Feel free to suggest more in the comments.

Bi-fold A5 journal made from 1.8mm veg tan leather, lines burned (pyrographed??) in with a soldering iron, colored in with Angelus leather dyes, and some gold details hotfoiled in. The charms and chain are raw brass (the clam is gold plated), and the 3mm eyelets and edge/corner protectors are some random metals/plastics made to look like brass. The fountain pen is a retro 51 tornado in raw brass. I modpodged random pretty paper and coloring pages onto the book inserts as new covers.

I haven't decided if I want to change out the pictured 1.5mm elastic cord for some 2mm cord.

I like this a lot more than normal journals with an overwhelming and intimidating amount of pages, as I've never once in my life finished one.

Never had on before, now I can organize it 78 times. Haha

I'm not sure why someone would post AI notebook content, but I guess it's a problem since my post about colour notebooks is being accused of just that due to my presentation of the notebooks.

I hope this clears the air.

“New” music to me for a playlist. Do you know any of these songs?

I bought this great journal cover on Etsy, but they sent the wrong size.

That’s ok though - turns out I love this size! But what IS it? It doesn’t look to be A5, A6, or a standard Midori size. I want to buy more inserts but I can’t until I figure out what to search for.

Measurements of the inserts:
4.1” (10.5cm) x 7.5” (18.7 cm)

Photo of the cover because it’s cute.

I've decided to start the hobonichi cousins and the hobonichi 5 year journal for next year. I need a cover that can hold both journals with extra room for bulk from photos, stickers etc.

I had my eye on Paper Republic's "Le Trifold," which looks like it'd work out decently enough. But it's currently out of stock.

Does anyone have recommendations for alternative, that are either cheaper or just more functional?

I'm not set on a trifold style specifically (wouldn't mind a zip cover), so I'm open to any recommendations. Thanks in advance!

A pretty old-school notebook. Tsubame is founded 80 yrs ago, a pretty low-key company I'd say. low-key colorways, designs and prints yet great quality.

Pretty limited (and straightforward) paper lineups:

• Fools White (this review) / Cream pH neutral Paper
• High Quality Paper (for entry level products)
• Washi Printer Paper

I tested this the same way as my previous review on Tomoe River.

❌ Cons:

• Not very opaque despite a higher weight. (92%@81.4gsm) (Better than MD's 91%@80gsm. Tho I've seen 95%+ ones.)
• Inks are not as vibrant as they should be (desaturated).
• Not great for color pencil layering.

⚠️ Characteristics:

• The bind is 12+18+18+12 sheets, which doesn't lay as flat as typical 8/per.
• 7mm ruled for under A5, 8mm ruled for B5 and bigger
• Normal sheen

✅ Pros:

• Great feathering and bleedthrough resistance. Slightly worse than MD under extreme conditions.
• Great hand oil resistance.
• Adequate writing frictions. I can comfortably use a 0.28mm all the way up to a 1.0mm ball pen. (UEF~B)
• Fast drying.
• Very sturdy paper and acid free.
• Less pigment transfers and pretty easy to erase:

With a slightly better value than MD notebooks (which don't offer B5 size nor 8mm ruled). I don't need to worry if my pen writes bad on this.

I purchased this at a discounted price ($4). All opinions are my own.

Thanks for reading.

Yamamoto Ro-Biki notebook with a 2 mm grid.

I have had bad impression about Ro-Biki notebooks because I had used their notebook with recycled paper. Those notebooks were pocket sized ones.

But recently I found a store online which had these regular sized/long notebooks with superior paper quality, of course Made in Japan.

I believe it is New Chiffon Cream or Soliste paper from Yamamoto but I have no way of cracking that code as of now. I am still searching a way to economically source all or most papers from at least Yamamoto to test and stock later.

But whichever of the two papers it is, it is absolutely amazing!

So amazing that I bought a couple each of this 2 mm grid and lined notebooks.

The paper feels smooth, not overly smooth though and there was no feathering, minimal ghosting and no bleedthrough even with swatches done using a Speedball B-0 dip nib. Good sheen from the inks though not too much. The color representation is a little bit dull but I suppose that's majorly because of the paper being cream and not white.

