I enjoy color. I know, it can be hard to tell. 😉 Unfortunately for me, my favorite notebooks don’t come with colorful covers. So, in June last year, I made a custom fabric cover. It turned out… alright. It was a bit too big, and the construction wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t too bad for a first try. I used some gorgeous fabrics, and that’s really the only reason I’ve kept it as long as I have.
Switching to a different notebook brand with my current notebook seemed like a good time to abandon that old cover. Unfortunately, while the Rhodia is more colorful than the Firma-Flex, it stains badly.
So, I went looking for a new cover. I didn’t think it would be so difficult.
The Search
I’ve been searching for a kimono fabric cover. Something stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, virtually all of them are made for the Hobonichi planners. They would not fit either the Firma-Flex or the Rhodia.
So, I switched tactics. I went looking for a notebook cover that would be really useful. I found the Lihit Lab Smart Fit Cover. It seemed like it would be perfect, and I ordered one on Amazon — easy returns, in case it didn’t turn out well.
Unfortunately, the Rhodia cover is too thick to fit in the Lihit. I managed to force it about half-way in, only to rip my notebook when removing it.
So, back to the drawing board. I spent a bunch of time on Etsy scrolling through a variety of searches for A5 notebook covers. I finally found the June cover from Cocoa Paper.
The Order
What I loved most about the June cover was that there was an interior fabric lining for some extra visual interest. But, I was more wary of covers after the Lihit, so I reached out to Cocoa Paper to find out if my notebook would fit.
What followed was quite a bit of back and forth — they were so patient with all of my questions — that resulted in me ordering their Bekie cover. I chose blue leather and purchased the contrast stitching add-on in lavender. I was also advised I could add an interior fabric lining, so I did that in the gorgeous feather pattern featured in the June listing.
The cover shipped precisely two weeks after my order date, which falls on the low end of their expected timing. ““Made To Order” items take 2-3 weeks to be made.” All that was left was to wait for it to arrive.
The Cover
Considering it was coming from Indonesia, I was pretty surprised my cover arrived in 6 days. It showed up well packaged, and came with a cute little bag.
The material seems sturdy, and the construction is pretty good. There are a couple of small spots that have blemishes, but nothing particularly noticeable. The pen loop is soft, so it isn’t great if you have a tight clip, but for looser clips, it would be fine.
The inside material is gorgeous, and, most importantly, the cover fits my Rhodia. I can slide the covers in both sides, but the slight pull on the ripped section was making it worse, so I took the front cover out to be more delicate with it. The little pockets are loose enough that I can easily slide things in and out of them.
Overall, I’m really happy with this cover, and I may end up ordering another one at some point for some variety.
What do you think of the cover? Would you get one? Do you know of anyone who makes kimono fabric covers that will fit a Rhodia?
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