in my youth,
my family took me
on road trips all over the country.
I drank coffee and tea
with women who were wise
and men who were haughty.
I witnessed the aftermath
of how forceful
and beautiful
nature can be.
when I stood at the precipice at Cappadocia,
where I gazed upon
the breathtaking fairy chimneys.
I trekked underground
through tunnels in hidden cities,
built in secrecy for Zoroastrian refugees.
I took in the sight of cisterns and minarets,
raised up in former centuries.
I walked barefoot, without pain,
all across the greatest salt seas.
walked from Harlem to Brighton Beach,
it took me 16 hours on feet;
that one day in New York,
back when I was in my teens.
I saw,
read,
learned,
grew,
and found pieces all over the world
that fit a part of me.
Still,
as I piece myself together day by day,
I know that I am not complete.
I know that,
when my aching feet,
brought me to you last week,
I felt at ease,
at peace,
but still almost childlike;
even though I am thirty,
and you’re only
twenty-three.
Category: Journaling
Galen Leather Review 📔
I first ordered from Galen Leather a few weeks ago and I have been using their journal covers ever since then. They are a small company based in my hometown, Istanbul, and they have received a lot of attention in the recent years due to the online journaling community. They sell handmade leather products, office supplies, and journaling supplies on their site. I am very pleased with the quality of material and the functionality of their products. Overall, I would recommend every item featured in this review. (However, I haven’t used the leather balm yet, so I can’t say whether I’d recommend it.) As always, I am not being paid, nor have I received anything for free, to write this review.
My First Order:
Leather Zippered A5 Folio – Green
& Leather A5 Notebook Cover – Purple
Leather Zippered A5 Folio – Green:
I am using this cover for when I’m on the go, and want to carry just one thing instead of a whole handbag. It’s very convenient that it has card slots.
Pros
- Beautiful color and material
- iPad Mini sleeve
- Removable key holder
- Zippered
- Card slots
- Removable pen holder
Cons
- When used with a thick notebook, an iPad does not fit in the sleeve; it kind of fits, but the zipper will not close.
Leather A5 Notebook Cover – Purple:
I use this cover daily to hold my Tekukor A5 journal.
Pros
- Beautiful color and material
- iPad Mini sleeve
- Card slots
- Elastic cover band
Cons
- When used with a thick notebook, an iPad does not fit in the sleeve.
- The strap at the top is not a snap closure; it’s not able to open.
- The purple is a little darker than the image at Galen Leather’s online shop.
My Second Order:
Leather Slip-N-Zip Zippered Pen Pouch – Brown
Detachable iPhone Leather Wallet Case
Wood Desk Organizer – Pen and Tool Holder – Mahogany
Wooden Washi Tape Dispenser – Mahogany (2)
& Leather Balm
Leather Slip-N-Zip Zippered Pen Pouch – Brown
I am using this pen pouch as a clutch. I love that the pen holder is removable, so I can just put my slim wallet and phone in and go!
Pros
- Beautiful color and material
- Removable pen holder
- Zippered
Cons
- None, to be honest.
Detachable iPhone Leather Wallet Case
I did not like this product as much as I thought I would. The magnets are not very strong, and the case doesn’t stay closed if I put cards in it. 😢
Pros
- Beautiful color and material
- Card slots
- Detachable phone case
Cons
- Magnetic closure does not close when cards are in the wallet; the magnets are not that strong.
- The ID screen is not transparent.
Wood Desk Organizer – Pen and Tool Holder – Mahogany
I am using this product to hold my Cricut accessories and paper crafting supplies.
Pros
- Variety of slots: 4 big holes and 10 small holes
- Beautiful color and material
- Sturdy; does not fall over
Cons
- None, to be honest.
Wooden Washi Tape Dispenser – Mahogany (2)
I am using this product to easily access my (too many) rolls of washi tape and dispense them with ease.
Pros
- Beautiful color and material
- Holds many tape rolls
- Metal dispensing tab
Cons
- The wooden roll to hold the tapes is a little too thick for some of my smaller washi tapes.
- When stacked, you cannot use the bottom dispenser.
Leather Balm
I have not used this product yet. Therefore, I cannot offer my opinion on it.
💕Favorite Journaling Supplies 🖋
I have been writing for as long as I can remember; in notepads, on scrap pieces of paper, in the margins of my books, and even in my graphing calculator when I could get away with it at school. I started journaling more consistently in May of 2016. My first “bullet” journal was a black Moleskine with square grid pages. I experimented with layouts, scrapbooking, junk journaling, etc. My first journal is full of doodles and poetry in the margins around my wish lists, daily tasks, and the like.
While doing all this journaling and doodling, I had the opportunity to test out a number of different notebooks and journaling supplies from various brands. I would like to share some of my favorite products with you in this post. Please note that I am not getting paid to recommend or review any of these items.
