#ANYWAY nice things i have lined up for this morning are weekly planner time - the colours theme is CUTE this month! (although tbh i do love

[b-blushes]

i'm not gonna start misery posting bc i have less depressing things to do BUT connecting the dots between 'eye and head hurts bad' and 'using my laptop' sure has put a damper on my previous 'most restful' activity 🙃

[pennyfynotes]

10.17.17 // 2:30pm // self scholar journal

hello, hello! i know i’ve been away for a while but things have been a little rough (sophomore slump is 1000% real) but i have returned! hopefully... anyway, a few months ago i was contacted by the wonderful Best Self Co, who asked me if I’d like to partner with them. they’ve sent me their new journal, the Self Scholar, which i will be sharing with you today. a huge thank you to all of you guys (my followers) for giving me the support to make something like this possible and thank you Best Self Co for the opportunity!

*disclaimer: all of my opinions are my own and i am not being paid to write this review. however, if you choose to purchase through this link, i will receive a small commission. thanks!*

the self scholar is a productivity journal designed specifically for students, and it spans 4 months/a semester. the features it includes are:

1. 3 ribbon bookmarks in different colors + elastic closure

2. a grid for your weekly schedule (6am-9pm)

3. lists for morning/evening rituals

4. an assignments/tests spread

5. 10 project planning pages

6. 4 grid style monthly calendars

7. weekly pages with space for: 3 weekly milestones, planning for each day (though the weekend is lumped together), habit tracker (5 habits), happiness reflection, 3 big wins, reflection on milestones, best memory and weekly gratitude

8. daily pages with space for: an hour-by-hour schedule (6am-11pm), 3 daily targets, to-do list (6 tasks), meal planning, daily gratitude and notes

9. 25 free pages (dot grid)

now for more of the review part of the post (under the cut bc super long). keep in mind some of my pros might be cons for you and vice versa. it’s all about what works for you:

pros:

1. great quality: i love the canvas-covered hard cover. it feels sturdy and the canvas adds a really nice touch. the paper is quite thick (my pentel sign pens ghost, but don’t bleed) and the pages lay flat. 

2. well designed: i’m a sucker for nice details and well though layouts. the pages are very clean and use a font i really enjoy. there aren’t a lot of harsh lines (mostly dotted lines), which give the pages a soft look. some of the sections have a light grey background which makes for nice organization. 

3. daily schedule: i really like the idea of having a daily hour-by-hour schedule to help maximize your time. i think this helps you to pull out little pockets of time you might not have known you had.

4. assignments/task pages: i think this is an awesome way to stay on top of the stuff you need to do, especially if listed in chronological order. i would like it to be broken up based on class, but that’s something you could do on your own if you really wanted to.

5. daily rituals pages: i think establishing a daily ritual is really important and is something i’m working on. oftentimes i’ll get sidetracked and remember other things i need to do, then end up forgetting to do something like take my vitamins.

cons: 

1. too structured: i really would like more freedom in this journal, especially since i’ve gotten used to having a bullet journal. there are a lot of components in the daily and weekly pages that i will likely never use. i’d like to be able to re-purpose the space, but the set structure makes it hard.

2. no back pocket: this is really very minor, but i really enjoy the little pocket that comes in the back of journals like the leuchtturm and moleskine ones. i keep a multitude of things in there, which i’m not able to with the self scholar (though you could make your own pocket?

3. free pages only at end: this kind of ties in with the “too structured” point, but i would like to have some blank pages interspersed in the journal (ex: in between each month) for things like my monthly #zenartchallenge or just some decorative quote pages.

4. yellow/cream pages: after having my leuchtturm for so long, i’ve come to realize i don’t particularly care for pages that aren’t white. a little picky, i know, but it is something that matters to me.

the final verdict: not sure this is the journal for me, but i definitely think this product could be super useful. if you’re someone who wants a pre-printed journal (without the hassle of having to make your own spreads) and really likes reflections or gratitude pages, i would give this a shot. another way you might be able to use this is if you have a separate bullet journal/art journal and planner. this way you have a premade planner and then you can be creative in another journal. all in all, a well-made, well-thought out product, just maybe not for me. i will, however, be adopting some of these spreads into my bullet journal! 

xoxo, m

ps. if you decide to get one/already have one, let me know what you think!

