Notebook Review: Curnow Coptic-Bound Notebooks

Review by Laura Cameron

A few weeks ago Ana and Jesi sung the praises of Curnow Bookbinding and Leatherwork, specifically their leather notebook covers.  I, on the other hand, fell in love with one of their coptic bound  notebooks.  I don’t have a thing for sakura, why do you ask?

While the notebook I purchased was ready-made, Curnow offers a wide variety of cover selections, and produces hand bound, one of a kind notebooks upon order.  My notebook has the Sakura print on the outside, and a pink polka dot pattern on the inside.  It measures 5″ x 8″, and the paper inside is slightly smaller.  The paper itself is HP Premium 28, and white dot-grid. If you custom order your own notebook they’ll make it up with Tomoe River paper if you wish!

 

I’ll be honest, when I purchased the book, even though Curnow insisted that it was fountain pen friendly paper, I was a bit skeptical. I am thrilled to say that they weren’t lying – the paper, even though it isn’t Tomoe River, is delightful!  It is smooth, and I didn’t notice any feathering when I tested.  I tried everything I had: gel pens, fine liners, fountain pen nibs of various sizes.  There was a bit of show through when I used the really wide nibs, or put down fat lines, but not much. The only bleed through is where I colored in the moon, and there I was adding lots of ink to the same spot.

I confess that I can’t remember exactly what I paid for my notebook (I believe it was $20), but a price list on the Facebook page shows that you can order a custom notebook for between $19 and $33. Given the level of customization and handwork that goes into each journal, I’d say those prices are a steal.

Curnow Bookbinding and Leatherwork accepts orders through their Facebook page or via the email in the logo stamp above.

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DISCLAIMER: I purchased everything in this review with my own money. I was not compensated in any way for this review other than the sheer joy of using these products.