Tag Archives: commonplace book

Notebooks Made of Cloth

Cloth covers aren’t that unusual for notebooks, but how about a notebook made entirely of cloth and needlework– even the writing in it!?! [Candace Hicks’s] primary art practice includes recreating classic composition notebooks in cloth form, embroidering text into their fabric pages. The text is mostly composed of collected snippets that she finds recurring in … Continue reading Notebooks Made of Cloth

On Keeping a Commonplace Book

A nice little piece in the New York Times about keeping a commonplace book, by Charley Locke: I’ve never been a journal person, though not for lack of trying. A monogrammed duffel bag in my parents’ basement holds many old diaries — a furry leopard-print one from elementary school, Moleskines with unbroken spines from college … Continue reading On Keeping a Commonplace Book

2019 Image Diary

As mentioned in a recent post about my daily carry notebooks, I’ve been using an extra Nolty diary to keep a scrapbook of interesting images, often artworks seen in the newspaper or a magazine, or sometimes just random clippings and bits of washi tape. A couple people have asked if I print out online images, … Continue reading 2019 Image Diary

Octavia Butler’s Notebook

I loved these images of Octavia Butler’s notebook, with her affirmations about becoming a successful writer. (She eventually did.) The post at Black Cardigan Edit where I found these also shows off some notebook pages by Sylvia Plath and Frida Kahlo! Other posts about writers’ notebooks Other posts about artists notebooks and sketchbooks

Waverley Scotland Notebook Review & Giveaway

I’ve been coveting a Waverley Scotland notebook ever since I first saw them at Kinokuniya, so I was thrilled when the company sent me a sample to review! The sample I received is one of Waverley’s pocket size Commonplace Books. I rather like that they call them “commonplace books” rather than the more common “journal” … Continue reading Waverley Scotland Notebook Review & Giveaway

Notebook Addict of the Week: Martina Herbst

This week’s addict is on Instagram as @schreibaerin, where her beautiful photos of nature and landscapes are often joined by photos of her extensive notebook collection. These are some of my favorites! The Waverley Scottish tartan notebooks: Some fun color themes, including Moleskine, Paperblanks, Leuchtturm and others. Fun shapes! Her collection, or at least part … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Martina Herbst

Notebooks I’m Using Now: February 2019

I realized that my “using now” feature hadn’t been updated in quite a while, since October 2018. I finished all my main notebooks around the end of the year, so my daily carry is completely different. As usual, I have a few other notebooks in progress as well. Daily Carry Notebooks As noted in other … Continue reading Notebooks I’m Using Now: February 2019

Notebook Addict of the Week: Hunter

This week’s addict is Hunter, who emailed me the photos and description below of their collection, which has grown a bit since the photos were taken. There’s also a picture of Hunter’s current journal. Hunter says: I really enjoy smaller notebooks, with lots of pages, but I will collect any that I find interesting. I … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Hunter

Revisiting the Past: GeorgieR’s Filofax (2008)

Another oldie but goodie in celebration of 10 years of Notebook Stories. I originally wrote the post below in October 2008 and GeorgieR’s notebook is still one of my favorite “Other People’s Notebooks” posts. I love the density of the pages and the wear on the Filofax binder. Seeing notebooks like this always makes me … Continue reading Revisiting the Past: GeorgieR’s Filofax (2008)

What’s a Zibaldone?

Such an interesting article from Atlas Obscura. I’d never heard the term “zibaldone” before! ONE DAY IN VENICE, SOMETIME near the end of the 14th century, a busy merchant found himself with a few spare moments. Maybe it was a slow day at the docks, or he arrived home too early for dinner. Whatever the reason, he … Continue reading What’s a Zibaldone?