Review CHRISTINA KARACHALIOU Review CHRISTINA KARACHALIOU

Dingbats Notebook Review

I've been bullet journaling for over 2 years now, and during all this time I've used and tried various notebooks. More specifically I've used a Moleskine, a William & Hannah one, a Jane's Agenda notebook, lots of Leuchtturm1917 ones and my last one has been a Scribbles That Matter notebook

I'm always keen to try new notebooks! I love testing the pages and creating in them! 

Dingbats Notebook Review - www.christina77star.net

I've been bullet journaling for over 2 years now, and during all this time I've used and tried various notebooks. More specifically I've used a Moleskine, a William & Hannah one, a Jane's Agenda notebook, lots of Leuchtturm1917 ones and my last one has been a Scribbles That Matter notebook

I'm always keen to try new notebooks! I love testing the pages and creating in them! 

I've been wanting to try the Dingbats notebook or a while now. I kept on hearing lots of good reviews about it, and a few YouTubers that I follow use one. When the Earth Collection was released, I knew I had to buy one. And since my 4th bullet journal is almost finished, I was just about to make a purchase. The lovely people from Dingbats were kind enough to send me one of their notebooks for review and of course I jumped at the opportunity! 

Dingbats Notebook Review

It arrived perfectly packaged within a few days! And I have to tell you, it was love at first sight! 

Dingbats Notebook Review

I've chosen the 'Great Barrier Reef' one from the Earth Collection in A5 size, with dotted pages which comes in a lovely sky blue colour. The pictures just don't make justice of how pretty the colour and the design of this notebook is!

The quality is amazing, the finish and the details of the design are exceptional. And as you can tell I'm very pleased with my new notebook and I can't wait to start creating in it!

Dingbats Notebook Review

 There is an elastic band in black colour to keep the notebook closed, and a pen holder.

Dingbats Notebook Review
Dingbats Notebook Review

The cover of the notebook is very soft and smooth. It is bound with pearlescent PU leather (100% vegan) with a Great Barrier Reef debossing. I love how cute and elegant it looks!

Dingbats Notebook Review
Dingbats Notebook Review
Dingbats Notebook Review

Printed on the inside cover of the notebook is an infographic spread for you to explore more about the reef, its threats and how we can help save it.

Dingbats Notebook Review

The next page is this lovely blue page full of fish, corals and turtles, which I think is such a lovely touch. And on the opposite page, it has a section for you to write your name and all your details, which I really like.

Dingbats Notebook Review

Then there is a page with a guide which explains how to use the new feature of page tabs that are included in the notebook, and get the most out of it. It also shows how to create your own key.

Dingbats Notebook Review
Dingbats Notebook Review

So, on the Tab Key page, you can create a list of categories of the pages you'll create in your bullet journal. For example, you can write Monthly Spreads, Weekly Spreads, various collections you might have on certain topics like family, finances, health, travel etc. You can add and personalise your notebook any way you want! 

Dingbats Notebook Review

Then you assign a colour for each one of the above topics and you colour the corresponding tab on your key page. These tabs are on all the pages in the notebook, and so as you write in your journal you apply the appropriate colour to the tab on the page. So, even when your notebook is closed you can easily identify items through the colours on the visible edge. 

I think that it's such a cool idea and it makes it easier for you to find things in your bullet journal! 

Dingbats Notebook Review

Then you can turn the page and create your own Colour Key and add your own signifiers for the things you want to log in your pages, i.e. your tasks, birthdays, appointments etc.

Dingbats Notebook Review

Moving further, there are 3 pages for the Index, which I really like. It gives you plenty of room to write things down, and to also categorise your  topics.

Dingbats Notebook Review

Then there are 4 pages dedicated to Future Log. There are also lines at the edge of the pages that help you create a grid if you want for your future log. too.

Dingbats Notebook Review
Dingbats Notebook Review

At the back you also find the back pocket that, as you can see in the picture below, it has those designs I mentioned before, throughout. These details add to the quality of this notebook. 