[thatwriterchickrachel]

Declarations at Dawn - 1.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences 

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug; Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe

Characters:

Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir

Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug)

Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)

Alya Césaire

Nino Lahiffe

Chloé Bourgeois

Lila Rossi

Madame Bustier (Miraculous Ladybug)

Gabriel Agreste

Additional Tags:

Ballroom AU

dance au

Royalty AU

aged au

Language: English

Read on Ao3 Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Young Renegade

Summary: It’s been a while.

Adrien sighed as he stared out the window of the castle. Well, castle was a term used incredibly loosely, he thought dully. Where he was staying was more like an incredibly large mansion on an estate ten times the size of the building.

He looked down at the personal planner on the desk he was sitting at and crossed another day off the little calendar in the corner. He had been here for longer than his father had originally said. He had left at the end of November, with barely a goodbye to his friends, and now it was nearly a week and a half into January.

He wondered if his father just planned to keep him here until his birthday. Chloé had only been here for the promised week, and had left with a spring in her step, promising to be back for the Christmas break – which Adrien’s father had declined.

She had surprised Adrien with her dedication to the role as Prince’s consort during that first week. She dutifully listened and tried her best with their lessons and training, hoping to please Astor and Estelle, their instructors. She took to dressing the part, her trendy boutique clothes being discarded in favour of delicate gowns in shades of yellow and gold, even her speech and behaviour seemed to transcend anything he could have expected.

He looked out the window again, half hoping the sea of green lawns and trees would have manifested into a view of the coast. He wasn’t far from Paris - in fact it was a seventy-two-hour walk, including a ferry trip – but he felt like he was on the other side of the planet.

He hadn’t spoken to Marinette since the competition, assuming, of course, that she was, indeed, Ladybug. She hadn’t messaged him since that night, and every time he opened the chat to write a message he couldn’t find the words. She hadn’t messaged Chat Noir either, probably assuming he was still wound up in the ‘family stuff’.

Adrien had heard from Nino once a week, and Alya tried to keep the Ladyblog alive but with both dancers missing in action, it was losing the traction it had so quickly gained. She was trying something new, she had announced online after the holiday break, but her plans were still in motion so she was keeping it all under wraps until they were all ready.

It was through Nino, not Alya surprisingly, that Adrien found out that Marinette had been accepted with one other aspiring designer to intern at the Agreste company with his father. Which probably explained why she hadn’t been posting to her social media much either.

Beside him, his phone vibrated, causing him to nearly jump from his reverie.

“H-hello, this is Adrien Agreste speaking.”

“Adrien, you will be coming home on Friday to finalize your studies at the University. Ensure you are packed and ready for your return,” Nathalie’s voice had recently taken on a cold tone, like his father’s. He wondered if that was because the more pressure on his father, the more pressure he exuded onto everyone else.

“R-really? I’m able to graduate?”

“It is expected for a Prince to be a well-educated graduate. However, your final year of study will be transferred and completed amongst your duties in Asluicia.”

“O-oh, right. Thank you,” Adrien replied. He wanted to ask about her day to find out more about how things had been at home; considering his father was so distant, this level of homesickness was mildly surprising.

“I must go,” Nathalie said quickly, the line going dead almost immediately and he sighed. It was the most interaction he’d had with anyone from home in a few days.  He kicked his chair out and put his phone back on the desk rather than in the pocket of the dress pants he was confined to for pretty much all hours he was awake.

He wanted to go for a walk – maybe a seventy-two hour one would clear his head, he wondered dully as he changed out of his clothes. If he could sneak out for just a little bit, maybe he could find something worthwhile on this tiny island. As he began to pull on his jeans he heard Astor knocking at his door; Adrien hurriedly dropped his jeans back into his closet, pulling out the silk pyjama bottoms he wore for bed.

“Come in,” he called, hoping he seemed calm.

“Master Adrien you-” The man’s beady eyes narrowed as he looked down his nose at the boy, taking in his appearance. “Are you retiring for the evening?”

“Y-yes. I was just informed I would be returning to Paris on Friday and thought an early night would provide better study for the days before I leave.”

“Well, to be frank, you won’t be gone for long. Your father has expressly requested that you return bi-weekly to continue your studies.”

“He has?”

“Of course. It is only a short flight between anyway. You will be returning here on the Friday afternoons and then flying back to Paris on the Sunday evenings. It is only for a few months,” Astor waved his hand dismissively and Adrien hoped the way his heart deflated wasn’t visible in his expression. “In other regards, since you are retiring for the evening, shall I have the cooks send dinner to your room?”

