Golden Coil planners caught my eye last year, when they launched on Kickstarter. GC is a planner company run by two sisters, Trisha and Michelle Zemp. I started seeing their Instagram ads early on (effective targeting, huh) and was struck by the beautiful colors and clean lines of these planners.
If there is one word to describe Golden Coil planners and notebooks, I think it is elegance. These books are gorgeous and minimal and I love the overall aesthetic. They look great in photos (okay, maybe not that dark one below . . . I’m trying!) and would be at home in a work meeting or a bedside table. There are no extraneous graphics or overly embellished pages, which pleases the wannabe minimalist in me.
I can’t review one particular layout for GC because they are customizable! I wouldn’t say the options are limitless, but they are varied and versatile. You can create a weekly planner, a customized notebook, a daily planner, or a specialized planner (wedding, goals/projects, etc). You select start + end dates, can integrate your own special events/dates into the planner itself (even uploading directly from google calendar / apple calendar app!), and get control over the types of pages and thickness of the planner! The site is fairly user friendly and the company is very responsive to questions on Instagram, from what I can tell.
Trisha and Michelle allowed me to customize one to share with readers + BoBW listeners (PLANNER EPISODE RELEASE DATE: 11/6!). Saturated with regular ol’ planners, I decided — in a fit of optimism that I will cook more next year — to create a meal planner / recipe book!
These planners are 7.25″ x 9.25″. The cover is sturdy and linen-textured, and the coils feel quite durable. They are — as one might expect — gold, which adds a luxurious touch. There are a number of pretty and modern patterned covers available, but my favorites are the linen-textured ones.
I chose a cranberry linen cover. This pic does not do justice to its look, but it does perhaps capture that cozy morning meal planning feeling 🙂
avec coffee
true action shot
The paper is very white, thick and luxurious with a somewhat cottony/fibrous texture. I like it. Smear potential = low. This took my fine-tipped Hi Tec C Maica 0.4 quite nicely. Here you can see a week of meal planning with accompanying grocery list.
Admittedly, I was sad to rip this out for our weekly shopping trip (which our nanny thankfully does with G during the day, usually on Monday). I didn’t want to make her drag the entire notebook around, though!
Meal planning closeup:
Also in full disclosure I do not typically do any kind of planning for non-dinner meals, but figured I’d attempt it one week since the space was there!
I included a recipe section to add current family favorites, in hopes that I can collect many of our repeated recipes in one easy to reference spot.
The planner comes with several pretty gold page markers to match the gold(en) coil. I’m overusing the word elegant, but . . .they are!
I swear my fingers don’t look that fat IRL
Finally, the back of this planner includes a folder for odds n’ ends — always a useful planner feature.
So, do I recommend Golden Coil?
Definitely YES, particularly if:
– you want something more minimal/elegant
– you want customization and can find a layout in their options that works for you
– you are designing a specialty notebook (would make a fantastic conference notebook or study notebook!)
– you prioritize clean design and luxurious touches
Golden Coil planners are $65 though occasionally I’ve seen discounts offered through Instagram. I definitely recommend checking them out as a contender for next year, if the above criteria fit your needs!
IN OTHER NEWS:
1) on call this weekend
2) missing the babe below a lot while at work
3) 20 pumping/work days left! (although I will admit when my coworker yesterday suggested that there is probably no negative side to just quitting now . . . I was tempted)
4) blog has been migrated mostly to WordPress and thus far reports are positive! All 2800+ posts (!!!!! OMG I am more horrified than proud at this total)
5) there is another major happening that I am preoccupied with (definitely not another baby, don’t worry) that I will elaborate on next week
15 Comments
G is soooo cute!
It was the BEST FEELING EVER to get rid of all of my pumping supplies after my youngest turned 2. I meant to buy myself some $$$$ jewelry as a reward but didn’t get around to it. Must put that back on the table. I must have had 40+ pumping bottles and drinking bottles plus at least 3 full sets of pump parts.
OMG I CANNOT WAITTTTTTTTTTTT.
I have 2 pumps, 3 sets of pump parts, god knows how many bottles, and I am so tired of seeing them all out on my drying rack. But I’m even more tired of using them! Cannot wait 🙂
This planner review spoke to me. I went on their website and love the customization aspect to it. I feel like I can never get quite what I want in planner. This comes closer than others I’ve had but the weekly page layout is still not quite what I wanted. That said, I ended up ordering one for 2019. My current planner is undated and could carry me through June but it doesn’t lay open nicely and I can’t tolerate that for another 8 months!
That is a pretty planner! I might check it out. I’m usually happy with the Blue Sky ones from Target.
I was going to ask if you could write a review of all of the pens you use!
I stopped pumping in June and I still have the pumps just laying around my office. I really need to have some kind of ceremony and get rid of them.
Ooh it is pretty, and not crazy $$$. I’ll have to check out the layout to see if I like it. It looks smaller than I am used to (page area) I like having a LOT of unstructured space in each day, with a 2 page week, that can lie open flat. I love my minimalist planner, it even has a page for monthly goals, and grid lined blank pages at the end for longer.
G is so unbelievably squishable!
Love the orange nail polish. Very seasonal!
I love that linen cover and the golden coil!
These are gorgeous.
I’m excited – just ordered mine! 🙂
I have been using my golden coil for just about a year and I LOVE IT! It is SO nice to customize it exactly as you like. The quality is unbeatable. Plus the ladies who run the business are super nice and help you personally as you make your order. Great company. Great product. Highly recommend.
I always just shoot a photo of my meal plan/grocery list. That way I never forget it (as I’m prone to do) and can delegate it easily. Bonus – you don’t have to tear out the beautiful page and can repeat that week in a pinch.
Also G – so unbelievably adorable!
My little is 10 months and i"m down to one pump per day, and it’s in the AM before I leave for work, so I don’t have to bring my pump to work!!!! I feel so much lighter!
Golden Coil should pay you some sort of commission–I just went and ordered one for 2019 based on this review. The customization is awesome–I was finally able to get what I had been looking for.
These are gorgeous! I ordered a hobonichi cousin after hearing about it on BoBW last year and have used throughout 2018. I love it in theory, but the thin beautiful paper does not work for my hyper-agressive level of pen-pressure (I tear right through it pretty regularly no matter what kind of pen I try… which is obviously an issue of mine than the planner’s!). Ordering a golden coil today and hoping this paper will be sturdy enough for my hulk-like pen wielding 😛
Very cool! I am enjoying my Hobinochi techno avec but something spilled in my bag and it looks so, so beat up.
I stopped pumping this month and it is game changing. I can go for a walk at lunchtime, I don’t have to clean things! Little guy seems to have a dairy intolerance so I just bring in a bottle of oat milk every Monday.
I’m missing him during the day – he’s nearly 15 months and just growing and changing so much everyday that the 1.5 hours between arriving home and bedtime doesn’t seem enough. I’ve got a quiet day and am not massively productive with my writing so I’m tempted to leave at lunchtime, get some personal errands done and then go pick him up a bit early.