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Herald Sun Magazine
p 24, November, 2004

Cover story: dear diary goes upmarket with handbound journals

When choosing a journal, you can always go to the nearest newsagent and buy an exercise book for a few dollars, Then again, you could easily splash out and buy something really quite exquisite, a book that's handbound with delicate square knots and covered in beautiful fabric.

The journals, in three sizes, by Melbourne artists Louise Jennison and Gracia Haby, are a work of art. For the journal covers, Louise and Gracia use a range of materials, many with a hint of retro. Among them are the vintage fabrics and pre-loved clothing, with a delightful range of prints and patterns, from spots to stripes to florals. Each journal is a one-off and features a different fabric on the front and back, along with different end papers, which creates a delicate mixed-up effect. The journals have been such a hit, they're sold in a dozen stores across Australia, as well as in the UK. They will soon be sold in New Zealand.

When they're not creating journals, Louise and Gracia are busy producing artworks - including prints, drawings, watercolour paintings and sculptural paper pieces. Their collaborative projects push their creative boundaries. "It brings out the best of what we both do and it makes something completely different to what we'd do on our own," Louise says.

Louise and Gracia met in the late 1990s while studying fine art, majoring in painting, at RMIT. In 1999, they collaborated on artworks for the first time, making what they call "artists' books" - small books of their paintings and drawings. "They're like limited-edition prints, but in book form," Louise says.

They were out-sourcing the binding of their artists' books until, in 2002, they received a scholarship to attend a two-week course at a bookbinding school in Switzerland. There they learnt techniques, including how to make a book with an exposed spine and with square knots holding them together.

Back in Australia, newfound skills in tow, they began binding their own books. Eventually, they found it a natural extension to make journals, which they sell under the evocative business name of hammer & daisy. The name dates back to the brief time the two thought they'd make some extra cash by starting a gardening business. It lasted only a few weeks - but the name remained.

hammer & daisy journals are sold at a range of stores, including Wilkins and Kent, Fitzroy, and Craft Victoria, city.

Joanne Trzcinski