#Midori MD notebook

[olameni]

Present loadout

This month I’m using I’m using a couple of iron gall inks from KWZ. I favor inks with permanence as I often horribly mistreat my notebooks. So I don’t want to lose a days thoughts, some critical insight from a divination, or my reading notes over an errant cup of tea. Additionally given that my current notebook has thick (200g/sm), absorbent, deckle edged paper reminiscent of old tomes and codices, a throwback like an iron gall ink felt appropriate.

Due to the way iron gall inks work over time the ink will oxidize (essentially rust inside of the paper) and the turquoise will dry to a deep blue black and the Aztec Gold will dry a to a darker brown (the image quality doesn’t do the Aztec gold justice and my particular bottle is several years old)

Pens: Moonman C1 Demonstrator with a Fude nib and a Monteverde Sequoia in a broad nib

Paper: Midori MD Notebook

[e-louise-bates]

I have found something that works! It doesn't match every single one of my specifications, but it matches enough of them that I'm happy.

First I tried the Leuchtturm1917 ruled notebook in the B6 size in a soft green, and while it doesn't lie perfectly flat when opened it lies flat enough and works in enough ways that it will definitely work for specific novels/stories. I also love the fact that it comes with spine labels I can stick on after it's filled so that I can keep track of which notebook goes with which story, should I ever want to do something like that.

But! Heady with success, I decided I also wanted to find something less expensive and more for random story scribblings, something I didn't have to keep one notebook per story for. And I found the Midori MD Notebook, and I love it. The only downside is that the cover only comes in cream, but I might hand it over to my artistic daughter and let her decorate the cover for me, which would actually make it even better. I ended up getting an A5 because I didn't love the B6 slim, and in some ways I think that's an even better size for random writings than the B6.

I also tested both with my fountain pens and there's no bleed and the pens write smoothly on both, so we're good there as well.

Success! Leuchtturm for specific stories that require a specific color and are ready for a draft, Midori for jottings and nebulous story ideas that are still brewing.

Thank you to everyone who commented and made suggestions!

Things I am looking for in a notebook:

B6 or 5"x7" size

Soft cover

Will lay flat when open (whether that be spiral bound or another binding that actually STAYS OPEN without being broken)

If spiral bound, rings that don't cut into my hand

Rich color

Good quality paper that holds up to fountain pens

Lined paper, not dots

Most of the nice quality notebooks I find are either the wrong type of binding or only have dot grids on the paper rather than lines, or both. Basic spiral-bound notebooks are convenient and have lined paper, but they don't feel nice to write on and frankly, aren't particularly inspiring for writing fiction.

I don't need super-fancy notebooks--I tend not to write in those or get frustrated by my story drafts not "living up to" the notebook they're housed in--but I want a step up from Mead or Oxford spiral-bound notebooks, as those tend to feel too utilitarian for flights of fantastic fiction.

I really like the Koyuko soft-ring notebooks, but those are all dot grids, and I need lined paper or my handwriting goes all over the place. Ditto Lechtturm and Moleskine, and I find those two tend not to stay open well anyway because of the binding, plus they lean more toward hard covers instead of soft.

I love writing first drafts by hand, and after a few years I've finally figured out what sort of fountain pens I like best, so now I just need the paper to go with it.

[bleumingdays]

started the year with a quick getaway to a cafe near the mountains!

i decided to use my traveler's notebook blank insert as a travel journal. here's to more travels this year and the coming years · ✧˖°

[davidrmunson]

I have a passport-size Traveler's Notebook that I like, but it's a bit small for daily use, so a while back I made an A6 equivalent from a leather scrap and some cord. Currently houses 3x MD Note notebooks. Works great, fits perfectly in the back pocket of my jeans.

Low cost, high performance, took about 10 minutes to make.

[anemonesy]

01.10.2023

Today's journal entry + doodles close-up

[winklebeebee-art]

I started a new sketchbook a few months ago, and I’ve been spending a lot of time in it recently. Like every time I go to a cafe to do work, I end up drawing in it, and I couldn’t figure out why I kept feeling like I needed to even though I have “actual” work I need to get done most days.

Then I had this really weird revelation that it was because I was just really enjoying the drawing process. It’s been so long since I’ve worked on anything that wasn’t a freelance thing or something made to be marketed and profited off of, that I legitimately forgot that I got into art because it makes me happy to do it sometimes.

