Diary : A Life Within

"A Journal for Creative Woman who uses the Diary to Write Her Dreams and escapes to a Different Place." 

So, Here I am back again in blog sphere. The last time when I wrote for a contest was MatrikaS  Scribble You Heart Away Campaign Part 1 and yet again it is MatrikaS that brought me back here.  A mere thought of holding and possessing those elegant diaries was so tempting that I couldn't resist. The Vivekananad Journal which I received the last time is now accompanying me as my personal diary.  Diary is the place from where I started writing and since I stopped blogging, diaries are my only companion for writing. Last time I show cased all my Old Diaries in my blog post for Scribble Your Heart Away Contest Part 1.

                                 


The beautiful Feather journal I received this time from MatrikaS, is an excellent symbol of womanhood and feminism. This journal is a part of their new special collection called, "The Creative Woman's Journal". This collection contains four types of exterior cover designs namely, Butterfly( Hot Pink color cover), Dragon Fly( Chocolate Brown), Feather (Red Hot) and Fish (Royal Blue). Each one represents a unique shade of Creativity and Energy of the human beings; Feather to Write, Butterfly to Dream, Dragon fly to Fly and the Fish to Hide. Before elaborating the features of this elegant journal I would like to share an enticing VIDEO of this collection with you,it will give you an inside look of these super cool fabulous journals. More, so I loved this Red feather diary because of the word WRITE, it seems The team MatrikaS knew that how much I needed some inspiration to restart writing. 

A dazzling  golden feather is printed on  the red background. The word "Write" is printed in an artistic way at the up right side of the feather and tiny golden dots are enhancing the beauty of the background.  The whole look resembles the image of a lady and to be specific an Indian Lady because in India, the color red is always symbolized with love, passion, vibrancy, joy and sacrifice. The cover page looks like a lady wrapped up in a red garment. 

 When we turn the pages of the diary, we understand why it is called Creative Women Journal. The plushy, chic sketches of butterflies, leaves, flowers and other intricate designs those represents the versatility and beauty of  nature and of course a Lady, those lovely floral designs and that eye catching Tree design in the beginning of the diary... how could you ignore that tree of life !!!! One can fill vibrate colors in those sketches and make the monochrome interior of pages poly chrome and  brighter. 

The plain white sheets scattered here and there in the diary with a heading "Scribble Your Heart Away" provides ample space for the artist that reside inside every one of us. You can writes quotes, create designs and make doodles here; this is our ME space. These pages can work as a  partition among various sections of diary; say you want to divide the diary for poems, prose, quotations, scheduled tasks then this type of blank pages could be of lot use. Now it is up to you how to utilize those pages. In fact the word "Date" is also printed in artistic  font that makes this diary even more special and feminine. 

This lovely journal has some more unique features; it takes you to the limits of your imagination.... Last four pages contains sets of stickers that can easily describe any mood, secret wish list, to do list and what not....It is a Rainy day so here is a sticker for that, an idea struck your mind, the best day of your life, you achieved something, This shall also pass.... The list is endless and so your moods and wishes ...

 Decor your workplace, notebooks, walls, dressing table mirror, work desk or any other surface with these stickers and express your mood with out saying even a single word.!!!! The beauty of these stickers is that they are not just in text form but also in image form as well as. An idea bulb, an owl, a bucket list, a ship , a radio, a blank conversation box...oh my my !!!!

 There are a few other utility features added in this elegant diary that enhances the beauty of journal. A bright color elastic red colored strap for safe and secure locking of diary and little loophole made of elastic to hold the Pen. This whole set of lock and pen holder creates a sense of privacy and individuality, It is like the heart of a woman is locked; the pages of her life are locked inside those hard bound covers of the journal, the white and black lines hold the deep down buried secrets of a lady.

A white paper pouch is attached at the back side of hard cover that looks like  a part of  the white sheet. I can hide some secret letters, documents, a flower that will create memories or a weekly To Do List !!!! Imagine, Imagine...

And if the above description has not sufficed your curiosity to know more about MatrikaS then facebook is here to help you. I have yet not started using this diary because the best should be saved for the last that means I will start writing in this diary once I will complete that Vivekanand Journal. 

 

MatrikaS Paper Product Review : Innovation and Style At Its Best

Notebooks … this word creates a picture of regular ruled/unruled workbooks or notebooks with thin covers and attractive pictures on cover to catch our eyes. However, MatrikaS TOSS & NRUT Notebooks will not only catch your Attention, but are well capable to amaze you as well as. Now what is so special about MatrikaS Notebooks ? Before, I reveal the secret, let me introduce MatrikaS Paper Products with you; according the information given on their website, Matrika is a  Sanskrit word  for “MOTHER”, it could be Mother Earth, Mother Nature or the concept of Shakti in Indian Culture. MatrikaS presents a premium range of paper products including Notebooks, Journals, Office and Social Stationary and Diaries. Every single product is exquisitely designed and well finished. Designs, themes, color schemes, paper and binding; everything represents superior levels of class and quality.

