MILLIGRAM, FIELD NOTES & OCTAEVO REVIEW

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the physical Milligram (formerly Notemaker) store at Melbourne Central recently, and managed to pick up some new notebooks to use (because you can never leave empty handed!). Newly opened on the 4^th of November, it’s a store you will have to visit if you’re ever in town. There were three sets of notebooks that I picked up in my time there, and I’ve decided to do a little review comparing each in terms of size and paper quality.

These were the three notebooks:

1- Octaevo Passport Notebooks

2- Field Notes Campfire Edition

3- Milligram A6 Ruled Notebook

I’m currently predominantly using my Passport notebook for everyday planning and journaling, but have yet to find the perfect size for regular note-taking and documentation. As much as I love the Midori branded notebooks (because they’re a perfect all round notebook), they're limited variety means I'm always on the lookout for something different (and it's hard when not many companies do a Passport size notebook!)

But anyway, let's start with my review of the three notebooks. I'll go through size, variety and most importantly, paper quality tests:

1- Octaevo Passport

The Octaevo brand is new to Milligram and boasts colourful notebooks of varying sizes. Octaevo harks from across the Mediterranean seas of Barcelona with each piece they create being made to last. I purchased the Travel Notes Notebooks, Set of 3 in Alexandria, Barcelona and Athens, because they were the exact Passport size notebooks I needed. They come in a set of three, with each colour (yellow orange and blue) holding either plain, ruled or dot-grid pages:

Unlike Midori Passport notebooks, the cover is in fabric, giving them a more lasting and luxurious feel. Not to mention, their bright colours makes everything pop:

I do have to mention though, that these Octaevo notebooks are actually slightly larger than the Midori Passport notebooks:

However, they still fit perfectly in the leather cover with no overhang:

The pages feel thick and sturdy, but of course, we'll only get to know the quality of it with every day writing equipment. So on to the pen test:

I've decided to try out the most frequently used pens currently in the planner community (although do bear with me, I don't have every favourite pen in the planner community!) which included:
1- Midori Fountain Pen (with De Atramentis Documenter ink)
2- Pilot Juice 0.4
3- Muji 0.38 Gel Pen
4- Ballpoint pen
5- Kaweco Fountain Pen (F)
6- Lamy Al-Star Fountain Pen (EF)
7- YStudio Fountain Pen (F)
8- Tombow Dual Brush

I will speak in terms of feathering, bleed and show through.
Feathering: ink spreads beyond where it is applied to the paper, usually along the fibres
Bleed through: seepage of ink from one side of the page to the other
Show through: the ability to see words / images printed on one side of the page on the other. Note that just because a paper has show through, doesn't mean it has bleed through!

I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed. The thick paper really held up well with all pens. Here's a closer look at how the different pens fared on the page:

There was minimal feathering in all the non-fountain pens, with feathering increasing with nib size. It wasn't too obvious to cause any blurring of words. And here's how it looks like on the back of the page:

Again, impressed. The YStudio Fountain Pen seemed to cause the most trouble in terms of feathering and slight bleed through, but only because of the size of the nib (even though its F!). The page fared very well with all other pens with only a slight show through with the other two fountain pens.

Overall: I would definitely consider using these notebooks if I were to ever need a change from the Midori variety.  They're a great size (slightly larger than the normal, which also means more space!), contains great paper and are aesthetically pleasing. Not to mention, they have a dot grid notebook which is a big plus considering I can't find one anywhere else! Highly recommend!

2- Field Notes:

Field Notes are a well known brand for their notebooks. Although slightly larger than a Passport size, I love having them as an extra notebook tucked at the back for random notes and doodles. For me, Field Notes are kinda like a brain-dump-disposable notebook. It allows my thoughts to run free on the page with no pressure to be neat.

I bought myself the Campfire Edition seeing it was one of the many versions I've been eyeing for a while mostly because of the cute patch it comes with, and the fact that the grid lines inside came in gorgeous blue, orange and brown colours!