So yeah. Capitalism is a soul-sucking nightmare and needs to be destroyed probably.

[cacklefrendly]

Fountain pen doodle compilation!!! fude nibs are the best nibs and i will fight someone about it

[spxcesuits]

bought a journal and ordered some stickers to put on the cover... my journalgirl era perhaps

[bleumingdays]

2023 july - december : mood log

i started using circle stickers to track my mood and have been consistent! i'm doing it again this year but on a traveler's notebook standard size.

[anemonesy]

My journal is finally ready for 2024 🎀

[moltes-musings]

When I'm travelling I keep a travel diary. Since I'm in Japan for three months I got a new Midori MD notebook, so I can fit it all my adventures in one book ✨

[buskingalbatross]

a journal i made! 🌼

i'm someone that journals quite a lot, and with my newfound bookbinding abilities, i decided that it could be fun to try and craft the successor to my current journal. and i did!

the pages themselves are the coverless Midori MD A5 Notebook, which I have built a cover around. the black & cream diamond fabric and the colorful fabric (which to me almost resembles colorful limpets (like the aquatic snails, you know)???) combo was inspired by the art i placed in a cutout i created at the center: an adorable sticker of phil phanart i received from @dnovep 🤍 (u can see this art in his 2025 dnp calendar here!)

i really really like how it turned out - whimsical, a bit jester core, and a bit naturey too! 🍃

(process pics below)

[artchiu]

where do you find the sketchbooks with the plastic / vinyl-y covers?! So cute!!!!

most are planners with clear covers on them!

top from left to to right: a small book i made with an old ad as the cover, an a6 Common Planner with clear cover from SaltyKatie (etsy), a6 Hobonichi with the little gifts cover and a clear cover over that.

bottom: a5 notebook in an a5 hobonichi cover with a clear cover over that, weeks Common Planner with SaltyKatie clear cover, and a leuchtturm pocket inside a vintage sailor moon cover.

i made collages that sit in between the covers! i use the planners for SOME planning but mostly i draw in them!

if youre looking for a sketchbook setup like this - you could do a midori md plain notebook and the midori clear covers. just collage yourself something and put it in between the notebook and cover and youll have something perfectly unique!!!

hope that helps!! (*¯︶¯*)

[buttered-beurre]

ink swatches up ahead, just using up my samples and having fun Wahoo!

First set: Inks with shimmer, though not all of the ones I have

Ferris Wheel Press Unfettered. It's cute, it's a very light grayish blue with pink shimmer.

Jacques Herbin Emerald of Chivor, a blue-teal ink with gold/green shimmer. The red sheen is my favorite to get on the Midori MD notebooks, I use it in my broad nibbed fountain pens for maximum red sheen.

Colorverse Ham Glistening. A blue ink with purple shimmer. Another favorite of mine. Purple glitter.

Diamine Shimmer Purple Pazzazz. Purple with gold shimmer. Another favorite of mine. Use it in a broad nib because it's prone to clogging my finer nibs. Very shiny. A lot of the shimmer just comes out in it.

[schadhauser]

Hi new to your work. Why are the sketchbook pages kinda transparent?

thanks for asking! it's just the nature of the paper - the paper is on the thiner side, so the drawings from the previous spread peeks through when I scan them :)

this is the brand I use: https://www.jetpens.com/Midori-MD-Notebook-Journal-A5-Frame/pd/26420

[jilliam]

Some of my goals for the new year

Get a new job, with the eventual goal of making and saving enough money to buy my first apartment in New York. To do this, I’ve decided to devote a minimum of 10 minutes a day to job search (ideally just getting started with this low requirement will get me to spend more time on it in practice)

Start working out again, and this time paying for a gym membership. I’m thinking of using blink fitness bc it’s cheap and there’s multiple locations close to my apartment, partner’s apartment, and youknow’s apartment just in case I’m sleeping over at any of their places, but I’m also considering crunch fitness

When I get back to nyc im gonna go to notebook store and buy either an A5 or B6 size MD Midori dot grid notebook. One of my New Year’s resolutions is I wanna do habit tracking and using a calendar again, not yet sure if I’m planning to just use my phone for a calendar but def wanna use a physical notebook for habit tracking

Become better at making jewelry. So far the only thing I’m doing toward that goal is continuing the classes I’ve been taking

Will update as I think of more