I’ve been doing a little Black Friday shopping today for myself and some gifts for friends and family and I have seen some really awesome pens that are fantastic for beginners. I wanted to give you a heads up on some of these deals and why they are great for newbies to the fountain pen space (and even if you are a confident user).
In no particular order
1 – PLATINUM CURIDAS FOUNTAIN PEN
The Platinum Curidas fountain pen is one of my favorites for it’s easy of use. It’s a retractable pen that is easy to fill with your favorite fountain pen ink. It comes in a few different desirable nib sizes and great colors too. Also, for Black Friday it’s 50% off+ and only $50.
The Pelikan Twist is the first fountain pen that I bought for my girls. They were brand new to fountain pens and found the grip and ink cartridges to be really easy to use. And you can’t beat this current price of only $10!
The Monteverde Innova Formula M is a sporty looking fountain pen that just looks awesome. It comes in bronze, blue, and black body colors and 6 different nib size options. Go extra fine nib for a slim line or have some fun with the omni nib and get that calligraphy pen look. With a price of $35 – it’s budget friendly without looking it.
This pen is top of my price range for this list at $100, on sale, but it’s a very cool pen and I am really excited about it! I actually picked this one up for myself. The Pelikan Classic M205 is different than the others on this list because of the way you fill it. This one has a piston fill system, which mean you twist the back end of the pen to fill it. It makes fountain pen ownership a little more fun with how easy it is to fill and clean.
If you’d like to check out some other great deals, my friends at Atlas Stationers are putting on some great sales. If you see something you like, you can add my discount code MARKYOURPAGES10 for an extra 20% off (limited time). They will give you the better deal on their site whether it’s my discount or the sites discount. But worth the try either way 🙂
I am an affiliate with Atlas Stationers, and if you purchase through a link in this post, I will receive a small commission. There is no extra cost to you and I truly appreciate your support.
Starting a Bullet Journal from scratch can be a little intimidating. I spend about 6 months researching about how to bullet journal before I ever started, but that was being there wasn’t anything out there that walked me through how to do it. So I made a video for me… but really for you.
It’s great to see all the creative journals out there. Even on Instagram and Pinterest I love seeing different ideas, but I always find myself thinking ” But how did they make that and how are they using it”?
So in today’s video, I am setting up a Bullet Journal from scratch. We are going to work together to build out a fully functioning journal that you can literally start in today! We will cover all the core pages like the Key, Index, and Future Log. Along with with showing you real world examples of how to work in your bullet journal. We will check off tasks, migrate things back to the future log, and also show you how to migrate things forward into your next week.
It’s time to set up my Minimal Bullet Journal (with a twist) for the new year. The theme to start is going to be stamps and ink and we will be using those all through the setup.
I always love starting a new journal. It’s like a fresh start. I also enjoy looking back on the previous notebooks and think about what’s working, what’s not working, and what do I want to change.
🔵 Discount Codes & Links: https://markyourpages.com/codes/ If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This does NOT result in any additional cost to you. Thank YOU for your support!
Tis’ the season for preparing for the new year in your planner, and now is about the time when most people are finalizing their plans. But, if you haven’t… worry not! I may have found the perfect planner for you and your needs!
I was introduced to Owl Paper Planners last year when Marisa, the creator of the Night Owl Planner, reached out to me. She shared a similar background as I have, in that she loves Bullet Journaling but felt like parts of the system didn’t work for her. So she went out and created a journal that met the needs of what she was trying to accomplish – and as it turns out, a lot of people have similar wants and needs.
B6 Size for easy portability
6-Month Breakdowns
Pre-dated Vertical Weeklies
Monthly Calendar Pages
320 Tomoe River Paper Pages
Highland Green July – Dec 2024 Owl Paper NightOwl Planner
I have loved using this planner these past 6-months. I’ve learned a lot about how I like to plan and what this type of planner has to offer me.
So, in celebration of planning for the new year, Owl Paper and I are hosting a Giveaway where we are going to give you a full year of Night Owl Planners. You will get 2 Planners (Jan – June, July – Dec) for 2024. Full details for the giveaway are on my Instagram page where you can enter to win!
