Custom Handsewn Journals

Our Custom Permanently Bound Journals will add more color and interest to your bookshelves and bring delight and inspiration to your writ...   Description Options Product Video Our Materials Personalization Our Custom Permanently Bound Italian Leather Journals will add more color and interest to your bookshelves and bring delight and inspiration to your writing.  You can choose one color for the outside and another contrasting leather color for the inside.  Combined with 4 different sizes, you have 256 journal combinations which you can create. There is nothing better looking on your shelf than... a series of Permanently Bound journals in different shapes and sizes and colors... each one made for a different season of your life. Each journal on your shelf will say something unique to you as you remember writing in it. While a refillable journal can be less expensive over time, the refills all look the same. Our Custom Permanently Bound Journals will inspire your words and thoughts in new and different ways while binding your thoughts and ideas to a single dedicated cover. A seasonal journal is a great way to bear witness to your thoughts and activities for a specific period of time. These journals were part of our Uniques Collection we introduced in 2019. Leather lined to a buttery soft thickness. You can choose a different color leather for the inside and outside. Each one is skived to the perfect thickness so your cover is not too thick or too thin because.... having a cover that is too thick and stiff can be as uninspiring as one that is too thin, floppy and has no body.  We use our skiver and a $250 caliper to determine the perfect amount to skive each of the leathers for the inside and outside. Hand-stitched by... Arthur.  Also, if you take our DIY courses we will teach you how to make and sew up every journal we sell. See the Options tab above for more details. When ordering you can choose: COLOR:  8 Leather Colors/256 Color/Size Combinations CUSTOM:  Mix-n-Match interior and exterior leather colors SIZES: 4 sizes MEDIUM:160 pages, 4.5x6.5 sheet size SKINNY LARGE: 120 pages, 5x7-3/4 sheet size LARGE: 240 pages, 5x7-3/4 sheet size SKETCHBOOK: 160 pages, 9x11 sheet size NUMBER PAGES:  120 - 240 pages Page count is calculated as in a novel... one side of one sheet equals one page. PAPERS:  Arches Text Wove 120gsm, 100% Cotton Rag, tub sized, acid free and archival, made in France, will not feather or bleed when using a fountain pen and is awesome for watercolors and  heavy washes. A slight tooth surface and very scrubbable. PERSONALIZATION:  from 3 initials to 3 full lines (see Personalization tab to see our full range of personalization styles) Shipping: Our items are shipped with $9.95 flat rate shipping via USPS 1st class or Priority mail. Transit times are usually 2-3 days, counting Saturday but not Sunday. Returns: All of our items come with a 30-day hassle-free return policy. Read our full policy here. *Personalized and Custom items are not refundable. GUARANTEED FOR LIFE, EVEN IF YOUR DOG EATS IT Read more about our guarantee here. While we are your Makers and you know exactly where your leather goods come from, it’s also important to know the source of the materials we use in making them for you. If you would like more info about our products and sources then let’s connect to discuss. Italian Leather: Our Primary Ingredient We are soft leather experts and have developed proprietary techniques for working with softer Chrome tanned Italian leathers. Unlike the stiffer, belt like, Vegetable tanned leathers, our leathers are soft right out of the box. Like the blue jeans you wear that only get softer and more comfortable with age, our leathers will immediately conform to your lifestyle and develop a great patina over time, making your life’s adventures more memorable and meaningful. Unbranded English Cow –Chrome/Oil tanned - Full Grain – Struck thru (dyed all the way thru the hide) Tanned in Italy – Unavailable anywhere else in the world.We worked with a 6th Generation tannery in Italy for 2 years to develop our proprietary leather. View our Processes and Proprietary soft leather-working techniques Hand-torn European Fine Art & Writing papers We offer you a choice of 3 European, hand-torn papers: Arches Text Wove, Frankfurt White, and Frankfurt Creme. Whether you write, draw or do both... using anything from a fountain pen to watercolor brushes, you will have the perfect paper. Our Standard paper is Arches Text Wove. The Frankfurt papers are our premium papers and while made more for fountain pens, work very well for water coloring too. Our papers are all 120gsm in weight which give them the body you will love. They will not feather or bleed with a fountain pen and are acid free. You can also watercolor on our papers. They take light and heavy washes well and will dry completely flat. And because you can write on both sides with any pen or pencil, it's like having twice the amount of usable pages you would have in a book with thinner paper. We also hand tear all of our papers from larger parent sheets to give you the rough, authentic and artisanal look and