Friday Find: Vintage Vinyl Journals

We are starting a new feature here at Buy-Her: Friday Finds, dedicated to Web sites that you may not have heard of, but really should know about. Not to worry; we’ll still be doing the ever-popular Friday Flops, but there are plenty of Fridays to go around! Now read on and enjoy our first Friday Find, Vintage Vinyl Journals.

Friday Find: Vintage Vinyl Journals

I have a THING for paper products, specifically notebooks and journals. I can’t make it out of my local Staples without slowing down in the fancy notebook aisle. Whether spiral or perfect bound, give me a notebook with a nice cover and some good, weighty paper and I’m in love. So imagine my joy when I received an e-mail from Vintage Vinyl Journals introducing themselves.

Dare I ask for a sample?

I did and they were gracious enough to oblige me. And when it arrived I died, went to Heaven and came back again. Not only was it beautifully bound and full of heavyweight paper, there was something very special about this journal. The front cover was Janet Jackson’s “Control” album and the back was art from the album cover.

A genuine vinyl record on the front...

Yes, you read that right. There was a record on the front of my journal. That’s what Vintage Vinyl Journals are all about. They take old-school vinyl record albums and repurpose them into journals. Not only is that a clever way to keep vintage records out of the landfill, it makes a great gift for someone old enough to appreciate the distinctive pop and hiss of music embedded in vinyl.

The journals are well-made and sturdy and contain 240 pages of unlined, acid-free paper with a sewn-in bookmark. You can choose from a variety of genres, from classics like Bing Crosby to legends like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin to newer artists like Taylor Swift. They’ll even make a custom journal for you, often at no extra charge (depending on how hard the album is to find – if you’re looking for Al Jolson, you’ll probably have to pay a premium).

...and album cover art on the back

These books make a great gift for just about anyone, but for music lovers in particular. And they work even if the recipient isn’t a journaler. I’m not a fan of writing on unlined paper, so I’ve been using my journal as an inspiration book for home decor projects (I’m always on the hunt and love to pull pictures of things I like) so my ideas are all in one place. Other uses I thought of:

° Scrapbook— grab one with an album from the year someone’s child was born and fill it with pictures and mementos.
° Birthday gift for an old friend—choose a record from your high school years (or however far back you go) and paste pictures and memorabilia from that time inside.
°Concert tickets – this would be a great way to document all the fun you had (if you’re one who saves these things).

The possibilities are just about endless!

Disclaimer: As I said, Vintage Vinyl Journals was kind enough to give me a journal to use. It was my choice to write about it because this is exactly the kind of thing that makes me indescribably happy. I hope it will make you happy too.

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