Dingbats Notebook Review

You also get a little leaflet with all the various collections and lots of information on their products.

Dingbats Notebook Review

There's two bookmarks in two different colours - blue and black.

Dingbats Notebook Review
Dingbats Notebook Review

The pages are numbered. Each page is of 100gsm coated cream fountain pen-friendly FSC-certified paper, with a total of 96 sheets or 192 pages. And the notebook can open flat. The dots on the page are 5mm apart (like the Leuchtturm1917), and they are in light grey colour.

It has 28 boxes horizontally and 39 vertically, which is slightly bigger from any other notebook I've used.

To compair, Scribbles That Matter has 26 and 37 while Leuchtturm1917 has 26 and 38 respectively. 

I have to say that even before I wrote on this notebook the feel of the pages was a m a z i n g!!! I don't have any other notebook that it's pages feel so good to the touch! I'm impressed!

After creating a pen test page at the back of the notebook, with all my most used pens and markers, I have to say that I'm in love! 😍 Apart from the Fudenosuke brush pen (hard), which I admittedly pressed a bit more than I should for some reason, everything else is almost not even noticeable at the back of the page. Very very slight ghosting, even with my fountain pen! 

I'm very pleased with my new notebook and I can't wait to start using it and setting it up! 

What notebook are you using for your bullet journal? Have you used a Dingbats one before? What do you think of them?


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58th Ave Bullet Journal Review + Giveaway!

I was contacted by the lovely Sonja from 58th Ave to review their notebook, and of course I said yes! It's so nice that lately more and more new bullet journals make their appearance in the market. I remember when I started bullet journaling, there were less than 5 brands that made notebooks with bullets.  So, I love it every time I get to review a new bullet journal ☺️

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

I was contacted by the lovely Sonja from 58th Ave to review their notebook, and of course I said yes! It's so nice that lately more and more new bullet journals make their appearance in the market. I remember when I started bullet journaling, there were less than 5 brands that made notebooks with bullets.  So, I love it every time I get to review a new bullet journal ☺️

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

The bullet journal arrived beautifully packaged in a cardboard box. 

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review
58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

Inside there were a lovely thank you note, the  notebook, 4 stencils and 10 colourful washi tapes! My favourite kind of mail 

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review
58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

The notebook comes in a black leather cover with embossed '58th Ave Just Because'. I loved the little details and the cover is of very good quality. Also I appreciated the protector that was placed underneath the elastic band. Sometimes, especially when the products are shipped, the elastic band can leave and indentation on the cover. So, that was a nice touch, and I have to say I haven't seen anyone else do that yet.

The size of the notebook is a bit smaller than an A5 one. More specifically, it is 13 x 21 cm.

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

As I mentioned, there is an elastic band to keep the cover closed, which is very sturdy and tight. 

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

Another new thing that I haven't seen in any other bullet journal, is that the very first page is all black. I think that this is so cool, and you can definitely decorate it with pictures,  stickers or a white pen. The black background will make everything pop.

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

The notebook starts on the bullet pages straight away, and there is no other page before that.

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

The pages are numbered which is always nice to have that. Especially if you like to have an index for your bullet journal.

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

At the back there is a black expandable inner pocket, which I always find very useful for stickers or little notes and stuff. 

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

The notebook also comes with 3 page markers which I really like. It's nice to have more than one to mark the pages you use over and over through the month. I only wish they came in 3 different colours, so that I can differentiate straight away on what page is what. But still a nice add to the notebook.

The paper used in this notebook is 100gsm and the pages are thread bound, which means that the journal is more sturdy and it can lay flat for ease of use.

The quality of the pages is really good. When I first touched it, it reminded me of the Moteskine pages, which are so nice and smooth. And I have to say that after I tested them, the pens just glide on these pages!

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review
58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

As you can see there is no bleeding and not much ghosting.

