I thought I’d give you all a change of pace– a post without a single notebook in it! Instead, I’ll talk a little bit about the pens I use with my notebooks, for the tests I do in reviews, and for day to day use. My most frequently used pens tend to be Uniball Signo … Continue reading My Pen Collection
I’ve been doing a lot of handwriting practice lately, playing with fountain pens in my old Hobonichi Techo. There is something very satisfying about it… but also frustrating, as I aspire to a level of fluid elegance that I don’t think I’ll ever attain! So I was quite amazed to see the image below as … Continue reading The History of Handwriting
I tried to do a lot of my holiday shopping on Small Business Saturday, but still can’t help browsing the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals to see if I can save a few bucks, for myself or as gifts. Here’s a few things that might be of interest! I absolutely LOVE my Pilot Metropolitan fountain … Continue reading Cyber Monday Deals
I am a book lover, so these Manuscript Notebooks totally caught my eye. They’ve taken beautiful retro book cover art and used it for the covers of these softcover notebooks: The notebooks are a single signature of pages, with stitched spine. The 3.5 x 5.5″ sizing is comparable to Field Notes, Moleskine Cahier and other … Continue reading Review and Giveaway: Manuscript Notebooks
I was very excited when I saw this new brand in my local stationery store (NYC’s A. I. Friedman). I was immediately smitten with the design and intrigued that the notebooks were made in Greece– a new country to add to my collection. After getting in touch with the company, I was happy to receive … Continue reading Review and Giveaway: Flexbook Notebooks
A new American-made notebook is always exciting, so I was very happy to be offered a sample of the First Draft notebook for review. The one I received is a lovely red color– navy and sand are also available. The first impression is of a solid, well-made, chunky mid-size notebook. I had a flashback to … Continue reading Review: First Draft Notebook
From The Finer Point, beautiful photos of a Hobonichi Techo planner, after 10 months of daily use: “The Hobonichi Techo has been the one stationery constant in my life this year. I use it every day to record things that have happened, places I have visited and big occasions that I want to remember. I am … Continue reading Almost a Year of the Hobonichi Techo
I don’t remember how I first heard that there was such a thing as Japanese stationery magazines, and I’m not even sure if “magazine” is the right word for them. The first one I’d heard of was a series of numbered volumes called “Note and Diary Style Book.” I searched for them on Amazon Japan, … Continue reading Japanese Stationery Magazines (and Giveaway!)
I first heard about the TWSBI brand via the Fountain Pen Network forums, which are a great place to discuss and learn about all things pen-and-notebook-y. I personally don’t have a mania for fountain pens, but people who do are very picky about the paper they use them on, so I’m always interested to know … Continue reading Review: TWSBI Notebooks
I can’t believe it’s taken me over 2 years to review these notebooks. I first heard of Design-Y in early 2012, when they were receiving quite a bit of buzz on fountain pen blogs. If you’re not familiar with this brand, here’s the background: they are handmade in Japan by a Mr. Yoshino. He uses … Continue reading Review: Design.Y Notebooks