A4 Handmade Leather Journal Sketchbook

Pages of Ivory Cartridge Paper

Celtic TREE of LIFE Design

• Cover of Mahogany Brown vintage buffalo hide - A4 size (30x21cm) (12x9 inches)

• 100 pages/200 usable sides heavyweight ivory cartridge paper

• fastening with a traditional tie-strap of goatskin thong
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• cover hand-stitched with decorative lacing of goatskin thong

• available in  portrait format only

• FAST freepost by First Class within UK

• handmade from 100% renewable and recycled materials

This is a large, A4-size handmade leather book that can be used as a journal or sketchbook, or equally as a guestbook or family book. The cover is hand-embossed with a Celtic TREE of LIFE design.

The design is distinguished by the exclusive use of natural and organic materials.

The edge of the cover is hand-stitched with a decorative lacing of goatskin thong, and there is a tie-strap of thong to close the book. The cover is additionally lined with cloth.

Size:  overall cover size 30cm x 21cm (12 x 9 inches)

Paper: heavyweight (150gsm) ivory cartridge paper

Pages: 100 pages (200 usable sides) hand-sewn in five folios.

Weight: 1100gm (approx 2 1/2 lbs)

RETURNS POLICY

I hope that you will be happy with the quality of my books and other leather products. If for any reason you are not happy with your purchase you are welcome to return it to me in as-new condition within 14 days of receipt and I will refund your full purchase price.

My Ethical Production Policy

It is my policy to produce books from natural and renewable materials that will have a minimum impact on the environment.

I use exclusively water-buffalo hides and cow hides from mature animals that have come to the end of their working life. No animals are bred and slaughtered solely for the purpose of producing leather for my books. All prepared leather 'blanks' are sourced from Hindu village communities in India and Nepal and are imported to UK by my own company DESTINY HANDICRAFTS Pvt Ltd; I do not purchase or import from any other wholesaler. I am personally responsible for all aspects of design, embossing and finishing. Metal book furniture is - regrettably - imported from China, as all other sources have dried up. But I can make up book clasps/locks/trims etc in silver for custom orders.

To tan leather I use a natural tannin wash as an alternative to the highly toxic chromium salts commonly used in tanning. This natural tannin dye occasionally leaves a small residue on the surface of the leather, and some dye may appear on your hands on first handling of a new book. This is entirely harmless, and will cease altogether on further handling when the dye stabilizes. I hope you will agree with me that this is a small price to pay for a method of production that avoids poisoning our environment.

My handmade paper is sourced directly from the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, Taj Handmade Paper of Jaipur, and the cooperative of paper producers in Luang Prabang, Laos. It is produced without the use of bleaches and other toxic chemicals commonly associated with paper production.

It is my aim to produce books that meet the needs and wishes of the artists, art students, travelers and writers and poets who commonly purchase my books. For that reason I am always interested to hear your comments, and any suggestions you have for improvements or for new products. Of the 200 designs in my 'library' of embossing plates over half were made in response to requests from individual customers - but if you do have a special request, please remember that embossing is a low-tech mechanical process and that etching a plate requires time.

You are very welcome to choose and collect items from my workshop in Sussex rather than receiving purchases through the post - so that you can see exactly what you will get before you make your selection.