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At the beginning of the year, I posted about my planner set-up for the year which included the Midori B6 Pocket Planner in the Clover design ($23.50, out of stock but a Birds edition is still available) tucked into my leather B6 cover from Bassy & Co ($81 and up) with my Stalogy Editor’s Series 365 Days ($21) everyday planner and note-taking notebook.
Since the beginning of the year, the pockets of my planner have become filled with an assortment of stickers, postage stamps and washi tape. I’ve gotten into collaging on my daily pages so having a few stickers to add along the way is a great option.
I am still loving the B6 size for my planner. It’s not as small as an A6, which I often felt like I needed more than one-page-per-day, but not as intimidating as an A5 which always seemed like too much space and too large a notebook to tote around everyday. If you haven’t tried B6 yet, I highly recommend it as the Goldilocks of notebooks.
This image above shows that I’ve filled about 2/3rds of the Stalogy daily planner and evidence of collage-y bits can be seen from the edge.
I added the Midori pen clip to the back of the Stalogy at the beginning of the year and have managed to keep it for six whole months without losing it. Good news since my rare Sailor ProGear Slim Stargazer has been riding around in the loop all year.
I mark my place each month and each day with the Midori gold Chiratto Index Clips ($8.50 for 8 clips). It makes getting to my current spot fast and easy.
I’m getting some mileage with the monthly pages to keep track of silly holidays like Graham Cracker Day (July 5), travel, pen shows and birthdays and such but I am not using the week-on-two-pages like I thought I would.
I had thought I would utilize the page on the right of the week-on-two-pages in the Midori for work-related tasks and notes but I have ended up keeping a notebook at work for these tasks and the pages go largely unused. Its extra sad because I really like the paper in the Midori Pocket Planner and the little illustrations throughout are cheery.
The only creature in my house that uses the ribbon bookmark is Apple. He thinks it’s delicious.
In the Stalogy, on days without a lot of activities (like a Sunday when you discover you have Covid-19), I have started adding collage elements with washi, stickers and some rubber stamps. I also bought a Polaroid Mint mini-printer to add the occasional photo to my planner.
I often treat my planner more like a log book of what I did, what I ate, where I went, who I saw, what I read, watch or listened to, etc. so adding photos in is a good way to log activities. If you want to be able to add photos to your journal or planner, many people recommend the Canon Ivy which is currently available. The Polaroid Mint has been discontinued. Both the Mint and the Ivy use Zink 2″ x 3″ printer paper. The color output is not great but the printer uses instant film technology and the printers don’t need ink cartridges making it a little easier to use. So, it makes fun, little retro-looking images that add some much-needed personality to my planner.
Usually, on Sundays, I try to pre-decorate a few pages. Since I am doing a (sort of) page-a-day for my planner/journal/logbook I just add a few decorative elements to add some interest for the week but I am not locked into using a whole page for one day. Some days, I might use two or more pages. I’ve found this open method so much easier for me since there is no pressure from day-to-day. Some days are super busy and active, and some days I skip altogether.
I don’t know how to solve for the largely unused Midori Pocket Planner. I thought about removing the monthly pages and pasting them into the Stalogy but I would want the whole year’s worth of calendar pages so where doe I put them? In the back altogether? At the beginning of each month but what about later months?
I would like to streamline a little bit but I haven’t figured out the best way to do that. As it is right now, the book is quite chonky so I suspect I will try to reduce the bulk I carry on a daily basis a bit.
How’s your planning/journal/notebook set-up serving you? Have you needed to switch it up?
Apple insisted on hanging out with me while I photographed this post so he wanted to put his paw stamp on this post. It’s “Apple-approved.”
The post Mid-Year Planner Review appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
While at the California Pen Show, I was able to score a few samples from the Traveler’s/Plotter table. Not that I needed any Traveler’s Notebook samples. I’ve been a loyal fan of Traveler’s for …. hmmmm… over a decade now! But it was a delight to revisit some of the classic refills. Because Traveler’s is part of the Midori product family, much of the paper included in the refills is Midori but I often forget that. This particular sample, a “Refill for a Short Trip” in Passport Size. This insert only include 32 pages compared to the regular Passport inserts that feature 64 pages but features the same high quality Midori MD paper in the cream color.
The Midori MD Cream paper has a slight tooth to it making it good for all around use and it stands up to pretty much any pen you can throw at it. I had no issues with feathering, even with my Pilot Custom 912 with the FA nib.
It’s a thinner paper so there is some show through but no bleed through at all. I have a soft spot for the Midori MD Cotton and Midori MD Light, so much so that I had forgotten how good the standard Midori MD paper was. Honestly, I don’t think there’s much more I can say about Midori MD paper that hasn’t been said already but its nice to take another look at the classics. They are classics for a reason. Thanks for the sample, Traveler’s Company, and for reminding me that I love this paper!
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Traveler’s Company USA for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
The post Notebook Review: Traveler’s Short Trip Passport Size appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
When you're planning a trip and writing your packing list, do you create a whole category for stationery? Of course you do; you're here. I love thinking about what pens and journals I'll need (or want) on my trips. One of the things I've wanted to do for a while is road-test a Traveler's Notebook from Traveler's Company. I mean, it's right there in the name! And this year seemed like the year to do it, as I have a lot of traveling planned. Mostly short business trips, but there will be planes, trains, boats, and buses, cars, and hotels, and couch surfing. And the Chicago Pen Show, of course. I did some research and planned a TN setup that I think will work for my adventures.
I got everything I needed from JetPens (some sent for review, some I bought to add a few accessories), and I'll be reviewing the components individually, but this post focuses on how I decided to set things up.
First, I opted for the Passport size, since I like to one-bag travel, and space is a premium. I want to use this notebook according to their old "all in one place" motto, so I intend to use it as my planner, wallet, and commonplace book. So, I got a Monthly Planner insert (which is all I'll need once school is over in May!), the zipper pouch/wallet, the kraft folder, a lightweight paper insert, a writing board, a pen holder, the adhesive pockets, and the brass notebook clip. I also got the sheet of double-sided adhesive so I can use it to put bits of travel memorabilia in the notebook.
I want the zipper part in the front of the book (so that I'm not writing on the lump of the zip), and the card slots in the back (to keep them extra safe). I want the monthly planner in front of the commonplace book, since they'll work together (events in the planner, task lists in the notebook). I connected the planner to the notebook with the extra elastic that came in the starter kit and put that pair through the notebook band, then put the zip-wallet behind them, and the folder in the middle. I put the writing board in the folder (along with some essential stickers), the adhesive pockets on the outside of the folder (for business cards), and I'm using the brass clip to hold the folder closed. I started with the pen clip on the back of the notebook, but it was annoying me, so I moved it to the folder as well, so that it holds the pen in a more central spot. I also swapped the black elastic out for the striking red one, and put the adhesive card slot on the inside of the front cover (for my ID). I still need to find a charm or bead for the elastic closure, but I figure that's something I'll find on my travels.
This is the setup I'm thinking and hoping will work for me! I haven't truly started testing it yet. I'm still using my main Midori planner for at least a few more weeks, while school is at its most intense. But using the Traveler's Notebook as a wallet setup for the past few weeks has been very successful. It's not too big or fiddly, it keeps everything safely contained, and I feel like I have everything I need right in my hand.
This notebook kit has so much personality. Maybe it's the act of constructing its layout and combining all the components, but I feel a bit like I've assembled a travel buddy, or like a bit of my own character got caught up in the elastics. You can't assemble a system so personal and not put a bit of yourself into it, I guess. Like Victor Frankenstein, but less messy. Or just as messy, you do you.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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