This tip actually came from an unusual source, a book called The Scent of Lemon & Rosemary by Raechel Henderson, about caring for your home using earth magic. While most of the book isn’t applicable to my lovely readers, Chapter 11 deals with creating your own “Wheel of the Year”.

In this practice, instead of relying entirely on the bog-standard national holiday calendar for your country, or just your work holidays, Ms. Henderson recommends that you fill your planner with holidays and events that are important to you. First, what holidays do you and your family celebrate? Maybe you have specific heritage holidays or religious holidays that are overlooked on regular calendars. Go through an input them on the right days if you’re using a daily planner or add them to the monthly calendar pages. Then add in birthdays and anniversaries for family and friends. Maybe you like to know when the full moons are, those Mercury retrogrades occur, or if any asteroid or stars are particularly visible in the night sky? Google these astrological events and add them on the correct day.

Then, and this is the real jewel of the hack, go find one of those There’s a Day For That calendars and scroll through the months. There’s are hundreds of special observance days for everything from social causes to favorite foods and everything in between.

Are you a lover of donuts? If so, be sure to add National Donut Day to the appropriate page in your planner. It’s on June 2, which is also Leave The Office Early Day, coincidentally. I found all the cat appreciation days (there’s a lot of them!), International Gin & Tonic Day (Oct. 19) and Left Hander’s Day (Aug. 13 — of course its on the 13th! So unlucky!)

As a stationery aficionado, you may want to find National Pencil Day (March 30), Rubber Eraser Day (April 15), Global Handwriting day (Oct. 15) and, of course, Fountain Pen Day (Nov 3 this year).

This is a great way to add dates to your calendar that will remind you that everyday can be special and to help alleviate some of the endless blank pages.

As today is National Rubber Ducky Day, I hope you get a chance to float a rubber duck and bring a little joy into your life. Happy Ducky Day!

What special dates are you going to add to your planner or calendar?

DISCLAIMER: Some items in this post include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

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The 2023 Calendar To-Do List Pad was flawlessly packaged in a custom shipping box. The actual calendar came is a black, linen-finish box with silver foil stamping. You all know how I feel about excessive packaging but stay with me because there is a reason for the box so, in this instance, I am 100% okay with it.

Inside the box is a ribbon to make removing the pad easier.

When you lift it up, you can see how chonky this pad is! The pad measures 11.5  x 4.75″ and it’s two inches thick.

Under the cover sheet is details on how to use the box after the pad is removed. It recommends that you save the box and each day, put your completed page back into the box. I recommend putting the pages facedown so at the end of the year, you can flip the whole stack and it will be in order.

Once the year is over, put the lid on the box and store it for posterity. Or have a ritual burning depending on how it all went.

I love that there is a printed, handwritten note inside from the creator explaining that he has, for years, made these calendars for friends, family and his studio. He also explains the size was selected because it is exactly half of a letter-sized sheet of paper when cut lengthwise. It’s easy to imagine that, in the early days, he was printing these pages on his office copy machine and trimming them by hand.

Each page features a graphic illustration in a black circle at the top of the page. The overall design of this chonk of paper is excellent. As a design snob, I 100% approve. Good type design, art, layout and attention to detail.

One of the other big plusses for this pad is that Saturday and Sunday are given the same treatment as the workdays. Because not everyone rests on the weekend.

Did I mention the 2.5mm gird because YES! I love it.

Testing the Paper:

I confess that I entered into testing this paper with a bit of trepidation. The paper felt very lightweight and, like most people outside the fountain pen community, the design and “functionality” of a paper good tends to outweigh the paper performance particularly when compared with how incredible picky “pen people” can be in comparison.

But once I started testing gel, rollerball and ballpoint pens, I realized I had no issues.  Should I try a fountain pen? Will it make me sad?

Nope. No sadness. Fountain pen ink performed just fine. I didn’t drown it in ink but with the teeny tiny 2.5mm grid, some small stubs, fine and extra fine nibs and an italic, it passed with flying colors.

Even the view from the back… some show through but since these pages were designed to be used front side dominantly, I don’t think that’s a big deal. Of course, if you want live dangerously, you could throw Sharpie or paint pen on there but I recommend peeling the daily page from the stack so it doesn’t bleed through to the next page.

Final Impressions:

I already have a pretty specific planning set-up but I think this Calendar To-Do List pad will make a great addition. I plan on using it for a sketch-a-day, a quote-a-day, or other sorts of daily tracking that could be separate from my work/hustle/work planner.

This is a beautifully designed, field-tested day-on-a-page calendar to-do list that I would be proud to keep on my desk.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Ryan McGinness for the purpose of review.

