My First Two Travelers’ Notebooks

I first came across Travelers’ Notebooks (TNs) last year. I was skeptical. They just seemed too expensive for me, and the shape was odd. I was completely sold out on A5-sized journals and didn’t see myself having much use for such an odd-shaped journal of sorts. I hemmed and I hawed and I waffled around trying one until early this month. I decided to try a Midori Traveler’s Notebook and a hand-sewn TN made by Sunday Leather Craft.

Sunday Leather TN on top, Midori TN at the bottom.

I was completely unprepared for how much I was going to enjoy these journals. These are both TNs, they look similar, but they feel different.

The elastic of an MTN is simpler and uses a thinner rubber band. The Sunday Leather Craft TN has a thicker band and a piece of leather which helps keep the cover closed, I guess, but I opted to remove it to make it look simpler.

The leather that Sunday Leather Craft uses is relatively firm, but is a lot softer and more pliable compared with Midori’s TN. The result is that it feels more floppy. Not in a bad way, though. I like that it has this very raw feel to it. It can accommodate more inserts too, because it’s softer. It also lays down flatter than a Midori TN.

Sunday Leather Craft’s TN is already set up for multiple inserts. I watched a few videos on YouTube on how to “hack” a Midori TN to hold more than three inserts but this setup eliminates the need to poke holes into the leather. If you’re comfortable with chunky setups and multiple inserts, this will definitely make it easier for you to do that.

The Midori Travelers’ Notebook, on the other hand, feels more polished. The leather is stiffer, although it looks like it will get a tiny bit more pliable with time. The leather is gorgeous, but I really don’t mind it getting scuffed while I use it (it already has a few dings on it after a few weeks of use) because I want it to show signs that it’s been used and loved and taken everywhere.

The elastic that closes the Midori TN is knotted at the back of the leather cover. The leather is stiff enough that it doesn’t cause any deformation because of the tension of the elastic. Sunday Leather Craft’s TN is knotted from the spine, which is a smart design given the fact that the leather is softer than Midori’s. It minimizes the bunching up of the leather as long as there are notebooks inserted in it.

Midori TN (bottom) is a tight fit. I have the same setup of notebooks in both TNs (two blank notebooks and a sketchbook), but Sunday Leather Craft’s TN is roomier.

It’s very tempting to put more  notebooks in the roomier Sunday Leather Craft TN. Maybe I will stuff more in there and see how the leather will hold up with the chunk. Of course, lugging that around will be challenging (and might cause lower back pain, haha). Plus, I usually include a lot of photos, washi tapes and other stuff in my journals, so it will need some room to grow.

The paper I used on these two TNs are Midori’s inserts. They’re good, but I’m afraid I really cannot get used to them. I am going to replace these with Tomoe River inserts as soon as possible. Aside from the quality of paper, Tomoe River inserts are also thinner. You can put more inserts without bulking up the notebook too much. Of course, Tomoe River inserts are more expensive and not always available locally. If you aren’t very picky with the paper, the default Midori inserts are good enough, and they have different kinds of refills too if you want to use your TN as a planner as well as a journal/sketchbook.

Midori sketchbook insert

I do like the sketchbook inserts, though, even if they do add to the bulk of the TN. As for the shape of the inserts, I’m surprised that I adjusted to it pretty quickly. I initially felt that it would be too narrow for the size of my handwriting. Turns out it’s not that bad. It doesn’t feel cramped at all. It even fits in my bag better than my A5 journals do. Even if it’s chunky, it’s actually lighter and easier to carry around.

There’s a huge price difference between these two, though. The locally-made TN from Sunday Leather Craft costs about 1/3 of the price of the Midori. It doesn’t come with inserts, though. You can even ask them to customize it with pockets or choose the color and texture of your leather and the color of the stitching. I think it’s great value for money.

Overall, I love these TNs. I like the size, I like the flexibility of the inserts, and I love the leather cover. I can store the inserts as I fill them up and let the leather cover age beautifully. I like it so much that I’ve decided to use it as my main journal for next year.

I’ll probably write a separate review of the Sunday Leather Craft TN after the new year. 🙂

Journal Tips and Writing Prompts for May

Everyday, I try to set aside a time to write in my journal. I discovered that if you are actively looking for time, you find a lot of it spread out even in busy days. I wrote in another blog entry that I often write at length about my meditations on the Bible for that day. I absolutely love it when I have long stretches of time to do this, and I always feel very refreshed afterwards.

Sometimes, I like to put pictures in my journals and write about the memories that go with the photos.

I have six nephews and nieces, and I oftentimes have them in mind while I write. I want to think that I’ll pass on these journals to them when I’m gone and they will read about my thoughts on the world during my youth, and they’ll see photos of themselves and see how much they’re loved and cherished. I know everything is digital these days but there’s still something so great about seeing printed photos. Being able to hold them in your hand and see where time wore out some places, that’s something.

I prefer to use a glue stick to put photos in my journals, but you can also use washi tape. I wouldn’t recommend liquid glue because it deforms the paper too much. Adding printed photos to your journal is a visual reminder that, in my opinion, shouldn’t take away from how you recall the details through your words.

