Here's something that hasn't happened in a while: a finished notebook. I can't remember the last time I filled the pages of a notebook anymore. I do, however, remember a time when it happened quite often, when I spent my days writing down all kinds of ideas, poems, stories, and journal entries. I keep thinking how that was my "Golden Age" and how much I want to recreate it. So much has changed since, so I'm taking things one day at a time. A simple notebook that is optimized to make writing easy.MD Paper Products I know, it's weird quoting the actual company. The Midori MD notebook itself was an absolute pleasure to use. It's the kind of notebook that doesn't let cover colors, branding, calendars and whatnot get in the . . .

I've used Mossery products since early 2018, but have been a huge fan of the brand for as long as I can remember. Their commitment to helping artists, writers, students, professionals, and the other folks through beautifully designed tools is inspiring. Mossery planners, sketchbooks, and journals are fun and customizable, with features to help you plan and achieve your goals, whether in life or at work. A few months ago, they launched the Half Planner + Notebook system. It's a 6-month undated planner and 96-page notebook rolled into one, and you can choose the format you prefer. Weekly horizontal vs. weekly vertical for the plannerRuled or dot grid pages for the notebook I placed my pre-order on my birthday, and received it . . .

Any student from the Philippines has brought them for school—the typical 50- or 80-leaves notebooks stapled to bind and printed with red and blue lines. These notebooks would have cartoon characters or Filipino celebrities on the cover. They have the red margin to the left of the page as a guide for numbering lines. While I grew up with these notebooks, I despise them now as a parent. I've bought Holly two sets of these red-and-blue lined notebooks for 2nd and 3rd grade, and each time her notebooks didn't stand the continuous use. The weak card stock covers tore off from the rest of the notebook, the pages fold and bend so easily, and tear if the kid applies too much glue on the page. I longed for a set of composition . . .

My first experience with MUJI takes me all the way back to college. I was studying in Manila and had been at SM Mall of Asia when I saw the grand opening of this Japanese minimalist store. Beyond the shelves filled with shampoo bottles and tea towels was a central booth filled with notebooks, notepads, stamps, paperclips, pencil cases, and pens of all tips and colors. Many years later and I still have MUJI stationery in my collection not because of wacky cover designs or novelty pink paper, but the complete absence of any of those things. This approach aligns with the company's vision of taking everyday products and turning them into simple and beautiful products people would want to use for many years. ...to create products that . . .

You've probably seen it in your favorite teenage TV show, or on the book cover of a series you read as a kid. Images and scenes of students going through school halls, their backpacks slung over their shoulders and a composition notebook in one hand. The iconic black and white marble cover of this notebook has always caught my attention as a kid and a stationery collector. It's well-loved across the world too, both for its timeless design and its reputation as the notebook for messy, meaningful work. Quoting Format Magazine, it's "the rebellious cousin of the Moleskine." The marble composition notebook has been around for as long as we can (or try to) remember, but Pentagram graphic designer Aron Fay wanted to create a modern variation . . .

Beautiful, quality paper bound to a simple yet elegant book cover where every purchase plants a tree—it's a combination that left me longing to hold my own Baron Fig Confidant notebook for years. At that time, shipping to the Philippines wasn't available and I didn't have a USA shipping subscription. Persistent, I kept returning to the website checking to see if that limitation had finally lifted so I could buy a Confidant of my own. I'm happy to say that wish finally came true when I received my Kickstarter backer rewards for supporting Baron Fig's Kickstarter for their new bag line (review coming soon!). The bag came with a set of Vanguard notebooks and my first Confidant notebook, the latter I couldn't stop caressing and ogling . . .