Target Dollar Spot Notepad Review
Lately I’ve been obsessed with checking out people’s planners and agendas on Instagram (just check out #plannerlove or #planneraddict). I’ve noticed quite a few people showing off notepads that they found in the dollar section of Target.
They’re pretty cute-looking notepads, but I was curious about the quality.
- Would the paper be too flimsy?
- Would ink bleed through?
- Would it even be tough to lay ink down on the paper?
I figured some of you might have similar questions, so I did a little test with different types of pens.
The Arsenal
Paper Mate Write Bros
Pilot Precise V7
Paper Mate Flair
Pilot G2
Paper Mate InkJoy 300 RT
Sharpie Pen
The Test
- With each pen, I wrote on the first page of each list pad to see how the pen looked on the paper.
- Then, I turned the page over to check two things:
- Can you see the ink on the other side of the paper?
- Did ink bleed through to the second page of the list pad?
Here’s What I Found
On laying ink down:
- The light colored pads performed the best: the paper was smooth but took the ink well.
- The blue notepad had a bit more trouble getting ink to stick to it, especially with the pink pens.
- The kraft paper was tough on the ballpoint pens, not smooth at all; the gel pen worked the best here.
On see-through:
- Ballpoints and felt tips were the least offensive. You could probably get away with using this type of pen on both sides of the page.
- The paper was too thin in most cases for rollerball or gel ink and you could still see the writing from the back.
On bleed-through to the second page:
- No issues here.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these “cheap” notepads. I’ll have to keep an eye out for future designs to add to the collection.
Hope that was helpful to you guys! Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see more posts like this!
Amazon links are affiliate.
Photos edited by RadLab. (Affiliate Link)
Calligraphy Goodness on Instagram: 50 Calligraphers to Follow!
I spend a lot of time on Instagram. It’s my favorite consumption media. Oh, the eye candy. The inspiration. The time-suck. But so pretty! I’ve talked about some resources that I used for learning calligraphy, and one of the things that got me off my butt and going was the beautiful calligraphy I kept seeing on Instagram. It’s important to keep in mind that if you’re just starting out, don’t compare yourself too much! It’s hard, but seriously, these people have put in loads of practice.
Live instructors:
@antiquariadesign
@jennamrainey
@laurenessl
@leenmachinecalligraphy
@lhcalligraphy
@maybelleimasa
@meanttobedc
@mollyjacques
Video talent:
@calligraphybyjennifer
@seblester
@the_md_writes
Awesomely inspiring:
@afabulousfete
@afineflourish
@annerobincallig
@ascorbiceline
@bettylingcalligraphy
@bienfaitcalligraphy
@brownfoxcalligraphy
@calliebrannendesign
@curlicuedesigns
@designhouseofmoira
@doubledippedcalligraphy
@elsabduncan
@emdashpaperco
@emilyecavanagh
@emvfitzpatrick
@flourishforum
@hardinkcallig
@hawaiicalligraphy
@honeyhoneycalligraphy
@imaginejoy
@lindayoshida
@lisaridgelycalligraphy
@juliedoan
@juliesongink
@kinsleycora
@kristendroz
@lionheartprints
@marcardincalligraphy
@melissapher
@mellenseidman
@paperglazecalligraphy
@piescribbles
@plurabellemolly
@postcalligraphy
@thefozzybook
@thisrestlessness
@tomehope
@tuccicursive
@writtenwordcalligraphy
Do you post your calligraphy on Instagram? Share your username! Do you have other suggestions for people I should follow?
Resources for Improving Your Handwriting
I’m generally a big fan of technology and I’m usually an early adopter of most new gadgets. Except I have this one old school quirk: I love writing things out by hand. I generally think more clearly when writing things out on paper as opposed to on screen. But as there are less and less opportunities for writing, our adult handwriting seems to deteriorate. Well, at least mine did anyway.
I think handwriting is experiencing a resurgence these days, with more of us getting into scrapbooking, art journaling, etc. About a year ago, I started to make a concerted effort to improve my handwriting, primarily to relearn cursive. I hadn’t used cursive writing for years, relying on a hybrid-print for my daily writing.
I started by referencing handwriting guidesheets aimed for elementary aged children. You can find some at Donna Young’s website and ABC Teach.
Then I started to just practice anytime I had the chance on the margins of various papers that I had lying around. Instead of doodling during meetings, I was cursive-writing.
