Boasting an exterior made of natural materials, this 5″ X 8″ journal belongs to Brian Willer, the President and Director of Fun at StudySkills.com. Featuring 180 pages, the Lemome Eco Cork Journal is an Amazon top-seller with over 460 reviews. It retails for $22.99, but if you are a Prime member it will be shipped to you in a couple of days for $15.99.

As a National Board Certified teacher and a successful entrepreneur, Brian has much that he can write about. So there’s no better individual to articulate why he chose this particular journal than the Lake Orion resident himself. His explanation follows…

After a careful search, I chose this one because it had many features that I value:

1. I love the look and feel of the cork exterior. I find it very inviting.

2. The attached bookmark makes it easy to mark/find the next available page for an entry.

3.  The pages are lined and are composed of off-white paper. I find the lines convenient for writing and I really enjoy the off-white color; it is easier on my eyes.

4.  The pages have a slight perforation so that they can be torn out. I like this because occasionally I want to jot a note or use my journal for something other than journaling. Being able to remove the pages allows me to “edit” my notebook by withdrawing sheets that are not truly related to journaling — but were needed in a pinch for another task.

5. There is a pocket in the rear for small slips of paper. This is nice for placing notes or reminders for future journal entry ideas.

6.  The journal has an elastic band that wraps around the front to hold it securely closed. While this isn’t necessary, there’s something ceremonial about “unlatching” it as you prepare to write, and then “latching” it at the conclusion of journaling.

7. I like the pen/pencil holder that is sewn into the side. It is very convenient and makes the notebook feel like its own complete journaling kit.

8. Just when I thought my journal couldn’t possibly have any more features, I discovered this sheet of stickers; they are used to create tabs for marking different sections.

Who would have imagined that there could be so many features related to a journal? I never would have thought that such a number existed until I came across this notebook and started paying closer attention to all that it has to offer. And, now that I’m becoming accustomed to these features, I think I’ll be looking for future journals to require the same.

Finally, I have to laugh at myself. Picking out a journal that has so many features is completely in line with how I shop for virtually everything else. Whether it’s a TV, a car, a cell phone, or a refrigerator, I’m all about “what are the best features that I can find in a unit?” So, why would it be any different when selecting a journal?! 😂

Happy writing!!!

-Brian Willer

Why cork?

A material found in the bark of the cork oak trees, which are most plentiful in Portugal and Spain, cork offers a number of valuable qualities:

• As opposed to plastics and vinyl, which can emit chemical odors, cork is non-toxic.
• Cork is flexible, fire-resistant, and naturally impermeable to water.
• Because harvesting cork from the cork oak trees does not permanently harm them, it is generally considered to be a sustainable material.

Do you want to participate?

Are you working on a journal that you would like to see featured as part of ink + sky’s series of Guest Spotlight posts? If yes, reach out for details. It’s a free, fun, and functional way to publicly validate your writing habits and showcase your unique notebook. Let the world know that pens, pencils, and paper still matter — especially in the digital age. Please contact me here if you are interested.

To see the first journal in this series, click on Guest Spotlight — KP’s Lemon Journal.

To read about the journal (pictured below) that is taking me into 2019, please see my post entitled New Year’s Adventure Journal. There I document how I created the notebook’s cover, and I provide a photograph of its first hand-written entry — which describes an early Sunday morning at Starbucks.

Note — The image of the perforated paper was obtained from Amazon.com’s page for the Lemome Eco Cork Journal. The photograph of the cork board and yellow sticky note was taken by AbsolutVision, and the image of the cork coaster and mug was captured by Ben Kolde; they were both found on Unsplash.com. The photograph of the cork oak tree was obtained from the Rainforest Alliance’s website.

This eye-catching journal belongs to Kristin Penrose — a sophomore at Oakland University in Rochester, MI — who is studying Public Relations and Strategic Communication. Why did she choose this particular notebook? The lemons remind her of a citrus tree that she had while growing up in Tampa, FL.

Kristin has been journaling since she was 10 years old. In her words, she feels most “put together” when she is placing her thoughts on the page. Depending on the kind of material she is composing, Kristin uses different writing tools. A black or blue pen allows her to “get something out” — an act that lends itself to ink, whose permanence mirrors the irreversible process of pulling powerful material from the heart or mind. In contrast, she reaches for a pencil when she is planning, sketching, or organizing.

Thank you, Kristin, for sharing your journal. May it continue to provide you with the space and perspective that you seek as the New Year unfolds.

If lemons appeal to you, many manufacturers offer notebooks featuring the bright yellow fruit. A quick search on Amazon.com reveals numerous options, including this college-ruled 120-page composition book, which measures 8″ X 10″ and retails for $5.99:

Fun fact about lemons:

Like oranges, limes, and grapefruit — which all grow on trees — lemons are categorized as hesperidia. A hesperidium is a kind of berry (oh!) with a traditionally inedible exterior. One exception is the kumquat, which features a sweet, delicious skin:

Do you want to participate?

Are you working on a journal that you would like to see featured as part of ink + sky’s series of Guest Spotlight posts? If yes, reach out for details. It’s a free, fun, and functional way to publicly validate your writing habits and showcase your unique notebook. Let the world know that pens, pencils, and paper still matter — especially in the digital age. Please contact me here if you are interested.

To read about the journal (pictured below) that is taking me into 2019, please see my post entitled New Year’s Adventure Journal. There I document how I created the notebook’s cover, and I provide a photograph of its first hand-written entry — which describes an early Sunday morning at Starbucks.

Note — The image of a lemon tree in this post was taken by photographer Dan Gold, and it was obtained from Unsplash.com.