This review also includes affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

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2022 Planner: Year of the Snoop

I’m starting with where I’ve had the most success (mostly to make myself feel better!). Back in January I talked about my Year of the Snoop Planner. I’ve been purchasing these quirky, partially hand-made planners from Nikol for the last several years and they meet my needs perfectly. I use them as desk planners, keeping them next to me to jot down notes and to-do lists throughout the workday. Occasionally I use the Saturday and Sunday slots for weekend duties, but often use them to record book titles I’d like to read, notes about craft projects that need to get finished, etc. While this planner may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it fits my needs perfectly and I’ve used it every week without fail.

For me, the highlights are:

• Spiral bound, so it lays flat.
• Equal space for every day.
• Cardstock paper that performs fairly well with fountain pens.
• Fun, quirky illustration.

Journaling in my Musubi Notebook

Back in February, I wrote about my journaling ambitions for the year. I’d give myself a C in this category. I have written in the journal maybe a dozen times since the beginning of the year, recording mostly my knitting projects, but a few of the other big events of the year (who predicted the war in Ukraine would be in my crafting journal?). In general,  I don’t write very much though. It’s not that I’m being precious with the paper – I enjoy writing in it and don’t regret starting the project. No matter how long it spans (even if it encompasses years) I still think it is a volume I will treasure.

I think my problem is that the days run together and sometimes I’m just tired. The last few years have been so weird in that sometimes they feel like AGES and sometimes they feel like they’re over in a minute. A million things are always happening, and yet I feel like I’m stuck in some kind of groundhog day, mostly living the same day over and over ad infinitum. While I do work on lots of knitting projects, many of them have been longer term, larger garments, so I may only finish a few items a month to journal about. Going forward in the second half of the year, I might put a note on  my calendar (see above) for Fridays or Saturdays, to just write down what I’ve been working on and any reflections on the week. Even touching base a few times a month would make me happier about recording what I’m up to!

Hikemuri Sticky Note Calendar

Here’s where I’ve been a TOTAL FAIL. I was so excited to get this calendar back in December and dreamed of saving all the little photos in a cute photobook. Well, you don’t have to be eagle-eyed to notice my calendar is still stuck on the week of May 9, while the rest of the world is on June 7. These illustrations are beautiful and I never look at them. In practice, I peel them off only when I’m getting ready to write in my journal (see above) and then I use only the one I want and junk the rest to get myself caught up. The verdict? Regrettably, I’ll be skipping this one next year, because it just doesn’t fit my way of life.

The post 2022 Calendar and Planning Goals: Where are they now? appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The Himekuri Sticky Note Calendars ($32.00) are made up of seven little stacks of what look like post-it notes. They are mounted on a sturdy cardstock back that actually folds nicely into a stand so that the calendar can occupy a place on your desk.  The calendars come in a variety of themes: cats, stationery, sweets, zoo and a few others. I purchased Memory which has a variety of gorgeous photos.

The calendar also comes with a memory booklet, where you can store your daily sticky images after you’ve removed them from the calendar. All the text is in Japanese, and I assume it provides more context to the photos, or bits of wisdom, quotes etc. There is a little room in the margins, so I might use mine to record my own thoughts of the week in short form.

Overall, I was really charmed by this little calendar. I’ve added mine to the bulletin board right above my monitor so I can see the week at a glance and enjoy the beautiful photos each week.

DISCLAIMER: I purchased the items for this review with my own money and all opinions are my own. Please see the About page for more details.

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I’ve been keeping a journal since third grade, and my journal format has changed as my needs have. The past decade or so, I’ve simplified my journal to more of a log: On most days, I write only a few notes to document places I’ve sketched, friends I’ve seen, books I’ve read, movies and TV shows I’ve watched, restaurants I’ve dined in and any noteworthy weather. To make this log, I use an unruled A5-size notebook (for 2020, it will be a Leuchtturm 1917, but I also like Rhodia) and pre-date the first half of the book with a year’s worth of weekly spreads. Occasionally, I need more space to pursue thoughts or ideas, and I’ll use the remaining freeform pages in the second half of the book to write at length. I also use the freeform pages to glue in photos and other ephemera. I usually fill an A5 notebook nicely in a year. Shown below is a page spread from my current journal.

This DIY format continues to serve me well, but the DIY part – ruling the pages in a weekly page spread and filling in the 365 dates – can be tedious and time-consuming. I know I can easily buy planners with a weekly page spread, but usually commercial planners shortchange the weekend by making Saturday and Sunday share a space (a pet peeve). I’d also miss the space for freeform writing following the log. I had been wishing I had some dated stickers that would serve the double duty of dating the spaces while also being prominent enough that ruling the pages would be unnecessary.

