Here are the answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding my journals. YES, I make each one with my very  own hands. But NO, I do not make the paper. I use a combination of purchased papers and hand painted (by me) papers to create my journals. And YES, they are extremely environmentally friendly. The boards I use are 100% recycled; the outside papers are tree-free and recycled. The inside pages are 50% post-consumer recycled papers and the spirals and screw posts are all recyclable.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way let me tell you a little more about how I make my journals come to life. I should start by sharing that I love paper. I love all kinds of paper. An office supply store is a candy land for me. But I am PASSIONATE about handmade papers. I love the uniqueness of the texture, the colors and the presentation. My mouth waters just thinking about it! I previously owned a stationery design company and while I still love a good wedding invitation I grew tired of making them over and over and over again. I felt as though I was losing my creative flair and my passion for paper was being doused by ribbon and overlays.

In 2006, I was motivated by personal life events and started buying books about how to make books. I started taking bookbinding classes and was amazed by all that I learned. There are some incredible bookbinders out there and the art of bookbinding is a meditative craft which entails a great deal of skill, time, care and precision. I contemplated pursuing further education in bookbinding, but the reality was that I just wanted to create a cool, affordable book that would send a message. A good old journal or a notebook or a sketch pad, whatever would motivate and encourage others to write. So I started playing around with some ideas. I wanted my journal to be unique but practical. I wanted it to have more than one life. After some considerable time, thought and a lot of glue I created my signature – the Companion Journal. This is a refillable, reusable journal that you can keep for many years to come, you know kind of like a companion!

Knowing that one journal cannot be all things to all people I opted for my next offering  to be  spiral bound. This gives journalers a lay flat option, but is much more than your dollar store notebook. It’s sturdy, long lasting and the colorful designs and spirals are intentionally eye catching to keep you wanting to comeback to write more and more. I’ve taken these two structures and created a v ariety of variations over the years. The Contemporary is a smaller version of the Companion but I incorporate found objects that hopefully evoke a special sentiment for its owner. My customers continued to ask me for smaller sizes that would fit in the purses or back packs. I responded in kind with smaller versions of the spiral notebooks with pens to match. I love a matching set!

Another love of mine is a great tool and some sturdy equipment. When I moved into my art studio in 2011 I was most pleased to find that there was a place for everything. All of my tools, brushes, paints, equipment and glue have their own space within my special place. It’s my dream space. After working with handmade papers for many years I began to have a desire to manipulate them in my own way. I never wanted to make the paper myself, but I wanted to be able to create my own designs. I started learning the process of painting papers and then moved on to screening papers. Both processes give me the opportunity to express myself in a different way. Learning about paints, colors and how to manipulate them took my passion for creating to another level.

You will notice that I love to use words and quotes on the covers of my journals. I love the written word and the beauty of typography. I think that by combining the two concepts with my journals makes them even more inspiring. I love it when people “connect” with a specific journal or find just the “right” one for a special person.

For a long while before I actually started selling my journals I would make them and keep them at my studio in my home, never showing them to anyone. My husband would say I hoarded them and treated them like them were my little treasures that I wanted to keep all to myself. I guess back then they were in some ways. I was cautious. I knew I wanted to share them, but I wanted my message to be clear. These journals were meant to be cherished not for what they were, but for what their owner was going to put in them. I didn’t want them to be displayed on a shelf or admired on a table. It was important to me that the journals invited you to use them, to embrace them and to confide in them. When you get one of my journals you are truly getting a part of me and I hope that they provide you with inspiration that will somehow be significant for your life and the future ahead.

Inspire and be inspired!