But having used Field Notes before, I knew what to expect with the paper quality, which to be honest, isn't fantastic for the pens I use. And here's why:

Using the same pens I trialled in the Octaevo Notebooks, I have tested them out in the Field Notes pages again. Here's how it looks:

And here's a closer look:

Feathering is slightly more evident in the fountain pens in the Field Notes as compared to Octaevo, which was mostly only evident in the Ystudio Fountain Pen. The Tombow Dual Brush marker colour created little blots on the page rather than a smooth colour lay like with the Octaevo, so don't expect colouring in these pages to turn out too artistic. The non-fountain pens fared equally in both Octaevo and Field Notes notebooks.

A look at the back of the page shows that the Fountain Pens definitely has more show and bleed through in the Field Notes page than it did in Octaevo. All other non-fountain pens did not show through:

Overall: Field Notes is great for the every day user. If you're looking for something relatively affordable to jot down notes on the go, that will hold up to most pens, this is the notebook for you. Their variety of colours, page size and the ability to choose between ruled, plain and grid paper means that there is definitely something for everyone.

3- Milligram:
Designed in Australia, with features like fountain-pen friendly paper, colourful covers and a variety of page ruling for everyone, Milligram's A6 notebooks are the next up in line in my review:

Milligram A6 notebooks comes in a pack of two, and in this case, I received a pack of two ruled baby blue and peach notebooks to try out.

They contain 40 sheets of ruled paper with 85GSM Italian Milled Fabriano Boutique Bioprima Book Paper (sounds super fancy!). But of course, this would all mean nothing without the crucial pen test. And spoiler alert: their paper definitely lives up to expectations! Here's a look at all the pens I tested out on the page:

Compared to Octaevo and Field Notes, the fountain pens on this paper had minimal to no feathering. What used to be quite evident feathering of the Ystudio fountain pen in the previous two notebooks were absolutely minimal in the Milligram notebooks. All other non-fountain pens fared well. I added extra pen tests including the Faber Castell Pitt, Versamagic ink and Pentel Brush Pen and Pentel Touch, and they all fared just as well. Exciting!

Things from the back:

Now, unlike the previous two notebooks which had minimal show-through but had some bleed through, Milligram notebooks do have show-through. There is minimal bleed through with some inks like the Pentel Brush markers, however, as these were not trialled in previous notebooks and are not exactly 'everyday pens', I will exclude them from this comparison review. There is minimal bleed through with the YStudio Fountain pen (which seems to be the trouble maker here!), but it is worth noting that no bleed through is evident with all other fountain pens. Depending on how you are with show-through pages, this might not be a deal-breaker for some. After all, writing on top of show-through pages are not as distracting as compared to writing on top of bleed-through pages. Bleed-through tends to affect the opposite page only because it can obscure words with the ink blots from the previous page. Show through, on the other hand, will be masked once something else is written on top of it.

Overall: the paper does stand up to Fountain pens beautifully as boasted in its book jacket. There is show-through at the back, but it is an overall great notebook with impressive paper!

When comparing all three:

Top to bottom: Milligram, Field Notes, Octaevo

From the above, you can see how each notebook fares with the other. Overall, the choice of your notebook will depend on their size, quality and use of each. As I am a Passport size user, the Octaevo brand is the winner if I were to need a change from the Midori branded notebooks. Although not the best quality paper, Field Notes are still here to stay due to its size and just their overall fun look and page size.

Hope this review helped!

BOOKBLOCK: WESKIN

I’ve been blessed in receiving a number of beautifully made notebooks from Bookblock recently, and it was no different when I received their newest edition in the mail: The Weskin Notebooks.

These notebooks are intricately styled to give you that vintage-Jane-Austen feel. Cloth bound, semi-flexible, gold-trimmed page edges, and cream coloured ruled pages are available in each Weskin notebook, and come in either the navy blue, yellow or black.

Here's a little backstory on the company and their newest notebook creation:

Bookblock has been customising and manufacturing products since 2013, creating the highest quality notebooks, stationery and leather products. With this knowledge and experience, Bookblock have developed and created their own range of beautiful stationery products. To coincide with the launch of their retail site this summer, Bookblock will launch the Weskin: their flagship product.

