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Chocolate Musings

Set your goals - make the plans - artfully create your life - live it beautifully. Grab the good chocolate and find your muse.

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Home » creative planning

Tumbitri Meri Notebook Review

July 9, 2020 Leave a Comment

Tumbitri Meri Notebook Review

Tumbitri Meri Notebook Review - is it good for bullet journals or creative planning? Find out! + Video unboxing & pen test results | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #notebookreview #review

Here is my thorough review of the Tumbitri Meri dot-grid notebook. I’ll answer if it’s good for bullet journaling and watercolor for creative planning. Plus let you in on all the statistics. Love an unboxing video? Check out the video below + bonus pen test results.

I’d love to know if there are any features you want me to test or describe. I hope you enjoy this product review!

Tumbitri Meri Notebooks

I’m always on the hunt for a new quality notebook. Someone in a Facebook group mentioned Tumbitri Meri, and I decided to check them out on Amazon. The book was reasonably priced, especially considering that it came with a metal ruler specifically designed for Bullet Journaling (or creative journaling whichever way you look at it).

Based on the pentest and first impressions, I’m excited to use this notebook for the next few months, and if all goes well, I’ll reorder it again!

FYI: This post is NOT sponsored. I purchased the notebook with my own money with the intent to use the notebook as a bullet journal for the next few months.

Overall Impressions of the Tumbitri Meri Notebook:

Tumbitri Meri Notebook (in purple) Review with box & ruler | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #notebookreview #productreview

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Tumbitri Meri notebook. And impressed with the quality of the paper. The only bleeding issues I had would be easily avoided and would not be an issue for daily use or under most circumstances. 

UPDATE: After regular use of the notebook & creating several spreads, I found that using a water pen with watercolors and markers caused some bleeding. It also bled slightly when I was too heavy-handed with Tombow Dual Brush Markers.

The Tumbitri Meri notebook would be great for Instagram photos since the pages do not ghost and are already bright white with their small, medium gray dot grid. 

The pages are smooth and luxurious to the touch. The notebook has more pages, 220, vs. 160 in most other journals. 

*Side note: they have 180 page / 120 gsm notebooks as well. I did not test that version. 

The available colors are limited, but I read in the Amazon description that a one-woman show runs this notebook/company. It’s not a big corporation, so I get why there are limited colors/versions and I like to support small businesses.

Positives:

Tumbitri Notebook Review - 220 Pages + small medium-gray dot grid with 160 GSM thick paper - sounds like a great combination for Bullet Journals | ChocolateMusings.com #productreview #notebookreview #tumbitirmeri

I love the ruler that comes with the planner. It is specifically created with 5mm dot grids in mind so creating spreads in your bullet journal is a breeze!

The paper is so smooth and bright. It holds up to most pens and markers, and they glide beautifully on the sheets. The dot grid is just subtle enough to serve as a guide and doesn’t stand out when taking pictures. 

With no ghosting or bleeding under regular use, I’m looking forward to painting, planning, and doodling in this notebook. With 220 pages, I know that I’ll get some great use out of collections as well.

Gold Metal Bullet Journaling Ruler comes with the Tumbitri Meri Journal - Check out the Notebook Unboxing & Review | ChocolateMusings.com #notebookreview #pentest #unboxing

Negatives:

Golden Ruler! This notebook rules with it's golden ruler + ruler pocket | ChocolateMusings.com #productreview #ruler #goldenrule
Tumbitri Meri Notebook - Blank Outlined/Lined Index Page | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #index #productreview
Tumbitiri Meri Notebook Review - Dark Numbers on each page  | ChocolateMusings.com #productreview #notebookreview #bulletjournal

The index pages are darkly lined and outlined. I also did not like how dark the numbers were in the corners of the pages. My preference is that all markings in the book are subtle enough to be noticeable when I want them, but fade away when I don’t need them.

 One other thing I didn’t like was that the front pocket for the ruler makes the first few pages a bit bumpy. But once you get 10 or more pages in, you don’t really notice it unless you are related to the princess and the pea. Ultimately, none of these factors are game-stoppers for me.

