Notebook Review: Baron Fig Metamorphosis

Baron Fig has become a product releasing machine. Metamorphosis ($20 for individual purchase or $74 per year for quarterly subscription) is the second release in 2017 in the subscription series for the Confidant. This time, they are making fewer waves than they did with the Askew, which ruffled quite a few feathers.

The Metamorphosis treads more familiar Baron Fig territory with a peach book cloth cover and cobalt blue end papers and cotton ribbon book mark. The design message with the Metamorphosis is comes from a quote by Van Gogh, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

The colors are striking. Springy peach on the outside and shockingly vivid on the inside. The graphics are as sleek and clean as any edition previously. Tasteful and understated. Kudos to the design team.

Inside the on the right side is a space for name or a title or a doodle.

I love the bubble graphics. The germination of an idea… or is it the filtration of particles? Your call.

On the inside of the back cover, the trays are blank. I love the boxes that Baron Fig uses. They are sturdy and are endlessly reusable.

The ribbon bookmark matches the cobalt blue exactly. Quite the design feat. I just wish Baron Fig would make their ribbon bookmarks a little longer.

The dot grid remains the same as previous books and the paper is good quality and fountain pen friendly and well as friendly to a lot of other pens and pencils. Baron Fig is really doing simple and well-designed notebooks right.

So, all in all, the Metamorphosis notebook is a winner.  So, I’d like to pick a winner.

THE RULES: In the spirit of Metamorphosis, what would you like to bloom, change or grow this spring? Are you working on a new project? Training for a race? Watching your garden grow? Watching your new baby grow? Growing out your hair? Leave a comment below on what you want to metamorphosize below to be entered to win this (one) Baron Fig Metamorphsis dot grid notebook.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Monday, May 8, 2017. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Tuesday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form (not in the comment itself) so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO residents only.


DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Baron Fig for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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135 comments / Add your comment below

  1. I have three projects that need a place to land. First, I’m starting a new gig, doing some online teaching, building a new online course, and converting an existing course. Second, I’m writing a book. Third, I built a rolling garden box because my daughter has been begging to plant a garden for two years. We need some place to keep track of what we plant and take notes for next season as well.

  2. This summer will be the summer of some outside house renovations – garden, deck, all that curb appeal stuff!

  3. I’ve been working on several art projects at the same time and I’d like to open an Etsy store where I can pull ideas from my own work and sell kits to help people get started on their own projects.

  4. A bit of a heavy subject, but I want to become a single person. I want to be who I really am and not what someone expects me to be.

  5. I’ve moved to a new place, started a big garden, and am looking forward to summertime gatherings with new and old friends!

  6. I’m trying to become a more active, healthier person, after being too stagnant with a desk job for the last couple years.

  7. i’m looking for a space where i can work out my difficulties with and sometimes lack of patience with my partner who is suffering from dementia.

  8. First grandchild was born in October; change is almost daily, but it’s a process for her, her mom, and myself

  9. I’m retiring and starting on a workout program to lose weight and get fit. My goal is to be a ‘lean, mean, knitting grandma’

  10. My first niece was just born on the 27th. I write her a letter that she’ll get on her birthday once she can read, but I’m trying to come up with another future gift i can give her that will show her who her family is. I’m thinking a book of family recipies and traditions.

  11. As strange as it may sound, I want to get myself in as a Disney travel agent. I love planning magical trips to the Happiest Place on Earth!

  12. We are about to head off for a long vacation. On return I hope to take advantage of the space provided by my recently organized desk and piles of paper to allow me to begin experimenting with dip pens and waterbrushes beyond what I have done so far. My goal is to expand my paper projects beyond basic writing.

  13. The X I want to metamorphize is me! I want to write more and design more and find a side-hustle in hopes of hustling my way outta cubiclism.

  14. My wife and I just (as in, this past weekend) bought a house, so the coming months will be all about settling in and getting things done.

  15. I’m buying a bicycle this Spring and hope to experience a metamorphosis into a more active lifestyle to be healthier, be less stressed, and use less gasoline. I love the quote on this edition. It would be a perfect companion for my new endeavor.

  16. You hit the nail on the head…I want my newly planted garden to metamorphosize. I can’t wait for the fresh tomatoes.

  17. I have some ideas for some art quilts that I hope will have time to “bloom” this spring.

  18. I am hoping to run a half marathon in the fall while also transitioning my husband and myself into being empty nesters. In between that I will need to be preparing our youngest to move into college along with also insuring that our eldest continues to be well at his college.

    Many changes will be happening in these next several months.

  19. Preparing to invest in my next life, I have embarked on painting large canvases. I have 15 now but want to grow it to 24 for my first ever one person gallery show in May.