The toughest part for me was getting comfortable with letter transitions. Whenever I hit a letter combo that was tough, I’d just repeat it a few times until it flowed better.
After awhile, I found myself needing a variety of words to write out, so I tried out some different things I thought would be engaging and give me some change in letter combinations. Here are some of the words I tried:
– Fifth grade spelling words
– US cities, counties, and states
– SAT vocabulary words and their definitions
– Notes and lines from books I read
Some additional resources to get you started on your path to better handwriting:
Melissa Esplin, Rukristin, Joelle Charming, K. Werner: The common theme for all of these is you need a lot of practice and to slow down the pace.
There are also a ton of tips and resources on these threads of AskMetafilter, where the askers have requested help on improving their chicken scratch:
– I want to write right
– I never learned to write
– Handwriting without tears
Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any of these strategies or if you have any other awesome resources to share!
Wall Art on a Budget: Travel Postcards
I’ve talked about how I like to collect illustrated postcards as a souvenir when I travel. I collect these with the intent of using them as wall decor around my house. I’m a sucker for gallery walls, but getting enough variety of photos and art in the frames is no easy feat. Hence the postcards.
I pick out a frame that holds a 4×6 photo. If I’m lucky, the postcard will fit without having to trim it. If I’m not so lucky, then I’ll have to trim to fit. I usually just pencil in the line I need and cut with scissors. (Serious crafters may have a cutting mat, a metal ruler, or an x-acto knife).
When you’re all trimmed to size, just stick it in the frame (more gently than I’m implying with my language). Display as desired.
What unique ways do you display those postcards?
Resources for Learning Pointed Pen Calligraphy
I’d been thinking of learning calligraphy for awhile, especially after following some awesome calligraphers on Instagram. But I kept chickening out on paying for any courses; what if I buy all these supplies and courses and I hate it? (I tend to pick up and drop hobbies all the time… it must be the hoarding learner in me)
I noticed that one of the calligraphers I followed on Instagram was offering in-person local workshops! Well, that sounds perfect for me as a beginner!
I signed up for a class for beginners with Jenna M. Rainey of Mon Voir Calligraphy.
Why would an in-person course appeal to me?
– Comes with supplies, so I don’t have to fend for myself at the supply shop.
– The instructor covers the basics on how to hold the pen and the proper technique.
– As I’m practicing in the workshop, I can ask questions and the instructor can see and correct my technique.
I figured that I could try out the class, go home and practice a bit, and see if I still liked it enough to seek out other resources. (Spoiler Alert: It’s been 4 months since that first class and I’m still into it)
After that, it got the ball rolling for a ton of other resources that I use to practice.
What To Do with that Sad and Brown Banana
I don’t know about your house, but at my house, bananas are on the weekly grocery list. It’s a staple here. However, some weeks, we just don’t get around to eating them all before they get overripe. So what should we do with them? We can make banana bread, but we might not have the time for all that. Instead, I just mash them up and store them in the freezer for a later day.
Travel Souvenir Idea: Find Illustrated Postcards
So, postcards are not a new concept. You’ve seen them everywhere: gift shops, airports, bookstores. But I find that most of the postcards on the rack are some generic stock photo of the location and then the name of the town across the top or bottom (usually in some outdated font choice).
Sometimes though, you find a gem. And I’ve been on the hunt for well-illustrated postcards everywhere I go. The key is that they’re illustrated and not photographed. These sort of cards appeal the most to my artistic aesthetic and upgrade the cards into something I feel good about putting on my walls.
They’re definitely tougher to find than the usual photographed cards (in one airport, I went to about 5 different gift shops to hunt one down), but they’re totally worth it.
Have you found any awesome postcards?
Post a pic on Instagram and tag me @randomolive.
Super Soft, Super Moist, Super Fluffy Banana Bread
I only really know how to bake one thing from scratch. But that one thing is a hit every single time I make it. I make it for potlucks, Thanksgiving, Christmas, my husband’s birthday, every event where I need to bring something. And it’s super easy.
I think the original source was this from AllRecipes.
I’ve adapted it to be the following:
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of all-purpose flour1 teaspoon of baking soda0.5 teaspoon of salt1 cup of granulated sugar2 eggs0.24 cup of melted butter3 mashed bananasa dash of cinnamon (optional)a splash of vanilla extract (optional)
