Tag: Stationary

Using A Reusable Notebook For My Planner

Yes, you read my title correctly, this article is all about reusable notebooks! Kindly, NewYes gave me one of their reusable notebooks to try out and share with my audience! I did not know what to expect from a reusable notebook. To me, it just sounded like it would either be a flop or kind of like a book of whiteboards. I browsed their website very little before jumping right in! Let’s talk reusable notebooks!

What is a Reusable Notebook?

A reusable notebook is exactly what it sounds, a notebook that you can reuse over and over again. Yes, I hear you, you can simply use a pencil and erase on normal paper, right? Well, this is actually different, because the paper does not break down when you erase the ink. It’s quite neat actually.

Using the NewYes Notebook

When I first started using the NewYes Notebook, I was pleasantly surprised. First, I expected that the pen would not work or erase well. However, not only did the pen work well, but it also erased well. Additionally, the pages (paper, if you can call it that) are really nice and it still feels like a notebook.

One thing to note about this notebook is that it acts like a pre-made planner. The pages each have a weather section, day sections, No. section and date sections before the lines or dots. I do not personally prefer pre-made planner styles. However, these sections do not take up a ton of space so the notebook has worked perfectly for me to take temporary notes. I love this because I don’t feel like I am wasting paper and can erase it when I am done with it.

Pros of the Notebook

  • Erasable ink
  • Reusable pages
  • Nice pages
  • Pen ring
  • Pre-made planner sections

Cons of the Notebook

  • Pre-made planner sections
  • Fewer notebook options
  • The pen leaves indentations sometimes

How To Use A Reusable Notebook for Your Planner

Just like any other notebook, a reusable notebook can be used as a planner. NewYes offer specific planner versions; so, if you prefer pre-made then this is perfect. However, if you like to make your own layouts, you can use a blank lined or dotted notebook like I tried out. There are some pre-made elements; however, if you want to be able to erase a notebook and reuse it, then surely you need to check it out!

Interested in moving over to a reusable notebook? Get your own here!

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Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal Notebook Review

If you’ve read any of my notebook reviews, you’ll know that I used the Essentials A5 Notebooks for the first 4 years of my bullet journal journey. For Christmas last year I was given a Leuchtturm 1917 in the color Army, so I switched over. Now that I have been using this notebook for nearly 9 months, I’d like to give it a review! Without further ado, here is my Leuchtturm 1917 review. This post may include affiliate links.

Leuchtturm1917 Specs

  • 249 Numbered pages
  • Blank table of contents
  • 8 Perforated and detachable sheets
  • Expandable pocket
  • 2 Page markers
  • Elastic closure band
  • Thread bound book opens flat
  • Sticker for labeling and archiving
  • Dimensions: 145 x 210 mm (#x# inches)
  • Ink proof paper
  • Acid-free paper
  • Available at B. Welly

First Impressions | Leuchtturm 1917

My first impression of the Leuchtturm 1917 was how beautiful it is. The notebook itself is pretty and feels very nice. It has all of the details I would want from a notebook like numbered pages, ribbon place markers, and a hardcover. I was super excited by the packaging, if anyone has ever ordered from J.B. Welly before, you know that the notebooks come in beautiful patterned paper with a nice floral card.

Pros & Cons of the Leuchtturm1917

Like any other notebook or product, there are pros and cons. This section will focus on my personal pros and cons for the Leuchtturm 1917 after 9 months of use.

Pros:

  • Hardcover is durable
  • Elastic band keeps the notebook from getting damaged and bent
  • Pocket in the back is a great place to store loose notes
  • 2 ribbons make page marking more convenient
  • Pages are numbered, and the notebook comes with a built-in index
  • There are so many color options, it’s impossible to be bored
  • Pages respond well to watercolor paint (still a little wrinkle, but really not bad)
  • The dots are in the same place on every page

Cons:

  • Pages aren’t a crisp white (while I do not mind, this can be a turn off for some)
  • The built-in index is a con for those who wish to design their own or does not want an index
  • There is some ghosting and bleeding, but this depends on the pen or ink that is used
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Final Impression

Do I recommend this notebook? Yes! I love my Leuchtturm 1917, and I do recommend it for anyone in search of a nice quality bullet journaling notebook that comes in multiple colors. The notebook is not super expensive; though more expensive than my trusty Essentials Notebook. I have used a plethora of paints and pens in the notebook with very little ghosting and almost no bleeding. While I do not recommend this notebook for a bullet journal newbie, I do recommend it for someone with a little bit more experience.

I get a lot of questions regarding which notebook I recommend, If you’d like me to do a 1:1:1 comparison of popular bullet journaling notebooks, let me know in the comments below!

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The Perfect Beginner’s Bullet Journal Notebook Review

It has been coming to my attention recently that a good portion of my viewership is bullet journal beginners and I get a lot of questions regarding my notebook recommendations. While I will always recommend a Leuchtturm 1917 or a Rhodia Goalbook, for the first 3 or 4 years of my bullet journaling journey I used an Essentials Gridline A5 Notebook. Here I will be reviewing the Essentials A5 Notebooks for bullet journal beginners! This post may include affiliate links.

