“Because I make journals, I hear so many stories of what people are going through. These books are containers for traveling to new places, memories from a grandparent, every kind of grief, gratitude journals, a journey through healing cancer, and countless others. I really appreciate that I can create a concrete tool for others to use. It can be a tool for healing or remembering or processing or recording or learning or painting, etc. I also appreciate the connection that it creates…between my customers and I but also my customers with themselves or their friends or family. A handmade journal is a rather intimate and thoughtful gift. It’s an honor to get to be a part of that.”

Read the full interview here.

"Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turned upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?" -Rumi

This quote sums up much of my past year. I've described it to some as having been turned upside down, everything shaken out of my pockets, and then put right side up, looking at everything with new eyes. It has been jolting (in a good way) and has reorganized my life- inside and out. Its rather incredible when these times happen. The fog begins to clear further, and we can see more honestly what IS as oppose to believing the illusions that we tell ourselves. Journaling is one of the catalyst for me. When I know I need to, I will sit and start "free writing" for 15 mins. This means that I just start writing whatever comes to mind and can't stop and check the internet or my phone or be distracted for 15 mins.  By then, I have broken through to where I will keep writing until everything comes out that needs to. Once I've emptied myself, I can better listen and the answers and insights come.

Thanks for all the support this season. Wishing you much merriment and brightness!!

Thanks to The Lane Report for including one of my journals in their promotion of the Kentucky Arts Council's Give a Gift from KY! To learn more about Give a Gift from KY, go here.

You can see more of the Lane Report here.

 Thank you to Artisan Made Decor and Gifts for sharing this! You can see the full article and photos here.

"In a world filled with lots of external noise coming at us from all directions, it can be difficult to listen to that inner voice that is trying to help you find your way. Our next Maker heard that voice, and heeded it’s call. Meet Melissa Oesch, the creator and owner behind Re-Imagined by Luna. She tells us of her story... “In college, someone asked if I wanted to learn book-binding. I have always been drawn to books. I read them voraciously growing up — as a way to travel, escape and imagine. I've also kept a journal since I was six years old, using it to reflect and process, even at that young age. So, the idea of creating a book to write in was appealing. The invitation was to an evening workshop where we learned to bind using the Coptic stitch. When I finished, I swore I would never make another book. It took more patience than I anticipated and was the floppiest book ever. Little did I know…. I started entertaining the idea of beginning a book-making business while I was working on an organic vegetable farm. I remember thinking, "What if I could DO this?" I knew the only way to find out was to try. The name for the business had already been given to me. It came one night when I was reflecting on the past few difficult years. A lot had happened that made me fearful of the future. I felt like I had been holding my breath waiting for some relief. It was that night that the word "re-imagine" was given to me. I had the poignant thought that I needed to re-imagine the way my life could be rather than assuming that it would always be the way it had been. It could be more wonderful than I had ever thought. I could not shake this concept. At the time, I was creating journals out of vintage book covers and recycled paper. The word "re-imagine" continued to echo inside me even in regards to beginning a business. It shouted to me that I was capable and quietly reiterated my desire to be eco-friendly through "re-imagining" my materials."

 This is a large leather handbound journal that has handmade paper and a leather tie closure.  I created it as a custom order recently for a new customer.  Here is what she wrote once she received it:  

I just got it, and it is absolutely beautiful!!! The colors are right on - perfect! Thank you so very much. You have an amazing talent, and as a person who is very picky about her journals, I'm so very glad I found you :)

Thanks again!

Here is a brief break-down on how to make a leather book (and a peak in the studio)...

Every book is made up of multiple signatures (folded pages) of paper that is either hand-cut or hand-torn.

The covers are then created.  They have to be cut and sewed and any decorative additions are added.

The next step is poking holes in all the signatures and cover. This is done using an awl.

One of the final steps is binding the book. Once that is complete, it just needs a closure and any finalizing touches.

