Hi Lindsey! All of your journaling spreads are inspirational but your use of the hobonichi cousin is what initially brought me to your channel. I'm so excited to see you using it again. Yay!
Love videos like this. Helps to know that it’s not only me who goes through these thought processes about simple things such as notebooks. Found the Hobonichi weeks/cousin because of your channel, third year for me now, still loving them! Also found that the ability to use whatever pen I please, and even water colouring, has made me stick with it and fall in love with it. So thank you!
I am a die hard moleskine girl, mostly because of the size and light grid, and the cream paper quality. Honestly I’ve never tried fountain pens, I bullet journal with mostly washi tapes and stickers and cheap markers and yes, there’s ghosting and bleed through… and I kind of love moleskine for that. It’s a very unpopular opinion, I get it, but, as a long recovering perfectionist, having to deal with this kind of “issues” on a daily basis makes me realise… I can not care, and I can cover it up if it’s too much and ignore it if it’s fine. It adds character 😅. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to share my story. I’ve been using moleskine for six years now, and just… if you love moleskine, I think you should use it and change only if you really feel like you need to, not because you feel obligated to, you know? Just an opinion ❤
Thank you for saying this about the Moleskine paper! I got spoiled this year by my daily- I also, apparently, got a unicorn. So I foolishly thought that meant Moleskine was upping its paper game. I bought an expanded this past week and, just as you said, crap paper. I was SO disappointed. It makes me leery of purchasing any more Moleskines. 😢
Folks in one of the Facebook Moleskine groups have been noting this as well. It's such a common comment--I wonder why Moleskine isn't addressing the issue. Is there some company out there making a bunch of knock-offs? Did Moleskine outsource certain runs to a different production facility and that's why the paper is bad? It seems like they have a lot of long-term users who are leaving them due to the change in paper quality.
For fountain pens, I have loved Rhodia. They use Clairfontaine paper and it's *glorious*. (also, moleskeine has really not been for me, so glad to hear you say this!)
Agreed. Moleskine has never been a FP friendly paper in my experience. Though the crap paper issue isn’t just for FPs. Tombows bleed thru on it. So there’s a paper issue. I read 😢 that clairefontaine has changed too.
I love your videos like this, fills a hole i have in my real, everyday life, a friend I can chat with planners about! No one in my life is into planners and pens and stationary like I am, so i love these videos just hearing other people's planner struggles and thoughts! ❤❤ do more! FYI, I had to go through the process of selling my mom's home last year and buying and building her a mother-in-law unit on our property, it was a lot, so much to keep track of over a long period of time, i don't think it would have worked well for me in rings just because of how unstable I feel in rings. Totally just my own experience and point of view though so take it with a grain of salt. ❤️ hope you find your new home soon and it's everything you hoped for!
@lindseyscribbles For the Moleskine paper, my Tombow Fudenosuke is a little dry because it’s about 2 years old and does very slight bleeding on the pressure points, but the Zebra Zensation Brush Pen (alt to the Tombow) doesn’t bleed through the Moleskine paper for me (18-month weekly and daily) 🤷🏽♀️
I changed over to the Moleskine Daily earlier this year as I got tired of small grids and TR thin paper and I LOVE it. I notice on the Molekine FB page many complain about the quality of the Moleskine paper but I don't have a problem with it at all. However I only use the Sarasa dry 0.5 ink pen and I have no complaints whatsoever about bleed through. Thanks for sharing - your Moleskine set up is lovely.
Hi, I have found a fountain pen ink which works consistently on worse Moleskine paper - it is the Sailor Kiwaguro Black pigment ink. I have a M nib TWSBI so the line is bolder and still it holds in 99% of the time. I think it is because the pigment ink kinda sits on top of the paper and doesn't go into the paper. Like please don't be mad if this doesn't work for you guys, but I tried everything with the paper and this works for me for years now. Everything else is really bleeding through, is weird why they just wouldn't do something about this issue... Also I am using the Moleskine expanded books the most, not sure about the paper in their planners, haven't tried it there.
I'm probably the only one who loves Moleskine paper and I have bought a lot of them. LOL I don't own a fountain pen, but my dream is to one day own the Pilot Vanishing Point. I read a long time ago that the Pilot G2 pens are the best for Moleskine notebooks. I don't know how to explain it, but I love how the paper feels and looks with this pen. It's definitely something magical hahaha.
I hear this. I journal in a Moleskine with Muji blue/black and I love it so hard. I am a fountain pen collector so I have quite a few, but I reserve them now for my planner. The handfeel of the Moleskine is truly unmatched even though the paper is naff.
Congratulations on your new home search experience. Take your time and find a patient realtor. It took me 8 years to finally see the perfect home. Never rush. The ideal home will come to you.
I used to LOVE Moleskine. Last good one I had was back in 2013, never again since. It hurts me because the size is perfect for me, but it doesn’t hold any pen I enjoy. 😢
I had used a moleskine daily planner as a journal for about 10 months. I like the paper since I write with gel pens but what made me switch back to hobonichi is that about 6 months in the binding started falling apart. I tried sewing it back together but that didn't help. Overall I think that Moleskine sadly has many quality issues which is so sad cause I genuinely loved the notebook ...
hi, this is my first video from you, i really like it here!!! i just wanted to say that i love how i was mostly listening to the video while journaling myself, then i looked up and saw felix and was like UM HELLO SIR AND WHAT ARE Y O U DOING HERE??? anyways, lots of love 🫶🫶🫶
I have come to the conclusion that I also need separate books. I am currently using a Moleskine Pocket Daily for my day-to-day planning and to-do lists, and like you, I put maybe a sticker in it, usually something related to the day. I'm using a Sterling Ink B6 for memory-keeping and journaling. Struggling, though, with how to use the weekly pages. If you or anyone else who happens to read this has a suggestion, I'd love to hear it!
