My Journal

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My Journal

A brand new day for Dapper Notes
Welcome to Dapper Notes 4.0 The website you’re looking at right now has been months of work in the making, and there’s so much to share, I’m frankly not sure where to begin. So I guess it would be best...
The infinity ampersand: a seven-year journey
I guess it's about time I revealed what was in the December mystery edition. Years in the making, I finally refined my infinity ampersand design and created an edition to celebrate its journey.  Below is the cover for the mystery edition,...
So How Long Does it Take to Make a Dapper Notes?
Well, how long does it take? Great question! I'm so glad you asked. This is one of the first questions that comes up when folk learn that I make Dapper Notes by hand, one-by-one, from scratch. It's a very good question,...
New Video: Making a Hardcover Journal Step-By-Step
New Video! Over the last few months I've experimented with a variety of styles to fine-tune a journal that feels just right. There are ten new designs launching December 2018, all inspired by my generous friend Maggie Enterrios, who is also the designer of the...
Process Isn't Perfect
The sixteenth edition of Dapper Notes is for subscribers only. Here's Why. Everything is an experiment Every design I create is a brand new experiment. I try to find an interesting combination of cover materials - usually fabric and book cloth -...
Making a Dapper Notes Pocket Notebook
If you ever wondered what goes into making Dapper Notes, I filmed and edited a look into the full step-by-step process, from fabric roll to packaged notebook. Every edition is made a little differently, and I normally do some parts...
Gift Wrap Your Dapper Notes with Printer Paper
When you need to gift a pocket notebook or few, all you need is: standard-sized printer paper, scissors, and tape. That's it! Watch the step-by-step video to wrap your notebooks perfectly every time, and use these templates as your guide. You...
The Making of Summer of Sketching Notebooks
New Video! The ninth edition of Dapper Notes was made in collaboration with Eric Friedensohn, to celebrate Summer of Sketching. While constructing the notebooks, Eric shot a lot of behind-the-scenes footage, and compiled it all into this one-minute, delightful video. If you...
All About Fabric Notebook Covers
Out of all the things that make Dapper Notes special, one feature that stands out above the rest are the fabric covers. If you haven't seen my notebooks in person yet, let me explain: How Dapper Notes covers are made...
How Dapper Notes Are Made
Well, this isn't the step-by-step how to make Dapper Notes from scratch. It's a video! For the sixth edition, The Runner, I filmed my process of putting together the notebooks from start to finish, and cut the clips into a...
Making the First Set of Notebooks
This video is from when Dapper Notes were first made, at a time when they weren't yet called Dapper Notes (more on that here). Enjoy this behind-the-scenes process video, and a glimpse into the first video I ever edited:  ...