  20. I’m “growing” my latest novel, but as the weather gets better, I’m finding it harder and harder to concentrate. Thank goodness for the portability of a good notebook and pen!

  21. This Spring I’d love to have my creative impulses bloom. I have a comic book I’d like to finish and it would be great to have a little inspiration and motivation.

  22. I just left my job to be a stay-at-home dad to our four-month-old son and a scribbler (with a Squire, of course). I’m a long-time reader of this blog. Thanks for all the posts!

  23. Last year found an acorn growing in one of the containers I grow my herbs in. I transplanted it to its own pot and plan to make a bonsai of it as it grows.

  24. I’m leaving for Europe for a while and hope to become a bit more adventurous while I’m there.

  25. I’m really hoping to keep my office plant alive through the summer! I suppose that means I’m trying to metamorphosize into someone who can keep plants alive 🙂

  26. I just finished my first year of college and am going back to my old summer job. Hoping ot bring my college experience into that job!

  27. I would love to grow my family tree! My mom has planted in me the genealogy seed and if I could make time to investigate my ancestry, I know I would have success in adding branches of information !

  28. I have been working to change my habits, and I want to do even more daily self-reflection even on the crazy busy days. I’m also going to try to implement a new organization system and do some tidying and purging.

  29. I’m growing my artistic skills this summer, particularly my watercolor and mixed media skills!

  30. I planted a lime tree and boysenberry plant last summer, and I’m hoping to get a good crop of fruit this year…already seeing some unripened fruit.

  31. I am completely overhauling my health. Obviously losing weight, but also trying to revamp my diet and get off my prescription meds for migraine and arthritis. I’m also trying to finally find an exercise plan I can actually stick with. What better time than Spring to have a metamorphosis!

  32. My kids — the baby changes daily as he grows and learns to move and the preschooler attempts to make sense of the world around us

  33. I finally have a community garden plot! I am putting in a few plants this weekend: tomato, tomatillo, squash and beans.

  34. I want to overcome some bad habits: smoking, letting my laundry pile up, and excessive Coke drinking.

  35. I’m hoping to change my organizational structure. I want to have more detailed log notes and files instead of having them all in my head. Right now I’m working on an inventory of my plants in a Kokuyo Campus binder!

  36. I am looking forward to the completion of my Botanical Illustration class this spring. I will certainly miss my students, who are wonderful, but it is so exciting and rewarding to see them bloom and grow, both in class, and especially beyond the classroom.

    Thanks, as always, for your wonderful posts, and also for the great giveaway!

  37. I am digging a vast number of weeds out of my back lawn by hand, with a shovel. Yes, I know there are easier ways to do this, but I find the tedium soothing, and dumping each bucketful of weeds into the yard waste bin is eminently satisfying. I’ve been reseeding the cleared patches with a mix of grass, clover, and wildflowers that are drought-resistant, and when I’m finished I hope to never have to waste precious water on irrigating my lawn ever again.

    Thanks for the giveaway. I’ve never tried a Baron Fig notebook and would love to see what all the fuss is about.

  38. I plan on trying to shift my sleep schedule back to some semblance of normalcy, and to get back to a good fitness and diet routine after the semester officially ends next week. End of school year chaos has a way of wreaking havoc on my health-related habits.

  39. I need a place to plan out new book and card printing projects. I just recently discovered the value of these notebooks.

  40. Get better at combining a healthy lifestyle with my work life. Nuture physical healthy habits and translate it into a positive emotional state every single day at work. 🙂

  41. I am starting a cross-country Canadian journey in June and am looking to grow and expand my experiences in seeing the land around me in a whole new way!

  42. I hoping to actually get some science writing pumped out as part of my dissertation! Metamorphosing from a procrastination machine, perhaps…

  43. This spring I would like to grow mentally and build up my reserves of resilience against challenges. It’s been a tough first year at university and I want to do better as I go on. Thanks for the giveaway!

  44. I’d like to be a loving parent to my metamorphosing son , who is going away soon to college.

  45. This year I am working on taking more vacations. I like to save my money, but there is something to be said about getting away to relax.

  46. I’d like to change my short story, “The Pink Boat” from unfinished to finished. I’m officially setting that as a goal for May!

  47. I want to learn some furniture making and make an endtable from raw lumber to finished product.

  48. I’m implementing a more rigorous program for my health and I am hoping that my insides are engaging in their own metamorphosis so that I can be more functional and active with fewer setbacks.

  49. I’m working on time management and fitness this spring. Additionally working to improve my photography.

  50. I’m hoping to grow this novel I’ve been working on for a few years into a full-bloomed thing – it has taken care and feeding and attention to take it from a kernel of a seed of an idea and now it might just be ready to flower!