Ok so I might have an unpopular opinion but…I don’t think you should stop using it just because you got lucky with yours and other people might not have the same luck…unless you will just stop using it because you ran out of quality paper in it…it seems sad
I agree. I don't think the people who make content for us should stray from what makes them happy. Be honest about it, but there's no need to stop using it.
Absolutely agree…..finish out the year enjoying the “unicorn” you love and start anew with something else for 2025….unless you are fortunate enough to find another unicorn. 😊
Agree. Also, there seems to be some revelation about the paper quality related to the country of origin & checking the inspection sticker in the pouch. Seaweed Kisses shared her discoveries. TLDR Vietnam paper tops the consensus with a blue sticker.
I used to use Moleskine all the time, and sometimes I'd buy one and just not love it... Learning about the paper being different is making it make a lot of sense to me... Also, not sure where you are based, but randomly, I see you journal about something that seems local to me and it always makes me smile. I live in the Badlands, so your Pactola pictures made me smile.
I can’t remember who… but a year or so ago someone said there are different quality Moleskine books. Theres a little tab or sticker that is a different colour in each book - and the paper is different quality in each! I’ll try and find out who it was but it was a while ago 😊
RUclipsr Flatability has a moleskine paper comparison video from 5 months ago. He said you have to look at the quality control sticker and he found the blue tag to be the best quality.
From what I’ve seen the quality sticker is inside the back pocket - so you’d have to open the notebook to tell. I think a few years ago they used to put a sticker on the outside packaging but I haven’t seen that on my last few purchases
It's the quality control sticker that comes in the back pocket of each Moleskine notebook. The very best ones always have a light blue sticker with a white swirl design over it. I've had a lot of Moleskine notebooks and those have the best paper! I've had bad ones with terrible paper and those never had the blue quality control sticker. They had some random color or pattern sticker. 😢
I love the size and I love the soft cover of the Moleskine journals, but have only bought two in my life (one was the weekly planner) because they had less pages than an L17. Now I write with fountain pens, and have to confidence in the Moleskines. I had a Stalogy that I loved and will probably go back to, but found it quite pricey, but that just might be the cost of a quality writing experience ^^’ (I like creme paper over white paper as well!)
Congrats on the future new home purchase. We’re closing in a few weeks. My suggestion is to have extra (thousands) for buying power. The market is a sellers right now and has been for years having extra certainly helps negotiate. We moved cross country 3x and I’m exhausted. I’m packing up my journals and I have 3 extra large boxes 📦 hoping to have a custom wall to wall bookshelf built in my new home to hold them all. I enjoyed your video Lindsey.
I have had no issues with any of my Moleskin books. Never tried fountain pens in them but I've used Stabilo 0.5, offbrand brush pens, stamping etc. I use a pencil board not sure if that makes a difference
Hi Lindsey, I love the Moleskine but I completely get why folks walk away. I have my first cousin this year and its a love/hate relationship. I WANT to love it, some days I do but I end up in my Moleskine most days instead. It's imperfect, flawed, like a boyfriend that you know you could find better but the heart wants what it wants.
The Smart Planner brand A5 dotted journal I have holds up to my Tombow & fountain pens beautifully. If the page is backlit while I'm flipping through it I can see traces of the writing from the other page, but no bleed through at all so far. Caveat, I bought it in either late 2022 or early 2023 so they may have changed the paper since then, but it was advertised as extra thick bleed-proof paper and it has certainly lived up to that promise for me. And at the time it was $10. Can't beat that. I think they've gone up a few dollars since then, but for the quality and size, it was an exceptional buy, in my opinion.
I've found my notebook sweetspot with a 'functional' planner and a creative/chaotic book. There is sometimes some overlap between the two but for some reason having separate spaces for those different parts of my brain just works really well and helps take the pressure off because as you noted, the functional side can just be pen on paper, and I don't have to try to optimize my creative memory keeping for adulting.
Have you considered a Sterling Ink commonplace planner? They've released the previews of their full lineup for this year...sales for dated books start in Sept; undated ones are available now.
Wonderland 222 have a wide range of 2025 journals offered made with the OLD Tomoe River Paper. I just preordered a very chunky A6 and A5. Has monthly, weekly, daily AND quarterly.
I LOVE Wonderland 222 and the old TRP, but without a German retailer, the price plus shipping, plus VAT for a core B6 planner comes to 57!!! Euro for me. That’s just one regular B6 planner. I can’t justify spending that kind of money
Hey! For your Fudenosuke pen, may I recommend checking out the Midori MD paper? It’s thicker than Tomoe River, but it’s a dream texture for fountain pens and handles markers well with less ghosting than TR. Plus, it’s cream colored! They even have memo paper and sticky notes that you could tuck into your Hobonichi.
Lindsey- if you like the page per day on cream paper, you might consider the Midori Codex (it comes in dot grid and blank). It’s undated. They are great and the binding holds up well. It probably wouldn’t be difficult to cut it to a slimmer a5 if you liked that about the moleskine. I used their planners for over a decade and the paper was always a bit of a drag- even with using only gel pens at the time.
I always appreciate the way you share your thoughts as you work through your planner/journal journey. I preordered the @Justscribble planner it looks absolutely amazing! It’s TRP and her layout is amazing! 🤩 🫶🏻♥️
Have you seen that sterling ink is doing a week sized common planner with the same horizontal layout and a tonne more notes pages? The colours for 2025 are soooo pretty 🤩
I dont remember if you've tried Midori MD notebooks before. They have less pages than the Cousin and Moleskine notebooks, but they're cream paper, 5mm grid, and anything my Hobonich paper can take, the Midori paper has as well.
@@lindseyscribblesIf you love the dimensions of the moleskine but prefer other paper you can cut an A5 notebook down the side by about an inch. I saw someone do this with a lined Leuchtturm and it looked 😍
I honestly looove the moleskine paper! it doenst bleed throught in a ugly way more like the book is ancient and you can see theought the paper! i find it sooo pretty❤ have always used and will probably always use moleskine notebooks😅
I'm really trying to convince myself to stay in a cousin for next year ... I tried some other book but I'm always comming back to it... And the consistency of having a shelf of cousin is really something I would love... I absolutely love your spreads in the cousin and you are one of my inspiration for the cousin !