My wish was fulfilled by the Himekuri Sticky Calendar ($24) that I spotted on Yoseka Stationery’s Instagram feed recently. The repositionable stickers come on a cardboard backing that can be folded into an easel for desktop display. I chose the colorful and adorable Cat theme. Other themes available from Yoseka are Gray/White, Stamps, and Stationery, which features iconic Japanese stationery brands like Tombow. (Oh, I went back and forth several times between Stationery and Cat!) Apparently other years have featured different themes.

My first thought was to stick the whole year of stickers onto my journal pages before the year began, one week per spread, as I’ve done with my DIY journals. But after preparing the first two weeks, it occurred to me that it would be much more fun to stick one day at a time as I wrote the notes for that day. It’s almost like an advent calendar that lasts all year! On days when I need a bit more space than usual, I could use that space and simply place the next day’s sticker slightly lower on the page. Since they are repositionable, I could also change my mind about their placement as needed.

I’m already looking forward to journaling in 2020!

Yoseka is the only US store where I’ve found Himekuri offered, but Sumthings of Mine in Malaysia carries it, too.

(Products in this review were purchased with my own funds.)

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

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As an avid crafter, I love supporting local artists.  And who better to support than a local paperie and press shop?  When I received the Desk Calendar Floral Weekly Planner from Ruff House Art ($18), I couldn’t have been more excited to support a local artisan and plan my week.

The Floral Weekly planner is an undated spiral bound planner, perfect for those who like to make lists.  The covers are letterpress printed with a lovely floral design (front cover) and the adorable Ruff House Art logo (back cover).  Inside are 54 undated weekly planning sheets.

The desk calendar is approximately 6.5″ tall by 12″ wide, and I find it’s the perfect size to keep on my desk at work to jot down notes, appointments, reminders, to-dos and the like.

On the first page, I used my Pilot fountain pen with a super fine nib and some Robert Oster Berry D’Arche ink.  As you can see there was a bit of show through on the paper, but the ink didn’t bleed all the way through, which I consider a win, especially since I don’t plan on using the back side of the pages unless I have extreme list overflow!

On the second week, I went ahead and experimented with more fountain pen ink (Pilot Metro Pop, F nib and Diamine Purple Dream ink) as well as some of my Ink Joy gel pens.  Again, the fountain pen ink had a bit of show through, but the Ink Joy gel pens were perfect for this paper. I think it would also be great for Retro 51 ballpoints or rollerballs.

I enjoy the fact that the planner is undated so I can create my own weeks, and that the bulleted lists don’t have time slots so I can write down everything from what to make for dinner to my top five tasks for the day all in one list.  My one minor complaint is that Saturday and Sunday are grouped together.  I realize this is an area of some debate, but I tend to load up on chores and freelance work on the weekends, so having two separate days to plan would be preferable.

That said, I haven’t stopped using this desk calendar since I got it and I foresee more of these in my future.

Laura is a tech editor, podcaster, knitter, spinner and recent pen addict. You can learn more about her knitting and tea adventures on her website, The Corner of Knit & Tea and can find her on Instagram as Fluffykira.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Ruff House Art for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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First up is the Matchbox Calendar ($8.50) which is slightly larger than regular business cards Its 3.75″ x 2.5″ with a flip cover like a matchbook, with silver metallic ink on the cover plus black and each page inside is  perforated. The booklet might stand up on your desk for a bit or each page could be perf-ed out and pinned up. It could be carried in your bag for quick reference or the thick cardstock pages could be pasted into a journal or notebook for reference. The letterpress calendars are classically typeset and the price is just right. I couldn’t pass it up.

Next was the the Rainbow Monogram Jotter ($6). It is 3-7/8″ tall x 2-1/2″ wide with 20 sheets of heavy cardstock paper (4 sheets in 5 colors: red, orange, yellow, lime and bright blue). The jotter comes with a small golf-sized pencil which I immediately misplaced. I purchased the jotter at a print show and the only monogram left was the letter “P” in the rainbow paper. I could have waited and ordered one with a more appropriate monogram but patience is not a strong suit. P is for Pen. P is for Pencil. P is for Patience of which I have none.

Inkello also offers the Monogram Jotter with plain white paper if you prefer something more subdued.

If you want plain paper, there is also the Gingham Notepad ($5.50) with string-and-button closure and a more traditional paper stock rather than cardstock. This notepad is a bit larger at 4.75″ x 3″ with 64 pages.

I put this paper to the test and it came out with flying colors. There was no show through or bleed through in my quick writing tests. Not bad for a pocket jot pad!

What got my super excited was the Inkello Weekly Planner ($20).  Its an undated weekly planner in a compact A5-ish (5.5″x8.5″) format. Unfortunately, its not yet listed in her shop.

The Planner has a Sunday start and features same size boxes for all seven days. At the bottom of the right hand page is a space for tasks for the week. That’s it. 52 weeks of efficient pages.

Then in the back are monthly calendars for 2018-2021 and a few pages for notes and that’s it. No excess bulk or things you don’t need. The covers are double weight card stock.

