Posts filed under Midori

Midori Clip Bookmarker Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Midori has a great line of stationery accessories, and these dainty clip bookmarks are a nice addition to their collection. There are a few themed sets; this one celebrates different kinds of weather.

The bookmarks are very thin metal: .1 mm. They feel quite flimsy and delicate, but they're tougher than they look. They're as thin as a piece of paper, and a bit flexible, but I haven't bent any of them (yet) with careful handling. The thinness does serve a purpose--they're lightweight for metal bookmarks, so they don't weigh down or damage the paper that they're clipped to.

The clip function is a folded metal lip that pinches at the back. They're surprisingly grippy, and were, in fact, a bit tricky to slide on and off at first. Even after repeated use, they're secure enough that I know they won't slip off of a page by accident.

They work well as bookmarks or fancy bookdarts, but they also work as stencils for your notebook or planner. The metal cutouts are traceable to make cute designs on the edges of your pages. The weather ones are perfect for a planner or journal. Because they're so small, they are a bit tricky to trace. I tried a fine point gel pen, a fine rollerball, a mechanical pencil, and a marker on them. The marker didn't work at all (I thought I could use it like a stamp. Nope), and the gel pen was a bit tricky, but the very fine rollerball and the mechanical pencil worked great. Broad tipped pens won't work well, I suspect.

Because they are so thin and light, I have mine in my Hobonichi Weeks planner for next year. They don't add much bulk to the paper, but they still make it easier to flip to the marked pages. These are a great alternative to the ribbon bookmarks that are already in a lot of planners--the ones that dangle outside the book and get caught in planner cover zippers. $6.50 is a bit on the pricey side for such a small item, especially one that is too delicate to have a lifespan past that of the notebook you use them in. In other words, I think they should be viewed as consumable. I'm going to wear them out, eventually, like an eraser. I'll enjoy them while they last, though, and I hope they'll last long enough that I get to use the sunny day one.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Midori, Bookmark.

Midori Aluminum Multi Ruler Giveaway

I have plenty of goods at the house to give away each and every Tuesday here on the blog, but I always like to hear about products I’m missing that would make for good giveaways. I put out the call on Twitter yesterday, and got some great ideas, including this amazing Midori Aluminum Multi Ruler.

A ruler? Why give away a ruler? Unlike a pen or paper, a ruler is something you may not need every day. But like scissors, when you need one, you want a good one. This one looks so good I’m going to buy one for myself after this giveaway. Read the rules below and enter away!

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Midori, Giveaways.

Midori Grain B6 Notebook Review

I suppose if anyone was to change my mind about spiral binding, it would be Midori. I'd use their paper in any format, even the dreaded spiral bound. The Midori Grain B6 is an excellent notebook, and while it's not perfect, it does its job very well. And if you like spiral bound notebooks, I think you'd love it.

The Grain notebook gets its name from its unique recycled leather front cover. The leather is manufactured by a workshop in Valencia, Spain. The lightly grained cover comes in black or brown, and it has a rustic inside texture. The back cover is thick cardboard, with an additional sheet of cardboard that creates a very solid back. There is also a sheet of cardstock behind the leather of the front cover, to add structure to the front. You can swing the back cover around, and then have the thick cardboard to serve as structure for both sides of the page if you're writing on soft surfaces. It's a clever solution to a problem that plagues a lot of leather cover journals. The extra sheets of cardstock effectively make this a hardback book, though it is still flexible.

The spiral binding is a double coil of copper wire. It's very strong, but flexible, so should hopefully withstand being dragged in and out of book bags. It does have fairly sharp ends, but they are tucked between the cardboard sheets at the back of the journal, so quite safe and out of the way. So far I've had no issues with snagging. The smaller B6 size also helps with portability. At a larger size, this would be a substantial, heavy book, between the cardstock, metal, and generous number of pages.

The notebook has an elastic band closure anchored by metal rivets. At first I thought it was two strands of round cord, but they are actually one joined strand. Two would have been nice for this book, as one or both could then be used as bookmarks.

The leather and construction are well done, and the design is thoughtful and practical, but paper is always the highlight of any Midori product. This notebook offers two varieties. The first 100 sheets are white lined paper with 6 mm rule and a thicker line dividing the page into quarters. It's a good layout for notes, general writing, or even journaling or planner pages. The second 100 sheets are cream blank paper, perfect for more freeform notes or sketches.

Both paper varieties are excellent and hold up to a full spectrum of inks and nib thicknesses. As with many fountain pen friendly papers, only the sharpie bled through. The white lined paper had more show-through than the cream, but it would not be enough to discourage anyone from using both sides of the sheet.

One feature that the book lacks is a pocket or envelope for spare papers. The pages are also not perforated, so if you have to tear one out, you'll have the awful spiral-bound confetti edging. Those features would have likely come with some measure of cost, though, and this notebook is very economically priced at $15.00. That's a fantastic price for 200 sheets of high-quality paper and a leather cover. The book also has that intangible quality that just makes me want to write when I hold it. For me, that's the best quality any notebook can have. It's even enough to overcome my dislike of spiral binding.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!