Idk, my vote would be to enjoy the current moleskine for the rest of the year while you can! Then return to cousin for next year and it will feel new again :)
I'm on the lookout for a new daily diary to draw in next year as part of a challenge, do you have any recommendations? I'm finding it so hard to find one with higher gsm paper 🥰
Lovely to hear you be happy with the Moleskine! Anyone happy with what they have makes me happy. It definitely hasn't been for me for years, as the paper to price ratio just doesn't justify it for me & is disappointing on the company's side. Is it nostalgia that keeps people going back to it? But I'm super curious about fountain pens working for you in this one! So confusing. I also love my Fudenosuke though and don't want to be without it. Leuchtturm1917 is fab, similarly priced and so much better. I'm also getting more and more minimal functional in my planners. I'm loving the Cousin for journaling and the A6 for planning. TR paper girl all the way! lol Thanks for sharing Lindsey! 💛
Have you tried Midori bound planners? I'm pretty sure they take fountain pens, and are cream. To be fair, I've only used the notebooks, not the planner, so I don't know if the layout is what you want or enough for you, but if you haven't looked at them in a while, you may want to!
I would NEVER stop using something that I love just because other people don’t like it? You have to question do you journal for other people or do you journal for yourself? At this point I am smart enough not to even try to use fountain pens in my Moleskine journal. I think anyone who does, is just looking for something to complain about because it has been widely known for years that Moleskine and fountain pens don’t mix.🤷🏽♀️
I’m actually considering COMPLETELY changing things up next year and doing a Midori Diary 1day 1page in A5 for my archive/memory keeper. I agree everything is more romantic on cream paper. I also hate wasting the weekly pages on the cousin. I might get a 2025 Midori diary and the cousin as a backup in case I hate it 😅 I’m hoping the blank space in the Midori dailies will also incentivize me to draw more.
@lindseyscribbles Seaweed Kisses uploaded a Moleskine sale video today where she (very) briefly mentions “bonding with her planner.” Maybe us jumpers have stopped doing that or forgotten how to especially with the way we were overloaded with options during the 2024 sale season 🤷🏽♀️ All I do know is that I refuse to go through that crap again for 2025! 🤨
I went through the process of buying a house and planning to move into it this year and have used a Stalogy half year to keep track of everything.. would suggest a larger form factor like A5 or even B6 for fitting everything in ..
The way I used it is to have money related things ( different banks I approached , what the monthly payment would be if I could put down a larger down payment etc ) all the more calculation related stuff from the back From the front , I kept track of all the homes we visited, the things we liked didn’t quite like , I even drew out the floor plans by hand for some .. it took quite a while but getting it down on paper really helped me think things through.. after buying the house I’m using the rest of the pages to plan for interior work , room layouts etc .. it’s definitely a niche and everyone has different needs Sending good vibes to make sure you have a good time buying the house !
Everyone will call me crazy but I just purchased a few moleskines and I can see a difference in the ones made in Turkey and China. The ones made in Turkey are a tone lighter, the binding is tighter, and the ghosting is more pronounced in it. Also in the one made in China my extra fine twisbi didn’t bleed through, it ghosted but didn’t bleed. But it did in the one made in Turkey. The paper quality also seems thinner in the Turkish one. And call me crazy but they just feel different too like the color? I feel like I’m gaslighting myself but there is definitely a difference!
I've been loving the Uni Pin Brush pen (from JetPens), doesn't bleed on Hobonichi or regular printer paper. Not sure how the Moleskine paper compares tho! The tip is softer and takes a bit getting used to, but I enjoy it! All the best for your planner adventures!
Where are you "dear diary"ing in the new system? I seem to remember that being an issue in the past with just using the Cousin, that you didnt have enough room for stream of consciousness stuff. I am currently trying to figure out that balance between enough planners to cover all my needs but not so many i lose track of where to put things. My daily logs are currently floating between a L1917 bujo, the back of my hobo weeks, my work TN, and occasionally the notes app on my phone. I cant seem to get them to land in one place but 4 is too many! Anywho, LOVE hearing your thinking as always. Keep up the chatty, "I'm not yet decided" videos please!
@@lindseyscribbles I believe she is posting a full 2025 lineup in the next couple weeks. I want to say either the 16th or 21st of august. But today (08/07) she posted a sneak of a dated daily. Looks like it has the calendex, monthlies, and dated dailies. I didn’t see any weeklies, but I could have missed them.
@@JunieOutdoors Sterling ink teased a new layout for 2025 that appeared to have dated dailies and no weeklies. She is adding several new things for 2025 including new layouts, sizes, and colors.
@@rachplansum yes I know. Thanks for the comment to make sure I did. 😊 Maybe I wasn’t clear in my reply. The daily she showed has monthly and dated dailies and 40 notes pages in the back. She sells an undated version of this now. The comment was about weeklies above, the Common Planner has the weeklies and enough pages for a daily but they aren’t predated and they don’t have to time strip on the left like in the sneak peak of the new Daily Planner. ❤
The Moleskine line spacing is actually 6mm! 😊 But yes, Moleskine roulette is a real thing that us Moleskine lovers unfortunately are always down to play. 🤣 I thankfully got a fp friendly 2024 daily planner and I’m praying to the UNIVERSE that I get one for 2025 too. But if I don’t, I have been interested in the Midori planners and might check them out next year!
Thanks for the correction, no wonder the “half spacing” feels so comfortable! ❤ glad you got a good one! I’m trying to talk myself out of trying again once we get closer to 2025 😂
I love whatever planner you use, so it doesn’t matter. I have a pocket Moleskine that my Inkjoy bleeds through, but I don’t care. 🤷🏼♀️ I guess I just don’t mind it for the notes I’m using it for.