  51. Ideas!
    More specifically I have written two essays around two very distinct ideas which individual are ok, but if put together they can be a pretty awesome (non-fiction) book. I need this two ideas to grow and evolve into something bigger and connected.

  52. I’m back to writing. I’m planning to finish my last novel before summer. That’ll bring me peace of mind and strength to keep working on the following one.

  53. well… I would “grow out” my garden plot so that I could watch it grow. (and shoo off the rabbits, deer, birds…) Looking into perimeter fencing now.

  54. My metamorphosis for this spring is to strengthen my back to where I can walk straight. In September I had my 7th back surgery. I had some complications, and now I am in immense pain and cant walk totally upright. I plan to do water therapy/exercise, as well as wearing a back brace. The doctors think I should be able to walk straight again, but I am going to DO it, as well as, get my body toned, and become more healthy. This is my metamorphosis…from a broken swan, to a fierce pheonix.

  55. Writing a new script and planning out steps to best contribute to change in the 2018 election.

  56. As spring arrives, there are two things of note that I think will be changing much in the next few months: first, is that of a family relationship, and second, that of a public one.

    It’s a reunion of sorts for our folks, a much-deserved meeting after a few years of not being together. Here’s to hoping that it will be a fruitful and meaningful one, and that which has been a caterpillar be fully groomed into a blossoming butterfly.

    On the other hand, as I take up a position of public trust in a local institution, I have many fears about the future, especially in this convoluted political climate that somehow, the world shares in. As plans begin to ramp up this spring, here’s to hoping that we would be able to plant the seeds of a magnificent tree.

  57. I’m taking a pointed pen calligraphy class and would love to metamorphose my shaky letters into something lovely.

  58. Capturing 4 year old twin boy birthday party ideas.
    Document research to compare new TV models to replace the 2nd broken TV in six months. (See #1)

  59. I’m writing poetry in a confidant. I’m trying to write a collection of poems that name-check various types of garden weeds. Sort of a theme to tie them together and give me an interesting springboard for thought.

  60. I want to use my new notebook to plan for a productive summer of research and to also have lots of fun excursions with friends!

  61. My art. After years of hiatus from pens and pencils I am back and want to grow it into something beyond my wildest dreams. TO create from the happiness I feel in my being.

  62. When we bought our house we made a commitment to plants. I am really enjoying watching them grow. Especially our orange tree, it’s got tiny baby oranges now!

  63. I’m graduating from library school and seeking my first full-time library job. It’s stressful to be sure, but it’s also invigorating to be transformed from student to professional. This brand new career (my second) brings me joy and juicy challenges, and the baron fig Metamorphosis would be perfect for keeping notes to share on my journey.

  64. I am currently knitting my first sweater and it’s quite a process watching it grow into something that could actually be called a garment. And working on my patience as I knit through the black hole that is the body…

  65. My metamorphosis is one of being more mindful of what “monkey mind” is telling me all day long, and what my “higher self” is telling me — and consciously choosing the latter. Daily meditation, more fun and more creativity are in the mix!

  66. Growing my cultural understanding of European art, literature, architecture and, of course, food. Where there is food there are people and with people there is conversation. I’ve been learning French since the beginning of the year and plan to add German, Italian, Catalan or Castilian (I think one is a bit more Portuguese).

    Or maybe I should write the next Thin Man caper knock-off with my Aurora Optima. Maybe my muse will be found riding a Vespa among the sites of Rome.

  67. I am cultivating my cartooning practice, launching a blog in June, and preparing to, for better or for worse put my work out in the light of day!

  68. I have started sketching and would really like to keep this going all year. This notebook would be perfect for this!

  69. I’m working on my health by being more careful about what I eat, exercising regularly, and going to bed at less ridiculous hours. I’m also working on increasing my drawing and journaling frequency so that it becomes a habit. 🙂

  70. I am working on improving my handwriting, by working through Inga Dubay’s Write Now program. 🙂

  71. This spring I am working on documenting more of my life, writing more and hoping to complete at least one of my writing projects as well as work on improving my mental health. I just came across your site and can I just say how lovely it is? I am looking forward to reading some more of your writing and looking at your very aesthetic pictures 🙂

  72. This summer, I’m taking my garden to the next level. For the past several years, it’s been basic necessities (spinach, peppers, tomatoes, and herbs); now, I’ve cleared out a section of the garden for flowers. Within this section I’ll be setting down pallets and putting out furniture in order to make a garden nook, complete with funky little gnome figurines. The gnomes will help me edit the stories I plan to write there.

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