The joy of a new notebook

[MyMachineAndMe]

I'm surely not the only one? I was telling dh that I've almost finished my current notebook and that it's exciting because it means I get to start my new one. It's a beautiful notebook - it has a gold, shiny cover - and I've got the nice gold shimmer ink to use in it.

When I said all this, Dh looked at me like I've got two heads, as did one of my dc (the other has a better understanding of all things stationery).

Light-hearted question obviously, but do you get excited by new notebooks?

I might have spent the morning looking at the beautiful inks linked above and figured out the way of using them! 🤦‍♀️
I've just ordered a ruled notebook from scribbles that matter which matches my current journal to be used for my new job. Also looking at new fountain pens so I a have pen for journal and 1 for notebook....
🤦‍♀️
I really love my fountain at the moment as its so thin, so I think I need to look in RL shops.

@dizzygirl1 I use a fountain pen in my Flame Tree notebook and there's little bleeding. You can see little bits through the page, in the right light but not enough to bother me.

Totally get it!

Yea @dizzygirl1 it's probably better to test pens etc irl so you can feel them. The thing is, I haven't seen an actual, rl stationery shop for years so have to buy online.

How do you mean, how do I use it? Do you mean what do I use it for or how do I put it into the pen? I generally use it for calligraphy with my Noodler's flex pen because a wetter, wider pen is better. All of my pens have a converter or are piston filled so I just put them in the bottle and twist the twisty thing to suck the ink up. https://www.penshop.co.uk/blog/how-to-use-converter

It is so interesting to see what other people write in their books; I often google image search notebook pages to see what what I could use mine for but I am not creative and I can't draw and don't want to ruin any of my pages!

@Ostrichbraid I stumbled upon the mass observation project a while ago and applied. I've been writing for them for some time now and find it interesting.

@Hawkins0001 I too find it easier to remember and hold information better if I write it down.

Totally. And I always start a new notebook (particularly a fancy one) with an attempt at my best handwriting, like I’m a 10 year old at school trying to impress the teacher.

Yes, and the more fancy the notebook, the more fancy the handwriting attempts. They look like I wrote them from start to finish in one go whilst getting steadily more drunk and tired because the state of my handwriting has deteriorated so much.

Every Xmas same conversation with DH ... what gifts do you want there is only notebooks and pens on your wish list..... that's because I love them, just buy me the stationery!!!

My people!

I’m still to find my perfect notebook. Papier and some Paperchase A5 ones have been the best. The Papier one was a gift - I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much.

I like soft covers and thick, narrow lined pages.

I’m also in the market for a new fountain pen. I use Lamy Safaris with a converter (one for home and one for work), but I find that the nibs get clogged up and my work one seems to have died.

I recommend Twsbi, I have the fine nib and they are gorgeous to write with.

I have a ballpoint pen that takes ink cartridges. It's been a game changer for me as a leftie. No more inkie hands, but gorgeous coloured inks to use!

If it helps - I keep a list of things I'm looking forward to, with dates if I have them - upcoming books, audiobooks, tv shows etc. then I have a couple of pages with the year's things to remember - when audible renews, tax returns due, MOT etc. I like to separate out the useful stuff in one place and the fun future stuff in another!

I have a month page with things that affect me - the calendar in the kitchen has everything on, but my month wouldn't include DH appointments for instance. Then I have each day, with its to dos and things that happened (I put these with a o before it and tick tasks once done or -> if a task needs carrying over - that I did borrow from bullet journaling. Each page is divided into 3 days, which I've worked out is about enough for my life atm. I don't include stuff like empty the dishwasher or other routine tasks.

Then I have 2 pages for the month - one lists the fun stuff, audiobooks I listened to, books I read etc; the other is for good/bad/working on/completed task type things. So, getting the car serviced would go under completed. This way I have something to look at when it's NYE to see what I did over the year - always more than I thought!

And lastly, I have a page of things for next month.

I love pens and ink and notebooks, so it's a pleasure to set this up - NO fancy artwork 😆 - last week of the month before. Only takes about half an hour.

Where did you buy your notebook from please? It's beautiful. Does it have good (smooth and thick, ideally cream coloured...) pages?

I am in need of a suitable notebook to write in with my fountain pen!

I absolutely love choosing a new notebook but I also struggle with starting to write in each new one...

@HappyBackHome Have a look at the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks. The paper is thick enough for a fountain pen with no bleed and is good quality. It's also a creamy colour. I've added a picture so you can see the difference compared to standard A4 printer paper.

I'm also looking for a fountain pen to try the beautiful Diamine shimmer inks that @MyMachineAndMe posted earlier.

I currently have a number of Kaweco pens with different coloured ink cartridges. Prefer a wider nib and don't want to spend a lot as I have a bad habit of leaving pens lying around.

I like using the RETTACY Dot Grid Notebooks for my knitting journals, the paper is thick and so smooth. It's been a long time since I tried using a fountain pen, I could never get the hang of them for some reason. Is it worth trying again?
A page from my current knitting journal, I like using stickers because I'm a giant 54 year old child at heart!

Mountain of ink is an ink review site with a huge number of inks reviewed. Diamine ink is a good place to start if you’re interested in exploring fountain pen inks, especially if you’re in the UK. Their standard inks are about £2.50 for 30ml, shimmer inks cost a bit more. Your caution is well placed though, there’s so much variety it’s all too easy to get carried away!

Do they do an ink converter you can use so you can keep using it but with inks instead of cartridges?

@HappyBackHome I bought that same journal from Amazon. They have a range of paperblanks journals and notebooks in Waterstones but they're expensive from there.

@GalileoHumpkins do you hold the pen at a funny angle? I've found that fountain pens only work if you hold the pen in a specific angle from the paper and with the nib facing outwards. If you get ink on your fingers, it could be because you're holding it too close to the nib.

Thanks @ChicoryDip Leuchtturm 1917 are my current go to , they are the best I've found so far!

I work in a school and I use Leuchtturm 1917 academic / 18 month diaries - I already have my next one ready for September...

I will have another look at their notebooks, I am thinking of branching out and braving a dotted notebook next .

@MyMachineAndMe thank you, I will have a look on
Amazon too!

I realised I posted my fountain pen recommendation but didn't comment on stationery 🙈. I LOVE stationery, notebooks and planners. So much so I run an online planner store.

There is a whole community based around planning, notebooks and bullet journalling. It's a big rabbit hole though and one once you are in you never leave 😂

Late for mum's and coming back for a proper read later because ahhhhh notebooks and inks and fountain pens 😍

But very quickly, @RumNotRun thank you that's made by week - I am half of Ink Drops

and have very recently discovered the joy of refilling ink cartridges with a syringe so you can use all sorts of ink even in tiny pens that won't fit a converter - squeak!

*made my week - should really proofread before posting!

Notebooks. Pens. Inks.

So many, and I love all of them.