INDIARY Journal Review

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the folks at INDIARY and asked if I would like to review one of their handmade leather bound journals. Well, this blog isn't named Addicted to Pens and Paper for nothing. Of course I'd love to review a handmade journal!
I chose the Leather Shuffle journal. It is 6"x4"x1", with 200 pages of luscious handmade paper. The paper is soft, with a little bit of texture and lots of pretty flower petal inclusions on the pages. The buffalo leather cover is embossed with the INDIARY logo and features an elastic closure which wraps around the leather button. The leather is very soft and supple, and who doesn't love the smell of leather?


It is entirely handmade, from the cover to the binding to the paper. The binding adds a beautiful accent to the outside and the inside, as well.


Handmade paper can sometimes be a little stiff and hard to write on, but this paper is very soft and supple, with just the right amount of texture. I couldn't stop touching it, it feels so good! It has 5 signatures, each with 20 sheets, folded in half for a total of 200 pages. It doesn't lay flat for writing, simply due to the way it's made, but it's very lightweight and easy enough to hold open, unlike hardbound journals. The size makes it a good candidate for carrying in a backpack or purse.

Here is a close up of the texture and one of the many flower petals

I tried a few of my favorite pens, and they all worked pretty well.


There is a little bleedthrough with fountain pens, depending on the ink and size of the nib. My Lamy Safari has an EF nib and the bleedthrough was not bad at all, but when I tried my Platinum Preppy it was considerably worse. The paper is pretty absorbent and the Preppy has a medium nib, and writes a little wetter than the Safari.


I love my Hi-Tec C Maica pens but the tip is so fine and it was a little scratchier on this paper, I worried a bit about the fibers getting stuck in the tip. I don't even know if that's possible, so I'm probably just being over protective of my pens :-) The Uni-ball Signo 207 and the Pentel Energel worked very well.

Next, I tried writing and a bit of goofy sketching with one of my mechanical pencils, the Pentel Twist Erase 0.5. I was pleased with the results. Just be really careful when erasing, it would be easy to rub a hole in the page.


All in all, I found this to be lovely journal, for which you might expect to pay big bucks. Au contraire. At the usual price of $29.99 it is an excellent deal, but right now it is on sale at Amazon for $25.00, with free Super Saver Shipping!
DISCLAIMER: The journal was provided to me for review free of charge by INDIARY and I was not compensated monetarily for my review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.