I made this notebook on request for my partner, who loves the texture of paper shopping bags. This project only took about four bags, thanks to Trader Joe's bag capacity, with the addition of kraft paper endsheets.
The understated, elegant exterior with its soft red leather cover and gold closure belies the found-object nature of its contents, which I'm very pleased with - half the spreads are blank pages from the insides of the bags, but the rest have at least some visible printing. It lends the piece a singular character. Flipping through is very satisfying, between the texture of the paper itself and the fact that creases from the construction of the bags remain, giving the whole book an airy, comfortable feel.
Initially, I can admit to having somewhat mixed feelings about a found-paper book, worrying that I'd be unable to get a satisfactory result from less-than-pristine materials, but I love how it turned out - maybe there will be an Aldi or Kroger version in the future.