I enjoy your content so very much! And your page spreads are very inspirational😊 I am trying to stay away from over buying this year on the Hobonichi Launch😅 My husband and I just bought our 1st home and are both being mindful of our hobby purchases too! I wish you luck on your house journey! Could I please ask what rings planner are you using? The size is so adorable!
I can't do Moleskine for another reason - the way the elastic sags after a short time just isn't worth the cost of the notebook. Still always a Leuchtturm 1917 girl here and will also have a Hobonichi Cousin A5 for next year.
I've always had bad luck with Moleskine paper and fountain pens. I might have had success with a Pilot nib in fine width, made of steel (like a Prera instead of a VP). I also had to use a very fast-drying ink like Pilot Blue, Noodler's X-Feather or Noodler's Bernanke Blue. Otherwise I stick to ballpoint or fine gel pens like a Pilot G2 0.5mm or finer for Moleskine paper.
I actually messaged Moleskine because they broke my heart too. Kindly they replaced my notebook…with one with bad paper again 🤦🏽♀️. Sadly they don’t want to admit that there is inconsistency in the quality of their products. The only way I buy their notebooks now is if I see them in person , because the trick is getting the ones with the beige/cream looking paper. Those are the only ones that are fountain pen friendly.
How about trying the Leuchtturm A5 daily planner? The paper is much more fountain-pen friendly in my experience, and the layout is similar. The only thing is that it doesn't come in paperback; not sure if that's a dealbreaker for you. Otherwise I think it's a great option that is similar to Moleskine but with much better paper.
thanks for the suggestion, it's on my radar for next year! I've tried the a6 version of the daily and found it to be pretty chunky because of the hard cover, but I do love the L1917 paper so it's in the running
There are paperback L1917s but they are much smaller. I don't think you could get a full year in a book. But for non-Tomoe river paper, they can't be beat and their consistency is top notch.
I am really confused how people like Hobonichi appears where you can’t use any pen, it transfers and makes a shadow, Moleskin is the same but less. What am I missing? All these papers are not the best
I did have a good time with Moleskine as I love its size, but , since I started to use fountain pens, the honey time was over. I really hate the quality. Hobonichi has been my dairy for few years now although I don't like the qoutes in the book.
Thank you for saying something re: the Sanzen Tomoe. It just is NOT the same. I don't love it. I will use it if I have to - but OG Tomoe is undefeated. I miss it.
Went the hard route, too.. Progression was from Moleskine to Leuchtturm 1917 - which is close to it but has good paper and after that it was only Rhodia for me. Rhodia uses Clainfontaine paper. If you are on asian or japanese websites to buy, you'll hear Tomoe River Paper, too, which is used in their notebooks and is fountain pen friendly.
Moleskine paper is such a shame, honestly, isn't it? If they did better paper I'd be so much more tempted to go back to them, especially since you can pick one up in any card shop or stationer's, even at train stations (at least here in the UK). Oh well. Weeks Mega and Cousin sounds like a no-brainer given your plans for next year! Compact, self-contained, Tardis-like on the inside...
My take on Moleskine notebooks is highly controversial to some people, so TG: Moleskine notebooks are so freaking overrated!! They're expensive and the paper quality is bad. I mean, for that money I would buy 2 or 3 other random notebook and chances are the paper quality is the same or even slightly better. And as for paper color... I like cream as well, crisp white is kind of too bright for my eyes, so cream color or even kraft paper is my jam
Oof. I am so staunchly anti-white-paper. Just ew and also ouch on the eyes. I noticed the Moleskine went lighter but in a grey undertone in paper but i was just getting too light. I like my Rhodia ivory paper the best. Light grey dots, 5mm. Very eyes on the eyes. Fountain pen friendly.
Planner Fam, @seaweedkisses shared her paper quality discoveries. TLDR paper quality seems to depend on where it was made. Hope this helps. Happy planning!
Hi Lindsey! All of your journaling spreads are inspirational but your use of the hobonichi cousin is what initially brought me to your channel. I'm so excited to see you using it again. Yay!
Oh thank you!
Love videos like this. Helps to know that it’s not only me who goes through these thought processes about simple things such as notebooks. Found the Hobonichi weeks/cousin because of your channel, third year for me now, still loving them! Also found that the ability to use whatever pen I please, and even water colouring, has made me stick with it and fall in love with it. So thank you!
I am a die hard moleskine girl, mostly because of the size and light grid, and the cream paper quality. Honestly I’ve never tried fountain pens, I bullet journal with mostly washi tapes and stickers and cheap markers and yes, there’s ghosting and bleed through… and I kind of love moleskine for that. It’s a very unpopular opinion, I get it, but, as a long recovering perfectionist, having to deal with this kind of “issues” on a daily basis makes me realise… I can not care, and I can cover it up if it’s too much and ignore it if it’s fine. It adds character 😅. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to share my story. I’ve been using moleskine for six years now, and just… if you love moleskine, I think you should use it and change only if you really feel like you need to, not because you feel obligated to, you know? Just an opinion ❤
Team cream here as well! My favorite fountain pen inks look best with cream.
The best!
Thank you for saying this about the Moleskine paper! I got spoiled this year by my daily- I also, apparently, got a unicorn. So I foolishly thought that meant Moleskine was upping its paper game. I bought an expanded this past week and, just as you said, crap paper. I was SO disappointed. It makes me leery of purchasing any more Moleskines. 😢
Folks in one of the Facebook Moleskine groups have been noting this as well. It's such a common comment--I wonder why Moleskine isn't addressing the issue. Is there some company out there making a bunch of knock-offs? Did Moleskine outsource certain runs to a different production facility and that's why the paper is bad? It seems like they have a lot of long-term users who are leaving them due to the change in paper quality.
For fountain pens, I have loved Rhodia. They use Clairfontaine paper and it's *glorious*. (also, moleskeine has really not been for me, so glad to hear you say this!)
