A brief look at a new journal I'm going to use beginning July 2020.
My new Tumbitri Meri journal was delivered yesterday. I did an ink test and decorated a few pages. Compared to my old, cheap journal, this new journal is a step up.
Specs and Stuff
My journal was purchased through Amazon for $19.95 USD through my Dad's Prime membership. Shipping was free.
It's technically an A5 sized dotted notebook, but I'll refer to it as a "journal" in this post since that's how I plan to use it. My other journal is also A5, but this Tumbitri Meri brand is slightly larger by several centimeters.
There are different color and set options available through Amazon. I just happened to get the lilac color. A navy blue color is also available directly through Tumbitri Meri for $16.95 USD plus separate tax and shipping costs.
This is the most money I spent on a journal! Normally cheap is the way to go for me. Yet, I wanted to see the difference between this, a potentially good quality journal, versus my Camel Bullet Journal purchased on sale for a cheap price, an OK journal.
The journal came packaged in a plastic-wrapped, sturdy, black cardboard box with the company's logo embossed on top. The journal itself was also plastic-wrapped.
The cover feels like faux suede. There's an elastic pen holder on the bind, and it'll probably hold two ballpoint pens easily. The company's logo is embossed towards the bottom center of the back cover.
Other information about the journal I'm too lazy to write full sentences about:
120 GSM thick paper
Owner information page on the flyleaf (name, phone, email, "if found, please return to")
4 unnumbered index pages towards the front of the journal
220 dotted pages (small, light colored dots)
All 220 pages are numbered
Pages 205 through 220 are perforated (can be torn out easily)
Pages are relatively white in color
4 pockets on the inside back cover: 1 large and 3 small pockets
3 ribbons/page markers: white, purple, and gray
1 elastic band to keep the journal covers closed tightly
1 elastic band on the bind as a pen holder
Ink Test Comparison
I thought the best way to see the differences for myself was to do an ink test on the second to last page of the journal.
I replicated what I did in my latest journal the best I could, using thin strokes and layering inks to see how much bled through the page.
Wow! What a difference! Watercolor marker applied directly to the page and water added on top bled through. The thick Sharpie marker, not fine-tip Sharpie, bled through the page. The calligraphy ink was barely noticeable through the page, but there were a few light spots that I could see on the flip side of the page.
I later attempted an ink test with several alcohol ink markers, but those bled through to the last page.
Since this journal was delivered on July 1st before I started filling in the pages of my recent July 2020 Journal Design with an ice cream theme, I decided to use the blank pages of that book for brainstorming and notes. However, that meant I needed to work on setting up this new journal for my memory keeper.
Another New Journal Setup
Since I just completed and posted a New Journal Setup last week, I'll skip the minuscule details. The setup is similar, just with a different paper pad. The only difference is I didn't decorate the endsheet and flyleaf in this new journal.
My Thoughts
If you're interested in seeing a flip through of the Tumbitri Meri journal and my newest new journal setup, check-out the video above.
I like this journal. The pages are white, unlike my off-white pages of the old journal. Masking errors with a white gel pen or paint should be less noticeable.
The pages are smooth to the touch. Doing the ink test made me confident in attempting a watercolor design for a future month. That's not something I've been able to do in my other journals.
What's Next?
I need to setup my July design theme in this new journal. I hesitated to do that yesterday because I'm contemplating whether to recreate my ice cream theme or do something completely different. If I do something different, I'll write about it for next Tuesday's post.
Otherwise, I'm working on a laptop sleeve design for my Dad. It's taking days to complete, but I think my Dad will be pleased to see a few of his favorite first-person shooter games referenced on one side of the laptop sleeve.
My friend also got me thinking about trying a new craft. I've watched some tutorials online while completing other craft projects to learn the basics. Expect to see a few wood burning crafts in the coming weeks.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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