MUSEROUND: Duly Noted

I love notebooks. I love fancy paper of all sorts, and mini-envelopes and stickers and such, but I do love notebooks. No surprise eh, each Wednesday MUSEROUND begins (I love dolls…I love science…I love fairytales). I do love notebooks though. You know, there’s a Wikipedia entry for ‘notebook’.  Oh it’s not interesting, I’m not linking it, It just tells you a notebook is a book you can write notes in. Sha, really?

Come on then, crafted notebooks…

Leather bound beauties (1-4)

1. Luxury black leather journal by Julie Boyles.

2. Mossy green Totoro journal from Etsy shop Bind Me.

3. Wonderful (wonderful) red suede wedding guest book with hand inked artwork. Care of Strikebooks on DaWanda.

4. The Binding Bee‘s upcycled leather handbound journal.

Fancy your chances at making your own, for starters why not try this beginners softback leather book tutorial from Armor Geek’s blog.

|

Or perhaps you have a boring old cheapie you could spruce up with a reuseable cover?

1. A sewn notebook slip cover tutorial from Craftzine.

2. A5 notebook with removable reusable slipcover in Autumn Leaves, by Mirka Design.

3. Share and keep track of your wine favorites with Concepcioun’s wine log book with reuseable grey felt cover.

4. Made Whilst Listening To brings us a slipcover made from a vintage sixties cotton print.

Here’s another slip cover tutorial on CraftBlog.

And Tapebubba, Downstairs Designs, and Feral Girl offer different types of ready made covers for you to pop your little notebook right into.

|

I saw a set of notebooks in Waterstones recently with old fashioned Ladybird book covers, they were a touch on the expensive side though, at £8. Handily, online retailers Kiss Me Kwik (1) are doing them at £3.99. And if you’d prefer the real(er) thing, try a notebook with original re-purposed Ladybird book covers from Rhubarb Crumble (2).

3. Penquin alternatives from Little Silverleaf. Each book’s cover is taken from part of a recycled Penguin advertising poster.

4. And while we’re on the re-purposed notebook cover thing (and there are plenty of upcycled cereal boxes, chocolate boxes, medicine boxes on Folksy/Etsy) check this refashioned Creedence album cover from Vintage Paperworks. I love the Creedence (surprise)!

|

And while we’re on recycling (did I tell you I love recycling {winks}):

1. The best notebook EVER. Sukie’s Rescued Paper Notebook. So satisfying. I have a BIG stash of these.

2. Bad Books make this awesome recycled envelope notebook. The cover is packing cardboard and if you buy one they stick the stamps directly to it and post it to you. Novel!

3. The Mini Faus Bois Notebook by Oh So Good is made up of a unique collection of found pages including grid, lined, coloured, and outdated day planner sheets.

4. Another re-purposed cover sneaking in from Swirly Arts on Folksy. This one has recycled pages too. Great way to keep them out of landfill!

|

The Dada Coloring Book project. Pictured is one of a run of 50 fully handmade journals, crafted over a three year period. These journals are made from many different pieces of paper glued together to create a textured milieu of art journaling excitement. The years of working on this book have been documented by a thread on the Craftster website. Each sturdy Dada Coloring Book is crafted in the traditional case bound method, with tipped in endpapers, and contains 70 pages. And because all surfaces are paper and paper only, every square inch can accept media including pen, pencil, watercolor, etc. Here they are on Etsy:

|

Knock Knock do a fantastic line in organisational planners, jotters, post-its and notebooks, some with a tongue in cheek twist. Two of my favourites below – there are many others!

|

Notebooks in miniature:

1. Little matchbook notebooks by Brendaswhite. email them for a custom order, announce a baby’s birth, shop promo freebie, wedding favours?

2. See the Wood Designs made these tiny but useable (!) notebook earrings.

3. ‘plattenblau’ notebook by Smil on DaWanda.

4. This little leather journal is just 2×2.5″. For a selection of beautiful colours see Susan Green Books.

|

A quick note about the beloved Moleskine notebook, in particular, ways to hack it. See here, some kind person has catalogued a ton of sites showing you how to adapt, tailor, customise, reload and pimp your moleskine. Do take the time to gaze through this gallery on the Moleskein website showing the artwork of Moleskine users. How do YOU do it?

|

Fancy a crack at making a book? Try here for something like a Moleskine, here for traditional  Japanese Stab Binding, here on Instructables for a 100 pager, or try back at Craft Candy’s workshops page sometime in the future. Our very own Heather Dewick runs a mean workshop on bookbinding. I was so pleased with the little book I made – I carried it around in my bag for a month forcing everyone I met to admire it!

I’m done.