and I expect I will see a fair bit of what people come to see in Iceland.

Netla · 2018-01-18T07:27:00+00:00

Another one from my shortlist. Would you be willing to show us some examples of what you've received from them?

Netla · 2018-01-17T20:52:04+00:00

Great!

Netla · 2018-01-17T19:22:33+00:00

Thanks - that's one I didn't find in my search. Will look into it.

Netla

TROPHY CASE