Of course, the wax cover is pretty and feels great in hands.

I just wish these came in more standard A and B sizes but that's not a deal breaker in any form.

Have you used this notebook? How did you find it to be?

I've been struggling to find any pictures or reviews of Smythson evergreen refillable notebook. Especially after some time of using it. Does any of you use this luxurious diary? All photos are usually stock pictures, but I would love to see these in everyday use, how did the leather cover aged and if it is worth it. Show me please....

As much as I loved my Discbound Journals, and making my own... Traveler's Notebooks are just so satisfying to handle and modular. And honestly the community is pretty awesome.

But for whatever reason I did not really like/enjoy the full size Traveler's notebook (used for everyday calendar notes etc). So that'll go into a drawer for now..

Now I'm using two Passport Journals and the 20th Anni card size. Not sure how I feel about the trinkets/brass tags..

- One for everyday use - calendar, task, notes etc. (I know.. tiny calendar, but added a weekly insert to go with it)

- The other is for my Leather business- ideas, orders and mainly all the markets I do.

- And the 20th Anniversary card size lives in my pocket for daily work tasks, reminders and doodles etc.

I'm going to the 20th Anniversary Event/Workshop in Chicago IL this weekend, I felt obligated to buy the "Partner Shops Passport" to get stamped there.

It’s been so difficult finding a notebook that fits all my specifications, especially here in the UK, but I finally found it and had to share! It’s the Burghley journal refill from the Stamford Notebook Co.

Here’s what I was looking for:

- A5 slim
- Minimalistic cover
- Cream paper
- 5mm grid
- Fountain pen friendly (I don’t mind ghosting, but bleedthrough is a dealbreaker)
- Easily available in the UK
- Doesn’t cost an arm and a leg

I searched high and low for a notebook that ticks all those boxes, and the closest I could find was the Sterling Ink notebooks, but they’re always out of stock, the paper is very white, the grid tiny so I can only use a fine nib, and it has to get to me all the way from the US. I was honestly so disappointed with the lack of options that I was considering making my own, but there’s a whole other level of headache in searching for paper with the right grain direction, etc.

But!! I randomly stumbled upon the website of the Stamford Notebook Co. and found this notebook that ticks literally all of my boxes. Plus, both the paper and the notebook itself are made in the UK! So I get to have my perfect notebook in a more sustainable way, and get to support small businesses local to me at the same time.

Not affiliated with the business whatsoever, I just want people to buy these notebooks so they never stop making them!

I've been meaning to show off my notebooks for a while now. I've been keeping them since I was 18--I started back in 2008 after watching the behind-the-scenes for Pan's Labyrinth and hearing about how Del Toro would carry a notebook everywhere and write notes and draw sketches for his stories constantly. I'd already been keeping sketchbooks, but I hadn't considered keeping notebooks until then!

I carry a larger notebook in my purse (I think they're about A5?), and use it to write... just about anything. Poetry, notes, story notes, notes for decoding cryptic messages, video game notes, panel notes, and so on. It's fun looking back through these things. I only just recently finished the 12th one (which, yes, has a similar cover to my 13th--the 12th one was a misprint and the company sent me the corrected one, but I decided to use the misprint anyway).

A while back I found that Oz passport style notebook and thought it looked neat. I kept it in my desk and used it for random notes for a while until I decided to start using it as a mini-journal--I keep a digital journal that I write in every week, but it's hard for me to remember everything that happened, so keeping a mini-journal to quickly jot down things happening throughout the day helps me write the more detailed entries. I'm only on my second one now.

And... for Christmas last year I got myself a pair of cargo pants so I could have more pockets on me, and decided to start keeping a mini-notebook as well for the times when I didn't have my purse on me! The current one is one of my mom's old notebooks that she barely used (she has dementia, so she... can't really use them anymore, now). I use this guy for EVERYTHING and I LOVE him. I'm about 3/5ths of the way through him right now.

