5×7 travel journal with chipboard covers and Strathmore Bristol vellum text block

A customer requested a travel journal for her family’s Thanksgiving road trip. She liked the idea of leaving room to attach trip receipts, write about the days, and include pictures upon returning home, so I made sure to include stubs (made from the waste strips when I cut the paper down for signatures) to allow for expansion.

The covers are black chipboard covered with card stock (I went with chipboard to make the journal more lightweight than if I had used Davey board). Black book cloth made a sturdy spine that I sewed the three signatures directly into.

Using Bristol vellum for the text block offered a great writing or drawing surface, but the stiffness of the paper made it difficult to leave enough space at the spine for the book to stay closed on its own. Luckily I had treated myself to an Aveda gift package of lotions the week before, and the closure that came with it was perfect for a travel journal. I sewed a small piece of elastic to crinkle ribbon (stained and heat-set with dried marigold, spiced marmalade and ripe persimmon inks to match the colors on the cover) and then camouflaged the point of attachment with seed beads. The result was exactly what I wanted–and just as importantly, the customer was delighted.