Sicura Large Journal

I bought this notebook in TK Maxx as it was £5 and I was slightly intrigued by this Moleskinalike.  Quite by surprise it has turned out to be one of my favourite notebooks so far.

It is the same size as a large Moleskine but has a slightly more textured cover.  This one has a black cover and lined pages.  I think there were also ones with a white cover and plain pages.  The pages themselves are a bit more interesting than the usual lined pages because they have a space at the top to record some title details including date and location for the notes you are taking.

The paper itself is thicker than Moleskine paper and in my opinion better.  I use this notebook for work notes and generally write with a ballpoint pen or a liquid ink pen such as the Pilot V5 Hi-Techpoint.  Both these pens work great on it.  I have used a Lamy Safari on it also which seems to work fine.  I don't tend to use a fountain pen for every day notes so it isn't a problem for me.

Of course the interesting thing for me is where are these notebooks sold?  Usually TK Maxx come up with a few odds and ends from the USA and the information on the back of the label suggests these are no exception.  It says Argento SC by Sikura Inc New York, New York.

I bought this just before Christmas in 2010 and have used it all of 2011 so far.  I came across some small notebooks of the same brand in TK Maxx today so had to purchase them too.  I shall pop them up on the blog at a later date.  Of course the disappointing thing is that I would buy this notebook again however it is unlikely I shall come across it again.  I have, however purchased a Leuchtturm as a replacement when I need it.  I shall include that in a later blog also though I fear the paper is too thin for my liking.

Travel Journal-Paperchase Wire bound

This travel journal comes from Paperchase. It's spiral bound with several sections, some lined paper, some plain paper. It also has some see through pockets and paper pockets for putting in mementos. It's quite bulky because although it's A5 size the wire binding is quite large. Still it was thrown into my rucksack and happily carted round Cuba on buses and taxis.
The paper copes best with a ballpoint (Pentel Superb my favourite) and a fibre tip type pen like a Berol Notewriter.
What I like about it is that it isn't too perfect. It's not one of those very special notebooks that I'm frightened to write in. I was happy to write about our experiences (and in Cuba everything is an experience!) draw pictures in it and it was good to have places to slip in cards from the casas we stayed in and other pieces of memorabilia. I have used a smaller A6 version for a trip to Austin, Texas to record some highlights. Because of its size highlights, addresses, quick reviews, travel details are what it's good for.
Now Cuba? That's a whole blog to itself......... Fantastic lace, fantastic people. Book a flight now. Go now. Enjoy before it changes into a horrible American theme park in a few years...

Crane & Co Jotter

I thought I'd share with you one of my Christmas presents. It is a Jotter Card Holder from Crane and Co. A beautiful aqua blue leather jotter that holds 3"x5" cards. So you can use standard index cards with it but some plain white one's come with it in the lovely box. The front holds one card for you to jot your notes on and at the back is a pocket to store spare and used cards. I think I would only carry a few cards in there at a time though. Now it as an extravagance as using a leather holder for jotting down quick notes on index cards isn't really necessary but it is a pleasure to do. And it was a present....

Crane & Co are a US based company and you lucky folk in the states can jump online and order some of their lovely stationery. The jotter pad on their site retails at $29 so it's not completely ridiculous in terms of price. Aspinal of London do a 4x6 version for £35 but Smythson of Bond Street do a 3x5 one for £95! Now that is extravagant.

So where did my Crane & Co jotter ad come from if it's US based? Well even though it was a present I now it came from Magenta Ink which is a small, specialist stationery shop in Edinburgh. It does wedding stationery but also has an interesting collection of specialist and imported items including some Kate Spade products. If you like quality stationery and good service and happen to be in Edinburgh you should pop in.

How exactly I shall use the jotter I'm not sure. I am the sort of person who always remembers things I need to do at the very time I can't do them. I then promptly forget all about them until the next time I can't do them. I'm hoping that if I carry this with me I shall be more likely to jot things down as a later reminder so that I will do all those little things I regularly forget.

