One year in my Van der Spek Nomad TN

I have been using my Van der Spek custom Nomad travellers notebook for a year now so I wanted to give you a little update on how it is ageing.  When I was deciding on which leathers to choose for this cover I went with a couple that I knew would change with use, Janet leather 104 for the outside and undyed 102 on the inside.  I didn't want the cover to stay looking pristine, I wanted it to develop its own character over time and look well used and loved!  

Out and about on my travels

Catching some sun

My TN has some battle scars now, my cat decided to sharpen her claws on it a while ago which left some white marks where a small amount of leather had been scratched off.  I used a brown ballpoint pen to colour over those marks as I thought "freckles" would look nicer!  There is also a mark on the right hand side of the front of the cover, this is where I tried to rub out a small water spot but ended up making it worse.  I don't mind these imperfections though, I never wanted to keep it looking perfect.

Front of the cover with my original sample
of Janet leather 104

Comparing my cover with my original sample of Janet leather 104 I think the TN has developed a slightly richer colour and it definitely has a lovely shine to it now.

The back of the cover with the Janet leather sample

Those marks on the back of the cover are from when I took this photo.  I didn't notice the drops of water on the one piece of wood when I was taking the shot and I'm still not sure why only the one spot was wet!

TN in the wild

The undyed leather on the inside of the cover has not really changed.  In fact the sample piece of leather looks like it has gotten darker even though it has just been sat in a box for the last year.

Undyed leather 102 

I have four notebooks inside the cover now and a zipped pouch, I really love a chunky TN!  I use one for water colours, one for journalling, one for notes and ideas and the fourth is for sketches and drawings.

View from above

Playing with water colours and stamps

Journalling

My year in pixels

The next photo is from when the cover was brand new, as you can see there are no marks or scars on it but it is also a more matt colour with almost no shine to it at all.  If you want to see more photos from when I first received the TN check out this post and you can see how my custom cover was made here.

My TN when it first arrived

Look at the shine the leather has developed over the past year, I can't wait to see how it changes again over the next 12 months!

Love that shine!

Let me know if you have any questions about my TN or Van der Spek below and I'll try and answer them.

Thanks for stopping by!