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review
58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

The packet also came with 4 stencils and 10 colourful washi tapes. It was so fun playing around with those.

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

I must admit that I hadn't tried any stencils before, and I really like those. They are very useful. You can add nice touches to your pages, even if you can't sketch or draw. 

58th Ave Bullet Journal Review

Also the washi tapes are nice and thin to add on your pages for decoration or to create sections, borders and categories. 


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GIVEAWAY 🎉

I've teamed up with 58th Ave to offer 3 similar packs like the one I just reviewed for 3 lucky winners! So, if you liked the notebook and the accessories that come with it, then you can take part in this giveaway that is open internationally

RULES:

  1. Like the giveaway photo on Instagram.
  2. Follow me @christina77star on Instagram.
  3. Tag as many friends as you want ( ONE FRIEND PER COMMENT). 
  4. Extra Entry: For extra credits, leave a comment below, telling me what you love about bullet journaling.

PRIZES FOR 3 WINNERS:

  • 1 58th Ave Notebook A5 size
  • 4 Stencils
  • 10 colourful washi tapes

DETAILS:

  • The giveaway is open internationally and it will end at 11:59pm (GMT + 2) on the 15th of March.
  • The winners will be picked randomly, and will be messaged within 48 hours after the giveaway is closed.
  • If any of the winners doesn’t reply to my message within 24 hours, I will pick a new winner.

Good Luck everyone! 🍀


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The Craft Planner Review

Hey there everyone! It's been a while...! But I'm happy to report that I'm finally all settled in the new house, and I can't wait to start creating again ☺️ 

In today's blog post, I'd like to review the Craft Planner for you. Back in July, I was asked to review the Craft Planner and I really liked the way this planner helps you to manage your projects. At the time the planner was not available yet, and I only had some printable pages to play with. But now I have the finished product in my hands, and I'd like to review it properly for you.

The Craft Planner Review

Hey there everyone! It's been a while...! But I'm happy to report that I'm finally all settled in the new house, and I can't wait to start creating again ☺️ 

In today's blog post, I'd like to review the Craft Planner for you. Back in July, I was asked to review the Craft Planner and I really liked the way this planner helps you to manage your projects. At the time the planner was not available yet, and I only had some printable pages to play with. But now I have the finished product in my hands, and I'd like to review it properly for you.

The Craft Planner Review

I chose the Craft Planner A5 Limited Edition in Coral Blue. It is actually a very light blue-grey colour and the cover feels like fabric. I really like the way it looks - very sophisticated. 

The Craft Planner Review

Inside the planner you also get some coloured dot stickers that you can use to colour code in your planner, and a pager marker with some nice  suggestions to plan your day and manage your time. 

The Craft Planner Review

The planner comes with a light grey elastic band that is very sturdy. 

The Craft Planner Review

I like the attention to detail with all the shiny letters at the front and the back of the notebook.

The Craft Planner Review

I also like the shiny finish of the pages on the side, that makes it look so cool when it's closed. 

There are 4 pages of break-down demo in the beginning of the notebook, where it shows you exactly how to use this planner. You can scroll through the pictures above to see them properly.

The Craft Planner Review

The first section of the notebook consists of 24 pages with the 12-Month Calendar, which is undated. I always like to have a month at a glance section, where I can plan the whole month at once and have a clear view of what I have to do each day. Also, note that the weeks start from a Sunday for this layout.

The Craft Planner Review

Then you get 4 pages of 52-Weeks Timeframe Goals Checklists. I really like this idea, where you can break down your goals / projects into smaller steps and allocate each one on specific weeks. That way you can totally manage your projects and stay on top of them. 

The Craft Planner Review 

The last part of the notebook is 208 pages of 52-Weeks Planner, which is again undated. There are sections for your notes and goals, and then you can start planning your days.

The Craft Planner Review

At the back of the planner you get an expandable inner pocket, which I always find very useful for stickers or little notes and stuff.

