Gary Robbins wrote to me a while back to share some photos of his beautiful handmade wooden notebooks: As the proprietor of my favorite obsessive notebook blog, I though you might enjoy these blank books I’m manufacturing. Xylobooks were designed to marry traditional bookbinding methods with a clean, modern aesthetic that emphasizes the tactile nature … Continue reading Wooden Notebooks
These look pretty cool, but unfortunately you probably can’t buy one! They seem to have sold out, but hopefully they’ll be back, as they seem to make new batches every so often. For those who cringe at the thought of cool old records being re-purposed this way, here’s a note from the makers at Vinyl … Continue reading Vinyl Collective Handmade Notebooks
What a cool example of recycling and reusing materials! Two crafty moms in Indianapolis started their own business making various items out of plastic billboards, including journal covers which are compatible with standard composition books. Check out the many different designs at Freakin’ Billboard– great company name, too! via Business finds new uses for old … Continue reading Journal Covers Made from Old Billboards
Sabrina at Slice of Lemon says “these notebooks = crack,” so she’s sharing them with 5 lucky winners! Here’s the contest details: In order to enter this contest, answer the following question in the comments section of this post [at Slice of Lemon, not here at Notebook Stories]: What is your fondest childhood memory? Answers … Continue reading EcoJot Giveaway!
I usually find the stationery chain Papyrus to be pretty slim pickings as far as notebooks are concerned, but one day I happened to spot this little gem sitting all alone on a bottom shelf: the Leonardo Pocket Journal. It’s kind of funny that it has a musical theme– I mean, why didn’t they call … Continue reading Review: Leonardo Pocket Journal
Courtesy of Dave’s Mechanical Pencils: The Vespiaries products are all handmade. My notebook is a small hardcover notebook, 140mm tall x 95mm wide x 14mm thick. It oozes sturdiness. The pages are plain unlined white paper. I’m no expert on paper, but this paper feels a little thicker, and has a rougher surface finish than … Continue reading Handmade Notebook by The Vespiary
The Recording Thoughts blog asks “Are Fountain Pens Green?” This made me think about whether or not notebooks are green. There are plenty of notebooks out there made of recycled paper, which helps, but otherwise, those of us who consume a lot of notebooks are also killing a few trees. A Filofax-type notebook might be … Continue reading Are Notebooks Green?
Subu is another Etsy seller with some funky handmade notebooks made of recycled paper– very literally recycled, post-consumer paper, as you’ll see someone else’s printouts on the packs of some pages! It’s not for everyone, but some will enjoy the serendipitous finds and be curious about where these paper scraps came from…