Whenever we travel, I always try to collect little souvenirs (tickets, brochures, etc.) to put in a scrapbook. I used to make a lot of scrapbooks before, but it's been awhile since I've made one because I kept putting it off until I had a chance to print pictures and design the layout I wanted.

Recently, however, my cousin got me interested in planners and Traveler's Notebooks (TNs). I've had planners and bullet journals before but, except for drawings I made using watercolor pencils, I didn't really decorate them. Seeing what other people created with washi tapes, stickers, and stamps gave me so much inspiration that I decided to create my own TN.

A lot of TNs include the planning part of the trip, but because I prefer planning trips on my computer, I decided to make my TN more like a scrapbook/diary. Popular TNs are usually leather-bound and have notebook inserts, and while I've seen several that I liked, I felt they were too small and/or didn't have enough pages for what I wanted to do. Muji has a dotted ring notebook that was my top choice but I wasn't sure where to buy it.

I decided to look for other alternatives online and that's how I found designhatch.


Designhatch sells notebooks, planners, list pads, cards, and desk pads. The item I was after, though, was this dotted notebook. It comes in black, red, and tan. I decided on tan, since I thought it looked really nice and it reminded me of sand.

At P210, I thought this was reasonably priced. What gave me pause before ordering was the fact that the items would be shipped via Xend. I know Xend is pretty reliable and a lot of businesses use them, but having received a couple of packages recently via DPX and Fastrack which has rates half that of Xend, P90 seemed pretty steep. After a few days, I decided to just go ahead and order anyway.

I ordered Monday morning, and my order arrived on Wednesday. 


My order was wrapped in plastic and bubble-wrap, for added protection, which I thought was really nice of them. The notebook was just the right size for what I had in mind. (I apologize for the quality of the pictures. I had meant to take better pictures, but I forgot and by the time I remembered, I already had a couple of entries in my notebook.)


As you can see, the notebook has a lot of pages, so it's great if you have a lot of things you want to write on it.


Here's a look at the inside pages. I loved the quality of the paper. It's very smooth, and there's minimal ghosting, even when I use stamps.


Overall, I'm happy with my designhatch experience. I would have preferred a cheaper courier (or the option to choose a different courier?), but it's not a dealbreaker. I would definitely order again.


Designhatch
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We recently visited UP Town Center for the first time, and while walking around, we saw kevin's toys & library.

We've been to their branch in Glorietta before and the UP Town Center branch is bigger. Of course, my son was excited to explore it.


Here are the rates:


After giving our shoes to the staff, we entered the play area. This is what you see first.


On the left is the pirate ship. There's a steering wheel that children can use to pretend that they're pirates.


There's a wooden chest with gold bars (foam(?) covered in yellow cloth).


This is the bridge that connects the second floor of the ship with the second floor of the "building" in the other half of the room.


This is the ball pit at the back of the ship. There are also a few stuffed animals (fish, etc.) in it.


This is the slide. It's a bit tall and the lowest part is elevated so I was a little hesitant to let my son use it at first. He was able to handle it just fine, though. The ground is soft so even if your child lands on his/her butt, they should be okay.


This small room is on the right side of the play area, close to the entrance.

Here's a view of the room from the inside.


There's also a closet filled with costumes, props, and shoes. Most of the dresses I saw were Elsa, Anna, and Sofia the First dresses. There were also some clothes for the boys, most of which were capes. In the shelf located below the clothes, there are accessories/props: (from left to right) a hat, headgears, and shields. There are also shoes that girls can wear to match the dresses. I wasn't expecting there to be shoes, but it's a good idea since it completes the transformation and makes for better pictures.


There's also an iPad but the game apps on the iPad are better suited for older children so my son wasn't interested in them.


Next to the pretend cell is a play area with these action figures.


My son liked the action figures on this shelf the most.


There are Iron Man gloves!


There are toy trucks. I remember seeing similar trucks in their Glorietta branch.


There's another play area behind the closet. At the entrance of this play area are these books.


After entering the gate, you'll find these shelves on your left.


There are dolls...


these toys...


dinosaurs...


ponies...


stuffed toys (and Olaf)...


and more stuffed toys.


There are also some big blocks. This play area isn't as spacious as the other one, though.


Behind this door, just opposite one of the stairs that leads to the upper play areas, is a mini restroom for the kids. The thing is, it's not connected to plumbing, so it's basically training potties (one for boys and another for girls or when someone needs to poo) with plastic for easy disposal.


This beauty station is located on the second floor, near the top of the stairs in front of the restroom.


Next to the table is this bed.


The staircase on the left is the easiest way to get upstairs.


There are also some computers on the second floor but they were turned off (or on sleep mode?) so we weren't able to try them.


My son had a lot of fun playing here, not just with the toys but with the other kids who were there when we were. If you're ever in the area, this is a great place to bring your child for some play time.

kevin's toys &library
UP Town Center
216 Katipunan Ave
Diliman, Quezon City
1108
Metro Manila

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