Agreed. Moleskine has never been a FP friendly paper in my experience. Though the crap paper issue isn’t just for FPs. Tombows bleed thru on it. So there’s a paper issue.
I read 😢 that clairefontaine has changed too.
I love your videos like this, fills a hole i have in my real, everyday life, a friend I can chat with planners about! No one in my life is into planners and pens and stationary like I am, so i love these videos just hearing other people's planner struggles and thoughts! ❤❤ do more!
FYI, I had to go through the process of selling my mom's home last year and buying and building her a mother-in-law unit on our property, it was a lot, so much to keep track of over a long period of time, i don't think it would have worked well for me in rings just because of how unstable I feel in rings. Totally just my own experience and point of view though so take it with a grain of salt. ❤️ hope you find your new home soon and it's everything you hoped for!
@lindseyscribbles For the Moleskine paper, my Tombow Fudenosuke is a little dry because it’s about 2 years old and does very slight bleeding on the pressure points, but the Zebra Zensation Brush Pen (alt to the Tombow) doesn’t bleed through the Moleskine paper for me (18-month weekly and daily) 🤷🏽♀️
I changed over to the Moleskine Daily earlier this year as I got tired of small grids and TR thin paper and I LOVE it. I notice on the Molekine FB page many complain about the quality of the Moleskine paper but I don't have a problem with it at all. However I only use the Sarasa dry 0.5 ink pen and I have no complaints whatsoever about bleed through. Thanks for sharing - your Moleskine set up is lovely.
I love how open you are to trying new planning formats, the info you give is great! ❤
Hi, I have found a fountain pen ink which works consistently on worse Moleskine paper - it is the Sailor Kiwaguro Black pigment ink. I have a M nib TWSBI so the line is bolder and still it holds in 99% of the time. I think it is because the pigment ink kinda sits on top of the paper and doesn't go into the paper. Like please don't be mad if this doesn't work for you guys, but I tried everything with the paper and this works for me for years now. Everything else is really bleeding through, is weird why they just wouldn't do something about this issue... Also I am using the Moleskine expanded books the most, not sure about the paper in their planners, haven't tried it there.
I'm probably the only one who loves Moleskine paper and I have bought a lot of them. LOL I don't own a fountain pen, but my dream is to one day own the Pilot Vanishing Point. I read a long time ago that the Pilot G2 pens are the best for Moleskine notebooks. I don't know how to explain it, but I love how the paper feels and looks with this pen. It's definitely something magical hahaha.
Not me looking for a spare pilot g2…. I always love the looks of pen only spreads in a moleskine!
I hear this. I journal in a Moleskine with Muji blue/black and I love it so hard. I am a fountain pen collector so I have quite a few, but I reserve them now for my planner. The handfeel of the Moleskine is truly unmatched even though the paper is naff.
@@NyckeiXXIV I’ll have to try out the muji pens. Is there a specific one you like?
Congratulations on your new home search experience. Take your time and find a patient realtor. It took me 8 years to finally see the perfect home. Never rush. The ideal home will come to you.
I used to LOVE Moleskine. Last good one I had was back in 2013, never again since. It hurts me because the size is perfect for me, but it doesn’t hold any pen I enjoy. 😢
I love cream color paper, also 😊
team cream!
I had used a moleskine daily planner as a journal for about 10 months. I like the paper since I write with gel pens but what made me switch back to hobonichi is that about 6 months in the binding started falling apart. I tried sewing it back together but that didn't help. Overall I think that Moleskine sadly has many quality issues which is so sad cause I genuinely loved the notebook ...
it's really such a great layout - I love that it comes with an elastic closure as well
hi, this is my first video from you, i really like it here!!! i just wanted to say that i love how i was mostly listening to the video while journaling myself, then i looked up and saw felix and was like UM HELLO SIR AND WHAT ARE Y O U DOING HERE??? anyways, lots of love 🫶🫶🫶
I have come to the conclusion that I also need separate books. I am currently using a Moleskine Pocket Daily for my day-to-day planning and to-do lists, and like you, I put maybe a sticker in it, usually something related to the day. I'm using a Sterling Ink B6 for memory-keeping and journaling. Struggling, though, with how to use the weekly pages. If you or anyone else who happens to read this has a suggestion, I'd love to hear it!
Ok so I might have an unpopular opinion but…I don’t think you should stop using it just because you got lucky with yours and other people might not have the same luck…unless you will just stop using it because you ran out of quality paper in it…it seems sad
I agree. I don't think the people who make content for us should stray from what makes them happy. Be honest about it, but there's no need to stop using it.
Absolutely agree…..finish out the year enjoying the “unicorn” you love and start anew with something else for 2025….unless you are fortunate enough to find another unicorn. 😊
Agree. Also, there seems to be some revelation about the paper quality related to the country of origin & checking the inspection sticker in the pouch. Seaweed Kisses shared her discoveries. TLDR Vietnam paper tops the consensus with a blue sticker.
I used to use Moleskine all the time, and sometimes I'd buy one and just not love it... Learning about the paper being different is making it make a lot of sense to me... Also, not sure where you are based, but randomly, I see you journal about something that seems local to me and it always makes me smile. I live in the Badlands, so your Pactola pictures made me smile.
The moleskine for me is the perfect daily notebook for to do lists. I take it every where! It’s my second brain
I can’t remember who… but a year or so ago someone said there are different quality Moleskine books. Theres a little tab or sticker that is a different colour in each book - and the paper is different quality in each! I’ll try and find out who it was but it was a while ago 😊
I am curious to know more about this. How can you determine which quality you are getting?
RUclipsr Flatability has a moleskine paper comparison video from 5 months ago.
He said you have to look at the quality control sticker and he found the blue tag to be the best quality.