For those who need a few more writing prompts for their journal entries, how about these (and you can add photos too, if you want):

1. Write an open letter for your future self.
2. Write a happy memory you have of your mom.
3. What did you want to be when you grew up?
4. Describe the street where you grew up.
5. Write an open letter to God.

Happy writing!

Elias Soft-Cover Journals are Here!

Last week, the soft-covered journals of Elias Notebooks became available and I got a first look at it during the March pen meet of FPN-P. However, they only had the blank journals available, and I wanted to wait for the lined and dot grid journals. I got it in the mail yesterday! I’m so happy.

This design is called gold mosaic, and it’s really pretty in person. Basically, it’s the same awesome Elias paper but with a soft leather cover instead of the hard cover. Personally, I like both the hard and soft covers. The hard covers are a bit more formal-looking. The soft-covered ones are lighter, easier to carry. I love them both.

The Joy of Tabula Rasa

There’s something truly wonderful about sitting in a quiet room at the end of the day with your cup of coffee and the cat quietly staring at you from the other end of the table. Then you pick out the pens that you want to use for the day, open your journal and breathe out a sigh of pure joy at the sight of a blank page. 🙂

For me, it’s a reminder that each day is a new beginning, and a chance to make of it what we want. 🙂

Matching Journals

I got this in the mail today, a large and small Elias journal in tan colored suede. These journals are just beautiful, and the paper is perfect for fountain pens. The photo couldn’t capture the rich dark brown suede, though. In person, the color is more like chocolate truffles. Yum.

Learn more about Elias Journals here. BTW, I’m just a happy customer, not in any way affiliated to them. I buy my own journals, pens and inks, and will always make a full disclosure if I’m reviewing or writing about something that I did not buy for myself. 🙂

It’s An Awesome Week

I scheduled four long days of “me time” this week. This usually means immersing myself in studying the Word and in prayer, and also squeezing in some time to write in my journal. It’s always fun to do this. I rarely get to schedule long blocks of time to do something like this.

Today I tried to get some journal writing done. There have been a lot of fun things that happened this month and unfortunately I just didn’t have the time to write it down. I appreciate these quiet moments when I can do this because it’s like recalling the details of those events and committing them to memory. I can take a moment to ponder these things, form my thoughts about them and describe how much happiness it brought…brings to me. It helps me be more attentive to these moments and also more thankful about them.

FPOTD:
Bexley BX802 – Sailor Miruai
Pelikan M200 – Diamine POGI
Journal – Elias Notebook

Review: Elias Journals and Pen Case

For people who love to write, finding decent notebooks is a must. One of my friends (Keshia) recommended Elias notebooks to me, and of course I had to try it out. I must say I am happy I did! this happy bundle was delivered by Xend to our house this afternoon.

My first impression on the journal is that it looks very presentable. The leather cover is very pleasant to touch. It’s genuine leather and it’s very soft and supple. Almost like velvet. Smells awesome too! I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a notebook huffer, and this notebook is very huff-worthy. The smell of leather and paper is ohhhh sooooo gooood. The leather cover is thick and the bindings looks very secured. I bought a large and small journal, the one in the photo above is 5.4 x 8 inches with 88 sheets of unlined paper.

Yes, it actually is as soft as it looks. The notebook initially has some difficulties laying down flat, but it looks like something that will come naturally as you open it more often.

Update: While the journals don’t lay flat, it opens up quite easily as you use it more often. I myself have softened the spine by fully opening the notebook. In other words, binuksan ko ng maiging-maigi. Don’t be afraid, the spine can take it.

There’s a little pocket at the back where you can store notes and whatnots, and it had two slips of paper inside. These are neatly printed sheets; one explains how to take care of the leather, the other explains the origins of the notebook’s name. Elias is from the character in Jose Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere. I think that providing a glimpse of the notebook’s backstory is a very nice touch.

Now, on to the paper. 

Review: Alunsina Handbound Books – Small Leather Journal

The journals come with this cute pouch.

I’ve always loved Alunsina journals. From the first time that I saw them through a friend on Facebook, I’ve only used their leather bound books for my journal. However, when I switched to fountain pens, I had to regretfully stop using them too because they’re not fountain pen-friendly. So when they announced last month that they have switched their paper to something more fountain pen-friendly, I knew I had to try it.

I heard that they were at the Makers’ Market at Zonta Alabang so I dropped by specifically for them and bought a Kislap traveler’s journal for my husband and a small journal for myself. I already ordered a Kislap for myself and a full-sized journal but I had them personalized with my name so it’s gonna be delivered to my place instead.

      

I love all of the little details of this journal. From the color of the threads that they use, how they sew up their paper to the leather cover, the clasps and buckles that they add, even the way their paper doesn’t look machine cut. It looks very handmade and I love that look.

I love that since all journals are handmade, no two journals are exactly alike. Each journal has individual characteristics and though they may make several journals of the same design, none will have that generic look. Each will be unique in its own way. The small leather journal that I chose is teal-colored, vegetable-tanned cowhide leather. I figured that since I ordered brown distressed leather for my Kislap and some combination of dark-colored leather for my full-sized journal, this small one could use a little color. 🙂