The Craft Planner Review

You also get 2 bookmakers in different shades of grey, that you can use to mark the pages you want in your notebook.

Features

  • The planner comes in A5 size (5.8" x 8.4”), with a luxurious cover made form premium fabric. 
  • It comes with cream lightweight paper, 70 gsm
  • 2x Bookmarkers (0.35cm width)
  • It lays flat and allows seamless writing on every page.
  • Apart from the Coral Blue colour, it also comes in Obsidian Black and Forest Pine.
The Craft Planner Review

I gave the planner a test drive, where I planned and colour coded one of my days. I used my most used pens on this page, because I wanted to  test the quality of the pages and see if there is any ghosting or bleeding. I even used a fountain pen (see the 'stay focused' phrase at the bottom). 

The Craft Planner Review

As you can see there is quite a bit of ghosting, but no bleeding through.

I really liked the format and the system of the Craft Planner. Future planning and project planning with the bullet journal can be a bit tricky. And all in all I'm really happy with this notebook.

The things that I would like it to have to make it even better would be:

  • Index Page in the beginning of the notebook. Since using my bullet journal, I like to know where everything is and I tend to archive all my notes and planners.
  • Numbered Pages. Again, it's nice to be able to refer to a page without adding any markers.
  • Better quality paper. I find this paper to be very thin and see through, so I believe that a thicker and better quality paper will take this notebook to the next level.
  • Extra pages at the end of the notebook. I always like to keep lists of ideas and notes for my projects, so any extra pages is always nice to have.

You can get a free digital version of the Craft Planner here, to try out this system for yourself before you buy. If you want to get your own planner you can visit their website. Right now they are having a sale and they also offer free international shipping! 


Have you heard of the Craft Planner before? What do you think of it?


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Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

If you've been following me for a while, you'd know that I've been using Leuchtturm1917 notebooks for my bullet journaling from the very start. Back when I started, almost 2 years ago, there were not so many options of dotted notebooks available in the market. And the Leuchtturm1917 was by far the most popular one.

Through the years though, I've also used some other dotted notebooks:  a Moleskine, a William & Hannah one, and a Jane's Agenda notebook. However, I've always chosen a Leuchtturm1917 for my main bullet journal. Until now.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

If you've been following me for a while, you'd know that I've been using Leuchtturm1917 notebooks for my bullet journaling from the very start. Back when I started, almost 2 years ago, there were not so many options of dotted notebooks available in the market. And the Leuchtturm1917 was by far the most popular one.

Through the years though, I've also used some other dotted notebooks:  a Moleskine, a William & Hannah one, and a Jane's Agenda notebook. However, I've always chosen a Leuchtturm1917 for my main bullet journal. Until now.

I've been wanting to try the Scribbles That Matter notebook for a while now. I kept on hearing lots of good reviews about it, and the front cover design of this notebook made me notice it straight away. When the new pastel colours were released, I knew I had to buy one. And since my 3rd bullet journal is almost finished, I decided to buy a Scribbles That Matter one for my 4th bullet journal.

I purchased mine through the German Amazon. I paid €17.99 (plus €8 for shipping).

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

It arrived perfectly packaged in a plastic box and wrapped up in a plastic wrap.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

I've chosen the 'Iconic Version' of the notebook in A5 size, with dotted pages in the Lavender colour, and I have to say that I'm in love! The pictures just don't make it justice of how pretty the colour and the design of this notebook is..

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

The quality is amazing, the finish and the details of the design are exceptional. And as you can tell I'm very pleased with my purchase. There is an elastic band in purple colour to keep the notebook closed. 

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

The cover of the notebook is very soft and smooth. It has lots of doodle designs that are engraved with a darker colour to make them stand out more. It's made out of vegan leather with FSC Certified paper.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

The very first page has a section to write your name and the date that you started your bullet journal, which I really like.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review
Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

The Scribbles That Matter have Key and Index pages implemented already in the notebook, which is really handy and makes things much easier and it looks more neat this way. More specifically it has 1 Key Page and 3 Index Pages which are enough for you to archive your entries.

