Category: Reviews

Cozumel

November 8, 2022

Our last stop on the cruise was Cozumel. We sat by the beach, was served lunch, and relaxed. It was a nice end to our cruise. The water wasn’t as clear as we had expected, but we were still able to go in and swim.

This is the view of the ship docking. The lamps were still on because it was still pretty early in the morning. I wanted to see the sunrise and watch the docking, so while husband was still sleeping, I got up and made my way to the top floor. I realized I could only either watch the sunrise or the docking because the sunrise was on one side and the docking was on the other. I decided to watch the docking.

Once we got off the ship, we took a short bus ride to the beach resort and found a nice spot right by the water. In the photo, husband and I were in the water taking a photo of where we sat. I believe the third or fourth umbrella in the front there (right to left) was ours.

Here’s the view directly in front of where we sat. That’s an inflatable water slide. I believe you have to get on a jet ski to get over to it. We didn’t bother with that. It was nice relaxing by the water and that’s all we really wanted.

We had a great time on this cruise. The cruise members were super friendly and the food was pretty good. The best part, of course, was just getting away from the every day and relaxing.

One thing I always enjoy about cruising is how beautiful the cruise ships are. When we arrived at the Cozumel port, two Carnival ships also arrived. Husband and I were having breakfast when we saw the two ships.

We ate quickly and went to the top floor because I knew they were going to have to “spin” and I wanted to capture it. The first boat pulled in bow first but the second one spun around.

This was probably the most exciting part of our vacation for me…lol.

We’d love to go on another cruise next year. We don’t have anything set in stone yet but we’d really love to go again.

Unboxing Falcon Travelers’ Book of Faerie Traveler’s Notebook + Photos

April 29, 2022

I’m so excited to finally have this beautiful leather notebook cover in my hands! I ordered it early in February, and because this is a small business owned by Monique (aka Lady Falcon) and Martijn in the Netherlands, I expected some wait time. The company is called Falcon Travelers and they make leather traveler’s notebooks and folios. What’s unique about them is that they not only make your basic leather notebooks/folios, but they also make artistic-work notebooks.

The one I ordered is called “Book of Faerie.” I had been visiting their website for awhile and at one pointed wanted to get their “Pendragon” notebook cover, but by the time I was ready to order, the Pendragon leather was no longer available, however, something else caught my eye, and it was this very lovely engraved book-style cover.

I got it in the classic B6 size. Classic means there are no pockets. I regret not getting pockets because I’ve actually come to really like them, but I still love this one without pockets, nonetheless.

Unboxing and Photos of the Lancaster Leather Notebook Cover

April 19, 2022

I don’t normally use the personal size leather covers because I just find that they don’t have enough room to write, but the Lancaster Traveler’s Notebook cover was so tempting that I had to get one. I already have a personal cover for my address book, etc., but went ahead and switched the notebooks out into the Lancaster. I really like the button closure and I think it works better for the address book.

Here’s the unboxing video if you want to watch it. It’s a no-talk video with music in the background. It’s just shy of two minutes.

Here are the photos of this gorgeous leather cover.

These photos were taken after I had put in the notebooks.

This leather scratches easily but it’s okay because sometimes I just want a very rugged scratched up leather. Right now because it’s still pretty new, it looks smooth and divine, but given time it will show all the wear and tear it’s meant for.

Photos of Sugarplum, January, and No. 8 Leather Notebook Covers

April 11, 2022

Earlier this year, I shared an unboxing on video on Youtube of the three full-grain leather notebook covers above but didn’t get the chance to share the photos (you can watch the video here >>> Unboxing 3 Notebook Covers), so here they are.

Sugarplum B6

January (this is the name of the leather) A5:

I’ve been using the January notebook cover the most and it’s one of my favorites. It hold just one notebook. I currently have a Wonderland 222 in there. I’m using it to track my writing but I think it will work better as a book review notebook, so next year that’s what I’ll be using it for.

No. 8 Standard Wide

I’ve got two more leather unboxings and photos to come so be ready! I’ve also finished reading three excellent books and will be reviewing them soon.

Photos of Woodhouse Personal and Huckleberry B6 Traveler’s Notebook Leather Covers

February 7, 2022

By now you’re probably super tired of seeing all these beautiful full-grain leather notebook covers. I’m obsessed by them and could never get tired of looking at them and touching them, so just bare with me. I’m still reading books. In fact, I’m reading two books right now: Bleak House by Charles Dickens and an Indie book by Rebecca Crunden titled, These Violent Nights. I also have about three books borrowed from the library in which I probably won’t get to because I just received another book request that I will accept.

What’s so special about these leather notebook covers? Nothing, really. It’s just that I love to journal, do art, write stories, etc. I love all things having to do with papers and these notebooks are just a way for me to keep everything together. And, it’s also another way for me to keep busy. I think when life gets stressful, and it could be anything from work related things to family things, it’s nice to have something to comfort you, something that means a lot to you and that makes you feel good about yourself when you surround yourself with it. It doesn’t have to be costly. These notebooks are expensive, but before I got into them, I purchased vinyl ones. I wanted to test the water first to make sure that if I fell into this rabbit hole of collecting notebooks, that I wasn’t wasting money. Anyway, let’s move on. Here are photos of the Austen Woodhouse Personal and the Creme Chocolate B6.

Woodhouse is from the Austen line. If you’ve read the book Emma by Jane Austen, you’ll know that Woodhouse is Emma’s last name. I’ve shared an unboxing of the Austen Emma B6 here and photos of it here if you want to check them out.

