Zencolor Mein Jahr (My Year) 52 Week Journal

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Zencolor Mein Jahr (My Year) – Journal

Zencolor Topp have created a number of coloring books. They have incorporated several of their coloring pages into a useful 52 week day planner.

The planner is hard back and measures approximately 15.5 cm x 20.5 cm (approximately 7 3/4 in x 6 in). The cover is nice and sturdy and on the inner and back cover there is a lovely blue protective sheet. A blue ribbon bookmark is also included to easily find the page you are working on.

The cover picture has a real pencil colored look about it and is really quite charming. This journal is in German but I’m sure they have English versions available.

The paper for this journal is good quality, crisp white which sets of the sharp black lined illustrations nicely.

I love coloring pieces that are functional as well as beautiful so postcards, notecards, journals and notebooks will always be a favorite with me.

The book starts with a page for your personal details. Then each month is presented in a weekly format. There is a section at the rear of the book to make notes for the forthcoming year and a section for notes. One minor negative for me is that I would prefer to have a larger notes section each week in the journal.

Zencolor Mein Jahr Journal - weekly page — Weekly Planner

I would have preferred a page dedicated to notes at the end of each week rather than a small space and a section of notes at the rear. Obviously, everyone has different tastes, but I would personally find it inconvenient to flip between the front and the notes section at the rear.

Zencolor Mein Jahr Coloring Journal — Zencolor Mein Jahr Journal to Color

Each week of the month has a lovely illustration on the facing page. There is a variety of images including a rabbit, landscapes, florals and zentangle inspired. There are elements of illustrations on some of the notes pages which I like. It’s always nice to have something small to color on these otherwise plain pages.

Notes page - some with little elements to color — Notes page – some with little elements to color

One thing that I have noticed with the journal is that it does not fold down flat due to the stitched binding. This should not be an issue, as when you are coloring and writing in your journal you have your hand resting on the page, pushing it down.

Overall, it is a lovely planner, well presented and thought out. It is particularly useful that it is not dedicated to any particular year and just governs a timeline of weeks. This means, if I don’t get to use it this year I can still use it the year after, and I have the advantage of being able to start the journal at any week/month I fancy. Some users, however, may prefer a journal that is dedicated to the current year with a calendar, holidays and the like. I prefer the versatility of this journal but it may have been useful to add a number of yearly calendars at the rear of the book.