Merlins Tower

Hand Made Leather Journals

Posted on September 3rd, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Art, Craft, Journaling, Leather.

Today while perusing the web, checking out my emails, having a cup of coffee I stumbled upon OberonDesign.com and their Beautiful Hand Made Leather Journals. Unlike many leather journals these journals are refillable and take a nice 4.25 x 6.25 sketch book journal unlined. Actually Oberon Design has several sizes of their Leather Journal Small (4.25 x 6.25) - Large (5.5 x 8.5) & Extra Large (8.5 x 11). Each book with 212  Smythe Sewn Heavy Bond acid Free pages for the XL and 220 Pages for the Large and Small Journals. The Leather covers range in price from $54 - $69 or up to $124. This really is not that bad of a deal as I mentioned this cover is easily refilled. Plus I am sure as you use your journal this leather will wear and begin to take a life of its own. These leather journals are crafted from custom tanned cowhide and paired with decorative pewter buttons. They look like they would be wonderful to hold and work in.

Hint Hint Wink Wink Nudge Nudge : (If you want to send me a sample on so I can do in indepth review feel free to email me  “Alan  (at)  MerlinsTower (dot) Com”  That goes for any company that want a unbiased review of their products.

So, Take a look at them if you are interested in a nice Travel Journal, Sketch Book, Dream Diary, General Writing or Just a plain old Diary. These seem they would be a nice addition to any backpack or nightstand.

Merlin (Alan)     -=#:-)

Technorati Tags: Leather, Journal, Sketchbook, Diary, Notebook, Analog, Dreams, Writing

0 comments.

Levenger 3 x 5 Docking Station Card Holder

Posted on July 25th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: GTD, Gadgets, Journaling, Leather, Uncategorized.

I just had to give a little review of this nice product from Levenger.

I just purchased a 3×5 Docking Station - I bought the Tan Version (They also have Terra Cotta Color as well - the black is all sold out) -I call this my Hipster Docking Station.

I now keep this to the right of my keyboard and is ready for me to take some notes while working on the PC. It really is at the perfect angle for writing with a fountain pen and really has a nice leather surface to write on and underneath is a leather holder for more cards (Possibly to fit maybe 10-15 cards Blank or Otherwise). The whole unit is covered with leather is tightly stretched and wrapped. This really gives it a nice quality feel and is nice to look at as well.

First the shipping - The Docking Station even came wrapped in a nice soft cloth and came in a really nice levenger box which I will put both to good use.

The really nice thing about this is the price - It is currently on sale at Levenger for only $9.95 and only a few dollars more for shipping.

So, if you want to add a little class to your desktop with something that is functional as well and is pretty inexpensive here you go - The Hipster Docking Cradle err station and no batteries required.

It received the Merlin’s Seal of Approval.

Tags: analog, DEAL, DESKTOP, elegant, Gadget, GTD, Indexcard, Levenger, Leather, Notecard, Organization, paper

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Leather Travel Journal - Keeping it all together

Posted on June 21st, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Art, Gadgets, Journaling, Leather, Sketching, Uncategorized.

The Authentic Model Leather Travel Journal - While I was out working on a consulting job I ran into a paper store I never been to before. I was browsing around and came across this luxurious wallet / journal keeper. The price at the shop was $125 - more then I wanted to pay for something like this now matter how nice it is. (Hey, I could get a couple of fountain pens for that price) So when I got home I decided to do some research on this product. Boy it was hard to find as I didn’t write down the name correctly. The company that makes this is Authentic Models. They describe this as a “shamelessly rich and luxurious wallet complete with leather bound journal, credit card slots, and even room for a blackberry or iPod.“

I have to agree with them - it is a really nice leather wallet. I love the rich feeling buttery soft leather they used. The black leather is accented with a beautiful red leather. It really gave it that luxurious look and feel.
Inside there is room to store a nice size journal (a Leather bound one comes with it) and there are a few pockets. One of which you can use to store a few fountain pens or one with a couple of other writing instruments like a highlighter or pencil your choice. There is also a back pocket that allow you to store a few index card or notes that you have taken. and in front of that you have a place to store your ID and a few credit cards.

Tags: analog, DIYPlanner, elegant, fountain pen, Gadget, GTD, HipsterPDA, Indexcard, Journal, Lifehack, Office Supply Porn, Organization, Organizer, paper

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Better than Levengers - 3×5 Cards and Lab Notebook Cover

Posted on May 11th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: GTD, Gadgets, Hack, Journaling, Leather.

My jaw dropped when I saw this on their site this morning - I am in office porn heaven. This has to be one of the niceest looking and extremely useful GTD items I found lately. I am a firm believer in the 3×5 card system and this is a very nice way to store / sort them and use them to the fullest extent. I would love to be able to give you a more in depth review of this. If I ever pick up one of these I will. But in the mean time - This Leather 3×5 Card Case has 12 slots or areas to store your index cards and still be able to see the top 3/4 to 1 inch of the card (This is where you would keeps your Meta Notes of the card) You can follow the GTD system putting your @ cards and still have notes and current issues easily at hand. Besides having your notecards within easy access you can store a standard composition / lab notebook available everywhere. This is a very nice option as you are not stuck searching for a hard to find refill that only sorta fits. The quality of this leather journal looks like it would be much nicer then some of the leather products from Levenger but hard to tell from the photos. I can’t wait to save up and purchase one of these babies. If I ever get one of these I will give everyone a better review of this product at that time. And lastly while Checking out Renaissance-Art’s Website they also have other 3×5 card products to fall in love with. Such as the 3×5 card case that holds 50 index cards with a snap closure and it looks like it will hold a pen as well inside. and don’t forget the handy 2 sided 3×5 card case use that can hold and be used to write with.

Tags: 3×5, DIYPlanner, Gadget, Gadgets, GTD, Hacks, HipsterPDA, Indexcard, IndexCards, Journal, Notecard, notecards, Leather Journal

2 comments.

XM Inno and Helix Radio Case

Posted on May 10th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Gadgets, Leather, MP3.

I have been reading the satellite radio forums lately about all the new products - I wish I had one of the new Pioneer Inno Radios - They are so sleek looking. They look like a really nice MP3 Player with Antenna. But like any MP3 player you need to protect it from drops, bangs and scratches. So to the rescue is Speck Products - and their cases for both the XM Radio Inno and Helix.

Tags: INNO, XM, Radio, Satellite Radio, XM Radio, Helix, Pioneer, Samsung

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Miquelrius Journal - New Images

Posted on January 27th, 2006 by Merlin.
Categories: Art, Craft, GTD, Journaling, Leather, Miquelrius, Moleskine.

Click on the photo above to see my Flicker Set of Photos - I updated these with better photo and better cropping. You will find my updated images for my craft project of making a leather cover that would fit the Miqulrius Journal. I chose the Miqulrius Journal since it has many more pages (400 Pages) and it can still fit into my back pocket or inside coat pocket. I wanted the leather to hold in my index cards and some post-it notes, post-it notes tabs, some print-outs, and some money. The paper is a very nice quality alowing me to use my favorite fountain pens and ink.

5 comments.

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