I write in a journal fairly regularly, but I don't think I would ever use this! I would probably just set it on the shelf and use it for decoration. Unfortunately, the boyfriend says that we currently have too much stuff that we never use and is just there for display LOL. This looks like it was one of the newer pieces with retro style. I remember buying some Strawberry Shortcake stuff (a chair, trashcan, etc.) from Fashion Bug and if I remember correctly, the store also got in some stuff like this.