From what I’ve seen the quality sticker is inside the back pocket - so you’d have to open the notebook to tell. I think a few years ago they used to put a sticker on the outside packaging but I haven’t seen that on my last few purchases
It's the quality control sticker that comes in the back pocket of each Moleskine notebook. The very best ones always have a light blue sticker with a white swirl design over it. I've had a lot of Moleskine notebooks and those have the best paper! I've had bad ones with terrible paper and those never had the blue quality control sticker. They had some random color or pattern sticker. 😢
@@hannahclark8313 And that seems ridiculous to me. You gotta buy the notebook and hope you get one with the blue sticker?
I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts about the moleskine paper and your current planner/journal situation!
I love the size and I love the soft cover of the Moleskine journals, but have only bought two in my life (one was the weekly planner) because they had less pages than an L17. Now I write with fountain pens, and have to confidence in the Moleskines. I had a Stalogy that I loved and will probably go back to, but found it quite pricey, but that just might be the cost of a quality writing experience ^^’
(I like creme paper over white paper as well!)
I’m here all day for the chatty!
Congrats on the future new home purchase. We’re closing in a few weeks. My suggestion is to have extra (thousands) for buying power. The market is a sellers right now and has been for years having extra certainly helps negotiate. We moved cross country 3x and I’m exhausted. I’m packing up my journals and I have 3 extra large boxes 📦 hoping to have a custom wall to wall bookshelf built in my new home to hold them all. I enjoyed your video Lindsey.
The title and thumbnail had me giggling before I even started watching 😂
i may be feeling a touch dramatic lol
@@lindseyscribblesI am here for your drama 😂
I have had no issues with any of my Moleskin books. Never tried fountain pens in them but I've used Stabilo 0.5, offbrand brush pens, stamping etc. I use a pencil board not sure if that makes a difference
Hi Lindsey, I love the Moleskine but I completely get why folks walk away.
I have my first cousin this year and its a love/hate relationship. I WANT to love it, some days I do but I end up in my Moleskine most days instead. It's imperfect, flawed, like a boyfriend that you know you could find better but the heart wants what it wants.
I got given a blank moleskin for my birthday about 7 years ago and it’s also a unicorn apparently. Was really nice with fountain pens!❤
The Smart Planner brand A5 dotted journal I have holds up to my Tombow & fountain pens beautifully. If the page is backlit while I'm flipping through it I can see traces of the writing from the other page, but no bleed through at all so far. Caveat, I bought it in either late 2022 or early 2023 so they may have changed the paper since then, but it was advertised as extra thick bleed-proof paper and it has certainly lived up to that promise for me. And at the time it was $10. Can't beat that. I think they've gone up a few dollars since then, but for the quality and size, it was an exceptional buy, in my opinion.
I've found my notebook sweetspot with a 'functional' planner and a creative/chaotic book. There is sometimes some overlap between the two but for some reason having separate spaces for those different parts of my brain just works really well and helps take the pressure off because as you noted, the functional side can just be pen on paper, and I don't have to try to optimize my creative memory keeping for adulting.
Have you considered a Sterling Ink commonplace planner? They've released the previews of their full lineup for this year...sales for dated books start in Sept; undated ones are available now.
Wonderland 222 have a wide range of 2025 journals offered made with the OLD Tomoe River Paper. I just preordered a very chunky A6 and A5. Has monthly, weekly, daily AND quarterly.
I LOVE Wonderland 222 and the old TRP, but without a German retailer, the price plus shipping, plus VAT for a core B6 planner comes to 57!!! Euro for me. That’s just one regular B6 planner. I can’t justify spending that kind of money
Hey! For your Fudenosuke pen, may I recommend checking out the Midori MD paper? It’s thicker than Tomoe River, but it’s a dream texture for fountain pens and handles markers well with less ghosting than TR. Plus, it’s cream colored! They even have memo paper and sticky notes that you could tuck into your Hobonichi.
Lindsey- if you like the page per day on cream paper, you might consider the Midori Codex (it comes in dot grid and blank). It’s undated. They are great and the binding holds up well. It probably wouldn’t be difficult to cut it to a slimmer a5 if you liked that about the moleskine. I used their planners for over a decade and the paper was always a bit of a drag- even with using only gel pens at the time.
I always appreciate the way you share your thoughts as you work through your planner/journal journey. I preordered the @Justscribble planner it looks absolutely amazing! It’s TRP and her layout is amazing! 🤩 🫶🏻♥️
Have you seen that sterling ink is doing a week sized common planner with the same horizontal layout and a tonne more notes pages? The colours for 2025 are soooo pretty 🤩
I dont remember if you've tried Midori MD notebooks before. They have less pages than the Cousin and Moleskine notebooks, but they're cream paper, 5mm grid, and anything my Hobonich paper can take, the Midori paper has as well.
I was actually just looking at the midori md codex since I think that's 368 pages - I love the midori md paper it's some of my favorite
@@lindseyscribblesIf you love the dimensions of the moleskine but prefer other paper you can cut an A5 notebook down the side by about an inch. I saw someone do this with a lined Leuchtturm and it looked 😍
After watching this, I’ve decided to use Moleskine daily. The page is soooo much cleaner than Hobonichi.
I honestly looove the moleskine paper! it doenst bleed throught in a ugly way more like the book is ancient and you can see theought the paper! i find it sooo pretty❤ have always used and will probably always use moleskine notebooks😅
I loved the mossy green weeks mega!
I'm really trying to convince myself to stay in a cousin for next year ... I tried some other book but I'm always comming back to it... And the consistency of having a shelf of cousin is really something I would love...
I absolutely love your spreads in the cousin and you are one of my inspiration for the cousin !
Idk, my vote would be to enjoy the current moleskine for the rest of the year while you can! Then return to cousin for next year and it will feel new again :)
I'm on the lookout for a new daily diary to draw in next year as part of a challenge, do you have any recommendations? I'm finding it so hard to find one with higher gsm paper 🥰
Lovely to hear you be happy with the Moleskine! Anyone happy with what they have makes me happy.