“Uh, no. I’m not hungry,” Adrien replied. “I think I’ll do some light reading and go to sleep.”

Astor’s eyes flickered from the novel on his bedside table to the closed leather-bound journal on his desk before he nodded curtly.

“Very well. I shall fetch you in the early morning for your classes. I bid you a good night.”

“Good night, Astor.”

Adrien waited as the man didn’t move for a moment before rapidly exiting from the room, a habit that greatly annoyed him. Once the door was shut and the footsteps had vanished, he took off the pyjama pants and pulled back on his jeans. He tugged on his sneakers and his bomber jacket, slipping his phone and wallet into his pockets along with a shred of black cloth and cracked open his window.

Adrien made to step out, but hurriedly arranged his pillows under the covers in the age-old method of deception, before looking out and checking no one was walking around the grounds. When the coast was clear, he carefully stepped out onto the thin concrete of the exterior trim and gently shut the pane of glass just before it clicked. He hugged the wall to the nearest brick column, where he carefully shimmied down to the safety on ground on the first floor.

He crouched and tried to stealthily make his way as far out of sight as he could, once he reached tree-cover, he pulled on his mask and tugged his hood up before he reached the garage. Adrien ran his fingers over the top of the door frame – a terrible place to keep the spare key – before sliding the key into the lock and entering.

He was sure one of the workers at the castle had probably noticed the first or second time he had snuck out. Even though he had tried to park back in the same place, they were bound to have noticed the tank was a little lighter, and yet he hadn’t been called out.

Adrien carefully opened the garage, wary of noise despite being a great distance from the mansion and Astor before wheeling the motorbike out into the gravel driveway. He returned, picking up the helmet and keys before carefully shutting the garage doors.

The first time he had ‘borrowed’ the bike, he had no real idea how to use it. It had taken a great deal of getting used to and the first night, he hadn’t been able to go anywhere except out of town to a small stretch of country road to learn how to drive. The second time, he had driven through the streets of the city. It had been just before the holidays, snow and decorations lining the streets as people happily shopped and made their way home.

Tonight, he just wanted to drive. Adrien pulled on his helmet and started the engine, leaving the grounds at a reasonable speed. When he hit the main road he sped up, enjoying the freedom as the wind whipped at his clothes.

He slowed as he passed through the town, people making their way home for the evenings and closing up their shops. It was a quaint little town, he had to admit. There were cafes, a butcher, a bookshop and many other nice places. For the most part the town was untouched by big corporations and it was just… pleasant. Adrien passed the church main church and part of him wondered what it was like to have a strong faith to believe in above anything; but it was fleeting as he sped out of the town and towards the country homes and beyond that, the coast.

He took some dirt roads, thinking that surely the people of Asluicia knew more about the land than any main roadway, and found himself coming up to a cliff-side. He slowed and killed the engine, pulling off his helmet as he climbed off. In the distance, he could just see the sunset and darkness beyond the horizon but he still couldn’t help but imagine the twinkling lights of the city he grew up in. He imagined he could see the Eiffel Tower, lighting up in it’s evening glory; beyond that was the Louvre, the sunset bouncing off its glass structure.

He imagined the university, professors locking up and heading home for the evening, the students second week back already filling their schedules beyond belief. He imagined Nino and Alya heading to their apartment together, Nino probably talking about some new track or an event coming up at the club and Alya probably babbling nonsense about her newest idea.