The colour of the pages is ivory and it's very similar to the Leuchtturm1917 one, but slightly lighter. The feel of the paper is amazing. It's so smooth, that the pens just glide on it. Each page is 100 gsm, which is very good quality for a bullet journal. The dots on the page are 5mm apart (like the Leuchtturm1917), and they are in light grey colour.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

The pages are numbered, and as I mentioned before this notebook has 201 pages, which is a bit less than the Leuchtturm1917 that has 249 pages.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

At the back of the notebook you'll also find 2 Pen Test Pages, where you can try your pens to see if they ghost or bleed through the pages. So far all my pens work perfectly with this notebook and I've noticed minimum ghosting when I doodle and draw. It's certainly less that what I experienced with my Leuchtturm1917 notebook.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

The last page has the doodles that you find on the cover page as well, which I think is adorable. Since I love doodling, for me this is so cool :)

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

At the back you also find the back pocket that again has those designs throughout, and at the sides it has a purple material. These details add to the quality of this notebook. 

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review
Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

There are 2 bookmarks in two shades of purple.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

And a pen holder at the side.

Scribbles That Matter Notebook Review

I'm very pleased and impressed with this notebook and I'm sure I'm going to re-purchase again in the future for sure. They have lots of colours to choose from and different styles as well if you're interested. If you don't like the doodles on the cover, they offer another style which they call the 'Pro Version' and it has a simple coloured cover page like the Leuchtturm1917.

What notebook are you using for your bullet journal? Have you used a Scribbles That Matter one before? What do you think of them?


If you'd like to see how I've set up my 4th bullet journal in my brand new Scribbles That Matter notebook, you can join me in my first e-Course. You can watch me as I'm setting up my new bullet journal page by page and set up yours along with me.

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Bullet Journal With Me e-Course

Start the New Year with a blast and organise your life in your Bullet Journal.  

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Zebra Mildliners - Review

Lot's of people contact me on a daily basis to ask me about my favourite supplies and what pens, markers etc. I'm using to create my spreads in my bullet journal. I've created a page of my favourite resources where I talk about all my favourite things. But I've decided to create some blog posts where I review and showcase my favourite supplies individually. In today's post I'll review my current favourite highlighters - the Zebra Mildliners.

Zebra Mildliners Review

Lot's of people contact me on a daily basis to ask me about my favourite supplies and what pens, markers etc. I'm using to create my spreads in my bullet journal. I've created a page of my favourite resources where I talk about all my favourite things. But I've decided to create some blog posts where I review and showcase my favourite supplies individually. In today's post I'll review my current favourite highlighters - the Zebra Mildliners.

Zebra Mildliners 1.jpg

The Zebra Mildliners are water-based highlighters made in Japan. They are double sided with a broad and a fine tip.

Zebra Mildliners 2.jpg

The broad tip is 3mm thick and the fine tip is 1mm thick. 

What makes them different from other highlighters are the colours, which are softer and not so much 'neon' as the usual highlighters are. They come in packs of 5 and there are 4 different collections: Pastel, Cool, Warm and Rare.

I currently have two of the collections - the Cool and the Warm one. But I'm planning on buying the other two collections very soon. :)

The Cool Collection has the following colours: Green, Blue, Grey, Violet and Red.

Zebra Mildliners - Cool Collection.jpg

The Warm Collection has the following colours: Smoke Blue, Magenta, Gold, Vermillion and Brown.

Zebra Mildliners - Warm Collection.jpg

Both collections have some amazing colours that are vibrant but 'in your face' bright, and I use them daily to create my weekly spreads. The grey from the Cool Collection is the one I'm using all the time to create the shading in my doodles.

Paper test

The Mildliners are write pretty well on the paper and are quite juicy, so expect some extra product at the end of your lines once you lift up the pen. Just dub it with a clean finger and avoid touching the page for 1-2 secs until it dries completely.