The Weskin is the perfect companion to your working day. A cloth bound, gilt edged A5 notebook that pairs timeless classic design with a contemporary finish, and like all of Bookblock’s products, is proudly made in Europe. The Weskin notebook is available in classic navy blue, contemporary yellow or muted grey, accompanied by a perfectly applied gilt edge and geometric lining inside. Subtle details come in the selection of a double grosgrain ribbon and distinct Bookblock gold foiled logo on the reverse. A superb choice for any aspiring creatives and professionals alike.

Here are a few features regarding the notebooks:
1- LAYS FLAT: Keeping your notebook flat is often an annoying and impossible task, the Weskin solves this problem with its perfectly flat lying spine, staying flush to your desk without constantly pushing back into a closed position. What could make writing easier and more enjoyable than this - using a notebook that enables full use of the page; ergonomic design that is as slick as it is practical

2- SEMI-FLEX: True to Bookblock’s standards in manufacturing, they have tested and developed a design that has made a perfect link between a flexible, soft cover notebook and a hard bound notebook: the semi flex. Keeping it light and soft, the semi flex cover creates a movable feel without interrupting the quality or finish in transit.

3- DURABLE TEXTURED CLOTH: Bookblock’s contemporary aesthetic and understanding
meant they were able to source the best quality cloth to cover the Weskin with. It’s quality and feel is like no other, a truly outstanding material that keeps its durability throughout your working day.

4- GILT EDGING: Gilt edging is the process of applying colour to the very edge of your notebook’s pages. Adding a touch of gold, with it’s premium guilt edge, the Weskin sets itself apart from any other notebook with this sophisticated, classic detail.

5- DOUBLE RIBBON: Bookblock love detail that is useful: the double grosgrain ribbon in two colours is elegant and practical to keep hold of useful pages within your Weskin.

Now, of course all these features are nice and makes these notebooks look absolutely delicious, but how do they hold up in terms of paper quality and usage? My answer: superbly.

I did a little trial page test for a number of different types of pens and the outcome is surprising. Being a predominantly fountain pen user, I like to test these pens first on any notebook I acquire. Writing on these Weskin pages are as smooth as butter. It held up well to my Extra Fine Lamy Fountain pens (filled with De Atramentis Documenter ink) with minimal show through on the other side. There was no problem when trialling the paper with regular ballpoint pens, and 0.38 Muji gel pens, as expected. Overall, it's a nice notebook to write in, and with the cream coloured pages, the Weskin notebook does end up being quite aesthetically pleasing.

The Weskin notebooks will launch in Summer 2017 and will be available from the Bookblock shop, retailing at £15. International delivery and wholesale orders are available at www.bookblock.com/shop

OLIVE MIDORI TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK

Oh, I've been waiting for the arrival of this beauty ever since I saw its announcement. My favourite colour has always been green and when Midori decided to pull this one out of the bag, I knew I had to have it. They're currently out of stock from Notemaker, but never fear, word is, they'll be back for sale in May! Do sign up for their notifications so you'll know when to get your hands on it. The ballpoint pen accessory is still available for sale though (you'll get a look at it in the pictures below).

I have a love affair with Midori's packaging for the Traveler's Notebook, and I love that they've customised the opening sheet in olive green to match the TN inside. It came with the usual dust bag and extra string, but once it's opened, here's how it looks like:

I tried to make the picture as true to the colour of the TN as possible, but alas, there's something about the camera and the olive colour that does not seem to work! Do check out Notemaker's photos to get a better depiction of the actual colour. What I can say about it though is that it's luscious. 'Inspired by the dense old-growth of forests', as described by MTN, the Olive really is one of a kind. I can tell that it will age nicely with time, and there's just something about the colour that makes me want to venture out far and wide with it.

Here are a few styled shots (which I must admit, made the MTN look more brown than olive) that I took at sunset:

Like its brothers, the Olive is fully customisable. The olive pen holder and ballpoint pen came separately, but because I had to have the matching pair, in my cart they went!

If you're a MTN fan like I am, you have to get your hands on the Olive. It will be a great addition to the collection, and you definitely won't regret the colour!

