Luxurious Translucency: The Onion Skin Journal A6 Soft Cover Cahier
It’s no secret that I love translucent papers. I’ve shared my love of Life Airmail paper and Kokuyo Century Edition Thin Paper previously. And I use onion skin paper to make my own notebooks all the time. There was a product in particular that kicked off this passion and interest, and it was The Onion Skin Journal. I started with one of the notepads to bind my own A6 notebooks, then upgraded to one of the bound books that I used as a reflection journal. A few years ago they also began coming out with inserts in various sizes and, being a fan, I had to try out the A6 Soft Cover Cahier to carry around in my traveler’s notebook.
A beautiful old school feel.
About two years ago I started writing in this notebook when I bought it, just so I have a reference for how long it sat on my shelf. This one I bought in 2021… and just finished it at the beginning of this month. And that was because I started it, stopped it, decided what I was putting in it wasn’t important enough, that the notebook was too nice, ah but I should use it, nah I’ll use something cheaper… and many other start and stop excuses that went through my mind.
The one that I have has a wheat cover that feels like a textured cloth backed with a firmer endpaper on the inside. It is embossed with their logo, in this case a black ouroboros. On the back of the notebook is the brand name in black letters. The pages are stitched together and the cover hides the stitching completely on the outside. It is solid. I’ve used it both as an insert and on its own and it held up perfectly. If it wasn’t for the crinkly pages all covered in ink on the inside, it looks as good as it did when I first got it.
The paper itself is really the star. As far as I’ve been able to find, there is no one else using this particular onion skin paper to make notebooks. It’s solid in a way that airmail papers usually aren’t. Even the onion skin paper that I make my own inserts out of doesn’t have the same texture. If ghosting doesn’t scare you, this is an onion skin where you can actually utilize both sides if you’re feeling it. Like all of the translucent papers they do crinkle and get that lovely crackly paper sound as they are filled. The notebook talks back.
Swatches do not bleed through unless it’s some kind of super crazy ink.
I exclusively use fountain pens in the A6 Soft Cover Cahier. Dark, more saturated inks stand out better than light shaders. Using both sides of the page requires darker inks, because otherwise it would completely overpower what is on the other side. Sheen shows up on this paper, and shimmer really pops. It’s so much fun to write on and each notebook includes an appropriately sized guidesheet to help keep the lines straight. Sometimes I used it and sometimes I didn’t.
Overall, this is a nice notebook. The Onion Skin Journals are top notch. And they do come with a luxury price tag to match. To date, this is probably one of the most expensive A6 inserts that I have ever purchased at $18 for 96 pages. I have paid that much for A6 inserts, but they generally had 200 or more pages. I don’t think that the price tag is outrageous, and I feel it’s definitely worth it for the experience at least once (or like me who has had 4 different models of this notebook brand). However, I wouldn’t be able to afford to use this notebook exclusively due to the amount of paper and notebooks I use in a year. And if you do pick one up, don’t be like me and worry about the “quality” of what you write in it. Random ideas and shopping lists are totally valid forms of writing, and luxury paper elevates that simple routine task.
That being said, the letter writing pad is my hands-down favorite product from The Onion Skin Journal and at $26, it’s luxury, but has a lot of different possibilities for use. It’s currently sold out, but I hope it gets a restock. I’ve had two of them and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another when I need it.
Currently Inked
On Plotter paper (I need to pick up some A5 so I can make inserts, haha!
Sailor Ink Studio 273 - Kaweco Sport Macchiato 1.5 - Decided to pick a favorite to be my March header. I’ve been leaning hard into dark, moody, and occasionally earthy inks, so this chromashading light brown is a perfect accompaniment to many of these colors. This ink always surprises me with how cheerful it makes me, and I love the little pops of pink that show up on certain papers when laying down a wet, inky line.
Diamine Midnight Hour - Kaweco Art Sport Terrazzo M stub - A return of one of my favorite inks in the Inkvent lineup. This one is from the Blue Edition and it’s a dark navy blue with a really nice red sheen. Every time I uncap the pen and write with it it’s prettier than I remember. It looks amazing on the Nakabayashi notebook that I am currently using at work. One downside is that it does dry in the feed quickly, so if I leave it uncapped too long in a meeting it can take a moment for it to start up again.
Ferris Wheel Press Lapis Lullabies - Kaweco Art Sport Tiger’s Eye 14K B - This ink might be one of my favorites from the FWP Ferritales lineup. This ink was inspired by the Sleeping Beauty story and it does have a peaceful quality to it. It’s a denim blue with a red sheen and silver shimmer. Just a very pretty ink that I haven’t used in a bit.
Kiwi Inks Jasmine - Kaweco Liliput copper 14K M ‘selvedge’ - This was a San Francisco Pen Show purchase last year and it’s the first time I’ve inked it up. It’s super well behaved for a scented ink (which can be prone to feathering in really wet nibs). It’s got shading and it’s a tone of brown that I don’t think I have represented in my collection. The scent is strong in the bottle, but it’s not overpowering or distracting while writing (looking at you some of the De Atrementis scented inks).
Ferris Wheel Press Aurorealis - Kaweco Liliput Fireblue 14K M ‘journaler’ - The 2024 Limited Edition Ferris Wheel Press ink is pretty stellar. It’s a dark purple with a pink shimmer. I actually had to do a refill after 2 days because I was enjoying playing with it so much. This is an ink that definitely benefits from a broader wet nib to show it off.