so happy with how this little guy turned out and it feels so special to write in something i made! i also get to repurpose some of my old journals that i didn’t fully use.
it was super simple and easy to make. just took a long reach stapler, xacto knife, paper cutter, and corner rounders.
I recently bought some affordable A7 notebooks from Apica, and realized that they’re about the same size as a credit card; so I decided to make this TN Card Size style wallet that holds one (or up to three) of these tiny books, a pen and two cards. It’s a little thick coming from a single card wallet, but not as thick as a traditional bifold wallet. I’ve been using it every day and getting a ton of use out of the notebook! 😊
It has an A7 insert and even its own tiny pen.
Ever on the lookout for a new wallet, I figured I'd give the Lochby Mini Pocket Journal a go. Seemed like the size is right and I already own a crapton of their other stuff so I knew what to expect. And I'm kind of a slut for waxed canvas.
But I couldn't find any direct comparisons between their Tomoe River a7 notebooks and their new "High Smooth" a7 notebooks. So here we are. Only tested what I already had inked up.
The Tomoe River paper is just what you would expect. Very Tomoey and very Rivery. Sheen, shading and shimmer are as you'd expect them to be. I was able to get Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun to feather a little bit with a stubby. Not entirely unexpected.
The High Smooth was pleasant to write on. Took me a minute to get one of my smoother nibs to start. This paper performs well with almost all of my fountain pens, except that one. And if I recall correctly they don't advertise it as fountain pen paper. And I mean.. it's pleasant to write on, but does not show sheen at all. Still shows some shading, and shimmer is not an issue. There is a little bit of feathering, but not horrible. Several of the inks that did not feather on TRP did on this one.
No bleed (and barely faint ghost) on the TRP, moderate bleed and ghost on the High Smooth.
Image 1: Lochby Mini Pocket Journal with a Kaweco Lunar Sport (Dark Green <M>) crammed into it.
Image 2: High Smooth
Image 3: Tomoe River
Image 4: Tomoe River (left); High Smooth (right)
In summary, the TRP books are thinner, and better suited to fountain pen ink. Hope this helps someone. I'll shove the High Smooth books into camera bags and gig bags, places I won't leave a fountain pen. It'll work just fine with a ballpoint or pencil.
Got bored and decorated one of my Moleskine
The Rhodia A7 (3x4.75”) is the largest notebook that will comfortably fit in the Lochby Sidekick wallet without modifications. I love that because it makes the most of the space provided by the wallet.
The problem is that the Rhodia A7 only comes in graph paper and it’s $5/notebook. Nobody else makes a notebook the same size, so there are no options for blank, lined, or dot grid paper. I don’t mind graph, but I prefer blank and the Rhodia grid is way too dark.
Rite in the Rain Mini is close (3.25x4.65”), but it’s wider and requires modification to fit. They are lined and also kind of pricey at $10/3-pack (and only have 12 sheets).
All other A7 notebooks are either ~2.9x4.1” or ~2.5x4”. Which makes sense as these dimensions are roughly half of an A6 sheet (or slightly less). No idea how Rhodia came up with their A7 notebook size. Possibly scrap paper from another product?
Regardless, I wish Lochby would make a notebook that utilized the full space of the Sidekick. A 2.9x4.8” notebook would be perfect.
Guess I’m going to have to try making my own notebooks once I get through my stock (someone here told me this would happen lol).
I'm so happy. I was craving for a midori leather cape for ages, specially for my pocketnotebooks but it was always too expensive in any site or creator i found. Then, i saw one on tik tok shop really cheap and then when it came, the quality of the leather surprised me.
It can support 3 pocketnotebooks, i'll still buy new ones but im so happy.
If someone is from Brazil and want one, just ask me in the comments, i can send the link
I want to introduce with all u. The journey of my notebook. Firstly, I bought a B6 notebook , about 1.1 usd like the first pic. I remade it. I divided into 3 different books. One is planner, one is B7 notebook for todo list, and one for writing and drawing anything. Lately, i put them come back with the cover. Oh how pleasant to use. Noneed some elastic bands Hope u enjoying !! Sorry my English not well to write
Started in June, finished today. I’d try to carry it everywhere I went, and I’d write down any idea I’d get for my visual novel, and other miscellaneous notes.
I recently decided to start locking my phone away in a lockbox each day when I'm home (I still take it to work and elsewhere for safety/navigation, and I check my messages a few times a day)
I was brain rotting during all of my free time, had Youtube or spotify running throughout every meal, bathroom break, shower, getting the mail, driving, anything and everything. I wasn't able to process any thoughts or work towards my longer term goals as much as I should, or do hobbies I like, because I was always having my attention shattered into pieces, doing things that ultimately did not matter, and that have probably stolen thousands of hours from me.
So on July 20th (still going strong) I began locking my phone in a box each day, after 10:30AM-ish, and only getting it out to occasionally check messages, and do a couple other small necessary things. I also deleted almost all of my apps except the necessary ones.
