This 15 × 12 cm journal holds 45 pages of handmade Lokta paper and was made in Nepal. Two flowers stand on the cream cover, one orange and one deep purple, with green stems and red, blue and orange leaves. Pressed plant parts were used for the flowers, so every cover is a little different.
A plain cover with no fastening
This journal has no button or cord, so the cover simply opens. If you write at a desk, pen in hand, there is nothing to untie. For carrying in a bag every day, the version with a button closure stays shut better.
How lokta paper is made
Lokta is a Himalayan shrub. In Nepal its bark is turned into paper: it is boiled, beaten to a pulp, spread onto a frame in water, and the sheets are dried in the sun. A cut shrub grows back within a few years, so no tree has to be felled for it. In Nepal, official documents have been written on lokta paper for centuries.
The paper is valued for its durability and its distinctive fibrous surface. Its pages are slightly uneven, and you can feel it under the pen. A ballpoint pen or a pencil writes on it most comfortably.
Ideas for the blank pages
You can fill the unlined pages with whatever you like: daily thoughts, recipes, travel notes or drawings. It works as a garden diary too, for noting what you sowed and when the first flower opened. The medium size fits the hand and slips into a small bag. It also makes a lovely present, since the pressed flowers mean no two covers are alike.