First Look: B Journal by Teresa Collins
One of the hardest things to learn in design is to know when to stop. Whether in fashion, decor, or crafts, the temptation to the designer is always there to overdo things, to leave their mark. This impulse to overdo is so universal that there's even a commonly taught fashion rule about it: To avoid being over-accessorized, take off one thing before you walk out the door.
[Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Teresa Collins Studio, but opinions are solely those of the author.]
One of the reasons that I've long respected designer Teresa Collins is her mastery of this challenging concept. Her signature style is clean, and never overdone. And yet, despite its minimalism, it's always immediately identifiable as the Teresa Collins brand.
Enter "B Journal", which is the latest line from Teresa Collins. In this line, Teresa translates her spare style to a line of journaling books and accessories. The result is a stylish and elegant collection that looks as at home in a corporate office as on your kitchen table, and that works for everything from planning to recording memories.
The core piece of the B Journal collection is its 7.5" x 9.5" journal. The journal comes in a variety of four designs, but the one that I have is softcover and designed in ultra-trendy marble and gold. Its simplicity of design hides an attention to detail that has long been Teresa's signature.
Inside, the journal's pages are dot gridded - the preferred page type of most bullet journal fanatics - and the grids are at a scale of 5 per inch, which matches most other popular brands, making it easy to duplicate journal page ideas shared online. I cannot wait to use this journal as the central planning station for a new project I'm working on! And with the journal's pages being pre-numbered, I can dive right in without first having to do a tedious chore that must be performed with most other brands of journal!
In addition, the B Journal collection also includes Mini Journals. Sold in packages of 3 assorted designs, these 5" x 7" softcover journals are a great size for smaller projects or as a more portable journal. From the designs in the 3 pack that have you can see several of the distinctive design elements of the collection: marble, several metallic foil tones, and the handwritten text. Then, of course, there's Teresa's signature black and white stripe!
Inside the Mini Journals, the pages are each a different design: dot grid, graph, and lined, So no matter what the project, the Mini Journal pack has a journal with the correct page type for it!
The B Journals are just blank slates, and there's so much that you can do with them: memory journaling, planning, bullet journaling, . The B Journal collection has loads of accessories for the B Journals to inspire and assist you in making the journals your perfect (and gorgeous) productivity tool.
One of my absolute favorite things about this collection is a simple one, but one that also shows Teresa's incredible eye for detail. A good ruler is critical to most bullet journalers. This one is an impossible to find length - 8" - which is perfect. It's long enough to do most of the lines in a bullet journal, but not so long that it is difficult to tote with me. Its companion stencil ruler, containing the most frequently used symbols in most journals, is also a much more convenient shape and size than most similar available stencils. It seems like a small thing, but I was absolutely ecstatic when I saw this ruler set in the collection!
Another way to get beautiful symbols is to stamp them. B Journal has a stamp set that contains all of the important journaling and calendar basics like date numbers, days of the week, and to do list productivity symbols.
For journaling on the go, the B Journal zip pouch will contain the stamp set and the rulers, and a few other items. Or you can do what I'm going to do and throw it in your purse or bag as a collector for receipts and memorabilia that you want to make sure are kept!
If you love washi tape (and seriously, who doesn't?), there's lots to love about B Journal. There's big wide tapes in trendy metallics, along with several assortments of narrow tapes in productivity themed designs like days of the week, checklist boxes, and to do list headings. This is such a great way to pretty up your journal's pages - quickly!
For those looking for a new Teresa Collins scrapbooking collection, you'll will be happy to see the journal card collection that is part of B Journal. A large portion of the 36 cards have foiled metallic elements on them. Looking for a way to store them? Grab one of the coordinating B Journal binder clips - they are the perfect size for the 18 card stacks!
Here's a peek at a few of the other accessories that make up the B Journal collection:
I'm totally stashing those tag holders with the mini envelopes as a great way of giving gift cards as gifts! And those to do list sticky notes are so beautiful it would just seem wrong to write something on them and not complete it!
The overriding theme in the B Journal collection is of simple, elegant sophistication. This is productivity and journaling for mature grown-ups! Being practical about productivity shouldn't mean having to sacrifice having pretty tools to work with. I am so excited to have B Journal now as an option to do my bullet journaling and other productivity tasks. Teresa has proven that feminine, yet practical - a typically elusive combination on store shelves - is in fact possible!
B Journal by Teresa Collins launches in Joann Fabric & Crafts stores this week. Look for it in a store near you, or keep an eye on Teresa's blog for more details!