Vintage Leather Journal - Antique Handmade Deckle Edge Vintage Paper Leather Bound Journal - Book of Shadows Journal - Leather Sketchbook - Drawing Journal - Great Gift (Vintage Brown, 7.5"x5.5")

Love it

First, I REALLY love this book, this is one of the best buys you can get on a realistic, old-world look journal, in my opinion.I don't need this for anything except a photography prop, and because it was very cool, so with that in mind, I made it look even older.I scratched it, I folded it, wadded it up, I scuffed it, I did all I could think of to 'age' it.For added realism, I used a green Scotch-brite pad to scuff it up, and even a little sandpaper.For around the edges to make it even more worn I used the pad to burnish the edges all around, it helped to give it that well-worn look that older books have.I even used a little oil, it was gun oil, but it really shouldn't matter if you wanted to try that out, I'd try it on the back and use it sparingly, just until you know if you like it or not. Mine didn't change that much, so maybe yours wouldn't either.I have a bucket of dirt that I use for cases like this, I dusted it pretty good for realism, and also ground it in. I'm pretty sure that if you use yours for its intended use, you won't be doing this part. :)The key was also scuffed with Scotch-brite too, but it was the brown version, it is used for stainless steel, I just happened to have some, and I toned down the 'newness' of it all.I read in the Reviews that a woman mentioned that she felt her journal was useless because her strap that goes around the book was too long (or short?), and she felt that she had no recourse. Well, I'm sure that we all know that is not the case.If yours is too long, just do what I did, I untied the knot (I know you know) and adjusted the strap to where it fit perfectly where I wanted it to be into the key/strap keeper.You can cut yours off, but I left mine with the longer end because I used that to help keep the strap and key inside of the holder. I like it that way, you may not.I took a picture of the book, along with another book, and some props, that is, after all, what I wanted it for. Not necessarily this picture, I did it just for Amazon, just playing around. The smaller black book I dirtied it up and did about the same thing that I did with this leather book.I will more than likely be getting a couple more of these books for props too, they make all different kinds of these and I was not aware of their existence until I saw this one, so I had to have it, 'just because'.

this book really exceeded my expectations. it’s beautiful and clearly made with so much care. i purchased this to make a scrapbook for my partner and i’s anniversary and im definitely going to be buying one for myself now!!

I just received my purchase of the large journal and I feel compelled to clear up some of the previous reviews that mentioned issues with quality and craftsmanship. tl;dr: I didn't experience any of the negatives mentioned in previous reviews. On to the full review:Firstly comes the unboxing - the journal arrived in a simple, but neat plastic sealed pouch and Amazon did a good job selecting the proper-sized box and air padding. The key comes wrapped in foam so as to not scratch or become damaged during delivery. The leather strap and securing strap where the key slips in were both properly seated and there were no issues around quality in this area. The leather wrap was just as pictured (wraps around the journal twice) and gives a nice look to the journal. The outer leather is thick, yet soft and pliable. There was no off-putting odor detected in the slightest. I purchased the antique brown leather journal and it's just as pictured - simply beautiful.On to opening the journal... It's clear that care was taken to protect the deckle edge in transit as there was a sheet of thin cardboard in place to prevent any bumps from damaging the edges of the paper within. Upon removing the cardboard piece, there was a nice, somewhat consistent deckle edge. The variance is just as expected and doesn't push beyond around 3/8" or 1/2" or so at maximum. The leather binding within is quite nice and feels nice and secure. I don't feel as though any pages will fall out given the thickness/perceived durability of the paper. Since the sheets are secured in sets with a leather binding, there is a very slight variance in the positioning of each of the individual paper stacks, but not beyond what would be expected from a handcrafted journal as such - certainly nothing I can't live with (nor is too bothersome for me to look at with my obsessive-compulsive eye). Also, the pages will lay pretty flat when opened. There may be some areas that may pose a bit more of a challenge to open fully in this manner. The journal itself and its pages are quite thick, so it's unreasonable to expect every single page to lay completely flat in every position within it. This is nothing that can't be easily handled with a paperweight or something similar, if you're so inclined to do so.From a paper coloring perspective, it does have quite a strong antiquing color which is fairly close to what is pictured in the listing. It's very realistic looking and has a nice, soft texture to it. This texture might be different than what you're used to, so don't purchase this journal expecting perfectly smooth pages - that's not going to happen with handmade paper of this type; but don't let that discourage you - it's actually quite nice and makes it feel more vintage and, in my case, more powerful! Given the paper used (its thickness and composition), it's fair to say that there will be zero bleed from my Sakura Pigma brush pens to the underside of the pages - no concerns here whatsoever. Again, given the color of the antiquing, the only minor issue you may have here is that if you're working with color for your artwork and/or writing/letter-work, it may not be as vibrant (obviously) as if the pages were bright white in color (but, after all, that bright white color would defeat the beauty and whimsy of this journal, wouldn't it?).I also received a message from Liam shortly after receiving my order to make sure it was everything I had expected. This is a testament to their dedication with regard to customer service. I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase. I will definitely buy from this purveyor again in the future. The quality and experience are top notch!