Review: Mead Green Leatherette Journal

I purchased this Mead Green Leatherette Journal from my local 5 and Below store or either $3 or $5. I kind of forget. At the time I picked it up because it was my favorite color and was going to use it eventually. I think it has about 200 pages, it didn't come with any specs. I think I read that the cover was leather somewhere when I looked it up.

I started using it to record items I purchased but stopped because I couldn't keep up with the things I was buying. Namely art supplies and such. While I was using it I was impressed and I do actually like it. Now it is my next "catch all" journal just because I finished my current one.

Nice supple leather cover in my favorite color, Green. Has the matching elastic band and green ribbon bookmark. Not sure if it is authentic leather but it feels great to the touch.


Has a nice sturdy elastic enclosure and holds up pretty well so far. It's taunt but and not too loose but if you leave it off you'll notice it. If you don't use the elastic you can just hook it over the back cover and forget about it.

A shot of the logo which I kind of like. I don't really like big glaring logos on the front or back that much. It's a couple of years old which may explain why it was so cheap. Doesn't matter to me as long as it's well made and I can still use it. :)

I really like the narrow ruling size. I write kind of small sometimes so I like being able to take advantage of all the space. I do realize my handwriting tends to change based on the size of the ruling. If it's larger I write larger and if it's smaller I'll write smaller to make it fit. lol I don't know if everyone does that or if it's just me. If writing on a blank page I tend to write fairly small to medium. Not big unless I want to emphasize something.

Nice little pocket which I hope to utilize in the future. Seems well made. Not all of it is paper, seems like a durable black fabric on the sides to help adjust to the size needed for the pocket.

It decently well with fountain pen ink but isn't great for wet nibs/ink. I used fine and extra fine nibs with Noodler's inks and that works. No bleed through. A little show through and a tiny bit of feathering but it's not bad for a cheap journal.

It's a nice journal over all and so far so good. I did accidentally get it soaked (spilled a drink inside my waterproof bag, how's that for ironic? XD) and the whole notebook began to warp especially near the spine. Now the pages are a bit wavy but the pages are all still intact and holds up. I was just disappointed that it happened but it still writes fine and now it's part of the charm. These accidents are why I need a durable notebook/sketchbook. lol It doesn't bother me too much now unless I'm writing on a wave. I just flatten it with my hand as I go.

I've been using the notebook for awhile and now the edges of the cover are already getting worn down due to my abuse near daily handling and travelling in my bag. It's not breaking through the cover yet but it is a concern at them moment. It's still a good little notebook and I would get again for that price.

Review: Shoplet Featuring House of Doolittle Calendars

Here's another review the awesome people of Shoplet Office Supplies allowed me to review. Yay! New calendars for the new year! Good timing!

This round came with:

• 2014 Desk Pad Calendar
• 2014 Weekly Business Planner

I've done a review of this type of desk pad before but not this specific type of calendar. Click to see my 2013 Doolittle Calendar review.

For the most part, I found the 2014 Desk Pad Calendar pretty much the same as the one in 2013. Why mess with a perfectly good product? I enjoyed using mine in 2013 and didn't have any problems with it.



It's made from post-consumer paper and printed with soy ink so it's good to know they have been sticking with eco-friendly production methods. The paper is a slightly gray color which doesn't bother me but if you need white or ivory you're not getting it with this product.

This desk pad is typical but reliable and it's a good size for your desk. It has enough space for all your projects, events, and notes. My 2013 version lasted throughout the year without any problems for me. Do note that the paper does buckle if you accidentally get it wet but it's savable as long as you wipe up the liquid ASAP. Just so you know. lol

Here's the (7" x 10") 2014 Weekly Business Planner. I found I prefer the smaller size of a planner if I take it around with me. Since I used the House of Doolittle Wirebound Weekly/Monthly Planner last year, it was letter size but I found it a little too large for me to carry around on a daily basis. I carried my 2013 planner around and found that the cover is durable protecting my inner pages. I didn't have any problems with the cover even with using it on a near daily basis.