It definitely hasn't been for me for years, as the paper to price ratio just doesn't justify it for me & is disappointing on the company's side. Is it nostalgia that keeps people going back to it? But I'm super curious about fountain pens working for you in this one! So confusing. I also love my Fudenosuke though and don't want to be without it.
Leuchtturm1917 is fab, similarly priced and so much better.
I'm also getting more and more minimal functional in my planners. I'm loving the Cousin for journaling and the A6 for planning. TR paper girl all the way! lol
Thanks for sharing Lindsey! 💛
I must have gotten a unicorn for my first moleskine this year! This is really good to know going into 2025
You might be interested in the Sterling Ink Daily she has coming out in 2025. It will meet your paper/pen needs with a VERY similar layout.
Have you tried Midori bound planners? I'm pretty sure they take fountain pens, and are cream. To be fair, I've only used the notebooks, not the planner, so I don't know if the layout is what you want or enough for you, but if you haven't looked at them in a while, you may want to!
I would NEVER stop using something that I love just because other people don’t like it? You have to question do you journal for other people or do you journal for yourself? At this point I am smart enough not to even try to use fountain pens in my Moleskine journal. I think anyone who does, is just looking for something to complain about because it has been widely known for years that Moleskine and fountain pens don’t mix.🤷🏽♀️
love your video as usual but side note... Felix in that makeup video is gorgeous (:
Do what you want 🤷🏼♀️ Ultimately, it’s your handwriting, your style and your consistency that bring the “likes.” Just sayin’
I’m actually considering COMPLETELY changing things up next year and doing a Midori Diary 1day 1page in A5 for my archive/memory keeper. I agree everything is more romantic on cream paper. I also hate wasting the weekly pages on the cousin. I might get a 2025 Midori diary and the cousin as a backup in case I hate it 😅 I’m hoping the blank space in the Midori dailies will also incentivize me to draw more.
@lindseyscribbles Seaweed Kisses uploaded a Moleskine sale video today where she (very) briefly mentions “bonding with her planner.” Maybe us jumpers have stopped doing that or forgotten how to especially with the way we were overloaded with options during the 2024 sale season 🤷🏽♀️ All I do know is that I refuse to go through that crap again for 2025! 🤨
I went through the process of buying a house and planning to move into it this year and have used a Stalogy half year to keep track of everything.. would suggest a larger form factor like A5 or even B6 for fitting everything in ..
thanks for the tip! I'm so unsure of what it all entails so I'm thinking more space is the way to go (and a good index)
The way I used it is to have money related things ( different banks I approached , what the monthly payment would be if I could put down a larger down payment etc ) all the more calculation related stuff from the back
From the front , I kept track of all the homes we visited, the things we liked didn’t quite like , I even drew out the floor plans by hand for some ..
it took quite a while but getting it down on paper really helped me think things through..
after buying the house I’m using the rest of the pages to plan for interior work , room layouts etc ..
it’s definitely a niche and everyone has different needs
Sending good vibes to make sure you have a good time buying the house !
Everyone will call me crazy but I just purchased a few moleskines and I can see a difference in the ones made in Turkey and China. The ones made in Turkey are a tone lighter, the binding is tighter, and the ghosting is more pronounced in it. Also in the one made in China my extra fine twisbi didn’t bleed through, it ghosted but didn’t bleed. But it did in the one made in Turkey. The paper quality also seems thinner in the Turkish one. And call me crazy but they just feel different too like the color? I feel like I’m gaslighting myself but there is definitely a difference!
I've been loving the Uni Pin Brush pen (from JetPens), doesn't bleed on Hobonichi or regular printer paper. Not sure how the Moleskine paper compares tho! The tip is softer and takes a bit getting used to, but I enjoy it! All the best for your planner adventures!
Oh thank you for the recommendation! I’ll have to give it a try. Willing to learn how to use a new nib!
Where are you "dear diary"ing in the new system? I seem to remember that being an issue in the past with just using the Cousin, that you didnt have enough room for stream of consciousness stuff.
I am currently trying to figure out that balance between enough planners to cover all my needs but not so many i lose track of where to put things. My daily logs are currently floating between a L1917 bujo, the back of my hobo weeks, my work TN, and occasionally the notes app on my phone. I cant seem to get them to land in one place but 4 is too many!
Anywho, LOVE hearing your thinking as always. Keep up the chatty, "I'm not yet decided" videos please!
Have you tried any Sterling Ink notebooks and planners? It's white paper and not cream, but I recommend checking them out if you haven't!
Have you checked out Sterling inks teasers for 2025? She has some unique alternatives for the hobonichi coming up
I haven't looked at them super close - but I saw she was doing a dated daily this year which piqued my interest!
@@lindseyscribbles I believe she is posting a full 2025 lineup in the next couple weeks. I want to say either the 16th or 21st of august.
But today (08/07) she posted a sneak of a dated daily. Looks like it has the calendex, monthlies, and dated dailies. I didn’t see any weeklies, but I could have missed them.
The common planner has the weeklies and undated pages for the dailies.
@@JunieOutdoors Sterling ink teased a new layout for 2025 that appeared to have dated dailies and no weeklies. She is adding several new things for 2025 including new layouts, sizes, and colors.
@@rachplansum yes I know. Thanks for the comment to make sure I did. 😊 Maybe I wasn’t clear in my reply. The daily she showed has monthly and dated dailies and 40 notes pages in the back. She sells an undated version of this now. The comment was about weeklies above, the Common Planner has the weeklies and enough pages for a daily but they aren’t predated and they don’t have to time strip on the left like in the sneak peak of the new Daily Planner. ❤
Exactly why I am staying away from all the planner launches this time around. 😅 (for now, at least)
Lindsay your spreads are great! You’re actually my first notebook blogger.🤗🥰
The Moleskine line spacing is actually 6mm! 😊
But yes, Moleskine roulette is a real thing that us Moleskine lovers unfortunately are always down to play. 🤣 I thankfully got a fp friendly 2024 daily planner and I’m praying to the UNIVERSE that I get one for 2025 too. But if I don’t, I have been interested in the Midori planners and might check them out next year!