Last year I was introduced to Antou Design and their amazing Magnetic Binder System of planners and notebooks. I was so blown away and incredibly excited when I heard from them this year about their Book 3.0 NOTA Products.
Antou Design and their BOOK NOTA planner is a reinvented notebook and personal organizer with flexible modulating features and magnetic binding technology, keeping your ideas organized and your daily carryings simple.
I love introducing you to new planners and different ways to get your work done. Drop a comment on the video and let me know what you think about the new Book 3.0 NOTA series from Antou Design.
Archer and Olive took a different approach to this year’s Winter Collection. What is usually filled with glitter and festive designs was replaced with a Winter Rewind, filled with 90s, 80 s, and groovy-designed notebooks, washi tapes, stickers, and more.
The only classic Holiday item is the Advent Calendar box. Let’s talk details, my personal favorites, and feelings on this collection.
In this special Year in Review video, join me as I take a deep dive into a year’s worth of bullet journaling, notebooks, their pros and cons, and exciting plans for the new year! I will share my honest insights and reflections on the tools that have been my creative companions throughout the year.
Notebooks Used: I’ll discuss the various notebooks I’ve used over the past year, from classic journals to specialized options. See how different paper quality, sizes, and styles have impacted my journaling journey.
Pros and Cons: Get an in-depth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each notebook. I’ll talk about what worked exceptionally well and what I found challenging, helping you make informed choices for your next bullet journal.
2024 Plans: Discover my exciting plans for the upcoming year, including new layouts, themes, and journaling techniques I’ll be incorporating. Get a sneak peek into the goals and creative ideas we have in store for our bullet journal in 2024.
Whether you’re a seasoned bullet journalist or just starting your journaling journey, this Year in Review video is packed with valuable insights and inspiration. Join me as I reflect on the past and look forward to the future.
If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This does NOT result in any additional cost to you. Thank YOU for your support!
In this video, I’ll show you how to supercharge your productivity at work using a bullet journal. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a professional, or a student, these five key techniques will help you streamline your work life and achieve your goals.
1. Goal Setting: Discover how to set clear and actionable work-related goals in your bullet journal.
2. Task Management: Learn how to efficiently manage your tasks and to-do lists.
3. Meeting Notes: Keep all your meeting insights organized in your bullet journal for easy reference.
4. Time Management: Discover how to create daily schedules and track your time effectively.
5. Intentions and Reflection: Explore the importance of setting intentions for your work and reflecting on your progress.
Watch the video to master these five essential techniques and unlock the full potential of your bullet journal for work. Elevate your work performance, stay organized, and achieve your professional goals.
Get Started On your Bullet Journal Journey with great notebooks: Archer & Olive Notebooks | 10% OFF Code: MARKYOURPAGES10
🔵 More Discount Codes & Links If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This does NOT result in any additional cost to you. Thank YOU for your support!
After 6.5 years of using the MenWhoBullet user name, it’s time to say goodbye. An end to an Era – but that doesn’t mean i’m going anywhere. I am just changing my user name. Introducing Mark Your Pages.
I have been a longtime fan of the Zinnia Digital Planning app. After trying a few other digital planners over the years, Zinnia is just doing it all and I love it. I’ve had the great opportunity to work with Zinnia over the years as well, which has given be an even deeper respect for what the app is doing in the planner space.
It’s been a bit since my last features recap, so I wanted to give an update on what Zinnia has been up to and share my top 10 new features.
1.Handoff
Zinnia is available on your iPad, iPhone, and now also on the Mac so you can plan and use your journals on any devices. Now I can start my day in my planner on my desktop and switch off as I go about my day. Depending on where I am, I can always be connected and using my journals in Zinnia.
The iPad is where Zinnia was born and the app continues to perform it it’s truest form here. Type, touch, write, tap – it does it all.
Zinnia on the iPhone takes the app to a whole new place. The ability to plan on teh go is amazing. Before the iPhone app, it felt like you could only plan at home or at a desk. The ability to check things off, take notes, and really make your digital planner what it needs to be at any time is very refreshing.
I love that everything is avilalbe and the navigation is easy. It can be a little difficult to try and get a full view of your week at a glance with a double page spread, but you are on a phone, but Zinnia makes it as optimal as it can be.