I've used them in my Leuchtturm1917 and my Jane's Agenda. In Leuchtturm1917 there is some ghosting, while in Jane's Agenda there's nothing on the back page!

Leuchtturm1917 swatches

Jane's Agenda Swatches

Also, because they are water based and quite liquid, make sure that before you use them to highlight something you've written, that the pen has dried completely.

The ways I use them

Apart from the obvious use of the highlighters, which is to underline or highlight in your books or notes while you're studying, you can also use them to add colour in your spreads in no time. Here are some examples of how I use them to create my weeklies and other spreads in my bullet journal.

They are very good to colour code and make your headers in your bullet journal. 

I also use them as a base for my drawings and doodles. They work very well with coloured pencils and help you get nice results with vibrant colours in no time.

The Zebra Mildliners have quickly become a cult favourite in the bullet journal community and you can see why! I absolutely love them and I totally recommend them. You can purchase them from this website with free international shipping. Use the code christina77star to get a 10% discount.

Have you used the Zebra Mildliners before? What are your thoughts about them?

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Jane's Agenda - Review

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Jane from Jane's Agenda to review one of their notebooks, and of course I said yes! As a bullet journalist I'm always keen on checking out dotted grid notebooks and Jane's Agenda has been on my list for some time now. For the purposes of the review, and for you to have a better understanding of this notebook, I'll be comparing it to the Leuchtturm1917 that I've been using for a while now.

So, let's jump right in the review :)

Jane's Agenda Review

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Jane from Jane's Agenda to review one of their notebooks, and of course I said yes! As a bullet journalist I'm always keen on checking out dotted grid notebooks and Jane's Agenda has been on my list for some time now. For the purposes of the review, and for you to have a better understanding of this notebook, I'll be comparing it to the Leuchtturm1917 that I've been using for a while now.

So, let's jump right in the review :)

The notebook arrived within 20 days (which is pretty good for Cyprus!!) in a lovely parcel all wrapped up in that bright fuchsia paper that put a smile on my face right away.

The notebook was very nicely protected and wrapped in bubble wrap. (Don't you just love bursting those bubbles??? I find it so therapeutic!). The pages were all set up for me with the discs, so I only had to add the front and back covers. 

I've chosen the design 'Nerdy Cats' in a Junior size (which is 5.5 x 8.5 inches) and comes with 8 Punches. I thought that the cats were adorable and I instantly fell in love with this design. But there's loads of other designs for you to choose from on their website. 

The covers are laminated with heavy weight 10 mil laminate and have rounded corners, which I really like. I have to say that they do feel quite sturdy. 

I also got to personalise the notebook a bit, by adding my name on the cover, which I thought was a nice touch. I've noticed that other designs had different fonts.

There is also a black elastic band that's a bit thinner than the one you find at the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks, and it doesn't feel as strong. 

You can also choose the binding, between a discbound or spiral style. I went ahead and chose the discs, because I'm not a big fan of the spiral notebooks. For the junior size you get 8 black plastic discs. 

You can also choose the style of the paper - between dots, lines or graph. All styles are 0.20 inches apart, which for the dotted style is exactly the same that you find in the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks. The pages are bright white, instead of that cream tone that the Leuchtturm1917 have. I seem to prefer this one better, to tell you the truth, because I find that the cream shade can affect the way the colours look some times. So, I really like that. 

Also the quality of the paper is very good. It is a 32lb bond heavy weight paper (120 gsm, also known as 80lb text weight). That is so much better that the Leuchtturm1917 one that comes in 80 gsm.

You can also choose the number of pages you want. You have a choice between 140 and 250. I decided to go with 250, because I wanted the notebook to be nice and full, and I'm really glad that I did.  

