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Thank you! 😊

Thank you - yes I agree, brands usually have a more consistent paper and design, so it can be a bit overwhelming. So your journal has the 120gsm paper! I've heard a lot of people saying it's not so good. What has your experience been?

Very pretty! It's a nice little journal :)

Thank you so much! I love doing layouts with hidden surprises!

Isn’t it? The yellow one has a gorgeous bee charm but I didn’t get the yellow because it has blank pages and I don’t love black paper. I love the bee cover though! 🐝

Thank you! That makes sense.

@@theusefuljournal Yeah, no problem! I had no idea either what it meant until I read something about it. 💛

Thanks so much 😊 Some of them take a while, especially if there's lots of drawing as well, but I love doing it and it relaxes me (most of the time!).

Thank you so much! It was tricky and time consuming. I really admire people that do stop motion. I think I would need far more practice to get better at it!

@@theusefuljournal Oh, and thank you so much for directing my attention to Hemlock & Oak notebooks. I've just bought a couple of them and love them!

I was so happy when I found a use for this one!

Agreed. I don’t think they even use Morocco to construct all their products, some are sewn together in France.

That’s correct!

You clearly did not watch the video. At no point do I say anything hateful, and in fact I point out where Australia and the USA have similar issues.

@@theusefuljournal She is asking people not to buy goods made in China,with false accusations. That's hate.

At no point did I say not to buy goods from China - I regularly buy Chinese products and often directly from Chinese companies and suppliers. I was responding to a question I had received. All the information about China was gathered from the United Nations and Amnesty International. www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/east-asia/china/report-china/ and news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125932

Amnesty's report on Australia www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-east-asia-and-the-pacific/australia/report-australia/

Sadly, a country's policies often affect people's willingness to support private businesses in that country. I have several Russian friends, have traveled there and know people in Russia, but that doesn't mean I want to support the Russian economy at the moment when they are invading Ukraine. I think in terms of choosing journals, people are far more often concerned with general issues of copyright infringement and working conditions. I know several brands that have visited the factories producing their products (in any country) to make sure the working conditions meet the values of their brand. There's a lot that goes into someone's decision of who to buy products from - their reasons are their own - I'm just here to share information. I would be interested to know what I have said that you think is false?

Great point! You’re right, use of sustainable forestry practices and recycling is much less common, but is definitely improving. If the world demands things like FSC paper they won’t have any choice but to catch up.

I was so sad to miss out when I was in Canada in February because they were out of stock. They’re definitely on my shopping list.

True, but I think they distinguish that from paper. I’d have to research more.

I found this: Unlike true paper, papyrus is made from plant fibers that have not been broken down. I suppose that's the distinction.

Yep - this is exactly why I don't give ratings for journals because everyone has different things they want out of a journal. So I just focus on giving all the information so people can make up their own mind. I love the idea of writing on the Tomoe River Paper then sticking it in your journal. That's one way to show the beautiful sheens of different fountain pen inks without having to use a separate little journal. I might have to use that idea!

Hi! Do you mean Kaisercraft? They've got lots of pretty notebooks, but they're not really the type I look for, as I focus on dot grid journals typically used for bullet journaling, that usually have thicker or treated paper that can cope with fountain pens or other mediums. I think Kaisercraft is lined journals with around 70-80 gsm uncoated paper that doesn't suit fountain pens much. Sorry - that means I won't be reviewing them. They look very pretty, and would be fine for using with ballpoint pens as a diary 🙂

Thank you! It's so nice to hear someone likes hearing the social and environmental responsibility bit - I've hardly had anyone give feedback on it, but because it's important to me I keep on doing it. I love the rorschach test results ❤️, I can see all those images!

Haha, Bailey says Hi back! I love including him in my videos (when he's in the mood).

It sounds like a travelers notebook system would be perfect for you, and is definitely better at coping with chunky pages. Wow, it must be exhausting doing the whole year at once, and you're not spreading out the fun :) Maybe doing one month at a time will help keep you motivated because you've got another fun month to set up. Until five years ago when I started doing creative style bullet journaling, I often gave up writing in my journal around May/June. I really look forward to decorating my journal each month now, so I think that's one of the things that got me into the habit of using it daily and all year.

Ooh I've heard Moleskine is not good at all - I'm not even keen to review one! The Travelers Company notebooks that have Midori MD paper are excellent.

Haha, me too! The notebook will only get better in value the more booklets you use up!

Yeah, in my review I comment that I'm concerned about the quality of the spine, which is related to the ability to lay flat, and if you've seen my flip through of that journal, you'll see that they spine had to be taped up in the end. Vivid Scribbles are a bit cheaper than other brands, and you definitely don't get the same quality as brands like Archer & Olive. Most journals have variation of 0-1mm in the lineup of dots across a double page spread. It's really difficult to get it perfect during the manufacturing process. If it's more than that, I'd be upset. Customer service for Vivid Scribbles wasn't great a couple of years back and I don't know if it's improved, so I don't know how you'd go with returns. The paper in mine was okay though, so hopefully, once you start using it, you won't notice the other problems so much, maybe?? Good luck.

I thought I'd replied to your comment! Stamping and painting would definitely be better on thicker paper 140gsm plus. The Quirky Cup Collective paper is amazing, and they also have a specific reading journal with prompts included for reviews, so it's worth checking out. They only have A5 size though. A square shape for my reading journal appeals to me as well. Archer & Olive have a range of square journals, and I think the size is perfect too. If you go A&O, please consider using my code TheUsefulJournal10 to get 10% off 💚. There's not many brands that do square journals - the one I showed in my video is Emma Kate Co, and I can't think of other brands that have them... Happy hunting!

