Follow-up: Jittery Scribblings Ink Tests

Remember this journal? The “very Mary” journal?

Back when I wrote my review, I admitted that I hadn’t written in the journal. Frankly, I love the cover so much that I didn’t really care how the paper performed. But a recent comment by a reader requested a follow-up report on this aspect of the “Jittery Scribblings” notebook. That’s a fair request, so here goes…

I hit the dot-grid, 120 gsm, off-white paper with some of the pens, inks, and pencils that I’ve been using lately. A range of nib sizes are represented, from an extra-fine steel nib in my Fisher of Pens Hydra to the wet 14K medium found at the other end of that same pen. You’ll note that the medium Architect-grind steel nib on my Fisher of Pens Ares, coupled with Montblanc’s Unicef Turquoise ink showed very little feathering, despite the broadness of that nib.

This is no Tomoe River Paper, but the paper handled most of my pen and ink combinations quite well, with very slight feathering seen mostly with wetter pens, like the Lamy Aion. The 14K medium nib on that Hydra fared the worst as you can see below.

But still, performance is not that bad, given the wetness of that nib. The paper works very well with gel and ballpoint inks, as well as pencil. No issues there.

The back of the same page reveals a slight amount of bleed through, again, mostly related to the broader/wetter nib and ink combinations like that 14K Hydra nib.

I’d grade this paper a B or B+ based on my limited tests. As I fully admit, I adore this notebook, as well as their other journal options. I’d buy it regardless, but am pleased with the quality, performance, smoothness of the paper. If you choose your nib and ink with a little thought, you won’t have an issue.

The “Jittery Scribblings” notebook is back in stock as of this writing…AND on a bit of a sale. There’s also, currently, free shipping site-wide on orders over $25. I have my eye on several items, not just the journals, as potential gifts. I love the off-beat humor and quirkiness of all of their offerings, and I think my off-beat and quirky friends will, too.

So that’s the “rest of the story.” Perfect timing, eh?

The Jittery Scribblings notebook was purchased with my own funds and there are no affiliate links in this post. I was not compensated in any way, nor was my arm twisted to write this follow-up post. In fact, The Frantic Meerkat would undoubtedly say, “Mary who?!”

 

These Are My People! The Mincing Mockingbird & The Frantic Meerkat

In the post about my trip to Chicago, I mentioned a journal that I did not buy. Remember this?

Even though I DO NOT NEED IT, I began to regret passing it up. It’s just so perfect.

Soon after I published that post, reader “Lipgloss & Wellies” commented with a link to The Mincing Mockingbird , the creator of this exact journal. So I had to explore.

Yup, there it was, and at a better price than in the Art Institute’s gift shop. So I ordered two (“Two is one and one is none.”), another cleverly titled journal, and some ridiculously wonderful pencils.

Truth be told, I could’ve spent my entire paycheck on their site.

Matt Adrian and Kim Bagwell are the married artists behind The Mincing Mockingbird & The Frantic Meerkat. As the “About” page on their site states, they’ve been “full-time purveyors of ridiculous, humorous and beautiful provisions since 2008.” Matt is the mockingbird and Kim is the meerkat.

These are my people. Or maybe I should say, these are my animals.

Anyone who comes up with the likes of the “Jittery Scribblings…” journal finds an instant place in my heart.

I also picked this up, to stash away for a gift…

There are a slew of other oh-so perfect journal options on their site, along with cards, postcards, calendars, coasters, notepads, and mugs. Yeah, I kind of want it all.

Did you catch the imprints on the Troubled Birds pencils?

“I’d sell you to Satan for one corn chip.” “I’m three ounces of whoop-ass.” Snarky. Hilarious. Smart. Had to have these.

Even the back of the box made me laugh out loud.

Those uses? THE BEST. “Writing?” HAH!

There was a slight glitch with my order. One of my Jittery Scribblings journals arrived a little banged up from its travels.

It wasn’t horrible, but I thought it best to let them know. So I dashed off an email with this picture and had a response within twenty minutes with an offer to replace the damaged journal. The replacement arrived a few days later in perfect condition. That’s exemplary customer service.

Both journals I purchased come with dot-grid paper, but there are other styles available as lined or blank journals (e.g., “Mostly Just Whining” and “Creative Ramblings of a Restless Mind”). Each 5″x7″ journal contains 120 pages of 120 gsm paper that reportedly “takes ink beautifully.” So how does the paper perform? Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t used mine yet. I also don’t care.

These are just too clever and funny to pass up. Well, too clever to pass up a second time.

I’m actually glad that I didn’t buy the journal in Chicago because then I wouldn’t have received that helpful comment from “Lipgloss & Wellies” leading me to The Mincing Mockingbird & The Frantic Meerkat website and their full array of products.

I’ve been poking around some more and and now I want this notepad and these postcards.

The world could surely use some humor and cleverness, and this site has giant helpings of both.

How could I not share?

Love,
Mary, your jittery introvert

You can see more of Matt’s artwork at www.mattadrian.com and view Kim’s paintings at www.kimbagwill.com.

Everything mentioned in this post was purchased with my own funds (with the exception of the replacement journal). I was not compensated for this review. Heck, they don’t even know about it. At the time of writing, I’m unable to locate a link for the “Jittery Scribblings…” journal on their site. Hopefully they’re just temporarily out of stock. I should’ve purchased ten. Or more.

Update: Ink testing has been performed and can be found in this follow-up post. 

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