I like that when you open the notebook, the front cover design appears on the back of the front and the back cover as well, instead of it being blank. And I have to admit that I'm very surprised with the quality of it and how easy the pages turn on the discs. This is something that bothered me with some of the other disc bound notebooks that I've tried before, where the pages got stuck a bit when you were turning them.

The next test would be to actually try the pages. In all my notebooks I create a test page at the back, in order to see how the paper reacts with various pens. 

I've decided to test my Zebra Mildliners and some of my Tombow Dual Brush Markers. I love how vibrant the colours look against the white paper, and I have to tell you the markers were gliding on the it. I love it!

This is the back of the page, where you can see.... absolutely nothing! Impressed!!!!

For you to understand how good this is, take a look at my pen test page in my current Leuchtturm1917 notebook. (image below)

And now look at the back of that page:

I hope that you can see the difference and that you are as excited as I am!

The Junior size disc bound notebook from Jane's Agenda with 250 dot grid pages retails at $35.95 + shipping.


Now let's see the pros and cons of the discbound Jane's agenda compared to the Leuchtturm1917 notebook.

Pros

  • You can change the order of the spreads without ruining the notebook or having to start over. (Very VERY good for those of you that are scared of making mistakes and ruining your notebooks)
  • You can keep the same spreads and just change the daily / weekly / monthly pages as you go along.
  • You can create sections with collections and therefore have a more organised notebook.
  • You can add various styles of pages (doted, lined etc.) in the same notebook.
  • You can print your own pages.
  • You can use the quality of paper you want.
  • It is more economical, as you don't have to buy a new notebook every time, you just need to add new pages.
  • You might need to buy a punch to create the holes on the pages you want to add.

 

Cons

  • The size of the paper is a bit smaller. (even though you can print your own pages and still fit in 145 x 210 mm pages like the Leuchtturm1917 has).
  • Cylinders in the middle. That has been my biggest negative of the disc bound system. That is because, you can't create a continuous two-page spread. (even though you can take the two facing pages out of the notebook, place them on a table and create the spread on them before adding them back in, but still you don't get the same result) 
  • No numbered pages. 
  • No index
  • Can be a bit flimsy, because of the nature of the binding.
  • No rounded corners on the pages.
  • The metal eyelets that are used on the back cover to hold the elastic ribbon in place are protruding a bit.
  • No page markers 
  • No back pocket

All in all I am really REALLY pleased with the quality and style of the Jane's Agenda notebook and I literally can't wait to start creating in it. I've also tried some of the pens that I use daily in it and oh my, they just glide on the pages. Beautiful! I am planning to transfer my blogging bullet journal in this notebook and of course I'll share with you the whole set up once I'm done.

Visit Jane's Agenda Website and use the code CHRISTINA10 to get 10% off. This is valid for one use per customer.

Have you used a disc bound notebook before? What are your thoughts? Have you tried any of the notebooks from Jane's Agenda? Let me know in the comments below :)

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Review CHRISTINA KARACHALIOU Review CHRISTINA KARACHALIOU

The Craft Planner Review

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I’m always searching for ways to be more productive and efficient with setting up my goals and see them come to life. Finding simple ways that will help me with my time management and staying on schedule with the various projects. 

The problem that I always tend to have is that I start planning for a project and I’m very enthusiastic about it. Then I get confused with all the steps I need to take, when I need to take them and in the end I get flustered and frustrated because I feel completely lost and I’m out of schedule… Raise your hands if you’ve gone through the same scenario before…. Hopefully I’m not alone in this!

While I was on holiday, I was contacted to review the Craft Planner and after I quickly checked their website, I said yes straight away!

The Craft Planner Review

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I’m always searching for ways to be more productive and efficient with setting up my goals and see them come to life. Finding simple ways that will help me with my time management and staying on schedule with the various projects. 

The problem that I always tend to have is that I start planning for a project and I’m very enthusiastic about it. Then I get confused with all the steps I need to take, when I need to take them and in the end I get flustered and frustrated because I feel completely lost and I’m out of schedule… Raise your hands if you’ve gone through the same scenario before…. Hopefully I’m not alone in this!