While I used the gridline, Essentials A5 notebooks (made by Peter Pauper Press Inc.) also have dot matrix, blank, and lined page types! I will only be discussing the gridline and dot matrix.


Essentials Notebooks Specs (A5 Gridline & Dot Matrix)

  • 100-gsm acid-free/archival paper preserves your work
  • Inside back cover, pocket holds notes, business cards, etc
  • Elastic band attached to back cover keeps journal closed
  • Ribbon bookmark keeps your place
  • Durable hardcover binding
  • Classic A5 size (5-3/4 inches by 8-1/4 inches)
  • 192 dot-grid pages
  • Available on Amazon: Dot Matrix & Grid)
The Perfect Beginner’s Bullet Journal Notebook Review

First Impressions

I started using this notebook so long ago that I do not even remember my first impression, though I have always been impressed with the notebook. I just happened to be lucky, and the essentials notebooks were the first I happened across when I went out to actually search for a bullet journal. My first journal was different, but I had not bought that notebook for bullet journaling originally.

I would love to hear what your first impressions of the essentials notebook are! Submit them in the comments below, and I might add them to this post!

The Perfect Beginner’s Bullet Journal Notebook Review

Pros & Cons of the Essentials Notebooks

Like any other notebook or product, there are pros and cons. This section will focus on my personal pros and cons for the Essentials notebook after years of use.

Pros:

  • Hardcover is durable
  • Elastic band keeps the notebook from getting damaged and bent
  • Pocket in the back is a great place to store loose notes
  • Thick, smooth pages make ink look vibrant and write smooth
  • White pages (this could be a con if you prefer off-white)
  • Great price for the quality (generally around $9-$12; equivalent notebooks can run as high as $30)

Cons:

  • Only one color choice – black
  • Pages are not numbered (this can be a pain if you like to have an index)
  • Only one ribbon, some people prefer two (you can easily add a second ribbon DIY style)

Final Impression

Do I recommend this notebook? YES, 100% yes. I particularly recommend this notebook for beginners because it’s a great quality notebook to learn in without being worried about ruining an expensive notebook. I used this notebook for the first 4ish years of bullet journaling, it’s perfect. The most significant and really only issues I have with the Essentials notebooks is the lack of page numbers and color options. However, if you are into a plain black journal, don’t mind adding your own page numbers (or don’t use them) then there should be no issue! I create all my gifted notebooks using the essentials notebooks, and everyone always raves about them.

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  • The Perfect Beginner’s Bullet Journal Notebook Review
  • The Perfect Beginner’s Bullet Journal Notebook Review



Rhodia Goalbook Review for Bullet Journaling

I know, I know you read this title and thought, “but the Goalbook is not new” … So, I am late to the game! I was lucky enough to be gifted the Rhodia Goalbook from J. B. Welly at the end of 2017 and immediately began planning out how I would use my new notebook. Unfortunately, I had already started a new journal for my regular planning, collections, and lists for 2018, so I decided that my new Goalbook would be used for blog-related planning outside of my daily planning bullet journal. This is my review of the Rhodia Goalbook for Bullet Journaling.

What drew me to the Rhodia Goalbook was the excellent reviews that I read. Everyone was raving about it. However, I had not yet taken the leap to spend money on a good quality notebook. When I got in touch with J. B. Welly, they offered it to me, and I jumped at the opportunity!

Rhodia Goalbook Review

Rhodia Goalbook Specs

  • 8 x 8.3 inches
  • 90gsm ivory brushed vellum paper made in Étival-Clairefontaine, France
  • 6-page index or table of contents
  • 4-pages for annual planning
  • 4-pages for monthly planning
  • 240 pages (224 dot grit numbered sheets)
  • Pocket inside the back cover
  • Elastic closure band
  • 2 ribbon markers
  • Flexible binding
  • Softcover (16 available colors!)
  • Available at J*B Welly
  • Rhodia Goalbook Review
  • Rhodia Goalbook Review

First Impressions

So, when the Rhodia Goalbook first arrived I was blown away! It was beautifully packed and included a very nice little card from J. B. Welly. Immediately I took pictures and swooned over the notebook. I love the feel of the cover and indented details on the front cover. Additionally, the pages feel lovely and are numbered! I have never used a notebook that was already numbered before!

While the Goalbook comes in various colors, I chose raspberry because it seemed like a beautiful red-ish-pink color, and it is! Once I realized that the inside covers, elastic, and ribbons were orange (a color I don’t particularly care for), I decided to change that. One of the first things I did with my notebook (other than ogle at it), was to dye the ribbons and elastic with a black sharpie. I enjoy neutral colors, and I just happened to have a black sharpie on hand.

Next, I had to do something about my orange inside covers. I decided to cover the orange with gold washi tape!

Pros & Cons of the Rhodia Goalbook

Like any other notebook or products, there are pros and cons. This section will focus on my personal pros and cons for the Rhodia Goalbook after three months of use.