I quickly realized I needed a note taking solution. So I got a field notes, and cut it a bit smaller, and used that for like 10 days. In the mean time, I bought an eReader (Xteink x3), and this Lochby mini pocket journal, to put the eReader in, as well as my daily notes. The whole thing now acts as a replacement for my phone sort of, and it's been really great. It's a little bulky now that I've added the water-coloring supplies, but I don't mind at all. Still fits in my pocket.
So yeah it's been great. I've read 2, almost 3 books in the last few weeks, and have been avoiding my phone with ease. I actually don't miss it at all somehow. When I do have it out, I do get drawn into checking messages over and over, still in those same old habits. But once it's put up, I can relax and read, workout, or do watercolor as I've only literally just started doing like a couple days ago (I suck), or even just nap. I would highly recommend just physically locking your phone in a box in another room for those who feel they're getting their valuable time stolen. I can imagine it could be a lot harder for some who must communicate with family, or co-workers, with quick response times. That isn't the case for me luckily. But I still worry about the rare situation where I'll need to respond to something urgently, but won't see it. So I'm going to think about a solution for that.
- Lochby Mini Pocket Journal
- Xteink x3
- Art Toolkit's Demi Explore Pallete
- Hong Dian M2
- Zebra TS-3
- Pental Aquash mini
- Strathmore artist trading cards
- Random old stickers
Edit: Also i'm kind of worried about the lifespan of the Xteink x3 in this pocket journal setup. I can imagine this being in my pocket, and me accidentally bumping my thigh against a counter top or something, and that putting a damaging amount of pressure on the display. But I've been loving it so far.
Edit #2: This might go without saying, but, since this whole setup is pretty new I'm sure it's not totally optimal yet, and so it might change down the line.
I love how they turned out! I printed the black and white images and the rest are from various scrapbooking materials I have.
On a tight budget found these at Walmart for a dollar and some change. I already started writing on one that will be dedicated to prayers, quotes from saints and Bible verses. Another one might be my daily todos… haven’t made up my mind yet
Also, any suggestions on pens? I love pilot G2 but wish they had a more elegant design kinda like the zebra g301
I bought the Lochby Mini Pocket Journal ($39.99) with the A7 journal a few days ago. This is how it looks with a few cards and the A7 journal in, as well as how it looks in the back pocket.
I already own a few leather covers/jackets for A6 notebooks but I couldn't fit them in my back pocket comfortably so I decided to give Lochby a try, even at the expense of having a smaller notebook. I will see how it goes.
As for the Lochby itself, it feels quite sturdy but it'll take more time to see how it holds up over time. My only pet peeve thus far is the zipper is hard to close after completely laying the journal flat, it kind of jams and I've to fiddle with it. I also bought a pack of the A7 journals and the paper is good. I don't like the pointy corners, I prefer them round so I'm looking for good but not too expensive A7 notebooks. I've my eyes on the MD Notebook [A7] but I'm open to suggestions.
For the pen, I'm using a Zebra F-701 0.7mm but I'm looking for a similar metal pen but with a finer tip, preferably 0.38mm; alternatively I could use different refills for the Zebra but I'm not sure if there's any for it.
Made a cover with a plastic card holder, a recycled carton box and a few rubber bands. Slot in two zines, some cash and my credit card, and it’s my daily carry.
I got this on Etsy from the seller MiKaUa! I added my own charms and plan to decorate the covers of my inserts as well :)
This has helped keep me sane. Little bears in my pocket
Today I received a Park Sloper Junior wallet from One Star Leather Goods. It came with the Fisher Stowaway pen and a couple One Star Leather A7 notebooks. I bought this as an alternative to the Lochby Sidekick v2, which I’ve been carrying for the past 6 months or so.
I like the Sidekick a lot, but I wanted a smaller option so I took a chance on the Park Sloper Junior.
The Sloper fits the Lochby A7 notebook perfectly (image 2 & 3) or you can use the notebooks provided by One Star Leather for a slightly slimmer carry (image 4).
The Sidekick is a little thinner, but also taller and wider. If I’m wearing jeans, I’m probably carrying the Sidekick as it fits the larger Rhodia A7 notebook and my favorite compact pen, the Parker Jotter.
If I’m wearing shorts or wearing something formal/business, I’ll probably opt for the more compact and classy Park Sloper. The leather and the craftsmanship is really nice on this wallet.
I kind of wish I had waited for One Star to release a new batch of wallets and got a Park Sloper without the pen loop. That would make this wallet even more compact and I could just clip my Jotter to the fold of the wallet or to my pocket.
I’ll give the Fisher Stowaway a chance though. It fits pretty damn tightly in the pen loop and is a pain to get out, but I assume that it will loosen over time. I’m tempted to jam my Jotter in there, but I’m not to that point yet.
Overall first impression is that it is a compact, high quality, and sharp looking leather wallet that fits an A7 notebook. Will have to report back after carrying for a while.
Lochby should definitely make a Sidekick Mini though that is the same size as this!
I tend to fill up notebooks pretty quickly, so I thought it would be more cost effective in the long term to start making my own rather than keep buying new ones every time I fill up a notebook.
Bought some craft and printer paper respectively from the dollar store, hand stitched the paper together, and covered the spines with washi tape.