<p class="p1"><span class="s1">There are too few things made by hand, one by one, these days. The concept certainly drives the popularity of printing techniques like letterpress or screen-printing, but I&#8217;m not sure I&#8217;ve ever seen it used on a pocket notebook — that is, until now.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Most pocket notebooks are a dime a dozen, explained <a href="http://dappernotes.com" target="_blank">Dapper Notes</a> creator Enon Avital, but then again, you don&#8217;t see made-from-scratch varieties featuring posh fabric covers and hand-sewn bindings of thick wax linen thread. When the world is a Wal-Mart, these are Bergdorf Goodman all the way!</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">So, how did these come about? &#8220;A paper lover for as long as I can remember, I got hooked on pocket notebooks around 2010 and sampled every brand I could get my hands on,&#8221; Enon told me. &#8220;The one thing I could never find is a pocket notebook that&#8217;s more than just paper sandwiched inside a cardboard cover. Giving friends and family a set of pocket notebooks is nice, but I didn&#8217;t find any that are made for gifting. Carrying one around all day is pretty much a given, but there were none I could take with me to formal happenings too.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">&#8220;I decided to experiment. By a rough estimate of one bajillion iterations, I discovered the recipe that answered everything I was looking for: 70lb smooth paper inside, printed by a local fella (I&#8217;m in North Jersey), with a two-layer cover that&#8217;s made of fabric on one side, and book cloth on the other. Well-chosen patterns can pair as a fabulous accessory, and binding the fabric to a book cloth results in a strong cover that feels nice and looks even better, if I may say so myself. To finish each notebook, I also include an onion-skin-like paper inside (adding a pop of color and elegance), and then sew them using bookbinding wax thread (which also adds color, and serious durability). I trim the edges, round the corners, and package each notebook by hand, totaling around one half hour of work to assemble each notebook. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">&#8220;A lot of work goes into this, but the process of creating Dapper Notes from scratch, one-by-one is the most soothing part of my day. Getting lost in the details, and refining every notebook while listening to my favorite tunes is the best meditation I never knew I needed. Since this is a one-man operation, I make only a small amount of each design. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">&#8220;That&#8217;s the whole story. Boy seeks to make a product better, stumbles upon journey, discovers himself, err, I mean something really nice. Shares said nice thing with the world.&#8221;</span></p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-56681" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-56681 block-wrap-classic columns__m--1 elements-design-3 block-ani block-skin-0 tipi-box block-wrap-thumbnail ppl-m-1 clearfix" data-id="56681" data-base="0"><div class="tipi-row-inner-style clearfix"><div class="tipi-row-inner-box contents sticky--wrap"><div class="block block-23 clearfix"><article class="tipi-xs-12 clearfix with-fi ani-base tipi-xs-typo split-1 split-design-1 loop-0 preview-thumbnail preview-23 elements-design-3 post-10016415 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-favorites tag-art-for-change tag-brene-brown tag-cards tag-cheryl-strayed tag-design tag-em-friends tag-emily-mcdowell tag-empathy-cards tag-faire tag-greeting-cards tag-heartell-press tag-kitchen-towels tag-letterpress tag-one-tree-planted tag-pet-sympathy-cards tag-rachel-kroh tag-sarah-schwartz tag-stationery tag-stationery-blog tag-stationery-design tag-stationery-designer tag-stickers tag-thank-you-stationery tag-the-paper-nerd tag-woodblock" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/heartell-hits-the-big-10/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 100w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=120%2C120&;ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=275%2C275&;ssl=1 275w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=372%2C372&;ssl=1 372w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=567%2C567&;ssl=1 567w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=300%2C300&;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?resize=50%2C50&;ssl=1 50w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/heartell-all-in-time-collection-hero-july-2024.jpg?zoom=2&;resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 200w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /></a></div><div class="meta"><div class="byline byline-2 byline-cats-design-4"><div class="byline-part cats"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/favorites/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Favorites</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/heartell-hits-the-big-10/">Heartell Hits the Big 10</a></h3></div><div class="byline byline-3"><span class="byline-part date"><i class="tipi-i-calendar" aria-hidden="true"></i> <time class="entry-date published dateCreated flipboard-date" datetime="2024-08-15T15:40:48+00:00">August 15, 2024</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="10016415"><span class="likes-heart"><i class="tipi-i-heart-o" aria-hidden="true"></i><i class="tipi-i-heart" aria-hidden="true"></i></span><span class="tipi-value">0</span></a></span></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></tipimidc>
<p class="p1">Enon sent me the Puerto Plata design, inspired by a vacation in the Dominican Republic, and it is really, really special! Every detail is immaculate, and it&#8217;s even signed and numbered in pencil in the the back. But all the designs are definitely swoon-worthy, and live up to the dapper brand.<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16816" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/puerto-plata-pair.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /> <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16814" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/puerto-plata-closeup.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /> <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16815" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/puerto-plata-inside.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /> <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16813" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/lucy-and-matan.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /> <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16817" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/southern-fuel.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /> <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16820" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/the-runner.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16821" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/three-edges-closeup.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16811" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/fan.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" />If you are a writer or artist of any kind, these are the perfect repositories for your brilliance on the go. It&#8217;s not too surprising that these tend to sell out fast, so if you see something you like, don&#8217;t wait, get it! At $15 a pop, they&#8217;re the epitome of an affordable indulgence.</p>
<p class="p1">And, if you want to make sure you get each before they&#8217;re gone, consider a <a href="https://shop.hebrewtype.land/collections/handmade-notebooks/products/bookhead-club" target="_blank">Bookhead Club</a> subscription, now on sale for $75: It guarantees six editions, mailed every other month when Enon make a new design.<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16812" src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/flatiron.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" /></p>