Go tree-free with our stunning handbound lokta paper notebooks. Each beautiful handcrafted journal has roughly 50 sheets (100 pages) of paper with a natural texture unique to lokta paper. The items in this collection were ethically handmade by empowered artisan women in Nepal.
Nepali kagaj or Nepali paper, is a wildcrafted, handmade artisan paper indigenous to Nepal. Known locally as 'lokta', the paper made from the bark of a plant known as Daphne Papyrus, which only grows at an altitude of above 6500 ft in the Himalayas. The inner bark gets stripped away in this process, but the root system remains intact and regenerates, making this type of paper a fully sustainable resource.
The bark has to be boiled for eight hours to soften and break down the fibres, and it is then hand-sifted before being pulped into a smooth paste. Every single sheet of paper is handmade by a cupful of lokta pulp being added to a set of wooden/mesh frames. Once the pulp has been circulated across the mesh by hand, the frame is gently lifted to ensure even distribution. The frame is then drained, and the paper dries in the sun (which doesn't take very long for most of the year).
Various techniques can be used to create the stunning patterns and designs you see on our products, including screen printing. Every single sheet is hand-printed using water based paints, and is also dried in the sun.
Once the papers are dried and ready to be bound, the sheets are cut as required. A coloured, textured sheet of paper is then pasted onto a thicker sheet to create the outer cover while the natural paper forms the pages inside each unique notebook. Finally, each book is beautifully bound by hand for an elegant finish.
Size: A6 (approximately 10 x 15 cm or 4 x 6 in), and approximately 120 g or 4 oz in weight
Materials: Daphne Papyrus.