GILLIO COMPAGNA

Oh my. I know the price was (and is) steep, but I think every planner addict should own a Gillio Firenze planner once in their lifetime. Believe me, you won't regret it. And it's probably bad superficial to say that it's made me love ring bound planners again, but it really has (to the point where for the first time in years, my MTN is taking a backseat!). I unfortunately purchased the Gillio a few hours too late as apparently they increased the price right after. But as I didn't quite know what the price was before the rise, I'm happy to live in ignorant bliss. I purchased the Gillio Compagna Medium in Epoca Gold as for one, that was the one I actually wanted, and for another, all my second choices weren't in stock (and I wanted it now!). So in the middle of the night, under my covers, I decided to purchase the one thing I never thought I'd buy.

Fast forward exactly one week later, and the much coveted Gillio Compagna was in my hands, faultless and beautiful. But first, here's a look at it unwrapped:

It came in a strong brown box that Filofaxes used to come in. I must give credit to Filofax for bringing those infamous boxes back with some prestigious models though (like the Heritage). What Filofax lacks, however, is this dust bag that the Gillio also comes in in the box:

One last unwrapping and here it is in all its beauty:

I must admit, the pictures were taken a day after its arrival (as it decided to arrive when I was working late that day), so the insides are already filled with my current planner refills. While waiting for my Gillio to arrive, I read a number of blog reviews on this particular model, and trust me when I say that none of them were exaggerating of how well made the planner is (not to mention, it smelt wonderfully leather). Just from holding and feeling it between your fingers, you're able to tell how luxurious, heavy and thick the leather is. Accidentally scratched your planner with your fingernails? Just rub them off with your fingers. That's how amazing it is.

But apart from the leather, the Gillio Compagna is famous for its pockets, especially the full length pocket at the back (seen below). Admittedly, I'm not much of a pocket user, but given the chance, I'd fill them all up nevertheless. Hah.

When it comes to the rings, compared to Kikki K and Filofax, you can tell that the Gillio is on a different level of strength and quality. It snaps nice and shut with no gaps in them whatsoever. It seems to be made of thicker and sturdier metal too, so I don't expect it to bend anytime soon. Not to mention, the ring diameter comes in at 25mm, so you're free to stuff it as you will.

As I've made the move from my MTN to this planner, I'm planning to fill it with everything that my MTN used to hold, from a diary, art, scrapbooking, expenses and the likes. The one thing I've missed with ring binders is your ability to keep the pages you need over and over again, and throw out the ones you dont. Not to mention, the ability to shift pages around and add in little ephemera when you fancy.

I can't see myself converting back to my MTN anytime soon, although I do wish the page size was a little bigger for more information coverage. But hey, it's nothing I can't get used to. I'll be throwing in some planner peeks throughout the year, so keep a look out for that. And if you're still contemplating over whether or not you should press the button and get that Gillio, I say go for it. You won't regret it, I promise!

KAISERCRAFT PLANNER 2.0 REVIEW

You might remember me reviewing the first ever planner Kaisercraft introduced into the planner world a year ago. Well, guess what? They're now back again, new and greatly improved. And when it comes to documenting your memories, this might be something you want to add to your collection in 2017. There are two different types of planners available from Kaisercraft this year - small and large. The small is similar to a Personal sized planner, and their trifold design definitely made my heart skip a beat. If only I didn't already own 324987 planners. The large is similar to last year's planner, and will be what I'm reviewing today. A full look into the newest planners and accessories are seen in the picture below:

The full range is shown above, but here's my own special spin and review on Kaisercraft's newest arrival: I received the orange planner from Kaisercraft too long ago (it was released end of November!), but with work and holidays filling my days, I've barely had time to play around with it. But now that 2017 is just around the corner, I thought it was best to start dressing it up!

There's so much included in the planner pack, and you'll have everything you need to begin the moment you take it home. All you have to do is crack open the box and the planner contains everything you need from monthly and weekly views, plastic dashboards, monthly dividers and even stickers!

You have pockets on the back of the front cover to store little bits and pieces, and a notebook at the back for notes. Your months are even set up for you to include monthly views, weekly views, monthly reviews, tabbed and all! Your monthly dividers also include a variety of designs made from quality paper for you to customise and add pictures to your heart's desire.