Watch the Unboxing & Pen Test Page Results Below:

Review of Tumbitri Meri Notebook Statistics:

*Anything Marked CM are my own assessments

  • Notebook Size: I would dub it as A5+ (measures just larger than the usual A5 notebook but has the same grid size as A5) – 5.5 inches wide x 8.25 tall.
  • Measurements: Each sheet measures 14 cm x 20.9 cm (140mm x 129mm) or 5.5 x 8.25 inches.
  • Pages: 220
  • Numbered Pages: Yes (the numbers are very dark on the page)
  • CM Page Smoothness Scale: 95/100
  • CM Page Brightness Scale (how white the pages are): 95/100
  • Dot Grid: yes
  • Dot Size: Small
  • Grid Darkness: Medium
  • Pen Loop: Yes (on Spine)
  • Page Markers: 3
  • Back Pocket: Yes + BONUS front pocket for the included metal ruler
  • Index Pages: 4 (Lined within an enclosed box)
  • Key Page: No
  • Designated Pen Test Page: No
  • Owner/Contact Info Page: Yes
  • Page GSM: 160
  • Dot Grid: 27 dots wide per page x 39 dots tall per page which is 26×38 spaces per page or 52×38 spaces per spread
  • Binding: Stitched Layflat Binding
  • Cover Embellishments: Debossed symbol on the front painted in gold and debossed brand name on the back
  • Removable Pages: No. The listing on Amazon said the last eight pages were perforated and detachable. The notebook I received did not have perforated pages. But I don’t care about that. I never remove pages anyway.

Extras: The book I bought came with a gorgeous gold-colored metal ruler with shapes designed specifically for bullet journaling. I’m excited to try it out!

** Please note that there are other versions with different paper options (page numbers/gsm) available from this seller.

Pen Test Result:

Pen test results - watch the video unboxing + pen test for a true test of the results. | ChocolateMusings.com #pentest #ghosting #bleedthrough
  • Bleed: Yes – minimal (see below)
  • Ghosting: No

Need to know what the difference is between bleeding and ghosting? Check out this post.

Disclaimer: I don’t use fountain pens, so I don’t test for fountain pen usage. But I do watercolor and blend with markers, so I use a heavy hand on my pen test pages, so I know what the limit is while using the notebook regularly.

As long as you don’t multi-layer Tombow markers and try to blend them with the colorless blender or water pen, a single marker layer doesn’t bleed through to the other side. In addition, if you don’t slather your page with water before using watercolor pigment, these pages seem to stand up wonderfully to everything else.

The page bled when I layered multiple dark Tombow Dual Brush Marker colors and tried to blend them with the colorless blender and with a water pen. It also bled when I tried a wet wash on the paper with just water. 

When using watercolor pigment and a large amount of water, the paper did not bleed, and the colors seemed to blend nicely on the page. I added multiple layers of watercolor while the page was wet and was pleasantly surprised that it held up and did not bleed.

UPDATE: After regular use of the notebook & creating several spreads, I found that using a water pen with watercolors and markers caused some bleeding. It also bled slightly when I was too heavy-handed with Tombow Dual Brush Markers.

Products Used on the Pen Test Page:

  • Tumbitri Meri Notebook – https://amzn.to/3fZAlmk
  • Tombow Dual Brush Pens + Colorless Blender – https://amzn.to/2YBw0QG
  • Water Pen – https://amzn.to/3g3Se3v
  • Pentel Sign Felt Tip Pens – https://amzn.to/31nAImU
  • Zebra Rollerball 0.5 mm pens – https://amzn.to/2VrsfLs
  • Papermate Inkjoy – https://amzn.to/387jH1o
  • Sakura Micron Pen – https://amzn.to/3ibdDJS
  • Zebra Technical Pen – https://amzn.to/2CEvJDR
  • Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen (black) – https://amzn.to/31uo45k
  • Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen (colors) – https://amzn.to/2Nzmc3f
  • Zebra Brush Pens + Highlighters https://amzn.to/2B8kXFP
  • Pentel Sign Brush Pen – https://amzn.to/2VqeTzd
  • Pentel Milky Pop – https://amzn.to/3i4nwcB
  • Sakura Gelly Roll White – https://amzn.to/2B6aVF7
  • Marie’s Watercolor – https://amzn.to/3dFCK40

Would I recommend Tumbitri Meri Notebooks?

