Last time I posted, my youngest daughter hadn’t started school yet. Now, she’s already two and half months in and coming upon her first PSATNMSQT test. Last year she took the PSAT, which was required by the school for the all the students to take. This year she qualified for the PSATNMSQT. Can you believe next year she’ll be taking the SATNMSQT?
I know I promised cruise photos and they’re ready to go and should be up soon. I can’t wait share photos and talk about my experience with this vacation and cruise line.
Chic Sparrow came out with this limited edition leather called Caramel. It’s a nubuk leather. Husband said it’s the same leather they use on Birkenstocks so I decided to get my hand on one. Here is the unboxing:
In the last 35 seconds of the video there is a clip of the drive through the mountains on the Million Dollar Highway. I provide a short description in the comments of the video about the city we visited and this highway, so if you’d like to learn a little bit about history, click on “Watch on Youtube,” and “Show More.”
Here are photos of the Caramel Folio:
This is a very pretty leather. After a few days holding it I’m not too sure I’m digging the suede feel. I like it, but I just don’t know if I love it. I wonder if this is the same leather they use for the Traveler’s Company’s Camel Traveler’s Notebook. I feel like I almost have to buy that one too just to compare.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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?
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?
We got snow today. It’s beautiful but slippery. This is a view from the study, where I spend the majority of my time writing, recording, and crafting.
Here’s a video of my unboxing of the Austen Woodhouse Personal and Creme Huckleberry B6. They are both leather traveler’s notebook covers by Chic Sparrow.
I just love the feel of these leathers. They smell awesome too. Photos coming soon.
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.
From My Corner of the Universe 