Now, let’s get back to our Notebook, the TOSS AND NRUT NOTEBOOK . I received this fabulous notebook along with two exquisite diaries few weeks ago for being a part of their “Scribble Your Heart Away Campaign”.  This is a 6 Subject Note Book with an impressive metallic hard bound cover providing a glossy, lustrous look for the note book. The special effect designing has created an embossed 3D look and touch for the front and back cover. 

Our very own age old snakes and ladder game is imprinted over the front cover and surrounded by tree branches. At the end of the notebook, a short description about the game tells us that centuries ago, this game was originated in India and it was known as “MOKSHA PATAM”.  Surprized !!!!  yes I too was awestruck, after knowing this fact. Well, MatrikaS products are filled with such small yet joyful  secrets and facts. That description also contains the directions of How To Play the Game and thus our simple notebook turns out to be a  indoor game board. Wonderful .. isn't it ?? 

This elegant notebook has a lovely background color theme of Green, different shades of Green. The snakes on front cover are printed in different bright colors and creating a charming contrast with the green theme. What attracted me most was the jolly depiction of snakes; heart shape eyes, specs on eyes, a little crown on head, a winky or teasing smile on faces; yes those are bubbly and cheerful snakes. Inside the book, again the cheery sketches of snakes, ladders, small animals and trees are printed. A dark violet and turquoise colored snake printed on back side of note book looks very playful and cute; it has a crown of leaves on its head.  

In short, the complete design, color themes and images has been arranged in a pleasurable way. Children, Elder Children and even youngsters will sure love this notebook. This is not just any ordinary notebook, but an artistic piece of paper stationery; it will make the writing a delightful experience.

You might be thinking what is this 6 subject thing that I talk about in the above para ? Well, the answer is quite interesting, the notebook is divided in six parts through five different color paper dividers; saffron, of white, pink, sky blue and grey. These dividers are made of thick paper and create a colorful pattern among the ruled single tone pages of notebook. Now you can use a single notebook for six different subjects. The size is quite big, it is an A4 210x295MM notebook with 288 pages that provides sufficient space for six subject notes. The sturdy hard bound card board cover ensures long life of notebook and prevents any cracks/tattering or separation of pages form the note book.

However, on a lighter note, if we count that snake and ladder game playing facility also then it becomes  a 7 subject notebook... the 7th subject is of games, just like our schools where we get a period for sports and games. Quite an intelligent idea .. no ??   

The pages in this notebook are however, not much thick, but I think that is acceptable because the covers are already very thick and cloth bind and thick pages will only increase the weight of notebook and thus the burden of school/college bag.

And hey, did I tell you that I received a personally addressed and signed letter from Srinivas Viswanathan, the director of  Srinivas Group. I know all participants have received this type of letter from him and I was  totally impressed by this initiative of team MatrikaS. Do check the facebook page of MatrikaS Paper Products Here for more updates about their lovely paper stationery products.

One  more thing which I deeply feel about MatrikaS products is that they are more like lifestyle stationery and not just ordinary journals, diaries and notebooks.  Today, when we have become habitual of writing/typing on computer screen only and quite bored with the traditional notebooks, diaries and other journals; in that scenario MatrikaS paper products are very much warm, lively and inspiring as well as.Their unique designs, vibrant color themes, supreme quality paper and covers, attractive and useful features inspire us to pick the pen and write away whatever comes in our hearts. Moreover, these elegant paper stationery could be a perfect gift item for any occasion and for all age groups, especially when the person is interested in writing.

So, Those were my views about MatrikaS opulent  Paper products.. what about you ?? Do let me know about how you like this stylish notebook and those beautiful diaries.

This Product review has been written as a part of MatrikaS "Sscribble Your Heart Away Campaign"

MatrikaS Paper products : A Romance Between Writer and Her Diaries

It all started when I was in eleventh standard, one fine day our teacher gave us a lecture about how great personalities of world has always maintained the habit of diary writing and thus we too should follow the path. Somehow that idea of writing diaries struck my mind (maybe I too wanted to be a Great Personality!!!) and when my father came back from office, the very first thing I asked him,“ I want a diary in which I can write my daily routine.”  At first, he was surprised because till date his little daughter demanded for many things (toys, new clothes, sweets and sometimes cosmetics as well as !!!) But a DIARY ????? Anyway, I got one. A simple, small and thin diary; pages weren't much broad and the length was OK kind of. However, that was My First Diary and I started writing various things in it; about my life, people around me, events taking place in my life and yes some times serious philosophical stuff as well as.

My First Diary

My Priceless Possessions

Since then, a long time has been passed on and diary has become an integral part of my life. I am  a proud owner of  six diaries, six different types of diaries; different colors, sizes, designs, etc., but one thing is common for all of them, they represent my life till date; precious documents of my life, written by myself. My diaries are the most valuable possessions  of mine. Here, I am showing a few of those old diaries of mine.