"Reflect on the world you carry within you. Your innermost happenings are worth all your love." -Rilke

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
-Berthold Auerbach 

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
― Rumi

This is a custom-made labyrinth journal that is refillable.  It is made from remnant leather, has a handbound journal inside, and hand-stitching on the front. 

Have you all seen the new Hardcore Sketchbook? As I was making this, it seemed to just name itself.  I get many requests for larger and thicker books.  I found myself thinking while I was creating it that it was a hardcore sketchbook.  It's big and thick and perfect for serious artists and writers...PLUS, it has a built in pencil/pen holder.  The paper is 100% recycled, thick, textured, and archival.  They are now available online here!

"Pilgrims are poets who create by taking a journey."
–Richard Niebuhr

I find that when I travel, I tend to take a new journal specifically for reflections and sketches pertinent to that adventure.  Journeys are such a change of pace that they can reveal parts of us to ourselves that we are too busy to pay attention to when we are in our regular routine.  It's nice to have something to captures these moments.  Also, because I use archival paper, you can add photos or mementos that you may collect along the way.  I recently had a customer tell me about a “smash book”.  It’s similar in concept to a scrapbook.  The difference is rather than waiting until you get back home to neatly organize and layout your ticket stubs, maps, photos, etc., you put things in your book as you collect them.  Her idea makes so much sense for those of us who have the best of intentions to scrapbook, but really just need to do things in the moment.  It is sometimes all too easy for all the memorabilia to end up in a shoe box that is lucky to even have a label with the date on it. 

My travel journals are now available in small, medium, and large.  They have 192 archival pages (includes both sides) and come with a pen and pen holder closure.  You can decide which size is best for you, depending on what size bag you tend to carry, whether you need more room for sketches or not, etc. 

Happy travels to all of you on journeys of all kinds this year!

I looked around this morning and couldn't find it:  my first "journal" ever.  It must be packed away in a box somewhere in the attic.  Suffice it to say that it is pink, has a weird texture, and says "diary" on the front along with a few musical notes.  Here is a sketch to really give you a visual:  

I was around six when I first started keeping a journal.  Most of what I noted at the time had to do with fights with my brother, getting to go to friends' houses, and an update on our animals.  I wrote because it Rage Rage Against the Dying of the Lightsounded like a good idea.  Since I loved reading, it made sense to me to write.  I remember as a kid putting rules around it.  Put the date at the top.  Start with "Dear Diary".  Write everyday.  Don't write anything you don't want anyone else to read.  So, I wrote mostly mundane details.  I continued to keep a journal into high school, though I became much less rigid with myself, by dropping the "Dear Diary" and writing more freely.  By college, I realized I no longer simply chose to keep a journal:  I had to write.  At some point, it had become a survival mechanism.  I recorded alot of what was going on, wrote down my dreams, and released tons of free verse poetry on those pages.  There was so much going on with my family and my friends.  It was more than I could bear to say aloud so I simply wrote.  I even wrote in third person about the parts of me I didn't want anyone to know.  I pretended they were short stories and everyone got a nickname, including myself.  It helped.  I was able to continually empty myself just in time before the next big upset.  This went on for years.  I was afraid of being too intense for my friends so I didn't vocalize much.  I just kept writing and writing and writing some more.  I did make sure that those around me knew that if I was getting grumpy or irritated  that I probably was just overdue on taking time to journal.  It made that much of a difference for me.  Thankfully, life has settled down a bit and I no longer feel like I am constantly dodging curveballs.  I still keep a journal, reflecting on my days and responses and noting my dreams and personal growth.  I'm not as religious about it and it is not as necessary to keeping me afloat, but I continue to find it helpful.  Sometimes, it will be as simple as bullet points just to spark a memory while other times it will consist of a primitive drawing or layers of color.  I frequently get asked how I got into bookmaking.  While I can go into the details of how I learned to create a book, the basis of my bookmaking has much more to do with journaling and how I feel like it quite literally saved my life several times.

Some of my journals from over the years