Leather Bound Journals (Louise Carmen/ Paper republic/traveler’s)
Every year I have a new fixation when it comes to my journal/planners. Paper goods hold a special spot in my heart. In the past years, I’ve tried bullet journaling, moleskine, a ringed day-planner, and papier planners and they were all great for that time, but I move on pretty quickly.
This year’s fixation is a refillable leather bound notebook with elastic bands to keep all your things in place. I don’t know what it is about it, but I find them so chic. Maybe it’s how the leather ages, or the personality you can add.
The Louise Carmen version is definitely my favorite with all the unique personalizations they offer like gold embossed sayings and unique charms.
Paper Republic, Traveler’s, and Etsy all have great options too.
I love that these journals feel like an extension of you — filling them with memos, memories, and ideas.
I am so deep in this fixation that I learned how to make one myself. It is no where near as professional as the gorgeous Louise Carmen, but it’s allowing me the space to test it out before fully committing (or traveling to Paris to get one in person).
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van Noten is a brand I knew nothing about until it found me through strategically placed Instagram ads.
We can come back to it, but I want to skip over their clothing and talk about their fragrance and makeup.
For Christmas, I received one of their lipsticks, in which you get to pick the colorful case it comes in and then buy refills of your preferred color. I picked the “Coral Ceramic” case and the color “Sheer 05 Ochre”. My lipstick order came with two of their perfume samples which smelled incredible, but my obsession with this brand is the unique packaging. It’s so fun and different from anything else I’ve seen and I’m obsessed with it. One of these full sized perfume bottles will be making its way home with me at some point in the foreseeable future.
Open Sea Design Co.
With my wedding back in November, I have been frantically trying to find stationary to finish my thank you notes.
Open Sea Design Co. is a paper goods and stationary company that “is inspired by the occult, the Victorian era, and all manner of esoteric traditions, as well as naturalist art and the treasures of the plant and animal kingdom. Each piece is meticulously designed with purpose and intention as a tribute to long lost traditions and to the beauty and wonder of the natural world.”
Now occult isn’t really my thing, but fantasy, regal, nature inspired is definitely up my alley. Not to mention, the visuals are stunning.
I ordered the “rose garden set” and it is even more beautiful in person. The paper quality is thick and soft. The colors are rich. The designs and top notch.
The brand is giving “I live in an old estate by the sea and wander the library with a brass candlestick” in the best way.