Bad Quality Binding

Hence, when a fellow blogger introduced me with Matrikas Paper Products and suggested joining the Scribble Your Heart Away With MatrikaS Paper Products Campaign, I couldn't stop myself and quickly applied for their products. After few days, I received two lovely diaries and an elegant notebook. Here, I would like to talk about the diaries only, don't worry I will be sure telling you about the notebook, but in the next post. Of course, if you are a writer like me, then you know that words written on paper are closer to heart rather than any other writing form. And when it comes to expressing our little heart out, then diary writing is the best option. Diaries hold our big world inside their black and white papers and with every written page, they create a new world of memories and creativity.

As I told you before that I received two diaries, so let’s talk about the one with a light green colored titled "CUBE WORKS ", an aristocratic diary. This diary is available in two more colors, Blue and Brown at the website of Matrikas.  A cute soft elastic green strap on the cover for safe locking gives it more personal  touch.

Back Side

 This elegant diary cum journal has hard bound cover with a plush velvety touch feel and the title Cube Works is neatly engraved on both front and back covers in bold letters. A book-marker is also given along with the diary to introduce the user with the different sections of it. As per the book-marker, there are 256 pages in this diary to cater your different needs, from personal information to Action Plans, To Do List and Expense Summary; every single need of a common diary user has been cared of and given sufficient space.

Book Marker cum Index

 For example, first section is “Personal Data”, next is index pages and then comes the biggest section of the diary that is Ruled Pages and so on. I loved the ruled pages because unlike other diaries or journals that usually comes with specific mention of year, date, etc., on every page; in this diary the date column has been left empty to be filled by the user.

Empty Date Column

A diary, no matter how good it looks, is useless without good quality pages and strong binding. I had to abandon one of my personal diaries without filling all pages because it's binding was getting torn and pages were getting separate ( as you can notice that particular diary in below pictures). Moreover, being an avid

Torn Back Cover of my Old Diary

Worn Out Sides and Cracked Cover

writer and reader both, I am tend to write a lot stuff in my diary; from book reviews to the movie reviews, from daily happenings to any political social issue, my diary is my personal space where I want to express myself without any boundaries. Therefore, I expect premium quality pages; the ink ( I usually write with ball pen) should not get imprinted on the other side of the page, paper should not turn yellow/pale, pages should have soft touch yet thick enough to sustain the impact of time on my diary.

 MatrikaS products fulfill all our expectations very well. Paper quality is excellent; pages are thick and smooth to make the writing hassle free. Hard bound cover ensures the safety of your precious memories written on paper and also increases the life span of diary. There is a small safety pouch (thick paper made) also attached inside the back cover of the diary. Here, you can hide any important document, personal papers, etc. Hence, with MatrikaS, I am pretty sure that my personal space is in safe hands.

Now let me tell you about the second diary that is my favourite  among  the three products I got from MatrikaS. While, applying for the product review, MatrikaS asked  us to choose a famous personality from a given list and I chose Swami Vivekanand. That time I didn't know why they ask so, but when I received the product hamper and saw this graceful yet opulent diary that portrays Swamiji I understood the purpose of asking about our favourite personality

The front cover of diary has a youthful and lively portrait of Swami Vivekanand embossed  on the front cover, surrounded with beautiful prints of octal flowers and the symbol of OM.  A silver colored title “Vivekanand Journal” engraved at the top right side sparkles like stars on the background of saffron colored hard bound cover. The hard bound covers of diary have been given special designing effects and velvet finish that make it even more attractive.

Ethnic print at binding and soothing two tone color scheme of  covers and pages are capable enough to steal your heart.  The OM symbol is printed at every left side page of the diary at the top left side and each page contains a quote at the down bottom said by Swamiji  himself. Once again the date column has been left empty to be filled by the writer.

The journal contains a short biography of Swamiji also that is quite useful, it contains all important facts about his life, works and achievements. When you open the diary, a special column will attract your attention that is “ This Book Belongs to …”. I simply loved this feature because it creates a relationship between the diary and the user and this is the biggest purpose of any personal diary/journal. Another sections that attracted my attention are "Books To Be Read and Places To Be Visited". Here, you can create a list of all those books with their brief description that you want to read and places that you want to explore. These lists will always keep your dreams alive and help you remind about the Works to be Accomplished. This way one can keep a live hand written record of  memorable things and events of their life.

The overall simple yet elegant and stylish design of  the journal rightly expresses the personality and ideology of Swamiji. The journal also has To Do Lists and Monthly Action Plan sections to organize and manage your daily routine tasks.

In short, this exquisite Journal could be a perfect gift for anyone, be it a young chap or an elderly person, especially when they are fan of Swami Vivekanand like me (yes, that’s why I chose his name from the list).  For me, on the auspicious occasion of Diwali it is a unique and precious gift from MatrikaS Paper Products  that I will always cherish.

This Post has been written as a part of the Scribble Your Heart Away With MatrikaS Paper Products Campaign.

Images Courtesy :  taken by my cellphone camera.