Woodhouse is a dark blue but not quite navy blue. I’d stay it’s like a Prussian blue. The photos look a lot darker but it’s actually a softer color in person. Woodhouse is vegetable-tanned so it will continue to patina.

Here’s Woodhouse next to the Pemberly Personal notebook (the cover I’m switching from). You could see that Woodhouse is a tad longer. The photo below it shows the height differences much better.

I went with the Woodhouse Personal to replace the Pemberly Personal because the inserts I buy are a little longer and fit the new size better, and also because I love the Austen leathers. They’re flexible but sturdy and smell so good!

The Huckleberry B6 is from the Creme line. I didn’t really need this leather cover but got it anyway because I wanted to add to my Creme collection. I now have all the colors of the Creme line. I think this is the only line that I have all the colors. Another reason why I got this cover was because Chic Sparrow was switching from side facing pockets to cascading pockets and I wanted a side facing pocket cover before the switch.

The Huckleberry leather is a muted fuchsia color. I think there’s a hint of brown in them, but this one (in person) actually leans towards purple.

If you didn’t already know, I’ve had a Huckleberry B6 Slim Folio for a couple of years now. It was made very different from a regular traveler’s notebook cover and I had wanted to try it out to see if I’d actually like the design and the color. I’m not a big fan of purplish fuchsia color leathers. They’re just a little too bright for me, but I’m happy with this one. In the photo below, the top one is the B6 TN and the bottom one is the B6 Slim Folio.

That was a lot of photos but I hope you enjoyed seeing my joy. If you want to see the unboxing of these two notebook covers, go here.

Snow Day (Photos) and Unboxing Video of 3 Notebook Covers

February 2, 2022

Daughter had a snow day today, which means no school. She’s both excited and bummed. Excited because she can relax and not worry about doing homework, and bummed because she spent an hour yesterday making Crepes for French class and now she’ll have to eat them by herself (and with me of course) or throw them away. She made about 20 crepes.

The snow is soft and light and it’s not that cold out. I went out to take photos in my short LL Bean boots, leggings, and sweater and wasn’t cold at all.

Here’s me crossing the lawn in the deepest part trying to get over to the pine tree.

As I was taking photos, this person comes by on cross country skis just enjoying the wonderful weather and snow.

And I had to share this notebook cover with the snow in the background. The little white sprinkling things is the snow coming down. This is the No. 8 Extra Wide in American Bison hide. The unboxing video below will have a closer look at all the striations and folds. It’s such a pretty leather!

Photos of the Dark Brown Scout Cascade TN

February 1, 2022

The Maverick leather by Chic Sparrow is one of my favorite traveler’s notebook cover. It’s a water buffalo leather with amazing lightning veins. It’s also one of the thicker leathers they carry. I believe the Creme leather is the thickest. The Scout is similar to the Maverick except the inside pockets uses the Creme leather instead of a thinned out Maverick leather.

Here is the Scout next to the Maverick. The Maverick I have is a classic, which means there are no pockets and no stitching.

Scout, Maverick, and Le Voyageur. Scout and Maverick are narrow sizes. The Le Voyageur is by Foxy Fix and is a wide.

What do you think? Are you into smooth leathers or something more like the water buffalo?

January 2022 Playlist

January 31, 2022

I was given this CD Walkman to try out and review and I’m really liking it. The sound is excellent. What I found super cool was that the walkman stores the songs somehow so the CD doesn’t continue spinning like the ones back in the day. It doesn’t store the music permanently. It seems to store just the CD I’m listening to. I haven’t tried the radio but I’ve heard it wasn’t that great. I’m not worried though. I mainly just listen to my CDs. While everyone probably got rid of all their CDs and went digital, I kept most all of mine. They’re in storage though, so I need to get them out. The two in the photo are what I kept out. I have no idea what I did with the Sarah McLauchlan insert/booklit but I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere around the house. It was nostalgic listening to her music and Adele’s first album as well.

Here’s my top three songs for the month:

  1. “Possessions” – Sarah McLauchlan
  2. “Someone Like You” – Adele
  3. “Dirty Laundry” – Don Henly

Currently, on repeat is “Beyond the Moon” by A.M.R. feat. Ai Takekawa while I’m writing.

A Closer Look at the Black Beauty Creme B6 Traveler’s Notebook Cover

January 26, 2022

The Creme line from Chic Sparrow is their thickest leather. It’s a soft and pliable, supple full-grain leather with a decent amount of structure so it’s not floppy. It feels so nice and sturdy in your hands. It also smells wonderful. I’m not advertising for them. I simply love this leather, and a few others, and so much so that I think I might have an addiction, and it’s not a good one either because they are expensive. I started out with one leather cover back in 2017, a Mr. Darcy Lemon Drop B6, and from then on, it’s been one notebook cover after another. I’m at the point where I have no use for them. I’m simply collecting them now. I guess if it makes me happy, it can’t be a bad thing, right?

Gastaldi Cascade Folio A5

January 19, 2022

I’ve never been a fan of the color green for notebook covers, but lately it’s been a color I’m drawn too. My first purchase of a green cover was the Glas Folio B6 from the Express line. I thought I was good with that one, but then the Gastaldi from the Artist line captured my heart. There is something about this green that’s just so magnetic. The color is between a fern and forest green. I’d say maybe a sap green. There’s a bit of yellow and brown to it.

This Gastaldi is a Cascade Folio in the A5 size.

Here’s Gastaldi compared to Glas. Glas is a muted lime green.

Currently, I have a Stalogy A5 notebook in the Gastaldi and a Stalogy B6 in the Glas. Both of these notebook covers were purchased from Chic Sparrow. The Stalogy notebooks were purchased from Amazon.