Notebook Have a Look - Castelli Diary

I suppose it's not strictly a notebook but still worth a look. My diary for this year is a Castelli A5 page a day diary. It has a material clasp that keeps it closed, a pen holder in which a cool Castelli pencil is included, a ribbon marker and perforated page corners. It is one of those diary inserts that fits inside a cover. Mine is red. The paper is of good quality, smooth and white. I do generally use a pencil in my diary seeing as arrangements change but I'm sure it would suit gel pen, ballpoint or fountain pen. The pages have plenty of space for writing, a decent top line margin which I like to use which also has a cute little bit for recording temperature and weather conditions. It has appointment times that run from 8 till 8, and at the bottom of each page an interesting date related fact. For example did you know that King Robert II Stuart of Scotland was crowned on 22nd January 1371? And who could forget the cancellation of the Grand National after two false starts on April 3rd 1993.

I also add a line down the centre of each weekday page so that I can add in any date related to do items or reminders of things I did do.

I have seen companies use this brand for promotional items. This one is no exception, I was given it rather than purchased it. It retails at £15.50 which is quite pricey for a diary I guess. A Collins would be much cheaper but not as stylish. I guess however that it's not that different to the price of a Moleskine diary of similar size and it does have much nicer paper than a Moleskie in my opinion.

The company website is at www.castelli.co.uk/ and it wasn't until I looked there that I realised I already had one of their products, the Travel Journal (World Design) . It is a classy journal and I may look it out for the blog. It cost £10 though and in some ways that has stopped me writing too much in it. In a way it's too nice whereas I will scribble all sorts of nonsense in a Paperchase journal which isnt cheap either but doesn't feel as precious. Perhaps that's a bit daft but I think other notebook fetishists will understand. I also noticed that they had a Football Manager notebook for recording match reports and collecting autographs too. What a neat idea though again it seems quite classy for that type of activity. I wonder if anyone has ever used it? I'm the sort of person that forgets a game as soon as I've seen it so i wouldn't be much good to me but there are plenty of folk who can remember not only the score but the goal scorers, the players that took part in the move, the substitutions, I could go on....

The one thing about having a page per day A5 diary that can be problematic is carrying it around. My bag is often heavy and I look for ways of minimising the weight. However it's mid January and I'm still coping with it's size. I just cant really deal with a diary that's much smaller for keeping track of appointments, meeting venues and to do items.

Moleskine Monthly Pocket Diary 2009

I always find it a bit depressing when I am writing in several meetings into next year's diary and it's only September/October time. The clocks haven't even gone back yet! So at this time I use a temporary measure before my A5 page a day diary arrives. As I'm always trying to minimise weight in my bag I don't want to carry two A5 diaries about for 3 months.

This year I've chosen the pocket Moleskine monthly planner. It actually has space for 2010 too so I'm hoping it will last for two years as my Autumn temporary diary, so that's a saving. Moleskines themselves are not inexpensive and I am still unconvinced with the quality of the paper. Some people seem to love it and rave about it but sometimes I wonder if it's just the name they fall for. Clairefontaine paper blows Moleskine out the water as does many Oxford notebooks. Still I've gone for it this year. It is small and lightweight which is what I want. I'm interested in any positive or negative opinions on Moleskine diaries.............

Notebook Have a Look - Rhodia

This is my Rhodia No14 notepad (11x17cm). One of my current favourites. These little beauties are made in France and available in a few UK stores. Blackwells and Paperchase (in Borders) sell them but there are also a few online suppliers with wider ranges.

It's a strange design in a way. The staples at the top mean that you have to fold the cover up or round the back of the notebook but it does this easily. You can use it portrait or landscape and each sheet is perforated for easy removal. They are inexpensive but the quality of the paper is fantastic. I usually write in pencil which writes smoothly over the surface but I've also written with my Stabilo Sensor (in the photo) and other gel type pens-all write smoothly with no bleed through. The red and black band is a velcro cable tie that I've put round it which slides down the notebook to both hold the notebook shut and hold my pen.

The pages of the number 14 will also fit into a personal size Filofax or a Compact size Franklin Covey binder. A bit wider than both these page sizes but great for adding notes in.

There are a variety of sizes, from wee cute ones that would fit in your trouser pocket to A4 size for fitting into your folio. They come in plain, lined and 5x5 grid. I've taken a shine to the grid version.

The Rhodia site has an English version so have a look at what they have.