While I was on holiday, I was contacted to review the Craft Planner and after I quickly checked their website, I said yes straight away!

What is the Craft Planner?

“The Craft Planner is a unique way of accomplishing your goals easily. With the right kind of planning, you can build on small goals to lead to big accomplishments. With a simple and focused layout, the Craft Planner will help you to stay on-task so that you can keep your momentum going, follow your schedule closely, and remember what matters most to you. The Craft Planner is more than just a planner: it is a partner in your success.”

How it works?

According to the website you only need to take 2 simple steps with the Craft Planner for successful goal planning.

Since the planner is not available yet and I only had some pages to play with, I decided to see how I would use it for a project and try and see for myself how it works. Following the instructions, I started planning for my pretend project, which for the sake of this experiment was to 'Launch my Etsy Shop'. 

I started with the goal timeframe page, where I wrote the steps I would normally take for such a project, and I marked with different colours the week I would plan to tackle each step separately. 

Then, I took the pages for the first two weeks and I started writing down what needed to be done for each step. 

I have to say that while I was doing that, I felt really focused. I was able to plan ahead all the steps for each part of the project, give a timeframe within which each of them should be finished, and I could actually see the whole project unfold on paper. I also liked that everything has it's place, and I can easily find what I want. Also, there's lots of space for further steps or other things I might need to add later on.

Then I moved on the weekly page where I also planned a pretend day.

The Craft Planner 7.jpg

I was able to add my housework tracker and a to-do list for this week in the notes part. Then I drew a line to separate it from the day of the week. I chose to decorate it a bit using some of my stickers for the date, weather and water tracker. There was also space to create my daily plan bar on the left part, while on the right I made a list of the things I needed to do during that day.

All in all I really liked the format of the planner. I loved the simplicity of the system but also the flexibility of the pages. It allows you to use the page the way you want to. As you can see in the picture above, there is a line separating the space for each day, but if you need extra space like I did, you simply put an arrow facing downwards to indicate that you're using all the space for one day. That way there is no waste on the pages. Lastly, I really liked that I was able to customise the page the way I wanted and make it work for me. I chose stickers and coloured markers.

On the other hand, being a bullet journalist I missed my dots! Even though I like squares as well, I would love to have the option to chose a dotted format of the planner.

Features

  • The planner comes in A5 size (5.8" x 8.4”), with a luxurious cover made form premium fabric. 
  • On the website it shows that the planner comes in 5 different colours, but I'm hoping that more options will be added once they start selling it. 
  • It comes with premium 70gsm paper that promises the same opacity & thickness as standard 100gsm paper. I’d love to test that, and see if it’s true. 
  • It comes with 2x Bookmarkers (0.35cm width)
  • It lays flat and allows seamless writing on every page.
  • There is also an expandable inner pocket and an elastic band.

 

What’s inside the Craft Planner?

  • 1 page for Personal Details 
  • 4 pages of break-down Demo 
  • 24 pages for the 12-Month Calendar (undated) 
  • 4 pages of 52-Weeks Timeframe Goals Checklists 
  • 208 pages of 52-Weeks Planner (undated)

 

How to get yours

The Craft Planner is currently on Kickstarter where they're doing a fundraising on this campaign. They are very close to their goal, but if you like the planner you can help them reach their goal even sooner! You can back this project and select a reward. This means that you are actually pre-ordering one or more of their Craft Planners. By doing so, you'll receive a discount especially designed for backers, and you will get hold of your planner before it hits the store shelves.  

For more FAQ, click here.

You can also get a free digital version of the Craft Planner 2.0 preview.

I really liked the format and the system of the Craft Planner. Future planning and project planning with the bullet journal can be a bit tricky. So, I'd definitely use this planner specifically for my various projects and goals during the year. I can't wait to get my hands on it this December! 

Have you heard of the Craft Planner before? What do you think of it?

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