So, I Tore Apart Another Notebook
I have accumulated a stockpile of interesting papers in a wide array of forms - notepads, loose leaf, staple-bound, spiral bound, sewn spine - pretty much any form that paper can be sold I probably have an example of it. I’ve described having the “itchy feeling for something new” from time to time and the truth of the matter is this, there is not much point in me shopping for notebooks online because I probably already have access to one.
This is just what is currently sitting on my desk. Most of these notepads and books have been scribbled in, however, some have been up there a long time.
My biggest challenge when choosing a notebook is size. It may just be me, but I feel like A6 size must be losing popularity because there are fewer and fewer options for them. This is a problem for me because they are the notebook that offers me the most inspiration. The form factor just works for me in a way no other notebook size does. They can be thick or thin, take a while to fill or get filled up in as little as a week. I can keep them single topic or create chaos on the page. However, sometimes it is hard to get a paper that I want in the form factor I want.
And that collection of notebooks? They spend a lot of time waiting to be used. I generally consider A5 and bigger as a “desk notebook”. I rarely carry them around. I often only use one or two a year.
Enter my new lease on stationery life - find a way to use it the way I want to use it. For many of the larger notebooks that means getting taken apart. I could just cut them down, but I prefer deconstruction and reconstruction into A6 because it leads to less paper trim waste (and is easier for my very much non-commercial Fiskars paper cutter).
I buy new blades for it every so often when it starts cutting rough.
How do I do this?
Well, it varies by binding type.
Notepad, loose leaf, and spiral bound are the easiest. For notepad and loose leaf, especially if they are already A5, just involves folding them in half before either stapling or stitching a scrapbook paper cover onto them. Spiral bound takes one extra step of cutting off the holes where the wires went through. Perforated pages are nice because then the notebook can function like a notepad for tearing pages out.
Staple-bound requires the removal of the staples. Most staple-bound notebooks are a single signature, so it just involves opening the pages to the middle and using a bone folder to loosen them and then pull them out. After that I can pull the double pages and trim them.
A few more recent projects - a Clairefontaine Staple-bound Seyes Ruling and a Midori Color in gray.
Sewn spine is probably the most complicated, but still not too tricky if one is willing to be brave. Essentially, each signature is going to have a center where you can find the threads that hold that signature to the others. For those unfamiliar with bookbinding terminology, a signature is a set of folded papers. When you look at the top of a spine you can see that there are multiples of these in a thicker book. All it usually takes is a slice through the threads and you can often pull the whole signature out and trim it similar to a staple-bound. If for some reason the book was particularly well glued around the signatures, an x-acto knife can be lined up with a straight edge and can cut out pages. This is my least favorite option as it often leads to slightly crooked sides that need to get trimmed by the paper cutter.
This has been a really fun and creative way to engage with what I already have and make it into what I need/want it to be. It doesn’t have to take a whole lot of tools either. At the minimum, a sharp edge blade of some kind, an awl (or something else you can poke through the paper), some thread, and a needle is all that you need to get going on sizing down larger notebooks. A few months ago I ended up buying a larger stapler that is meant for stapling thinner booklets and it was a game-changer for making sample notebooks for students in my workshops (and for the shop). Prior to that I utilized a very cheap set of tools that I’d bought for my brief foray into trying to do leather work and did simple saddle stitched spines.
An early example of one of my single signature notebooks that I sewed.
This is what the inside looks like. I actually printed my own lines on this paper before making it into the notebook.
People sometimes give me the side-eye when I say I tear apart notebooks, but it’s been a game-changer. Moral of the story? If it’s just sitting on your shelf, find a way to make it new. It deserves to get written on.
Currently Inked
Still playing with FWP Mulberry Majesty and Colorverse Apollo 11.
Colorverse Sunbeam - Kaweco Art Sport Tiger’s Eye 14K B - This was one of the Colorvent inks from 2024. I inked this guy up because I was suddenly really caught up in the idea of Colorverse Dust Storm. I tried that ink ages ago and remembered not liking it. However, my tastes have definitely changed. I poured over pics and reviews and decided I would see if I already had an ink that was similar. Since I don’t have a sample of Dust Storm, I would say Sunbeam at least meets the muted yellow color. It’s almost like a more yellow version of Colorverse String. It’s definitely scratching that itch at the moment.
Diamine Smoky Tobacco - Kaweco liliput copper F - This was one of the 2025 Inkvent inks that I picked up. I was intrigued by the potential scent, tobacco candles are usually a favorite. This ink does carry that spicy scent, but it’s only noticeable if you bring the nib close to your face. Montblanc Single Malt Whisky is probably one of my favorite scented inks and that one you know when you’ve uncapped the pen. I wish the tobacco smell here was a little stronger. As far as the color goes, it’s a nice brown. It has a wet flow like most scented inks. Not bad, but definitely not too unique.
Colorverse Conjecture - Kaweco liliput fireblue M - This ink was part of a mini exclusive set based on Johannes Kepler’s scientific theories (it’s siblings are a blue called Planetary Motion and a green called Somnium). I think the set is actually still available. Conjecture is a magenta with some shading. I needed a pop of color after all of the grays and dark blues and this is fitting the bill.
