Posts filed under Midori

Midori 5 Year Diary With Embroidered Black Cover Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

We humans love our memories. From the social media memories features, to "On This Day in History" columns, to our genealogy research--we cherish the past. And the only way for future generations to do the same is if we record the present. I feel pretty confident in saying that your grandkids aren't going to have access to your Facebook memories, and whether that makes you sad or relieved, you'll need another way--an analogue way--to pass down your voice. Thank goodness for the journaling renaissance that's happening right now. Daily pages, journals, diaries, commonplace books--all these volumes will give the future a clearer window into these "interesting times."

Midori 5 Year Diary Embroidered Black Cover

If you're looking for a way to record your thoughts over a passage of time, the Midori 5 Year Diary is the perfect place to start. Each page of the book is labeled with the date, and then divided into five sections, one for each consecutive year. You make your entry each day, then at the end of the year, start back at the beginning. The daily sections are small, encouraging brevity, so it never takes more than a minute or two to complete your daily entry. It's still just enough room to list your day's headlines.

You don't even need to use it for general entries. The format would work very well as a baby book, a weather log, a mood or health tracker, a business or career tracker, an ink journal, or travel journal. It looks rigid, but it is endlessly flexible.

The Midori 5 Year Diary comes in a number of colors. All of them look fantastic. This special embroidery edition comes in both black and white. The cover is a cotton or linen fabric with colorful stitchwork. The embroidery is done in actual thread--it isn't a printed image. It is very pretty and tactile. It comes with a vinyl book cover to protect the stitchwork, but I've taken that off so I can enjoy the texture. I don't care if it gets worn--in fact, I expect it to, after five years of use. Assuming I can keep it up. So far, so good.

Inside the beautiful cover are 193 sheets of ivory Midori MD paper. It's top-tier paper and performs well with almost anything.

The standard edition of the 5 Year Diary sells for $42.50, and this embroidered edition sells for $65. That's very steep for a notebook, even one intended to be an heirloom. This is one of those cases where it's worth it to you if it's worth it to you. It is very well made, clearly designed to stand up to those long years of use. If you're intending for it to be a future gift to a loved one, then this level of quality makes sense.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on January 22, 2026 by Sarah Read and filed under Midori, Planner Reviews.

Midori MD Notebook Cover A6 Goat Leather Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

I just feel like my notebooks are happier with little coats on. It's cold where I live. And sure, maybe that's just an excuse for more cool notebook covers. But any excuse you can find to pick up the Midori MD Goat Leather Notebook Cover is a good excuse, because it's a good notebook cover.

Midori MD Notebook Cover A6 Goat Leather

This cover is made from natural, vegetable tanned goat leather. The natural leather ages and patinas with use, taking on the story of its journey with you. I've been excited to start to see some character develop in the weeks I've been using this one, but so far, it still looks brand new. Because it's also very durable. I'm happy to patiently await the development of character, though. The leather is very lightweight and flexible, but durable.

The design of the cover is very minimal and simple. It's plain on the outside, and the inside has two folder-style pockets for the notebook cover to slide into. Those two sleeve flaps have slits in them that serve as pockets for wee papers. And there is a slim pen loop built into the back cover's edge. The edges of the leather are neatly finished, and the surface is smoothly pebbled. Some variety will appear in the leather, since each piece is unique. That's all for features. There is no closure, or bookmark, or any other accessories. It isn't over-designed, but it does its job well.

The cover is designed to fit the Midori MD A6 notebook, but it fits a variety of A6 notebooks, including the Hobonichi Techo A6 and the Hobonichi A6 blank books. The cover also comes in six other sizes to fit the variety of Midori notebooks available. A6 books with wider spines will be a bit of a tighter fit, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how many notebooks are compatible with this cover.

I've been using the A6 Midori notebook in this cover as my craft project tracker, which has been getting a lot of use as my holiday gift crafting has amped up. It's been a pleasure to use, and the pen loop keeps my writing tool handy at all times.

That being said, these are not inexpensive notebook covers. The A6 one sells for $85 on JetPens, which is a little on the high side, especially since it doesn't come with a notebook insert. That will set you back another $12.50 or so. It will probably last forever, though, and using it is a pleasure.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on October 30, 2025 by Sarah Read and filed under Midori, Notebook Cover, Notebook Reviews.

Midori Foldable Memo Notes Review - Stretchy Goat!

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

In my endless celebration of making notes on small papers, I am always delighted to find some fun small papers. Midori often has my back when it comes to small papers--or any papers, for that matter.

I will begin by admitting that I am easily amused, but the thought of writing a quick note on the belly of a cute creature--especially a note that folds away under the paws of said creature--brings me immense delight.

The Midori Foldable Memo Notes look like small sticky notes, but they are not sticky, and they unfold to double in length. They can then be re-folded to tuck your note away, and the arms of the illustration hold the fold in place. I have the goat design here, which comes with white and black goats, and there is also a set for raccoons (both yellow and orange), cats (calico and white, with yarn), and dogs (brown and yellow). They are all done in a simplified drawing style and all have adorable expressions on their faces. They cheer me up every time I look at them. You could write terrible news on one of these and I'd probably still smile.

Their practical application is obvious--write lots of fun notes and distribute them like confetti through the world. The folded construction makes the perfect gift tag. Pass the cutest notes in class. Or, their long length makes them perfect for lists.

On top of their cleverness and cuteness, these are Midori, so that paper is also good. Even writing with a heavily saturated rollerball ink, there was no bleed-through or feathering. You could see ghosting on the back of the paper, but why would you write on the back of this paper when the front is so cute?

The Foldable Stretchy Memo Notes sell for $6.50 for a pack of 18 notes. That's certainly more expensive than a standard memo pad, but a standard memo pad doesn't have a wee wittle face and paws.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!