Thanks for the correction, no wonder the “half spacing” feels so comfortable! ❤ glad you got a good one! I’m trying to talk myself out of trying again once we get closer to 2025 😂
I love whatever planner you use, so it doesn’t matter. I have a pocket Moleskine that my Inkjoy bleeds through, but I don’t care. 🤷🏼♀️ I guess I just don’t mind it for the notes I’m using it for.
love at first pen stroke :D hahahahahahah - loving that phrase :D
I enjoy your content so very much! And your page spreads are very inspirational😊 I am trying to stay away from over buying this year on the Hobonichi Launch😅 My husband and I just bought our 1st home and are both being mindful of our hobby purchases too! I wish you luck on your house journey! Could I please ask what rings planner are you using? The size is so adorable!
Question. As a Team Cream typa girl, have you tried doing Midori MD 1 Day 1 Page?
Hi, have you tried the sterling ink planners. They’re coming up with new sizes and layouts.
You should try sterling ink common planner!
I can't do Moleskine for another reason - the way the elastic sags after a short time just isn't worth the cost of the notebook. Still always a Leuchtturm 1917 girl here and will also have a Hobonichi Cousin A5 for next year.
I've always had bad luck with Moleskine paper and fountain pens. I might have had success with a Pilot nib in fine width, made of steel (like a Prera instead of a VP). I also had to use a very fast-drying ink like Pilot Blue, Noodler's X-Feather or Noodler's Bernanke Blue. Otherwise I stick to ballpoint or fine gel pens like a Pilot G2 0.5mm or finer for Moleskine paper.
I wonder if a Zebra fine point would work?
Have you looked at the Sterling Ink Daily Planner as a potential option for 2025 archive notebook? Floppy soft cover, ink friendly paper? :)
My 2024 Moleskine is great with a fountain pen too
I actually messaged Moleskine because they broke my heart too. Kindly they replaced my notebook…with one with bad paper again 🤦🏽♀️. Sadly they don’t want to admit that there is inconsistency in the quality of their products. The only way I buy their notebooks now is if I see them in person , because the trick is getting the ones with the beige/cream looking paper. Those are the only ones that are fountain pen friendly.
Ok quick pause from journalling content... but WAS THAT FELIX I SAW IN YOUR FLIPTHROUGH? is this a STAY I SEE?!
Hi, I wish you best. Where did you get your ring pocket planner? Thank you
What about the Sterling Ink Daily? That could be an option too.
Have you tried Hemlock & Oak options? Their paper is 120 gsm and it’s LOVELY. That or the Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks?
How about trying the Leuchtturm A5 daily planner? The paper is much more fountain-pen friendly in my experience, and the layout is similar. The only thing is that it doesn't come in paperback; not sure if that's a dealbreaker for you. Otherwise I think it's a great option that is similar to Moleskine but with much better paper.
thanks for the suggestion, it's on my radar for next year! I've tried the a6 version of the daily and found it to be pretty chunky because of the hard cover, but I do love the L1917 paper so it's in the running
There are paperback L1917s but they are much smaller. I don't think you could get a full year in a book. But for non-Tomoe river paper, they can't be beat and their consistency is top notch.
@@jillhutchinson-bean Oh yes, I just meant that the A5 daily LT dated planner only comes in hardback.
I am really confused how people like Hobonichi appears where you can’t use any pen, it transfers and makes a shadow, Moleskin is the same but less. What am I missing? All these papers are not the best
I did have a good time with Moleskine as I love its size, but , since I started to use fountain pens, the honey time was over. I really hate the quality. Hobonichi has been my dairy for few years now although I don't like the qoutes in the book.
You do need to tell us if Felix is your bias 😂🫰🏻✨
Thank you for saying something re: the Sanzen Tomoe. It just is NOT the same. I don't love it. I will use it if I have to - but OG Tomoe is undefeated. I miss it.
Went the hard route, too.. Progression was from Moleskine to Leuchtturm 1917 - which is close to it but has good paper and
after that it was only Rhodia for me. Rhodia uses Clainfontaine paper.
If you are on asian or japanese websites to buy, you'll hear Tomoe River Paper, too, which is used in their notebooks and is fountain pen friendly.
Why do people have so many trackers? I track 5 habits. I tried more, it’s depressing.
Why can't moleskin just have consistent paper quality? It's frustrating as all hell.
Oo are you a Felix bias STAY?
I’m going to say yes! Just getting into Stray Kids - all the chk chk boom hype got me ❤
Moleskine paper is such a shame, honestly, isn't it? If they did better paper I'd be so much more tempted to go back to them, especially since you can pick one up in any card shop or stationer's, even at train stations (at least here in the UK). Oh well. Weeks Mega and Cousin sounds like a no-brainer given your plans for next year! Compact, self-contained, Tardis-like on the inside...
Your spreads are beautiful but use what works
My take on Moleskine notebooks is highly controversial to some people, so TG: Moleskine notebooks are so freaking overrated!! They're expensive and the paper quality is bad. I mean, for that money I would buy 2 or 3 other random notebook and chances are the paper quality is the same or even slightly better.
And as for paper color... I like cream as well, crisp white is kind of too bright for my eyes, so cream color or even kraft paper is my jam
You should send this review to moleskin
Oof. I am so staunchly anti-white-paper. Just ew and also ouch on the eyes. I noticed the Moleskine went lighter but in a grey undertone in paper but i was just getting too light. I like my Rhodia ivory paper the best. Light grey dots, 5mm. Very eyes on the eyes. Fountain pen friendly.
Moleskine paper is terrible. It’s the reason I stopped using them, my fountain pens just bled through…
Love the video but can you move your mic away from your mouth a bit? The breath on the mic is hard for headphone wearers.
Planner Fam, @seaweedkisses shared her paper quality discoveries. TLDR paper quality seems to depend on where it was made. Hope this helps. Happy planning!