Here's a look at the monthly tabs and January's divider:

All months are set up the same way. On the back of the monthly divider comes your monthly views:

The pages are all undated so you can start whichever year you like. Turn another page and before you get to your weekly view, comes the monthly goals page. You'll be able to keep track of your goals and add in little notes for yourself before the weekly pages begin:

The weekly views are large enough to include photos and journal entries, and if you ever run out of pages, with it being ring binded, you can always add more! Use scrapbook paper to decorate your pages and the sticker sheet provided to spice up your spreads:

And at the end of the month, you'll be able to review your goals with the dedicated monthly review page provided!

And like I said, stickers are provided too!

This large planner is definitely an upgrade from Kaisercraft's previous, and if you loved the last one, you'll definitely love this one too. It's big enough to include everything from photos to memorabilia. Together with the complementary accessories (not provided), you'll be able to create a planner that will last a lifetime.

BLOOM PLANNERS

It's almost the end of the year, and with the silly season upon us, it's never too early to start getting 2017 sorted. Every year, I tell myself to limit the amount of diaries I own, because for one, I tend to find a hard time looking for a reason to use each one. But when pretty diaries show up on my doorstep with layouts that are just begging me to try, how could I say no?

And so, that brings me to the next set of 2017 planners (and notebooks) for review: Bloom Daily Planners. Bloom Daily Planners is an American planner company devoted to designing planners to fit everyone, from Middle Schoolers to moms alike. With cover designs as diverse as the fabulous women who use them, spacious layouts and inspirational features, their aim is to make staying organised trendy and fun. One design which absolutely appealed to me (and to many others apparently from how often it sells out!), however, was their Vintage Floral Collection. Despite it not being too obvious, I love floral patterns, and when I saw this on their site, it was my one and only choice! I had to have them (all)!

Sage from Bloom Daily Planners was super nice enough to send me the Vision Planner from the Vintage Floral collection that I was eyeing and surprised me with a bunch of other goodies from that collection as well (major thanks, girl!). So here I am today, to give you a full review and look through to all the planners, notebooks and notepads I received. There'll also be a little something for readers at the end of this post! So grab a cuppa, sit back, relax and enjoy!

There are 6 items on the list which I will go over, with them being:

1- Vision Planner

Measuring at 7.5 x 9" and weighing 1lb 2oz. this planner might be slightly larger than an A5, but it's sleek design (and not too thick width) means it's still a portable planner you can take with you on the go:

This Vision planner was the one that caught my eye when I was browsing through the list of products available on their site. For one, the gold binding is gorgeous, and the inside reflected that of the Erin Condren / Get to Work / Happy planner without the hefty price tags:

In addition to that, however, with it being a Vision Planner, it also included extra pages to help fulfil your 2017 goals such as:

And:

But I think the best part of the planner is that it's hard cover with metal edges. The insides may be one thing but if the planner doesn't last the every day beatings it will undoubtedly take, what's the point, no? We don't need our planners to fall apart because I'm sure our life will consequently follow!

2- Daily Planner

The daily planner is slightly smaller than the Vision measuring at 6 x 8.25", and 12.7oz, which definitely makes it a portable planner:

It has a very simple design, with monthly tabs, and monthly calendars at the beginning of each month (just as it should be!).

The week is distributed over two pages with simple lines for each day:

And at the end of the planner is a yearly overview and a nice slot for all your bits and bobs on the back cover:

3- Daily To Do (Notepad and Book)

The Daily To-Dos come in two option: a binded notebook or tear-away sheet form. Either way, they both contain similar information (the notepad is just more colourful!). The best part of the notebook, however, is that it too contains perforated sheets. So if you ever need to take your list with you but don't want to carry the whole book, just tear the sheet away and you're done.

Here's a closer look at the notepad and what's included in the list:

4- Stickers

The stickers they had were the next thing that caught my eye after the Vision Planner. I mean, look how colourful they are! I must admit, I'm lucky enough to not be bitten by the Etsy Sticker Bug as I tend not to buy too many planner stickers. But it's fair to say that I couldn't resist these.

5- Notebook

If you're a student, or even if you just love notebooks like I do, this notebook is a perfect addition to complete your Vintage Floral collection:

It's ruled on the inside which makes things a lot easier for writing notes.

And that's the end of the list! If you're interested in any of the products, just head to Bloom Daily Planners here. Do check out their other collection too as it sure won't disappoint! I hope you enjoyed this review and have another set of choices for your 2017 planning!