When I walk around at flea markets I am really drawn to old book covers. Not that I want to read all those dusty books, but the illustrations are often… telling. They speak of another time, before the internet and blogs and all that…
I used to turn these book covers into notebooks, spiral bound notebooks! The perfect “work horse notebook” if you ask me. I still like them, but I hope some of you will fancy them too because now a few of them are up in my Etsy Shop! I’ve got to many laying around here wishing someone would write in them. Please check them out if you have the time.
What I like about them?
I like that they are old and you can tell that they’ve been though some rough times…
I like the style of the colourful illustrations and the beautiful titles (this one is “Painter girl”)…
And what about this one? It has an awesome orange cover, perfect for some car pool sketching…
I love vintage books with beautiful end-papers or like this one, a beautiful patterned paper as a cover. Simple but beautiful.
I like that the pages are blank and perfect both for sketching and writing, but that there are mixed in original pages left to inspire you even more!
I just like notebooks! Always have, always will. I like making them and I like sharing them and I like filling them and I like buying them. How about you? ;-)
Hi Hanna, I love your notebooks. I was wondering…Do you bind them yourself? What kind of binding system do you use? I have been interested in making notebooks, as well, and have been looking into personal binding systems (as opposed to taking them to a copy shop to be done). Thanks!
Thanks Andria, I make them myself, I don’t think there are any “copy shops” here in Sweden like there is in the US…? I have a big office machine called Rentz that I use, bought in Sweden too. :-)
I like smelling them and I like touching them and I like holding them! Once a notebook junkie… always a notebook junkie!
Thanks for your answer, Hanna! We have copy shops attached to office supply stores, and they make photocopies, bind books, that sort of thing. Sounds awesome to have access to such a great big machine of your own!
I always look for old books with interesting covers and titles too. I received a few interesting ones from the 70s and 80s that I plan to turn into note/sketchbooks.
How many pages do you usually put in yours?
Sophie
Sophie, I think there are about 100 pages (thin printer paper pages) in these, not for wet media but great for writing or sketching with pencil or crayons. Will you bind yours with a metal coil? If so maybe we can do a swap…
NaNa, yes, I agree. Will never grow out of my notebook addiction! :-)
Hi Hanna, you inspired me to buy a wire binder a few weeks ago (it was your GPP Xmas ‘book’ that did it!) and I just LOVE being able to make my own notebooks! I made one for a friend with lots of little ‘to do’ pages etc and it was so cool to be able to personalise it!
Hanna, yes I will bind mine with metal coil. I would love to make a trade with you!
Sophie