Wares & Things: Paperiaarre

notebooks, guestbooks & journals | Paperiaarre

I have kept a journal, online or otherwise, since well before high school. Back before I had a blog, I had a LiveJournal (remember those days?), and before my LJ, I had my notebook. Handwritten words that recounted all of the melodrama my teenage brain could muster.

Now, I only write in my journal about once a month, but I still find it incredibly cathartic -- a necessary break from writing something intended for other peoples' eyes, and a way to jot down important happenings that usually just go by in a flash. My current linen bound journal that I purchased back in January 2011 is nearing its last blank page, and I'm in the market for something just as beautiful.

Hence my new favorite shop. Paperiaarre contains stunning handmade books, notebooks, guestbooks (for weddings!), and a handful of other paper & mixed media creations.

Kaija is the shop's owner, and she lives and works in Jyvaskyla, Finland, describing herself as a "master bookbinder" - which just sounds like such a romantic classification and skill. The name of her shop translates in Finnish to "a paper treasure," which just adds to the beauty. I love that most of her journal pages don't have lines, my personal preference. The detailing of lace or gold paper is lovely and delicate. 

I just might consider getting one sometime soon. What about you? Do you still write in an old journal? Or are you securely rooted in online blogging?