I also need to mention that having Zinnia on my desktop is pretty damn awesome. Most apps have only been for a single device, and that is usually fine, but it makes it hard to always use a planner in different situations. I love the bigger screen on my desktop for designing and getting pages together. I love that I can pick up my ipad and write out my notes easily. Using the apple pencil is awesome. And having Zinnia on my iPhone is really the best because I can take my notes on the go. No more taking a note in my phone and having to translate it in the app later on.
2. Split Screen
Taking advantage of iOS, you can now use split screen while using Zinnia. It’s almost like having the app open twice and it makes it really easy to translate notes and work between multiple journals pages this way. I find this most helpful when creating new monthly or weekly spreads in Zinnia. I can reference the future log or monthly overview in my bullet journal while setting up the week and no need to flip back and forth.
3. Offline Mode
Offline mode has been a highly requested feature for Zinnia and now it’s here. If you are like me, my iPad doesn’t have cellular connection, and unless I am sharing my hotspot with my iPad, I was kind of dead in the water to use Zinnia when there wasn’t a connection available. Now you can download your journal to your device and use it offline while traveling or when you will not be able to connect to the internet.
4. Updates to “My Stuff”
My Stuff was a cool addition to Zinnia a while back. You can import your own art work, stickers, as well as save your favorite grouped items. To add an extra level of organization, you can now tag your items in the My Stuff folder. Use tags that already exist or create new custom tags to better identify what is in your “My Stuff” folder.
5. Adding Calendar Events
This new feature really takes Zinnia Digital Planning to the next level! You can now add calendar events to Zinnia that will also sync with your devices calendar. There is no need to create a whole new event – you can do it all at once. You can add all the details you need, like start and end dates, invitees, and alerts. And this new event will now live in your app and in your calendar. It’s so easy, it kind of makes me rethink analog planning 😉
6. Links in your journal
The linking feature in Zinnia is, in my opinion, one of the best ones recently. I love it so much because it really makes digital Bullet Journaling possible by allowing you to link to pages and index collections. You can link anything too, text, images, stickers – it really is cool. Now you can create a useable index and future log in Zinnia and reference pages and collections easily. You can connect back and forth between notes, ideas, and collections. I really love this feature so much.
7. Line smoothing
This feature was added a while ago, but it has been such a game changer in how I use Zinnia, I have to share it. Before smoothing was added, I really did not like to write with my Apple pencil in Zinnia. My handwriting was always a mess. It didn’t look clean or smooth, just bleh. So, after smoothing was added, my handwriting has totally changed. You can control how much your lines are smoothed. I have found that about 60% is my preference for writing. Going too far, like 90% or higher makes the lines too constricted and when you write your letters look all crazy.
8. Line Straightening
This is another feature that was highly requested, and it was so nice to see it added to the app. Getting a straight line was impossible before this feature was added. No matter how steady your hand, it was difficult. Now you can draw out a line and hold your line at the end and Zinnia will automatically snap your line straight. You do need to be careful with how curved your line is. The straight line snapping only works to a certain threshold. If the line is too wavy, Zinnia thinks it is on purpose and keeps it that way. I use this feature mostly for creating easy dividers in my rapid log, but you could use it for shapes or drawing.
9. Narrow Pages
Zinnia has been broadening their pages, allowing for more customization of how you use your journal. You can now choose more than just your standard Zinnia sized page and opt for something narrow, more like a traveler’s notebook. I love how Zinnia isn’t limiting you to one type of page. Each journal might have different needs, and a traveler’s size just feels different when you have those slim pages to work in. Zinnia also has pre-made templates to use with these slimmer sizes.
10. Enhanced Search
Zinnia’s digital planning library is absolutely massive, in the bast way. There is so much to choose from, and it just feels like a never-ending supply if ideas and inspiration. The search feature has been my best friend from the start, so when I saw that they made some enhancements, I got really excited. Now the enhanced search brings up more than just stickers and items from your libraries. It also now brings up articles and special features in search. If you have an idea for a spread, now you can read and get inspiration from new sticker and content announcements at any time.
I really love how many new features Zinnia continues to come out with. You can download the Zinnia Digital Planning App for your iPhone, iPad, and Desktop. And like I mentioned, you can use them all together across the different platforms. It’s pretty incredible.
