dark blue and white hand painted journal with text typed on the cover

pink and white hand made journal on a stack of other hand bound books

View of hand stitched spine in matching yellow thread

Whether you need a self care and mindfulness journal, a planner to stay on top of your to do list, a sketchbook so that you will finally commit time to drawing and writing or a brilliant notebook for course notes and shopping lists. Having a notebook or journal made just for you, is totally lovely and I would love to make it for you.

If you’re buying it as a gift and sending it directly to the lucky recipient. Do pop a Gift message in the box at the checkout and I’ll handwrite your message for you.

FAQ’s

Absolutely - l use fountain paper on this paper every day. it doesn’t feather or bleed. you can use a wide range of artist media too, including marker and brush pens, charcoal, pencil and even a light wash of watercolour ( I wouldn’t soak it)

How long should the personalised text be?
Your notebook will be typed on a vintage typewriter which means that I can’t change the font size.

I can fit 40 characters per line including spaces. ( I may need to split some of your lines if they are over this but will always do it in a way that makes sense to the flow of the text)

3-4 lines looks great. I can fit more lines on, but it can tend to look cramped especially if they are all full 40 character lines.

If your text is a little long for this size then I also have a larger A4 size available in my shop

If you have a really long message, consider having it typed inside the book instead. you can add extra text to by typed inside here

Please do message me if you have any questions. I'll be very happy to help you choose the best option.

michaelabere@bluestiggy.co.uk
Large - approx A5 in size at around 20 x 14 cm .

Small - approx A6 in size at around 10 x 14 cm .
with a mixture of pages made up of 140gsm recycled cartridge paper and handmade cotton paper made from textile industry waste. The pages are hand stitched inside a handpainted and typed cover of cotton paper that has been made from textile industry waste.
Materials
The cover of your personalised notebook will be individually typed on beautifully textured cotton paper that has been made from textile industry waste in a UK paper mill.

The pages inside are made of 140gsm (that’s lovely and thick) recycled cartridge paper that has been made from 100% UK Post consumer waste ( You know, the stuff you chuck in your paper recycling bin)

Energy
The power to type your notebook comes only from my nimble fingers. They are fuelled by tea and biscuits and the rest of my studio is powered by the sun

Everything I do at Blue Stiggy HQ is put through the lens of trying to do my best to minimise my impact on the planet. You can find more detailed information about the materials and processes I use and how I try to minimise my impact on the planet here
All of my products are beautifully wrapped in eco conscious materials such as recycled tissue paper and sent in cardboard boxes. I love to and write a little note to each of my customers on recycled paper and I mostly use Royal Mail who will deliver your order on foot :)
Personalised Products take 3-5 working days for me to make and press for you.

Standard UK delivery is First Class Royal Mail and typically takes 1-2 days to arrive after I dispatch your order.
Express Shipping UK is Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day Guaranteed - Please use this postage upgrade if you are in a hurry. although I may still need 3-5 days to make and press your order I will dispatch it to you as quickly as I can.

Standard Overseas Delivery - Royal Mail International Tracked (transit time depends on the destination country)
Express Overseas Delivery - I will use a courier to send your order to you for speed. transit time depends on the destination country.

Delivery times are estimates but please do message me if you any questions about delivery - michaelabere@bluestiggy.co.uk

Returns - Unfortunately I can’t accept returns for personalised items unless there is a problem with the order. for all other items please contact me within 14 days of delivery to arrange a return - my full Delivery + Returns policy can be found here

Need some top tips on how to personalise your notebook?

My absolute favourite words to type are ones that make no sense to me at all! Because that means that the words are special between the giver and receiver. an ‘in joke’ or meaningful words of encouragment, and support.

Think about what the notebook or journal will be used for.

Are you buying it to use as a travel journal to document adventures and special times?
Are you trying to encourage yourself or a friend to write that first novella or anthology of poems and want to show your support and belief in them?
Will it be used to help bring a grand plan to life? somewhere to formulate and work through a big project or new business?
Maybe it will hold memories and thoughts for loved ones or children to read and come back to in the future.
Is this new journal to be a safe space to write down thoughts, feelings, a wellness journal to help someone to work through big thoughts and the everyday.

Once you know what you want the notebook to be used for, think about the person who will use it. maybe put your best advice on the cover, or a quote that really sums up how you feel or that says what you want to convey Some people write poems to go on the cover An ‘in joke or words meaningful only between you and the recipient (you may be the buyer and the recipient)

Moslty, don’t overthink it! It’s totally fine to just put the person’s name or even ask for it to be blank.