Pre-made journals

[chennpug.livejournal.com]

On a recent trip to Battle Creek I stopped into a Barnes & Noble. Some of their new items included a variety of journals made from recycled paper and what-not, which is nice for those ecologically-minded among us.

The ones I liked particularly were very thick, and bond in black or tan(brown), with uneven pages that made it look very handmade. The pages themselves are thick, almost like card-stock, and rough because of the technique. It was about $18, which is a little high for a journal, but considering how big it is, is not a bad price.

Even better, those journals can easily be used for pressed flowers, grimoires, poetry, recipes, scrapbooks, photos, clippings, or whatever else you might want to make of it.

Since I'd love to make my own journals and books but can't afford the equipment or supplies right now, this is a great way to work around it for the time being. That store also carried various fountain pens and ink, but I went to Michael's and bought ink (cheaper, and many more color options) as well as little glass bottles with wooden and rubber stoppers to put them in. (Not all B&N stores have such a selection, but it's worth looking for.) If you do any historical re-creation, you know that everything you have has to look (if not be) from the time period, and these are perfect. (It only takes a little getting used to. Most fountain pens nowadays hold quite a bit of ink.)

Plus, it looks really, really cool on your desk.