There is something special about writing in a lovely journal – even if it’s just jotting down the day’s to-do list, it feels more “permanent” to me when it’s written on paper (and yes, I know how strange that sounds coming from a girl who spends most of her limited free time with a keyboard in front of her!)

I saw the notebooks from Edmonton’s Sushi Papercraft at a Handmade Mafia event back in the fall, and loved the vibrant colours! I wanted to scoop them all up and immediately start writing the great Canadian novel, or some angsty teen poetry. These journals, notebooks and sketchbooks are all created and bound by Jenna O’Flaherty, and some even feature her original artwork on the covers.

If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll likely know that I’m partial to maps. Jenna is after my heart with her lovely Africa and European map journals, perfect for a traveller… or someone who’s just dreaming. I love the clean edges, the coptic binding which lays flat (the better to write close to the center of the book) and that the pages inside are blank to accommodate doodling and sketching!

This is also the perfect time of year to start making good on that New Year’s resolution to finally get organized. Sushi Papercraft has some lovely agendas available that are undated, leaving you with a flexible start date and lots of room for notes and planning.

Jenna has a lovely way of looking at her notebooks – born of a love for writing and drawing, and wanting to surround herself with inspiring places to record her thoughts, Sushi Papercraft journals are…

“…a place for people who get joy out of putting marks on a page. There’s something about the immediacy of a book, and setting pen to paper, that can’t be recreated by technology.”

I agree wholeheartedly.

For more on Jenna’s notebooks, you can visit her blog (and soon-to-be new website!) or check out the selection at her Etsy shop.

Happy journaling,
~Sarah