Studio Tartuensis Classic Notebook Review and Giveaway
21 March 2018Studio Tartuensis are, in their own words,
A museum and studio for letterpress and intaglio techniques, a hotbed of new ideas for old crafts, a center for print-related education, research and art.
They’re based in Estonia and they have a cat called Johannes Gutenberg. If you’re not already falling for them, you have no soul.
Studio Tartuensis contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying one of their notebooks. These are my own opinions.
Size: Roughly 13cm x 21cm x 1.5cm
Price: Around £12
Pages: Varies but 60 plus (mine has 96)
Cover: hardcover
Paper: 115gsm recycled
Ruling: plain, dot grid or lined
Binding: stitched and glued
Studio Tartuensis take old unwanted library books, rip out the innards (and send them off to be recycled) and refill them with recycled blank paper. There’s a part of me that shudders at the thought of books being torn apart but the fact is, these books were destined for recycling or landfill and this allows them to live again. A much better alternative.
My book was Avali Varaval (‘On the Open Gate’) by Albert Uustulnd. I know no more than that. Perhaps it’s a travel book because the inside cover has maps of Australia and Pacific Islands. The cover is mysterious and charming.
The cover of each notebook is different and this means the size of the notebook and how many pages it contains will vary too.
The paper is recycled and, although there’s little feathering, suffers from a lot of showthrough and bleeding. With fine nibbed pens I could use both sides of the page but with broader nibs I could only use one.
There are some nice touches. There’s an elasticated band to hold the notebook shut.
Tucked inside the back cover there’s an insert describing Studio Tartuensis’s work and another insert, made from an old library card, telling you who put the notebook together and when.
Despite the paper being a little weak with my favourite fountain pens, I’ve fallen for this notebook. Many items are handmade, and that’s good, but there’s something about this notebook that connects it to the actual real person who put it together. Someone, Mana in this case, picked out the cover, took out the contents and fitted the paper into it, then filled out the card and tucked it into the back cover. Not only that but the original book had its own history, it was borrowed and read and returned, enjoyed or detested, loved or ignored. It’s being filled with my own stories. (Mostly me writing to myself about pens.)
Studio Tartuensis can be found online and the notebooks can be bought via Etsy.
Pros
Good value hardcover notebook
Recycled paper, re-used cover
Utterly charming
Very little feathering
Cons
Prone to bleedthrough and showthrough.
Giveaway
I have a second Studio Tartuensis notebook that I’m giving away. This is the one with the crocodile cover and is called “The Crocodile Too Has Friends”. It has a lot of pages, with a dot grid ruling.
To enter, please leave a comment on this review saying thank you to someone you know. The giveaway will end at 9am BST on Sunday 1st April 2018. The winner will be picked randomly and is open worldwide.
Thank you to my friends who help me when I need it.
What fabulous idea!
I’d like to thank my friend Maggie who has supported me for ten years since the death of my son.
Thank you to my life partner who made my experience of doing taxes this year far less stressful than years prior.
I want to thank my pen pal, Liz, for reminding me that beautiful journals are meant to be written in, not just admired.
Thank you to my wife to (sometimes graciously) accepts my pen and paper addictions.
Hello Ian, I’d like to thank you, for it was in one of your past giveaways I won a Start Bay navigator. I will always treasure it.
I’d like to thank my wife who turns a blind eye to my growing office supply addiction…
Thank you to Miss Cover, my 2nd grade teacher that taught me how to improve my penmanship and got me interested in math
Thank you to my sister for working so hard yet still finding time to take care of her loved ones!
Thank you to my husband Eric who supports all my crazy hobbies!
They’re both cool looking notebooks.
Thanks to my family for keeping me entertained and sane.
Thank you to my parents, who are always there for me.
I want to thank the pen and stationery bloggers who commit so much of their time to feed our “habit.”
Thanks to my mum and dad, who always believed in me.
Thank you to my friend Yu who just sent me the cutest surprise gift to cheer me up!
My partner would like to thank you for bringing the cat back in to your review photographs!
Thanks to Micha, because she tolerates my pen/pencil/paper mania
My thanks to Kat, for the weirdest two months of my life.
Oh wow, those are pretty! Thank you to my dad, who’s always so kind to me.
Thank you to my husband for his patience and understanding while we are caregivers for my mother, who has dementia and can be difficult.
Thanks to Wes and Doug, who are the biggest writers and recipients of handwritten letters throughout my life.
Thank you to my dear husband for supporting my wild hobbies and fantastic dreams.
Thank you to my parents for always encouraging me to explore my passions and creativity.
Thanks to my wife who supports me and our family.
Thank you for my friend S, who had lunch with me yesterday and provided some much-needed social interaction.
Thanks to my wife for all she does and for who she is!
Wonderful giveaway! Thank you to my watercolor buddies Sandra and Jennifer. They are always kind and supportive of my work. And they never laugh at my efforts. Those are true friends ❤️
thank you to my two very good friends, Alice and Sandra. They support me and we three are like the three musketeers.
What an interesting product! I love the part of mystery…
Thanks to my daughter, always holding strong despite her handicap. Nothing is impossible for her? How could it be for me!
Thank you to my mom, for always being there, and any time and any place.
Thank you to my mom. Always inspiring me to live life to the fullest.