No I don’t. I’m not against them, I just haven’t needed to and I tend to listen to podcasts in the car - ooh I could include them in this journal too…

@@theusefuljournal that’s was what I was wondering - I have more opportunity to listen to books vs read them - I am going to include them for my reading log - will need more layers of observation to include narrator

@@SuSuShamtrue, the narrator has a big impact on how you receive the story. Good idea.

Most hardcover journals lay flat, it's just when the binding is a bit tight that the pages sit up in the middle, like for this Dingbats, which I hope will settle in once the spine has been broken in. Stapled journals never lie flat. It's hard to recommend a brand because there's so many other variables. I assume you're looking for similar weight paper to Dingbats. Paperblanks dot grid planner is also 100gsm and also doesn't sit perfectly flat, I think because there's so many pages (230). The Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal lays flat (120gsm) and most of my 160gsm journals lay flat. The two in my video are the Leuchtturm Bullet Journal and an Archer & Olive 160gsm journal. I will say that in all my stitched binding journals, it's never been a huge bother if it doesn't lay perfectly flat, as at least they all stay open on the page, especially if you push down on the spine a bit. The ones that annoy me are stapled books, because they usually require weights or clips to hold them open.

Thank you so much!

I hope they stay on a similar path with their new publisher. They're bringing out all these other products now, and I'm worried they'll lose their focus on the journal itself. They're worth protecting - I love my two Paperblanks journals!

I was only ever going to buy the 100gsm, because I've been so happy with my blank page 100gsm. I should have checked in with you - you have lots of info on them! It's a lovely journal and I'm so glad I finally reviewed one.

​@@theusefuljournal I'm a bit of a fan, and I've researched them a little too much 😅! But there was a lot of informations I didn't know in your video! Particularly about environment and social responsibility, which is one of the things I appreciate the most in your reviews. Hope you still have fun with your pretty notebook 😊

Haha, now I've got to make some!

I'm doing a little research, because I've got the information available, and I'll do a Short in the next week. While most paper products are made in China, there are a couple of brands made in Japan but these are rarely B5, and a couple made in eastern Europe and one in Lebanon. I'll have to see whether they have B5. I'll be back...

I've posted a video to answer your question! th-cam.com/video/s_BXSCn9XwE/w-d-xo.html

Thanks!

Haha, I don't worry too much about social conventions. I wanted to wear it so I did.

LOL 😂 Wtf?

I'm glad you liked it. I've decided it's worth reviewing these smaller journals for exactly the reason you raised. When I bought it I thought it would be exactly like the Midori MD paper product, but it's really really not! I looked it up online when I was buying it, but no-one had made any comments about the paper, so I didn't know. It's not too bad, but it's not great either 😐

Thank you! I also love this theme. It's been raining non stop here too. I know exactly what you mean about the climate. Australia seems to go straight from bushfires to flood to drought then back to bushfires again 🥺

Yes, I think the entire world (well reasonable people) worries for Australia since the horrific fire that destroted so much and killed so many animals, was it in 2021? And we should certainly worry for each other, I believe, and care for the state of the planet globally. It's one of the reasons I like your notebook reviews, the fact that you care about environmental impacts.

Thank you so much! I'm so happy with this theme and I'm glad you liked my desk. I'm very lucky to own it.

Thank you! The gardens are lovely - they're full of a huge range of camellias and when they're flowering there's so much colour everywhere. I love visiting 💚

Ooh, please try it! Someone tried it and showed me how it turned out and it made me so happy! She did such a good job. I'm glad you like it.

The French coast is beautiful. I've been to Biarritz, Hendaye (because I did the Haute Route in the Pyrenees) and Arcachon (I have a friend with a business in Bordeaux), and I really want to visit a friend in La Rochelle. Are you heading north or south?

We'll be moving to Lorient, a city in the south of Bretagne, which is the region that makes the big arm on the west of France. So north-west? Centre-west? It's a port on the coast, and La Rochelle is not very far from it.

I saw their hardcover version and their goalbook, but after a lot of investigation on their website, I settled on the unmarked softcover version. I think it will suit me best! I've heard so much about Clairefontaine paper, so I can't wait to try it!

They're one of my favourite drawers too - perfect for my current pen or pencils in use!

I love purple with orange too. Beyond doing a pen test and review, I'm also not sure of how to use it, but since it's so good with fountain pens, I think I'll use it for something that has a lot more writing than illustrations - although it is the perfect size for six months of my bullet journal, so I'll be tempted!

Thank you, I needed to hear that. I often wonder whether I should show my face because so many creatives don't do it. I do love that desk and am very grateful that it was handed down to me. Thanks so much for your comment 💛

Love that! I do like a good splatter! Hope you have fun doing your own.

It really is ❤️

Thank you! It's a real pleasure to work at it.

Thank you 🙂

Thank you. No I haven't, as I very much enjoy creating my own layouts. I've looked at them, and they seem like a good layout for people to use and appear to be popular!

I'm afraid I got it on Amazon a long time ago and it's no longer available - sorry! Here's a link in case you can find something similar by searching on the name of the tape. www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0769CTGBD/ref=pe_2361882_282382012_TE_item