Notebooks
Pink Mackerel by Tekukor
A5 160 gsm Dot Grid Notebook
I use this notebook for daily journaling. It is my favorite notebook for the following reasons:
- Thick, bleedproof, smooth paper (do not expect your alcohol-based/copic markers, to work with this, however)
- 5mm dot grid that aligns well across pages
- Beautiful hardcover design
- 3 color coordinated satin bookmarks
- Well constructed material
- No unnecessary index/key pages
- Numbered pages
- Back pocket and pen loop
- Elastic cover band
For a more in depth review, see this post.
Leuchtturm1917 – A4+ Master Slim Dotted Notebook – 100 gsm
I use these notebooks for my work journal (lesson plans, tasks tracking, etc.) and scrapbooking. The size and paper weight make it perfect for those uses.
Pens
Sakura Pigma Micron 05
I have all of the colors of this pen, and use it daily for journaling. It dries very quickly, and doesn’t smudge. If you prefer gel pens instead, I would recommend the Pilot G2 series.
Staedtler Triplus Fineliner
Excellent pen for coloring and daily journal use. Dries quickly and lasts a long time.
Highlighters
Zebra Mildliner Double Ended Highlighters
These highlighters comes in beautiful colors and do not bleed through.
Brush Tip Markers
Tombow Dual Brush Pens
These pens work very well for brush lettering. They have an excellent assortment of colors.
Prismacolor Brush Tip Markers
These markers are easier to use than the Tombow pens due to their size, but do not offer much variety in color. The tips are resistant to fraying, unlike the Sakura brush pens.
Zebra Mildliner Brush Tip Markers
These brush pens are dual tipped. They offer beautiful pastel colors for journaling.
I know most of these products are already crowd-favorites, but I still wanted to share my all-time favorite journaling supplies with you. I did not include any links, because my aim is not to make money off of this post. You can find them all on Amazon.
My Favorite Notebook💕
Let me start by stating that I am not getting paid, nor have I received anything for free, to write this review. Journaling more or less consistently since May of 2016, I have searched far and wide for notebooks that meet the following expectations:
- Thick, bleedproof pages
- Smooth paper texture (to avoid damage to my brush markers)
- Dot grid that aligns well across pages (preferably 5mm)
- Hardcover
- Numbered pages
- Elastic cover band
The list above covers what’s most important to me in a notebook that I plan to use for daily journaling. I don’t care for “Key” and “Index” pages, but I don’t mind them if they’re there. I love the option of having satin bookmarks, but they’re not essential. Back pockets and pen loops are nice, but also not essential when it comes to my use of a notebook.
My favorite size for daily journaling is A5, so all of the following notebooks were in that size. My first “bullet” journal was a black Moleskine with square grid pages. The paper was thin, but it was a well-constructed notebook and it withstood my heavy use. Then, I tried Leuchtturm1917 dotted notebooks, and I loved the smooth paper texture and sleek hardcover design, even though the pages had heavy ghosting due to the thin paper. During my search for a notebook that would withstand heavy artistic use, I also bought the Archer & Olive Watercolor Notebook this year, swayed by the flood of blog and social media posts raving about the brand. I was extremely displeased with the notebook, but they have excellent customer service; I was refunded in full. I tried a Vivid Scribbles notebook, and the main issue I had with that one was that the grid did not align well across pages, even though the paper quality was good.
📕 Tekukor 160 gsm Notebook Review
I first saw Tekukor notebooks mentioned in a review by Pam from Stationery Nerd. Her review was very detailed and informative. I wanted to try this notebook immediately! I ordered one and loved it so much that I bought 5 of them 🤓
After using this notebook for the past month or so, I can recommend it with the utmost confidence to anyone looking for a 160gsm notebook, for the following reasons:
- Thick, bleedproof, smooth paper (do not expect your alcohol-based/copic markers, to work with this, however)
- 5mm dot grid that aligns well across pages
- Beautiful hardcover design
- 3 color coordinated satin bookmarks
- Well constructed material
- No unnecessary index/key pages
- Numbered pages
- Back pocket and pen loop
- Elastic cover band
There’s no ghosting or feathering on these expertly aligned pages. The texture is smooth enough to be safe for my brush markers and the cover design is beautiful! I am very happy with my Tekukor journal. Thank you, Pam!
I am not going to include a link here, because my goal is not to make money off of this review, but you can find this notebook on Amazon. I hope that you like it as much as I do!
Mini Envelopes
What Brings Me Joy
The smallest things in life bring me joy;
seeing my husband smile,
hearing my cat greet me at my feet,
the smell of fresh pastries,
and the warmth of a cup of tea.
I love using my hands to create;
beautiful little boxes for tidy drawers,
paper flowers that last forever,
drawing, painting,
crafting, and writing.
I find joy, sometimes bittersweet,
in memories, keepsakes,
and personal treasures that remind me of
a time when I laughed from the heart,
a place where I was filled with wonder,
or a person whom I loved.
Daily Journal Spread
For my personal journal, I use one or two pages per day, since I like to leave myself room to write, doodle, and scrapbook. On the left of the daily spread page, each droplet represents one 40 oz bottle of water. B stands for brushing my teeth in the morning and at night, f stands for flossing daily, and s is for morning and night skincare. I use a / to denote morning and \ to denote night, so if it shows an X, I have met my goal.
Let me know what you think by commenting below.
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