Pros:

  • The flexible soft faux leather cover is excellent. Make using the notebook pleasant
  • Elastic band keeps the notebook from getting damaged and bent
  • Pocket in the back is a great place to store loose notes
  • Beautiful colors to choose from
  • Thick, smooth pages make ink look vibrant and write smooth
  • Pages are numbered

Cons:

  • There is a Logo on the cover. This one isn’t a big deal, I just like sleek plan covers.
  • Off-white pages make it difficult to fix mistakes. I generally use white-out to cover my mistakes, but the whiteout makes an error look worse on the off-white pages
  • Orange inside cover and ribbons (but I fixed this DIY style)
Customizable Hand-Drawn Bullet Journals

Final Impression

After having used the Rhodia Goalbook for three months, I’d say that I love the notebook and I don’t love it. I absolutely adore the cover and quality of the pages. The dots and numbered pages are great, and the elastic band, ribbons, and back pocket are immensely useful! The most significant downside to this notebook is the off-white pages. But page color is entirely up to user preference, I just happen to prefer white pages.

Do I recommend this notebook? YES, 100% yes. If you don’t like off-white pages this notebook might not be for you, but considering all the other great qualities it has, you might be able to overlook the page color. Other than the page color, the notebook is fantastic! Head over to J.B. Welly to get the Rhodia Goalbook and other amazing bullet journaling supplies!

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  • Rhodia Goalbook Review for Bullet Journaling
  • Rhodia Goalbook Review for Bullet Journaling

5 Wedding Invitation Ideas That Are Trending

Well, it’s the time to invite! Of course, wedding invitations are the key to opening the door to getting your guests to attend your wedding celebration. Are you anxious to catch the latest trends in wedding dresses? Check out these 5 Wedding invitation ideas that are totally on trend!

When you’re planning your wedding invitation, always select the best of what you like and leave all other things behind. The most important thing is that you select a style most reflecting the personality of you and your future spouse. Use these ideas as starting points when designing your dream wedding invitation.

Adding Color To Your Wedding Invitations

Whether subtle or bold, the color is playing a major role in wedding invitations. Gone are the days of white invitations with standard ink colors. In this respect, the latest printing techniques are now adding color on card stock to writing on the envelope lining of the invitation card. Colors, which were once considered awkward, are now being used in the most traditional wedding invitations.

Invitations are now given a 3D touch. It is done by matting a photo in a frame with multiple colors and materials behind the photo. Cool and nice color combinations such as turquoise and tan, black and ivory, greens and blue, or orange and pink spice up the traditional color scheme.

5 Wedding Invitation Ideas That Are Trending

Decorating Your Invitations With Ribbons

Wedding invitations with ribbons have become a global trend. It gives a sophisticated yet fashionable touch to the invitations. The good thing is that you can use ribbons in many ways. For instance, you can take a slender ribbon complementing the color scheme of the invitation and place it around the corners. You can use an extra piece to create a bow on the top of the invitation.

Some people consider marriage as ‘tying the knot’. So you can do this by using two thin ribbons of different colors, complementing his and hers. Then tie a knot at the top corner of the wedding invitation. If you’re not a skilled person or you do not want to take the burden, you can also use a ribbon band.

5 Wedding Invitation Ideas That Are Trending

Extending Wedding Themes To Your Wedding Invitations

Have you planned a themed wedding? Some people want all the parts of the wedding to be color coordinated. People, nowadays, are implementing the wedding colors into the invitations. Whether you’re having your wedding ceremony on the beach, a candlelight service, or an outdoor wedding, you can easily customize the wedding invitations to express the theme of your wedding. For instance, a simple drawing of a candle on the front of the invitation or confetti in your envelopes is an easy simple way to integrate your wedding’s theme into the invitations.

Go Neutral

While the use of color in a bold scheme is gaining enormous popularity, color as neutral and minimalistic is also becoming more common. It means a wedding invitation may be mint green rather than white, or pastel pink rather than ivory. Besides opulent gold, elegant platinum, and earthy bronzes will surely add shine and shimmer to fashion-forward invites. Wow your guests with classic golden borders or silvery or shimmery papers. Using colors as neutrals continue to grow in popularity as more people become accustomed to seeing colors as part of the wedding invitations.

5 Wedding Invitation Ideas That Are Trending

Using Paper Creatively

We have been focusing on the creative use of paper such as textures, folds, layers, cut-offs, non-traditional sizing, and anything you can think of. Nowadays, intricate laser cuts, non-traditional shapes like oval, circle, and triangle are being used. In fact, anything you can think of to do with the paper is now possible. You can use that creativity to create a stunning and mesmerizing wedding invitation.

So, there you have it! I’ve provided you with the best wedding invitation trends in the year 2017. A great wedding invitation is truly an instant statement to your guests.

Meet the Author

The author of this post is Tanya Sen. Tanya Sen quit her well-paying job to follow her dreams and become a writer. She is now creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals. An avid traveler, having visited more than 40 countries. She loves to cook and try different cuisines. She now lives in Goa, India.

Interesting in guest posting on Jihi Elephant? Read about it here!



5 Wedding Invitation Ideas That Are Trending