One of the things I wished these planners had is an enclosure, whether it be elastic or what not. Whenever I stuck something in my planner and picked it up the wrong way, all my papers would fall out. That's not fun when I'm in a rush or during a meeting.

Again, this planner is weekly based which is fine for me but I do wish that it extended beyond 5pm so that I can schedule personal appointments or events.

This little chart for expenses is a cute idea but since I don't really need to keep track of these type of things I ended up using it mostly as a notes section. Some of these categories would be really useful for just anyone such as meals/gas/misc.

I'm not sure if it's the paper or if it's the inks I used but there is show through and a little bit of bleed through. I used a fude nib with a Noodler's ink which is rather wet. Still it handled it fairly well. If you don't mind the show through and use fine nibs you'll probably be fine with this type of paper. I don't mind too much so it doesn't bother me.

One of the issues I did have with this planner is the lack of monthly views of the months. Well they had little ones in the top but not in the planner but nothing where I could write on that day. That was easily solved with printing out the monthly view and just clipped it to the side with binder clips.

Using the planner like this isn't ideal but if you're the type who would prefer monthly views then you'd probably want to pass on this planner or do what I did and add that part to the planner. It's not a huge hindrance and can actually hold the planner pages so it's a bit like a big bookmark in my planner.

Below are some extra pages in the planner. I probably won't use most of these. I didn't take pictures of all of  them.

Overall, I enjoy receiving calendars from Shoplet and House of Doolittle. It's good to know they keep making reliable and durable planet friendly products. I still would like to see refillable calendars but it's not a huge complaint. I still would recommend these products if you're looking for economical eco-friendly products.


**Disclaimer: These products were provided by Shoplet and in return for this review I was able to keep the product in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was paid. All Promotional Products, Promotional shirts, Office Supplies, and/or Office Stationary are courtesy of Shoplet.

Homework Sketch Dump 23

Hey everyone! Another week has gone by so quickly! Unfortunately nothing too new going on with  me but I have been trying to work on my novel. Brainstorming ideas and ironing out character/plot developments. That is slowly moving along, much slower than I had hoped and expected but it's going. I've been reading books to help for enjoyment and to help develop ideas in my subconscious or stories. It helps when I'm stuck and then I find myself staying up late to finish because I usually can't stop. haha

I've got some new calendars to review. I'll try to have those up in a week or two. I need to write and schedule these posts ahead of time. I think I'm going to have to set more deadlines with myself. I can't seem to get myself to complete things on time unless someone gives me a deadline. We'll see if I can do it. I hope you guys are able to get your new year's resolutions/goals/projects done!

Sketches I had to do for my 3D modeling homework at school. These sketches were all copied from Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life. It's interesting to learn to draw from it. Hopefully it improves my anatomy. XD

2012 Sketch Dump

Sorry, nothing to really say this week. Have a sketch dump!

Homework Sketch Dump 22 + Happy New Years!

Dear readers, I hope that you all had a great start for the New Years! I figure you are all stuffed with food and/or catching up with many friends/family but I still wanted to wish you guys the best for the upcoming year!

I plan on trying to work more on my projects, writing and comics, with a more steady schedule to follow. :) I'm going to give Janowrimo a try but I plan on doing it a little differently. I'm going to see if I can do a couple of outlines for the month instead of a whole novel.

The goal is to finish the detailed outlines so I can begin the actual stories. I'm attempting to write two first drafts/outlines for two stories and revise a rough draft. I think they will be kind of short so probably novellas. I have a general idea of the stories but rough outlines are going to be generated in order for me to write it well. lol Wish me luck!

I am going to try to write a list of 2014 goals/resolutions and review the ones from 2013. Do any of you guys do this? What are your goals and resolutions for 2014?

Sketches I had to do for my 3D modeling homework at school. These sketches were all copied from Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life. It's interesting to learn to draw from it. Hopefully it improves my anatomy. XD