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!
So carrying on from my previous post (the making of my cover) I wanted to show you the photos I took of my Nomad once it had arrived and then how I have set it up and what I am using it for.
Fresh out of the box
As I said before this is a custom cover so I decided the colours and leathers used to make it and the internal layout. I went with Janet leather (104) on the outside which is a nice thick leather and a lovely orangey-brown/rust colour. I had already had a sample of the leather from when I was designing my custom organiser so I knew what I was getting but seeing it on a larger scale as part of the finished cover, I was blown away by the quality of it. It contrasts nicely with the undyed leather (102) interior and I couldn't wait to start using it!
The basic model - just the cover with no pockets or pen loop.
The complete model - this has the same layout as mine on the left hand side of the cover and a secretarial flap and a slip pocket on the right hand side with an elasticated pen loop.
The basic model with added extras - you can pick and mix what you need for your cover.
I added this standard pocket configuration to the basic cover
I chose the basic model with added extras. I didn't think I would use a secretarial flap in my traveller's notebook so I didn't want to buy the complete cover but I did want some pockets and a pen loop so I added these options and I am very happy with how it turned out.
Elasticated pen loop on the right hand side
Perfect contrasting stitches
Back view of the elastics
At the moment I have two notebooks in the cover. The first has grid paper and I am using it for lists and notes. The second is made with plain paper and I am using it for being a bit creative. It has been a very long time since I have had an art book but I was feeling inspired once I had set everything up so I got busy gluing and sticking and having a little fun. Here are some more photos for you!
First notebook - grid paper
Slip pocket and zipped insert
Behind the slip pocket is space for business cards
What's inside my zipped compartment & the front of my second notebook
The joys of spring
An extra little pocket made using a pretty paper bag
The view from above
So that's my new traveller's notebook! I absolutely love it and I am really enjoying using it. I will write another post about it soon. Thanks for stopping by!
I feel like the absolute first thing I must tell you about this post is that is it very photo heavy! The lovely Petra from Van der Spek took lots of photos of my custom Nomad being made and a short video too and I wanted to share them all with you so you can see the work and craftsmanship that goes into their products. Because there are so many photos I am spitting my story into two posts, this first one will show you my Nomad being made and the second post will be about when it arrived, how I am setting it up and what I will be using it for. Ok lets begin....
After I brought my Van der Spek organiser last year I fell in love with it completely. I have used it non-stop for the past seven months and since then I haven't brought any new planners or binders. I don't feel the urge to swap between my organisers any more, I'm sticking with the VDS and it's amazing large rings. However when I ordered my leather samples to help me decide which would be best for my custom organiser I did have a hard time choosing the ones I would use. I really liked the Janet leather and I had a soft spot for the undyed leather too as I thought it might be fun to see how it changed with use and age. I was also hooked on the whole Van der Spek experience, it was great to be able to design my own product and their customer service is wonderful. So in January I had my Christmas money, my Van der Spek leather samples and the urge to buy something else off them but not another organiser because I already had the perfect one. I went on their website and took a look around when I came across their Nomad covers. I have always loved traveller's notebooks, I even made my own mini one using a Kate Spade passport cover but I have never owned a "proper" one. I thought about it for a while before deciding to take the plunge.
Here come the photos!
JP cutting out the pieces of leather for my cover -
104 Janet leather for the outside and
102 undyed for the inside
All of the components ready to be sewn together
I went with contrasting stitching again
Awaiting assembly
Making the card slots and pockets I ordered
Such care is taken even with the smallest of details
Adding the pen loop
Three card slots and the larger pockets
Adding the internal layout to the external cover
Joining the two together
Adding the holes for the elastics
Isn't the Janet leather a gorgeous colour?
Attaching the rivets
Are you ready to see the final product?
My custom layout inside, card slots and pockets on the left
and a pen loop on the right
The front cover
You can see how well the two colours go
together here, I love them!
This is the video Petra shot for me of the card slots and pockets being made...
I am so pleased with how my Nomad cover turned out, I will post the second part of this story as soon as I can. I hope you have enjoyed my little peek behind the scenes at Van der Spek! *Disclaimer - all photos and the video in this post were taken by Petra Van der Spek*
