If you're a stationery addict like me, or you know one, you'll love Stuart's notebooks. I first met him at a market, and he's such a character: chatty, down to earth and so enthusiastic about what he does. Then you pick up one of his notebooks and see how flawlessly it's finished.
None of that perfection is an accident. Stuart spent over 40 years in the book trade as a bookbinder and print finisher. When the pandemic brought redundancy, he took the chance to make his own stationery, and he now works from a shed he built himself in Scotland. He describes his work as "handcrafted in a shed in Scotland", which, if anything, undersells it.
Every notebook is cut, glued and bound by hand. Each one is half-bound, with binding cloth on the spine and corners and a decorative paper on the front: block-printed florals, marbled sheets, Art Nouveau patterns in gold. The ribbon marker and headbands are matched to every cover, and the corners are crisp and neatly turned.
Stuart makes them because he loves it, and he would rather try a new paper than turn out fifty of the same design. That means almost every notebook is a one-off. Once a design has gone, it's gone.
They come in two sizes: an A5 notebook for the desk, a journal or daily lists, and an A6 pocket notebook that slips into a handbag. Both come with ruled or blank pages. They're the kind of everyday thing that makes even a to-do list feel like a small pleasure, and they make a lovely gift for anyone who still likes putting pen to paper.