The info sheet on the back is lightly tipped on with (what we in the industry call) booger glue so it can be easily removed so you can a clean back cover. The only graphics on the back is the Inkello logo stamped in letterpress so you remember where you purchased the planner.

I used one of the notes pages for pen tests and had fairly good results. The paper is smooth with very little tooth. The only show through I got was with the brush pen and that was more a result of how heavy and dark it was rather than that the ink bled.

The last item I purchased was the “One-of-a-Kind Calendar” ($22). It is a Draw-Your-Own Hanging Calendar. At 9.5″ x 6.75″, it is perforated down the middle and made from 100% cotton paper.

One half of the calendar has a blank letterpress calendar on it and the other half is blank so that you can draw, paint, collage or doodle on it.

Being able to separate the artwork from the calendar portion would allow the artwork to be saved, mailed or framed later. This could be a great way to involve your kids in making art, or a way to have a calendar serve double duty — calendar now, mail art later?

The One-of-a-Kind Calendar is not yet listed on the Inkello web site but if you are interested in purchasing it, email their Contact page (listed on the bottom of their site) and let them know you were interested in it.

There are lots of other great products available at Inkello and I had a hard time not buying ALL her products. I hope you enjoy browsing as much as I did.

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One of my favorite local KC artists is Maiko of Decoylab. She makes amazing pieces like laser wood and acrylic clocks, laser brooches and necklaces (of which I own a bazillion!) and other beautiful crafted goods. The fact that such world-class talent is right here in my town often tickles me.

She showed me her large wall calendar $26 and I said it would be an awesome piece to have here on The Desk and then time got away from us and here it is the end of January! So, we decided, since not everyone is as prompt about getting organized for the new year, we could host a giveaway so the next 11 months could be beautiful and organized.

Maiko has kindly offered to giveaway one of her 2017 Wall Calendars. It is a simple, functional calendar that features large dates that can be read from across the room.

Full moon stickers and a large bulldog clips are optional. Calendar starts from October 2016 to December 2017.

• Features:
  • Size 11×17
  • Large dates visible from afar (Date height 1.37″)
  • Plenty of space underneath the dates to jot down important dates ( 1 inch height)
  • Ships flat
  • Printed on 70lb text weight paper – same as copy paper weight
  • 100% post consumer waste paper
  • The paper color is slightly off white
• Optionals:
  • 15 full moon stickers (full moon dates included)
  • 3 inch chrome bull dog clip

If you don’t want to wait to see if you win the giveaway, you can order one today. I did because I still have a sorry-looking free calendar hanging on my wall from LAST YEAR and I needed to remedy the situation ASAP. While you’re there, you might want to consider one of her amazing clocks. I’m partial to the Cuckoo Style A because it has squirrels on it. One of the most popular items is the DIY Western Auto sign which is a beacon on our downtown skyline that Decoylab turned into a desktop 3D bamboo kit you can assemble, paint and build yourself.

TO ENTER: Leave a message in the comments and tell me what New Year’s task you’ve procrastinated or if you are hyper-organized what Decoy Lab item you’re dreaming of owning. One entry per person.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Saturday, January 28, 2017. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Saturday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 10 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US Residents Only.

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When someone mentions “typewriter” and “calendar” in the same sentence, my ears prick right up. Add in a little paper mechanic magic and I am already writing the blog post in my head.

This darling little desktop calendar stands in its own 3D foldable typewriter. Just print out the pieces and assemble. Consider it as a great Tuesday morning office project. It is available for instant download for $4.99 via Sky Goodies on Etsy.

(tip via Teri of Fiberterian)

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Paper:

• World War 2 Diaries Found in Attic (via Notebook Stories)
• Pocket Notebooks: What does Fountain Pen Friendly really mean? (via Ed Jelley)
• Paperblanks Journals (via Inkophile)
• Moleskine Cahier Pocket Notebook (vi Ink of Me Fondly)

Pens and Ink:

• Esterbrook #1461 Rigid Fine (via Fountain Pen Quest)
• Kaweco Carribean Turquoise Ink (via The Pencil Case Blog)
• Kaweco Allrounder Fountain Pen (via Office Supply Geek)
• Delta Fusion 82 Fountain Pen Review (via From The Pen Cup)
• Friends don’t let friends let the ink dry up in their fountain pens (via Rhodia Drive)
• Pilot Razor Point Marker Stick Pen 0.5MM Review (via The Royal Warrant)

Pencils:

• Forest Choice Pencil by Palomino (via The Daily Carry)
• Tombow 2558 B (via Economy Pens)

Misc:

• US Postal Rate Increases (via Letter Writers Alliance)
• Printable Calendars (via Paper Pastries)
• Inspiring Mousepads (via Domesticatd Desk)

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