Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » journals, notebooks, and planners, oh my!

over the past few weeks i’ve gotten a few emails asking for my favorite planners and journals. i tend to jump all over the place when it comes to notebooks; normally i use one of joy’s notebooks and just jot notes and dates down when necessary but i understand it’s important to have pre-written dates and months for a lot of people. so i thought i’d do a little mini-roundup of my favorite journal/notebook/planners on the market. hope you enjoy! if you have any favorites you’d like to add please feel free to do so in the comment section below.

[image above, clockwise from top left: aviary journal $22.50, 8 days a week planner $16, whomi agenda $30, little otsu weekly planner $16, hable desk agenda $73]

[image above, clockwise from top left: python embossed journal $95, keri smith non-planner datebook $16, russel and hazel pocket book $7, 2008 daily planner $35, animal journals $16 each, berliner come-along-weekly planner $16]

[image above: nantaka joy journals $12.75 each]

[image above clockwise from top left: sukie indian notebook $12.50, jen corace organizer $24, jill bliss mini-journal set $14.95, chris duncan 18-month planner $15, kate spade personal desk calendar $18, amelie green journal $9.50]

[image above: ikat journal by meg mateo ilasco]

I love the Moleskine Weekly Planner Notebooks. The days of the week on one side have plenty of room to write appointments and the lined note page on the opposite page gives me extra room to write notes or jot down ideas.

I have a 2007 Quo Vadis planner because the layout ticked most of my boxes - week over 2 pages, vertical layout with hours labeled, printed lines & text that weren’t too harsh & distracting, and most importantly, luscious paper that my fountain pen didn’t bleed through. Unfortunately, it’s got a pretty bland cover, so I covered it with some wrapping paper elementary school style. If only I knew where to get plastic book covers!

I like these planners too: mm/mg and creator’s diary. Gosh, I hope those links work…

Hi Grace. Once again, a great round-up. I must tell everyone about Schott’s Miscellany Diary from Smythson. It’s a little pricey but I manage to get one every year and love to scribble in the weekly pencils games or learn new words each week. There are lots of clever quotations as well. It comes in a lovely box and you can even have it silver-stamped with your initials. A perfect gift for your more literary friends.
http://www.smythson.com/SmythsonSite/pages/product/product.asp?prod=wp-pd0565&ctgry=Diaries_Pocket%20Diaries&cookie%5Ftest=1

hi grace…looking forward to the holiday cards guide…:)…you are the best…
also, do you or anybody else here have any opinions about these notebooks/ planners I saw in blueprint magazine a few issues ago? they slide into each other and are available on a website called www.starthereny.com…i think…anyway. was wondering if someone had tried these and had thoughts on their usefulness!
thanks again for your wonderful round-up!
joey

Although i like these colorful lively notebooks and planners (especially “amelie gren journal), i still insist on using my precious Moleskines… their style is simple, elegant and sophisticated. It’s like Lacoste, producing the same things every season but still favored for its classic style.

Some really beautiful ways to stay on top of your days… I just wanted to add a company that is new, and I think, exciting: starthereny.com. They offer linkable notebooks & a planner so you can build your own little office to go. Thanks for all the ideas Grace!

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