And then his mind wandered to a girl who was probably curled up in her living room, a sketchbook on her lap; pencils, pins and fabric scraps scattered across her table, a red bird on her shoulder.

~~~~~

Marinette jumped as her phone buzzed beside her. She groggily pulled her head from the pillow and winced as the light from her phone blinded her for a moment. She forced herself on her back, toeing off the weight on her feet.

As her shoes fell to the floor, she saw she had a new message from Chat Noir and her heart nearly stopped.

She hadn’t heard from him in over a month. Marinette bit her lip, remembering their last message; well, the messages between her and Adrien. She still wasn’t completely convinced that Chat Noir and Adrien were the same person, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility. She felt guilt begin to trickle into her stomach. If Adrien and Chat Noir really were the same person, it meant not only had she been lying to him, but he had been lying to her as well.

She shook her head. It wasn’t lying, she reasoned. They both chose to hide their identities and keep them hidden for each other’s comfort and safety… for her comfort and safety. She opened the message, noting that was sent to Marinette’s account, not Ladybug’s; and leant across her bed to her lamp. The sun was only just setting, but it was getting dark quickly. She couldn’t wait for spring and longer evenings. She had so many outfits planned for the season – if she ever got the chance to make them, she thought grimly.

Working at the Agreste company was exhausting. She was only a week into it and was already feeling the tension getting to her. She thought shadowing designers and helping out would mean giving her opinions on textures and patterns or finishing up garments; not running coffee orders and being barked at when things went wrong. She was honestly just glad she had made it through her first week without spilling coffee on anyone, or anything.

Marinette pulled her covers around her, ignoring the fact she was still fully dressed and tapped the image file Chat had sent her. The picture was a breathtaking coastal view from atop a cliff, the sky growing dark over the horizon, not a cloud in sight. As she closed to type a reply, another one came through and she opened it to see rolling country hills with the same dark sky and in the corner was a blonde boy with a mask pulling a goofy face, barely in frame.

She couldn’t help but smile. Even if it had been weeks since they had spoken, she was happy to hear from him.

How’s the family trip?

He took a moment to reply, the dots in the bottom corner disappearing for a moment and reappearing before his message popped up.

[ChatNoir:] Dullsville. Can’t wait to come back to Paris.

Unwilling to ask where he was in case it added further evidence to the Adrien Noir pile, Marinette typed her new message.

Do you have a date yet? It’ll be good to see you again.

[ChatNoir:] Purrincess, do you miss me?

Marinette felt her cheeks flush at his message. The memory of their night before the competition was not so easily forgotten.

I will admit it’s been a little boring without a tomcat hanging around. I’m getting a lot of work done at least.

[Chat Noir:] Oh, I heard through the grapevine you got that internship for Gabriel Agreste! I knew you’d blow them away

I only started last week; and I wasn’t the only designer who got through

Marinette read over her message, frowning at the tone that came across and hurriedly added:

It’s been such a cool experience already I can’t wait to learn more

She hoped it came across as appropriately enthusiastic; especially if it was Adrien she was talking to. It would be incredibly rude of her to make a big deal about being unsure of applying, getting the internship and then not being appreciative of the work.

[ChatNoir:] I hope it’s everything you wanted

Marinette bit her lip as her emotions fought for control over her. She couldn’t help but feel the distance between them more than anything. They had grown so close in such a short time frame, he was her partner and one of her best friends. Everything else she felt for him wasn’t as important, especially while she was working through everything else.

He was supportive and to be honest, Chat Noir was the main reason she had continued with the application. She had put Adrien aside – even if he was the same boy – and followed through because it was her dream and Chat Noir had been near adamant that she follow her own dreams.

Right now it’s getting coffee orders but I’m sure it will be

She followed with a laughing emoticon and saw him begin his reply before the dots disappeared. It was several more moments before she got a reply and she had wondered if he had been distracted or just unsure what to say.

[ChatNoir:] Promise to tell me all about when I get back? We can get lunch

Marinette thought it over. There really wasn’t any real downfall to it, plus he probably wouldn’t be back for a few weeks and by then things surely would have improved.

Sure. You’ll have to let me know when you know you’ll be back so I can schedule it

[ChatNoir:] How does Saturday afternoon sound?

[ChatNoir:] I come back Friday night.

Marinette felt her heart race. He was going to be back at the end of the week, as in this week. Would that mean that Adrien would reappear at the end of the week as well? She swallowed hard.

I might be at Agreste but I’m sure I could get take my lunch break later or something

[Chat Noir:] Working on weekends? They must really need you

He added a cat smiling emoticon and Marinette gave her phone a shaky smile even though she knew he couldn’t see it. She wasn’t sure what to say in return. He was happy for her and she couldn’t ruin that.

I’m sure Saturday afternoon can work

