christmas planning and card writing

As a huge lover of Christmas and festive tidings, every Christmas, I take great pleasure in ensuring a Christmas-appropriate ink is in situ in one of my fountain pens. Last year, it was De Atramentis Santa (which confusingly smells of chocolate) and this year, I've opted for a personal favourite within the collection: J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor. My full review of it from 2018 can be seen here. 

I also make a note of who needs a Christmas card as my worst nightmare is leaving someone out by accident. This allows me to spend one afternoon, sat in my lounge with the heating on and a lit candle, writing out Christmas cards ready to post out. I still can't let go of pen and paper which I know is terrible for the environment. However, growing up giving out Christmas cards every year at school, it's a tradition that I can envisage carrying on for decades in my household. 

Now the next question is, which ink to use for next year? Do I purchase a new one or see the festive qualities in one I already own? Guess we'll find out next year!

Do you do something similar with your inks at Christmas time? 

planning ahead with a bullet journal

The one thing about bullet journals that I struggle with is putting in important dates for the year after. Because I'm not buying a planner every October in preparation for the next calendar year, I knew a set-up within the current year's bullet journal was essential. 

So this is how I plan my year ahead. 

Each six months' get a double page spread of their own. This is to ensure there's plenty of space for important dates and also any other things I wanted to make a note of. 

To-dos for those specific months are noted, as are important dates where renewals may be coming up or appointments made in advance. I also make a note of upcoming blog posts and as you can see, there's a few coming up for next year! 

The other thing I like to do is make a note of things that need to be in a future future planner. For example, my passport renewal will be due in September 2031 - I'm still yet to work out whether this belongs on the first page of my bullet journal or in this future plan spread. Likewise with my mortgage! 

I'm still working through how this works for me and there's definitely room for improvement. However, this seems to work at present; allowing me to keep my planner neat and tidy whilst ensuring I still feel organised inside my head. 

Do you do your future planning another way? I'm always on the hunt for a better and more logical way! 

midori A5 cover to cover notebook

Midori are a brand synonymous with quality stationery products. I was looking for a notebook with about 300 pages which can lay flat and be bashed around day-to-day. This one fit the bill. One of my friends used the thinner one at work earlier this year and I was impressed with how well the paper took fountain pen ink! It was then that I knew this thicker version at 365 pages would need to be added to my notebook collection. The only issue is when it'll get used given my current extensive stash! 

I also bought the plastic cover for it to try and protect it a bit more. At work, things have to be wiped clean easily (hence the plastic cover) and will undoubtedly see a lot of wear and tear.

The design is simplistic - a cream card cover and cream coloured plain paper. I prefer dotted or plain paper in my work notebooks as it allows me to draw diagrams and note my thoughts down in a haphazard manner, ready for me to organise later. As a surgical trainee, diagrams are helpful to revise anatomy and the plain paper allows me to sketch things I've learnt from operations, clinic or in other scenarios. 

The spine has a stitched design which I personally like. It's always good to see the composition of a notebook and this one actually feels quite sturdy despite its minimalistic design. 

Each corner can be torn off if you'd like. The intended use for this notebook is as a day-per-page planner which is why the corners are perforated like this and also why it has 365 pages. 

In terms of how the paper performs with various types of ink... well, below is the evidence and all I'll say is that it seems to take fountain, gel, fineliner and highlighter very well with little to no show through at all. 

Overall, Midori goods are affordable but of a decent quality, look great and extremely functional. I'm excited to crack this notebook out in the next few months' or so (at least, that's the plan!). Let's see how that pans out! Sit tight for an update if that becomes a reality. 

katie leamon lay flat 300 page notebooks

Between August 2019 - August 2020, I managed to use all 300 pages of a Katie Leamon lay flat notebook. You can see my initial post about it here and how it ended up here. Later on in this post, you'll see it even more battered than before. 

Since then, I've added another three to my collection and they all complement each other nicely in design. 

Ultimately, I think they are destined to be work notebooks due to the sheer number of blank pages which lend themselves nicely to drawings, random scribbles and just anything else I fancy jotting down. 

What I particularly like is how battered they can look after a lot of use. I'm someone who likes to see a sign of wear and tear as it shows that the item has been well used. I really like how the paper is ridiculously fountain pen-friendly (always a bonus) and has barely any showthrough at all. 

Honestly, I think these notebooks are underrated. They are a little pricey at £24.95 for the Heirloom ones (the floral ones) and £21.95 for the plain ones but for the sheer number of pages and its immediate ability to lay flat from day one, they are completely worth it to me. It'll take me a while to get through these three before I need to buy anymore though...