After I reviewed a Tumbitri Meri notebooks, I would say yes! I would absolutely recommend a Tumbiri Meri journal to bullet journal enthusiasts. You could use it for everyday use as a bullet journal & creative planner. You could successfully use it as a doodle book with all types of technical pans and light painting. Overall the review on the Tumbitri Meri book is outstanding!

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Filed Under: Blog, Bullet Journal, Get Inspired, Get Organized & Start Planning, Notebook Reviews, Product & Book Reviews Tagged: Bullet Journal, creative planning, notebook review, product review, reviews

Plan With Me: May Monthly Layouts {+ Video}

April 29, 2018 3 Comments

May is the Gateway to Summer – May Monthly Layouts: Plan With Me

May doesn’t officially start summer in our house until the kids are out (the last week and a half of May) but summer is definitely on the brain. Since school is almost out, I wanted to accommodate our summer plans/May monthly layouts in my bullet journal. Looking back at my planner for the past month, I’ve filled out less and less of my weekly spreads as I get more and more ready for summer.

Watch the Planning Video Below

Make sure to hit subscribe in the lower right-hand corner of the video! I decided to do the April flip through & May weeklies in a different video.

How I Created the Spreads:

May Monthly Layouts & welcome pages - ombre watercolor fades using Crayola Markers - Plan With Me

Welcome Page:

I went back and forth on the welcome page – on the one hand, I wanted a welcome page for May, for another, just an introduction to Summer. So I switched the banner from ‘May’ to ‘Summer’ and added the blurb about May on the left side. My amazing friend Kiki (find her Instagram here) created a class on SkillShare – how to make consistent block letters. All I have to say is ‘and how!’ (is that a real phrase?!)


May Monthly Layouts - color swatch monthly calendar - Plan With Me

Monthly Calendar

For the monthly calendar, I took my favorite supply of Crayola markers and painted the colors inside the boxes like a paint swatch. You can erase pencil when watercoloring this way unlike regular watercolor paints and write over them with any ink once dry (takes a very brief amount of time to dry). Once the page dried, I erased the pencil marks.

In this case, each box was 2 cm x 2 cm square or 4 boxes square. Perfect for visual planning and plenty of space around the edges for notes and to-dos.

I’ll show you what I did for the weekly pages in the next post. Here’s a hint: I didn’t know what I was going to do when I started on the pages, it’s simple, and I like it.

Mentioned in the Video:

  • Skillshare – Making Consistent Block Letters by Kiki B
  • Color Combinations Pinterest Board or My Pinterest Profile
  • April Plan with Me – Monthly
  • April Plan With Me – Weekly
  • March Plan With Me – Weekly
  • Favorite Beginner Lettering Supplies
  • May Plan With Me – Weekly
question mark - chocolatemusings.com

Question:

What’s your favorite technique in your planner?

plan your life so you live beautifully

~Tricia

Save this layout to Pinterest for later – while you are at it, follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration!

Follow @ChocolateMusingsCreates

3 Comments
Filed Under: Blog, Bullet Journal, Get Organized & Start Planning, Plan With Me, Plan With Me 2018, Planner Spreads Tagged: Bullet Journal, creative journal, creative journaling, creative planning, may monthly set up, monthly calendar, monthly calendar set up, monthly landing page, plan with me, plan with me video, welcome page

About Me


Hi! I'm Tricia, the creative behind ChocolateMusings.com, I know how it feels to lose your inner muse. After years of darkness (which I call the dark ages of my life), I found my inner muse hiding in the forgotten corners of my soul, I vowed never to lose sight of her again.

Bullet journaling helped reignite the passion for art and living life again while organizing my days. I also discovered modern calligraphy and watercolor. Since then, my use of the bullet journal system has evlolved and I call it 'creative planning'. Here on the blog, I show you how to use your planner to ignite your inner muse and explore creativity and art while staying beautifully organized and living a joyful life.

I invite you to grab some good chocolate and dive into my musings. Let’s ignite your inner muse.

Read more on the about me page. You can also find my policies and disclosures here.

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