When Central Crafts approached me to ask if I’d like to review one of their journals, I must admit to being overwhelmed. Their website has so many journals to choose from and it took me ages to make up my mind as to which one to get.
The Fleur De Lys Small Gold Handmade Recycled Leather Wrap Journal is the journal which ultimately caught my eye. It looks great with it’s little gold Fleur De Lys stamped on the smooth, rich brown leather.
The leather used to make the cover is recycled Italian leather. It wraps around the journal and is held closed by a leather strap which wraps around the cover. The website describes the leather as flexible, but I find it quite stiff for a thin leather. However, it does seem to get more flexible with use. I do find the flap of the cover to be somewhat annoying as it gets in the way when writing. If sitting at a desk it’s easy enough to put a book or paperweight on it to hold it down, but that’s not so easy when out and about. The cover doesn’t particularly want to lay flat either, so requires leaning on whilst writing. I guess a book-type cover would suit me more than this wrap-style cover, but it does look great. You can also have the cover personalised (of course, I went for “Notes of Life”!).
The paper used in these journals is wonderful. I used the juicy 1.1 stub nib on my TWBSI Eco fountain pen filled with Akkerman #13 Simplisties Violet ink and the paper handled it very well, with no bleed through at all. The cream paper is smooth, acid-free and definitely fountain pen-friendly. It’s perfect for journaling or note-taking. I wish I had some of this paper for my letter writing!
Whilst the journal I chose isn’t refillable, Craft Central do have a number of refillable journals available. They are available in plain or lined paper and in various sizes.
Crafts Central is a family run business who pride themselves on their good customer service and handmade, quality and ethically sourced products for customers around the world. They work with small independent producers in Europe and Asia and ship all over the world.
Crafts Central have so many journals and photo albums that there’s something for everyone.
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Please note: The above journal was kindly supplied by Central Crafts in return for an honest review.
What a lovely journal! That’s an item one can never have too many of. Flaps can be annoying if they won’t lie flat, but they sure do look nice when bound up.
I never used to be such a journal snob, until I started reading some of your great posts on the subject. Now I can’t get enough of them and my shelves are crammed full, much to hubbie’s disgust, as I have simply replaced the space once occupied by books, into journal storage.
I have to admit that I am not a fan of the wrap-around covers, as not only do they not generally stay open, but the fastening tapes just get in the way.
I am intrigued by the idea of recycled leather though, not something I have come across before, but such a good idea.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yvonne
It looks great, and the paper such good quality.
The wrap-thing is nice and I love the personalisation!
It looks great. I’m not using real leather for ethical reasons, but recycled leather is a very different story. It helps with waste and that is a good thing. The journal is very posh, I like the design a lot. Something like this would make a great gift too.
I love the idea of calling a journal ‘Notes of Life’! That fits perfectly
Steph – http://www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
Their journals look great but my ultimate choice would be a slimline refillable one so that I could slip it into my handbag without it taking up too much room.
I use slimline notebooks for my holiday notes and file them in my bookcase when complete.
I’ve just been browsing the site and they have some actually gorgeous journals! I know where to go next time I need one! x