moleskine: always reliable. they have a6, hardcover, elastic band, all page styles. a little pricey but ive never regretted.
travelers company notebook: pricy but absolutely worth the investment. you can refill it, and have up to 3 booklets. i usually have a blank, a āsketch paperā and either watercolor or blank ivory. they have lined, graph, calendar, etc as well.
its not hard cover, but it has an elastic band
kokuyo campus notebooks: not really āartā notebooks, but my all time favorite for notes. they have lined, blank, grid, etc. also not hard cover
ngl i also just go on amazon a lot for journals
May 20, 2024
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iām still in my evaluation phase of a handful of different journals and paper typesā¦ in general, i think iām a fan of most notebooks that have tomoe river paper, because it works so nicely with my fountain pens, but some specifics:
- maruman mnemosyne spiral bound: i am using these in lined a4 or a5 format for my morning journals. good daily driver, bleeds a little if youāre overly aggressive.
- apica premium CD: i am currently using one in memo size to jot down notes, ideas, and first drafts for a writing project iām working on. i have a larger format that iām planning to use for practicing drawing with fineliner pens, but i havenāt actually done that yet, so iām not sure how well they go together. paper is SUPER silky and smooth, resistant to bleeding, but the smoothness makes it feels quite a bit different from most other kinds of paper.
(ed. note: the above two were taken from Wirecutterās article on the best notebooks and notepads)
- travelerās company: these are not really notebooks themselves, but sort of a system for customizing and evolving your own little custom notebook. you buy a leather cover, which comes with one notebook ārefill,ā and then you typically will either buy more to stuff in all at once, or to replace your refills as they fill up. itās a very neat little way to have a nice notebook with some flexible paper choices and cute accessories! these use Midori MD paper, which is very solid, but there are a lot of different varieties you can get, so itās worth exploring. i would argue the neatest thing about this choice is its modularity, which lets you e.g. explore Etsy listings for custom refills and accessories!
Oct 9, 2024
iāve accepted the fact that planners, especially dated/yearly ones, donāt work for me. i HATE feeling pressured to write something on every date!!!! blank notebooks work best for me, it just gives me more freedom.
kokuyo soft ring (blank) - canāt stand spiral notebooks bc itās hard to write on the left page (iām right handed) and these make it easier to write on both sides of the notebook. paper is so smooth but doesnt smudge gel pens. posca markers work surprisingly well?? also has micro-perforated cutoff pages that are easier to tear.
company notebooks - lined, dotted, grid, or blank it doesnāt really matter. theyāre free! i only use these for work to-do lists though. best one iāve received so far is from humanitĆ© & inclusion! blank, off white paper which is extremely rare, B6 size, gel ink rarely bleeds.
Apr 9, 2025
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maybe super basic of me but i will use these fancy notebooks until i die. even when my pens bleed through itās still worth it.
Jan 22, 2024
Top Recs from @rodeoshrimp
its so fun. theres so many types. abundant cheap options to get into. i recommend looking at jet pens website for both articles and pens you can buy. its a topic with tons of history, but is still modern and active. i have a kaweco aluminum sport which is my favorite but i also love the lamy safaris. could go on for hours about this lovely invention
Apr 15, 2024
Aug 16, 2024
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itās such a awkward marker of a new year. a weird mix of wanting people to celebrate you, but feeling tired of the obligation to thank everyone that only reaches out once a year.
i always find birthdays really hard, and fairly disappointing.
my recommendation is to give yourself grace, and do what makes you happy. i know itās such a generic rec but this past year on the actual day i just took it easy, treated myself to some takeout, and watched a show in bed. a few days after i got together with friends and we went to a restaurant i love but theyād never really wanted to go to. and then we ate homemade cake and watched a movie.
sorry if this isnāt a very upbeat response (: <3
happy birthday!! and know random people on the internet are celebrating you (:
Jul 30, 2024