So yeah, I've been using notebooks for a long time (and this isn't even touching on my church notebooks... I don't even know how many of those I have), but only recently did I discover that being into stationery is A Thing and I've been getting into it even more now, learning how other people use and organize their notebooks and learning about the specific sizes and types of paper and pens and so on. It's fun!! I can't believe it took me this long to dive deeper into this hobby.

hello! I’ll be going to Tokyo and have a glorious day to myself where I can go wherever I want… so of course need to know of any notebook/stationary stores or stops that can’t be missed?

Hi all,

I'm pretty new to this notebook/journaling thing, and I think I discovered my new favourite paper. I got myself an Midori MD A5 notebook for my regular journaling, after having heard from multiple sources that it is one of the best papers, and I really have no complaints with it. Except that my handwriting is pretty horrible on it, for whatever reason. I attributed it to not having written significantly for the last decade.

However, I recently bought a Yamamoto Ro-Biki pocket notebook - the Kingyo Museum one, and it's gorgeous. I wrote on it for the first time - using a 0.5mm Pentel Enegel pen with the forest green ink, and it writes so well and the ink flows so well, and my handwriting feels like it's at least 10 times better than what I usually produce on MD paper. I think I may have found my new favourite paper.

So, what type of paper is this and how do I get an A5 notebook in this paper? Is it limited to the Yamamoto Paper Company, and will I only be limited to the Paper Canopus series?

Been trying to carry a simple Field Notes or Moleskine style cahier with me all the time, finding that the notebook is getting a bit more wear and tear than I'd like. But most covers I find are still too bulky, so I decided to make my own very minimalist one, using just a Tyvek envelope and some cardstock.

Basically I use the cardstock to give it a bit more structure, then wrapped the Tyvek around the cardstock, sort of like old school bookcovers made from paper bags you'd use in elementary school. I used Nori paste to glue it, since it dries slowly and I could make sure the positioning was correct and wipe off excess glue before it started to set.

That's a Penco Bullet Pencil Light that I keep with it. It's still very pocketable in men's jeans, but a little more sturdy than the notebook alone. I don't expect the cover to last a long time, but then it's easy to make a replacement.

Got a package a few days ago that came in an express bag, and I thought it'll be fun to turn it into a journal cover!

Hand sewn the edges, added a fabric backing, and sewed in the original red and white Kurume sticker that was stuck on it to make it last.

Notebooks are Tomoe River FP and Yamamoto

Felt inspired by others to post my notebooks! I have recent bought many pocket notebooks and mini composition notebooks, smaller sizes are working better for me lately. I am definitely not short on regular sizes. 😂

I believe only the Naruto and 2 of the west Emory composition notebooks are not 100% full. If I changed job I got a new notebook. I’m currently working on several pocket notebooks.

Happy to answer any questions. :)

My favorite notebooks are the Stalogy 1/2 Year A6, specifically the lovely blue cover. I am no longer able to find this specific notebook anywhere!

Also in general there seems to be a much lower stock of Stalogy A6 notebooks everywhere.

Any insight is appreciated 🤗💙

Hey friends! I got a lovely Denik brand journal and it has these notches at the top. I’ve never seen them before. What are they supposed to be used for?

Last week I tried to explain this to friends over pizza and it did not go well. I got about ninety seconds in before someone asked, kindly, whether I was describing a notebook or a person.

So I’m bringing it here instead, where I suspect I’ll be less alone.

Here’s what I was trying to say. I have a Smythson notebook and what gets me is the sound. That specific dry rustle when you turn a page, it’s thinner paper than everything else and it announces itself.

And the feel of a page that’s already been written on, that faint texture on the back where the nib pressed through. I know roughly how the thing is made, the paper, how the covers are put together, and knowing that changes how it sits in my hand.

None of that is a reason to spend the money. I spend it anyway.

So what’s yours? The sound, the smell, the weight, some detail nobody else would notice? And has anyone here ever managed to explain it to a non-stationery person without losing them?

I just purchased two Jenni Bick Pueblos to use as a baby book/notes to my daughters. They came with two Large Moleskin Cahiers, but I read that the paper won’t stand the test of time so I bought a couple Midori A5s. They are bulky in the Jenni Bick. Anything out there that can be used for archival journaling with the thinness of the Moleskin Cahier and 60+ pages?