Wanderings Leather Notebook Journal

I enjoy collecting vintage and rustic looking items. This full grain leather bound journal by Wanderings is a nice addition to my collection of interesting real leather items. The journal is quite narrow, measuring 8.5”L x 4.25” W in dimensions and is quite thin. It contains 3 separate notebooks inside with 30 pages each (total of 90 pgs.). The pages themselves are made of good quality thick paper so if you’re using an ink or fountain pen, the ink won’t seep through onto the backside or opposite page.

The leather is a nice deep brown, the interior being unfinished while the exterior is nicely finished full grain leather. I did notice a lot of scratches on the leather upon receiving it, but I think with a little leather oil this can be somewhat remedied. The addition of the elastic band and the leather closure just gives it an additional charm while conveniently keeping your journal closed and safe. I often like to slip pieces of smaller notes and paper in my notebooks so this elastic band is a useful feature for me. You can also slip a pen between the band for convenience’s sake.

This journal makes a nice keepsake or an awesomely fashionable yet convenient notebook to jot down notes and things you want to write down on the fly. I’m a writer, lyricist, and artist, and sometimes inspiration and ideas just come when you least expect it. Since inspiration is fleeting, you can just quickly whip this journal out of your back pocket or purse and jot down your material before your forget it!

This leather bound notebook is actually similar to the more well known Midori Traveler’s Notebook and is the exact same size. You can always just purchase the Midori paper refills when your pages are filled. There are many kinds of refills for your preference such as blank (like this one), lined, graph paper, planner paper, etc.

Ultimately I’ve found this Leather Notebook Journal to be comparable in quality to the Midori Traveler’s Notebook but for a more reasonable price. It would also make a great gift to the close artists, writers, musicians, poets, etc., in your life who still appreciate the art of writing things down by hand. I look forward to more vintage traveler’s items from Wanderings. I received this leather journal notebook for testing and use and this is my honest and unbiased review.

5/5 Stars.

Check the Wanderings website and blog as well as their awesome product on Amazon or here!

Supporting these small start-up businesses with quality items would definitely be appreciated!

Comfort Click Belt (Brown)

This belt uses a ratcheting system that provides a perfect fit and looks great with a classic design. I received this item for testing and a honest review. I’ve used belts with a ratcheting adjustment and locking system before and they worked great and insured a comfortable and not too tight fit. This belt from Comfort Click has the same advantages and features but also looks like a traditional belt instead of a large buckle belt. This is a great addition to my wardrobe and works well for many formal and casual occasions.

The quick release lever works well and lets you quickly adjust or take off the belt. There are 32 steps to the ratchets to ensure it fits just about anyone, waists from 28” all the way to 48”. The belt is made from genuine leather and the metal parts are a steel and zinc alloy. It is durable and has held up to everyday use very well.

5 Stars / 5 Stars

Check out this belt on Amazon!

Tomameri – Compact and Portable MP3 / MP4 Player

This mp3 player from Tomameri is very affordable, can be large capacity thanks to the microSD slot, and sounds pretty good. I received this item for testing and a honest review. The player is reminiscent of an Apple design and has a color LCD screen to allow you to navigate and provides track information.  The screen is not very high resolution or large so I would probably not use it for video or photo viewing. The device does not have built-in memory and uses a microSD slot to provide expandable storage, a 16GB card is included. I use this player for mostly MP3 and FLAC files and it had no problems playing either.  A few filenames with Japanese and Chinese characters had trouble being displayed correctly, so I’m not sure if this device supports CJK characters. This device also has FM radio functionality which is a big plus if you’re a radio listener.

The sound quality is surprising quite good for a device in this price range, it sounds balanced from the lows to the highs with no easily noticeable deficiencies. There are also many equalizer settings available if you want to change the sound signature to better suit your preferences and taste. I tried several pairs of earbuds and IEMS with the player and didn’t experience any problems, it was able to power them all adequately.

Navigating the menus with the front buttons was not very intuitive and took some trial and error before getting the hang of it. The mini-USB port and 3.5mm audio jack are located on the bottom of the device. The mini-USB port works as a charging port and also allows data transfer if plugged into a computer. The device shows up as a new drive making transferring of music and files very simple and easy. The power switch and microSD slot are on the top of the device.

The device is very light and the build seems to be good and fairly durable. It doesn’t feel like a device that cost hundreds of dollars, but it’s perfectly acceptable especially when you take the price into consideration. Battery life was around 3-4 hours depending on the file formats used. This music player is a good option for those that are thrifty, on a budget, or for a younger person.

4 Stars / 5 Stars

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Funny Quote Mug “I’m not Lazy, I’m just on my Energy Saving Mode” by Madero Kitchen 14 oz.

This Funny Quote Mug by Madero Kitchen makes for a great humorous present to the coworkers you’re close to (because if they aren’t, they may get offended). Or it can just be for yourself! The cup is clever with a bit of geekiness to it, but not enough to make the quote too lame. It would be a great present for someone in IT or in the tech department. I received a sample product for testing purposes and this is my honest and impartial review after careful evaluation.

The mug is made of 100% stoneware ceramic so it has a good solid heft and weight to it. The material Being ceramic, it is completely dishwasher and microwave safe, which is a necessity for me as I have a tendency to put my cup in the microwave.  Due to the material and the interesting shape, the mug is not prone to chipping. The cup portion is a neat barrel shape with an interesting color contrast with the inside being black and the outside being white with black, orange, and green lettering. The quote is printed on both sides of the mug. It has a total volume capacity of 14 ounces, which is a decent enough size.

The handle is also not too small and dinky so gripping it doesn’t feel insufficient or shaky. It’s wide enough that the heat won’t come into contact with your hands and fingers.

To be honest, I wish the outside of the cup were a different color other than white because white only emphasizes the stains this cup will undoubtedly accumulate throughout the day. If you wear lipstick, chapstick, lip gloss, or drink coffee and tea, all those stains will show up and stand out against the white background. I’m also not too fond of the black inside because you won’t be able to tell what’s inside your mug.

Aside from the colors used, this cup is completely functional and meets my expectations. It comes inside a box with foam protection to protect it from shattering or chipping during shipping. I really like the barrel shape although I would prefer a larger size mug for myself. The opening of the cup is just a bit small to stick my hand in while I’m hand-washing it, but if you own a dishwasher and prefer to wash your drinkware that way, then this would not be a problem.

4.5 Stars/5 Stars.

Check out this cup on Amazon!