feel. Solid Brass Hardware Our hardware is all low lead solid brass Low Lead means harder and stronger hardware. Unlike much less expensive Zinc, Solid brass is not only strong and patinas well but the low lead content complies with California safety standards. We have 2 finishes, Antique Brass and Nickel Matte and because we believe in building things the way you want them, we offer you the choice of hardware finish on all of our products. If you don’t see that choice then just ask us. We want your tools in life to match your individuality without compromise and inspire your life’s adventures. Threads and Cords All kinds and all colors Waxed Linen, Polyester and Nylon thread and cords are used to hand-sew our permanently bound journals and for creating the Solomon’s Knot on our Modular Journals. We have all kinds of proprietary techniques for making our journals and you can learn them all with our DIY kits. Ancient and Hand-carved Beads The beads we use are anything but common. Some of our beads are over 300 years old. Others are individually hand carved. Some are and rustic and tribal in nature while others are more elegant. We use ancient African trade beads, Jade, Lapis, unpolished Tiger Eye, Jasper, Opal, solid bronze and Sterling Silver and are always adding to and changing out line. See our Machine Demos Personalize Any Item If there’s one thing that really gets us off it’s making your item look totally cool and unique. And, when it comes to Personalizing your item, nothing gets more personal and unique. That’s why we offer so much more than just initials, a name or a short line of text. While it’s impossible to list all the creative and different ways we can personalize your book, bag or cover, we tried grouping them into the categories below. Any and all of these can be combined so if you need something special then contact us. Also, keep in mind that while we usually have standard placement for personalization, we can put it just about anywhere on your item at your request. There is no additional charge for that but you do need to tell us. See our Personalization Gallery for Ideas 3 Initial, Full or Multi-line Personalization included in the ordering options for most journals and covers 3 Initial Personalization... the simplest and most popular choice. If you get a cover or a journal with 3 Initial Personalization, at our discretion we will usually include a matching leather bookmark and will personalize it with the same 3 initials. Full or Multi-line Personalization includes up to 15 spaces, counting the spaces in between the words or name. But just in case you are really close, we let you fudge 20% more by letting you add up to 18 spaces. When entering your desired pesonalization please remember that what you enter is CaSE sEnseTIve. We can put more letters on a single line but if it goes over the space limit then it will need to be entered as an additional line and will be charged accordingly. Symbols We have a Unique & Growing collection of Symbols which we can put on your item. To see the full collection just click on the BUTTON below. When ordering a Symbol we give you the choice of adding up to 3 initials directly below it. Symbols can also be combined with a Patch but must be ordered separately. See Symbols Collection Patches Leather Patches are one of the most Unique forms of personalization we know of and nobody that we know of does it. This is where we create a leather patch, put whatever you want on it… a Symbol, up to 3 full lines of type…. basically, whatever you would like, and sew the patch onto your item. Because setup on these can take a long time, we typically make at least 2 just in case we make a mistake. But we usually don’t so in that case we will either just give you the second one or sew it onto your bookmark (if it's included) and if it fits. Combinations & Variations: We can combine patches, Symbols, Single or Multi-line Personalization in whatever way/s you would like. There are near unlimited variations and we do our best to make your patch look as cool as possible. But if you have certain placement needs or desires then you can just let us know. See our Personalization Gallery for Ideas Custom Logos and Graphics If you have a logo or graphic you would like debossed into your item or on a patch then we can do that too. The max size is 5x2 inches. We send out to have a special metal die made which can be used over and over again. Custom Metal Casting beads, logos, findings and more... We have partnered with G&S Jewelry Mfg. in Albuquerque to vacuum cast your wildest dreams in just about any metal you would like. We can make just 1 or many pieces for you. This is great if you want to create a journal and use your own custom bead design for your own Unique series of modular journals. It can be a corporate logo or a family crest, a meaningful symbol between you and your loved one... almost anything you would like. Creativity is your only limit. So let your imagination run wild and contact us with your idea. You can watch our on location video to learn more and give you an introduction to the process. Just click the button below. Watch our Custom Casting Video