It was a simple reply, she nodded to herself. Her stomach growled and she climbed out of bed, keeping her covers over her shoulders.

[ChatNoir:] I can’t wait. It feels like it’s been forever

It’s only been just over a month

Despite her words, Marinette couldn’t deny the feeling in her chest. He was right, it did feel like forever.

[ChatNoir:] Have you heard from Adrien?

Marinette set her phone down while she rummaged in her freezer for some left overs, contemplating her answer. She got updates from Nino and Alya, but she hadn’t spoken to him herself. She just couldn’t find the words. Maybe if he reappeared this week she could think of something to say to him.

Not since before he left. Nino and Alya say he’s doing okay though. Apparently family trips aren’t all tourist traps and cheesy photos

[ChatNoir:] You sound like you have experience in the latter

Well I do have family in China. My parents love that stuff

[ChatNoir:] that does sound like them

[ChatNoir:] not that I know them very well

[ChatNoir:] Did you know they were at the competition?

Marinette’s cheeks flared as her eyes moved to the photo stuck to the support wall of the kitchen. Chat Noir had his arm awkwardly around Ladybug, like a pose for a school dance or something. The background was the simple black wall of the hall. Of course, it had been Chat’s first-time meeting Marinette’s parents, at least, as Chat Noir.

R-right yeah. They told me when they came over afterwards.

I’m so sorry I hope it wasn’t too awkward

She put a bowl of leftover pasta in the microwave and turned it on, watching her phone on the counter as it lit up with the new message.

[ChatNoir:] Not at all Princess. Just a shame you weren’t there as well

[ChatNoir:] I’m afraid I have to go

[ChatNoir:] if we don’t talk before then I look forward to seeing you Saturday

He followed with a few cat emojis before his icon went grey. Marinette frowned as she read over his messages. If it was Adrien and he was away working on his princely role, she was a little concerned at the fact he hadn’t been around much. Had his father forced him to stay over the Christmas break? She hoped he hadn’t spent it alone, or at least, without friends.

She pulled out the bowl from the microwave, yanking her hand away as the stone burned her fingers. Tikki chittered in concern but she brushed it off, pulling out a fork and stirring it before putting it back in. She held the fork to her lips as she leant back against the counter, Adrien still on her mind.

[rosaswann]

You know, you’d almost think there was such a thing as a life outside of the internet. Anyway, it’s been a few weeks since my last post and I’ve been wanting to give an update on how and if I’m using my Hobonichi (yes, I am) and especially show off a few things I’ve been doing. So, even though this isn’t a video as most more sophisticated people do, here is a flip through of my Hobonichi for about the first 3 weeks of January 2017.

*Checks previous post to see what she already talked about*

For pics on all the different pages and my first thoughts you can look at that post. I still stand with basically everything I’ve said back then. On the topic of the pencil board/bookmark thing… I’m making a separate post on that later, as I’ve created some of my own and I find it very handy because of the thin paper of the Hobonichi. Do look forward to that one!

So, I’ve been really good and have really enjoyed my notebook these last three weeks. I was originally scared that I wouldn’t be able to fill the pages, or not able to fill them enough to really make me not feel like I’m wasting pages. But wow! I’m pretty happy with everything right now, you’ll see why soon.

Let’s start from the front.

Front and back. I made two word outlines and printed them, then I coloured them in myself and slid them into the clear cover. This way I get a very personalised planner and a constant reminder of my “word of the year” which this year is balance, mainly between my work and other life (which, writing a blog post at 11.30 pm on a Friday… I’m still working on). It’s very simple, but really effective! Some colour, some focus and still a smooth and very easy to handle planner. The size is something I’m still very happy with, perfectly fine for my needs and easy to take with me!

I still use the regular Hobonichi pencil board, though I also use a sheet that I made myself (no pics here, but will be in a future post). The white Totoro sticky is for my monthly page and the green one for my weekly page. That way I can go to them immediately. They’ve held up pretty well and the space between the tab on the pencil board and the two stickies is just right for the elastic closure to fit between.

Small pocket-ish space from the clear cover is easy to store a few things. These Magic the Gathering booster packets will go into my memory book, but I’m still waiting for it to arrive. It took me a while to choose what type of book I wanted for that and then where to order it. But I’ve got a Stalogy coming my way for my memory book.

Monthly sheet for January, with some private things blurred out. I track things that need to get done (the yellow bar at the bottom tells me to put the paper recycling at the street that day) and TV shows and on what day they’re airing. At the top corner you can see my new fountain pen that I adore. More pictures of it can be seen on my Instagram account.

Pen test page. Nothing bleeds, lots of shadowing, but that is expected with paper that you can almost see through, anything is visible. But nothing has actually gone through the pages just yet. Which is awesome. The bottom two big black swatches are brush pens, and pretty wet ones too, but they came out really nice.

At the top left you can see a writing sample with the Hobonichi pen, next to some highlighters and my fountain pens. At the far right a sample with my newest fountain pen. This page is so lovely, but I basically only use the pens that are tested on the top half of this picture, just the Hobonichi pen and the fountain pens (and some highlighters).

Weeklies. As you can see, I’m planning a little more now that I’m getting more into the year and I’m trying to get back to a good weekly schedule… Yeah, still working on it. The colours on the last two pictures are the Mildliners from Zebra and I adore them. I’d seen them and they looked very handy since they’re not as bright, so you can make a schedule without it being too obtrusive. Which, I think, they’re perfect for. Just look at this page, I think it’s beautiful and the fact that the colours are not super bright really helps with that.

Day one. I’ve tried a few things here, I translated the quote at the bottom with Google Translate, which went well enough, but it was pretty fiddly. Also, a few quotes from Getting Things Done by David Allen, which you will find more, as I’m reading it at the moment.

Day two and three. More quoted from the book. I’ve really started to love my Platinum Preppy fountainpens for this. They write so smoothly and because of the limited number of colours, I don’t spend a long time deciding on what colour to use for everything. I love using the Hobonichi to keep track of what I’m reading and the most important things I’ve read on that day. I usually don’t fill it out immediately, as I do my reading very early in the morning and I never know what I’m up against for the rest of the day.

As I read, I write quotes and other things I feel that are important in my non-fiction reading book and, usually, I’ll put one of the quotes or ideas into my Hobonichi either at the end of the day, or more likely, the next morning after my reading for that day. Colouring the quotes helps both to make the ideas more fun to look at and also to keep the idea that every whole is made up of parts and that you need to identify and realise those parts before starting.

This isn’t a very busy spread. I mostly spend the days relaxing after a crazy busy weekend and on the Jan 11 I watched a video from one of my favourite Youtube channels, Thomas Frank and his Four Steps to Learn a Skill Quickly video specifically. I wrote down the steps explained in the video here and also the source of where he got his ideas. This way I keep both a reminder for myself of what I thought was interesting but also a reminder where I got that information.

More Getting Things Done ideas on the left and just a recipe for my lunch on the right. I was trying out a new high veggies and low carb lunch. It was amazing but maybe a little bit too involved for normal afternoons.

This spread was actually pretty empty before I made my big Magic the Gathering spreads on them. This is all done in fountainpens. I spent most of the 17th going through my MTG cards as it was cold and that just really put me off doing much work for the day. I had to look up a couple of things for making my own playable deck, and I back-dated my information. I’m used to having my information all over the place because of my Bullet Journal from last year. So, putting a note on the 17th (and 18th) that the information is on this page, and then writing it on a separate sheet at the front of the book, means I get to use up pages that haven’t gotten much on them in a way that is useful.

As I mention above, I was afraid that I’d have a lot of empty pages and that that would put me off things. But this way I get to both keep most of my information in a single place (as I had with my Bullet Journal) and I get to use up (mostly) empty pages. And adding those colours, they’re so lovely!

Quotes, information, work. All sorts of things on a single page. Some ideas for future projects, all mixed together. And I may not be an artist or a journaler, but I’ve found that I love collecting information and just storing them in here really makes it interesting to look back and to make sure I don’t lose the information. The colours make it prettier than the information actually is, and that is perfectly fine with me!

A very pretty and a not-so-pretty page right next to each other. The 18th was also mostly spent on MTG, so I traced the logo and put that in the Hobonichi. On the 19th, I bought some new pens and inks and even a new brush pen, which I then played all over the page with… Lots of interesting lines and things to do with that brush.

Here is a step-by-step of me making the MTG logo on the left.

The pen is all fountain pens (the Platinum Preppy pens to be exact) and the pencil at the back is a multi-colour neon pencil that gave the whole page a bit more coherence.

And something I can’t live without anymore, my TV series page (no movies yet). All series I’m watching, this way I don’t lose track of where I am in a story. Especially handy when I binge-watch a new series and I can’t remember exactly where I was previously. I started doing this in my Bullet Journal and it was one of the things I really liked about it. The small grid in the Hobonichi may allow me to just one one or two pages for my series this year. Let’s see about that at some other time.

Overall, I’m sooo sooo happy with this planner! For now, I seem to be able to handle my pages filling pretty well and I’m so impressed with the paper that I’ve got an A6 Hobonichi coming my way for me to actually do some more artsy things in. That, on top of my memory book. Yes, more and more paper to fill for me.

And I’m excited!!

Are you sticking to your new planner yet? Or did you get so excited before you gave up? Share!

Love,

Rosa

#Hobonichi #Flipthrough for Jan 2017! #planners #stationery #ほぼ日 You know, you'd almost think there was such a thing as a life outside of the internet.